TIERRA VERDE — About a month ago, St. Petersburg said it would no longer provide fire service to this island's residents and would not bid on the contract to do so.
But, St. Petersburg was one of three bidders when the proposal deadline arrived Tuesday. The other two bidders were St. Pete Beach and the Lealman Fire District.
"That was kind of curious," said Paul Murray, president of the Tierra Verde Community Association. Murray will sit on a committee with Pinellas County officials to decide who will get the contract.
It is unclear how much each bid. The proposals will not be opened until the committee meets, probably this Wednesday.
St. Petersburg has provided fire service to the island for about 20 years, Murray said. The price originally started at about $168,000 a year but had increased to $1.4 million for fire service. The county kicked in another $400,000 for EMS service, for a total of $1.8 million a year.
With the contract coming up for renewal, Murray said the community association wanted to see if it could get a better deal. That decision coincided with a battle between Tierra Verde residents and St. Petersburg over the annexation of commercial property at one end of the island.
It appeared the decision to change fire/EMS service was an effort to kick St. Petersburg off the island, a charge Murray denies.
"We said we wanted to go to bids and get a cheaper price," he said. "The service from St. Pete has been great ... but we've got to think we can do better pricewise."
That might be the motivation behind the move, but St. Petersburg fire Chief James Large did not seem to buy it. In a May 5 letter to the county, Large wrote: "It is our desire to continue both the process and service delivery to Tierra Verde in the same manner as past years. ... (But) we will not participate in a bid process that is the result of issues unrelated to issues of public safety, fire services or possible cost savings, and which has the potential to compromise the level of service that the residents of Tierra Verde have grown to expect."
Large said that if the county refused to renew the contract, then his letter would be notice of St. Petersburg's intention to terminate the Tierra Verde agreement.
And St. Petersburg's Deputy Mayor Tish Elston said she doubted the city would bid on the contract because it would be "somewhat futile." Elston did not return a phone message Friday asking for comment.
But Murray said if St. Petersburg offers the best deal, it could very well continue providing fire and EMS service to the island.
Fast facts
If you go
A meeting of a committee to evaluate proposals to provide fire service to Tierra Verde has been tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in the purchasing department at the Pinellas County Courthouse Annex Building, 400 S Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater. The meeting is open to the public.
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