The City Commission met on May 18, 2026, beginning at 9:00 AM and continuing through the afternoon. The agenda included proclamations, a scheduled presentation, public input, approval of minutes, consent agendas, discussion items on parking, the Bay Park, and the Downtown Master Plan update, legislative and quasi-judicial public hearings, new business, and commissioner remarks. Key decisions included adoption of a revised paid parking ordinance with a Sunday exemption, suspension of activity on the Downtown Master Plan procurement pending the new city manager’s review, approval of a lease with the Sarasota Outboard Club, and creation of a natural disaster collection reserve funded by a uniform surcharge.
To order. Welcome to the May 18th regular city commission meeting. Please silence your cell phones. And first we will have the invocation by the city auditor and clerk, followed by the pledge led by the vice mayor. Those who can stand, please stand. Are able to stand, please stand. Heavenly Father, we affirm our faith in thee. We seek your divine strength, wisdom, and guidance in the deliberations that affect the lives of each of the citizens of our community. In the name we pray, amen. Um I'm not aware of anything. Okay. We're at the point where we would be approving the proposed agenda schedule. That with the items dealing with the uh downtown master plan ad hoc committee, I believe that's nine, two, and nine three, that we might want to combine nine, two, and nine three, because the first one discusses I thought was going to be a presentation on the background of the ad hoc committee. And then the second one was uh about the um procurement, procurement of a consultant. So I thought we might want to combine the questions and answers and discussions and presentations on top one but not the but not the motions. Right. Well maybe the motion would be after we combine talk about the two together. Sure if you don't mind. Um that doesn't necessarily have to be a change in the order day because you're gonna still have them in order. They're not changing and move it to a different spot in the agenda. They're still going to be in the same order. You don't have to do a change order today. At that time, we can just suggest does the commission want to combine this. You guys talk about it. If you go with it as a body, we can move forward with it from there. But we don't have to consider a change to order today, in my opinion. Okay, that's it. Um mayor, did we also want to include the following item, which is nine four, and it's the budget amendment. Yeah, I thought that would be dependent on what we decided to do about the procurement, because if we decided not to go forward with the procurement, that I the second item the next item would be moot. Right. Um, but for discussion purposes, we don't want to eliminate that for discussion. Right. Okay. So then so may I have a motion then to approve the proposed agenda schedule? Move to approve the proposed agenda schedule. Second. Moved by Commissioner Ahern Koch, seconded by the Vice Mayor. Your votes, please. And it passed unanimously. Thank you very much. Now we've got a series of proclamations, so if you will join me up front and we'll go through those. Commissioner. Are they up there? They're all up there in order. Okay, so don't shuffle them. Okay. And I believe that I'm going to be inviting uh representatives of the Sarasota Police Marine Unit and if the U.S. Coast Guard station auxiliary or any of their representatives are here. Thank you. Good morning.