Pinellas is only the fifth county in Florida to receive the designation. Today, Pinellas County joins 464 visionary communities from across the country with a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community award from the League of American Bicyclists. “The Bicycle Friendly Community award is an exciting recognition of the many opportunities that Pinellas offers bicyclists, from…
Across the country, demand is growing for healthy, local, sustainable, and safe food, and Pinellas County is no exception. Urban farming – whether in the form of a community garden, rooftop garden, vertical garden, or a hydroponic system – is a way to grow food locally, but it comes with challenges. Local and state regulations…
When you think of Alternate U.S. 19 in North Pinellas County, do you think of vibrant arts and cultural destinations? If you don’t already, we think you will soon. Forward Pinellas and Creative Pinellas, the county’s designated arts agency, are working together to create a Cultural Corridor linking destinations along Alternate U.S. 19 from Largo to…
An unprecedented partnership effort launched this past week to transform transportation and development in Pinellas County’s economic center, the Gateway/Mid-County Area. The Gateway Master Plan is a collaborative effort led by Forward Pinellas, the countywide land use and transportation planning agency, along with funding partners Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg, the City of Largo, the…
While building transportation projects is a contentious process in Tampa Bay, we are not alone in struggling to engage the community and get projects done. I wrote in my previous post about the Florida Department of Transportation’s peer exchange trip to St. Louis for about 20 local representatives, a trip designed to give us a…
Pinellas County’s land use and transportation planning agency will be funding three local projects that make streets safer for all users. The Forward Pinellas board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve up to $1.1 million in funding for three complete streets projects: construction of sidewalks on 34th Street South in St. Petersburg, and preparing plans for…
Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report released today ranks the Tampa Bay area as the seventh most dangerous metro area in the country for people walking. Despite that dubious distinction, we were encouraged to see our area’s standing in the rankings improve five spots from the past three reports. While the trend is positive,…
The role of transportation and land development in Pinellas County took on increased importance with passage of a special act of the Florida Legislature in 2014 unifying a 13-member governing board of local elected officials with responsibility for countywide transportation and land use planning. Pinellas remains Florida’s most densely developed county with nearly one million residents…
One of the things I enjoy most is finding a place that I can claim as my own. There’s an old Jimmy Buffett tune, “I Have Found me a Home,” which captures the comfortable ease of becoming part of an accessible, inviting community like Jimmy found in Key West and I’ve found in Dunedin, Winter…