App lets Pinellas County residents report problems

Pinellas County residents can now report a problem with just a few clicks of their smartphones.

Officials have contracted with an application developer to bring citizen reporting to residents' smartphones.

The application, called SeeClickFix, can be used to report anything from pot holes to malfunctioning traffic signals to neighbors who will not clean up their yard.

SeeClickFix also allows the reporter to include a photo of the problem.

Communications director Tim Closterman said the county administrator tasked all agencies to find new ways for residents to participate in government.  He said that the key to SeeClickFix is the follow-through on each reported item.

"We have a staff member who monitors SeeClickFix, so when we acknowledge what was received, we forward that to the proper authority, whether that's a law enforcement issue, whether it's a public works issue, whether it's a code enforcement issue," he said. "It may be a City, County or State issue but we monitor that and make sure we route it to the proper agency."

The centralized reporting combines all methods the county currently receives information from the public: phone calls, emails, and mail.  The SeeClickFix reports keep the resident informed of the progress of the reported item.

The SeeClickFix application is a free download for Android, iPhone and Blackberry phones and is also available via the company website at www.seeclickfix.com.