Future of the Region Award

Pictured (from left to right): Pinellas County Board of County Commissioner, Charlie Justice, Dr. Cynthia Johnson, Chair of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Janet Long, Teresa Brydon, Pinellas County Administrator, Barry Burton.

Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and Pinellas County Economic Development Awarded Prestigious Future of the Region Award for Employment Sites Program

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council hosted the 29th Annual Future of the Region Awards at the Leadership Summit for the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition on Friday, May 5. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and Pinellas County Economic Development were announced as the recipients of the award for the Economy & Energy category of the Future of the Region Awards, for the County’s Employment Sites Program.

The Employment Sites Program (ESP) is a commitment by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners of over $90 Million in funding from Penny for Pinellas for countywide investments into economic development projects. ESP helps to fund, in part, the construction and redevelopment of industrial and Class A office buildings to build the next generation of modern properties needed for businesses to expand their capacity and workforce for the needs of today and the future.

Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners Chair, Janet Long, said, “The Employment Sites Program is truly an innovative partnership between the County, its 24 municipalities and the private sector development and business community. The program offers solutions to economic challenges and constraints experienced by the County’s industry employers which might otherwise prevent essential growth and modernization from occurring.”

Dr. Cynthia Johnson, Director of Pinellas County Economic Development, added, “Pinellas’ businesses and workforce are already seeing success in the first two years of the Employment Sites Program. To date, fifteen projects have been approved by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, with a commitment of nearly $20 million in funding, with gains of over 900,000 square feet of Class A office and industrial space across Pinellas for growing businesses.”

The Future of the Region Awards Program provides honor and recognition for notable achievement, both in the public and private sectors, for resource planning and management in the Tampa Bay region. The event highlights projects and programs such as the Employment Sites Program, that benefit the regional community.

To learn more about Pinellas County’s ESP, visit www.pced.org/ESP

Pinellas County – The Ideal Business Climate

Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) works with existing businesses to encourage expansion and seeks to attract new companies with high-wage careers to Central Florida’s Gulf Coast. Through investment tools, professional courses and business counseling sessions, trade missions to open new markets, as well as local, regional and statewide partnerships, PCED fosters a pro-business climate in Pinellas County, Florida.

Pinellas County Economic Development
The EpiCenter, 13805 58th Street North, Suite 1-200
Clearwater, Florida 33760

(727) 464-7332 direct
(888) 759-5627 outside of Florida
(727) 464-7053 fax

EconDev@PinellasCounty.org