Deal to let Pinellas Trail circle county

Tuesday, the County Commission will consider a proposal to close a 20.6-mile gap in the trail with a path on Florida Power right of way.

By EDIE GROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 21, 1999

The hill just south of Lake St. George in Palm Harbor was a surprise to Bert Valery, a longtime Pinellas County resident who prides himself on knowing the terrain.

But there it was, on an undeveloped swath of land, partly hidden by flora and fauna. From the top, he had a clear view of Lake St. George, Lake Tarpon and the outfall canal from Lake Tarpon to Tampa Bay.

He also had not expected the scenery he found south of Roosevelt Boulevard, hidden behind office complexes near St. Petersburg.

"There's a whole bunch of lakes back there," said Valery. "I've lived here 30 years and never knew they were there."

Valery's sightseeing took place from inside a four-wheel drive vehicle. But, one day, bikers, walkers and inline skaters will be able to enjoy the scenery however they see fit.

The land Valery explored, which is owned by Florida Power, is about to become part of Pinellas County's recreational trail system, tying into its most popular path, the Pinellas Trail.

Florida Power will still own the 20.6 miles of right of way stretching from Palm Harbor down the eastern side of the peninsula to the old Gandy Bridge. Most of the land is occupied by power lines carried on tall towers. But the company has agreed to let residents use the land.

Under the proposal, which the County Commission will consider Tuesday, Florida Power would build the trail at a cost of no more than $15-million to the county. The county would pay the company $150,000 a year for the next 99 years to lease the right of way and would maintain the trail.

The trail itself is estimated to cost about $5.2-million. But four overpasses will add at least $8.1-million to the project. The $15-million figure, which comes from Penny For Pinellas sales tax money, gives the county a little wiggle room.

Valery, a member of the county's bicycle advisory committee and a founding force behind the Pinellas Trail, said he is excited about adding a trail to the east side of the county.

"It's servicing an area that never got serviced east of U.S. 19," he said. "A whole new world will be opening up."

The arrangement between the county and Florida Power has been in the works for several years. The two parties agreed to the concept at least a year ago, but the legal paperwork was not completed until last week.

Florida Power will build a 15-foot-wide trail along its 200-foot-wide right of way, starting near the intersection of Tampa Road and the McMullen-Booth Road overpass in Palm Harbor and ending at the old Gandy Bridge in St. Petersburg. That is where a 2.6-mile portion of the Friendship Trail spanning Tampa Bay is scheduled to open Dec. 11.

The company also has agreed to build a trail along county land that will connect the north end of the Florida Power Trail to part of the Pinellas Trail that now ends at John Chesnut Sr. Park in East Lake.

It may also extend the southern end of the Florida Power Trail into Weedon Island in St. Petersburg.

The county still has several sections of the Pinellas Trail it would like to finish: a 3-mile piece down Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs, a link from Weedon Island to downtown St. Petersburg, and a path from St. Petersburg to Fort De Soto Park. Funding for the St. Petersburg portions has not yet been secured.

But once those pieces and the Florida Power Trail are finished, the Pinellas Trail, now 35 miles long, will make a complete loop around the county, providing about 90 miles of continuous trails, said county Planning Director Brian Smith.

"It's in a class all its own," said Smith. "It's the longest urban trail in the country."

Four overpasses are planned for the new trail: one at U.S. 19 and Enterprise Road, another at U.S. 19 just south of Belleair Road, a third across Ulmerton Road west of 49th Street, and a fourth over I-275.

"The thing I like about the Power Trail is it goes through high-density areas, commercial and residential, which means it's not just recreational," said Ken Nosworthy, a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator with the Florida Department of Transportation. "People can commute back and forth to work."

The development of the Florida Power Trail is thought to be the most extensive agreement of its kind between a private electric company and a public government in Florida. One of the reasons it took so long to work out an agreement is that neither party had any past examples to follow, Smith said.

"Up until now, the people in the community knew Florida Power as a necessity, something you have to put up with because you have to get electricity," Smith said. "They'll be able to view Florida Power in a different light, as a quality-of-life thing. It's going to be really nice."

The county and Florida Power are estimating that it will take three to five years to finish the Florida Power Trail, but officials will know more once a master plan is completed early next year.

Valery, an Indian Rocks Beach resident, pictures an observation platform on the hill near Lake St. George, one that would allow visitors to see out to Tampa Bay, and maybe some resting spots around those lakes near Roosevelt Boulevard.

"It'll be cool," Valery said. "I can't wait for this."

The Pinellas County Commission will vote on the agreement establishing the Florida Power Trail at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the fifth-floor board assembly room at the County Courthouse, 315 Court St. in Clearwater. Afterward, in the same location, Florida Power will hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting and showcase several trail designs.

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