Pinellas County outlines plan, costs and timeline for Downtown Palm Harbor streetlight district

Pinellas County officials presented details of a proposed Downtown Palm Harbor Streetlight District during a virtual Project Information Meeting and answered questions from residents and property owners.

Nancy McKibbin, assistant to the County Administrator for the Unincorporated North County, said the proposal would replace 33 existing, nonengineered streetlights with 95 dark‑sky LED fixtures focused on the central business core. "Once the design and permitting is finalized, it could probably just take a couple months to get this thing going," McKibbin said of the construction phase after approvals and design are complete.

The meeting explained why the district is being proposed and how it would be paid for. The Downtown Palm Harbor Merchants Association led a petition drive that identified 42 parcels within the proposed boundary; county staff said 27 parcel owners were eligible to vote under the petition rules. County staff reported that 18 property owners (66.7 percent) supported creation of the district, eight (29.6 percent) opposed it, and one owner did not respond. Pinellas County owns one parcel in the district; the county parcel remains in the district and would be assessed if the board approves the district,…