LARGO â The president of the association representing Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue employees has lashed out in a lengthy letter at the fire chief over a variety of issues.
Eric Grantham, on behalf of the Pinellas Suncoast Professional Firefighters Association, wrote that it has âno choice but to inform the district s commissioners of Chief Michael Burton s overall poor leadership, judgment and actions.
In the March 31 letter, he urged the commission to promptly review the correspondence and if the commission deems it appropriate, to place Burton on administrative leave so that an investigation can occur.
Burton, who has been the districtâs chief for the past 3½ years, said that Grantham s letter is heavy on allegations, baseless claims, half-truths, opinions and innuendos but woefully short on the compete truth.
After weeks of increases, Florida Department of Health reported a decline in COVID-19 cases in Pinellas last week. From April 19-25, 1,292 cases were reported, bringing the total to 78,084. Seventeen people died due to the novel coronavirus, upping the death toll to 1,596.
For four consecutive weeks, DOH reported an increase in COVID-19 cases in Pinellas County. From April 12-18, 1,684 new cases and 14 deaths were reported. DOH reported 1,679 new cases and five deaths during the week of April 5-11.
From March 29-April 4, DOH reported 1,590 new cases and six deaths. From March 22-28, DOH reported 1,457 more cases and 28 deaths. The week had the first increase in cases in a month.
Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach say it is past time for a project planned in 2003 to be completed â or at least be given higher priority.
Indian Shores Mayor Patrick Soranno supported by Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Joanne âCookieâ Kennedy appealed to members of Forward Pinellas during an April 14 discussion on the draft multimodal priorities.
Chelsea Favero, planning manager, said Forward Pinellas reviewed and adopted the multimodal priority list each year. Projects are listed in two-tiers, funded and unfunded and projects remain on the list until completed, she said.
However, the draft presented for review contained three unfinished projects that were removed from the list. Two were placeholders for future work on U.S. Alternate 19 and one was an aerial transit feasibility study now underway through Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority.
COVID-19 cases and deaths on the rise in Pinellas County tbnweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tbnweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Takeaways from Tallahassee â Safety first
Safety first
While you might not know what EHS means, the profession and its functions in the workplace have been front-and-center for the past year.Â
The acronym stands for Environment, Health and Safety and covers everything from slip-and-falls to forklift accidents, carpal tunnel to workplace violence.Â
Before the COVID-19 crisis, The Florida Chamber had created a group designed to help propel the state to become one of the safest, healthiest, and most sustainable in the nation. The pandemic and its impact on every business in Florida highlight the critical importance of EHSâs purpose.
âThe Florida Chamber Safety Council tapped into Floridaâs leading companies and their safety leaders to create an Advisory Board that is an incubator of research, leadership and education, and provides resources, tools and best practices for small to mid-sized businesses that often do not have full-time safety, health and susta