News to Know

Good morning to everyone!

 

Well, we at least made it through storm!   I know there has been damage sustained throughout the county, but we were all extremely lucky to have NOT taken a direct hit from Helene.   If you sustained damage, I am so very sorry but I am glad you are able to read this.    It is going to take time, patience, and people working together and eventually homes will be repaired, things replaced, and life will return to a new normal.    We will get through this!

 

If you are signed up for alerts, you should have received a notification this morning to remain where you are located until instructed otherwise due to dangerous situations.  Some road conditions are still very dangerous in places throughout the County.  If you don’t need to go out this morning, please remain where you are for a bit.  Crews are out assessing the damage and clearing roads.  The Sheriff’s office has established a unified command to coordinate and continue search and recover efforts as well as working with Duke Energy, FDOT, municipalities, subcontractors, and county crews as they work to remove sand and debris from the roadways.  Please don’t impede this process by going out if you don’t have a valid reason.  

 

Traffic

 

There are still power outages. Some Traffic lights and intersections are not functioning.  Please remember:

 

Flashing Yellow Traffic Signal – Proceed with caution, your direction has the right of away.

 

Flashing Red Traffic Signal – Yield and once it is clear, proceed.  Your direction does NOT have right of way

 

Traffic signal complete out – Treat as an ALL-WAY STOP

 

 

Airports

 

St. Pete Clearwater Airport is still closed.   Tampa International Airport is open and operational.  Passengers with flights out of Tampa should check with the airlines for schedules.

 

 

Duke Energy

 

Power outages are at approx. 40% of customer base is experiencing power outages.  Duke is working to get power restores as soon as they can.  If you have not reported the outage you may want to go online or call the outage line to make sure it has been reported.

 

 

County Office & Parks

 

County offices are closed today.  Pinellas County Parks remain closed until crews are able to complete assessment and remove debris.

 

 

Solid Waste

 

Solid Waste is currently closed to citizens today.  It is only open today to haulers and municipalities only. Solid Waste will open as soon as operationally able.

 

 

After the Storm

 

I have attached a checklist I downloaded from the American Red Cross website that I thought might be helpful for those who may have sustained damage as they work their way after the storm.  I would also suggest you make sure you have a current copy of all your insurance policies and have thoroughly reviewed them.  Also, I would highly recommend you contact your insurance agent to find out exactly what you should be documenting and direction.  I would highly suggest taking pictures and videos of EVERYTHING inside and out before you begin any clean-up. 

 

Please keep referring to www.disaster.pinellas.gov for additional updates as information is available.  I don’t know much I can assist going forward, but please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will try my best to do whatever I can to assist.

 

 

 

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

This is an update from Robin Miller President of The Tampa Bay Beach Chamber.

It is with a heavy heart that I send today's STORM UPDATE.  We know that from Passagrille to Clearwater Beach the impacts are staggering.  We also know the business community is anxious to get out and assess the damages. Please be patient. 

Access to barrier islands remains CLOSED, until further notice

From SHERIFF:
Gulf Boulevard looks like a war zone. It's not passable/dangerous.  There is empathy that you want to get there. At this time it is not safe.   They are working as quickly as possible.
Massive debris all over the islands.

Pinellas County 10:30 Briefing:

• If you do not have to go anywhere, they ask you to stay home
• There is a lot of debris, downed lines, and other damages
• PIE Airport will open today
• All parks are closed
• 5 Fatalities (2 Treasure Island 2 Indian Rocks 1 Dunedin)
• 132 Pump Stations not operable
• Experiencing low press in South County
• Conserve water is key to helping restore systems quickly
• About 40% of customers experience power outages, Duke is responding as quickly as possible

If you need accommodations:  Hurricane Helene Updates and Hotel Availability | Visit St Petersburg Clearwater Florida (visitstpeteclearwater.com)

HOTELS:   Could you please let Visit St. Pete Clearwater know the status (when you are able) of your availability at PR@visitspc.com 
 
Additionally, the Business Damage Assessment Survey is now available
https://floridadisaster.biz/Respond/BusinessDamageAssessmentsSurvey
 

In case you missed it, Linnea Hall of St. Petersburg, FL won our first towel contest. She submitted this photograph of her holding one of our awesome towels the furthest distance from the Tampa Bay Area - in Seattle, WA. That'd be about 2,600 miles away for those of you playing at home.

For her efforts, Ms. Hall won a cool $100. If YOU would like to win $100, enter our current Towel Photo Contest.

Between now and August, send us a photo of as many people as possible standing BEHIND a TBFB towel. At least one arm or one leg or the upper-half or the bottom-half of a body must be covered by the towel.

Sending a photo of planet earth peeking from one side of the towel will result in prolonged public ridicule. Otherwise, the winner and photo will be published in the August newsletter.

Send your photos to editor@tampabayfreebeaches.org.

You can acquire one of our towels in an array of tropical colors or a modest donation by clicking here.

Dear TBFB Board and Members:

President Rettig, Treasurer Clark, and I had a very busy week lobbying and advocating on behalf of all members in the TBFB family. Our education and advocacy brought us back before Pinellas County decision makers in our quest to set aside the East Beach in Fort DeSoto for nude recreation.

So far, TBFB has personally met six of the seven commissioners in Pinellas County, including Chair Peters. We also met with Sheriff Gaultieri, a most influential figure in Pinellas County politics, and left with positive feedback and an open door policy to discuss implementation and operations when the time comes.

The most important job the TBFB family can do at this juncture in the process of education and advocacy is for us to focus our efforts in building goodwill with each Commissioner by establishing friendships and trust. We accomplish this by participating and supporting their election or reelection campaigns through the Primaries (August 20, 2024) and General election (November 5th, 2024).

How can I help? Please reach out to President Rettig with your desire to help. All help, monetary or the gift of your time, is extremely valuable.

ACTION PLAN:  TBFB will seek to support our friends in the Commission and those running by doing the following:

We are now preparing to meet with the County Manager and his professional staff, including the Assistant County Attorney, and Parks Director. These are the meetings that will set in motion the creation of an Ordinance and Resolution securing and setting aside the East Beach at Fort DeSoto.

In closing we "THANK YOU" for your support, commitment, and vision.

Yours truly,

Ramon Maury
CEO, Maury Management Group
Healthcare & Government Solutions
Phone: (850) 222-1568
rm@ramonmaury.com
Maurymanagementgroup.com

Dear TBFB Members and Friends:

I am thrilled to report the ongoing success of our education campaign (advocacy) toward the goal of establishing a set aside nude beach in Pinellas County. 

We have concluded a week of scheduled meeting with several people. The goals for this week of meetings were aggressive. 

We scheduled to meet key Pinellas County figures in the following offices: County Attorney's Office, Sheriff, two individual County Commissioners, and the Chair of the County Commission. 

Every interaction was positive and informative. 

There was an last-minute cancellation by Commissioner Peters. A follow up meeting with Chair Peters will take place the week of May 8th to discuss our plan in detail and to solicit her assistance and support of the project and the ability for us to work with her professional county staff. 

Our visit with County Sheriff Gualtieri was welcoming, efficient, and interactive. Sheriff Gualtieri understands it is the job of the county commission to decide the issue of a set aside, but personally has no issue with a set aside or designation concept as presented, a palpable affirmation. The Sheriff also proffered “If there ever was such a beach, the East Beach at Fort DeSoto would be ideal." The Sheriff was versed on the topic and understands the recreational and economic benefit derived by niche tourism markets and the benefit they could derive to improve services for Pinellas County and its residents.

Opportunities for YOU to participate: 

A majority of the Pinellas County Commission are running for election and re-election, giving US, "TBFB”, the ideal and perfect opportunity to help our friends get elected to ensure our project becomes a reality.

Four county commission seats have open races in November 2024. Seats 1,3, 5, 7 are open. 

We, (EACH AND EVERY TBFB MEMBER) will need to help each of these candidates starting now thru November to build a friendship and develop trust. 

Maryanne and Jack will share with you in detail an opportunity we have with Commissioner Charlie Justice. 

Tampa Bay Free Beaches appreciates everyone’s support and you can contribute to assist us in this endeavor at www.tampabayfreebeaches.org.

Thank You.

Ramon Maury
CEO, Maury Management Group
Healthcare & Government Solutions
Phone: (850)-222-1568
rm@ramonmaury.com
Maurymanagementgroup.com

TBFB is looking for people with these skills:

FUNDRAISER: Do you have experience and expertise in raising serious cash for nonprofits? We’re not talkin’  bake sales, car washes, or bank robbery here. We’re looking for an individual who can work with our Board of Directors to raise $10,000 by the end of this year. This is a volunteer position. For more information, email jack@tampabayfreebeaches.com.

LEGAL EXPERT: Are you a Legal Eagle with a keen understanding of Federal and State laws pertaining to nonprofits? We need your volunteer expertise to keep us on the straight and narrow. (Billing rate: $0 per hour)  For more information, email jack@tampabayfreebeaches.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU: We are looking for a  volunteer who really knows how to leverage social media to maximum advantage. We’re currently on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok (although we haven’t figured out TikTok yet). Work with our creative team to make sure people are kept up-to-date with everything TBFB and take us to heights heretofore unknown! For more information, email dave@tampabayfreebeaches.com.