Pinellas County outlines how Tierra Verde property taxes are spent, details bridge projects and park funding

Pinellas County officials on a virtual briefing for Tierra Verde residents explained how local property taxes are allocated, described county and unincorporated services paid for by those taxes, and detailed planned capital work in the community, including two bridge replacements.

Commissioner Kathleen Peters opened the meeting by saying the briefing responded to residents’ requests for clearer budget information. Audrey Abels, the Pinellas County community coordinator for Tierra Verde, led the presentation and Q&A, and County Administrator Barry Burton and Office of Management and Budget Director Chris Rose answered technical questions.

Abels said Tierra Verde residents pay $28,900,000 in property taxes and that “only 58% of that is under the control of the Board of County Commissioners.” She walked through how that total is distributed: $16,800,000 to Pinellas County, $10,200,000 to the school board, $1,400,000 to the juvenile welfare board, and $336,000 to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Of the county share, Abels listed seven taxing components and their fiscal allocations, including a $8,100,000 general fund share; a $3,600,000 unincorporated municipal service taxing unit (MSTU); $2,600,000 for the Tierra Verde fire district; $881,000 for library services; $1,400,000 for emergency medical services; $125,000 for the health department; and $35,000 for the Pinellas Planning Council.

Abels used a “$1” example to show how the county general fund is spent: 42¢ to support the sheriff’s operations (including jail and personnel), 24¢ for general government (with 3¢ for redevelopment and 2¢ for technology), 17¢ to reserves, 7¢ to constitutional officers (clerk, property appraiser, tax collector, supervisor of elections), 6¢ to roads and bridges (supplemented by gas tax and Penny for Pinellas), 6¢ to health and human services, and smaller shares for facilities, parks and conservation, courts and other services.

On the MSTU (the unincorporated municipal services tax unit), Abels said 55¢ of the MSTU dollar supports local patrol presence, 25¢ goes to stormwater facilities management, 8¢ to building permits (fee-supported), 4¢ to development review (fee-supported), 3¢ to code enforcement, 2¢ to property appraiser and tax collector functions, and 1¢ to local road program, parks and future land-use planning.

Capital projects: Abels described the Penny for Pinellas, a voter-approved 1% sales tax that pays for the county’s long-term capital needs. She said the county plans to spend $23,900,000 in Tierra Verde over the next six years under the CIP (capital improvement program), including $10,200,000 for the Sands Point Bridge replacement and $13,700,000 for the Madonna Boulevard Bridge replacement. She told residents those bridge projects are funded out of the Penny for Pinellas rather than Tierra Verde property taxes.

FY26 local commitments and small capital items: Abels said the county will direct about $15,300,000 in Penny funds to Tierra Verde next year, and that the parks allocation includes $321,000 for Tierra Verde Community Park. Of that, $210,000 is budgeted for playground replacement; the remaining funds are for ongoing maintenance. She also said $67,000 is budgeted for county-owned medians at the county’s basic mowing level (14 cycles per year) and that a $20,000 MSTU grant program will be available for nonprofit applicants.

Resident questions and clarifications: During the Q&A, staff repeated that the county does not “budget by geographic area” for routine services, so most MSTU and county general-fund revenues are pooled and managed countywide. In response to a direct question about the MSTU, staff said the county has committed $408,000 specifically to Tierra Verde in addition to countywide services residents can use. Staff also confirmed the bridge CIP funding comes from Penny for Pinellas rather than Tierra Verde property taxes.

On parks and maintenance, Abels said playground money is already budgeted in the parks department and cannot be shifted to additional mowing; if residents want an enhanced mowing level or other ongoing recreation services they would need to identify a separate funding source. County Administrator Barry Burton reiterated that the county does not provide recreation services in unincorporated areas and that many community-requested amenities require either a dedicated taxing district, an HOA, or other community-funded arrangements. Burton said, “you can’t lower sheriff’s costs,” to emphasize limits on cutting certain fixed public-safety expenditures.

Liability and maintenance: Chris Rose stated the county is self-insured, that keeping playgrounds and sidewalks maintained reduces liability exposure, and that the county budgets for maintenance and replacement to reduce risk and potential payouts.

Project timing and controls: Staff said the Sands Point bridge replacement work starts the month of the briefing and is estimated to take about two years to construct. The Madonna Boulevard bridge project was out for bid; staff estimated a similar two-year construction timeline after the contract begins. County staff described CIP project controls as standard public-works processes: engineering assessments, engineers’ estimates, bidding, on-site project engineers, inspections, budget tracking and formal project closeout.

Road jurisdiction and Fort DeSoto fees: Staff clarified the Bayway is a state-owned road and causeway; the county typically will not assume additional state roads because of the county’s existing road-maintenance backlog and recurring costs. Fort DeSoto fees, staff said, support Fort DeSoto Park operations; in some years revenues fall short of park expenditures and surplus revenues are used within the countywide parks system.

Next steps: Staff encouraged residents to follow up with Audrey Abels during office hours at the Tierra Verde Fire Station or by email, to sign up for the community newsletter on pinellas.gov/tierra-verde, and to complete a short survey link that would be shared after the meeting. The county said it will provide follow-up answers on a small number of technical questions (for example, detailed liability history and the ownership of a specific toll plaza) after consulting the responsible departments.

What this means for residents: County officials emphasized that the county provides a baseline set of services funded through countywide taxes and the MSTU, that some enhancements require separate funding, and that larger capital projects such as the two bridge replacements will be financed through the Penny for Pinellas sales tax rather than direct local property-tax line items.