Beware of Water Treatment Scams

1. Pinellas County’s Water & Sewer Division is again cautioning customers to beware of companies recommending that a water test be conducted in your home. Increased marketing efforts have been noted by companies that often use scare tactics and misrepresentation to sell a water treatment product. At least one company is calling it a “public awareness program.” It is important to remember that Pinellas County performs over 50,000 analyses per year to assure that our water meets or exceeds all federal and state standards for safe drinking water. Companies offering to test your water are not endorsed by, or affiliated with, any government agency. In addition, employees of Pinellas County will never attempt to sell an “upgrade” to your home plumbing system. County employees concentrate their efforts on maintaining our infrastructure, not inspecting or selling home fixtures.

2. Pinellas County is asking its residents to complete an online survey by Friday, Aug. 17, to help determine who is using the parks, trails and recreational facilities throughout the county. The questions pertain to Pinellas County-owned parks, as well as those managed by the county’s municipalities. You can take the survey online. 

3. An economic crunch could force the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to . The Center for American Progress "speculated in a recent report that the airport could be one of six in Florida and 106 around the country that would have to shut down because the Federal Aviation Administration wouldn't be able to pay air traffic controllers," the Tampa Bay Times reports.

4. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority set another monthly ridership record in July, according to a PSTA news release. That makes for the seventh monthly record dating back to November 2011. Last month the transit agency gave 1,205,256 rides, which is more than any other July in agency history and a 14% jump over July 2011. 

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