[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6157941,"mediaKeyId","5462578-9e8aa84b95869855478cddfc0f43dfc7","parentId",5462578,"title","Commissioners approve Tarpon Woods land-use change over community objections","audioSeconds",57,"startMs",247000,"endMs",304000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462578-9e8aa84b95869855478cddfc0f43dfc7&start=247&end=304","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462578-9e8aa84b95869855478cddfc0f43dfc7/thumbnail_247000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6157941/Pinellas-County/Florida/Commissioners-approve-Tarpon-Woods-land-use-change-over-community-objections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157941-af0613cfe6a09b9a557ab140a70c4647/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157554&Signature=LAgEhlG44Ozd534qHiTc2JEpCwr06g4XxAVWnTNFoxqdJHT4aujdq3tcLbCO6VaL-n8quUKoWrm81WnxkMKcbX0meyPcbdD6lf1IoNCPmOsMUbytZG10P7mpozhPpJZCeW8jVyfHkA~7JMkwo6OOlk4OKBRBZlUOLLaGNjLmabrskEeVbvqDcxj6DsPjAjIN0HPvOhhVcljtDrGEAhG0nnBE55EMKIbccfhCbMjuqas2lvWfjXAKZVeG05~9fZb-XqmDeXyLhJrR7Gnhpwumizse8DhcYGN-5ZrlIfhTzG~EGMPmmgp-~5ENP6MSVE--Ydoyy0g3XeZGNOhDA9z50w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pinellas County, FL ","date","2025-07-24T14:54:01.2Z","article","Pinellas County commissioners voted unanimously July 22 to approve a future land-use map amendment and a companion development master-plan modification for a 1.16-acre parcel at the northeast corner of Tarpon Woods Boulevard and East Lake Road in the East Lake area.

The approvals change the parcel’s comprehensive-plan designation from Residential/Office/General to Commercial–Neighborhood and remove a master-plan restriction that currently limits the site to bank use, allowing a broader set of neighborhood-scale commercial uses. The applicant, Tarpon Development Properties LLC, told the board the change matches the existing commercial node at the intersection and would bring a long-vacant bank parcel back to productive use.

Why it matters: the corner sits at a mixed commercial node abutting established neighborhoods and brooks/parks. Residents told commissioners the change would open the site to a car wash or other commercial activity that could worsen traffic congestion, increase noise, create more trash and raise concerns about runoff and flooding. Staff and the applicant said the parcel sits in a built commercial node, proposed buffers and on-site stormwater controls would limit off-site impacts, and county standards require water reuse and containment for a car-wash operation.

Staff and applicant view
Michael Shoderbach, of Building Development Review Services, told the board the property is about 1.16 acres and part of the Tarpon Woods master plan. He said the commercial-neighborhood designation sought by the applicant is already the predominant designation at the immediate intersection and that the requested designation is compatible with surrounding uses, including commercial and office properties nearby. Shoderbach summarized traffic estimates and the applicant’s pledge of extra buffering on the east edge of the parcel.

Todd Pressman, representing Tarpon Development Properties LLC, said the change is “exactly the same as the predominant existing and abutting future land use category at this intensive intersection,” and told commissioners the site has been vacant for three years and needs reuse. Pressman said modern full-service car washes include sound suppression and water-reuse systems and argued the project would improve the lot’s stormwater and landscape conditions relative to the current vacant, deteriorated site.

Residents’ concerns
Neighbors who spoke during the public hearing described the area as a semi-rural, wildlife-rich neighborhood that already floods during storms and borders John Chestnut Park and Brooker Creek watershed lands. Speakers said the parcel’s previous bank produced far fewer trips than a commercial car wash would, that the nearby two-lane approaches on Tarpon Woods Boulevard and Tanglewood Trail are already congested, and that commercial redevelopment could compound flooding and water-quality concerns.

One resident said, “We have deer, peacocks and wild turkeys — wildlife is a refuge,” and asked the commission to preserve the area’s character. Another asked whether multiple car washes already exist in the trade area and said heavy use and vacuum noise would affect nearby homes. Several residents said they supported reuse of the site but not uses they believe would draw steady hourly traffic or operate late in the day.

How county standards and conditions address issues
Staff noted the parcel lies within the county’s Wellhead Protection Overlay and the East Lake/Tarpon Community Overlay and is also in the 100‑year floodplain; those layers carry extra technical requirements for stormwater and groundwater protection. The applicant offered a supplemental master-plan condition: a 10‑foot-wide landscape buffer with a 6‑foot masonry wall on the property’s east side, trees planted 20 feet on center and a continuous shrub hedge to reduce visual and sound intrusion toward the closest residences.

Transportation analysis presented during the hearing focused on peak‑hour impacts rather than daily totals. Transportation consultant Elizabeth Rodriguez reported the site would generate a small increase in peak‑hour trips if a car wash replaced a bank: roughly 20 additional trip ends in the peak hour, about 10 additional round trips (approximately one extra vehicle every six minutes during the peak hour), compared with a fully operating bank. Staff said the land‑use change does not itself authorize construction; future site‑plan review must demonstrate stormwater capture, stacking for any drive‑through activity, screening, lighting and compliance with wellhead protections and floodplain requirements.

The vote and next steps
The board approved both items unanimously. The future land‑use change (case FLU2503) and development master-plan modification (case DMP2501) will advance through the county’s plan‑amendment processing; site development will require subsequent permits and technical reviews, including a site plan review that must meet stormwater, floodplain and wellhead protection standards.

Closing note
Several residents said they would continue to pursue local advocacy as the project advances to site plan and permitting, and staff said technical controls in those reviews provide the county’s primary mechanisms to limit noise, runoff and lighting impacts. The applicant said the property change would remove a deteriorated vacant lot from the neighborhood and bring new investment to a long‑idle corner.

Ending: The commission’s approvals authorize the county planning process to proceed; any specific development proposed for the lot must return for technical plan review and any required permits before construction.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of County Commissioners 2 p.m. Regular Meeting & 6 p.m. Public Hearing 7-22-25","oneSentenceSummary","Pinellas County commissioners voted unanimously July 22 to change the land-use designation for a 1.16-acre parcel at Tarpon Woods Boulevard and East Lake Road from Residential/Office/General to Commercial–Neighborhood and to modify the site’s development master plan, a move residents said could allow a car wash and other commercial uses that would increase traffic, noise and flood risk.","taxTitle","Pinellas County, Florida","taxId",2867,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6157935,"Votes at a glance: Pinellas County commission approves budget introduction, airport and dozens of routine items; elite-event grant splits vote",0,70000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462578-9e8aa84b95869855478cddfc0f43dfc7&start=70&end=70","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462578-9e8aa84b95869855478cddfc0f43dfc7/thumbnail_70000.jpg","/articles/6157935/Pinellas-County/Florida/Votes-at-a-glance-Pinellas-County-commission-approves-budget-introduction-airport-and-dozens-of-routine-items-elite-event-grant-splits-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157935-3fab2ee4ec8d0631ed30be143a5723d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157554&Signature=VObiSuondPJYbgFWiEfzRjmH2cWmMhsc~QchU3TUSN96GUdKyN4pOG8xiUTwp9P4nuOXwM2cg9tPgljA5TiCdUptcRoheR17GIejire63x~YvxERiVnkyRTcH-is2xk874SXN1sGgEWD6g7GUxl3CZv-6CHNY2SnQv22Pl4Bm-82vNRf2jdE3T0uBOX~cylrIpLwjtY1CZ5wh~k3FXRIwER8Yf0OPoGrZncX8tW6nkydGXl3wHvKbWLmwxGyUfVeFbTYi7qfS13aSfuBsiMax1eNktlQDD~zbM96YPNbpx7pSqvvPH7uoJFiqoiXZn5NmvzzQEm045c6wTiDxVPkpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners reached unanimous decisions on most items on the July 22 agenda, approved a recommendation from the Tourism Development Council on event funding by a 4‑to‑2 vote, and opened the county’s 2026 budget process.

The board unanimously passed a range of routine and capital authorizations including grant acceptances, design services for a new government campus and multiple pavement‑preservation contracts. Commissioners also voted to accept a $15 million state remediation grant for the former Toy Town landfill and to advance an FAA application for construction administration at St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport.

Why it matters: The budget introduction frames the county’s financial plan for the coming year and lists key pressures—hurricane recovery, retirement and health‑care cost increases, and federal/state reimbursement uncertainty—that will shape deliberations this summer. The tourism funding vote signals divided views among commissioners on event subsidies.

Votes at a glance (selected items)
- Item 18 (FAA grant application, St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport): Motion to approve application for federal funding to support passenger terminal construction administration. Motion: Commissioner Flowers; Second: Commissioner Nowicki. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Item 19 (Tourism Development Council elite-event funding recommendation): Motion to accept FY26 TDC recommendation to fund 49 events, total requested approximately $2.6 million. Motion: Commissioner Flowers; Second: Commissioner Latvala. Vote: 4 yes, 2 no (passes 4‑2).
- Item 20 (Declare county surplus property; conveyance to Housing Authority for Heritage Oak senior housing): Motion to approve conveyance. Motion: Commissioner Wicky; Second: Commissioner Flowers. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Item 24 (Professional design services agreement with HOK for new government campus): Motion to approve agreement; kickoff for campus design. Motion: Commissioner Wicky; Second: Commissioner Flowers. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Item 25 (Penny for Pinellas employment sites funding applications): Motion to approve multiple applications totaling roughly $8.8 million. Motion: Commissioner Latvala; Second: Commissioner Flowers. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Item 28 (State environmental-protection grant for Toy Town landfill remediation, $15,000,000): Motion to accept grant agreement. Motion: Commissioner Latvala; Second: Commissioner Nowicki. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Items 29–31 (2026 pavement‑preservation contracts, multiple work orders): Motion to award combined contracts. Motion: Commissioner Wicky; Second: Commissioner Reggers. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Items 35–37 (Beach erosion control/Florida Beach Management funding assistance, multiple segments): Motion to approve grant resolutions. Motion: Commissioner Wicky; Second: Commissioner Flowers. Vote: passed unanimously.
- Items 53–55 (Quasi‑judicial Tarpon Woods requests — FLU2503 and DMP2501): Motion to approve future land‑use map amendment and master‑plan modification to permit commercial neighborhood uses on a 1.16‑acre parcel (see separate coverage). Votes: both passed unanimously (FLU item 54 mover: Commissioner Wicky; DMP item 55 mover: Commissioner Flowers; second for item 55: Commissioner Latvala).

Budget introduction and context
County staff introduced the proposed 2026 operating budget of roughly $3.6 billion and the capital plan. The administration recommended a 3% general salary increase for employees and outlined major pressures including hurricane recovery costs (demolitions and lowered property valuations), state-mandated cost increases (law‑enforcement retirement), and uncertain FEMA reimbursements. Commissioners discussed reserve policy options and signaled requests for follow‑up workshops before September budget hearings.

What comes next
The board set maximum millage notices for the property-appraiser mailing schedule and begins scheduled budget workshops in August and September. Most grant acceptances and contract awards approved July 22 will proceed to procurement, engineering and implementation steps described in staff reports.

Ending
Most agenda items carried on unanimous votes, with the tourism event funding vote the main split decision. The board will continue budget deliberations and public hearings in the weeks ahead.

","At its July 22 meeting the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners approved a range of routine contract awards, grant acceptances and project authorizations, introduced the proposed 2026 county budget and unanimously approved a controversial Tarpon Woods land-use change. The tourism council's elite-event funding recommendation passed 4-2.","actionData","errors"]

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Commissioners approve Tarpon Woods land-use change over community objections

Votes at a glance: Pinellas County commission approves budget introduction, airport and dozens of routine items; elite-event grant splits vote