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Shipwatch residents press county for mangrove‑trimming permit, cite unclear conservation easement and seawall damage
Summary
Shipwatch community members asked Pinellas County to provide the official conservation‑easement records and help obtain a mangrove trimming permit. Residents said delayed county action since 2013 has contributed to erosion, seawall repairs and out‑of‑pocket costs (one speaker cited more than $65,000), and staff offered to meet with them and define the easement and trim‑plan requirements.
Shipwatch residents asked the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners during public comment on Dec. 16 to help secure a mangrove trimming permit and to provide the county’s official records that define what areas of their shoreline are in a conservation easement.
Timothy Ewing (Shipwatch resident) told the board his community had tried repeatedly since 2013 to obtain clarity on the county’s conservation easement mapping and permitting requirements. He said the community obtained an invasive removal permit in 2024 and has a $20,000‑a‑year maintenance agreement for two areas, but that delays and unclear boundaries have impeded broader mangrove maintenance. Ewing said the community incurred more than $65,000 in 2024 repairs related to invasive vegetation and erosion and has reserved over $1,000,000 for seawall repairs and maintenance.
County staff (Kelly, director of public works, and Deputy County Administrator Joel Silverboard) responded that staff can define conservation easement boundaries, meet with residents to discuss trim plan requirements and that as a delegated agency the county must follow state statute requirements. Staff offered to meet immediately with residents in the hallway to discuss next steps.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote; staff committed to follow up with Shipwatch representatives and to try to locate the official county records or otherwise explain permitability and conservation easement extents.
