Pinellas tourism council advances Holocaust museum funding
December 18, 2019 - The Pinellas County Tourist Development Council has weighed in on a plan to provide funding for security at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. The museum was seeking $350,000 from the county's tourist development tax, or bed tax, to redesign and improve the entrance for increased security. The council waived the capital project funding guidelines for the request, so it will now move to the Board of County Commissioners. The project, originally projected to cost about $853,804 according to county budget documents, now has a total cost of $1.8 million. The St. Petersburg City Council earlier agreed to fund a $350,000 match for Pinellas County funding and the state has approved $500,000 for the project. Private donors are expected to fund the bulk of the cost.