St. Petersburg City Council Meeting – November 4, 2024: Hurricane Recovery, Debriefs, and Farewell to Councilmember Montanari

The City Council met on November 4, 2024 (originally scheduled for October 31), focusing on recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The agenda included a debate over Tropicana Field repair items, consent calendar approval, presentations of awards to outgoing Councilmember Ed Montanari, a detailed FEMA update from Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, and extensive reports from city administrators on debris, housing, infrastructure, and financial impacts. Councilmembers raised numerous questions and requested follow-up items.

Consent Calendar

• Approved a lease agreement (B7) with the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association to convert a vacant city lot into an ocean-friendly garden. Public speakers expressed support.

Public Comments & Testimony

• William Kilgore (2550 28th Avenue North) inquired about two hurricane-related deaths, particularly concerning a homeless individual found in Campbell Park. He urged better sheltering for unhoused residents during storms. Chief Holloway confirmed the investigation is ongoing and that outreach efforts were made before the storm.

Discussion Items

• Agenda and Tropicana Field Items: Councilmember Gabbard moved to defer items F6A and B (remediation and mitigation work at Tropicana Field) to November 21, citing lack of time to review extensive public records and needing more information on insurance and damage assessments. Councilmembers Floyd, Hanowitz, and Mohammed supported deferral; Driscoll and Montanari preferred to begin discussion. The city administrator warned that delaying could compromise the insurance claim. The substitute motion to defer failed 4–4. The original motion to approve the agenda with those items passed 7–1 (Mohammed dissenting).
• Farewell to Councilmember Ed Montanari: Mayor Welch and council members honored Montanari’s nine years of service, presenting him with a distinguished service award and a key to the city. Montanari delivered remarks thanking family, staff, and colleagues.
• FEMA Update – Kevin Guthrie:
  • Commended St. Pete’s debris removal progress, noting a “high impact waiver” from FEMA.
  • Set a debris completion target of midnight on January 11, 2025 (90 days from the storm).
  • Outlined housing assistance: Transitional Sheltering Assistance (hotels) and Direct Housing (30–45 days to implement). Noted challenges due to high-density housing and limited land.
  • Emphasized the “50% rule” for substantially damaged structures: must comply with ordinances in place on the day of disaster; cities cannot change rules retroactively.
  • Reported average FEMA payout of ~$5,000 per household, with a maximum of ~$80,000; urged homeowners to actively pursue SBA loans and other recovery steps.
• Post-Hurricane Milton Reports:
  • Emergency Management (Amber): Record rainfall (18.88 inches at Albert Whitted, three times the previous one-day record) and wind gusts to 101 mph. Damage assessment: 4,904 properties affected (65 destroyed, 769 major, 2,411 minor, 1,659 affected). Mutual aid: 7 USAR teams (438 personnel) assessed 43,000 structures.
  • Public Works (Claude Tankersley): Wastewater plants de-energized pre-storm, restarted within 14–19 hours. Water system experienced over 50 main breaks and 500 service calls; system shut down at midnight on October 9 to prevent catastrophic loss. Resulted in 5.9 million gallons of sanitary sewer overflows from 56 manholes. A precautionary boil water notice was issued and lifted after four days.
  • City Development (James Corbett): Albert Whitted Airport suffered 32 hangar unit losses, 10 aircraft damaged. Tropicana Field: roof fabric blown off, water intrusion; insurance adjuster engaged; structural assessment ongoing. Tower cranes: city issued public safety advisories to 20 buildings (2,881 units) after being informed a crane could not be dismantled. “Hometown Haulers” program signed up 100 haulers, completed nearly 5,000 hauls to clear debris before Milton.
  • Housing and Community Services (Amy Foster): Food distributions: World Central Kitchen provided 73,000+ meals; city-organized food trucks produced 9,000+ meals. Over 1,200 visits to a multi-agency resource center. Housing: 32 people received temporary shelter before FEMA’s TSA began; 126 requests for housing assistance; 23 referrals for tree/cleanup help. “We Are St. Pete” fund: over $800,000 raised, to focus on mid/long-term recovery. Community partners supported comfort stations, door-to-door outreach, and mental health services.
  • Community Enrichment (Mike Jeffries): Debris removal reached 372,000 cubic yards, estimated to ultimately reach 1 million cubic yards. 38 double trucks, 11 C&D trucks, 5 vegetative trucks, 8 bucket trucks, 3 appliance trucks, 3 e-waste trucks deployed. Debris map updated every 7 minutes (managed by TetraTech). Seeking a fourth debris management site in northeast St. Pete.
  • Finance (Tom Green): Insurance claims initiated for Tropicana Field and other facilities. FEMA expedited projects filed: $74.1 million for debris (Helene and Milton), expected obligation of ~$37 million (50%). 15 emergency contracts (~$1.4M) reported. Late fees and utility lockoffs suspended through end of 2024.
• Councilmember Questions and Requests:
  • Councilmember Gabbard raised concerns about the 49% rule communication on the city’s new website, requesting clearer messaging and access to all emergency contracts via OneDrive.
  • Councilmember Driscoll called for a follow-up storm report at the next meeting, highlighted issues with crane notification timing, the Vinoy Basin seawall repair, and the need for better preparation for boil water notices and ice shortages.
  • Councilmember Montanari asked about the city’s cash burn rate and potential use of the economic stability fund; requested debris dashboard improvements (e.g., clearer progress indicators).
  • Councilmember Mohammed sought guidance on reporting illegal dumping, landlord participation in housing, and lessons learned on gasoline availability.
  • Councilmember Hanowitz stressed that hurricane risk remains unchanged and emphasized the need for robust disaster planning, particularly for sewage plant vulnerability to higher storm surges.

Key Outcomes

• The agenda was approved, including Tropicana Field items; a motion to defer them failed 4–4.
• Consent calendar approved unanimously.
• Councilmember Ed Montanari received a distinguished service award and key to the city.
• City administration will update and clarify the 49% rule website and communication, and provide a revised damage assessment report to council.
• Councilmember Gabbard’s request for a shared OneDrive folder of emergency contracts will be fulfilled.
• A follow-up hurricane recovery report was requested for the next council meeting.
• The “We Are St. Pete” fund continues to take donations; a rapid resolution fund for renters is being developed.
• FEMA debris reimbursement obligation (~$37 million) is expected imminently, with 100% reimbursement for debris under the high impact waiver (through January 11, 2025).
• The city continues to pursue a fourth debris management site in the northeast area to improve pickup efficiency.