Movies Experts deplore county leaders' fuzzy math Business advisers point out how the county could have avoided its surprise shortfall in Penny for Pinellas funds. If Pinellas County were Pinellas Corp., shareholders would be asking the top guns some tough questions right about now. In the private sector, negative surprises often result in decapitation. The CEO gets his head cut off by Wall Street. Interviews with analysts and financial experts show that Pinellas County's approach to cost control and financial planning is radically different from the rules that govern the corporate world.
Track costs closely.
Respond quickly to make hard choices. Most of the county's building, road and parks projects are funded by its local sales tax, the Penny for Pinellas. But last week, county officials admitted there will not be enough money to accomplish all the projects scheduled for the next 10 years. Reasons include county commissioners taking on new million-dollar projects that were never scheduled and seriously underestimating the cost of the ones that were. Unchecked ambition and bad math have left department heads searching for ways to save money.