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Four beach mayors to discuss fire district

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published May 10, 2006

Mayors of Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach, and Belleair Shore will discuss unifying beach fire services next Thursday.

Joining them in Indian Shores will be firefighter union representatives, two fire chiefs and a fire commissioner from the Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue District, or PSFRD.

The public, however, is not invited. Since no more than one elected official from each town or from the fire district will be in attendance, the Sunshine Law does not apply, according to Indian Shores Mayor Jim Lawrence.

Also not invited to the May 18 meeting are the mayors of Redington Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach and Madeira Beach - the other towns that would be affected by the proposed consolidation.

Officials of those towns know about the idea, Lawrence says, but have not been approached with a formal proposal.

Currently, Madeira Beach has its own fire department, supported by property taxes. The three Redingtons do not have their own fire department and contract with Madeira Beach and Seminole for fire service.

"This is just a preliminary meeting to see if there is an interest in trying to pursue expansion. If there is, we will discuss how to lay the groundwork for talking with the other towns," says Lawrence.

The idea of consolidating fire service was first suggested by Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Bill Ockunzzi during the March meeting of a special Oversight Committee reviewing PSFRD operations and finances. The committee is made up of representative from the four communities and Pinellas County.

Ockunzzi said he was visited by union officials from both PSFRD and the Madeira Beach Fire Department, who proposed consolidation of all the beaches into one department.

But actually creating a beachwide fire district would be difficult. The PSFRD is a state-chartered organization that can only be changed by the state Legislature. Such a change could also require separate voter referendums in each of the towns in the district - and possibly the towns that sought to join the new unified district.

The idea is supported by Assistant County Administrator Gay Lancaster, who said "all things are possible" if the communities and the fire district can reach agreement.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks will be getting agreement from the three Redingtons, whose residents are paying much less than what is charged residents in the PSFRD or Madeira Beach.

"I don't know if the expansion idea will gain any momentum," says Lawrence. "I hope we can at least eliminate the animosity between the fire district and the towns."

And that may be the real reason next week's meeting is closed to the public. Without an audience, the mayors and fire district representatives will be able to talk bluntly - and in the process take a major step toward healing wounds from a dispute that goes back several years.

Bad feelings arose between the two groups in 2004 when the mayors and their commissioners actively opposed a referendum called by the fire district to increase the amount property owners paid for fire service.

Voters rejected the fire fee change. Fire officials, who said the district faced possible bankruptcy, blamed the mayors - who subsequently pushed for an investigation into alleged mishandling of fire district finances and operations, charges that the district denies.

A lawsuit filed by a group of Indian Rocks Beach residents (including several city commissioners) that sought to turn back a fire fee increase was recently decided in the fire district's favor. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were financed by the city of Indian Rocks Beach, while it ended up costing the fire district more than $100,000 to defend. The district is considering suing the plaintiffs and possibly the city to recover legal costs.

Meanwhile, the four mayors were successful last year in their opposition to the fire district's attempt to enlist the support of the county's Legislative delegation to change the fire district's state charter. The proposed change would have made it easier for the district to increase its fees.

Another possible obstacle to consolidating the Madeira and PSFRD fire departments is getting the money to pay for a new fire station likely needed between existing stations in Madeira Beach and Indian Rocks Beach.

Which of the existing departments would, in effect, take over the new service is also an issue.

The PSFRD, which is interested in pursuing consolidation, has not addressed that question. It has proposed, however, that the expanded district could eventually include Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach for a truly beachwide fire district.

[Last modified May 10, 2006, 10:11:36]