Pinellas County Government
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PCCTV

The 2008 session of Pinellas Citizen University has been filled. But we are accepting applications for the 2009 program beginning in April 2009.

Ever wonder how government works, and what goes on behind the scenes in the various departments that provide services to you and your neighbors?

Pinellas Citizen University (PCU) unravels the mystery. Similar to other leadership classes, PCU brings you face to face with county administrators and decision-makers. Through exciting field trips and hands on decision-making exercises, you learn first hand how Pinellas County provides services to nearly one million county residents.

During this remarkable ten-week course, you’ll go behind the scenes at many Pinellas County operations and talk to the experts as you explore a wide range of county functions.

  • Imagine trying to plan a hurricane evacuation in the face of an approaching storm.
  • Listen in on the drama of real 911 calls.
  • Try balancing a $1.9 billion county budget.
  • Tour the Pinellas County Jail.
  • Get your hands on the latest survey equipment and try planning a highway.
  • Sit in the grand jury room, and talk to those leaders within our criminal court system.

Class enrollment is limited and you must be at least 18 years old.

Classes meet Thursday nights, usually from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. One Saturday session includes a picnic lunch at Weedon Island Preserve.

Tuition for PCU is $30, which includes a class shirt, all course materials, picnic, graduation ceremony and diploma.

REGISTER NOW! CLASSES ARE FILLING UP!

Departments Involved:

  • 9-1-1
  • Animal Services
  • Circuit Court Judges
  • Code Enforcement
  • County Administrator
  • Communications Department
  • Community Development-County Connection Centers
  • Emergency Management
  • Emergency Management Services & Fire Administration
  • Human Services
  • Fleet Management
  • General Services
  • Management and Budget
  • Public Defender
  • Public Works – Engineering
  • Public Works – Division of Survey & Mapping
  • Public Works – Highway Department
  • Public Works – Mosquito
  • Public Works – Traffic Engineering/Traffic Operations & Control Center
  • State Attorney
  • Sheriff’s Office/Pinellas County Jail
  • St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
  • Utilities
  • Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater

Pinellas County complies with the
American with Disabilities Act.

To obtain accessible formats of this document, please contact the Pinellas County Communications Department at (727) 464-4600/TDD (727) 464-4431.

E-mail addresses are public records under Florida law and are not exempt from public records requirements. If you do not want your e-mail address to be subject to being released pursuant to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by telephone or in writing, via the United States Postal Service.
PCU is a behind-the-scenes look at how county government operates.
PCU includes a visit to the Grand Jury Room as students learn about our criminal justice system.
It’s out of the classroom and into the field as PCU students experience hands-on activities.
PCU students see where it goes when it goes down the drain at the South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility.
This class included a look inside a Sunstar Paramedic Ambulance as PCU students examine all the life-saving equipment.
Signs, signs…everywhere there are signs as PCU students visit the Pinellas County sign shop.
The county’s most unusual garage takes care of fleet vehicles for many county departments, including Animal Services.
PCU students take a look at (and through) county survey equipment.
Big vehicles require huge tires as PCU students visit Pinellas County’s Fleet Management garage.

"I have never felt more connected with Pinellas County government as I do now. This experience has helped me to understand how the county operates and inspired me to become more involved with county activities."
--Mary Williams
Fall ‘07
"I recommend that everybody take the opportunity to attend PCU, for fun, for education and for the ‘wow’ factor that comes with almost every class."
--Kirsten Frank,
Spring ’06
"Sure, I thought I knew everything about this county, after all, I am a cracker, and boy was I wrong! PCU was a…peek into how everything that I take for granted, the beaches, the parks, emergency services gets to my door. What an exciting journey!”
--Marcia Dahlman,
Fall ‘06

"I wanted to see for myself where my money going. Now that I see what our tax money exactly does, I don’t feel as negative any longer to my perceived high taxes. Bottom line, the government is made up of people, who are working together to better all of our lives.”
--Helen Giakoumus,
Fall ‘07