St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila is spearheading an effort to unite the 11 beachside cities of Pinellas County in a collective appeal for federal hurricane recovery aid. The city’s vice mayor has been tasked with rallying elected officials from these communities to co-sign a unified letter to President Donald Trump, requesting assistance.

This initiative follows individual letters sent by Petrila and Treasure Island Mayor John Doctor, both urging the president to act after his public commitment to swift recovery efforts in North Carolina and California.

Petrila’s letter detailed the ongoing struggles in St. Pete Beach, where entire neighborhoods remain in limbo due to FEMA regulations and bureaucratic obstacles.

“Mr. President, your decisive action to support North Carolina and California with FEMA waivers and resources was commendable,” the letter stated. “The people of Florida—your people—are asking for the same. We need federal waivers to cut through red tape and allow residents to rebuild without unnecessary delays. Financial assistance is also crucial to help families return home.”

The letters from Petrila and Doctor became public on Monday. During a St. Pete Beach city commission meeting Tuesday night, two commissioners expressed gratitude for Petrila’s efforts, while Commissioner Betty Rzewnicki raised concerns about sending an official city letter without prior discussion.

“If I had done something like that, imagine the backlash I’d receive,” she remarked.

Petrila defended his decision, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the limitations posed by Florida’s sunshine laws. He invited the four remaining city commissioners to join him in signing the letter before its official submission on Wednesday.

“Unless there’s something specific you object to, all I did was ask for help,” Petrila said. “The president made a promise, and I’m asking him to follow through. If he meant what he said, then now is the time to act.”

Petrila also directed Vice Mayor Joe Moholland to attend Wednesday’s Barrier Islands Government Council (BIG-C) meeting on behalf of the city. His goal: to encourage all member cities to draft a similar, unified letter to Trump. The BIG-C member cities include:

• Belleair Beach
• Belleair Shore
• Clearwater
• Indian Rocks Beach
• Indian Shores
• Madeira Beach
• North Redington Beach
• Redington Beach
• Redington Shores
• St. Pete Beach
• Treasure Island

Additionally, Petrila urged these cities to draft another collective letter addressing delays caused by the Army Corps of Engineers in beach renourishment projects.

“I’d love for all of us to move forward on this together,” Petrila said.

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(Image credit: City of Treasure Island)