OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Dunedin City Commission Regular Meeting – March 20, 2025

City Commission & Boards — Thursday, March 20, 2025
BodyDunedin, Florida
SessionCity Commission & Boards
DateThursday, March 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:20:59

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Welcome to the March 20th, 2025 City Commission meeting.

0:05

I'd like to call the meeting to order, and we'll start with our invocation and our pledge of allegiance by Jen, our city attorney.

0:14

Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection.

0:26

I pledge allegiance to the United States.

0:45

Okay.

0:46

First of all, before we have our presentations, I know we have some special guests in the audience.

0:51

And uh these special guests happened to call someone up here on the DIAS Grammy.

0:57

And so I'm going to ask our city manager, Ala Grammy, to introduce who's here tonight.

1:04

Well, live from Indianapolis, Indiana.

1:09

Which was a 17-hour drive with a six-year-old, a four-year-old, and a six month old.

1:13

Yes.

1:14

And they made it alive.

1:15

Mom and Dad are here, Steven, our son, uh, Haley, our daughter-in-law, and then Ellie, who's six, Grady, who's for us, and and Sutton, who's six months.

1:23

So hi.

1:29

We figure, Eric, that we'll get them on the bagpipe soon.

1:32

As soon as you're ready, just let us know.

1:33

You and Ian just said that they're ready to go.

1:35

So thank you.

1:37

Thank you, Mayor.

1:38

That's awesome.

1:39

And welcome.

1:40

We're glad you're here.

1:41

And we love Grammy too, so most of the time.

1:46

Yeah, most of the time, you know.

1:47

Thank you.

1:48

Okay.

1:48

Um, so we'll go to our presentations, and we have 57th uh Highland Games and Festival Week proclamation, and I will turn that over to Vice Mayor Gao, since he is our Scottish uh liaison.

2:02

Thank you, Mayor, very much.

2:03

I'm very excited.

2:05

Uh at this time I'd like to invite up Ian Donaldson and Eric McNeil uh to the podium.

2:10

Uh Ian Donaldson is the piping instructor for the city of Dunedin.

2:15

And Eric McNeil is the drumming instructor for the city of Dunedin.

2:18

And when I say the city of Dunedin, uh I'm talking the the city of Dunedin, our middle school, our high school.

2:26

Um two, three, four, five city bands, depending on where we are at the moment, there's always a ton of them.

2:32

Uh real quickly before I get uh talking about the the proclamation, I just want to acknowledge uh Eric McNeil.

2:41

And on March 8th, he competed in the British Columbia Pipers Association, or I'm sorry, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association specific room adult solo snare championship in Simon Fraser in Simon Frazier University.

2:57

And Eric McNeil came in second place.

3:00

And so that is the quality of the piping instruction that the that the students get in the city of Dunedin.

3:06

So well done.

3:08

Well beginning.

3:10

Thank you so much.

3:12

And that our Holly Games, it's not in the proclamation, so I don't not.

3:16

Can I just recognize Ian for something for you?

3:18

Oh, sure.

3:19

Let's yeah.

3:20

I just want to share that Ian played and did the lead-in at my mother's celebration of life on February 23rd, and it was amazing.

3:29

You know, we got it wasn't my mother, but I I got compliments about how well you played.

3:38

So thank you very much.

3:39

Thank you.

3:40

It meant a lot.

3:41

You know, and the Holland Games are coming up April 5th, and uh they started out as a band booster fundraiser out on the football field.

3:50

And the purpose of it was to raise funds for uh the Scottish bands in our community, and that's still what they do today.

3:58

Uh but they have grown to the point where uh they've had to be moved out to um Hollander Park out of the community center, and it is one of the signature events for the entire county, and so it's amazing that we get that type of spotlight every year for our Scottish um uh performing arts in our community.

4:18

So thank you both for doing that.

4:19

And so here we are today, it's Holly Games Festival Week.

4:23

How exciting.

4:24

Whereas in 1899, Scottish families settled in what is now known as the City of Dunedin.

4:32

Whereas uh pleasant reminders of our Scottish heritage continue through the naming of our schools, shopping centers, streets, and buildings, and whereas in 1967, the Holland Games were implemented to raise funds to support the three Scottish bands of Dunedin.

4:50

The City of Dunedin Pipe Band, the Dunedin High School Scottish Highlander Band, and the Dunedin Highland Middle School Band.

5:00

And whereas our continuing interest in the Scottish heritage and customs is further reflected in our often often in our clad bands, professionally trained bagpipers and Highland dancers and athletes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Works██████████████████18%
Youth Programs████████████████16%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████14%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Land Use Planning██████████10%
Arts And Culture████████8%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Disaster Recovery█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Dunedin City Commission Regular Meeting – March 20, 2025

The Dunedin City Commission met on March 20, 2025, at 6:00 PM at City Hall (737 Louden Ave) and adjourned at 7:21 PM. The agenda included presentations, citizen input, four action items (two subdivision plats and two FDOT utility relocation agreements), approval of the April 3 meeting agenda, and a grant application authorization. All votes were unanimous.

Presentations

  • 57th Highland Games & Festival Week Proclamation – Vice Mayor Gow read a proclamation designating April 4–5, 2025, as the 57th Highland Games & Festival Week. Eric MacNeill, President of the Dunedin Scottish Arts Foundation, reported that presales are at an all-time high, registrations for piping, drumming, dancing, and athletics are up, and about ten additional clans and societies will attend. The games have become a full community event involving local vendors, Dunedin High School, and booster clubs.
  • 2025 Clearwater for Youth (CFY) Scholarship Recipients – Kevin Dunbar, Executive Director of CFY, reported that CFY invested over $60,000 in youth programming in Dunedin last year and nearly $1 million across Pinellas County. The organization awarded 40 college scholarships totaling $335,000. Three Dunedin High School students were recognized: Sophia Harmon-Greene ($10,000, University of Miami; absent), Olivia Lange (St. Leo University), and Matthew Somers (two years at St. Petersburg College with tuition, books, and fees covered, then transfer to USF). Commissioners praised the students and CFY’s work.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Janet Henderson (209 Coe Road, Belleair; former Dunedin Commissioner and President of Caladesi Island Connection) described the ferry service’s operations (75,000 passengers/year, paying $170,000/year to the Park Service). After last fall’s storm, the service has been shut down; one boat required $80,000 in repairs and the office $23,000. She was initially told docks would not be ready until April 2026. However, as of March 19, the Park Service agreed to allow local repair of docks and bathroom facilities within a few months and extended her contract, enabling the business to resume. She thanked the Commission for their support.

Discussion Items

  • 2.a. Resolution 25-08 – Suemar B1 Subdivision Plat – Community Development Assistant Director Joseph DiPasqua presented the plat for 1760 Pinehurst Road (0.835 acres, zoned R-60) to create four single-family residential lots. The plat complies with city code and state law. No applicant or public comment. The Commission voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 25-08.
  • 2.b. Resolution 25-09 – 265 Causeway Subdivision Plat – DiPasqua presented the plat for the 1.05-acre vacant site at 265 Causeway Blvd. to create 12 townhome lots, two commercial parcels, and common tracts. The design review was approved a year ago. The property is in a flood zone; townhomes will have flood-resistant ground floors, and the wine bar will be dry flood-proofed. No applicant or public comment. The Commission voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 25-09.
  • 2.c. Resolution 25-04 – FDOT Utility Work for Alt US-19/Broadway Widening at Curlew Rd ($2,543,415.60) – City Engineer Clayton Watkins explained that FDOT’s project includes new turn lanes, repaving, sidewalks, medians, and stormwater facilities, requiring relocation of City water and wastewater utilities. A single contractor will perform both roadway and utility work, saving time and reducing traffic disruptions. The escrow payment due date moved from April 9 to October 1, 2025; construction is expected spring 2026 to fall 2027. Funds are budgeted from the Water/Wastewater Fund. Commissioners asked about cost, design, and useful life of existing utilities. The motion passed unanimously.
  • 2.d. Resolution 25-05 – FDOT Utility Work for Curlew Rd Repaving (Bogie Ln to Fisher Rd) ($270,801.84) – Watkins described a milling and overlay project on the south side of Curlew Road, with minimal utility relocations (deflection around a few pipes). The same schedule as item 2.c applies. Commissioner Sandbergen noted the cost difference compared to 2.c due to scope. The motion passed unanimously.
  • 2.e. Proposed Agenda for April 3, 2025 Commission Meeting – The Commission approved the agenda unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolutions 25-08 and 25-09 adopting subdivision plats for Suemar B1 (4 lots) and 265 Causeway (12 townhome lots, 2 commercial parcels) passed unanimously.
  • Resolutions 25-04 and 25-05 authorizing FDOT Utility Work by Highway Contractor Agreements and three-party escrow agreements for two Curlew Road projects (total $2,814,217.44) passed unanimously.
  • April 3, 2025 Commission Meeting Agenda approved unanimously.
  • Authorization to Apply for Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program (HLMP) Grant – City Manager Jennifer Bramley requested approval to apply for up to $250,000 (no match required) to harden the Water Treatment Plant, a project already budgeted. The application deadline is April 14, 2025. Commissioners supported the grant, noting it will reduce existing costs. Motion passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the March 20th, 2025 City Commission meeting. I'd like to call the meeting to order, and we'll start with our invocation and our pledge of allegiance by Jen, our city attorney. Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection. I pledge allegiance to the United States. Okay. First of all, before we have our presentations, I know we have some special guests in the audience. And uh these special guests happened to call someone up here on the DIAS Grammy. And so I'm going to ask our city manager, Ala Grammy, to introduce who's here tonight. Well, live from Indianapolis, Indiana. Which was a 17-hour drive with a six-year-old, a four-year-old, and a six month old. Yes. And they made it alive. Mom and Dad are here, Steven, our son, uh, Haley, our daughter-in-law, and then Ellie, who's six, Grady, who's for us, and and Sutton, who's six months. So hi. We figure, Eric, that we'll get them on the bagpipe soon. As soon as you're ready, just let us know. You and Ian just said that they're ready to go. So thank you. Thank you, Mayor. That's awesome. And welcome. We're glad you're here. And we love Grammy too, so most of the time. Yeah, most of the time, you know. Thank you. Okay. Um, so we'll go to our presentations, and we have 57th uh Highland Games and Festival Week proclamation, and I will turn that over to Vice Mayor Gao, since he is our Scottish uh liaison. Thank you, Mayor, very much. I'm very excited. Uh at this time I'd like to invite up Ian Donaldson and Eric McNeil uh to the podium. Uh Ian Donaldson is the piping instructor for the city of Dunedin. And Eric McNeil is the drumming instructor for the city of Dunedin. And when I say the city of Dunedin, uh I'm talking the the city of Dunedin, our middle school, our high school. Um two, three, four, five city bands, depending on where we are at the moment, there's always a ton of them. Uh real quickly before I get uh talking about the the proclamation, I just want to acknowledge uh Eric McNeil. And on March 8th, he competed in the British Columbia Pipers Association, or I'm sorry, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association specific room adult solo snare championship in Simon Fraser in Simon Frazier University. And Eric McNeil came in second place. And so that is the quality of the piping instruction that the that the students get in the city of Dunedin. So well done. Well beginning. Thank you so much. And that our Holly Games, it's not in the proclamation, so I don't not. Can I just recognize Ian for something for you? Oh, sure. Let's yeah. I just want to share that Ian played and did the lead-in at my mother's celebration of life on February 23rd, and it was amazing. You know, we got it wasn't my mother, but I I got compliments about how well you played. So thank you very much. Thank you. It meant a lot.

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