Leaders and staff from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), the city of Pinellas Park, FL, and state, county, and local elected officials participated in a groundbreaking on Dec. 2 for a new transit service center in Pinellas Park.

The center, the first of its kind in central Pinellas, will feature a customer service window and other amenities for the hundreds of riders who pass through the facility every day.

“This facility will be a very, very important component in our network of current and future transit services and it will play a key role in our new county-wide Greenlight Pinellas Plan,” said Brad Miller, PSTA chief executive officer. “I’m proud to say that this project is the direct result of a fantastic partnership between PSTA, the city of Pinellas Park, and the property owner, Boulder Venture.” The Greenlight ­Pinellas Plan features improved, countywide bus service and a future light rail system, agency officials said.

“It is critically important that we have facilities like this available,” said Kathleen Peters, state representative and former PSTA board member. “Ridership is up, and we have to make sure that the infrastructure that we put together is sound on every level.”

Agency officials expect the new center to be open and operational within six months.

Officials representing the PSTA Board of Directors, Pinellas Board of County Commissioners, area city councils, and other partners joined Brad Miller, PSTA chief executive officer, far left, at the recent ground breaking.