Q:
I live in unincorporated Pinellas County.
What does that mean?
A: It means you are in good company.
Roughly 280,000 people reside in unincorporated
Pinellas County, which represents the 36 percent
of the County not located within one of the 24
municipalities. The unincorporated areas include
communities from the Pasco County line to Tierra
Verde. As an unincorporated resident, the Pinellas
County Board of County Commissioners serves as
your local government. A portion of the County
budget (Municipal Services Taxing Unit) is paid
by residents of the unincorporated area and is
devoted to providing municipal services to the
unincorporated area that are over and above the
services provided to the county as a whole.
Q: What is annexation?
A: Annexation is the process
of adding unincorporated property to the
boundaries of an incorporated municipality
(a city or town). It is the process by which
municipalities expand their boundaries.
There
are two main ways in which unincorporated property
can be annexed into a municipality. They are
typically referred to as "voluntary" annexation
and "referendum" annexation.
Voluntary
annexation occurs when a property owner or
owners submits a petition to annex into a municipality.
That petition results in a municipal ordinance
that annexes the property. Voluntary annexation
is governed by a County Ordinance (Ordinance
No. 00-63), which includes a map depicting
annexation planning areas for thirteen cities.
Voluntary annexation is limited to property
located within a municipality's annexation
planning area. Several unincorporated areas
are not located within a municipal annexation
planning area; therefore, property within these
unincorporated areas is not eligible to be
annexed through the voluntary annexation process.
County Ordinance No. 00-63 has no control over
annexation by referendum.
Annexation
by referendum is governed by state law (Chapter
171 of the Florida Statutes). A referendum
is held for registered voters in the area proposed
to be annexed. A majority of those casting
votes determines the outcome and, if approved,
the area is annexed. If the referendum fails
to gain a majority of votes, the area remains
unincorporated. The annexing municipality sets
up the referendum by adopting an ordinance
of annexation after holding at least two public
hearings. The referendum shall not be held
sooner than 30 days following the final adoption
of the ordinance.
Q:
Who decides the outcome of an annexation
referendum?
A: Only registered voters
of the area proposed to be annexed are allowed
to vote on the referendum. If a person owns
property within the proposed annexation area,
but is not a registered voter in the annexation
area, he or she is not eligible to vote on
the referendum. In other words, voter registration,
not property ownership, determines who gets
to decide on annexation.
Q: What if I vote no, but my neighbors
vote yes?
A: If a majority of those
casting ballots vote for annexation, the
entire area proposed for annexation becomes
part of the municipality. This includes the
property of those who voted against annexation.
That's why every vote is important.
Q: When is the election taking place
in my area?
A: August 26th. For information
on the ballot questions and on precincts,
see the Supervisor of Elections' website
or call (727) 464-3551.
Q:
Why doesn't the County stop these annexations
from taking place?
A: Under the annexation procedures
established in state law, the referendum annexation
process is initiated by the annexing municipality,
and the registered voters in the proposed annexation
area decide whether or not to become part of
the city. Florida Statutes provide a very limited
role for the County in the referendum annexation
process. This is unlike the local voluntary annexation
process, where the County has a more active role
through its County Charter authority and County
Ordinance No. 00-63.
Pinellas
County government, however, has taken several
initiatives to ensure you (residents of the
proposed annexation areas) have all the facts
available to make a decision that is best for
you. An information packet was recently mailed
to all registered voters within the five proposed
annexation areas. This information is also
located here on the County's website along
with additional information that will assist
you in deciding your choice of government on
August 26th.
Pinellas
County and the City of Seminole are also holding
two public meetings on August 5th at 7:00 PM
and on August 23rd at 10:00 AM. These meetings
are being held at the Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young
University Partnership Center on the campus
of St. Petersburg College in Seminole, located
at 9200 113th Street. There, you will have
the opportunity to ask your questions of representatives
from both the County and the City about the
proposed annexations.
Q: My neighborhood is outside of
a city's annexation planning boundaries,
so why is annexation proposed for my area?
A: Three of the five referendum
areas proposed for annexation by the City of
Seminole are entirely or partially located
outside of the City's annexation planning area
as established by County Ordinance No. 00-63.
However, the City of Seminole's annexation
planning area affects only voluntary annexation
and has no control over annexation by referendum.
Annexation by referendum is governed by Chapter
171 of the Florida Statutes and is in no way
restricted by Ordinance No. 00-63 and the City's
annexation planning area boundaries. That is
why the City of Seminole is able to propose
annexation of areas outside its annexation
planning area boundaries as long as the referendum
areas comply with the requirements of Chapter
171.
Q:
What services stand to change if I'm annexed
into the City?
A: Not as many as you might
think. Pinellas County would continue to provide
its many countywide services such as 9-1-1 emergency
communications, Sunstar ambulance, Parks and
Preserves and Mosquito Control. And, the City
of Seminole contracts for some municipal services
through the County, such as law enforcement and
utilities.
For more information, read about County services or check out this listing
of County services. A special, area-specific Services Directory is also online.
For more information, view the Seminole
City Annexation services page.
Q: Who can I call with my specific
questions about annexation?
A: Pinellas County staff can
help with a variety of questions you may have
pertaining to annexation and your individual
situation. You can contact Jane
Gillespie at
your local County Connection Center located
at 8202 113th Street North, Seminole, FL 33772,
or by calling (727) 549-6441.
