Dunedin City Commission Workshop – December 2, 2025: PSTA, Solid Waste Rates, Freebee Loop
Dunedin City Commission Workshop – December 2, 2025
The Dunedin City Commission held a workshop on December 2, 2025, at 9:00 AM in City Hall, 737 Louden Ave. The meeting included a presentation from PSTA on the Connected Community Bus Network, a detailed discussion and vote on solid waste and recycling rate increases, and a decision on the Freebee Loop contract. The meeting adjourned at 12:22 PM after two breaks.
Presentations
- Connected Community Bus Network (PSTA) – Nicole Dufva, Director of Planning, presented new PSTA services launched in 2025: Grouper Airport Express ($8 from St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to Clearwater Beach), Clearwater Ferry (Dunedin to Clearwater, $8 one-way, Thursday–Sunday), 34th Street South “Spark” premium service (15-minute frequency), and the Connected Community Bus Network (launched Oct. 26, 2025). Key goals: more weekend demand, tourist transport, timed transfers, cost-neutral. Routes unchanged: SunRunner, Jolly Trolley, Route 19, 91, etc. New Route 78 provides one-seat ride from Dunedin to Tampa. New Snapper On-Demand zone in Clearwater/Safety Harbor (door-to-door to Park Street Terminal or Countryside Mall). Commission discussed frequency, microtransit gaps, and Jolley Trolley service; PSTA agreed to provide data on 30-minute trolley service cost.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were listed or acted upon.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the two Citizen Input periods (before workshop items and after each item).
Discussion Items
- Solid Waste & Recycling Rate Study – Public Works Director Sue Bartlett and Raftelis Vice President Thierry Boveri presented the revenue sufficiency study. Key points: The City has withdrawn from unincorporated area service (completed), frozen two vacant positions, surplused 6 reserve vehicles, and implemented routing efficiencies. The study recommends a 2-year front-loaded rate increase of 28.5% (FY26) and 15.6% (FY27), then 3% annual indexing. The monthly residential bill would rise from $23.67 to $30.42 (April 2026) then $35.17 (April 2027), reaching $38.43 by FY30 with 3% increases. This represents a 62% increase over 5 years. The fund currently has a $2M reserve; the plan would drop reserves but maintain compliance with the 15% (55-day) reserve policy by FY28. The Board of Finance supported the plan but recommended using a CPI-specific index (trash collection and disposal) rather than a fixed 3% for future adjustments.
Commission discussion focused on the front-loaded impact on residents, with Commissioners Dugard and Vice Mayor Gow expressing concern. Commissioner Dugard noted expenses only increased about 11% from FY25 to FY30, implying the rate hike was largely to restore fund balance. Commissioner Sandbergen and Mayor Freaney argued the increase was necessary for long-term fiscal sustainability and vehicle replacement. Mayor Freaney noted similar inflationary pressures nationwide.
- Freebee Loop Annual Review – Community Development Director George Kinney and Project Manager Kathy Gademer presented ridership data: total 29,847 riders from Nov. 2, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2025 (15,070 app, 14,413 flag-down). Monthly ridership doubled in 2025 compared to 2024 after the May 21, 2025 flex route expansion (on-demand service in residential areas). Spring Training accounted for highest special-event ridership. The City applied for three grants (FDOT, TD Bank, T-Mobile) – all denied. Advertising revenue was $1,367 from Blue Jays. The contract expires Dec. 17, 2025; staff sought direction on renewal. The service costs approximately $200,000/year from the General Fund (ARPA funds used initially). A business survey found 61.1% reported no impact or were unsure; 36.6% reported positive impact. No Freebee representative attended. Commission discussion: concerns about cost, lack of equitable service (downtown focus), absence of business community input, and the fact that the downtown is walkable. Opinions varied: Vice Mayor Gow supported letting it expire but wanted on-demand data preserved; Commissioner Sandbergen wanted to hear from businesses before deciding; Commissioner Walker opposed renewal due to General Fund strain; Commissioner Dugard agreed to let it expire; Mayor Freaney favored expiration but noted potential for re-evaluation if backlash occurs.
Key Outcomes
- Solid Waste Rates: The Commission reached consensus (3-2 vote: Commissioners Walker, Sandbergen, Mayor Freaney in favor; Commissioners Dugard and Vice Mayor Gow opposed) to move forward with the proposed rate plan: 28.5% increase effective April 1, 2026, 15.6% effective April 1, 2027, and subsequent annual indexing tied to the CPI for trash collection (rather than fixed 3%). Staff will bring back an ordinance for two public hearings and final adoption. Staff will also re-examine the study for any additional savings.
- Freebee Loop: The Commission reached consensus to allow the Freebee contract to expire without renewal. City staff was directed to immediately notify the Chamber of Commerce, Mease Life, and other stakeholders that the service will end. The City Manager will report back on any feedback; the item could be revisited in the future if warranted by public demand.
- The meeting adjourned at 12:22 PM.
Meeting Transcript
December 2nd, 2025 City Commission workshop. I'd like to call this meeting to order, and we'll start with Jen if you could give us the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America. One nation under Liberty and Justice. Okay, we will start with the presentation, Connected Community Bus Network PSTA presentation. Nicole Duffa, Director of Planning, PSTA. Welcome. Good morning. Morning. Thank you so much for having me here today. As uh Mayor said, uh the director of planning at Pelson Post Transit Authority with PSTA. And I'm so grateful to be here. Oh the green light. There we go. Perfect. Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much for having me here today. And we're excited to present to you all about PSTA's new services as well as our connected community bus network. I'm really happy to be here in front of you today in front of uh some PSTA family as well. So not just the Dunedin City Commission, but members of PSTA board as well as PSTA staff. Hey now, hi for one second. I was in such a hurry to start on time. We do have our representative, uh Commissioner Walker, and I didn't know if you wanted to say something before Nicole started. Yeah, thanks, Bear. Um, so it's uh it's it's great to have you all here. Um I just want to say that uh you know we're all looking forward to this presentation because you've got a lot of great things to present and uh um this last year has been pretty much phenomenal in the new services that you rolled out and uh I will not stand in your way. Thank you very much for being here. Thanks for making the trip up to Dunedin. Absolutely, thank you, Commissioner. And thanks for representing us on PSTA. Um go for it, Nicole. You're on now. Thank you so much. Um, as Commissioner Walker said, uh 2025 has been a really great year. Um, in particular a great year for PSTA. We've launched some really exciting things uh in 2025. Uh number one, I want to talk about our new uh grouper airport express service. Um this was uh um an idea that came out from our uh county commissioner uh Brian Scott who wanted to provide a really uh easy way to get folks who are coming through PIE, our very own St. Pete Clearwater Airport, to our most pristine uh Clearwater Beach, huge tourist destination, and uh this was a service where you can actually go from PIE when you arrive and land at PIE, uh use either an app or even go right out to the curb and you'll find uh a grouper vehicle there for you for eight dollars. You can connect to uh Clearwater Beach directly anywhere on Clearwater Beach. Um so this is a brand new service that started in 2025, and we've seen some really great success. Um and so if you uh know of anyone who's visiting the area, this would be a service that you can recommend for them. Um the list, uh Clearwater Ferry. PSTA took over Clearwater Ferry. Um, and what we are also very excited about this year is opening the new Danedon service or reopening the Danedon service. Um we were uh really excited to partner with the City of Daneda in an opening up the service where we can provide direct uh Danedon downtown Clearwater, Clearwater Beach ferry service with the hopes of expanding our ferry service. We're in the midst of uh working through the new Tampa Bay Ferry, formerly Cross Bay Ferry, so there's a really exciting uh ferry services for PSTA to take over and to uh move forward. Um this year we also launched our new Spark service, so a new premium rapid transit service on 34th Street South, um, where we have uh premium branded stations and signage. So if you were to take 34th Street South, if you ever get down to uh South St. Pete uh from Eckard College to Grand Central Station, connecting the students who are at Ecker College to the premium Sunrunner service, as well as anyone who lives along the new uh the the bustling Skyway Marina District, all the growth happening in uh South St.
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