Board of County Commissioners Work Session/Agenda Briefing 11-12-26

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners held a work session and agenda briefing on November 12, 2026. Commissioners reviewed the County Administrator’s performance and discussed leadership, compensation, and how the county should respond to Amendment 3 and anticipated budget pressures; the administrator will receive no salary increase this year. The board also considered proposed changes to the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board, including shifting contractor licensing to the state, narrowing county enforcement to unincorporated areas, and retaining limited code-administration functions. Staff will pursue a special-act update and an 18-month transition period for affected licensees. The board discussed state and federal legislative priorities, including emergency management, grants, infrastructure, water quality, and affordable housing, but no procurement votes were recorded during these discussions.

The airport presented its parking-garage project: the final design is expected to add 1,682 net spaces and increase total airport parking capacity from about 3,260 to 4,942. The project includes frontage-road and circulation improvements and was developed collaboratively with FinFrock; a guaranteed maximum price was discussed, but no amount was stated. Commissioners raised the possibility of selecting Central Site rather than Ajax as a subcontractor if requirements are otherwise met, citing potential savings of $250,000; staff will explain the procurement process and recommendation when the item returns to the agenda in December. The agenda briefing also covered a $225,000 hazard-mitigation watershed grant application with a $75,000 match, a Southern Road and Bridge contract award, design-build services for the Cross Bayou Athletic Complex, a QRC change order for water and reclaimed-water repairs, and a new ME2 LLC agreement for nonmedical wheelchair transport. These items were reviewed for the upcoming agenda; the transcript does not record votes on them.