Caleb Platt and Cameron Puffer have ventured out to Weedon Island Preserve on the western shores of Tampa Bay since their Cub Scout days.
Their fellow scouts would glide kayaks and canoes along the preserve’s paddling trail, meandering through 4 miles of seagrass flats and mangrove tunnels.
They’d pick up trash with their troop, one of many annual trips to the 3,000-acre park. Platt still visits to clean the preserve and surround himself with nature’s embrace.
It’s one of the only natural spaces in Pinellas County, he said, that doesn’t see any echoes of suburbia. And on Aug. 11, he implored county commissioners to maintain local funding for Weedon Island and Shell Key preserves.
“There’s got to be a better way to do this,” said Platt, 25.
Platt’s plea came five days after Pinellas County parks director Paul Cozzie sent an email to stakeholders warning that the upcoming county budget could defund Weedon Island Preserve and its Cultural and Natural History Center, as well as Shell Key Preserve.
If commissioners approve the budget as proposed, both parks would lose funding on Jan. 1, Cozzie wrote Aug. 13.
Despite the hundreds of emails opposing the proposal, county leaders on Aug. 11 said they’re facing state mandates to fund Medicaid, election cybersecurity and retirement systems, among other priorities.
That has amounted to a budget shortfall of about $40 million, requiring 3% cuts across all departments, County Administrator Barry Burton said Aug. 11.
In response, officials are eyeing the plan to return the state-owned — but county-leased and managed — natural lands back into the state’s hands.
Officials say the move will save the county money as dollars run tighter: Ending local funds for the two preserves would trim about $474,000 and eliminate at least seven positions that the parks department would work to replace elsewhere.
County officials are also bracing for dollars lost if voters approve the property tax referendum in November. If that happens, Pinellas would collect significantly less money come fiscal year 2028.
Pinellas has primarily paid for both preserves since it started leasing the land from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 1995, according to county spokesperson David Connor. Cutting ties to the preserves would allow the local parks department to focus on county-owned properties.
But the idea has caused heartburn among outdoor enthusiasts who don’t trust the state agency to properly manage the parks, especially after a string of recent scandals that involved proposals to develop state parks with golf courses and hotels and other attempts to trade away public forests and preserves.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has not responded to repeated questions from the Tampa Bay Times about whether it would be committed to paying for and managing the preserves.
The county’s proposal has also renewed the long-standing debate about who should foot the bill for local natural treasures that draw at least 1 million visitors annually and hold high ecological and cultural value.
“This is hard, because this is something that our residents enjoy,” Burton said Aug. 11. But when the county is faced with declining revenue and new state mandates, he said, “we said we’ve got to look at our core-mandated services.”
Commissioners on Aug. 11 floated ideas for funding both preserves. René Flowers wants to keep the local money flowing. Kathleen Peters wants to see funding at least through July, when the state budget kicks in. Vince Nowicki suggested the county take ownership of the land.
All seemed to agree that the preserves are important to residents, and they underscored a shared philosophy that the nearly 5,000 acres of wild lands across both properties should remain protected.
“It’s very clear that all of us view Weedon Island as a gem and an asset of the county,“ Commissioner Brian Scott said. ”And we want to make sure that it gets preserved going forward."
Ahead of a packed agenda Aug. 11, many of the public commenters spoke in opposition to defunding Weedon Island and Shell Key. Archaeologists and park enthusiasts joined the Eagle Scout in taking to the lectern.
“Weedon Island Preserve is a lush, natural treasure among the concrete jungle of Pinellas County,” said Rachael Kangas, a St. Petersburg resident and president of the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society.
Kangas underscored the preserve’s rich history as a home to Indigenous peoples dating back nearly 5,000 years. Archaeological artifacts unearthed from an active dig site — tools, pottery, human remains — are evidence of its importance, she said.
Weedon Island is likely the only place within 200 miles where the public can join monthly volunteer labs to clean and identify artifacts discovered at the preserve, Kangas said. Students from Eckerd College, the University of South Florida and other organizations regularly learn at the site.
Think of the bugs and birds, Kangas said. Think of the ferns and fish.
“I urge you, commissioners, to not move forward with these budget cuts,” Kangas said.
Pinellas commissioners are set to debate the budget in coming weeks, including at an Aug. 20 work session. The next fiscal year starts on Oct. 1, so commissioners must pass the budget in September.
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