Public Works Public Notices

Last updated on

Welcome. This page provides the most recent public notices for the Pinellas County Public Works Department. Please feel free to review each notice and provide comment via the official guidelines. Thank you.

1. 4806-066-R (228) – Pinellas County, Countywide Traffic Signals, Infrastructure Retrofit

JOINT FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL PUBLIC NOTICE
10/22/2026

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management have received the following application for Federal grant funding. Final notice is hereby given of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) consideration to provide funding in the form of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Funds will be provided in accordance with Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990 FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Applicant

County of Pinellas

Project Title

4806-066-R (228) – Pinellas County, Countywide Traffic Signals, Infrastructure Retrofit

Location of Proposed Work

The area affected by this project consists of homes in the following locations: Intersections are as follows:

  • McMullen Booth Rd at SR 580
  • Park Blvd and 49th St N
  • Park St and 54th Ave N
  • 49th St and 54th Ave N
  • Gulf to Bay and Old Coachman Rd

Proposed Work and Purpose

This structural mitigation initiative offers countywide advantages by replacing five existing span wire intersections with robust mast arms constructed from galvanized steel. By implementing a more durable system, the County aims to enhance the safe and efficient flow of traffic throughout the county in the event of storms or floods.

Traffic signals suspended by span wire are vulnerable to damage or dislodgement during strong winds. When these span wires fail, traffic signals can become inoperable, potentially obstructing vehicle access on roadways. By installing mast arm signals at critical intersections and evacuation routes, we can ensure that roads remain accessible and that emergency personnel can respond effectively to citizen needs.

In previous hurricane and storm events, traffic signal infrastructure suspended by span wire has fallen or sustained damage due to high winds. Strengthening this traffic signal infrastructure will enhance citizen safety by minimizing the likelihood of critical and evacuation routes from being obstructed during emergencies.

Project Alternatives

The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) a steel pole/span wire design. Steel poles would provide additional protection from the existing signal configuration in that the new poles would be designed to withstand additional wind loads in accordance with current requirements. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1, span wires held in place by existing concrete poles begin to fail when wind speeds are between 65 – 90 mph. In order to reduce the risk of the span wire falling in an intersection or on moving vehicles, span wire traffic signals are designed for the connection of the span to fall before the poles that are set to hold the span in place. The fall of the span wire results in the traffic signal becoming inoperable and blocks access on the roadway for motorists and emergency personnel.

Under Alternative 2, steel poles would provide additional protection from the existing signal configuration in that the new poles would be designed to withstand additional wind loads in accordance with current requirements. However, mast arms are required within 10 miles of the coast unless they physically cannot be installed due to geometric constraints (this requires formal exception) and a pole and span wire system would still likely fall during a high wind event at the connection point of the pole and span wire.

Comment Period

Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation, 2489 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100. These are due within 15 days of this notice (11/6/2026). The State will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed. Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:

Meghan Johnson, Grants Management Coordinator
Public Works
Pinellas County Government
(727) 464-4015
mrjohnson@pinellas.gov

State Environmental Specialist Team
Florida Division of Emergency Management
MitigationEnvironmental@em.myflorida.com