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Record of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting – August 10, 2023: Fire Chief Controversy, Awards, and Management Study Referral

City Council — Thursday, August 10, 2023
BodySt Petersburg, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, August 10, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Welcome to the City of St.

0:07

Petersburg City Council meeting.

0:10

Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch.

0:14

District 1, Copley Gurtis, District 2, and Council Chair Brandy Gabbard.

0:22

District 3, Edmonton Erie.

0:25

District 4, Leseth Hanowitz.

0:29

District 5 and Council Vice Chair, Deborah Fig Sanders.

0:34

District 6, Gina Driscoll.

0:37

District 7, John Mohammed.

0:41

And District 8, Richie Floyd.

0:48

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:50

We will call to order the August 10th, 2023 City Council meeting, beginning with a roll call.

0:55

Lloyd here.

0:57

Gabbard, here.

0:58

Montaneri.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Hannawitz?

1:01

Here.

1:01

Vic Sanders.

1:02

Driscoll?

1:03

Here.

1:04

Mohammed.

1:04

Here.

1:06

We will have our invocing today with uh Father Bohan Boritzki from the Epiphian Ukrainian Catholic Church.

1:16

And this will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:18

Well, everyone please stand and join me.

1:23

Please.

1:30

Let us pray.

1:32

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Maker of the Universe, and Father of all.

1:49

Guide the members of this city council and help them to serve the people of St.

1:56

Petersburg.

1:58

Bless their plans and thoughts and bring success to their work and reward them for the good they do.

2:09

Blessed are you, Lord our God, forever and ever.

2:15

Amen.

2:16

Amen.

2:18

I declare this to the flag of the United States of America.

2:23

And to the Republic for which it stands.

2:26

One nation under God.

2:30

With liberty and justice for all.

2:32

You may be seated.

2:35

Thank you, Father, for that invocation.

2:38

Council members, we have an agenda before us today.

2:40

I'll entertain a motion for approval.

2:42

Second.

2:43

Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve the agenda.

2:46

And seeing no request to speak, clerk, please open the machine for voting.

2:50

Council members, enter your votes.

2:52

Seeing as all present council members have voted, clerk, please tally and announce the vote.

2:57

Madam Chair, the motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously with Councilmember Fig Sanders being absent.

3:02

Okay, and we will move to open forum.

3:05

Clerk, will you please read the rules for open forum?

3:09

If you wish to address city council on subjects other than public hearing or quasi-judicial items listed on the agenda, please sign up with a clerk.

3:18

Only the individuals wishing to speak may sign the open forum sheet.

3:22

Only see city residents, owners of prop owners of property, business owners in the city, or their employees may speak.

3:29

All issues discussed under open form must be limited to issues related to the city of St.

3:34

Petersburg government.

3:35

If you are speaking to an item on the agenda, you may only speak once during the open forum or when the item comes up on the agenda.

3:43

In order to provide an opportunity for all citizens to address council, each individual will be given three minutes to speak, and after which the microphone will be muted.

3:53

If you wish to address city council through the Zoom meeting, you must use the raise hand feature button in the Zoom app or enter star nine on your phone at the time the agenda item is addressed.

4:04

When it is your turn to speak, you will be unmuted and asked to state your name and address.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████████████████30%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Personnel Matters███████████████15%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Public Health██████6%
Racial Equity█████5%
Legal Matters█████5%
Education████4%
International Relations███3%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting – August 10, 2023

The St. Petersburg City Council met on August 10, 2023, at 20:00:00+00:00. The meeting included a public forum where multiple speakers addressed allegations against Fire Chief James Large, awards for lifesaving and community service, a proclamation for Ukrainian Independence Day, and a new business item referring a management study of the fire department to committee.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda was approved unanimously (7-0), with Councilmember Fig Sanders absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Esther Matthews (President, St. Petersburg branch NAACP) called for Fire Chief Large’s termination, citing a city employee climate survey and alleged disparaging stereotypical beliefs.
  • Kevin Fredericks (resident) requested removal of Councilmembers Gabbard and Floyd per city charter for publicly calling for an appointed employee to step down.
  • Lindsay Kensinger (female firefighter/captain) spoke in support of Chief Large, describing his mentorship and flexibility during her maternity leave.
  • Angela Munoz (firefighter, 9 years) expressed gratitude for a supportive environment regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
  • Teresa Bieberishi (Lieutenant, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue) stated the department is not hostile to women, noting 47 women in uniform (14%) vs. national average of 9%, and high retention.
  • Bruce Neeson (resident) supported the chief stepping down, citing complaints and investigations.
  • Karen Lieberman (resident) argued that a few public statements do not negate the employee survey and that the discussion should focus on Chief Large, not council members.
  • Jessica Lewis (resident) shared secondhand experience of sexism in the fire department and emphasized that 40% of surveyed employees report an issue.
  • Bryce Springfield (resident) referenced Tampa Bay Times reports of abusive behavior, including harassment of a woman who had a miscarriage, and called for Chief Large to step down.
  • Dr. Christy Powell (resident) thanked Mayor Welch for placing Chief Large on administrative leave and asked for termination or resignation, noting 40% employee survey concern.
  • Roger Butterfield (labor organizer) urged the city to investigate under the 14th Amendment and Civil Rights Act beyond the survey.
  • Alec Wolkowski (resident) expressed concern about anonymity of whistleblowers and called for Chief Large’s termination.

Discussion Items

  • Recognition of Lifesaving at Rays Game (Item D4/D3): Councilmember Montanari presented a certificate to Janie Morales (ultrasound tech) for performing CPR at a June 9 game, and City Council Distinguished Citizen Awards to St. Pete Fire Rescue personnel who responded.
  • Proclamation for Ukrainian Independence Day (Item D2): Council Chair Gabbard proclaimed August 24, 2023, as Ukrainian Independence Day; representatives accepted and presented a traditional Ukrainian egg (Pysanka) to the mayor.
  • Officer Grace Albrighton Award (Item D1): Councilmember Gabbard presented a Distinguished Citizen Award to Officer Albrighton, Gibbs High School SRO, for founding the Gibbs Grab and Go program (free clothing, toiletries, school supplies) and other student initiatives. She was recognized as Pinellas County School SRO of the Year (2021-2022) and received the U.S. Attorney General’s Distinguished Service in Community Policing Award.
  • New Business Item G1 (Reef Restoration): Councilmember Gertis moved referral to the Health, Energy, Resilience, and Sustainability Committee for discussion on art for impact and reef restoration related to beach renourishment. Approved unanimously (7-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Councilmember Statements on Charter: Council Chair Gabbard and Councilmember Floyd clarified that their public comments about Fire Chief Large were not intended to violate the city charter; they expressed respect for the charter and the mayor’s investigative process.
  • Management Study of Fire Department (Item G2): Councilmember Driscoll introduced a new business item requesting referral to the Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee to discuss a potential management study of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue. After discussion, the item was approved unanimously (7-0). The committee will consider budget and scope, with an initial discussion scheduled for August 24, 2023, during the BFNT meeting (adjusted schedule).
  • Meeting Adjourned: The meeting concluded after announcements.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch. District 1, Copley Gurtis, District 2, and Council Chair Brandy Gabbard. District 3, Edmonton Erie. District 4, Leseth Hanowitz. District 5 and Council Vice Chair, Deborah Fig Sanders. District 6, Gina Driscoll. District 7, John Mohammed. And District 8, Richie Floyd. Good afternoon, everyone. We will call to order the August 10th, 2023 City Council meeting, beginning with a roll call. Lloyd here. Gabbard, here. Montaneri. Here. Hannawitz? Here. Vic Sanders. Driscoll? Here. Mohammed. Here. We will have our invocing today with uh Father Bohan Boritzki from the Epiphian Ukrainian Catholic Church. And this will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, everyone please stand and join me. Please. Let us pray. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Maker of the Universe, and Father of all. Guide the members of this city council and help them to serve the people of St. Petersburg. Bless their plans and thoughts and bring success to their work and reward them for the good they do. Blessed are you, Lord our God, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. I declare this to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. With liberty and justice for all. You may be seated. Thank you, Father, for that invocation. Council members, we have an agenda before us today. I'll entertain a motion for approval. Second. Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve the agenda. And seeing no request to speak, clerk, please open the machine for voting. Council members, enter your votes. Seeing as all present council members have voted, clerk, please tally and announce the vote. Madam Chair, the motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously with Councilmember Fig Sanders being absent. Okay, and we will move to open forum.

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