About The Equity Assessment
The Forward Pinellas Board adopted the Equity Assessment Action Plan in an effort to ensure all work at Forward Pinellas is inclusive and results in equitable outcomes for our entire community. Launched in 2020, the Equity Assessment was the first step in identifying our community needs and opportunities to help remove existing barriers to transportation, jobs, education, housing that’s affordable and other resources. Our goal is to ensure that our mission to “provide leadership to align resources and plans that help to achieve a compelling vision for Pinellas County, our individual communities and our region” is both inclusionary and equitable. As part of the assessment, Forward Pinellas conducted research, stakeholder engagement, and analysis for the development of a forward-looking strategic plan to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within Forward Pinellas staff, governance and committee structure, as well as Forward Pinellas’ work products. Staff researched the systems, policies, and practices that have resulted in inequity, particularly among ethnic minorities, in Pinellas County, and developed a series of actions to ensure that our work as the countywide planning agency is inclusive and results in equitable outcomes for the entire community.
Goals and Objectives Identified in the Equity Assessment Action Plan Include: