Mehlenbacher Three Decades of Neglect

Last updated on July 14, 2023

The how’s and whys Mehlenbacher Rd became a road that belongs in Mogadishu.

First and foremost, for three decades, Pinellas County didn’t perform scheduled routine maintenance, no pavement preservation, and no infrastructure improvements.

Another factor in 1979, an agreement between Pinellas and Belleair designated Mehlenbacher Rd as a Pinellas County right-away roadway. The agreement prohibited using Belleair’s CIP funds for Mehlenbacher infrastructure or maintenance. Even thou we contributed equally and funded Belleair CIP funds.

I didn’t become aware we subsidized both county and Belleair infrastructure funds by accident in 2019. Out of seven residents I contacted, only one selling his home and asking me not to write about right-away roadway status was aware of Mehlenbacher.

Nowhere on Belleair or Pinellas public records, my property tax statement, deed, utility bills, or your 69-page Belleair resident guide. Does it disclose residents living on Mehlenbacher’s CR are under Pinellas County Jurisdiction? 

It’s clear Belleair benefits by not providing equal services and using infrastructure funds we subsidized. Pinellas benefited by not performing regular route maintenance and spending nothing in three decades on infrastructure.

Whether or not done intentionally. Had residents been better informed? They could have petitioned Belleair/Pinellas to vacate Mehlenbacher’s rights-of-way status. They could have petitioned Pinellas to remove Mehlenbacher’s rights-of-way status, which Pinellas would have gladly done.