A little more than an acre of commercial land at 6060 126th Ave. The city will waive 55 percent of a sewer lien and waive occupational license fees for five years. Such giveaways are becoming more common as Pinellas Park seeks to expand its borders. But the perks are not as costly as they seem on the surface, said Bud Wortendyke, head of the city's annexation team. He said they are also necessary to keep annexations rolling in.
Hard money is things like the water line.
Soft money, on the other hand, consists of things like the land development fees. That's money the city would not have received anyway, Wortendyke said. That money would have gone to the county, had the property not been annexed into the city. That means it's no real loss to Pinellas Park to waive the fees. I think we need to point out these people are not dying to come into Pinellas Park.