City okays agreement outlining annexation

If the County Commission signs on, city officials expect Pinellas Park and Pinellas County to drop a lawsuit challenging Largo's practices.

By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000

LARGO -- The war is over.

City Commissioners on Tuesday night voted to sign an agreement with the county and the city of Pinellas Park that would end the longstanding dispute among the three governmental bodies over the practices Largo used to annex land into its borders.

"It's a very significant agreement," said Mayor Bob Jackson.

Last month, officials from each government worked out a deal that defined specific boundaries for each community. The arrangement prohibits the city from annexing land south of Ulmerton Road and in the Feather Sound area. Both areas were seen by Largo city officials as lucrative locations that could increase the city's tax base.

"We gave up an awful lot," said Jackson.

Commissioner Marty Shelby voted against the agreement.

City officials weighed the potential revenue against years of court battles and decided in favor of making peace with Pinellas Park and Pinellas County. In recent years, Largo had been engaged in a war of words with both over Largo's aggressive annexation approach. The city annexed $30-million in property last year, according to Jackson.

Last year, that war was taken to the courts when the county and Pinellas Park filed a lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit charged Largo with denying sewer service to property owners who live in unincorporated communities unless those property owners signed annexation agreements with the city.

Largo has agreed to stop that practice.

Pinellas Park approved the agreement early last month. The County Commission is expected to approve the measure at a meeting next week.

City officials said the lawsuit against the city will be thrown out once the county approves the annexation agreement.

The agreement also mandates that all previous annexation agreements Largo made with property owners in Pinellas Park's annexation area cannot be enforced. Pinellas Park also agreed to the same provision regarding property in Largo's annexation area.

In other action, city commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a new noise ordinance that would set decibel limits for sounds in residential areas.

It will be illegal to create sound in a residential area that exceeds 72 decibels from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 55 decibels between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., measured from the nearest adjacent property line.

A lively conversation measures about 65 decibels up close, officials said. A power lawn mower measures about 90 decibels if you're standing next to it, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site.

- Information from Times files was used in this report.

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