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Note: Public beach access points within municipal limits are maintained by the municipality. For specific questions about the status of public beach accesses, please contact the relevant municipality.

Project Overview

Pinellas County is conducting an emergency shoreline restoration project to mitigate critical erosion caused by Hurricane Idalia. The project consists of constructing dunes. The active project area will move strategically along the coast, as County teams have triaged the damage and will work on the most critical areas first.

This project is separate from the federal beach nourishment project that is currently on hold with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Sand was trucked in from an authorized location, placed on the beach and shaped into dunes. The new dunes will also be planted with vegetation.

Project Timeline

Information for Property Owners

For Pinellas County to place sand and construct dunes, we must obtain short-term construction easements from property owners. These County easements are temporary and different from the perpetual easements required by the USACE project. In lieu of initiating individual projects, property owners are strongly encouraged to allow the County to install erosion control measures that have been permitted and designed to work together.

Project Location

Open the project map in its own tab

Project Funding

This emergency project is supported by the Tourist Development Tax. For more information visit FromVisitorsWithLove.com.

Many cities have landmarks that help to define their image. Obvious examples include the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and, closer to home, the Gulfport Casino. St. Petersburg’s downtown piers have also filled this role.

Twenty-one years ago, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) installed Pinellas Park’s peculiar pipe that became an unattractive distraction and unexpected landmark.

Brown metal tubes started to rise from the ground at a busy intersection in early 2001. Gawkers stared at these cylinders on the southeastern and northwestern corners of the intersection of Park Boulevard and 66th Street.

At that time, workers were expanding turn lanes and making other improvements at this location. Some rubberneckers probably assumed that crews had installed a temporary sewer detour during construction. After the traffic cones disappeared, however, the pipes remained positioned in place.

Known in transportation circles as a “monotube,” this structure stands 21 feet above the pavement and stretches 230 feet. Part of a $2-million intersection overhaul, the brown metal fixture cost approximately $200,000 when installed in April 2001.

Finger-pointing began before crews anchored the first traffic light, and not just by those looking at the monotube. When officials in Pinellas Park fielded phone calls, they promptly and properly told irate callers that FDOT bore responsibility. Cities have limited ability to override FDOT’s decisions about design elements on state-owned roadways.

An FDOT spokesperson defended the tube as an economical option that avoided the need to acquire additional right-of-way. Noting that the State required the replacement of the traffic lights at the intersection, FDOT claimed that City leaders had raised no objections to the project during the planning stages.

(Editor’s note: Tom Nicholls, now the City of Gulfport Public Works director, had recently been promoted to the City of Pinellas Park’s Traffic Division Director. He told The Gabber Newspaper no one at FDOT asked for City feedback, as Pinellas County acts as the maintaining authority for all of Pinellas Park’s traffic signals.)

FDOT originally proposed erecting a silver-colored truss. City leaders did not want a truss, and got a tube instead.

Why didn’t traffic engineers simply replace the wiring and install new traffic signals? The answer to that question involves a trip back to August 1992. Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, cut a devastating path when it hit south Florida.

Nearly all wired traffic signals in impacted areas suffered damage, though those secured to beams did better. In Andrew’s aftermath, state transportation policies called for the mounting of traffic signals at high-traffic destinations onto fixtures built to withstand most hurricane-force winds.

Pinellas Park’s monotube became a possible FDOT prototype for use at busy intersections close to the coast. Designed to survive winds reaching 130 MPH, the monotube securely held signals that would otherwise thrash. Although the first of its type — that held traffic lights — in Tampa Bay, this monotube was not the original one in the Tampa Bay region.

Monotubes made their local debut along portions of the Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway during the 1990s. In March 2001 — a month before the uproar in Pinellas Park — crews erected a green-colored monotube along West Bay Drive.

Largo’s monotube originally went largely unnoticed. Installed as part of a city beautification and FDOT road-widening effort, this structure had no traffic signals. Instead, it supported directional signs for eastbound drivers approaching the Bay Drive intersection at Missouri Avenue/Seminole Boulevard.

Pinellas pundits and casual observers shared their thoughts about the county’s newest landmark. A radio station even solicited names. “Pipey LePew,” a sarcastic spin on the Warner Brothers cartoon skunk character Pepé Le Pew, became a top choice.

This stinky situation left a foul odor in a city that had long sought to improve its image. Pinellas Park traces its origins to a farming colony established after F.A. Davis and other Pennsylvania developers acquired nearly 10,000 acres in 1909.

Incorporated in 1914, the municipality maintained a rural character for decades. During the 1950s, Pinellas Park became an important lower-county crossroads after the westward extension of Park Boulevard into the Seminole area and the eastward relocation of U.S. Highway 19 to its present path from its former route along Alternate 19.

In recent decades, the one-time farm settlement began to grow in new directions. Stretching its boundaries into Lealman and toward Largo and St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park hoped to cultivate a new image and shed the former pastoral punchlines. The brown tube set the wrong tone.

The monotube’s color became a common critique, especially after a DOT representative referred to it as “chestnut bronze.” In early May 2001, the Vitale Brothers talked about possibly tinting the tube blue, and adding images of birds and clouds. He later agreed to paint the pipe for free if FDOT or Pinellas Park provided the paint.

The chorus of criticism resumed in July. When state officials claimed the cost to repaint may exceed $100,000, some condemned these plans as yet another boondoggle. Others suggested a barber pole or candy cane palette instead. Votes from a public forum supported turning the structure blue.

Sandblasting and painting the monotube blue occurred in December 2001, at a cost of approximately $22,000.

As discussions about the color of the Pinellas Park monotube continued in mid-July 2001, Clearwater leaders made decisions about the fate of another controversial landmark. In December 1999, crowds gathered at Clearwater Beach to celebrate the dedication of a new roundabout.

This circle connected Clearwater Memorial Causeway with Coronado Drive, Mandalay Avenue, and Poinsettia Avenue. A $2.1 million fountain at the roundabout’s center allowed water to soar over 40 feet into the air. Smaller fountains surrounded the main one.

The fountain and roundabout became key features in the “One city. One future.” initiative led by Mike Roberto, Clearwater’s city manager at the time. Roberto had no role in designing the fountain. However, he did himself no favors by gushing about its grandeur to a Tampa Tribune reporter.

In a Dec. 22, 1999 Tribune article, Roberto claimed the entryway connecting the Causeway with roads near Pier 60 would improve “one of the most dysfunctional intersections in all of Pinellas County.”

By January 2000, less than a month after the dedication ceremonies, the fountain’s mists and sprays caused confusion and collisions during breezy days. The fountain at what soon became known as the “Roberto Roundabout” lasted less than three years. Demolished in December 2002, fountain remnants ended up as rubble stabilizing the shoreline.

A smaller, drier roundabout at Park Street and Villagrande Avenue South also baffled drivers when it first appeared in 2008. Tubes and traffic circles give some vehicle operators the runaround.

While residents debated pole paint colors, leaders sought ways to prevent the installation of any additional monotubes. In July 2001, they lobbied against a monotube becoming part of intersection improvements at Seminole Boulevard and Park Boulevard.

In August 2001, the Pinellas Planning Council unanimously passed a resolution discouraging FDOT from adding these “obstructive and objectionable” objects to any other local projects.

St. Petersburg leaders passed a separate resolution against monotubes, fearing the state may add them at large intersections. Years later, a skinnier monotube soared above the crossroads of 66th Street and Tyrone Boulevard.

During the busy 2004 hurricane season, storms tested Pinellas Park’s monotube. Tropical storm force winds from Hurricane Frances blew through the area in September 2004. Despite power failures, the stoplights stayed secured to the structure.

Although Pinellas Park’s monotube passed the stress test, it failed in the structural beauty pageant. Since the early 2000s, many traffic lights in the Tampa Bay area have transitioned from hanging wires to mast arm poles. Designed to withstand strong winds, these structures offer a better level of protection for items affixed to them than traditional wires, yet lack the clunky and chubby design of their pipe progenitor.

Tubes, poles, and masts that protect light fixtures pose a challenge for preservationists. Before their installation, house movers could relocate threatened historical landmarks with relative ease. Utility companies temporarily readjusted above-ground wires, crews diverted traffic, and structures moved overnight.

Many of the historical structures located at Heritage Village near Largo and the Pinellas Pioneer Settlement in St. Petersburg arrived in one piece. Transported in part by barge from Clearwater Harbor, the House of Seven Gables reached Heritage Village in one piece after journeying along Walsingham Road in mid-1976.

When Archie B. “Toby” Thomas’s house moving team transported the Snell and Wiliams historic structures to USF St. Petersburg in 1993 and 1995, respectively, Toby stood atop the homes and lifted traffic lights so they could pass through intersections.

Newer traffic devices complicate these logistics. When the Turner Bungalow moved from Clearwater to Heritage Village in January 2014, crews had to remove the roof so the historic home could make the 8-mile journey.

Far into the future, a yet-to-be-born preservationist may advocate moving Pinellas Park’s totally tubular pipe to Heritage Village or another site as a historic landmark.

Wherever it ends up, crews certainly will have to move it in many pieces.

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PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Small businesses make up a large part of Florida's economy.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, workplaces with fewer than 500 employees accounted for more than 99% of businesses in the state last year.

They also employed more than 40% of Florida workers.

What You Need To Know

Pinellas Park's city manager said the city has worked hard during the past several years to motivate businesses to set up shop there.

"I would say Pinellas Park is kind of a hidden gem, and we've always been very business-friendly. We cater to small business," said City Manager Bart Diebold.

Diebold said part of that is building a partnership with owners.

"We say, 'Yes.' I mean, that's the thing - when they come in and propose a business, you know, you have zoning rules and building department rules that are out there. We try to say yes to everything we can," said Diebold. "When they come in with a dream, you don't want to just automatically say, 'Hey - your business won't work here. This can't work.' You try to find a way to work."

Justine Welter opened the second location of her business, Just26 Hot Yoga & Meditation, on Belcher Rd. last week.

"Hot yoga is yoga in a heated room, and it can offer a really great detox for you, and it is an awesome physical workout," said Welter.

Just26's original location opened in Largo in 2019. Welter said this time around, she looked at sites near the beach.

"You find that rent is more expensive in those areas, and when I came across this location, it was really nice that it was centrally located," she said.

Welter said she signed her lease at the end of May and was able to open about a month later. She credits the city's efficiency.

"Sometimes, you work with cities that take a really long time to get back to you or, you know, get back to you with certain paperwork that you need, and Pinellas Park was really quick with all of that," she said.

Diebold provided Spectrum Bay News 9 with numbers that show business tax receipts issued by the city increased from just more than 2,400 in 2020 to almost 3,000 this year.

He said revenue from fees rose from $600,000 before 2020 to $800,000 this year, and that's expected to go up again in 2024.

Going forward, Diebold said he'd like to see more housing come to the city. He said it's an important feature to attract businesses of any size.

The Pinellas County Commission on Monday, Dec. 18, held a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the ARK Innovation Center, a new 45,000-square-foot business incubator located at 1101 4th St S. in St. Petersburg. The new facility is operated by the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a tech incubator and accelerator with a well-respected team of board members, advisors, and mentors and a track record of helping tech start-ups grow. After the ceremony, attendees were invited to explore the facility’s collaborative workspaces, offices, and event space before tenants settle in over the next few weeks.

“Thanks to the collective leadership and vision of the partners involved in this project, the new ARK Innovation Center business incubator will become a place where start-up founders can connect with mentors to make big ideas come to life, to bring innovation and technology to fruition, and to remove barriers to entrepreneurship,” said Janet C. Long, Chair of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners.

Pinellas County in partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the City of St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, and ARK Invest, designed, constructed, and equipped the new facility. The County provided a local match to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s grant award of approximately $11.3 million for the project design and construction costs supported by the Penny for Pinellas. The City of St. Petersburg donated 2.5 acres of land within its Innovation District to bring the project together. Overall, the incubator’s total cost was approximately $16 million.

The new building is in St. Petersburg’s Innovation District, a collaborative community near the city’s downtown that fosters growth, learning and inspiration with a focus on entrepreneurship, education, technology, life science and other industries. Boasting a strong entrepreneurial culture, the area has drawn support and investment from various corporate and community champions, including Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, who is a board member of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center and a major supporter.

St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth T. Welch explained the importance of the new center, “Together we’ve embarked on a journey that will transform our entrepreneurial ecosystem. St. Pete has long been a haven for visionaries, innovators, and creators. The ARK Innovation Center stands as a symbol of our commitment to nurturing and showcasing the incredible talent that is in our community. By focusing on innovation and economic opportunity and developing partnerships with the private sector and our county and federal partners, we are moving St. Pete forward. This is what inclusive progress looks like in the Sunshine City.”

ARK Invest’s collaboration with the new incubator will allow the Tampa Bay Innovation Center to focus on growing early-stage companies that are advancing disruptive technologies in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), Energy, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain.

“We will host a variety of tech entrepreneurs, from students to scientists, who are working on innovative projects. Our expertise, programs and opportunities will create a vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere for the tech startup ecosystem,” stated Tonya Elmore, President & CEO of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Elmore added that companies must be building a scalable tech business to take part in the programming and occupy offices onsite.

The ceremonial ribbon cutting was attended by U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (FL-14), the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, County Administrator Barry Burton, Pinellas County Economic Development and other County staff. Mayor Kenneth T. Welch of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg City Council, city staff, local business leaders from the Tampa Bay region, Cathie Wood and ARK Invest staff also participated in the event.

Remarked Dr. Cynthia Johnson, Director of Pinellas County Economic Development,

“Pinellas County Economic Development supports the communities of Pinellas by advancing our global competitiveness for investment and growth. As we strive to create a more resilient community, we have collaborated with key partners to create a destination for innovation. Collectively, we’ve built an ecosystem for small business and entrepreneurial development, and we believe this facility will be a game changer for excelling in innovation.”