Pinellas County will close libraries, shrink park hours and trim nearly every other department before it touches public safety if voters approve the statewide property-tax reform, Amendment 3, in November, County Commissioner Chris Latvala told beach-city officials last week.

“Any public safety cuts would be absolutely last,” Latvala said Aug. 26 at the Barrier Islands Governmental Council meeting in Treasure Island. “If we have to cut parks, if we have to shut down libraries, if we have to do all that other stuff first, so be it. Public safety is first and foremost.”

Amendment 3, placed on the Nov. 3 ballot by the Legislature, needs 60 percent approval. It would limit future property-tax growth. Latvala said the county’s proposed $5.137 billion fiscal 2027 budget is already balanced and funds storm recovery, but passage of the amendment would force “severe” additional cuts.

The current draft already reduces the county workforce by 43.8 positions, mostly through vacancies rather than layoffs. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office accounts for more than $500 million. Its requested increase of $26.2 million roughly matches the projected growth in countywide property-tax collections.

Latvala told the mayors and commissioners from Clearwater to St. Pete Beach that he expects the amendment to clear 50 percent but is unsure it will hit 60 percent. He said sheriffs, not county commissioners, are the voices that move voters.

“The average voter couldn’t care less what a county commissioner says,” he said. “But what sways them is what their sheriff says.”

He added that he will not campaign against the measure and might vote for it himself. Property-tax relief is coming in some form, he said; local governments simply have to decide what they can still afford.

The commission is also looking at changing county beach parking from a $6 daily rate to $3.50 an hour. Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Lan Vaughan said her city took political heat when it adopted paid parking but that the change improved the atmosphere and the type of visitors the city attracts.

Latvala did not sugarcoat the outlook if the amendment passes. Parks could drop from seven days a week to two. Every department would feel it. Public safety would be the last item on the list.

Nearly two years after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, volunteer groups such as Barrier Island Strong continue to fill gaps the county budget cannot. Founded by Gulf-beaches residents Veronica and Ed Katz with a $1,000 out-of-pocket start, the all-volunteer nonprofit still helps neighbors navigate recovery programs and organize cleanups. No one on the team draws a paycheck.

The November vote will decide how much of that work stays with government and how much stays with neighbors.

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