Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Pinellas County's 2026 point-in-time count found 1,949 people experiencing homelessness, up 5%, with the unsheltered population jumping 18% to 635 as agencies report more families and seniors losing housing for the first time.
Local Government
The Pinellas County School Board voted 6-1 on Oct. 13 to close six schools, including Clearwater's Kings Highway Elementary, while a last-minute addition of Sunset Hills Elementary to the restructuring plan drew protests and a walkout from Tarpon Springs parents.
Local Government
Local Government
Local Government
Florida's 2026-27 state budget directs $43 million in beach nourishment funding to Pinellas County and preserves the Tourist Development Tax that funds local tourism marketing, delivering three legislative wins the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce lobbied for during the 2026 session.
Local Government
Pinellas County is collecting photos, videos, and personal stories proving decades of public beach use in Indian Shores and Redington Shores through late August, building the case for customary use ordinances that would restore federal beach nourishment funding for the Sand Key barrier island.
Local Government
PSTA's $300,000 settlement for 37 passengers injured in the April 2025 Clearwater Ferry crash closes the agency's liability, while ferry captain Dennis Kimerer paid a $500 fine and the criminal trial of boat operator Jeffry Knight is set for February 2027.
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Local Government
The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association is racing to boost membership before a new Florida law forces a recertification vote that could strip the union of its collective bargaining rights, affecting teachers at Clearwater-area schools.
Local Government
The Church of Scientology's $250 million L. Ron Hubbard Hall, an all-glass auditorium and public plaza on South Garden Avenue, is scheduled to break ground the week of July 27, making it the most expensive single project by disclosed cost in downtown Clearwater's current construction wave.
Local Government
Rehabbing catcher Mark Kolozsvary hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to power the Clearwater Threshers to an 8-5 series-clinching win over the Daytona Tortugas at BayCare Ballpark on Sunday, July 26.
Local Government
Clearwater Marine Aquarium's local nest counts have climbed sharply in recent years, and statewide 2026 numbers through June show the strongest loggerhead season in five years, while Pinellas County water restrictions and a fertilizer ban remain in effect through early fall.
Local Government
The Clearwater City Council unanimously advanced a 30-year franchise agreement with Duke Energy on Wednesday, July 23, locking in nearly $2 million in community investments including infrastructure resilience funding, Coachman Park improvements, and help developing a downtown retail strategy.
Local Government
Pinellas County is demolishing its 46-year-old North County Service Center in Clearwater and building a $51 million replacement that will consolidate the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, and Clerk of the Circuit Court under one roof by January 2028, saving an estimated $800,000 a year in lease costs.
Local Government
Michael McCullough was named president-elect of the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education and retired specialist Steve Plummer was inducted into the FACTE Hall of Fame at the organization's 60th annual conference in Orlando, the district announced July 20.
Local Government
Pinellas County Schools flagged Countryside High School as operating at 60% capacity or less, putting its 17 varsity sports programs in question as the district weighs closures, though no recommendations are expected until fall 2026.
Local Government
Clearwater could lose $12 million in property tax revenue in the first year of Amendment 3 and a cumulative $20 million by year two, threatening funding for police, fire, parks, and libraries ahead of September budget hearings where residents can weigh in.
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