Pinellas County recently began what it is calling the “most important phase” of the Lake Seminole Restoration Project. A county contractor has started a dredge operation that will remove about 900,000 cubic yards of organic sediment from the lake. The goal is to bring it the lake to its healthiest state in decades.
If your holiday plans include a trip, you should expect to have lots of company, regardless of how you travel.
CLEARWATER — An overflow crowd greeted the Pinellas County Commission Nov. 12 during a six-hour meeting that included 13 public hearings.
Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas recently announced that his office had raked in record-breaking tourist development tax collections for short-term hotel and rental stays for the 2019 fiscal year.
ST. PETERSBURG — More than 10,000 Lyft rides have been taken by seniors, disabled residents and veterans in Pinellas County, thanks to an innovative partnership between Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and Lyft.
ST. PETERSBURG — Nine Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy recruits were recognized for completing the Corrections Academy training during a graduation ceremony Nov. 12 at the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center.
PINELLAS PARK — The Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, presided over a blessing ceremony Nov. 18 at Pinellas Hope in Pinellas Park.
A big day of activities is on tap for Dec. 7, as the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office hosts the 26th annual Ride and Run with the Stars at Fort De Soto Park, 3500 Bayway S. in Tierra Verde.
The winter holidays are a joyous time for many. But not for all. For people who can’t afford to eat on any given day, much less have extra to prepare a holiday meal, the holidays can be depressing. Thinking of how to provide gifts for their children causes more stress than joy.
A number of projects have been ongoing at the airport, including a new in-line checked baggage inspection system that is now ready to go. The $12.5 million project allows Transportation Security Administration officers to screen and inspect baggage at a faster rate.
LARGO — Creative Pinellas and the Tampa Bay Rays recently announced the second year of the Rays Artist Print Series.
Pinellas County is accepting applications for one appointment to the Local Planning Agency. The appointment is to fulfill an existing term that expires on Nov. 3, 2020. Board positions are unpaid and voluntary.
TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a Consumer Alert Nov. 4 to let victims of several tech support scams know that millions of dollars in restitution is available.
Veterans Boat Parade
After years of planning, the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch in Pinellas Park is poised to enter its final phase of construction next year. The WWAR is designed to help rehabilitate veterans wounded during military service.
LARGO — A million twinkling LED lights will beckon visitors to come take a stroll along the pathways in the Florida Botanical Gardens from Friday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Jan. 4.
CLEARWATER — On Aug. 5, dignitaries, veterans and scuba enthusiasts gathered to dedicate Circle of Heroes touted as a first-of-its kind diving site in the United States.
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County’s children are “really struggling.”
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas is now accepting payments for 2019 property taxes.
Pinellas County Government is accepting applications for one appointment to the Board of Directors of the Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority. This appointment will fulfill an unexpired term, which expires Dec. 31, 2022.
ST. PETERSBURG — The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas and aging network partners will host an Advocacy Summit Friday, Nov. 8, 1-3:30 p.m., at the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, 9549 Kroger Blvd., Gadsden Bldg., STE 100, St. Petersburg.
CLEARWATER — Tampa Bay Water’s Board of Directors took actions at its October meeting to ensure the region has enough drinking water for at least the next 20 years.
ST. PETERSBURG — FOX Nation will host the first-ever Patriot Awards Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., at the Duke Energy Center of Arts - Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.
Pinellas County Mosquito Control is responding to an increase in mosquito-borne disease activity in areas of the county and is urging citizens to take basic cautions to limit exposure.
CLEARWATER — Concerns about seagrass damage and issues with water quality prompted Pinellas County commissioners to pass an ordinance Oct. 22 that prohibits people from riding, walking or training any equine (horse) within the aquatic preserves.
ST. PETERSBURG — Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Board of Directors voted 11-2 Oct. 23 to buy 20 new trolleys to replace the 16 that are now part of its 210-bus fleet.
Charles W. Thomas, Pinellas County tax collector, announced Oct. 24 that his office returned more than $11.5 million in unspent revenue to the Board of County Commissioners and other taxing authorities.
The Pinellas Clerk’s Operation Green Light initiative aimed to help individuals with Pinellas County cases in collections and it did just that.
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation announced the availability of $1.4 billion for the reconstruction of the I-275/State Road 60 Westshore Area Interchange in Tampa.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol have begun the annual “Stuff the Charger” food drive. Through Nov.13, the department will be collecting non-perishable food donations for food banks across the state.
Juvenile arrests in Florida are down 8%, according to a recent delinquency report released by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Pinellas County’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September dropped to 2.7% compared to 3.2% in August, according to the report released Oct. 18 by the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
Pinellas County will receive more than $3.9 million in federal grant money to upgrade traffic lights at 16 locations from lights hanging on wires to more wind-resistant ones mounted on metal mast arms.
CLEARWATER — RCS Pinellas is partnering with cities across the county to proclaim October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. More than a dozen cities as well as Pinellas County government have made official proclamations recognizing the dangers of domestic violence and RCS Pinellas’s effo…
LARGO — A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. will be at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Monday-Thursday, Nov. 4-7, to examine all aspects of the office’s policies and procedures, administration, operations and support services for th…
Unified Personnel Board applications due by Nov. 4
Tornado damage in the Seminole area, power outages and some flooding along the beach and low-lying areas occurred overnight as Tropical Storm Nestor brought wind and rain to Pinellas and Tampa Bay.
National Hurricane Center announced Friday afternoon that Tropical Storm Nestor had formed in the Gulf of Mexico. Dangerous storm surge and tropical storm force winds are expected along portions of the northern Gulf Coast later today and tonight.
Potential tropical cyclone 16 continues to make its way northeast through the Gulf of Mexico on Friday. National Hurricane Center says it is likely to become a tropical storm sometime today as it tracks toward the Florida panhandle.
The National Weather Service has upgraded the storm surge watch for coastal areas of Pinellas County to a storm surge warning due to a potential tropical cyclone in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
CLEARWATER — One of the most important things a Metropolitan Planning Organization does is prepare a county’s long range transportation plan, according to Whit Blanton, Forward Pinellas executive director.
CLEARWATER — Forward Pinellas Board members got a look at Florida Department of Transportation’s tentative five-year work program Oct. 9, covering local projects funded from July 1, 2020-June 30, 2025.
CLEARWATER — Forward Pinellas Board members listened to a presentation from the city of Clearwater Oct. 9 about plans for a Complete Streets project on Drew Street. Afterwards, the board agreed it needed to do what it could to fix one of the county’s most dangerous corridors.
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County Commissioners agreed Oct. 8 to sell about a quarter acre of land to The Landings of Tarpon Springs LLC for $6,700.
CLEARWATER — Keep Pinellas Beautiful has four focus areas: litter prevention, waste reduction, conservation, and beautification and community greening.
TARPON SPRINGS — Pinellas County reports that volunteers handed out bags of groceries to more than 500 families during the Oct. 11 Farm Share event in Tarpon Springs.
CLEARWATER — St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will host a Veterans Honor Flight Welcome Home Reception Tuesday, Oct. 22, about 8:15 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG — Residents and businesses are invited to a workshop and community open house Thursday, Oct. 17, 6-8 p.m., at the Lealman Exchange, 5175 45th St. N., in St. Petersburg.
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County announced on Oct. 9 that an experienced leader with ties to Tampa Bay would be taking the helm at Visit St. Pete/Clearwater effective Dec. 16.
CLEARWATER — After a unanimous vote of approval by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, Beth A. Houghton began her tenure as the organization’s new chief executive officer on Oct. 1.
A group of Pinellas County animal rescue organizations are working together to find homes for 14 dogs and cats rescued from the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that devastated the commonwealth early last month.
Compassion Kind, a St. Petersburg organization dedicated to global relief work that helps both humans and animals, is spearheading the project.
