Pinellas County Commission Approves 2020 Federal Legislative Priorities

From the Pinellas County Government:

February 11, 2020

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners approved its 2020 Federal Legislative Priorities Program on Tuesday, focusing on flood insurance, beach nourishment, transportation/infrastructure and preventing offshore oil drilling.

The program reflects the Board’s federal legislative priorities for the coming year. County staff and representatives will monitor these and all other issues that impact Pinellas County Government’s ability to deliver services to residents and visitors.

Board priorities include:

- Support reauthorization of a transportation package that also includes funding for hardening and increased resiliency of infrastructure, local projects that combat coastal water level changes and increased storm surge, and Advanced Traffic Management Systems.

- Support federal funding for local bridge replacement projects.

- Support strategies that address the Federal Highway trust Fund's declining revenues.

- Support a long-term extension to the National Flood Insurance Program that ensures financial stability while not pricing out policy holders.

- Oppose FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 until further details of the program are released.

- Extend for an additional 50 years the federal authorizations for the Treasure Island and Long Key beach nourishment projects currently set to expire in 2025 and 2030.

- Support continued funding for beach nourishment projects, including Pass-a-Grille Beach, which is in an eroded state and not funded, but is scheduled for nourishment in 2021.

- Support an extension of the moratorium on oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico within 125 miles of Florida, set to expire in 2022.

In other action, the Board:

- Approved the recommendation of the Tourist Development Council to fund up to $350,000 for renovations to the Florida Holocaust Museum, including a new lobby entrance to address security concerns and ADA access.

- Approved an agreement with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul South Pinellas to fund facility hardening through a new roof for the Center of Hope homeless shelter. This will allow sheltering in place during disaster events and provide continued services for vulnerable populations.

- Approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) that will provide FDOT funding for design of the Starkey Road Corridor Sidewalk project between Ulmerton Road and East Bay Drive in Largo.

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