Commissioners told Tarpon Springs plans a new, larger CRA; staff recommends public hearing and county review
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Summary
Tarpon Springs requested on May 15 that Pinellas County find blight and allow the city to prepare a new, expanded CRA plan; county staff said the statutory finding is a first step and told commissioners a countywide workshop on CRA policy and fiscal impacts would be appropriate before any final county commitment.
Pinellas County staff told commissioners May 15 that the city of Tarpon Springs has submitted a request to make a finding of blight and establish a new community redevelopment area (CRA) boundary. The proposed boundary would include additional acreage west of the city’s existing CRA and would expand the area eligible to use tax-increment financing.
What staff presented. Staff briefed the commission on the statutory first step: a county legislative finding of blight is required before a municipality may proceed to prepare the full CRA plan and tax-increment financing schedule. Staff noted the proposed area would be substantially larger than the existing Tarpon Springs CRA — the existing CRA is about 225 acres while the proposed designation covers more than 700 acres, and staff signaled that the commission can decide whether to proceed with the statutorily required finding.
Questions from commissioners. Commissioners asked for clarification about scope, timing and fiscal impact. One commissioner said the county already participates financially in numerous CRAs and asked staff for a broader review of county CRA policy and the annual fiscal impact before approving new CRAs. County staff advised that if the Board wants to defer action and hold a workshop on CRAs and county policy it should do so at the Tuesday hearing so the city can be given advance notice.
Why it matters. A new or expanded CRA can change the distribution of incremental tax revenues (tax-increment financing) and the timing for when the county (and other taxing districts) receive increases in base revenues for the expanded area. Commissioners highlighted competing priorities and asked for a presentation of the countywide CRA landscape and fiscal flows before taking a final position.
Next steps. Staff will present the Tarpon Springs application at the scheduled public hearing; the board may act on the statutory finding, continue the matter, or ask staff to hold a separate workshop on CRA policy. Staff recommended the city be given adequate notice if the board prefers a deferral so the city can decide whether to attend Tuesday’s hearing.
Ending: commissioners asked staff for a countywide CRA update and fiscal review; no final determination was made at the work session.
