First ferry vessel arrives in Pinellas for refurbishment
TARPON SPRINGS — The first of two vessels for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s ferry service between downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa has arrived in Pinellas County.
The Bay Breeze docked in Tarpon Springs on Aug. 17 and now begins refurbishment for passenger service. The second vessel, the Bay Clipper, is expected to arrive in the coming weeks and will be refurbished at the same facility.
“Having the Bay Breeze arrive here in Pinellas County is a major milestone and brings us one step closer to launching a reliable, sustainable and long-term ferry service across the bay,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said. “Both the Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper are excellent vessels, and now we can get to work on the Bay Breeze by making it service-ready and doing the same once the Bay Clipper arrives.”
Both vessels will be refurbished by Tarpon Marine Services, founded in Tarpon Springs in 2010. The company says it operates the largest hydraulic lift on Florida’s west coast.
“This project will be a major boost to not only Tarpon Marine Services, but many other local specialty maritime small businesses,” said Justin Russell, chief operating officer. “We’re excited to build a relationship with PSTA and Hubbard’s Ferry, while helping shape the newest ferries that will provide great service to the Tampa Bay area for many years to come.”
Tarpon Springs City Commissioner Lori Weaver, who serves on the PSTA board, said the work will benefit local businesses during both refurbishment and operation.
“Bringing the vessels here, locally, means so much to not only the city of Tarpon Springs, but also to the families and businesses of Pinellas County and our region as a whole,” she said.
The vessel purchase was facilitated by Hubbard’s Ferry, which will operate the service once it begins later this year. The purchase and refurbishment of both vessels is funded by a $4.8 million Federal Transit Administration grant. Refurbishment and inspections are expected to take several months.
County seeking applicants for affordable housing panel
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County is accepting applications to fill vacancies on its Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for three-year terms beginning Nov. 1.
The county is seeking candidates in four categories: someone in the residential home building industry in connection with affordable housing; an advocate for low-income residents in connection with affordable housing; a not-for-profit provider of affordable housing; and a resident of the jurisdiction making the appointments.
The committee has eight to 11 members appointed by the Pinellas County Commission. It reviews the county’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership local housing assistance plan and evaluates county policies, ordinances, land development regulations and the comprehensive plan, then recommends ways to encourage affordable housing while protecting the ability of property to appreciate in value. Each year it submits a housing incentives review and recommendations report to the commission and the state.
The committee meets about four times a year, typically at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month in the Palm Room at 333 Chestnut St.
Applications are available on the Boards, Councils and Committees page at pinellas.gov and must be submitted by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30. Materials submitted to the county are public record under Florida law.
Property Appraiser sets public education event
ST. PETERSBURG — Mike Twitty, Pinellas County Property Appraiser, will give a presentation on TRIM notices for first-time Florida homeowners Thursday, Aug. 27, noon to 1 p.m., at 2500 34th St. N, second floor. The presentation can be attended virtually or in-person.
The Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, also referred to as Truth-in-Millage (TRIM) Notice, is a very important document relating to your proposed property value and taxes for the current year. Sent out to all property owners in late August, this document includes:
• Market Value of the property
• Property Tax Exemptions applied
• Tax Rates from local taxing authorities
• Date and time all taxing authorities hold hearings to adopt their tax rates and budgets
Property owners may have many questions when this document arrives in the mail, so this session is designed to answer some commonly asked questions and answer any specific questions in preparation for the arrival of the TRIM notice and the Tax Bill that arrives in November.
Register to attend at https://tinyurl.com/4kdr4jvc
Kids tag art program gets award for raising funds
The Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Kids Tag Art (KTA) program has received the Arts in Our Community award from the Pinellas Art Education Association. The award honored the KTA program for raising funds and supporting elementary art education across Pinellas.
Since its inception in 2015, KTA Pinellas has raised more than $500,000 for local elementary art classrooms. Through a partnership with Pinellas County Schools and generous community sponsors, KTA Pinellas allows students to design a front-facing vanity license plate. The designs are then added to an online store for the public to purchase. All 100% of sales proceeds go back to the participating schools, allowing teachers to purchase much-needed art supplies and enrich the learning experience.
Nearly 30,000 fifth-grade students have participated in the program since it started.
The 12th year of KTA Pinellas kicked off on the first day of school, Aug. 11. An estimated 2,500+ students will participate in this year’s program. The online store, kidstagartpinellas.org, is slated to open mid-November and will remain open for purchases through the end of the school year.