Pinellas County health leaders ask commissioners to fund new St. Petersburg facility; school nursing, moisture repairs highlighted

The Pinellas County health department asked commissioners on Friday to preserve and expand capital funding while keeping core public‑health services stable.

At the meeting, Tony Merrill of the Office of Management and Budget summarized the department’s fiscal‑year‑2027 request, saying the health department fund (excluding transfers) is increasing by roughly $258,000 to about $8.9 million and that total budgeted resources including transfers rise to $15.9 million. Merrill said most of the growth in fund revenues stems from higher ad‑valorem receipts, interest earnings and tax‑collector excess fees.

Melissa VanBergen, assistant county health department director, told the board the department’s core contract is roughly $8 million and funds clinical services (about 51% of that contract), school health nursing (about 25%) and dental and environmental work. "We most of our budget, about 65%, is coming from the state and other local grants and contracts," VanBergen said.

Why it matters: VanBergen said a CBRE assessment recommended a new Saint Petersburg facility because the current 1930s building is aging and increasingly surrounded by development. The consultant estimated the current property value at $22–24 million and put a new site cost at about $69–100 million, a gap that the county would have to plan for over multiple years. VanBergen said the budget includes increased transfers to capital (roughly $2.6 million higher) to reserve funds for future facility needs.

The department also flagged an immediate facilities cost: engineers have confirmed moisture intrusion at the Mid‑County site and recommended installing a moisture barrier that will require removing and replacing the entire first‑floor finish. The estimate for that work is about $600,000; VanBergen said the department has filed an insurance claim and hopes the cost will be reimbursed.

School nursing and local services: Commissioners pressed VanBergen on the county’s contribution to school‑based nursing. VanBergen said the county provides funding that supports about 40 LPN positions serving Title 1 schools and that those nurses contributed to an increase in referrals for mental health and social services from about 5,800 to 6,100 last year. "A bit a large portion of that is mental health," VanBergen said of the referrals.

On fees and reserves: Merrill and VanBergen explained the health department operates from a separate fund and carries a reserve intended for capital projects; some commissioners asked whether staff had evaluated raising user fees (for example, tattoo/piercing or biomedical‑waste licensing) to cover certain inspection‑driven costs. VanBergen said fees are periodically reviewed and the department added a biomedical‑waste fee after a more than 100% increase in facilities requiring inspections.

What’s next: Commissioners requested additional detail on the facility‑planning analysis, the results of the CBRE financial assumptions and updated projections for reserves and capital needs. The board did not take any formal vote on the health request; staff will return with final budget recommendation materials during August budget deliberations.