BELLEAIR — After Hurricane Milton caused widespread flooding in Pinellas County last fall, Belleair Police Chief Rick Doyle realized his department lacked a vehicle capable of reaching stranded residents.
The town’s three “finger” streets — winding roadways along the Intracoastal Waterway — were impassible for standard patrol cars. So the Belleair Community Foundation bought the department a Ford F-150 capable of navigating flooded streets.
“Chief came to us after the hurricane and said he was having trouble getting out to the fingers because the water was too deep, and he had wanted to buy a truck,” foundation President Karla Rettstatt told the Town Commission on Nov. 18. “And I said, ‘Well, you find a truck, and we’ll buy the truck!’ And that’s what we did.”…