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Politics

Signs of turf war in city

Largo wants its "beautiful" blue street signs to stay put, but the county wants its own green signs put back.

By LORRI HELFAND
Published September 29, 2006

LARGO - City and county employees are squabbling over turf along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue - namely, whose street signs should go on which corners.

Largo says its blue signs should mark Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue from Wyatt to Jasper streets.

But Pinellas County says its green signs probably belong there.

The fuss mainly involves city and county road department employees, some of whom apparently take it personally when someone else messes with their signs.

It all started last year, when Largo city commissioners asked the county to extend the road's name from Clearwater, where it already was in place, south into Largo.

The roadway, previously called Greenwood Avenue, borders properties in both Largo and the county.

Last October, the county approved the name change and later installed green street signs bearing King's name.

Then, about six weeks ago, the city replaced most of the county's green street signs with Largo blue ones featuring the Largo clock tower emblem.

After all, City Manager Steve Stanton said, he wants residents along the road to know they're in Largo. Besides, he said, the city wants to recognize King in the community.

Meanwhile, a couple of residents who live on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue don't seem to care what color the signs are.

"I really didn't notice it was changed," said Debra Toriz, 49.

On Tuesday, a county staffer contacted Largo's street department to get the county's signs back so they could be put up again, said Robert Nowak, Largo street and stormwater superintendent.

But John Amiro, field operations manager for the county's highway department, said the matter is still being researched and there were no plans to remove the city's blue signs.

"It's no big deal," he said.

Stanton hopes not. It would be "distasteful," he said, to remove Largo's "beautiful blue" signs.

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or lorri@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 29, 2006, 07:27:30]