The Pinellas County Commission has abandoned a proposal to cut Weedon Island and Shell Key Preserves, restoring full funding for the parks to the FY2027 budget.
The Commission held its first public hearing Sept. 10 on its proposed $1.1 billion dollar budget for FY27. Facing a $42 million shortfall next year, among the items previously considered was the defunding of Weedon Island and Shell Key, two County preserves on land leased from the State of Florida.
As a result, this would have returned the preserves to state control as soon as January 1, 2027. Fierce pushback ensued from community advocates – and commissioners themselves – leading to the funding being restored, at least for next year.
“As directed at the August 20, 2026 Work Session, Weedon Island and Shell Key will not be returned to the State of Florida, and the $555,000 removed from the FY27 Proposed Budget will be restored, including $490,000 to the Parks Department and $65,000 to the Construction and Property Management Department, respectively,” wrote County Administrator Barry Burton to the Commission the day before the work session.
“As a result, $4.237 million will be amended to debt service to build capacity for a future bond payment for the new administrative campus.”
That is a reference to the Commission’s decision to repurpose money being set aside from the County’s new administrative campus on Ulmerton Road, to cover the cost of running Weedon Island and Shell Key for an additional year. The initiative, the brainchild of Commission Chris Scherer, met with unanimous approval.
Speaking to Poliverse, Scherer spoke of the many fond memories he had at Weedon Island, mentioning fishing, kayaking and the importance of conservation.
“I was extremely pleased that my fellow county commissioners approved my recommendation,” said Scherer. “Next year, my focus will be to secure state funding for the continued operations of Weedon Island in perpetuity.”
During their Aug. 20 meeting, several commissioners expressed a hope that the state would step in to augment or replace County funding due to pressure on the budget from additional state mandates on a number of fronts, in particular first responder pensions.
As previously reported in the Catalyst, Rep. Linda Chaney (R–St. Pete Beach) promised to support those efforts.
Community leaders and Weedon supporters reacted with guarded optimism to the news.
“The Friends of Weedon Island are most appreciative of the Commission’s decision to fund the operation of the Preserve for the entire coming fiscal year,” commented Bill Fehring, President of the Friends of Weedon Island, a nonprofit that supports the preserve and its maintenance.
“We look forward to working with the County to identify longer-term solutions to fund the Preserve in future years,” Fehring told the Catalyst, “so that its many benefits to Pinellas County residents can continue.”
The County did move forward with other changes to the parks budget, including increasing parking fees at Fort De Soto, Sand Key and Fred Howard Park to $6 from $3.50 (with a $12 daily cap). They also removed funding for the lifeguard programs at Fort De Soto and Sand Key. County officials noted that the lifeguard programs had struggled to find and maintain staff in recent years.
Overall, the County trimmed just over $6 million from the original budget proposal presented in August. This will result in a cut of the millage rate from 4.5423 to 4.5037 mills.
The second public hearing and final budget votes are set to be taken Sept. 24. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.