[The St. Petersburg City Council convened on June 5, 2025, for a regular meeting that included approvals, proclamations, public comments, and votes on several key items. The meeting opened with an invocation, pledge, approval of the agenda, and the consent agenda. A significant portion of the public comment period was dominated by concerns over homelessness, public safety, and the enforcement of City Bill 1365. Later, the council honored citizens and organizations with proclamations, approved funding for affordable housing and storm repairs, and referred items to committees.]
Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch. District One and Council Chair, Hope Lee Gerdis. District 2, Brandy Gabbert. District 3, Mike Harding. District 4, and Council Vice Chair, Leseth Hanowitz. District 5, Deborah Fake Sanders. District 6, Gina Driscoll. District 7, Corey Givens Jr. And District 8, Richie Floyd. Floyd. Here. Gabbard. Here. Harding. Here. Hanowitz. Here. Here. Okay. We will have our invocation given today by Pastor Paul Gibson from Trinity Lutheran Church. Then please remain standing for a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. God of love, we thank you for the diversity of your creation. That you embrace everything and everyone that you have made and call them blessed and good. Strengthen the pride each one of us holds in being a completely unique part of your creation and help us to know the purpose for which you made us. God, we do not understand why the way a human being understands their own gender, or why the person they love can be the cause of fear and hatred. But we pray for those people for whom it does. Their understanding of you is so limited and so small. But remind us, God, that all of us succumb to fear at times. All of us can be made uncomfortable by difference. All of us have ways that we must grow in our love and acceptance of all your children. We pray that this month dedicated to pride to the eradication of shame will help all of us to better understand respect and honor people who are not like us, who do not look like us, think like us, or act like us. In a year when so many are being driven to acts of violence, we pray that people will be safe during our city's celebrations of pride. We are grateful for the members of law enforcement who are working toward that goal. Bless the leaders of this city as they persist in their commitment to making it a place of welcome and of opportunity for all. Bless the speaking and the listening that will take place in today's meeting and in the days to come so that all of us can work together for the common good. We ask this in the name of all that is holy, all that is beautiful, and all that is true. Amen. Please join me in a moment of silence for the repose of the soul of Vince Cox, who passed away this week, a servant to St. Petersburg and a friend to all. Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and individual with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you, Pastor, for that beautiful invocation, and thank you for joining us this morning. Okay, Council members, before we get into the approval of the agenda, just a couple of quick things. Um, as you've probably noticed, we're having some some technology difficulties. So for those that are speaking during open forum, the only clock you're gonna see is the clock you see up on this screen. The clerk will give you a 10 second heads up when your three minutes is coming to an end.