News to Know

Fort De Soto Reopening in Phases

The following areas are open to visitors:

• All campgrounds
• Boat ramp – boat ramp amenities are limited and in varying states of hurricane recovery. Use at your own risk.
• Both fishing piers (Bay Pier and Gulf Pier)
• Causeway
• Dog beach
• East Beach

North Beach remains closed as repair and cleanup efforts continue. Visitors should exercise caution, as debris may still be present in some locations.

If you need to cancel an upcoming reservation, please contact us at 727-582-2100, and our team will be happy to assist you.

Thank you for your patience as we work to fully reopen the park!

New Parking Fee at Fort De Soto Park

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, parking fees at Fort De Soto Park will increase to $6 per vehicle. This is the first adjustment in over 14 years and creates a simple, flat rate across these locations. The boat ramp passenger vehicle fee has also been updated to ensure consistency and fairness. The fee remains lower than many neighboring beach access areas that charge by the hour. Annual and six-month pass rates will remain unchanged, making them a great value for frequent visitors. Thank you for supporting our parks and preserves!

Good Day Everyone!

 

I know it’s been a while but wanted to get this out to everyone.  Attached is a traffic advisory of an intersection has been shut down due to emergency sewer work.  Please see the attached Emergency Road Closure notification.  At this point, I do not know when it will be fixed.  Please use an alternative route.

 

 

Stacy O’Donnell Executive Aide, Commissioner Dave Eggers Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756 sodonnell@pinellas.gov Office (727) 464-3276   All government correspondence is subject to public record law.

Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber Announces New President and CEO

St. Pete Beach, FL – The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber is thrilled to announce the appointment of Charlie Justice as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Robin Miller who resigned in December.

Scott O’Berry, the Chamber’s 2025 Board Chair, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment. “The board performed an extensive search and is proud to take this next step with Charlie Justice leading the organization,” said O’Berry. “His deep ties to the community and proven leadership make him an excellent choice to guide the Chamber into the future.”

Charlie Justice, a former elected official with deep-rooted connections within the Tampa Bay Beaches community, brings a wealth of experience and a pro-business approach to leadership. Known for his dedication to fostering economic growth and supporting local businesses, Charlie has been a trusted figure in the community for many years.

Experience in the Community: With a longstanding history of public service and community involvement, Charlie's commitment to the Tampa Bay Beaches area is unparalleled. His extensive background in local governance and community development has equipped him with the skills necessary to lead the Chamber towards a brighter future.

Pro-Business Leadership: Charlie’s approach to leadership is firmly rooted in his pro-business philosophy. He has consistently advocated for policies that support business growth and tourism, making him a natural fit for the role of CEO at the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber. His vision includes creating a vibrant and thriving business environment that benefits all members of the community, and he is excited to work with other organizations and chambers in the area to do so.

Crisis Management Expertise: In addition, Charlie is well-versed in crisis management. His hands-on experience dealing with recent storms and other crises has demonstrated his ability to navigate challenging situations with resilience and strategic thinking. This expertise will be invaluable as he leads the chamber out of an unprecedented time for our beach communities.

"I am honored to be entrusted with this role and to continue serving the Tampa Bay Beaches communities in this new capacity. I look forward to working with the team, membership and the board to promote economic growth and strengthen our local business landscape" said Charlie Justice.

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce is confident that under Charlie’s leadership, the organization will continue to thrive and make a positive impact on the community.

About the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce:

The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce promotes travel & tourism, educates businesses & individuals, provides a forum of collaboration to enhance the business environment & promote the quality of life for the communities we serve.

Fort De Soto Reopening in Phases

Jan. 3 Update: Fort De Soto Park will continue to re-open in phases. The fort, dog beach and fishing pier will open on Monday, Jan. 6. Other areas that have reopened are the causeway, boat ramp, East Beach and the Area 3 campground. All other areas of the park and campground will remain closed as repair and cleanup efforts continue. If you need to cancel an upcoming reservation, please contact us at 727-582-2100 and a representative will assist you.

New Parking Fee at Fort De Soto Park

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, parking fees at Fort De Soto Park will increase to $6 per vehicle. This is the first adjustment in over 14 years and creates a simple, flat rate across these locations. The boat ramp passenger vehicle fee has also been updated to ensure consistency and fairness. The fee remains lower than many neighboring beach access areas that charge by the hour. Annual and six-month pass rates will remain unchanged, making them a great value for frequent visitors. Thank you for supporting our parks and preserves!

Maryanne and Jack made a visit to East Beach Friday, December 27th, 2024. This was our first visit back to East Beach since Hurricanes Helene and Milton did their number on Ft De Soto Park. The Pinellas County Parks Department have and are continuing to do a remarkable job. In the whole time we have been working on this project, we have never seen East Beach look as pristine and beautiful as it is now They are moving fron East Beach to the north to open the rest of the shoreline in the park. 

Even with the rest of the park's beaches closed for the time being, East Beach was only about 50% used examining the parking area. We will continue to monitor East Beaches usage as the other beach areas open up.

Tampa Bay Free Beaches mission is moving ahead at warp speed. Stay tuned for future updates.

Good morning and a fabulous Friday to you!!!!!

 

Substantial Damage Letters

 

The Building Department and other county department have just finished and rolled out a substantial damage link where residents can visit the website at http://Pinellas.gov/sdsi to search for their home address, click on the dot to view their status, and print a copy of the substantial damage letter.  A postal letter will still be mailed out but this link will provide it faster so you can move forward.

 

Please share this information with your relatives, neighbors and friends.  It should prove to be very useful.

 

 

Stacy O’Donnell Executive Aide, Commissioner Dave Eggers Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756 sodonnell@pinellas.gov Office (727) 464-3276   All government correspondence is subject to public record law.

Storm Closure Update (Dec. 16, 2024)

Fort De Soto Campground will re-open in phases beginning with Area 3 on Dec. 19 along with a partial opening of Fort De Soto Park, including East Beach.  Other areas of the park and campground will remain closed as repair efforts are still underway. If you need to cancel an upcoming reservation, please contact us at 727-582-2100 and a representative will assist you.

The causeway and boat ramp are also currently open.

• Good day to all!!!

   

  It has been a while since a writing to you and am thankful to say thank goodness hurricane season is now over.  It was a very rough season for so very many and it is my sincere hope that those extremely affected are beginning to work towards getting some of their lives back.  It won’t be normal for a long while and I can only imagine how frustrating, stressful and expensive this is for you and I am so very sorry.  What I do know is the determination, tenacity, resiliency and grit of the citizens that live in North County things will only get better as time progresses.

   

  Below is some information that may be of interest to you.  I know it is lengthy, but it is good information to know.  Also,  I would highly suggest if you have a contractor you are working with sit in on the public information webinar for contractors scheduled for Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. Contractors are asked to pre-register at Webinar Registration - Zoom.  I am sure it will provide very useful information as to the process.

   

  If you haven’t already please take a moment to view the website https://pinellas.gov/storm-recovery-permitting.  It has a lot of information.

   

  Substantial Damage determination letters distribution continues. As of Dec. 11, 1,339 letters have been mailed and another 4,000 will go out in the coming weeks. Building and Development Review Services continues to issue permits online and through the in-person Permit Support Hub.  I have also attached a substantial damage flowsheet for your information.

  Live Storm Repair Permit updates are now available at: https://pinellas.gov/substantial-damage-substantial-improvement/

  It might appear everything is moving at a snail’s pace, and we are quite aware everyone is anxious to rebuild/restore  I would feel the same way.    I must share that a lot of work actually goes into determinations that are being made; which I am sure you can appreciate.  Here is some information about the processes for determinations and substantial damage letters.

•  

• The Building Department is working closely with the State contractor, who at this point has completed inspections of approximately 5,400 properties in the unincorporated county. They are now conducting quality control on the data prior to entering the information into the FEMA estimator tool.   In some cases, there can be up to 54 data fields where information is reviewed and/or entered before the tool can provide a determination.  It appears to be an arduous process that I know we all want to have completed accurately for our property as well as others.  The Building Department has requested an additional 50 professionals from the State to assist with this data entry, and they are in the process of fulfilling this request. This team will support all communities coordinating with the county, including our unincorporated areas.

   

  The Building Department continues to work very hard to keep all the wheels rolling forward in their department with regular permits and inspections amidst the additional amount and complexity of storm work and FEMA.  With that, they are working extremely hard to have all letters mailed out by year-end.  That may sound far but in reality, it is only a couple weeks away.  To help facilitate this goal, Building have activated an additional 19 professionals from third-party contractors. Those folks have been trained and are focusing on quality control and data entry for the unincorporated county to supplement the work the state contractor has completed for unincorporated.

   

  I know folks in Ozona and Crystal Beach are wondering why they have only received a few letters in their entire communities.  Well, both communities had quite a bit of damage and the Building Department is continuing to work on them but still have many properties that need to be processed. With the additional team from their contractor, the Building Department expects to make significant progress in the coming weeks.

•  

Debris:

FEMA Assistance – The deadline for FEMA Individual Assistance for Helene and Milton is Jan. 7, 2025. As of Dec. 11, FEMA had 270,684 registered individuals for assistance.

Housing:

Upcoming Deadlines for Public Assistance

• FEMA Assistance Applications:
• • Hurricanes Helene and Milton: Jan. 7, 2025  (Deadline extended)
• US Small Business Administration Physical Damage and Economic Injury Loans: Residents and businesses can visit sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance to apply, contact disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or call 1-800-659-2955 for assistance. The Physical Damage Disaster Loan Application deadline for both hurricanes Helene and Milton has been extended to January 7, 2025. The loans can be used for code-required upgrades related to the Substantial Damage rules, among other needs.
• FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program for Nonprofits, Houses of Worship and Governments: Hurricanes Helene & Milton: Dec. 20 (Deadline extended)
• Economic Injury Loan (Hurricanes Helene & Milton): July 11, 2025

Communications & Outreach

• A public information webinar for contractors is scheduled for Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. Contractors are asked to pre-register at Webinar Registration - Zoom

 

 

We want to again thank everyone for their continued patience through all of this.  It is new to everyone but like I said with all the determination, tenacity, resiliency, and grit of the citizens living in North County, it can only get better!!!

 

 

Stacy O’Donnell Executive Aide, Commissioner Dave Eggers Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756 sodonnell@pinellas.gov Office (727) 464-3276   All government correspondence is subject to public record law.

Below are photos of the post Hurricane Helene and Milton restoration clean up at Ft De Soto Park. East Beach is visible because of the view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We will try and keep you updated as information comes in.

Link below to see the current update on the damage and recovery process at Ft De Soto County Park.

https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/park-manager-shows-catastrophic-damage-to-ft-desoto-park-details-recovery-efforts/