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Largo postpones notice on Station 43 fire‑service arrangement after mayors urge negotiations
Summary
The commission postponed action on sending notice to Belleair and Belleair Bluffs about the Station 43 fire‑service contract and directed staff to allow 30 days for a working group to finalize a new agreement; local mayors urged continued partnership and face‑to‑face talks.
The City Commission voted to postpone taking formal notice regarding the contractual agreement for fire rescue services provided out of Station 43 and directed staff to hold the item until the Oct. 21 meeting, or remove it if the parties reach an agreement sooner.
City staff reported the county informed the city that the parties — Pinellas County, the Town of Belleair, Belleair Bluffs and Largo — had reached an understanding to cover 100% of Station 43 costs split among the three entities and that a working group would need about 30 days to finalize a written agreement. Staff said the new contract would be retroactive to Oct. 1, 2025 if completed.
Officials from neighboring towns spoke to urge preserving the 30‑year interlocal station partnership and asked for a meeting of the mayors and staff to work through cost‑allocation details. “We want this relationship to move forward,” a mayor representing one neighboring town said. Commissioners said they viewed the postponement as allowing time for negotiations rather than the start of permanent separation.
The motion to postpone consideration until the Oct. 21 meeting — with language to not consider a notice if the parties reach an agreement — carried 7–0.
