OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting - May 18, 2023

City Council — Thursday, May 18, 2023
BodySt Petersburg, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, May 18, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Welcome to the City of St.

0:08

Petersburg City Council meeting.

0:11

Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch.

0:15

District 1, Copley Girdis.

0:18

District 2 and Council Chair Brandy Gabbard.

0:23

District 3, Edmonton Ari.

0:26

District 4, Leseth Panawitz.

0:30

District 5.

0:31

And Council Vice Chair, Deborah Fig Sanders.

0:35

District 6, Gina Driscoll.

0:38

District 7, John Mohammed.

0:42

And District 8, Richie Floyd.

0:49

Well, good afternoon, everyone.

0:51

We will call to order the May 18th, 2023 City Council meeting, beginning with a roll call.

0:57

Six Anders Driscoll.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Mohammed.

1:00

Here.

1:01

Floyd.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Gurtis.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Gabbert.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Montanary.

1:05

Here.

1:05

And Hanowitz.

1:06

Here.

1:07

We will begin our meeting today with an invocation that is going to be given by Pastor Bobby Misingwa of Maximo Presbyterian Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:18

Well, everyone, please join me in standing.

1:25

Let us pray.

1:28

Gracious and loving God.

1:32

As we gather here this afternoon in this city council chamber.

1:38

We seek your presence and guidance.

1:42

We humbly come before you recognizing the responsibility and privilege entrusted to the city council to serve this great city and its beautiful people.

1:55

We ask for wisdom and discernment as they deliberate on matters that impact the lives of our fellow citizens.

2:05

Grant our leaders the ability to listen with open hearts and open minds, to understand diverse perspectives, and to make decisions that promote the common good.

2:26

Recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual.

2:31

Help them to bridge divides and find common ground that leads to unity and progress.

2:39

Grant them we pray the courage to act with integrity and uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and equity.

2:49

Inspire them to seek innovative solutions that address the challenges faced by our community, ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

3:10

We express our gratitude for the privilege to serve and for the trust placed in all of us.

3:17

May we never lose sight of the well-being and aspirations of the people whom we'll represent.

3:24

In your boundless love and grace, we ask for your blessings upon this city council, our beautiful city of St.

3:31

Petersburg, and all of its residents.

3:35

May City Council's efforts be guided by a vision of harmony, prosperity, and peace.

3:41

We offer this prayer in humility and with a shared commitment to serve our community.

3:48

In your holy name, we pray.

3:50

Amen.

3:51

Amen.

3:53

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

4:02

One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

4:07

You may be seated.

4:09

Thank you, Pastor, for the invocation and for joining us today.

4:13

Thank you.

4:15

All right, City Council.

4:17

We have an agenda before us today.

4:18

I'll entertain a motion for approval.

4:20

Move approval.

4:21

Second.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████19%
Housing and Homelessness████████████████16%
Historic Preservation████████████████16%
Legal Matters██████████10%
Zoning and Land Use█████████9%
Tenant Rights█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting - May 18, 2023

The St. Petersburg City Council met on May 18, 2023, at 2:00 PM (EDT) in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of consent items, public forum comments, legal settlement approvals, several reports, new business referrals, a resolution supporting tenant right to counsel with legal representation for eviction cases, and public hearings on land use and historic landmark designations. All votes were unanimous except where noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda and Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously. No public comments on consent items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Beth Connor (636 64th Ave S): Praised the council's engagement on urban forestry and tree protection initiatives. Requested help breaking down silos between city departments on tree-related issues.
  • Alec Wilkowski (3752 38th Ave N): Urged council to vote yes on item G1 (tenant right to counsel), stating it balances power between tenants and landlords and addresses the lack of tenant representation in disputes.

Discussion Items

  • Workers' Compensation Settlement (H1): Assistant City Attorney Ken McCollum presented a $50,000 washout settlement for former police officer William Hubbard, injured on duty during Hurricane Irma. The settlement covers medical and potential permanent disability claims. Approved unanimously.
  • Personal Injury Settlement (H2): Assistant City Attorney Joe Patner presented a $92,500 settlement for Net Carroll, who was struck by a street sweeper in October 2020, resulting in neck surgery and $266,000 in medical bills. The city had limited defenses ahead of a trial in three weeks. Approved unanimously.
  • Seagrass Mitigation Bank Agreement (E1): Engineering Director Brajesh Prayman and Special Projects Coordinator Michael Dima presented a partnership with Port Manatee to use dredged material from the port to restore seagrass habitat at North Shore beach. The city will receive 30+ acres of seagrass mitigation credits. No financial obligation for the city; the first three credits will be transferred to the port. Construction expected late summer 2023, pending Army Corps permit issuance (expected June 2023). A future ordinance will establish a no-internal-combustion boating zone to protect the seagrass. Approved unanimously.
  • FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant (E2): Water Resources Director John Palinchar and Project Coordinator Kira Barrera presented a $4.5 million grant (federal share) for building an emergency operations center with generator at the Cosme Water Treatment Plant, located 26 miles from the city. The project ensures continued water access during storms. Phase 1 (design, 15 months) funded at $467,000; Phase 2 (construction, 21 months) at $3.93 million, contingent on Phase 1 completion. Approved unanimously.
  • New Business – Referrals:
    • F1 (Councilmember Gurtis): Referral to Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee to discuss pre-funding FY24 pension contribution. Approved unanimously.
    • F2 (Councilmember Gabbard): Referral to Legislative Affairs committee to discuss impact of Senate Bill 250 on city ordinances. Approved unanimously.
    • F3 (Councilmember Floyd): Referral to Public Services and Infrastructure Committee to discuss enforcement of driving without a license and potential diversion options. Passed 7-1 (Councilmember Montanari voted no).
  • Resolution on Tenant Right to Counsel (G1): Council Vice Chair Figg Sanders presented a resolution supporting legal representation for tenants facing eviction who cannot afford an attorney. After debate, the motion was amended to have administration report back to the Committee of the Whole before any procurement. The resolution does not commit funding. Passed 7-1 (Councilmember Montanari voted no).

Key Outcomes

  • Legal Settlements: Both H1 ($50,000) and H2 ($92,500) approved unanimously.
  • Seagrass Mitigation and Hazard Mitigation Grants: Both E1 and E2 approved unanimously, authorizing staff to proceed.
  • New Business Referrals: F1, F2, and F3 approved unanimously (F3 with one no vote).
  • Resolution G1: Approved 7-1, with amendment requiring a report back before procurement.
  • Public Hearings:
    • I1 & I2: Approved unanimously via consent.
    • I3 (Text amendment to adaptive reuse code to allow auto-dependent uses for historic auto-dependent landmarks): Approved unanimously.
    • I4 (Local historic landmark designation for Standard Oil Service Station at 2439 4th St S): Approved unanimously.
    • I5 (Future land use and zoning map amendments for 14th St N block): Approved unanimously.
  • Meeting adjourned: Approximately 4:30 PM (EDT).

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch. District 1, Copley Girdis. District 2 and Council Chair Brandy Gabbard. District 3, Edmonton Ari. District 4, Leseth Panawitz. District 5. And Council Vice Chair, Deborah Fig Sanders. District 6, Gina Driscoll. District 7, John Mohammed. And District 8, Richie Floyd. Well, good afternoon, everyone. We will call to order the May 18th, 2023 City Council meeting, beginning with a roll call. Six Anders Driscoll. Here. Mohammed. Here. Floyd. Here. Gurtis. Here. Gabbert. Here. Montanary. Here. And Hanowitz. Here. We will begin our meeting today with an invocation that is going to be given by Pastor Bobby Misingwa of Maximo Presbyterian Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, everyone, please join me in standing. Let us pray. Gracious and loving God. As we gather here this afternoon in this city council chamber. We seek your presence and guidance. We humbly come before you recognizing the responsibility and privilege entrusted to the city council to serve this great city and its beautiful people. We ask for wisdom and discernment as they deliberate on matters that impact the lives of our fellow citizens. Grant our leaders the ability to listen with open hearts and open minds, to understand diverse perspectives, and to make decisions that promote the common good. Recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. Help them to bridge divides and find common ground that leads to unity and progress. Grant them we pray the courage to act with integrity and uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and equity. Inspire them to seek innovative solutions that address the challenges faced by our community, ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for all. We express our gratitude for the privilege to serve and for the trust placed in all of us. May we never lose sight of the well-being and aspirations of the people whom we'll represent. In your boundless love and grace, we ask for your blessings upon this city council, our beautiful city of St. Petersburg, and all of its residents. May City Council's efforts be guided by a vision of harmony, prosperity, and peace. We offer this prayer in humility and with a shared commitment to serve our community. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Amen.

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