St. Petersburg City Council Meeting - May 1, 2025

The St. Petersburg City Council met on May 1, 2025, starting at 9:00 AM (presumed). The meeting included approval of consent agenda, public comments, a proclamation for Law Enforcement Appreciation Month, the quarterly police report, several public hearings, reports, and new business referrals. All votes were unanimous except where noted.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved unanimously.
• Agenda item E1 (ordinance for FDOT grant for Albert Whitted Airport electrical vault rehab, $134,800 grant) was approved unanimously.
• Agenda item E2 (ordinance amending city code Chapter 17.5 for affordable housing site plan approval, to comply with state Senate Bill 328) was approved unanimously (Councilmember Floyd absent).
• Agenda item E3 (ordinance approving vacation of a 20-foot alley at 1833 1st Ave S and 1850 Central Ave) was approved unanimously (Councilmember Floyd absent).
• Resolution adopting the 2025 Pinellas County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) five-year update was approved unanimously.
• Resolution approving acquisition of a vacant property at NW corner of 4th St S and 18th Ave S for the Salt Creek property project was approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Walt Driggers (representing Friends of Albert Whitted Airport) expressed strong support for the airport electrical vault grant and thanked council for a proclamation for Scholarship Day. He reported 29 scholarships awarded ($184,000) bringing total to $425,000 since April 2023, resulting in 11 private pilots, 5 instrument ratings, 4 commercial ratings, 3 CFI, 1 CFII, and 1 multi-engine rating. He also described a STEM Aerospace Day with 32 students.
• Amber Woods (Wildwood Heights Neighborhood Association president) expressed frustration about a weekend with five shootings in her neighborhood. She stated she called a safety meeting but the community service officer did not show or respond. She urged council to address gun violence and said her daughter and sister were used as shields in one incident. She noted a May 28th meeting with community leaders on gun violence and wanted her voice heard.
• Chris Steinacher (President/CEO, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce) thanked council for the consent agenda contract. He highlighted partnership achievements: the Buccaneers matched $100,000 of city's $250,000 for businesses; navigated over 100 businesses in 3 months; graduated 22 new businesses (12 veterans); trained 17 nonprofits in fundraising; convened first tech founders meeting with 30 leaders. He announced a pitch night on Tuesday, May 6, at Blackleaf Tobacco Cigar Bar.
• Esther Matthews (President, St. Petersburg NAACP) expressed concern about Black Leaf, a new Black-owned cigar bar, being pressured out of business due to a compromised firewall from Red Mesa Cantina's expansion. She called on Councilmember Driscoll to stand with the business. She also raised concerns about The Catalyst being singled out for nuisance issues while other businesses on Central Avenue have similar problems but are not targeted. She urged equal enforcement across all businesses.
• Craig Taraski (representing property owner for alley vacation) stated he was available for questions but no presentation was needed.
• Barbara Hedge (airline pilot, Albert Whitted Airport Advisory Committee) expressed support for the FDOT grant, noting the electrical vault is estimated to be 70 years old and requires rehabilitation.

Discussion Items

• Law Enforcement Appreciation Month Proclamation: Mayor Welch and Chief Holloway presented the proclamation. Council members gave personal remarks honoring officers. Councilmember Harding shared a story about his daughter during a school shooting scare, expressing gratitude for officers' willingness to sacrifice. Vice Chair Hanowitz and others highlighted officers' daily sacrifices and community engagement.
• Quarterly Police Report (Chief Holloway): Chief Holloway presented crime statistics for Q1 2025 (Jan-Mar): auto thefts -19%, burglaries -17%, property crimes -17%, violent crimes -36%, overall crime -21%. Homicides: 5 (same as last year). Guns returned: 65, recovered: 24 (98 off streets). Arrests down; 65% of motor vehicle arrests were juveniles, 47% of vehicle burglaries juveniles. Traffic enforcement ongoing. CALL program (97% of calls handled without officer response), 0 incidents. Innovative Equity Program: $1M from mayor/council; 73% of at-risk youth in coaching program did not re-offend. PAL program: 50 kids capacity, not at capacity. Park walk and talks increasing. Eagle Eye program: 14% increase; goal of 20,000 registrants. Use of force: 3 citizen complaints (none about force).
• Councilmember Gabbard asked about summer youth crime prevention and transportation barriers. Chief said partnerships with Parks & Rec and PSTA are exploring solutions. Councilmember Driscoll asked about non-emergency calls and quality-of-life policing; Chief offered to provide data. Discussions about juvenile second chance program (68% did not re-offend) and transportation challenges (youth reluctance to ride bus). Councilmember Driscoll suggested neighborhood competition for Eagle Eye.
• Councilmember Givens raised concerns about gunshots in Jordan Park (420 reported in 2024, 100+ in 2025). He advocated for a police substation or stronger presence. Chief argued substations may not be effective and prefer boots on the ground. Councilmember Givens pointed out disparities. Chief committed to deep dive on shot call data. Councilmember Givens also asked about proactive youth outreach before felony convictions; Chief confirmed programs exist but marketing needed. Discussion on youth employment and nonprofit partnerships. Fix Sanders questioned CALL program dip due to turnover; Megan McGee confirmed staff turnover but now fully staffed.
• State of Emergency Update (Administrator Rob Gerdes): Reported $1.95 million in permit fees waived for 10,036 storm-related repair permits. Domestic equipment waivers (RVs, boat docks) resulted in only 10 complaints. Thanked Don Tyre (Building Official) and Joe Waugh (Codes Compliance) for post-storm work.
• Affordable Housing Code Amendments (Derek Kilborne): Presented changes to align city code with Senate Bill 328: FAR allowance changes, updated applicability (excluding airport impacted areas, adding TOD requirements), parking exemption for Sunrunner 22nd St S overlay, height regulations near single-family zoning, and conforming/non-conforming provisions. Four projects highlighted: Fairfield Apartments (demo started), Palm Lake Christian Church, Raytheon site, Hanover Project (JB carpet location). Noted potential future changes from SB 1730.
• Salt Creek Property Acquisition: Councilmember Driscoll described the project as a park-like setting with pump station to reduce flooding at Lake Maggiore, maintaining Salt Creek, preserving historic footbridge, improving water quality and creating natural area. Motion approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All consent agenda items approved unanimously.
• All public hearings (E1, E2, E3, F3, F4) approved unanimously.
• State of emergency extension continues; permit fee waiver expires June 30, 2025.
• Quarterly police report provided with crime reduction statistics; further data requested for next report.
• New business items all referred to committees: H1 (Plens trail) to Health Energy Resilience and Sustainability Committee or other; H2 (business coordination) to Committee of the Whole; H3 (Oaklawn Cemetery radar survey) to Committee of the Whole or other. All approved unanimously.
• Next steps: Police to present more detailed non-emergency and quality-of-life data next quarter; continue marketing youth programs; explore transportation solutions with PSTA; monitor upcoming state legislation SB 1730 for further code updates.