County seeks annexation limits

Commissioners have said they would like to help residents who oppose annexations. Now they need a lawmaker to sponsor such a measure.

By LISA GREENE

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 24, 2001

Pinellas County commissioners said Tuesday that they want more power to restrict cities from annexing county land.

Gaining such power would mean getting state lawmakers to exempt Pinellas from current state rules, passing new county rules, then getting county voters to approve them.

The change would apply only to annexation referendums, but the move is the latest county effort to have more of a voice in annexations. After seeing a surge in annexation over the past few years, commissioners have said they need to do more to help residents who oppose annexations.

Commission Chairman Calvin Harris said the plan was overdue.

"Where has this been all the time we've been grappling with this?" he asked.

By Tuesday afternoon, county lobbyist Elithia Stanfield was calling local lawmakers, looking for someone willing to sponsor such a bill.

But the plan isn't welcome everywhere. Steven Stanton, Largo's city manager, said the county is backing away from last year's agreement with local cities on annexation procedures.

"To hear they want to change the rules of the game because they're not getting their policy way is distressing," Stanton said.

The county's draft bill says residents are being pressured to agree to annexations, aren't given enough information to make annexation decisions and that the cities too often reach outside previously set annexation planning areas.

If widespread annexations continue, county officials worry that the remaining residents in unincorporated areas could be forced to pay higher taxes to pay for such services as sheriff's deputies.

"There are things we have to provide and there are economies of scale," said Commissioner Susan Latvala.

But Stanton argues that city residents already subsidize unincorporated residents because they don't pay the true cost of using city libraries, recreation programs and other services.

In other action Tuesday, the commission:

Met in closed session to discuss ways to increase security for county buildings and facilities. Commissioners made no definite decisions but plan to meet again next week to review more detailed plans, Harris said.

Authorized engineering staffers to begin designing a plan to widen Park Street/Starkey Road from Tyrone Boulevard to Bryan Dairy Road. The design work will include working with a group of Starkey Road homeowners to improve access to their homes.

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