St. Pete Catalyst; Published By: Mark Parker
Local leaders are collectively addressing a problem showing no signs of abating, as one in three families struggle to afford housing in Pinellas County.
Elected officials, business owners and community stakeholders came together April 28 to publicly launch the new countywide Housing Action Plan. The Homes for Pinellas Summit featured a full day of presentations, with St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch participating on a panel with Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst Sr., Largo Mayor Woody Brown and County Commission Chair Janet Long.
Whit Blanton, executive director of Forward Pinellas, moderated the discussion at the Central Park Performing Arts Center in Largo. Much of the conversation centered on increasing transportation options and density in a well-developed county with significant swaths of urban sprawl.
“No matter who you are, this is a humanity issue,” Long said. “If you found yourself deserted on a deserted island, what is the very first thing you would be looking for? Before you looked for food, you would look for shelter.”
Welch noted that he recently made business trips to London and Austin. A lack of workforce housing was a pervasive topic throughout both, and he said Austin’s leadership expressed their regret for not taking a more aggressive approach to the problem 10 years ago. Read more
