LEALMAN — About three years ago, a county study identified the five poorest areas in Pinellas.
Now Pinellas officials are considering trying something new — for them — to help lift the people in one of those areas out of poverty. If creating a community redevelopment area works in unincorporated Lealman, it could be expanded. Lealman is generally located between St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park on either side of Kenneth City. It generally extends from Interstate 275 on the east to Park Street on the west.
“Lealman is the first CRA in the unincorporated area,” Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch said. “We think the time is right.”
CRAs are common in Pinellas cities. Clearwater has one. So does Pinellas Park. County commissioners approved one in southern St. Petersburg — another area identified as poverty-stricken in the county study — during their Tuesday meeting.