Welcome to LARGO TODAY , News from the City Manager. Stay up-to-date on the superior services the City of Largo offers to our residents, businesses and visitors to build the "Community of Choice in Tampa Bay."
THIS WEEK IN LARGO JULY 19, 2019
PINELLAS COUNTY 2019 HOMELESS DATA RELEASED
Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board has released its 2015-2019 homeless Point-in-Time Data Report. Point-in-Time is a one-day census of the homeless population in Pinellas County. This census is a requirement by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the homeless funding that comes into Pinellas County through the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board. According to the report, the number of homeless persons decreased from 2,612 in 2018 to 2,415 persons (197) in 2019. During the five-year period from 2015-2019, the number of homeless persons in Pinellas County decreased by 972. Safe Harbor Emergency Shelter, located in the Largo Fire District, decreased from 464 persons to 315 persons (149 person decrease) over the five-year period. In 2019, 53% of respondents indicated they have lived in Pinellas County one year or longer and an additional 18.6% that indicated they are lifetime residents of Pinellas County. Largo hosted a mid-county deployment site for the Point-in-Time volunteers this year, which provided more mid-county coverage for the count. The number of respondents who indicated they mainly stay in Largo increased from 39 individuals in 2018 to 42 individuals in 2019. Over the past five years, the number has increased from 24 individuals in 2015 to 42 individuals. The full report is available on the website for Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board .

- Carol Stricklin
Community Development Department Director I 586-7490 I cstrickl@largo.com
COMMUNITY STANDARDS DIVISION NEW INITIATIVE
On July 15, 2019, the Community Standards Division kicked off a new initiative as part of the Community Standards Division Nuisance Abatement Program that is focused on building a community of safe and healthy neighborhoods. The Community Standards Division is asking the community for help in identifying vacant properties in residential areas that are in violation of City codes. Residents can visit Largo.com/VacantProp to access the new link online to report nuisance properties. The program is only a week old and is already producing information the Code Officers are using to investigate new cases. We are excited to have this new tool that is helping us stay connected to the community. The ultimate goal of the program is to bring these properties into voluntary compliance and help us keep the City of Largo beautiful and safe.

- Carol Stricklin
Community Development Department Director I 586-7490 I cstrickl@largo.com
5TH ANNUAL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS EXPO
Largo Fire Rescue recently hosted their 5th Annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo at the Largo Public Library. Over 160 citizens attended to learn about preparedness steps for before, during, and after a significant storm. Truck 41 displayed a 35 ft storm surge banner to depict the true height of a disastrous storm surge, and a presentation was given by a speaker's panel consisting of 10 News Chief Meteorologist Bobby Deskins, Fire Chief Chad Pittman, Public Educator Summer Mahr, Largo Police Department's Sgt. Amanda Misner, Pinellas County Emergency Management, Animal Services, Consumer Protection, and Duke Energy. Multiple safety and emergency preparedness agencies were on site in the vendor room to distribute information, and each citizen was greeted with a mini hurricane preparedness kit and a 2019 "Surviving the Storm" Hurricane Guide.

- Summer Mahr
Public Education Specialist I 587-6740 I smahr@largo.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
2019-20 TUTTEROW DANCE ACADEMY FALL REGISTRATION
Registration for the 2019-20 Tutterow Dance Academy programs will be held at the Largo Community Center, 400 Alternate Keene Road, on August 9 from 5-8pm and August 10 from 10am-1pm.
Tutterow Dance Academy, Pinellas County's premier dance academy, offers professional instruction in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, acro, and preschool classes for boys and girls ages2-18. The technical training instills a passion for dance while building self esteem and self confidence in your child. The academy is also home to the Tutterow Stars of Tomorrow, an award winning performance company, giving students additional performance and competition opportunities.
 Don’t miss out on the chance to see what makes Tutterow Dance Academy the premier dance academy in Pinellas County. Spots will fill up quickly, so mark your calendars and don’t let this opportunity pass by!
For more information on class registration or audition opportunities for the performance company, contact debbie@tutterowdancers.com, call 727-585-1232 or visit tutterowdancers.com.

- Joan Byrne
Recreation, Parks and Arts Department Director I 587-6720 I jbyrne@largo.com
SHREDFEST IS BACK
Please join us on Saturday, July 20 at the Starkey Road Collection Center (1551 Starkey Rd) from 9am-12pm for free and secure document shredding. The Starkey Road Recycling Center is also a 24-hour facility where residents can drop off their mixed recycling at no-cost, recycle used cooking oil and pick up free, recycled mulch all year-round. To learn more about ShredFest visit LargoRecycles.com or call (727)587-6760.

- Laura Thomas
Sustainability Coordinator I 586-7424 I lthomas@largo.com

JOIN OUR TEAM
Are you interested in helping to build the community of choice? There are great opportunities from interns to engineers. The City of Largo provides outstanding benefits and a modern wellness program. Join us as we serve the community by providing superior services that inspire community pride. The City of Largo is a great place to work, naturally!
MISSION: Provide Superior Services that Inspire Community Pride

VISION: To Be the Community of Choice in Tampa Bay

VALUES: INTEGRITY | COLLABORATION | PASSION | CREATIVITY