Pinellas Safe Harbor is an emergency homeless shelter and a jail
diversion program designed to be a safe haven for those currently
homeless and who require services to get back on their feet. Pinellas
Safe Harbor is managed by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Pinellas Safe Harbor came into being as a result of a series of
partnerships involving the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the City of St.
Petersburg, Pinellas County Government and numerous homeless
service providers in Pinellas County. This group saw the need to better
serve the chronically homeless, keep them out of the county jail & the
criminal justice system, and give them the necessary tools to redirect
their lives.
Pinellas Safe Harbor is a cost-effective shelter and service headquarters
for the criminal justice system involved homeless in Pinellas County, as
well as a portal of reentry for inmates reentering our community from
the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Pinellas County
Jail (PCJ).
Sgt. Zachary Haisch
Coordinator
The primary purpose of Pinellas Safe Harbor is jail diversion—that is to
keep the homeless out of the criminal justice system. Pinellas Safe
Harbor will provide these men and women with a safe environment
while they pursue services needed to get back on their feet. As a result,
the population of ordinance violators, and non-violent offenders would
be reduced in the Jail, at a significant savings to taxpayers.
The shelter opened to a limited number of criminal justice involved
homeless persons on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Pinellas Safe Harbor
partners with the Florida DOC & the PC Jail to ensure that Pinellas
County residents have a safe place to receive services and seek shelter
if they are homeless.
To learn more about Pinellas Safe Harbor visit
www.safeharborpinellas.org
or call 727-464-8058
Representative Peters was elected to the Florida House of Representatives
in 2012, re-elected subsequently.
A resident of Treasure Island; Occupation, Public Affairs. Previously served
local government: elected to the South Pasadena City Commission, 2008;
elected Mayor, 2009-2012
Florida Hospital Association Behavioral Health Council - 2016.
FMHC, Legislator of the Year Award - 2016
M.A. Bernstein Award for Mental Health Awareness - 2016
Association of Counties, County Champion Award - 2015
Florida Association of Counties, Exemplary Public Service Award - 2015
Florida Housing Coalition, Housing Champion - 2015
Florida Partners in Crisis, Legislative Champion - 2015
Florida Sheriff’s Association, Legislative Champion - 2015
Florida Veterinary Medical Associates, Legislator of the Year - 2015
Osteopathic Medical Society, Legislator of the Year - 2015
Suncoast League of Cities, Legislator of the Year - 2015
TASC Innovator Award - 2015
Association of Counties, County Champion Award - 2014
League of Cities, “Defender of Home Rule” Award/2014
St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, Woman of Distinction Award
Nominee-2006
Princess of the Queen of Hearts Royal Court for Outstanding Community
Service - 2005
Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center, Advisory Board – Past Member
Chaired major fundraising events for the St. Petersburg Museum of History;
Queen of Hearts Royal Court; Boys and Girls Clubs, and many other
charitable organizations.
To learn more about Representative Kathleen Peters visit
www.myfloridahouse.gov
The mission of the Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco is to increase the
number of successful adoptions of local children in foster care. In addition
to featuring children, they recruit and support families interested in
adoption. The Heart Gallery was founded on the belief that every child
deserves a home.
It began with a simple idea – create an extraordinary portrait of a child
currently in foster care and available for adoption. More than just a
traveling exhibit, the Heart Gallery is a way for those interested in adoption
to come face to face with children in the Tampa Bay area in need of
forever families.
“The Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco helps children in foster care from
St. Petersburg to Clearwater, from New Port Richey to Dade City, find their
forever families.”
Since the Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco has helped find “more than
300 children in foster care find forever families.”
“EVERY CHILD DESERVES A HOME”
To learn more about Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco, visit
www.heartgallerykids.org
The Tampa Bay Rays are not only Tampa Bay’s favorite All Star Baseball
League Team; they also do so many rewarding things for the community and
their fans.
Be Water Smart From The Start: The Rays have teamed up with local YMCA’s,
The United Way Suncoast, the Juvenile Welfare Board and the Children’s Board
of Hillsborough County to remind children and families to be water smart from
the start. The program provides access to life-saving water safety programs to
both children and their parents through their local YMCA’s in Pinellas and
Hillsborough counties.
ECOT (Employee Community Outreach Team): In 2015, Rays employees
logged more than 3,500 volunteer hours to support non-profits in the Tampa
Bay community. In total, Rays employees invested more than $57,000 in the
community through labor and skills-based volunteering in the past year.
Pride Night: In 2016 the Rays celebrated their 10th annual Pride Night with a
special dedication to the victims of the Pulse nightclub tragedy. All available
tickets were sold for $5 and as a symbol of unity and inclusion; everyone in
attendance received a “We Are Orlando” T-shirt. Over $300,000 was raised
with all of the proceeds benefiting the Pulse Victims Fund.
Rays Tee Ball Initiative: Since 2014, The Rays, Majestic Athletic and Suncoast
Credit Union have outfitted Tampa Bay area tee ball players and coaches with
jerseys and caps. The program covers more than 80 different leagues in nine
area counties and saves the league more than $200,000 in equipment costs
annually.
Reading with the Rays: Reading with the Rays presented by Suncoast Credit
Union is a summertime incentive-based reading program made possible
through a partnership with the public library systems in Charlotte, Citrus,
Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Scholarships: The Rays Baseball Foundation and Helios Education Foundation
have teamed up to provide $1 million in college scholarships for students
participating in Take Stock in Children in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota,
Manatee and Pasco counties over a five-year period with the Rays-Helios
scholarship. The Rays Baseball also funds the Monte Irvin Scholarship, Barry
Jones Memorial Scholarship, and Academy Prep Centers for Education
Scholarships and the USF Latino Scholarship.
Their community engagement activities far exceed what we can list on this bio,
please visit
www.raysbaseball.com
“GO RAYS”
Joined the district in September 2012, following a national search.
An educator with more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Grego began his career as a classroom
teacher with Hillsborough County Schools. He became a department head and then advanced to
become Assistant Superintendent for Technical, Career & Adult Education, and Assistant
Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction. After serving 28 years with Hillsborough County
Schools, he was selected as Superintendent of the Osceola County school district. There, he was
credited with dramatic academic improvements, especially among minority students. He then
served as Florida’s Interim Chancellor of K-12 Education. Before joining Pinellas County Schools,
Dr. Grego joined the Educational Leadership faculty at the University of Central Florida, where he
was an Associate Professor, teaching graduate and doctoral level courses.
A New York native, Dr. Grego earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of
New York. He holds two master’s degrees, one in Industrial Technology Education from Illinois
State University, and one in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida. He
earned his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from USF.
Since he began as Superintendent of Pinellas County Schools, Dr. Grego has implemented
numerous initiatives to increase opportunities for learning. He launched an ambitious summer
learning program to mitigate summer learning losses, and Promise Time, which offers an extra
60-90 minutes of instruction in reading, math and science at struggling schools. Pinellas County
Schools also initiated Connect for Success, which provides take-home laptops for students at
Title I elementary schools.
Dr. Grego has aggressively worked to eliminate achievement gaps in Pinellas County Schools. In
2013, the district implemented the Bridging the Gap strategic plan aimed at boosting
achievement, increasing graduation rates and improving student engagement for African
American students. In 2014, Pinellas County Schools initiated Scale Up for Success, a program
focused on increasing achievement at several St. Petersburg schools. In 2016, the district
established a Transformation Zone with intense support for lower performing schools.
Florida Trend magazine named Dr. Grego one of its “People to Watch” in 2013 for his plan to
expand summer learning opportunities. That same year, he was a finalist for the Florida
Department of Education’s Florida District Data Leader of the Year Award. In 2014, Dr. Grego
received an inaugural Whitney M. Young Jr. Leadership Award from the Pinellas County Urban
League for his commitment to the community.
Under Dr. Grego’s direction, Pinellas County Schools has achieved district wide accreditation and
has been recognized for several major accomplishments. The Learning Counsel honored Pinellas
County Schools as one of the top 10 districts in the nation for its digital curriculum strategy.
During the 2015-16 school years, the district was named a Ford Next Generation Learning Model
Community, a milestone designation for preparing high school students for success in college,
career and life. In 2016, a report by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C, ranked Pinellas
County Schools as the top in Florida and seventh in the nation for districts offering the best
choices for parents.
To learn more about Dr. Michael Grego / Pinellas County School Corporation visit
www.pcsb.org