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Maryanne and Jack made a visit to East Beach Friday, December 27th, 2024. This was our first visit back to East Beach since Hurricanes Helene and Milton did their number on Ft De Soto Park. The Pinellas County Parks Department have and are continuing to do a remarkable job. In the whole time we have been working on this project, we have never seen East Beach look as pristine and beautiful as it is now They are moving fron East Beach to the north to open the rest of the shoreline in the park.
Even with the rest of the park's beaches closed for the time being, East Beach was only about 50% used examining the parking area. We will continue to monitor East Beaches usage as the other beach areas open up.
Tampa Bay Free Beaches mission is moving ahead at warp speed. Stay tuned for future updates.
Good morning and a fabulous Friday to you!!!!!
Substantial Damage Letters
The Building Department and other county department have just finished and rolled out a substantial damage link where residents can visit the website at http://Pinellas.gov/sdsi to search for their home address, click on the dot to view their status, and print a copy of the substantial damage letter. A postal letter will still be mailed out but this link will provide it faster so you can move forward.
Please share this information with your relatives, neighbors and friends. It should prove to be very useful.
Stacy O’Donnell
Executive Aide, Commissioner Dave Eggers
Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756
sodonnell@pinellas.gov
Office (727) 464-3276
All government correspondence is subject to public record law.
Fort De Soto Campground will re-open in phases beginning with Area 3 on Dec. 19 along with a partial opening of Fort De Soto Park, including East Beach. Other areas of the park and campground will remain closed as repair efforts are still underway. If you need to cancel an upcoming reservation, please contact us at 727-582-2100 and a representative will assist you.
The causeway and boat ramp are also currently open.
Good day to all!!!
It has been a while since a writing to you and am thankful to say thank goodness hurricane season is now over. It was a very rough season for so very many and it is my sincere hope that those extremely affected are beginning to work towards getting some of their lives back. It won’t be normal for a long while and I can only imagine how frustrating, stressful and expensive this is for you and I am so very sorry. What I do know is the determination, tenacity, resiliency and grit of the citizens that live in North County things will only get better as time progresses.
Below is some information that may be of interest to you. I know it is lengthy, but it is good information to know. Also, I would highly suggest if you have a contractor you are working with sit in on the public information webinar for contractors scheduled for Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. Contractors are asked to pre-register at Webinar Registration - Zoom. I am sure it will provide very useful information as to the process.
If you haven’t already please take a moment to view the website https://pinellas.gov/storm-recovery-permitting. It has a lot of information.
Substantial Damage determination letters distribution continues. As of Dec. 11, 1,339 letters have been mailed and another 4,000 will go out in the coming weeks. Building and Development Review Services continues to issue permits online and through the in-person Permit Support Hub. I have also attached a substantial damage flowsheet for your information.
Live Storm Repair Permit updates are now available at: https://pinellas.gov/substantial-damage-substantial-improvement/
It might appear everything is moving at a snail’s pace, and we are quite aware everyone is anxious to rebuild/restore I would feel the same way. I must share that a lot of work actually goes into determinations that are being made; which I am sure you can appreciate. Here is some information about the processes for determinations and substantial damage letters.
The Building Department is working closely with the State contractor, who at this point has completed inspections of approximately 5,400 properties in the unincorporated county. They are now conducting quality control on the data prior to entering the information into the FEMA estimator tool. In some cases, there can be up to 54 data fields where information is reviewed and/or entered before the tool can provide a determination. It appears to be an arduous process that I know we all want to have completed accurately for our property as well as others. The Building Department has requested an additional 50 professionals from the State to assist with this data entry, and they are in the process of fulfilling this request. This team will support all communities coordinating with the county, including our unincorporated areas.
The Building Department continues to work very hard to keep all the wheels rolling forward in their department with regular permits and inspections amidst the additional amount and complexity of storm work and FEMA. With that, they are working extremely hard to have all letters mailed out by year-end. That may sound far but in reality, it is only a couple weeks away. To help facilitate this goal, Building have activated an additional 19 professionals from third-party contractors. Those folks have been trained and are focusing on quality control and data entry for the unincorporated county to supplement the work the state contractor has completed for unincorporated.
I know folks in Ozona and Crystal Beach are wondering why they have only received a few letters in their entire communities. Well, both communities had quite a bit of damage and the Building Department is continuing to work on them but still have many properties that need to be processed. With the additional team from their contractor, the Building Department expects to make significant progress in the coming weeks.
Debris:
FEMA Assistance – The deadline for FEMA Individual Assistance for Helene and Milton is Jan. 7, 2025. As of Dec. 11, FEMA had 270,684 registered individuals for assistance.
Housing:
Upcoming Deadlines for Public Assistance
Communications & Outreach
We want to again thank everyone for their continued patience through all of this. It is new to everyone but like I said with all the determination, tenacity, resiliency, and grit of the citizens living in North County, it can only get better!!!
Below are photos of the post Hurricane Helene and Milton restoration clean up at Ft De Soto Park. East Beach is visible because of the view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We will try and keep you updated as information comes in.
Link below to see the current update on the damage and recovery process at Ft De Soto County Park.
https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/park-manager-shows-catastrophic-damage-to-ft-desoto-park-details-recovery-efforts/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Marc Portugal
Public Information Officer
City of St. Pete Beach
312.371.2660
mportugal@stpetebeach.org
St. Pete Beach Announces Waiver of Permit Fees
for Storm-Related Repairs to Homes and Businesses
November 7, 2024, ST. PETE BEACH, FL – Based on the direction from the City Commission, The
City of St. Pete Beach has authorized an immediate waiver on 100% of the fees for storm-related
work permits. This applies to both residential and commercial permits.
Permit fee waivers began on Wednesday November 6th, 2024, and are retroactive to October 1st,
2024. The waivers will last through Tuesday January 14, 2025. At that time, the City Commission will
meet and evaluate the possibility of extending the waiver.
From City Manager Frances Robustelli: “The City Commission and city leadership believes that
waiving storm-related permit fees is a critical step to help facilitate the recovery process for our
residents and businesses.”
The city is also processing permit fee reimbursements retroactively, as well, which shall be received
in the same method as originally transacted (credit card, check, etc.)
For more information on permitting processes and FEMA packets on Substantial
Improvement/Substantial Damage, visit the City of St. Pete Beach website here: Post Storm
Specific FAQs | St. Pete Beach, FL
###
Good day!
Well, we have been in Milton recovery for a few weeks now and continue to work our way forward. People have been going through their belongings, cleaning out their homes, working with insurance, applying for FEMA assistance and now some may be ready to start to work on repairing their homes. You may or may not have heard recently mentions of the Substantial Damage Rule. It is EXTREMELY important for you to please read the information provided in this link Pinellas.gov/sdsi to familiarize yourself with the Substantial Damage Rule, what the guidelines are and how you will move forward. The information that is being provided is for citizens living within unincorporated Pinellas County. Should you be reading this email and live within a city limit, please contact your city of residence.
Once you read over the information and you live in a flood hazard area within unincorporated Pinellas, you can call the Pinellas County Building Department at 727-464-3888 or sdinspection@pinellas.gov to request a substantial damage inspection.
Should you have additional questions, the Building Department if fully versed and would be best to contact. You may contact BDRS at 727-464-3888, by email at buildingpermits@pinellas.gov (if it has to do with storm damage permitting) or sdinspection@pinellas.gov if it has to do with substantial damage inspections.
I hope you find this information helpful. I will continue to provide you with information I believe could be helpful to you.
UPDATE ON HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON
FUNDRAISER
FINAL REACH OUT FOR TBFB’S GOAL OF $2000.00
First and foremost, Tampa Bay Free Beaches is hoping you all are unharmed and recovering from the past 2 storms which have hit many of our members and friends hard. Things are slowly coming back to a semblance of normalcy, and we must not lose track of our mission. *
As of 10/28/2024 we have raised $1580.00 to help those in need. Many have lost their jobs in the beach industry due to the destruction of the on-shore flooding. This fund will assist those out-of-work employees. We thank all who have given so generously from their hearts and their billfolds to help those affected by the storms. Any donation, whether large or small, would be wonderful. * We will continue this fundraiser until the end of October.
Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You. *
“HELPING THOSE IN NEED”
Tampa Bay Free Beaches (TBFB) has a long and storied history of providing philanthropic community support. Examples include work during the COVID pandemic and more recently a collaboration with CASA in St. Petersburg who provides invaluable assistance to domestic abuse survivors in Pinellas County.
All these efforts and initiatives are successful solely because of the financial and material support of our membership and allies. Now, TBFB needs you again.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton roared past our communities leaving scores of our friends and neighbors in desperate shape. TBFB will ba adding to the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber's efforts to raise funds for those out of work employees. A donation like this shows our strong relationship and support for the coastal community that we are now a partner with.
Contributions can be made as follows:
1. Mailed to TBFB Hurricane Assistance, c/o Jack Clark, Treasurer of TBFB, 1705 Dorothy Blvd, Lutz, FL 33558
2. Go to: www.tampabayfreebeaches.org. select “donations”. In the “Comment Box”, please be sure to indicate that the funds are for “Hurricane Helene Assistance”.
3. We can arrange VENMO, PAYPAL, etc. Also, you may email jack@tampabayfreebeaches.org with any questions or concerns.
Tampa Bay Free Beaches thanks you all for your continued support of our Ft. DeSoto East Beach mission. We remain on track and things are moving forward as hoped and planned. Let’s take a brief break from that, however, to rally together to help those in need, many of whom have supported us privately, publicly and politically to help us move our mission forward.
Thank you so much,
Tampa Bay Free Beaches
Dear Industry Partners,
The beautiful weather this past week reminds us why we love this place we call home. With clear skies and the sun shining upon us once more, I wanted to personally reach out to you with a sense of gratitude and unwavering optimism. With so many challenges in our rearview mirror and some still in front of us, our foundation remains stronger than ever, and our community continues to show the resilience and strength that defines us.
As we continue to see more and more of our destination return to action, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater remains committed to promoting and shining a spotlight on our beloved destination. In fact, I am sending you this note from the heart of London in the U.K. as St. Pete-Clearwater has brought the sunshine to Brand USA's Travel Week. As part of our trip to continue to retain and further develop key international markets, we will also take part in special events with key travel tour operators and media in Amsterdam to celebrate the return of Delta Air Line’s seasonal flight from Amsterdam to Tampa International Airport starting this Saturday. This route will bring even more international visitors to our destination and provide a bridge to major cities throughout Europe to our destination.
In addition to our international efforts, your VisitSPC team has also been around the U.S. making sure meeting planners, tour operators, media, and potential visitors know we are open for business. This past weekend we made a strong presence at the NYC Wine & Food Festival, a fantastic opportunity to amplify our destination’s culinary offerings.
Additionally, the team’s planned activities for the month include meeting planner events in Tallahassee, New England and the Bahamas, as well as sales and trade events in Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. These events allow us to connect with valued partners and showcase the unique experiences that St. Pete-Clearwater offers. Our main message to everyone – there is no need to cancel any plans and no need to hesitate about booking a trip to St. Pete-Clearwater. The news coverage of our area that they may have seen on TV or online does not represent our current look, and certainly not the entirety of our eclectic destination.
While much of our destination has been able to re-open their doors quickly, including many of our top attractions, we know our award-winning beaches and waterfront communities, which saw historic storm surge during Hurricane Helene, are in need of a little more time to fully recover. Throughout it all, we look forward to sharing the continued growth of our destination across our social and digital channels with each passing week.
We've weathered the storms, welcomed clear skies and are emerging stronger than ever. Together, we are Still Shining.
Brian Lowack
Tampa Bay Free BeachesPost Office Box 951Palm Harbor, FL 34682
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