§ 62-26. Declaration of legislative intent and purpose.

(a)

The legislature finds and declares that it has become mandatory to protect the life and property of all citizens of Pinellas County by providing a means of establishing fire protection to all areas within the county not now adequately protected, as well as promoting improved fire prevention throughout the county.

(b)

The legislature further finds and declares that with a myriad of local fire departments in Pinellas County, it is essential that a permanent fire protection authority be created which can overcome existing deficiencies in terms of unprotected areas, improperly funded existing fire departments and the lack of a cohesive fire protection plan for the county as a single unit.

(c)

It is, therefore, the intent of this article to create a permanent fire protection authority in Pinellas County to implement objectives which shall include but not be limited to the following:

(1)

The extension of fire protection to all residents not presently having such service;

(2)

The utilization of additional personnel and facilities and the upgrading of present facilities to meet the growing responsibilities of an expanded population in areas already having fire protection service, and to achieve higher local service ratings in an effort to achieve lower insurance rates for each area; and

(3)

The eventual use of regular, full-time firefighters as the nucleus of manpower in all fire protection agencies in the county.

(Laws of Fla. ch. 73-600, § 1)