If voters in the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District reject the tax increase, the district's budget will be $500,000 short.
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published September 21, 2003
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - Voters in the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District will decide in a referendum Tuesday whether they are willing to pay more money for fire services.
The district is asking for a 58 percent increase in its annual fee - for most residents, a rise from $120 to $190. Commercial properties also would pay more based on the type and size of business.
If voters reject the increase, the fire district will be $500,000 short of meeting its budget for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. Either services or the area served may have to be trimmed, according to the fire district's vice chairman, Bob McEwen.
By state law, the district is required to balance its budget. Any changes to the district boundaries, however, must be approved by the Legislature. The district now includes the towns of Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach and Belleair Shore, as well as properties on the mainland from Walsingham Road south to 94th Avenue and from 131st Street west to the Intracoastal Waterway.
Voters can cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The polling locations are:
Precinct 319: Arden Courts Manor Care Health Services, 9300 137th St. N, Seminole.
Precincts 320 and 321: Tamarac-By-the-Gulf Inc., 9099 141st St. N, Seminole.
Precinct 322: Christ the King Lutheran Church, 11220 Oakhurst Road, Largo.
Precinct 323: Heritage Village, 11909 125th St. N, Largo.
Precinct 419: Indian Shores Town Hall, 19305 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores.
Precinct 420: Indian Rocks Beach City Hall, 1507 Bay Palm Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
Precincts 421 and 422: Belleair Beach City Hall, 444 Causeway Boulevard, Belleair Beach.
