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Participating in a Board of County Commissioners Meeting

A Summary of the Public Participation and Decorum Rules

Members of the public wishing to provide comments to the Board of County Commissioners should review the full Public Participation and Decorum Rules.  In the event of a conflict between what is summarized here and the full set of guidelines, the full guidelines will govern.  

Location

Regular Board meetings are usually held in either the Assembly Room of the County Courthouse at 315 Court Street, Clearwater, Florida 33756, or the Palm Room of the Pinellas County Communications building at 333 Chestnut Street, Clearwater, Florida. Work sessions and budget information sessions are held in the Palm Room. Note that through December 2023, all meetings are being held in the Palm Room unless otherwise indicated.

The location may change, so please see the calendar at https://pinellas.legistar.com  to confirm meeting time and place.

Public comment is permitted at regular Board meetings. Public comment is generally not permitted during the work session or budget information sessions, except at the discretion of the Chair.

How to Watch the Meetings

Members of the public may watch the public meeting and public hearings on the Pinellas County Meetings YouTube channel, Live Webcast Meetings, or on cable television (Spectrum 637, Frontier 44, and WOW! 18).

Providing Comments to the Board of County Commissioners

In writing: Complete the BCC Agenda Comment Form by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting.

By voicemail: Leave a voicemail message before 5 p.m. the day before the meeting by calling 727-464-4400. Recorded instructions are provided. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may provide public input on any agenda item through use of the State of Florida’s relay service at 7-1-1.

In person: Preregister at https://comment.pinellas.gov or come to the meeting and fill out a comment card before the meeting and you will be called to speak to the Board when it is your turn. Speakers will  have three minutes or less to present, based upon the number of people signed up who wish to speak. The Chair may designate a set length of time for the public comment period for any particular item of discussion or the citizen comment period. .

As a group: Five or more people may select one spokesperson to speak to the Board. That person will have 10 minutes to speak or the sum of the individuals’ allowed time, whichever is shorter. The remaining people must be present and will not speak. Indicate when you sign up that you are speaking for a group and provide each person’s name.

Virtually by phone or Zoom: If the meeting announcement indicates that virtual comments will be taken, preregister by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting at https://comment.pinellas.gov unless otherwise indicated in the meeting announcement. Members of the public who have preregistered may attend the meeting via Zoom by visiting https://pinellas.gov/attend or by calling the Zoom webinar at one of the following numbers: 1-646-558-8656; or 1-312-626-6799; or 1-301-715-8592; or 1-346-248-7799; or 1-720-707-2699; or 1-253-215-8782. The Webinar ID number is 238 247 671. There is no guarantee against technology failures.

When addressing the Board:

  • State your name and the city or unincorporated area where you live.
  • Be respectful of the Board, other members of the public, and others’ opinions, and refrain from making personal attacks or using obscene language. All content must be your own.
  • Do not include Political Candidate Campaigning, commercial advertising, solicitation, or defamation as part of your presentation to the Board. . Restrict your presentation to issues which are in the public interest, and pertain to Pinellas County government activities. This can include public health, Board actions, County department actions, or other County government programs, policies or concerns.
  • Please direct all comments  to the Board as a whole, not to any individual commissioner. This is not a question-and-answer session.

The Chair may interrupt or terminate any individual’s speaking privilege if the Speaker’s comments, attire, Visual Aids, or Electronic Aids constitute a personal attack; are slanderous, defaming, disruptive, or obscene; violate any law; or otherwise are in violation of this policy.

Visual Aids

Handouts: If you wish to provide handouts to the Board, provide them to the staff at the welcome table when you fill out your comment card.

Posters and signs: For safety reasons, no signs or placards mounted on sticks or poles are allowed, and no materials are allowed that could interfere with other people’s ability to view or participate in the meeting.

Digital materials: Any digital or audiovisual materials must be submitted at least seven days before the meeting. The Chair may approve or deny a request for use of these materials. All digital materials must be the speaker’s own and may not be content recorded or taken from other sources. Digital materials such as presentations must be handled by the speaker. (See the full Participation and Decorum Rules for more details.)

Email Address for submitting materials, documents, and photos ONLY:
bccagendacomments@mypinellasclerk.gov

Mailing Address:
Pinellas County Board Records
315 Court St.
Clearwater, FL 33756

All submissions MUST be accompanied by information that contains:

  • The identity of the sender
  • Contact information for the sender
  • The Agenda date and Agenda Number or Public Hearing topic information to identify the matter

Public Hearings and Quasi-Judicial Proceedings

Public Hearings before the Board of County Commissioners are governed by the provisions of Section 134-14 of the Pinellas County Land Development Code. Refer to the full Participation and Decorum Rules for the procedures that apply to the applicant and opponent. Comments from the general public follow the guidelines above.