What is the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan?

The Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan serves as the Board of County Commissioner’s long range planning policy, providing the foundation for decisions on regulations, programs and capital investments that affect the County as a whole. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners adopted the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan in 1989.

All local government decisions, projects and programs relating to the development and redevelopment of a community must be compatible with the adopted comprehensive plan. In fact, the goals, objectives and policies contained in a comprehensive plan provide the basis for many of the codes and ordinances that guide every day land use and development decisions by the Board of County Commissioners and County staff.

The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is the State agency that oversees growth management requirements and ensures that local government comprehensive plans are in compliance with State law.

A comprehensive plan must contain certain Elements, each relating to different aspects of growth management. The Elements of the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan are: future land use; transportation; coastal management; housing; potable water; sewer; solid waste; surface water management; natural, historic and cultural resources; recreation and open space; intergovernmental coordination, and capital improvements. In addition, in 2003, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a new Element called Planning to Stay. The adopted goals, objectives and policies from all of these Elements are summarized in the Compendium to the Comprehensive Plan.

Each local government may amend their comprehensive plans twice a year. In addition, the State requires local governments to prepare an extensive Evaluation and Appraisal of their comprehensive plan every seven years to assess progress in implementing the goals of their comprehensive plans.

Citizen participation and public input play important roles in establishing the content of a comprehensive plan, because ultimately the people who live in a community have the greatest stake in its future and should help determine its future course. If you want to give us your ideas about the future of Pinellas County, you may contact us at planningtostay@co.pinellas.fl.us.