Pinellas Opportunity Council

Safety Harbor Representative

The City of Safety Harbor Commission will be appointing a Safety Harbor resident to represent them on the Pinellas Opportunity Council.

If you're interested in representing the City of Safety Harbor City Commission, please send your resume to:
City Clerk Rachael Telesca at rtelesca@cityofsafetyharbor.com.
Deadline: Monday, September 1, 2025

Overview

The City of Safety Harbor is a proud member of the Pinellas Opportunity Council, Inc. (POC) and is entitled to appoint one representative to the Board of Directors. The representative may be an elected official, but it is not a requirement. However, the representative must be a Safety Harbor resident.

The POC strives to combat poverty in Pinellas County. Twenty-one members comprise the Board, representing three sectors of the community.

  • Public Sector: consists of elected officials or their representatives.
  • Target Sector: consists of demographically selected representatives of low-income individuals and families residing in Pinellas County.
  • Private sector consists of representatives of major groups or interests located in the community.

The POC meets virtually via Zoom at 4:00 p.m. every other month on the last Tuesday beginning in January (January, March, May, July, September, November. Members must be available to regularly attend meetings, in addition to any in training sessions. Seats are five-year terms but require annual reappointment.

Learn more at the Pinellas Opportunity Council website.

Board of Directors Composition & Basic Responsibilities

The POC governance Board consists of 21 seats. One third must be held by elected public officials (or their representatives), at least one third must be held by representatives democratically selected by target area residents in areas the agency serves, and up to one third may be held by representatives of various major groups and interests in the community.

Currently seats are held by the following:

  • Public Sector: Pinellas Board of County Commissioners (2); City of St. Petersburg (2); City of Clearwater (1); City of Pinellas Park (1); and City of Safety Harbor (1). 
  • Target Sector: 13th Street Neighborhood Association (1); Methodist Town Neighborhood Association (1); Deuces Live, Inc. (1); Mattie Williams Family Neighborhood Association (1); Childs Park Neighborhood Association (1); Pinellas Village (1); and Clearwater MLK Neighborhood Coalition (1).
  • Private Sector: Career Source Pinellas (1); Bay Area Legal Services (1); St. Pete College (1); Pinellas Federal Credit Union (1); Synovus (1); Federation of Labor (1); and Duke Energy (1).

All board members serve 5-year terms in a voluntary, unpaid, capacity and are covered by Directors and Officer’s liability insurance. Members may serve for an unlimited number of terms.

The officers of Pinellas Opportunity Council are elected each year (in January). They include President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.

Basic Responsibilities

  • Hire an executive director, and ensure that a performance evaluation is conducted annually.
  • Regularly attend Board meetings, and committee meetings to which assigned. Regular attendance is defined as not missing more than two of the six regularly scheduled meetings per calendar year.
  • Attend and participate in any training sessions required by the agency and/or funding sources, including ROMA training. (Some board training is provided at each board meeting).
  • Attend New Members’ Orientation as soon as possible within six months of coming on the board.
  • Support and advocate the purposes, programs and activities of the agency.
  • Ensure involvement of a broad cross-section of the community in Board activities.
  • Help to identify and mobilize resources that can be used to implement programs, and actively participate in agency fundraising events/activities.
  • Encourage cooperation and coordination among other agencies and POC in order to fill service gaps, avoid duplication, and maximize effective delivery of services.
  • Generate public awareness and support of the agency’s efforts. (Individual members are expected to keep entities that appointed/elected them aware of agency activities).
  • Maintain legal and financial responsibility for all functions, programs, and activities of the corporation.
  • Ensure that there are appropriate and adequate policies and procedures in place addressing areas such as but not limited to:• Laws (Payroll Taxes, Sales/ Property Taxes, Unemployment Insurance Workers Compensation, Retirement, Nondiscrimination, Drug-free Workplace, Lobbying, Privacy, HIPPA, etc.)
    • Regulations (Program Operation, Financial management --- OMB Super Circulars, Contract Administration, etc.)
    • By-Laws (describing how agency will be organized and governed.)
    • Personnel (policies describing workplace practices.)
    • Finance (policies consistent with OMB Circulars, describing checks and balances, purchasing/expenditure procedures, etc.)
  • Oversight and Governance - participate in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs.

Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards

1. Determine mission and purpose. It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means and primary constituents served.

2. Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.

3. Support and evaluate the chief executive. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization.

4. Ensure effective planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals.

5. Monitor and strengthen programs and services. The board’s responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and monitor their effectiveness.

6. Ensure adequate financial resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.

7. Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.

8. Build a competent board. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidate, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance.

9. Ensure legal and ethical integrity. The board is ultimately responsible for adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.

10. Enhance the organization’s public standing. The board should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community.