Gulf Boulevard Improvement Project Okayed

In 2001, the Gulf Boulevard Improvement Project was made and approved by Pinellas County Commissioners. Twelve years later, the project is finally coming to fruition.

Pinellas County Commissioners okayed the details of agreement of eleven beach communities for the Gulf Boulevard Improvement Project, according to an article from TBNweekly.com.

The agreement of the beautification project included the communities of: Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Clearwater, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Madeira Beach, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island.

The project plans to do multiple things to make life better on Gulf Boulevard such as, creating streetsight improvements, putting overhead utilities underground, creating easier wayfinding for tourists and creating a more beautiful Gulf Boulevard to drive tourism. 

When the project was approved in 2001, the cost was estimated to be at $106 million. Budget analyses in 2007 showed the project costs at $228 million in 2010 and the county cancelled the plan temporarily.

With the Penny for Pinellas sales tax approval in 2007, the project was back on with a smaller scale of $35 million. After an economic downturn, the county sought to readjust the agreement between the beach communities.

Currently, the agreement states that $3.5 million will be given for the project between 2013 and 2016. An additional $7 million per year will be given between 2017 and 2019 for a total of $35 million.

The breakdown of the money per community is as follows:

• $6.7 million to Clearwater
• $5.7 million to St. Pete Beach
• $4.1 million to Indian Rocks Beach
• $4.0 million to Indian Shores
• $3.8 million to Treasure Island
• $3.3 million to Madeira Beach
• $2.1 million to Belleair Beach
• $1.7 million to Redington Shores
• $1.6 million to Redington Beach
• $1.2 million to North Redington Beach
• $0.8 million to Belleair Shore