City of St. Petersburg Comprehensive Plan Working Files (1981-1986) : A Collection Guide

David R. Carr, professor of History at USF St. Petersburg, served as a member of St. Petersburg’s comprehensive plan review committee during the early and mid-1980s. He donated his working papers and files to special collections at the Poynter Library. During the early 1980s, the eighteen elements addressed by the city’s comprehensive plan included: Land Use, Traffic Circulation, Recreation and Open Space, Conservation, Water, Sewer, Drainage, Solid Waste, Utility, Collector Street, Port and Aviation, Mass Transit, Bikeway, Housing, Coastal Zone, Intergovernmental Cooperation, Economic, and Energy. The bulk of the materials in this collection include drafts and reports that address these elements. An examination of the comprehensive plan working files allows the researcher to understand the philosophy and practices of the city’s government during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Members reviewed policies and plans established in the 1970s, proposed amendments, and addressed issues of citywide significance during their deliberations. The drafts and reports provide a record of how city entities in St. Petersburg interacted with other cities, Pinellas County, and state officials through inter-local agreements. Detailed surveys include statistical information about St. Petersburg and various aspects of life in southern Pinellas County. This collection offers a snapshot of the issues facing St. Petersburg as city officials embarked on major redevelopment programs