By Linda Fisher Who decides whether the house next door to yours can be used as an Airbnb? Or a home-based business? Or whether a new house needs to fit in with the neighborhood character? If your first thought is to turn to your city council or town commission, think again. Each year, Florida…
Can we make zero deaths on our roads a reality? By Sarah Caper Over the past year, I’ve heard this question over and over again: “Is zero deaths and serious injuries on our roadways possible?” And my response is – Absolutely! Early developers of Vision Zero have made great strides towards showing this. In Oslo,…
Florida is in the middle of its legislative session for 2021, which ends on April 30. During this time each year, state lawmakers debate whether to pass bills that could have far-reaching consequences for local communities—intended or otherwise. Forward Pinellas tracks bills that may affect how our member local governments plan for land use and…
By Angela Ryan My bicycle journey started like it does for many people. In high school I didn’t own a car and needed to get to work. I was one of those kids from the Midwest that spent my summers working on soy and corn farms to save up enough money for school clothes. So…
“Traffic just keeps getting worse!” This is a phrase that we hear a lot at Forward Pinellas because one of our primary responsibilities is to plan for a transportation system throughout our county that works for everyone. With nearly 1 million residents and almost 7 million overnight visitors in 2019 alone, getting people around regardless…
Have you ever been to a city where you can easily travel without an automobile? Where transitioning from walking, or perhaps biking, to transit is seamless, efficient, and enjoyable? Where a connected transportation network allows you to easily get to work, restaurants, retail and recreation? Thoughtful city design helps to create this environment, and at…
By Whit Blanton Perhaps you’ve seen them? The fat-tired, bulky framed or squat bicycles with the bulging disk of a heavy, black battery sitting on the rear rack or inside an extra thick down tube. “Everybody’s getting those e-bikes,” I recently overheard from a man walking past a full bike rack on Safety Harbor’s Main…
Explore the new Forward Pinellas website and see how we’re helping Pinellas! In our role as Pinellas County’s land use and transportation planning agency, there are a lot of things we do at Forward Pinellas, from local projects in a neighborhood or community to guiding investment at the countywide and regional scales. We are a…
Tarpon Springs and St. Petersburg are the latest local governments in Pinellas County seeking funding under the Forward Pinellas Complete Streets Program. Started in 2016, the program provides direct funding for local transportation projects that demonstrate a strong link to redevelopment, economic opportunity and better accessibility for all roadway users. The City of Tarpon Springs…
More than 500 St. Petersburg residents and visitors took the Downtown St. Petersburg Mobility Survey this summer telling us how they travel to and around Downtown St. Pete, as well as their thoughts on the most pressing transportation needs in their community. We’ve analyzed what we heard from the survey and have compared it to…
Where We Were After extensive community outreach and collaborative effort between local governments, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and Forward Pinellas, The Gateway Master Plan has emerged as a guiding document that represents the comprehensive vision for the Gateway Area. The Gateway Area consists of 30 square miles and…
Forward Pinellas Division Manager Al Bartolotta is retiring next month after a 32-year career in urban planning. He started with the Pinellas County Planning Department in 1988, where he worked on assignments for both land use and transportation planning, and joined Forward Pinellas in 2015 as a result of the Pinellas Planning Council/Metropolitan Planning Organization…