OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Commission Regular Meeting – July 3, 2025

City Commission & Boards — Thursday, July 3, 2025
BodyDunedin, Florida
SessionCity Commission & Boards
DateThursday, July 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:58

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening and welcome to the July 3rd, 2025 City Commission meeting.

0:07

I'm going to call the meeting to order, and we're going to start with invocation and pledge of allegiance, our City Attorney Tin.

0:15

Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection as we enter this holiday weekend in celebration of our independence.

0:29

Amen.

0:50

Okay.

0:55

And uh I'm going to turn this over to the city manager to actually introduce him and why he's here.

1:01

Thank you very much, Mayor.

1:02

Vice Mayor and Commissioners, uh, good evening.

1:04

The um, as as all of you know, and I'm sure many many members of our general public know, we were the victims of a crime, actually two crimes, two thefts, over the past year.

1:15

Um it has been uh uh mentioned quite a bit on social media and in the newspaper as well.

1:21

Uh we uh put out a statement saying we had no comment.

1:23

It's an ongoing investigation and being prepared tonight for our first public meeting uh since a lot of this occurred.

1:30

Um I reached out to the sheriff this this afternoon to ascertain what it is I could say and should not say in a public forum.

1:38

And uh thankfully, gratefully for me, the sheriff offered to come this evening to address the commission uh and our residents himself uh to give you the details that uh he would know much more than I that he can give regarding the theft uh and what happened.

1:53

And then thereafter, Mayor, I'd like to uh circle back and talk to you a little bit about what we put in place uh uh since then to ensure this does not happen again.

2:01

Thank you, Mayor.

2:02

Sheriff Galtieri.

2:03

Thank you, Sheriff, for being here.

2:08

Good evening, everybody.

2:09

So uh it and just a simplified.

2:11

I'm gonna give you a brief overview and I'm happy to answer any questions that you have.

2:14

But in the simplest form, the city was the victim of a scam, uh, something we see unfortunately all the time.

2:20

And you know, just questions have come up about this.

2:23

There is absolutely zero indication at all, and this is a very extensive investigation over the last year.

2:28

Of course, this happened in June of 2024.

2:30

Uh we recently made an arresting case, but there's absolutely zero indication that there's anybody uh within the city or anybody on the quote inside that had absolutely anything to do with this.

2:40

This happens when people are able to, through the dark web uh and through uh a variety of other ways, get access to people's emails to get access to the content of communications, find out who's doing business with others, and there's all kinds of ways they do this, especially through the dark web.

2:55

And this started because you all have uh a business relationship or had I don't know if you still do, I assume you do, with this paving company.

3:02

And one of your city employees uh received a communication, an email asking that you change how you do business with this paving company and how you'd always done business with this paving company is you provide them old school with a paper check.

3:13

And they said, Oh no, we don't want to do that anymore.

3:15

We now want an electronic fund transfer.

3:18

And the employees said, because it's common these days, sure, and so cut to the chase of it.

3:22

They set that up and put that in place.

3:25

Um they used to communicate with us, the scammer used to communicate with us, is email addresses that were fraudulent.

3:32

But at first glance, nobody would even pick out that they were fraudulent because they were very simply juxtaposing uh letters uh within those legit emails.

3:42

So, as an example, when the scammer was communicating and uh sending to the paving company uh what was purported to be a communication from a city employee at that time, and I think the city manager will uh talk about how changes have been made in that.

3:56

But the uh Dunneaton City email domain domain name was Dunneiden FL.net.

4:02

Well, they used Dunedin LF.net.

4:04

So unless somebody's really paying attention to that, nobody would.

4:07

You're not gonna see that.

4:08

So um all these communications went back and forth.

4:11

And what happened, uh, and it was about six hundred thousand dollars plus that was due, and they sent them uh bank account number at Bank of America and a routing number.

4:20

And so the city uh what did the electronic fund transfer and transferred it to this Bank of America account number and routing number.

4:27

Well, even the scammers sometimes uh mess up and they get it wrong.

4:31

Well, they didn't use the right, and I put that in quotes because it's all wrong.

4:35

They didn't use the right uh routing number and account number.

4:38

They used a rowdy number and an account number of some guy by the name of George Barlow, uh, who lived uh until we arrested him and dragged his uh tail end back here uh out in Utah.

4:51

And George Barlow uh thought he won the lottery, but the problem is he didn't buy a lottery ticket.

5:00

And the $600,000 of the city's money ended up in George Barlow's uh bank account out in Utah, and he took all that money and began to spend it.

5:05

Uh he bought a $70,000 truck that he ran into a ditch, and uh he bought just all kinds of stuff with it.

5:12

And so through the investigation, what uh became evident to us, and it looked like to us that this was uh a scam through the emails, through asking for the fund transfer, and it looked like it went to the wrong place.

5:25

Uh and that was evident uh by the communication that the uh true scammers, the bad guys, sent to the city early on, like a couple days after this, and said, fraud alert, you sent the payment to the wrong location.

5:38

Well, yeah, it was really the wrong location.

5:40

It wasn't to the scammers, it was to George Barlow out in Utah because the scammers got it wrong when they gave the city the routing number and the account number.

5:50

So I went into this guy's borough borrow's account.

5:53

So we issued all kinds of subpoenas.

5:55

The investigation has been ongoing, of course, since June of uh last year, and saw all the expenditures, and when we got to the bottom line, it really looked like to us, and we were able to confirm it when we arrested Barlow uh out in Utah, uh that he really had nothing to do, excuse me, with the original scam.

6:10

And he nonetheless uh committed a crime uh by uh taking, keeping and using the city's money.

6:18

Uh you were able to recover through Wells Fargo 100,000 plus the change.

6:22

So the city is a victim of about a $500,000 uh theft, which Barlow has been charged with, and he'll be held accountable for.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation███████████████15%
Pending Litigation█████████████13%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Transportation Safety███████████11%
Procedural██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Public Safety█████5%
Marina Management█████5%
Procurement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

City Commission Regular Meeting – July 3, 2025

The Dunedin City Commission met on July 3, 2025, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included a special presentation from Sheriff Gualtieri regarding a $600,000 scam that victimized the city, citizen testimony on the Weybridge bridge closure, approvals of repair and inspection contracts, and a discussion of upcoming agenda items. The meeting adjourned at 7:44 PM.

Presentations

  • National Parks & Recreation Month Proclamation: Commissioner Sandbergen read the proclamation designating July 2025 as Parks & Recreation Month. Interim Parks & Recreation Director Jocelyn Brodhead expressed appreciation and highlighted the department's community impact, noting that 100 park employees serve Dunedin.
  • Dunedin Pipe Band Update: President Graham Donaldson reported that the Grade 4 band won the European Championships (first American Grade 4 band to do so) and placed 5th at the World Championships. The Grade 2 band won 1st Place at the Georgetown Highland Games. Over 25 active players are current or former students of the Dunedin Schools Program. The band thanked the city and residents for support.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rob Cozen (Vice Commodore, Dunedin Boat Club; Chair, Military Veterans Advisory Committee): Thanked the commission for reopening the marina/peninsula and commended staff for quickly installing signage to advertise local VFW and American Legion posts. He also praised Interim Parks Director Brodhead.
  • Jenny Funderburk (1373 Curlew Road, HOA board member): Described the bridge closure as an “eyesore” and asked for repair, citing dangerous conditions on Curlew Road where two cyclist accidents requiring ambulances occurred in June 2025.
  • Christiana Videl (1355 Curlew Road): Expressed fear for her son’s safety walking to Dunedin High School because the bridge is closed and he must cross Curlew Road and Alternate 19, which floods.
  • Mateus Videl (15-year-old, 1355 Curlew Road): Reported flat tires from broken sidewalks on the right side of Curlew Road, and dangerous conditions on the left side forcing him into traffic. Requested bridge reopening.
  • Sheryl Jentz (1375 Curlew Road): Missed the bridge for walking, biking, and connecting to downtown amenities; called it a “bridge to everywhere.”
  • Ann Louise Burbeck (1351 Curlew Road): Noted the bridge’s scenic value (waterfall, otter) and urged the city to realign budget priorities to preserve green spaces.
  • Trent Wagnon (1363 Curlew Road): Shared that his grandmother fell into a storm ditch while biking due to traffic; reiterated safety concerns and asked the commission to allocate funds for bridge repair.

City Manager Response: The bridge was closed due to golf cart damage that made it structurally unsafe. Staff will investigate illegal crossing. Design for repair or replacement is scheduled for FY2027 and construction for FY2028. The city is working with the condo association on an easement for public access on the Curlew Trails side. Underneath the bridge are a 2-inch wastewater force main and a 6-inch water main that would need to be moved. The timeline may be discussed during budget talks.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (motion by Sandbergen, second by Gow) all consent items except 2.c. and 2.d., which were pulled for discussion:
    • Minutes of May 8 and May 22, 2025 regular meetings.
    • Board and committee appointments (Coleen Coble, Tom Parson, Tim Young, John Kloster, Jessica Raines, Kathryn Owen, John Shine, Daniel “Danny” Douglas).
  • Item 2.c. – Stirling Skate Park Repairs: Awarded to Timm Group Stucco, Inc. for $99,011. Commissioners Sandbergen and Dugard questioned the single bid and maintenance history. Purchasing Agent Spearman noted 21 plan downloads but only one bidder, whose bid was within the consultant’s cost estimate. The contractor previously did pickleball court work. Motion by Dugard, second by Walker; carried unanimously.
  • Item 2.d. – Bridge/Pier Inspections: Awarded to Ayres & Associates, Inc. for $114,802.35 to inspect 23 non-qualified bridges/culverts and the Weaver Park Pier. Utilities Director Watkins explained inspections were on a 5-year cycle; the same firm’s inspection last July led to the Weybridge bridge closure. Motion by Sandbergen, second by Walker; carried unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Sheriff Gualtieri Presentation on City Scam: The city was victim of a sophisticated email scam in June 2024. A fraudulent email requested changing payment to a paving company from paper check to electronic transfer. The $600,000 payment was sent to the wrong account (George Barlow in Utah), who spent the money. About $100,000 was recovered through Wells Fargo; the total loss is approximately $500,000. The Sheriff emphasized there is no indication of insider involvement and that the scammers are likely offshore. City Manager Bramley reported the city has changed its email domain to .gov, requires checks for payments over $10,000, and mandates phone verification by the Finance Director for payment method changes. She stated a Risk Fund was used to pay the paving company without impacting the General Fund; about $25,000 in insurance reimbursement has been received.
  • FY2024 ACFR and Audited Financial Statements: Postponed to July 17, 2025 (motion by Gow, second by Dugard; unanimous).
  • Coca-Cola Land Donation (427 San Christopher Drive): Postponed to July 17, 2025 (motion by Sandbergen, second by Walker; unanimous).
  • Florida League of Cities Legislative Policy Committee Sign-Up: Commissioners expressed interest (Walker: Finance & Taxation; Sandbergen: Municipal Operations; Dugard: any remaining). The item was deferred to the August 5 workshop because the registration deadline is August 18. The August 14 FLC annual conference falls during the commission break; Commissioner Dugard will attend using travel funds contributed by other commissioners.
  • Proposed July 17 Meeting Agenda: Approved unanimously (motion by Dugard, second by Walker).

Commission Discussion & Comments

  • Vice Mayor Gow: Suggested an educational component on the Gulf, marina, and Hope Spot for the new Boat Club, honoring Sylvia Earle. Requested a presentation from PSTA on their community bus plan. City Manager agreed to invite PSTA to a workshop and will discuss the Boat Club letter of intent with commissioners before the next meeting.
  • Commissioner Sandbergen: Praised the Toronto trip and community support. Inquired about welcome signs on CR 1 and Alt 19. City Manager will research signage. Raised safety concerns on Bay Street during construction; City Manager explained enforcement and speed study options.
  • Commissioner Dugard: Announced a soft opening for Caladesi Island this week, with restrooms possibly operational in three months. Thanked the Blue Jays for hospitality in Toronto.
  • Mayor Freaney: Noted signage branding needs a workshop; commended the Toronto trip and partnership approaching 50 seasons. Reminded everyone of the July 4th Celebration and Golf Cart Parade.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved except items 2.c. and 2.d., which were separately approved.
  • Skate park repair contract awarded ($99,011).
  • Bridge/pier inspection contract awarded ($114,802.35).
  • Two action items postponed to July 17 (ACFR and Coca-Cola land donation).
  • Legislative Policy Committee assignments to be finalized at August 5 workshop.
  • Commissioner Dugard designated to attend FLC annual conference with shared travel funds.
  • New Parks & Recreation Director Tony Mulkey announced (start date July 28).
  • All votes were unanimous.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the July 3rd, 2025 City Commission meeting. I'm going to call the meeting to order, and we're going to start with invocation and pledge of allegiance, our City Attorney Tin. Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection as we enter this holiday weekend in celebration of our independence. Amen. Okay. And uh I'm going to turn this over to the city manager to actually introduce him and why he's here. Thank you very much, Mayor. Vice Mayor and Commissioners, uh, good evening. The um, as as all of you know, and I'm sure many many members of our general public know, we were the victims of a crime, actually two crimes, two thefts, over the past year. Um it has been uh uh mentioned quite a bit on social media and in the newspaper as well. Uh we uh put out a statement saying we had no comment. It's an ongoing investigation and being prepared tonight for our first public meeting uh since a lot of this occurred. Um I reached out to the sheriff this this afternoon to ascertain what it is I could say and should not say in a public forum. And uh thankfully, gratefully for me, the sheriff offered to come this evening to address the commission uh and our residents himself uh to give you the details that uh he would know much more than I that he can give regarding the theft uh and what happened. And then thereafter, Mayor, I'd like to uh circle back and talk to you a little bit about what we put in place uh uh since then to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you, Mayor. Sheriff Galtieri. Thank you, Sheriff, for being here. Good evening, everybody. So uh it and just a simplified. I'm gonna give you a brief overview and I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. But in the simplest form, the city was the victim of a scam, uh, something we see unfortunately all the time. And you know, just questions have come up about this. There is absolutely zero indication at all, and this is a very extensive investigation over the last year. Of course, this happened in June of 2024. Uh we recently made an arresting case, but there's absolutely zero indication that there's anybody uh within the city or anybody on the quote inside that had absolutely anything to do with this. This happens when people are able to, through the dark web uh and through uh a variety of other ways, get access to people's emails to get access to the content of communications, find out who's doing business with others, and there's all kinds of ways they do this, especially through the dark web. And this started because you all have uh a business relationship or had I don't know if you still do, I assume you do, with this paving company. And one of your city employees uh received a communication, an email asking that you change how you do business with this paving company and how you'd always done business with this paving company is you provide them old school with a paper check. And they said, Oh no, we don't want to do that anymore. We now want an electronic fund transfer. And the employees said, because it's common these days, sure, and so cut to the chase of it. They set that up and put that in place. Um they used to communicate with us, the scammer used to communicate with us, is email addresses that were fraudulent. But at first glance, nobody would even pick out that they were fraudulent because they were very simply juxtaposing uh letters uh within those legit emails. So, as an example, when the scammer was communicating and uh sending to the paving company uh what was purported to be a communication from a city employee at that time, and I think the city manager will uh talk about how changes have been made in that. But the uh Dunneaton City email domain domain name was Dunneiden FL.net. Well, they used Dunedin LF.net. So unless somebody's really paying attention to that, nobody would. You're not gonna see that. So um all these communications went back and forth. And what happened, uh, and it was about six hundred thousand dollars plus that was due, and they sent them uh bank account number at Bank of America and a routing number. And so the city uh what did the electronic fund transfer and transferred it to this Bank of America account number and routing number. Well, even the scammers sometimes uh mess up and they get it wrong. Well, they didn't use the right, and I put that in quotes because it's all wrong. They didn't use the right uh routing number and account number. They used a rowdy number and an account number of some guy by the name of George Barlow, uh, who lived uh until we arrested him and dragged his uh tail end back here uh out in Utah. And George Barlow uh thought he won the lottery, but the problem is he didn't buy a lottery ticket. And the $600,000 of the city's money ended up in George Barlow's uh bank account out in Utah, and he took all that money and began to spend it. Uh he bought a $70,000 truck that he ran into a ditch, and uh he bought just all kinds of stuff with it.

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