The beach bus gets a reprieve
Plus tax notices, public-safety grants, USF plans and the city's AI rules.
This week brings one transit decision you can use now and several bigger civic questions that will shape the months ahead.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board voted 13-0 to keep Route 90 on the road. The route links south St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach. About 730 people ride it each month, and many are hotel workers.
Staff had studied cutting it and estimated the move would save $314,000 a year. Riders pushed back, and the board chose to wait. Route 90 keeps running through the end of 2026. Staff will work with beach employers and take a fresh look at ridership.
The board also kept routes 16 and 58, the Clearwater Snapper and the Grouper airport service. The Safety Harbor Snapper is ending.
One change touches every rider. Base fares paid with a contactless credit or debit card go up to $2.36. Cash and Flamingo card fares stay at $2.25. Tapping a card now costs a little more than paying with Flamingo.
USF outlines growth plans for its St. Pete campus
University of South Florida President Moez Limayem called the St. Petersburg campus a major institutional asset. He wants growth built around locally distinctive programs and stronger partnerships with businesses.
Limayem also wants practical experience to become central across majors. He pointed to the campus's walkable access to internships as one advantage for students.
USF is separately planning to rebuild the Marine Science Laboratory after a May fire severely damaged it. The university has not yet announced a design, cost or timetable for that rebuilding project.
That tax notice in your mail is not a bill
Property owners are opening Truth in Millage notices with proposed rates for fiscal 2027. These are estimates, not bills.
City Council set a maximum city rate of 6.4525 mills, the same as this year. A flat rate does not mean a flat payment. Rising taxable values can still push your total higher.
On a home with $300,000 in taxable value, the city share works out to about $1,936. That is before the county, the school board and other levies get added.
Nothing is final yet. Council still has to adopt the budget and the millage rate, and those hearings come in September.
The municipal-electric estimate reaches $4.1 billion
A Duke Energy-commissioned preliminary analysis estimates that creating a St. Petersburg municipal electric utility could cost $2.75 billion to $4.1 billion. The work could take seven to 10 years.
The estimate includes $1.25 billion to $1.65 billion for assets. It adds $1.18 billion to $1.88 billion to separate the city system from Duke's surrounding network.
This is an interested-party estimate, not the city's final finding. St. Petersburg is paying up to $590,000 for a separate feasibility study by NewGen Strategies and Solutions.
Neighborhood safety projects can seek forfeiture funds
Neighborhood groups, associations and organizations can seek support through the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Fund Award Program. Eligible projects can address neighborhood safety, crime prevention, drug prevention, drug education or drug treatment.
The program does not require matching funds. It also does not set a restriction on the amount requested or the project's scope. Awards are not automatic. The police chief decides how much approved applicants receive, based on available funding.
Applicants need a specific project tied to one or more of the program's stated public-safety purposes.
The city is rewriting its rules for employee AI use
St. Petersburg is rewriting guidelines for how city employees use artificial intelligence. The city is collecting resident feedback through an online survey as it develops the policy.
Mayor Ken Welch created an AI task force. Co-chair David Thompson said city use remains deliberately limited while officials assess safety, security and community expectations.
Residents at an open house raised concerns about privacy, environmental impact and access. They also discussed possible convenience benefits. The city plans to use that feedback while drafting its updated rules for employees.