Vaccine Rollout Updates And More At Tuesday's Pinellas County Commission Meeting

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County residents 65 and older should soon be able to start pre-registering for a second round of COVID-19 vaccines sent by the State of Florida, health officials said at Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners’ meeting.

Approximately 10,000 vaccines will be available for first dose starting next week, Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County Director Dr. Ulyee Choe said.

The state-run health department is also partnering with Pinellas County in a contract with a new company to operate an online and phone registration system that’s also being used by Pasco, Hillsborough, Orange and other Florida counties.

Vaccinations are expected to begin next week, with sites to be announced once logistics are finalized.

More than 29,000 people have already received at least the first dose of the vaccine in Pinellas, primarily through hospitals, health centers and at long-term care facilities, which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, Choe said.

Of that number, the state health department vaccinated 1,500 people last week who registered for the first round of vaccines available to seniors in the general public. Through the state pilot for nursing homes and ALFs, 8,800 have been vaccinated.

“We’re receiving a small amount in terms of the total need. A lot of the distribution is going to come through other means,” Pinellas County Administrator Barry A. Burton.

With around 250,000 seniors eligible for publicly distributed state vaccines and supply varying based on what the federal government provides to Florida each week, vaccinations will be a long-term process, he said.

“People are going to have to be patient. This is going to take months, not days,” Burton said.

The Board of County Commissioners also voted unanimously to extend the State of Local Emergency in Pinellas County by one week, to January 22, 2021.

Health officials provided the following update to the Commission on the status of COVID-19 in Pinellas County:

• Daily case counts averaging around 586, near the peaks from last summer
• 10.4 percent positivity among those tested
• 1,129 deaths to date, with 64 percent at long-term care facilities
• Hospital bed and staff capacity may be strained this month
• There’s evidence of a mutated COVID-19 strain in Florida; there’s no evidence that this strain is resistant to the vaccine or more harmful, but it appears to be more contagious

As new vaccine supply becomes available, the County will share this information online at: https://covid19.pinellascounty.org/vaccines/ and the FLDOH-Pinellas site http://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/.

Affordable Housing program applications approved
The Board approved the maximum funding amounts for four Penny for Pinellas-funded Affordable Housing program applications totaling up to $11.6 million. Supported projects include Skyways Lofts, (3900 34th St. S., St. Petersburg); The Shores (26th Avenue S. and 31st Street S., St. Petersburg), New Northeast (5475 3rd Ln. N., St. Petersburg), and Washington Avenue Apartments (306 S. Washington Ave., Clearwater).

Through an interlocal agreement between the County and the 24 municipalities, 8.3 percent of the net proceeds of Penny IV (2020-2029) will be dedicated to countywide investments in economic development capital projects and housing land acquisition in support of affordable residential housing. The final approvals are conditioned on the projects meeting the requirements of the County’s standard affordable housing development program guidelines.

In separate action, the Board cleared the way for the Housing Finance Authority to finalize ground lease negotiations allowing for the development of affordable housing on about 5.67-acre and 1.53-acre tracts in Lealman.

Gladys E. Douglas property negotiation
The Board adopted a resolution authorizing County Administrator Barry A. Burton to negotiate and contribute up to $3.5 million in County funds for the purchase of the Gladys E. Douglas property in partnership with the City of Dunedin. The resolution also ratifies the County’s request for $2.4 million in grant funding from the Florida Department of Environment Protection Florida Communities Trust program, of which $1.5 million would be used to offset the County’s contribution toward the purchase cost.

With the resolution, commitments of $7.5 million have been secured from the City, County and private donations toward the estate’s firm asking price of $10 million. Additional information is available at the City of Dunedin’s website.

Baypointe Property Brownfield Designation
The Board adopted a resolution designating the former Baypointe Golf Course in Seminole as a Brownfield. The action authorizes the County to enter into a future Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, providing eligibility for a tax credit incentive.

Pinellas County purchased the abandoned 42-acre property in February 2020 to use for stormwater improvements, conservation and passive recreation.

In other action Tuesday, the Board:

• Adopted two resolutions authorizing the issuance of Sewer Refunding Notes. Proceeds are estimated to realize savings of about $4.9 million, reducing the overall cost of operating Pinellas County Utilities. This would ultimately result a positive effect on user rates.
• Addressed local efforts to achieve social justice and issued a proclamation recognizing Jan. 18 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Pinellas County.
• Held its first regular meeting under the leadership of new Chairman Dave Eggers.

Public Participation Guidelines
Residents are reminded that the Board has updated its Public Participation Guide to include preregistration for virtual comment. Those wishing to address the Board in person are encouraged, but not required to preregister at PinellasCounty.org/comment. Those wishing to comment virtually must preregister through that web page by 5 p.m. on the day before the meeting.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.