Welcome to the City of St.

Petersburg City Council meeting.

Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch.

District One and Council Chair Copley Gurdis.

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.

Good morning.

We will call to order the August 7th, 2025 City Council meeting.

If we could do a roll call, please.

Yes.

Yes as well.

Annawitz.

Here.

Sanders.

Here.

Here.

It's the morning.

Okay.

This morning we will have our invocation given by Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, followed by a moment of silence.

And then please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Please stand.

I shall be reading from ancient Hindu scriptures, some as old as 1500 BCE in Sanskrit, then interpreted in English.

We meditate on the transcendental glory of the deity supreme, who is inside the heart of the earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of the heaven.

May he stimulate and illuminate our minds.

Lead us from the unreal to the real.

Lead us from darkness to light.

Lead us from death to immortality.

Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world by devotion to selfless.

One attain the supreme goal of life.

Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind.

Um Saha Nababatu, Sahanobunaktu, Saha Viryan Karba Bahai, Tejas Vinawadita Mastu Mah Bidvisabah.

May we be protected together, maybe we nourish together.

May we work together with great vigor.

May our study be enlightening.

May no obstacle arise between us.

United your resolve, united your hearts.

May your spirits be at one that you may long together dwell in unity and conquered.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

Peace, peace, peace be unto all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Please join me in a moment of silence for detected detective Herbert R.

Sullivan.

Last call, August 18th, 1980.

Thank you.

I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it says one nation under God.

In the visible with liberty and justice for all.

Please be seated.

Okay, quickly, Council members.

Obviously, we have a full agenda today.

I just wanted to give everybody a heads up.

We're gonna keep rolling and get this thing done.

Uh so we'll roll through lunch if need be.

So I just wanted to we'll take a break if we if we need, but just wanted to give everybody a heads up before we get started.

Okay, that being said, council members.

We have an agenda in front of us.

I'll entertain a motion for approval.

Second.

We have a motion and a second, seeing is no other council members wishing to speak.

Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

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

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously.

Okay, council members.

We have a consent agenda.

Clerk, do we have any cards?

We do not, sir.

Okay.

We have a consent agenda, council members.

Move approval.

Second.

We have a motion and a second for the consent agenda.

Seeing there's no other council members wishing to speak.

Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

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

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve the consent agenda passes unanimously.

Okay, I'm gonna throw it over to legal for a second.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just wanted to thank you for confirming Hillary Ryan, who sits to my right.

Um we're very excited to have her.

Anytime we hire someone, you hear me say something very similar.

Um Hillary in particular has a lot of local government experience.

So she's gonna we think have an immediate impact health administration, help all of you.

So I just wanted to let you put a name to a face.

Thank you very much.

Welcome, Hillary.

Thank you for being here.

And thank you for joining the team.

Okay, we're gonna go on to open forum.

Clerk, could you please read the rules?

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

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

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

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

Petersburg government.

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

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

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

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

At the conclusion of your comments, or when you have reached the three minute time limit, you will be muted.

All raised hands will be lowered after each agenda item.

Regardless of the method of participation use, normal rules apply.

Include the three minute time limit on comments.

The requirement that any presentation materials must be submitted in advance of the meeting and the rules of decorum.

If live public comments is disrupted by violations of the rules of decorum, the chair is authorized to accept public comments by alternate means, including by email only.

And Mr.

Chair, we do have some speakers.

Okay, let's call two at a time.

Thank you.

The first two speakers is Alexander Velsik and Amber Woods.

Please go to either podium, state your name address for the record.

You'll have three minutes to address council.

And my name is Alexander Vasalak.

I live at 34047th Street in North St.

Pete.

Uh so I'll come here today to ask you to pull, ask you to pull your support for the International Holocaust Remember Alliance, uh working definition of anti-Semitism or IRA.

And I've asked you to pull your support for the gen that what has become a genocide in Gaza that you publicly endorsed shortly after October 7th.

So the only problem I have with IRA's definition of anti-Semitism is bullet points 7, 8, and 10.

But because it's a working definition, they can add something on tomorrow, and then bullet points 7, 8, and 10, because they're not numbered, their bullet points will no longer be bullets point seven, eight, and 10.

Bullet point um seven says that bullet point seven claims that it's anti-Semitic for me to do um to insinuate that Jews don't have the right to self-determination.

But the example, only example given is the state of Israel.

The modern state of Israel was built not on canonism or simply Jewish nationalism or a bilateral state with Palestinians.

It was built on Zionism, with it, which was a belief in an ethno-nationalist state with a required Jewish majority on a piece of land which Palestinians have been living on for thousands of years.

Um early Zionist thinkers understood very well that they would have to ethnically cleanse the population in order to create the modern state of Israel, which is why in 1948, anywhere from 700,000 to a million Palestinians were ethnically cleansed off the land.

Ben Gileon, the first prime minister understood this.

The only early Zionist thinker that didn't seem to understand they're gonna have to genocide or ethnically cleanse the population was theater hortible 30 Theodore Herschel, because he thought they were intellectually and culturally inferior to Jewish people.

So it's not anti-Semitic to say that the modern state of Israel was formed on racism or racist endeavor because by all accounts of the people who claim who created the modern state of Israel, it is a racist endeavor.

Bullet point number eight says that I can't expect more out of Israel than I do other countries, which is nonsense.

They're the most one of the most military and technologically advanced countries on the earth.

I can expect more of that out of them than I would a different country.

Bullet point number set bullet point number 10 says that I cannot compare contemporary Israel Israeli policy to that of the Nazis when there's a genocide in Gaza, there's an apartheid in the West Bank, there's ethnic cleansing operations going on in southern Syria.

It was a country formed on SNA cleansing, but my favorite one is the fact that the new plan for Rafah, which has been completely leveled, is a humanitarian city in which they will force two middling Palestinians into to ready them for population transfer.

That is literally the ghetto of Warsaw, the ghetto of Warshava.

And when the Nazis created the ghetto of Warsaw or the ghetto War Shava, they did not simply say this is what we're gonna do.

They told the Jewish Polish people that they were protecting them from anti-Semitism.

They told the non-Jewish Polish people that they were protecting them because these people had typhus.

Ever almost every genocide and Holocaust scholar on earth, including Omel Botov, is saying that what's happening in Gaza is a genocide, which is why I'm asking you to pull your support for Irish working definition of anti-Semitism.

I'm asking you to pull your support for the genocide in Gaza.

Thank you.

Good morning, Council.

Um there's been some talk about 1024 Jordan Park Street South.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

So there's some talk about uh the MLK parade.

I'm actually here to address the MLK parade and utility rates.

I'm trying to do it fast.

Um I grew up going to the MLK parades every year.

Um I have five girls, they go almost every year.

Um we used to love the battle of the bands.

We we loved it.

Um I say that to say that MLK parade has been going on a very long time.

Um, I think we've been like number one in the nation for a while, too, as far as the level of support.

Um, but I think that we're in a uh uh an age now.

Um we have an administration that I think we need more than just a parade.

I think it's getting way more serious than that.

And any money that's pulled from the MLK parade, um, it should be redirected to the South Side.

I don't think I think we'd be we talk a lot about storm resilience.

We have a storm that we would consider a storm named DeSantis and a storm named Trump.

And the South St.

Petersburg is not resilient, we're not ready.

Um Donald Trump got in office last November, and we're just now talking about the MLK parade, like we didn't already see that coming.

So there's a lot of other things that are very more important in the MLK parade that we haven't we haven't addressed as far as getting the South Side ready.

Uh, we're a food desert.

So they're they're not only cutting food stamps, they're cutting what we can buy on food stamps in a food desert.

So we already can't, we don't have access to good food.

Now we have less access to the food that we did have.

So there's just more things that could possibly be done with the money.

So it wouldn't kill it to reimagine the MLK weekend.

Um, maybe some younger minds can get to it and reimagine it and um you know make it more relevant and more practical.

Um the utility rates, we can't afford it.

I know we heard it was like $30 and up, $30 around that, but we we really can't afford it.

And I think we'll be able to afford it less in the coming uh months in the coming years.

Um I but I do think that it's unreasonable to believe that you know the rates have not gone up in a long time.

So I think that the burden should be split amongst the residents and the developers.

They can afford it more.

They knew what they were signing up when they came here.

They're making a lot more money off their property than our property owners are.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The next speaker is Esther Sinai, and we do have one on Zoom as well.

Okay, thank you.

Correction, Esther Sani.

All right.

Yeah, yeah, worked hard for their name.

Um, good morning, um uh council chair, vice chair, uh, city administrator, and counseling.

I'm sorry, we need your address.

You know what?

Esther signing 1601.

I'm getting I'm losing my minutes behind this.

1601 16th Street, South St.

Petersburg, Florida.

Um, good morning, everybody.

I already started it, so I'm gonna go ahead and jump in.

Um, the MLK parade represents more than a single day of celebration.

It stands on the shoulders of local giants, Reverend Enoch Davis, the Perkins family, Betty Wimbush, Dr.

David T.

Welch, Elder Jordan, and Chester James Sr.

These leaders fought for justice, inclusion, and dignity right here in our city.

Their sacrifices shaped the very streets we walk on today.

To compare the funding of the MLK parade to Pride events without acknowledging the vastly different histories and access to opportunity is deeply troubling.

Pride month's benefit pride month benefits from widespread sponsorship and engagement for 30 full days.

The MLK parade, rooted in civil rights movement, has historically been confined to just one day, and often lacks the financial and structural support needed to truly honor the meaning.

This is not about who deserves more, it's about honoring truth.

We can support the LGBTQ community and uplift the legacy of black leaders without pitting one struggle against the other.

I also urge both uh council member Driscoll, City Council, and the city to look at the current parade location.

Returning the MLK parade to MLK Junior Street, that's where it began.

That's where it belongs in a city with a long history of racial displacement and redevelopment that often erase black presence.

The geography of this parade matters.

It's not just symbolic, it's historical and deeply rooted and deeply personal to those of us who still live in these communities.

We aren't asking for special treatment.

We're asking for respect, restoration, and the continued recognition of the movement that shaped this city.

I want to say, in additional in my last 30-something minutes.

Why is it that it's always marginalized projects, marginalized people that we view and say, let's cut in that space.

We need to be very intentional.

We need to be very um nonpartisan, and we also need to be fair.

MLK should not be cut, but we should relocate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, let's go to our Zoom speaker.

Um, Marley, I'm gonna enter you into the meeting space.

When I do, please uh unmute yourself, state your name and address for the record, and you'll have three minutes to address city council.

Um Marley, can you hear me?

Uh yeah, can you hear me?

Uh yes, we can.

Awesome, thank you.

So, Marley Price, uh 5034, 32nd Av North.

I just wanted to thank everyone that came to the HERS meeting last week and for keeping an open mind about the feasibility study for public power.

And I'm really looking forward to hearing more on that.

But I also just wanted to quickly address a few things that were said in the meeting.

Um, so first there was a number thrown out, and it sounds like this was taken from the cost from winter parks conversion and then adjusting for kind of inflation and uh population changes.

Um, but I want to point out that population doesn't really capture the full picture.

Uh it doesn't scale like that.

Density actually plays like a really big role.

Um, and not only is our density a lot higher than Winter Parks, um, so the cost would not be the same, but our grid and our infrastructure and our external connections are all really unique for our city.

So that's why a feasibility study is really important, so we have that transparency in where we're at.

Um, and then second, I know Duke keeps saying they can't change the rates because they're set by the state, which is kind of like a really passive tone.

So it's odd that to say it that way when they're the ones that are requesting the rate increases.

And that's before we even get into their operating budget, which includes things like huge market pushes and lobbying against our interests and paid focus groups that they did a few months ago.

Um, and then last, I'm not sure if everyone saw, but a few days ago, the community liaison for Duke presented a check um for half a million dollars to Pinellas County to contribute to the parks.

I'm like, wow, that's really generous, but where do we think that money comes from?

It's built into our rates for them to do damage control, and I just feel like your constituents deserve a lot better.

And so at the end of a 30-year contract, I really hope the city will do its due diligence and make sure that that's the best use of our money.

Uh, thank you.

Thank you.

Any more speakers?

No, no, Miss.

Okay, we're gonna close close open forum and we're gonna go into awards and presentations, and we've got our Takamatsu students, the sister city student ambassador program presentation.

We're gonna bring up Celeste Davis and David Thompson uh to introduce the item.

Welcome.

Oh, good morning.

Good morning.

Uh David Thompson, director of government affairs with Celeste Davis, Director of Arts, Culture, and Tourism.

Uh, we are super uh honored and privileged to welcome our sister city ambassadors from our sister city of Takamatsu, Japan uh Japan here today.

Um, many of our council members know me of some who have been to Takamatsu that St.

Petersburg has had a sister city relationship with Takamatsu um since 1961.

And we were going through some files yesterday, and council members Harding's um district members were some of the most active and vocal about getting that uh relationship set all those years ago.

Um, as part of that uh relationship, we do an exchange program in which we send three students to Takamatsu for a two-week period to learn about the culture there to share in that cultural exchange.

They do a presentation in front of their city council, um, and accordingly um the Takamatsu students do one uh here in St.

Petersburg before you all.

So I'm just gonna ask our student ambassadors from Takamatsu and our student ambassadors from St.

Petersburg just to stand briefly so everyone can see them.

And I would be remiss if I didn't um acknowledge their chaperon, Mr.

Ayoki.

He's filming right now, but a quick wave there as well I'm before the go out.

Mayor Welsh do you want before the students present?

I just morning, Mr.

Chair.

Mayor, welcome to the St.

Pete team.

It's just an honor to welcome our uh exchange students who are here today.

The relationship with Takamatsu is one that we are trying to renew.

I think uh Councilmember Gibbs, I think you have some experience with that program as well.

Uh and really um you're such great representatives of both St.

Pete and Takamatsu.

We want to thank you for your leadership and something that I know council can relate to.

Uh last August uh sent Mayor O'Nishi a note of support uh as they were encountering a typhoon, and I can't pronounce the name of the typhoon uh in August in the course after we experienced what we did in September and October.

He sent uh a likewise note of support.

So thank you for all that you're doing.

Thank you to our team for supporting uh this exchange program, and we look forward to the presentation.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Uh so first Aya is gonna come up and do her presentation.

David, do you want to give her the clicker?

Flicker.

Oh, the clicker, yeah.

So just hit this when you're ready to go forward with your presentation.

Hello everyone, I'm Aya Uts Nomia.

Uh today I introduced the Takamatsu Central Horrice Market, a very important market in Takamatsu.

A wholesale market sells f fresh food and in large quantities.

Only licensed professionals like restaurants can buy their short video from Inside the Market.

Uh it helps you see the size and atmosphere of the market.

I visited this market on our summer tour in elementary school.

Please please take a look.

I was curious about where our food comes from.

That experience made me feel connected to this place.

It's near the port, so fresh food alive daily.

It supports many product producers and customers.

At 2 a.m.

Fresh products are alive from all over Japan and Kagawa.

By 4 a.m., workers carefully sought and all lens our products by type.

At 5 a.m.

Buyers inspect the karate and quantity.

At 6 a.m., the live action begins.

By 8 a.m.

the products are delivered to stores.

As you can see, and the market is full of NS from RA in the morning.

Now let's do our quick wave.

What time do you think market workers wake up?

A 6 a.m.

Who thinks it's A?

Free Lazy Hand.

B 4 a.m.

Howard V, lazy your hand.

And C, 2 a.m.

Does anyone think it's C.

Okay.

Great.

Thank you for your answers.

Let's check the light answer.

The answer is C 2 a.m.

Pretty early light.

Some workers even work all night to prepare products and keep the market running smoothly.

This shows how much effort goes into providing fresh food for everyone.

Thank you for listening.

This market supports our food and local economy.

This market.

Maybe you saw or tasted something from the this market.

Thank you.

I'd like to introduce Sanuki Kagari Tamari.

It's one of the traditional crafts in Kagawa.

Tamali is a bowl introduced from China a long time ago and it displays throughout Japan.

After that, it began to be made in a unique style for each region as a children's toy.

In our region, one of the main features was to use cotton.

Kagawa, formerly known as Sanuki, is facing the comb seto inland sea.

Thanks to its warm climate and lack of rainfall, locally produced cotton became famous along with salt and sugar.

These were called sanuki sampaku or three whites of sanuki.

Sanuki Kagari tamali is all handmade from natural ingredients.

Now I will introduce briefly how to make it.

First, we will create base tamali.

The colors of these balls are constructed from rice husks, wrapped in thin paper, and then thin cotton thread is round around the paper until it can no longer be seen, forming a round foundation.

Next we make the thread to be sewn.

These reds are colored with plant pillows and leaves.

By changing the concentration of the dye and the number of times it is dyed.

A wide variety of colors can be produced.

There are many gradations of lead alone.

All the fabrics are dyed with plants and insects, so the colors are gentle and soft.

Finally, the flat are sewn together by hand.

So here's a quiz.

First is Lowe's.

Second.

Do you know this?

I'd be cheating.

The answer answer is cherry blossoms.

The third one.

Do you know this?

It's an olives.

By the way, the work on the upper right represent in the C with St.

Petersburg is famous for two.

No.

How many flowers are combined to make this tamali?

Please lay your hand.

A about fifty flowers.

B about seventy flowers.

C about ninety flowers.

The answer is about this size and has 92 flowers.

Recently gift boxes, straps and aromatic tamali have become popular as interior decorations.

The Sanaki Kagari Timari was also given to Mayor Welch as a gift last year.

Um should have known all the answers then this is the actual product if you are interested please take a look at it for yourself.

Thank you for listening.

Hello everyone my name is Hayato I would like to introduce about Setochi International Art Festival.

Actually I don't have any quiz so don't worry smart man.

The Setochi International Art Festival is a big art festival in Japan.

It happened even every three years on set on small island island in Seto Inland Sea.

Artists from around the world come to show their art the goal is to bring people and life back to the islands.

These are posters from previous years created in collaboration with the local people the festival takes place on Naoshima, Soshima, Teshima and more each has its own style and atmosphere then why did such an art festival started to be held to understand that we need to know the history of the island before Japan economy started to grow people lived by fishing and farming there were a lot of track tractical fields their way of life on the islands developing in a unique way when Japan entered a period period of rapid economic growth and build more factories problems began to appear some islands like Teshima were used for illegal waste dumping and mountains were destroyed after the period of rapid economic growth the population began to decline to solve this problem the art festival was started in nineteen ninety two open the Benness house is a unique facility that combines a museum hotel and art space located on Naoshima Island in Japan it was open to connect art and nature in nineteen ninety eight ye project started at first yean house in Japan Japanese the art house project oh the art house project is a group of old houses changes changes to into art by artists each house is different and shows a mix of history and the modern art in 2004 the Tichu art museum opened Chichu Art Museum is an underground museum on Naoshima Islands it was designed by Tadao Ando to fit in the in with the nature environment after opening the Chichu art museum the number of foreign tourists increased leading to the consider of holding an international art festival and finally Setoji International Art Festival started in 2010 the Setoji Tril is an art art festival where visitor can explore Benes House the art house project the Tichu art museum and marry many temporary art works across different islands

And finally, Setoji International Art Festival started in 2010.

And many temp temporary artworks across different islands.

So what are the effects of the art festival?

First, the number of people moving to the islands in the Seto inland sea in is creasing.

The green bar graph shows the number of people who look relocated.

An orange line graph represent represent the number of relocation consultation.

Both numbers have gone up since the art festival began.

On Ogizima, a closed and elementary school opened again because people moved to the islands.

I'm sorry, the there were projects to help the environment using art.

Sir, the economy got better, and people's average monthly income had increased.

The festival wrote tourists to the area, helping local businesses like hotel restaurants and transport.

Also better roles, support from local people and more people moving and help the economic grow.

Thank you for listening.

Awesome.

David, do you have anything?

No, nothing else.

Okay.

We'll go to uh Councilmember Givens.

Thank you, Chair, and and thanks to each of you.

Thank you, David.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Celeste, for giving these students this opportunity.

To our St.

Petersburg student ambassadors, uh to our visiting student ambassadors, first and foremost, Konichiwa, Ohio.

Uh it is so nice to have you all here in the beautiful sunshine city.

Uh I remember it was the summer, June of 2009.

Um, Mayor Baker greeted us here at City Hall and our parents, and he gave us the opportunity of our lifetime.

Lifetime.

It was Annalise Delgado Kate.

She was a fellow Lakewood High School student.

Uh her grandfather, JW Kate actually served on the city council at one point.

Uh, she and I went to represent St.

Petersburg, and I'll never forget the beauty of the city of Takamatsu.

Uh, your mountains, your beaches, your museums, uh, and the hospitality.

Uh Steve Joel and I told you the other night uh when we were together at the hangar.

Uh I'll never forget my host family.

Uh I will never forget the the love and the kindness that was shown to me by Fujimoto-san.

Uh it was so many people that I met that I will never forget.

Um, but I want you to know that today, uh Jared, we we cracked this joke the other night.

Your student ambassadors today, but tomorrow your future United Nation ambassadors, your future council members, your future mayors.

The sky is the limit.

So understand this is not just another notch on your resume.

Uh something to put on your letters when you you know apply to college, but this is something that you can really pride yourself on, a cultural experience.

And I thank the city of St.

Pete for sending a little boy from South St.

Pete to represent you.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gabbard.

Thank you, Chair, and uh Kunnichua.

Thank you so much for coming this morning.

Uh, I just really wanted just to welcome you to St.

Petersburg.

I know that you've been spending some time here with uh Councilmember Givens and and learning, you know, a little bit about what it means for young kids to come to Japan, and I just wanted to share quickly uh my story just because it really changed my life.

I'm from a very small town in Indiana.

I don't know if you all know where Indiana is, but it is far away from here and even farther away from Japan.

And we had a sister city as well, and um that really was the experience for me when I got to go to a small town called Tochigi, if you know Tochigi, and um really just see an entirely different world view, um, a culture that is so welcoming and so um kind of ahead of its time, but really understands history and really for me, I think changed the trajectory of my life.

A culture that is so welcoming and so kind of ahead of its time, but really understands history and really for me, I think changed the trajectory of my life.

And so as Councilmember Givens talks about, you know, kind of opening up your experiences, opening up your world, really understanding what it means to be a global citizen and the responsibility that we have to care for one another as cultures.

And so I just wanted to thank you all so much for the families that have opened up your homes to these students.

That really unfortunately, my family never got to have anyone come in, but we had a lot of students that came to our school.

And then when I went back to Japan, I got to see them as well in their hometowns.

And it really just opens up your entire view.

And so thank you for being brave enough to come here and spend time with us because I know when you're young and you're getting ready to go, thousands of miles away from your sit uh from your family and your friends, it can be a little bit scary.

Um, but we hope that you have found us to be as welcoming as I know Takamatsu is and Japan is, and look forward to uh hearing when our students go what their experience is.

And I just really want to thank SPFs.

Um, the work that you all do to continue to have these relationships.

We um could not do it without all of you and your commitment.

So I just wanted to thank all of you and let you know um how much that we appreciate you.

And then the last thing, thank you for sharing the story about the wholesale market.

Mayor, we might have an idea here.

We have a lot of food and security issues, right?

And we heard about it earlier today, and one of the major challenges we have is access to locally grown and Florida grown foods coming into our urban environment.

So you might have given us an idea there.

So thank you for sharing your experience.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Well, um, I again I know it's been said, but just spiffs all the families on uh both from Takamatsu, St.

Petersburg, um, the Takamatsu governments, our administration, just so thankful.

I'm very sorry I couldn't be with you a couple of nights ago, Councilmember Givens, thank you for being there uh for dinner.

But I just every time I see a presentation, both from our students and the students from Takamatsu, like it blows me away what vision we had to have had in 1961 and the closeness of the two cities, like the grocery store, the the water views, the the art, the creation of art uh that's happening in Takamatsu, and then you think of everything that's happening here.

And so it just it blows me away every time.

So uh to students, great job.

Thank you for representing Takamatsu so well.

And just I I just walk away with my heart full every time I I see one of these presentations and get get to listen to you.

So I'm just so thankful for you.

Uh Councilmember Givens, thank you for representing St.

Pete.

Uh and so uh what I can I can't wait for this continued relationship and and thank you so much and congratulations for being selected.

It is really is an honor.

So thank you.

Okay, council members, we are gonna move into public here, and we are gonna start with E1.

We've got Joe Wall with us.

Move approval.

We have a motion.

Do we have a second?

We have a motion and a second on E1.

Seeing as no other council members wishing to speak.

Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

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

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve agenda item E1 passes unanimously with Councilmember Floyd being absent.

Thanks, Joe.

Okay, we're gonna move into E2.

We've got a presentation or resolution approving the FY2526 annual action plan.

We've got Dr.

Avery Sleicher joining us.

Good morning, Chair.

Good morning, Council.

Good morning.

Feel free to just approve me like you did approval.

I'll let you know.

Okay, so this morning we are here to talk about the annual action plan process and to get approval each year.

The city receives federal grants from the community development block grant, the home investment partnership program, emergency solutions grant, and all of that is from the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as our state revenue from property tax for the state housing initiatives program.

Those combined with our housing capital investment fund, create our action plan.

And from that, the action plan is our blueprint for the next five years of how we will meet our housing and community development needs.

So to establish these needs, our final action plan.

This is it.

We're on our last year of our five years.

So our final action plan was drafted through a balanced budget to receive funds that are allocated out to programs and projects through a commitment to our community that is reflective and dedicated to improving housing stability, fostering economic development, and enhancing a quality life for all through collaboration, that strong partnership with our community partners and our residents, all working together to meet these shared goals.

This is our citizen participant outreach for this year.

This was our timeline of what it took for us to get here today, and all of our public notices and all of our ads were submitted to the St.

Pete Times and Weekly Challenger.

And now for our resources.

So this year we are looking at CDBG funding, that's community development block grant for 1.7 million.

Home for $7,400, $691.28, and our emergency solutions ESG for 157,232 for a grand total of $2.6 million.

Now, while you'll see over the year, yes, we did get an increase this year in our home, but we also got decreases through our CDBG and our ESG.

So that did result in an overall 2.51% decrease in funding, which is what we have been seeing over the years is a slow decrease.

But through our 2425 funding, we have six public service programs, six public facility and infrastructure improvements, two homeless support programs, one tenant-based reject uh resident one tenant-based rental assistance program, and our city initiative programs, which do include our affordable housing development, and all of that brings us to our goals for 2526.

These goals before you address the identified priority needs within our annual action plan that support our five-year plan.

These include producing new and preserving affordable housing for low and moderate income and rentals, providing prevention housing and supportive service for our unhoused, providing public and support facilities and infrastructure, providing economic development opportunities, and providing an enhancing fair housing through our planning and administration of housing and community development activities.

Move approval.

I gave a motion at the beginning.

Okay.

Oh, you did?

I just responded her recording.

Oh, got it.

I'm sorry, I didn't hear it.

I wanted to, I wanted to move it.

Listen, I see I see you working.

Yeah.

Um, we'll go to council member gapard.

Thank you, Chair.

So very uh briefly, Dr.

Slicker.

So on that last slide that you had up there, um, it's the second and third line of those goals.

There's the new single family homeowner one, and then financial assistance to home buyers 47.

Yes, can you talk about the difference between those and why we don't lump those together?

For the for the financial assistance, it would be that down payment.

But for the single family, that homeowner, that could also include our counseling sessions that are in there that we provide, and we do do that through our ship funding.

So it's more that that one is more about wrap-arounds.

It could be that wrap around.

Correct.

And it could also be our single family developer incentive that we have through the CRA funding that we do.

So we do that program for individuals that are gonna develop single family homes.

We provide those incentives and for I probably should know this after all these years, but um, when you say output one on new single family homeowner, but that is for wraparound services, if you will.

But um, when you say output one on new single family homeowner, but that is for wraparound services, if you will.

We're just gonna do that for one individual, or is that one that would be actually building the home for that one?

So this would think of this as a habitat more.

So this one would be more of the at the full picture, that one.

So we're going from ground up.

Okay.

All right.

Um and then the homeless prevention, um, a thousand persons is the output goal there.

Can you talk a little bit about what um services we'll be offering through that?

Um what the programming is?

What we do have is true homeless prevention, and that is Catholic charities that provides that.

It's a form of a rapid rehousing that they'll be touching.

And we also have various other programs within homeless prevention that aren't just funded through here.

So those could be through our social action funding now that they are also under our umbrella of housing.

And that could be that rapid response.

It could be even I oh geez, I'm just trying to think the utilities assistance.

Oh, okay.

The rental assistance that we provide.

Okay.

That one time only thing.

Those are things that we're looking into.

We're looking at actually trying to expand the utility this year.

Absolutely.

All right, very good.

Well, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Vice Chair Hanowitz.

I would just say a shout out to actually getting all this together and this annual action plan.

Every time I see this, I'm just shocked at the amount of information that's in here.

And you all do such a great job at organizing it and getting it all together.

So just I wanted to do that shout out.

And I also wanted to say um the 2025 analysis of impediments to fair housing choice that's attached to it, which is unreal.

Fantastic.

I know it's in draft form.

If once you get the final, can you share that with us?

That would be fantastic.

But it is a wealth of information in here that it that demographic information for our county that I think is very helpful to all of us.

So thank you for doing that.

Thank you.

And a shout out to the team.

They're the ones that truly put it all together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Fix Sanders.

Thank you, and thank you, Avi, for this.

And I didn't immediately second because I did want to see um the presentation so that we can see what hard work you all are putting um into addressing the homelessness issue.

I do have a quick question, and I'm not sure of a solution for it, but I see that a part of our citizens' participation outreach, we do newspaper ads, and then I noticed that you mentioned a weekly challenger, which is not a printed edition anymore.

Is everything is online?

And so have we spoken in regards to I know that St.

Pete Housing Authority and Pinella's housing authority has a huge waiting list um in regards.

Have we thought about expanding um our notifications to other organizations to help get it out because they will get it out to the community before the electronic version of some of these newspapers?

They are notified.

Everybody on our mailing list is notified of everything.

Although hopefully they're sharing it.

Okay, thank you for that.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gibbons.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Um, my question kind of builds off Councilmember Fate Sanders uh specifically regarding targeted outreach.

So for those folks who may not be on those mailer lists, um, I'm thinking about our faith-based organizations, those community organizations that serve our seniors in those unhoused populations.

How are we going to reach out to them?

How are we gonna get those funds out there to them?

I have a brand new senior housing coordinator, Cassandra here.

Wait a introduction.

That is her background is community outreach, and so we are changing what we're going to be doing within our community engagement over the next year.

So she is going to be working with neighborhood associations, various associations, our churches community-wide is her goal is to get out there and actually talk.

This is the year that we need to start gathering our data for our next consolidated plan.

And her goal is to be in the community.

Well, that is awesome.

I look forward to speaking with her and administrator foster about her model.

Um, I'm excited to hear about that.

Um I did have a question regarding marketing.

Are we interested in doing kind of like social media campaign?

I know you you can run ads and you know, to the council members' point with with things not printing these days.

Everybody, you know, they're on their phones and and everything's on your fingertips.

She has a meeting with our marketing representative to do just that to do an overhaul of our web pages and to work with them on what we can do for the next year, especially getting the word out about wanting to be in the community and speaking with community members.

That is great news, and I'm so happy to hear that we also are gonna be offering utility assistance.

So thank you so much for this.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Uh Dr.

Schleiker, thanks for all the work.

The all the team um excited for uh the information gathering for the new plan.

I I would totally agree with um Vice Chair Hanowitz on the uh analysis of impediments.

What a wealth of information to like see everything around us in comparison.

I just think that that was really cool to see and very helpful.

So uh I'm just always um so impressed with uh the preparation and um your forward thinking on like what's the next.

We're yeah, we're doing good.

How do we get better?

Uh and so I just I'm very much appreciative of that.

So thank you for all the work and thank you to the team.

Okay, we've got a motion and a second.

Seeing there's no other council members wishing to speak.

Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing as all present council members have voted, clerk please tell you announcing the vote.

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve agenda item E2 passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Okay, we're gonna go into E3 and we're gonna talk about our ordinance restricting the hours during which soliciting canvassing and I think that's supposed to say, yeah, it does say peddling is permitted on residential property.

We've got Devin Haggett here.

Uh and yes, I'm I'm getting there.

I haven't finished.

You guys thought I was rushing.

And this was vice chair's items.

I'll turn it over to Vice Chair Hanwitz.

Sorry, Chair.

Yeah, thank you.

If we could read the ordinance, please.

Proposal ordinance number 612-H and ordinance amending the St.

Petersburg City Code creating a new subsection 17-1607 restricting the hours during which soliciting canvassing and peddling is permitted on residential property and providing for an effective date.

And we do not have any cards on this.

Okay, I will turn it over to Vice Chair Hanowitz.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, so this item came about as complaints were received, and I think all of us have dealt with people knocking on our door late at night selling something, and it turned out we didn't have any restrictions in terms of the times when people could come.

This is for commercial uh purposes.

There are lots of exceptions, obviously, under the ordinance.

Um things, of course, that are charitable or religious uh purposes, and also for candidates uh for public office or on behalf of political party, those are all exceptions.

So this is only for commercial purposes, had complaints regarding certain things like the solar panels and that that sort of thing.

So we had it at committee, and we had a discussion as to what the times were uh appropriate, and we settled on uh 7 p.m.

or sunset, whichever is earlier until 8 a.m.

the following day, as the times when people should not be knocking on your door, and these hours were basically thinking about dinner time, and um, so Devin did a fantastic job doing the research, looking at other cities and how they handled it, and so she provided a wealth of information and also had talked with uh St.

Pete Police Department who said they wouldn't have any issues um uh enforcing the ordinance.

So, Devin, I don't know if there's anything for you to add uh add, but if there are any questions, um Devin is here to answer them.

And I move approval.

Second.

Okay, we have a motion and a second.

Seeing there's no other council members wishing to speak.

Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

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

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve agenda item E3 passes unanimously.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Devin.

Thanks for all the work.

Thank you, Chairman.

And thank and thank you, Vice Chair, for uh bringing that item and moving it so quickly.

Thank you.

Okay, we're gonna go into reports, council members, and we've got our advanced air mobility task force, and we are joined by former council member Ed Montaneri, and then we've got Brian Caper and Rich Lesniak.

Councilman, uh Ed, do you want to sit up here or are you okay down there?

I'll move if you need to.

I know you're used to sitting in a good place for me.

Okay, yeah, okay.

I want to make sure you're as comfortable as possible.

Thank you.

I would be happy to lower this chair.

Welcome, Ed.

Thank you all.

It's good seeing every everyone.

Uh I had uh some input from uh some of our legislative aides.

They wanted me to bring my dog to help dress him up with with uh with some sort of uh costume and bring him in.

I thought that might be a little bit of a distraction, but I've got good news to report with the uh work of the uh Albert Witte Task Force, and uh today I'm gonna review the work that's been done so far, a little bit about the uh advanced air mobility industry uh and what we're gonna do with our few future meetings.

Um then uh we'll get to a timeline on how we think this industry is gonna develop.

Imagine for a second that you were a city council member back in in 1914, and uh you witnessed the first airline flight, and uh as a leader of our city, you decided we wanted to form a committee and study this new industry that just we just witnessed.

And uh and you look at where we are now with this advanced air mobility task force, that's kind of where we are.

I mean, it's like it's an industry that has just uh started, and we it's gonna it's gonna change our world, but we don't know that we're still trying to figure out all the different facets to it.

So uh that's kind of how the the work's going uh as we begin our our our study.

Um first up on the first slide I wanted to show.

This is the uh tasks that you uh you gave us to do, and uh we uh we've been working our way through uh studying all of this.

And the way that you gave us nine months to do our work, and uh the information that you gave us uh was very detailed, and you also uh the city council and the mayor appointed a good group of people to uh serve on this task force.

We have a couple uh members of the task force that are experts in advanced air mobility.

Uh and then we have some that uh are not that familiar with aviation, and then the rest of the task force is somewhere in between.

And so the way that I wanted to lead this task force was to kind of break down the job that you gave us into three big components.

And the first component is education.

Uh we need to learn about this this industry, bring in subject matter experts, and explain to us all the different facets of uh uh this industry.

Uh after we get through the education portion of the task force, then we're going to get into making the recommendations, which is going to be the heart of the report that we're going to eventually get to you.

And then at the end of our our study, the last few meetings, we'll be working on that on that final uh report.

Um we're very fortunate that we've got a great group of smart uh good listener uh type people that can uh we we have great conversations after at our at our meetings.

Uh we usually have a presentation uh from a subject matter expert, and it's like a city council committee meeting.

We have a 15-minute presentation uh followed by a very robust discussion uh uh on the on the task force, and everybody uh participates.

We do I did want to mention that we had two task force members uh resigned, they each had their reasons, so we're down to 12 task force members.

I also have up there on the slide uh our our city staff, and uh again we're very fortunate to have uh great uh staff support uh uh from Brian Caper, Brett Pet Pettigrew.

I kid Brett that uh uh he always gets like the the jobs that are really difficult to do.

And this is more of a fun type of a job, so it's it's uh it's a little bit different uh from what he's been doing in the in the past.

Ben James, Sarah Luck Lucker, and uh, and then Rich uh Rich Lesniak, the airport manager.

I've spent a lot of time on the phone and in meetings with with Rich.

And then Janie Ollman, you all know, is a a blessing to uh city council, and and she's uh uh supporting us uh also.

And then Doug DeCarlo, he's uh the consultant that we're using uh who works for uh ESA.

Advanced air air mobility uh is a uh a new concept that uh it is it's just uh a groundbreaking way of thinking about a new aviation component.

Um we I've got uh picture of three of the manufacturers uh that are out there, and there's uh multiple more manufacturers, and what we're seeing we're seeing in the industry is the manufacturers are pairing up with other big companies.

You can see with these uh some of these manufacturers are paired up with major airlines, and each major airline uh, and we have three major airlines in the United States, American Delta United.

You can see with these uh some of these manufacturers are paired up with major airlines, and each major airline uh, and we have three major airlines in the United States, American Delta United, uh they all are paired up with one of the manufacturers, uh, and then uh you see some of the cargo carriers being paired up FedEx, UPS, uh, Amazon, uh, Walmart are all pairing up with them also.

Uh the FAA as as this industry uh continues to develop, the FAA is going to certify uh these aircraft to start carrying passengers, and the certification date is has been slipping a little bit.

We think they're gonna certify the first uh EVTOL, the uh uh electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle in the next year or or two.

Uh and I wanted just to point out there there are two different types of uh vehicles.

There's the one that we have up on the screen, the the vertical takeoff and landing EV tall, but then there's another type, a conventional takeoff and landing uh aircraft, and that might be certified first, but the conventional one would take off like an airplane, but with a much shorter uh uh runway required.

The industry is predicted to grow uh extremely fast.

Uh it's expected to be a 30 billion dollar industry by 2030, growing to 137 billion by 2035.

Uh and these companies that are in the business to develop these uh these aircraft uh are very well capitalized, and uh they're worldwide also.

The initial business cases are up there on the screen.

Air taxi cargo and medical transport.

Uh when we first uh brought this to the economic and workforce uh development committee, we kind of concentrated on the air taxi and the cargo component of it.

But as we study this more, there's a there's a big medical transport and we could see a law enforcement uh uh capability also.

The screen talks about the business cases.

There's also going to be uh some private use cases where people might buy these uh vehicles for uh recreation.

Um the next bullet point talks about uh the operators look like traditional helicopters or general aviation piloted aircraft.

And we the when the FAA uh certifies these uh they're going to have a pilot on board, but at some point in time uh they're gonna become uh autonomous uh vehicles.

Just uh if you if you think about uh these aircraft, uh they're very they're somewhat similar to automobiles.

Automobiles are getting more electric, and they are they're in that we're transitioning now from uh cars with drivers, but we're going to a future with cars without drivers.

And they're gonna and when in the automobile industry uh that's coming to Florida here, maybe as soon as next year.

Um this is a uh uh a unique uh technology and uh uh we need we we need to continue to study this and see how it's gonna affect our our city.

This is the uh schedule uh that we have put together uh for for the task force, and uh we've had some very very good speakers.

Our first meeting was in April, and our our meeting pace is about every three weeks uh or so, but we're going from uh kind of a uh a broad outline, and again we're in the education phase, but we've had uh speakers uh of course Rich Lesniak kicked us off, but then we brought in uh uh former Senator Jeff Brandis, who is a uh expert in this field, to kind of give us a broad overview of of the industry and what it what it's gonna look like.

Uh then we we brought some uh experts when it comes to airspace integration and then uh Brett Fay uh on June the 30th came in from the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority and talked about what Tampa International is doing in this space, and they they they started a little bit before we did, and they're quite a bit advanced, but they're taking this seriously.

If you go back to the previous slide and see how the airlines are paired up with these uh companies, you can see why Tampa International would be would want to be there.

Most of these vehicles are going to be powered by electricity.

So uh we brought in a uh an expert from uh Columbus, Ohio to talk about what the industry is looking for when it comes to how much power they're gonna need, what the superchargers are gonna look like, and and those sorts of issues.

And then we brought in a specialist from Duke Energy to talk about the issues on the ground here and how do we get the power to where we want to put the verteports.

Uh of this.

At our last meeting on on Monday, we we talked about Vertiports, which uh the Verdeport discussion, those are the first two uh uh issues that uh the mayor and city council wanted us to look look uh look at.

And then uh, and we had a very good meeting, a very good discussion about uh Verteports, whether it's at Applewood at airport and some of the issues that we might want to think about both at Advertwood Airport and for reports around the city of St.

Petersburg.

Um our next meeting is going to be talking about the manufacturers, and we've been talking with uh the people from Arc Invest because they invest in disruptive technology, and that's what we're talking about here.

And they have uh three people on their staff, uh two here in the United States and one in Ireland that uh do a lot of work in this space.

So they're gonna talk to us about the industry of the whole as a whole and the specific uh specifics about who's what the leaders are in the industry and where where we think this technology is going to be uh deployed.

And then I'm not gonna go through the rest of the list, but but they it pretty much follows with the uh the task that you you gave us to do.

Around the middle of September, we're gonna start as we'll we'll start transitioning to uh doing a briefing on a subject uh a subject matter, and then we'll start getting into uh recommendations as part of that.

And then uh the colored meetings are the updates that you that you requested.

This is a timeline that I asked Rich to put together, and uh there's a couple things I wanted to point out uh on this timeline.

So you've got uh three colors there, uh and you've which kind of match up with both uh federal, state, and and local local government.

Uh and you can see that uh this subject is being taken very seriously by the FAA and the federal government, uh the F DOT and with the formation of this advanced air mobility task force is being taken seriously here in St.

Petersburg.

And as far as I know, we're the only city in Penhouse County that is doing something like this.

Um a couple of things that I wanted to point out uh on on the timeline, and I wanted to talk about the F DOT because the F DOT uh started uh a few years ago, and they have published a whole lot of information, including a very detailed guidebook on this this subject.

And uh we have to be proud that we live in a state that takes this to this technology seriously and is uh working hard to make sure it could be accepted here in the state of Florida, and uh and there's a jobs component with with this also.

So uh I'm glad the states uh involved.

The FAA is is very involved also, and uh I I just kind of put there just to give you some context of what the what the three uh levels of government are are doing.

Uh June of 2023, the city adopted the Albert Wooded uh master plan in December of uh 23.

There was a demonstration at Tampa International from a company called Volocopter uh of a EV toll, and it it flew around Tampa Inner International.

Uh interesting, very it just it was a fascinating uh uh event, and uh uh again it's coming to us uh soon.

The other thing I I wanted to point out on on this slide, if you see on June 20 uh June of this year, uh the president issued an executive order on uh drones and uh advanced air mobility.

And the Trump administration has been very serious.

They don't want the United States to uh they want the United States to be a leader in in this sector, and they've got very aggressive timelines.

This executive order uh has uh specific timelines for the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Commerce, uh, and other uh the FAA administrator, all aspects of the federal government uh to uh push forward their this technology.

One of the things that they have in this executive order is they've got some funding that uh is going to become available very very soon, and they they're talking about five or more pilot projects throughout the United States.

When we had Tampa International come before uh the task force, they asked us if we might want to consider pairing up with them to try to become uh a team to go after that that funding.

So uh that's something that that is that that is out there.

Um and then the rest of the timeline is uh self self-explanatory.

Um I did want to just mention when we talk about the education phase, uh the city has formed a uh we've got a one-drive with just a a whole bunch of uh information uh on it uh and Rich Lesniak and the rest of the city staff does a very good job of compiling information uh to share with the task force.

But being who I am, we couldn't have a study without binders.

So I had our city staff create a binder for each one of uh our task force members so that we could, because there's so much information and you kind of have to distill it down.

Uh I I wanted to kind of uh give them bites, give the task force bytes of information at a time as we go through a very complex and ever changing uh study.

Uh the binders aren't red.

I I know that was gonna be a question that was gonna come up, but uh the uh uh everybody is uh uh uh very good and very on top of all the information that is uh in front of us.

And then I think the other the other thing I wanted to mention at every task force meeting, uh we have an open forum for the for the public.

Uh so far we haven't had any speakers at open forum, but one of the things in the F DOT guidebook that they talk about is you need robust public in engagement because people are these these uh devices are some of them are operating now, uh, but they're going to be flying out there, and people are going to have a lot of questions.

And we want to make sure that they the public knows that this uh this is being studied and people are uh keeping track of what's what's going on in the skies above us.

Um and uh the task force uh is is operating very well.

I anticipate us uh finishing our work on time, uh, but we'll see how things things go.

At some task force meetings, uh every now and then something will come up that we may have to get more information on, but right now I anticipate us uh presenting the final report on time in January of next year.

So thank you very much, and I'll open it up to any questions that you have.

Thank you.

Councilmember Harding.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh Edit, it's great to see you.

Thank you very much.

Um the the work that the city does is normally focused on projects of today or or things that that we need to accomplish over the next five years that generally fall in the the same line with what we do.

Uh we don't often look at how do we how do we improve the city with with cutting edge new technology.

And um, and just to give you background for this, that was um that was introduced by council member uh Montanari before um he termed out and um and he both uh appointed and accepted the position of actually running it with the qualifications uh minor, just a little bit.

Um he spent the first half of his career as uh uh as a uh a decorated F-16 pilot, and he spent the second half of his career, uh the middle of his career as uh as a pilot with United flying massive jets, and then the last part of his career here in this seat that I have now raised.

Um and so there couldn't there actually literally could not be someone someone better suited to to lead this task force and the the mass of uh of brain power that you've amassed to look at this is phenomenal.

This is one of those few projects that um that will eventually change society um and it has to start somewhere.

So the fact that that we are on the cutting edge of this and and we're looking at starting the set I that there there is not a uh there's not a possible way for us to to thank you enough and the and the work that the folks are doing and I think that all of the people uh up here every single one of them who are friends of yours uh personal friends would would agree with me um that I don't have any questions so much as just the comment of of thank you very much for what you're doing and obviously any anything you need we're we're going to provide I mean we'll we if you need a truckload of red binders we're in so thank you know where to find them right yeah thank you very much thank you thank you council member Driscoll thank you thank you for their presentation it's great to see you uh here and uh really appreciate all the work that you're doing and I appreciate that the mayor um was thoughtful enough to think of you as one of his appointments to the task force so um it it's really exciting to see all the work that's been done by the task force so far and the information gathering is immense and it's also a moving target because this tech is moving forward so quickly but I love seeing that you're bringing in heavy hitters as speakers and hearing that all of the task force members are actively engaged and working on this together and it's great to hear that you're getting the support you need from city staff.

You talked earlier about how there are two types of um of these vehicles and one is more vertical the other one is a little closer to being traditional as far as the takeoff and landing have have you gotten far enough to know if both types are compatible with Albert Wooded airport um good question and and we we haven't gotten there yet at our next meeting uh I believe it's on August the 25th that's when we're going to bring in uh Arc Invest and we're gonna go through all the different manufacturers and some of their operating plans I do believe that they will be compatible with Albertwood Airport the uh conventional uh vertical uh conventional takeoff and landing uh um aircraft they they have very short uh takeoff roles in and landing um so I think that they're they're not going to have a a problem uh operating out uh out of Albert Woodard airport I also don't think the the vertical takeoff and landing ones are either we have helicopters that operate out out of there the electricity component is is a interesting kind of twist on on everything and if you think about how especially with uh air transportation with airlines whenever as an airline person whenever you see an airplane at the gate uh when you're in the business you know that that airplane is not making any money so it's making money when it's flying these uh EV tolls and in conventional uh vertical uh takeoff and landing uh aircraft they're gonna want to turn those airplanes quickly also to meet an airline schedule so when you get into the electricity part of the discussion there's uh talk about superchargers just like you have for like a Tesla and that requires a lot of power to to operate those there's also some talk about uh uh swapping out batteries so you'd have the storage of of batteries maybe uh around Albert Wooded airport and an aircraft would land and the battery would be swapped out put on a charger and another battery put in and then the the craft would take take back off again there is no easy answers to some of these problems.

If you think about storing batteries and you then you just think about what happened to us here in St.

Petersburg last year with two hurricanes flooding and what happens with uh electric vehicles when it comes to to flooding you've got all kinds of issues so uh kind of a long answer to your question I think they will be compatible but there's some issues that we need to work out.

Okay.

Thanks.

When you do the recommendations are you going to be will you include some recommendations regarding workforce development because there are all kinds you mentioned that this is a job creator.

It is um if it's not in there already I would love to see some examples of the types of skill building that we need to look at having here in St.

Depending on what type of use Albert Woodard Airport can have in this.

So we want the uses.

And then we want the skills and the education that's going to be needed in order for St.

Pete people to be able to say we can have we can take those jobs.

So I'd love to have that included.

And then finally, um with this timeline, thank you for pointing out that at both the state and federal levels.

And that federal funding could be available in the near future for five new pilot projects.

So this might be more of a question for the administration or for Brian, I don't know.

Um, but I wonder if we have someone that's focused on this that's um you know, talking with the state, talking with the feds, looking, you know, having this on the radar, talking with, did you say it was Tampa International that we could partner with?

Talking with them, making sure that we're on top of this so we don't miss the opportunity.

Is David Thompson involved now?

Good morning, council.

Hi.

Um terrific question, Councilmember.

So yes, um Really, our our entire city team is involved in this.

Um and and Mr.

Thompson will be a uh presenter at the task force in some of the upcoming weeks along with our grants team.

Um, but really it is Mr.

Lesniak that uh has his finger on the pulse of this.

He has been in coordination with Tampa International, uh Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, he's following uh FDOT policy and FAA policy very closely.

So Rich really is our um our advocate for this and our liaison on this technology as it continues to evolve.

Um, but you are correct, it is it's much larger than any one person, and so we have multiple city departments that are following this closely and continue to look for opportunities for partnership as well as um opportunities to make sure that um as we are a leader in this space, as St.

Petersburg continues to push forward, we're not doing it alone.

Right, right.

And certainly if you would like to add to that.

No, I I would just add um ironically, I'm uh going to a meeting with uh the folks at TIA actually next week, bringing our tower manager over to talk some potential airspace and stuff.

So there is to his point, there is some active dialogue going on.

So we're exploring ways to partner with not only the funding potential funding opportunities that Ed had mentioned with the executive order, but in last year's um FAA reauthorization bill, there's also language in there about some additional pilot um funding program.

So there could potentially be a few opportunities that could be explored.

So we're kind of waiting to see how the FAA rolls those out.

There's still not a lot of information yet, but so we're kind of waiting to see how that rolls out and looking how we might be able to, you know, put our put our hat in the ring for some of that.

So all right, terrific.

Thank you.

That's all I had.

Thanks to all of you for the work that you're doing on this.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Can I uh before we can uh counce Councilmember Driscoll had a uh a question about workforce development?

I did want to point out that uh in in our uh at one of our meetings, uh we did talk talk about this, not just workforce development, but also as a potential employer.

Uh I I mentioned so uh one of our our task force members talked about trying to attract the the job component here, and I mentioned at a task force meeting that sometimes you may not be able to, we may not have the land, we may not have the resources uh uh when it comes to land to have a like a factory to build an EV toll.

But I think about what Congressman Young did when he was our congressman.

And he built the defense industry in Pinellas County, and he did it by funding components of different programs.

So that's the mindset that I want our economic development people to be thinking about.

We may not build the whole aircraft, but we might build a component, whether it's a brake system or canopy or or some other components.

So I want people to have that mindset on on the on the job creating side.

And then on the workforce development side, and and I I see uh councilmember Floyd has his his button pushed, but Azalea Middle School has this big program uh on drones, and they have uh every year they have uh like a weekend where they show all these things off.

I was at a lunch uh a couple of weeks ago, and school board member uh uh Laura Hein was there, and I asked to meet with her because I want to have conversations of how do we develop these young kids at Azalea Middle School that they do these drone races, they do all kinds of things with these drones.

They're they are smart as can be, and I want to make sure that they have a path to kind of get into this business.

So you brought you brought up a very good question and is something that the task force has discussed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Floyd.

Thank you.

Okay, well, I mean, I'll start and say the Sunshine State Drone Expo is an excellent event.

I'd encourage everyone to attend.

Uh District One.

Caught me off guard.

Yes, absolutely.

Um I just thank you for the presentation, the update.

I I was looking forward to it.

I just wanted to ask uh, because it's not quite clear for me yet, if you could speak to some of the like operational differences between like uh you know these aircraft and traditional aircraft, particularly for vertical takeoff and landing, you know, experience like you know smaller scale helicopters and whatnot before, and I just uh have not quite grasped yet exactly what the differences and the advantages to this type of vehicle are and what we're hoping to see in the future.

You know, and and so we haven't gotten uh the briefing on the on the on the manufacturers yet.

Now I've been immersing myself uh in learning about this industry and uh watching these vehicles operate, and I've seen both both types, the both the vertical takeoff and landing and and the conventional takeoff and landing, uh just basically YouTube videos of them.

Uh they're all electric operated, and the the limitation right now is the battery life.

And you think about about a uh vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, they're gonna use a lot of their uh energy and their batteries just getting the the vehicle off the ground before it can it can go forward.

Uh we're we're talking about right right now relatively short ranges of of these electric vehicles, but some of the vehicles uh they're not all electric.

Um of the companies was it Joby that's doing Joby.

Uh hydrogen.

Yeah, so one of the the uh a company called Joby that which was up on the slide, they're they're using hydrogen, uh it's hydrogen powered.

It and then there's going to be a hybrid powered uh vehicle.

So again, you're on the like the leading edge of this technology, and you've got all these manufacturers with different uh ways of approaching the the problem.

Um right now I think most of the industry, if you're just gonna look at where most of the industry in is in, it would be like a helic like a helicopter type operation.

Um but um we'll have to wait and see.

Okay, and thank you for that.

And uh what uh you know I saw there's recommendations like do you have any inkling as to what recommendations y'all are hoping to put forward?

Are you still gathering information?

I just didn't know if you could preview anything like that at this point.

Yeah, we haven't gotten to that phase of our uh our our study yet, but the recommendations are going to address the what city council and the mayor asked us to do.

And like the the main focus if you look at most of the recommendations are on what uh there's a main focus on Alber Witted Airport and the operations at out of that uh out of the airport.

And then if we want to put if people want to put verte ports in other locations of the uh uh around the city, what are what are some of the considerations?

And there's regulatory issues, there's noise issues, uh other environmental issues, you've got uh fire safety uh issues that you you you need to think about.

Uh it wouldn't surprise me at all if uh a part of the city like St.

Pete Fire and Rescue might have a vehicle before too long that's good at transport.

It might not be St.

Pete Fire and Rescue, it could be something like Sunstar, some sort of air ambulance type type of operation that would transport somebody from an accident like an auto accident to Bayfront, just like a helicopter would.

Okay, cool.

All right, thank you very much.

I look forward to getting more information in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Count uh Vice Chair Hanowitz.

Well, thank you, Ed, for that thorough presentation.

I didn't expect any less.

I'm very excited about the work that you're doing on the task force.

It's good to see you back in chambers again.

Thank you.

Good to be here.

Yes, I will tell you when you see this list of task force members, knowing that you're heading it, we're in good hands in terms of making sure that we have all the information needed to be ready for the future as the regulatory framework develops, both at the federal level at the state level.

And I love the fact that we're looking at how we fit in to the picture.

And you talked about different components and where the city can actually use where it's strong to make sure that it's part of the industry.

So you know, you're you're doing all the right things.

Uh I have to Walt is here.

It's good to see you, Wall.

Also, thank you for your service on the task force also.

Um I want to say, in terms of workforce development, I think uh council member um Driscoll um kind of started the conversation with pilot training and certification.

Are there differences for this type of equipment?

And is that something that can be offered here at Albert Whited, or I'm just not sure how that works.

I think I'm I'm gonna invite Rich up to talk a little bit about that.

Um so initially these craft are going to uh have a pilot on board.

Their licensing requirements, I believe the FAA is in the process of changing them, but until we get to certification of these aircraft, I don't I don't think it's gonna be like a traditional pilot's license.

Uh and uh but I'll I'll let Rich talk about yeah.

Uh so what we know right now, uh the FA only recently passed um rules specific to pilot training, and and in fact, as I think Ed pointed out, they haven't even certified any of the aircraft yet for flight.

So um I think the conventional wisdom is eventually, yes, it would be just like getting building hours on a traditional airplane, but you're gonna be type certified for whatever the specific aircraft is, a Jovi, Archer, whatever.

So I I think it's gonna probably follow the same type path at this point, but again, it's we don't know yet for sure because they're not flying yet.

Okay.

I was just wondering to see how we can fit in Albert Whited, obviously, and use the resources we have in that regard and also train individuals here in St.

Petersburg.

Yeah, I mean, theoretically, as Ed said, these aircraft could pretty much land at Albert Witten now.

So the idea that there's a flight training component at Albert Witte for this is very much in line with um how Albert Wood could be used for it.

Great.

Well, thank you.

And the other thing that you mentioned, um Ed, um, the St.

Pete Fire Rescue emergency operations and public safety on how this fits in.

Very exciting.

I would love to see some of that um in the final report, because that is definitely something I think that would benefit the city.

Right.

Well, and and uh it was it was just uh it was great to have them at our meeting.

And uh they they have a way of like opening your your mind a little bit about some of the issues when it comes to electric vehicles.

Uh in my time on city council, I went to a lot of fire events, and you know, when a when a truck pulls up on an accident site that has an electric vehicle nowadays, I mean they've got iPads to know what to do and what not to do, and we're gonna have the same type of issues with these new aircraft that are gonna be going to be flying.

So but it was uh it was a that was another very very good meeting when we just talked about electricity and and some of the fire rescue components.

But uh this is one of those one of those issues that's going to touch a large segment of our our city.

Uh and everybody is kind of in the learning mode of how this is going to uh affect uh our our our city going forward.

So well, and this and the fact that we're getting in early ensures that we're gonna be ready because it is coming no matter what, and so I appreciate you taking the helm on this and uh bringing Brett along for the ride so that way he doesn't have to deal with appointments and elections, and you give them another area of the law he can focus on.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Uh well, thanks so much for being here and thanks for your continued service.

Uh the man in the arena.

Um so I I have just a couple of questions, and I'm sure it's being contemplated, and really and actually this first one really isn't a question, it's more of a statement, and and really it's towards Wall.

I mean, I'm my guess is you're already thinking about friends of Albert Wooded scholarships for this type of thing as training comes online.

When I think about workforce development on the airport, it's like the first thing I think about are those scholarships.

And so I just want to make sure that we're not losing sight of like we need to be training our kids.

You you hit it on the head with Azalea.

Uh, you know, that they're the ones that are gonna be want to driving that want to be driving these things.

They're driving them already.

Yeah, uh they're and they're doing it from outside of the cockpit, which seems to me to be way harder.

And so uh I'm very glad we're looking at all those things in your and we're taking those things into account.

So thanks for the forward thinking on that, Ed.

Um I I want to switch gear quickly to the conventional takeoff.

Yep.

And uh, because I my my colleagues have covered most of what I kind of what I think and some of the questions about uh EV toll.

It seems to me, and I I don't know anything about engines, I will readily admit, but I do have an electric car.

That the shorter runway is because just the power up is easier on the electric.

Is that is that the case?

Well, the it happens faster.

So I was with uh Senator Brandis that I and and I think uh everybody, especially elected officials should have somebody like a uh Jeff Brandis or Jay Rogers in their life, just so you get a kind of glimpse into the into the future.

But you spend time with uh Sarah Brandis, and he's got insights on all kinds of different things.

And he showed me this one vehicle that had I think it was six engines, and it it took off in less than 300 feet.

But the reason what I why it could take it was like a conventional, it looked like an airplane with six engines on the wing.

But the reason why it could take off in such a short distance was the propellers were up on the wing as the prop wash came across the wing wing, it was generating lift.

So it wasn't like the propellers in the front of the airplane or behind the airplane, and you have to get up to a certain speed to generate the lift and take off.

Just the having six engines pushing the wind across the wing, you're already generating the lift, so at uh very slow speeds you could take that aircraft off.

Okay, same thing with landing.

It was it it was landed in less than it was it was less than a hundred feet.

Wow.

And so I the reason I asked the question is is obviously um we we had some pretty big conversations still while you were on council about the future of Albert Wooded Airport and the capacity of aircraft that is currently servicing Albert Wooded Airport.

So are we seeing larger aircraft in this spe space be able to take off on limited runways that we might be able to essentially service the larger aircraft if they're this type the electric conventional at Albert Wooded without lengthening the so we haven't we haven't seen that yet?

Okay.

Uh the the uh EV talls that I have seen are all uh on the smaller side.

Uh and and I believe the driving factor right now is the electric battery comp component, but it is that technology improves.

I think that's where you're gonna see larger and larger, and then the range of these uh vehicles are going to uh increase.

You did you did bring bring up uh just one one thing, Chair, that I wanted to emphasize.

And um one of the things that we need to protect as we're studying this new technology, and we want to be receptive to it.

Going right to where I was about to go.

Yeah, we we don't want to interrupt the current operations that we have going on, not just at Albertwooded Airport, but nationally.

Um so that's what I was looking for.

Yeah, yeah.

So we so in our heads really we need to be going on parallel roads on continuing with kind of the vision of Albert Wooded as we see it over the last year, along with EV toll and conventional takeoff.

That's the way we should be looking at this.

Yes, that's what I was looking for.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Uh councilmember givens.

Thank you, Chair.

And I again good to see you so much.

Councilman Councilmember Ed DeMontanari, always a pleasure seeing you.

Uh when I recommend it to the mayor that we should have you on this task force, I I certainly knew you were the best person for this role.

Um, but I did want to make mention that there were two other schools that are also leading in this world uh of innovation, and that's St.

Pete College and Pinellas Technical College, St.

Pete College has a drone certification course, and Pinellas Technical College actually has a drone flight camp that they host every year.

So let's keep in mind those two uh educational institutions as well.

Um and I believe uh John Hopkins Middle School also has an academy.

So start them early, right?

Yeah.

So again, thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Well, Ed always good to see you.

Thank you for the presentation.

Thank you for your continued leadership.

And uh I it it still continues to be awkward with you down here and us up here.

So um but but can't wait to see you in a couple of months, man.

I'm sure I'll see you before that.

All right, thank you.

And let me just mention to Councilmember Gibbons.

Thank you for that information.

I wasn't aware of that.

Sir, thank you.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Thanks to the whole team.

Thank you.

Okay, Council members, we're gonna keep rolling, and we're gonna go into a presentation on the Florida Holocaust Museum update.

This is an item I brought forward.

Obviously, there's gonna be a ribbon cutting at the Holocaust Museum here pretty soon, and I wanted uh Josh and the new uh CEO, Eric Stillman, to be here to give us a presentation.

Um and and really an update uh from the Holocaust Museum.

Very excited to have you.

Thanks for thanks for coming and uh excited for the future of the Holocaust Museum.

Well, thank you very much for uh having us here today.

We really appreciate uh the entire city council's support of the mission of the museum.

You all have been uh steadfast and um reliable, and we could not do the work that we do without you.

And I just hope that each and every one of you knows how deeply grateful we are for the city's support.

Um I'm Josh Bombstein, CEO of Creative Contractors and immediate past chair of the Florida Holocaust Museum Board of Directors, which is the very best position to be in.

Um really pleased to be here today to introduce uh our new CEO.

I was chair of the CEO search committee, and uh we spent many months on the search, and I really could not be uh more pleased with where we landed.

Um he comes to us most recently from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and throughout his career, has held leadership positions for many nonprofit institutions.

He is truly an accomplished executive, uh, extraordinarily well suited to lead us into the future, and I could not be more pleased to introduce you uh to Mr.

Eric Stillman, our new CEO.

Thank you.

Thank you, Josh, Council, Chair, it's an honor to be with you.

Uh very short presentation.

I'll get us moving.

If I can hit the right button.

Ah, there we go.

Uh so quick update regarding construction.

Uh, for those of you who may have been by our site, you'll know that we've been closed for renovation and expansion for the past year.

Uh the building exterior has grown and uh we have an upgraded security entrance.

Um we have a reimagined core exhibit which teaches the history of the Holocaust, the lessons to be learned and to be carried forward to future generations, and uh additionally, uh the Danish rescue boat, which is named Thor, is uh our newest addition to the museum.

It is a boat that was literally brought here to St.

Pete.

Uh, two of our most wonderful dedicated supporters who had a personal connection to their family members being saved.

Uh uh I think that we are one of the most unique Holocaust museums in the country to have one of these inside our museum.

And so when you are coming, hopefully joining us for the ribbon cutting, you'll get to see a remarkable installation, one which uh I've never seen, and I've been to a lot of museums, Holocaust and World War II museums, and I've never seen an installation like this one.

Uh on top of our upgraded security entrance, we have a third floor terrace, and uh on that third floor is where in fact we're gonna be uh putting in ultimately the full collection from Ellie Wiesel, the probably the best known Holocaust survivor uh who ever lived, and uh so the Wiesel family and the Wiesel Foundation chose the Florida Holocaust Museum right here in St.

Petersburg to be the recipient of his personal collection, and that includes a uh a Nobel Peace Prize and papers and writings and literally the furniture from his offices.

It will be remarkable when we reopen, uh we're gonna have a sneak peek exhibit uh of his collection, and then we will be building out for our third floor the the full collection, full exhibit.

Uh I would be remiss if I didn't add to Josh's comments to thank the city council, thank City of St.

Petersburg.

Uh, we're grateful for the support, the partnership, Mayor Welch, Chief Holloway.

Uh we're grateful for the support, the partnership, Mayor Welch, Chief Holloway, uh the uh the enormous positive response that you all have given us uh as a new person coming in as a new resident of the city of St.

Petersburg makes me feel wonderful, and I'm so grateful for this partnership.

Uh if I may get us to our next slide, as I just referenced our reopening.

Uh all as we as we say, uh all y'all are invited to join us.

Um the preview party, which is Monday evening, September 8th, the ribbon cutting, which is going to be on Tuesday morning, September 9th.

Then we're gonna have a members advanced admission for a couple of hours, and then public entry on Tuesday uh afternoon, and then on Wednesday, thank you to uh Duke Energy Florida President Melissa Satius.

Uh Duke Energy is sponsoring our free day, which means that the entire public is welcome and open uh welcome to come for us, and we will be open throughout the day on Wednesday, September 10th at no cost to the public.

And so we're we're grateful for their partnership with us as well.

And I can tell you that uh while we will attempt to keep all speeches to a bare minimum uh the ribbon cutting, there there's there's gonna be a few brief remarks.

Um, and we promise though that it'll be well worth it and a very exciting time here in the city of St.

Petersburg.

Whoops, I went one too far.

There we go, forgive me.

Uh and a broader thank you to all of our partners.

We have many governmental partners, we have uh corporate partners, we have uh partners from foundations uh in the public and private space, and uh it really does feel as if the community in the largest possible sense is coming together to help the Florida Holocaust Museum with our work, teaching the lessons of the Holocaust to make sure that the future generations and our current generations learn these lessons and realize that if we do not learn those lessons, we are condemned to repeat the past.

So uh happy to answer any questions if there are any, and once again, just to express gratitude.

Councilmember Trisco.

Thank you, and um thank you, Josh, and and thank you, Eric, for for being here today, giving us this great update.

It's so exciting to be uh going by the museum on a regular basis and seeing it really coming together now.

And I can't wait to see what's inside.

Um, especially the Danish rescue boat.

I've been hearing about this for a couple of years now, and the story is absolutely incredible.

And I've I understand how important it is and how significant it is that we have this particular boat.

Can you remind me uh us how many of those are left in existence now?

So for the Danish rescue boats.

Right.

So from what I understand, uh there are less than 10 throughout the world that have been placed in Holocaust museums.

And so the fact that here in St.

Petersburg, Florida, that we have won in our Florida Holocaust Museum is really remarkable.

And if I may just add, we are one of only three of the Holocaust museums throughout the United States that are certified as such.

So that that's another designation, and we are the only Holocaust institution in the United States to receive the L.

Wiesel collection from the Wiesel family and the Wiesel Foundation.

So all of us here in St.

Petersburg can have immense pride at the uniqueness of what our Florida Holocaust Museum has and how we help to complement a city of wonderful art and culture and history and our museums, which are are such a calling card for visitors who come from around the world.

Absolutely, and and it just really shows between the Danish rescue boat, um, the collection.

You know, for a museum that's been closed for a while, you've been very busy and gotten a lot done.

And it's just incredible that we're almost there.

A month from now, um, you'll be opening the the doors and and showing everyone the great work that's been done.

It is um it's admirable.

It's not easy to um get through these extensive renovations.

I am so happy that the um the security is there.

I know it's um there have been uh there's also some work that's been done to make it more ADA accessible, more accessible for more people, and I love seeing that.

I love seeing that everyone can enter through the front door now when it's when it's open.

I mean, there's just so much thought and love that has gone into this.

Um just wanted to thank you and congratulate you all, along with the other members of the board.

You've got a lot of people that have been working really hard to make this happen.

I can't wait.

Thank you.

You're so welcome.

Thank you.

Vice Chair Hanowitz.

Well, welcome to St.

Petersburg.

Thank you.

What an exciting time to become the president and CEO of the Florida Holocaust Museum.

Seriously.

Like so much is going on.

There are times when you're part of an organization, and it's just like business as usual.

But then here you come in, you have the Ellie Wazell collection.

You have the new construction that's happening, and you have the Danish rescue boat Thor that's coming in.

And you guys are doing all that, and the grand opening is September 9th.

September 9th, right?

So that's correct.

I I'm super excited.

Like Councilmember Driscoll, it's been closed for a while.

I can't wait to see what you all have done.

Thank you to the board for all your work.

I know it's a lot of work.

It's it's it's you don't get paid for it.

Uh it's a volunteer time that you have to put in.

But you know, what you get back is really the most important thing.

And when you give back to the community, right, is what matters, and this is really important to our community.

Um, the Florida Holocaust Museum is the treasurer.

All that here in the city of St.

Petersburg.

So I can't wait for us to have a one-on-one and get to know you.

Oh, it would be my pleasure, absolutely.

And allow me to echo your comments and gratitude to Josh, an amazing lift as the chair of our board and all the members of our board.

And you are so correct.

As a volunteer-driven organization, we could never be where we are today were it not for our board and our leadership.

So thank you all.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gibbons.

Thank you.

Uh Josh, good seeing you, and welcome, Mr.

Stillman to the Sunshine City.

Uh, we are so happy to have you here.

Um, one of my fondest memories uh growing up was my field trips to the Holocaust Museum.

Um, and I thank you so much for educating generations um of our community um about our history, because I agree, if we don't know our history, we're bound to repeat it.

Um so thank you for preserving that history and for telling these stories.

Um, I remember being a student at FSU seeing uh Ellie Wazell um present, and that was shortly uh right before he passed away, actually.

And uh being able to witness him in person and to hear his stories makes me so excited to come over to the ribbon cutting and to be able to see his personal collection on display because, like you said, this is something that nobody else in the world has, and it's right here in St.

Pete.

So another reason why we are that world-class destination for museums.

Um, and I thank you for helping to preserve that and helping to keep those stories intact.

Uh, I'm looking forward to parties on that third floor tears.

Uh, I think we're gonna have a good time turning up and just celebrating when you guys have the ribbon cutting.

So looking forward to coming over in September.

So thank you so much for your hard work.

Thank you.

Gratefully appreciate it.

Well, thank you so much for being here.

Welcome.

Um, I was uh excited when uh I was talking with Helen and wanted to get this item in front of us and make sure that we celebrated uh not just the update, right?

And everything that's going on, but welcoming you and um and and opening opening the doors again.

I mean, this year uh at reading the names, it was just odd going into the James Museum and not walking through the museum to do that.

And so um I I can't wait to celebrate opening the doors back up and welcoming everybody and uh as somebody that's 25% Danish, very excited to have uh Thor in the building and and celebrate that.

And then uh a lot like Councilmember Givens, um, I I was able to um meet Mr.

Weisell in college and did a lot of reading as a religion major, and so uh it's it's very nice to have that here at home.

So thank you for the update.

Welcome, and please know if there's anything we can do to let us know.

Absolutely.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

See you next month.

Bye-bye.

Okay, we are gonna move into F3.

This is a presentation for Bowley Center Safe Haven update.

We've got Kevin Morone joining us.

And before we do that, I'm gonna invite uh Administrator Foster up to make a few remarks.

This was also brought by me again.

Uh just uh having toured and I just thought it was time for an update.

We hadn't seen him in a while, and uh so very excited to have them in the building, and I'll turn it over to Administrator Foster.

Thank you, and thank you, Chair Gerdis, for bringing this forward.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Bowley.

You know, whenever we have a um challenging individual on the street that our team is having a hard time making progress with, we will make the phone call, they'll send somebody out, and they've had some success.

Um there's a particular individual that had been outside of the Vanoy for many years that our our downtown neighborhood was having some challenges with that is now housed in a bowly property and really really happy to be there.

Uh and that took almost a year of engagement that our staff was not making that progress, and their staff was able to do that.

I also wanted to mention that all of my administration yesterday had some training to better support our citizens during hurricanes, um, and Boley provided some of that free of charge about supporting citizens in crisis.

And so I just want to give a big thank you to Kevin for their partnership because that's how we get things done here in St.

Pete.

So with that, I'll turn it over to Mr.

Maroon.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, almost afternoon, Council Chair Gertis, honorable council members.

Um I'm Kevin, President CEO Bully Centers, and thank you, Amy, and and the team for the city for uh I'm I'm honored to be here, excited to be here to talk with you specifically about um, you know, I think a special program, a program that kind of quietly, but I think powerfully is kind of transformed some lives for really over 15 years here in this community.

Um, this program is designed specifically for chronically homeless individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.

Um, safe havens, you know.

This is just is this this is truly a pathway out of out of chronic homelessness.

Um before I get into the presentation, I do want to just highlight it's important to understand the infrastructure of bowling centers because it really ties into our success.

Uh this year we're celebrating our 55th year here in this community.

Um, and you know, I want to thank this council and the city for really over five decades of supporting Boley centers and helping us achieve our mission.

Um, over 1,400 units of housing solutions here in this community to serve some of the most uh vulnerable uh people here.

Um you know, uh so what is a safe haven?

I'm gonna briefly run through this, you know, the because these are these are low-demand specialized transitional housing programs for chronically homeless individuals.

They were developed under HUD's continuum of care in the early 1990s.

They offer 24-7s, staffing, engagement, really no preconditions, um, you know, immediate connection to services.

There's a psychiatric nurse practitioner, case managers, substance abuse counselors.

It's all around services.

These are legally defined by HUD as supportive housing for hard-to-reach individuals.

A little national context on this.

So at peak, there were over 150 safe haven programs funded nationwide.

Unfortunately, due to cost, limited funding, and and and what I believe sometimes communities having a lack of permanent supportive housing infrastructure and shift and some shifted priorities, it's reduced these availabilities.

There's fewer than 50 remaining uh in in operation in the country.

Um, and two of them are here in Pinellas County run by Boley Centers.

Um, they're really one of the few housing solutions for specialized um and most vulnerable street population.

A little there's been several uh cost studies done nationwide on chronic homelessness.

I'm not gonna go through the details of these, but they're listed up here.

You can see they're uh California, you know, Colorado, Florida.

Um, you know, generally what these studies say is that the cost uh to communities for serving a chronically homeless person is you know anywhere from 40 to 60,000, you know, considering crisis mental health services, EMS hospitals, um, you know, and and and jail services, and and studies on supportive housing models and programs like Safe Haven show significant reductions in cost uh to housing them.

And I'll get into some specific costs related to Boley uh in a few minutes.

Um I want to first highlight our programs because we do operate two uh 25-bed facility here in St.

Petersburg.

Um it is a co-ed facility.

Uh we also run a program in and seminal that is specifically for chronically homeless veterans, also co-ed.

These are funded by HUD.

Um, in the case of the veterans program, they're there it's also funded by the VA.

But we also do receive funding from this council to support our South County Safe Haven, which we're grateful for because these programs are grandfathered by HUD.

Uh, they're not eligible for uh any additional funding, and and I believe it's critical to keep them here in our community.

Access to Safe Haven.

I want to talk a little bit about access.

So this is we have our own street outreach.

However, we work with multiple sources to get to that.

Amy alluded to earlier specific individuals, and I do have some case studies I'd like to go through.

But we work very closely with St.

Pete's homeless street outreach team, as well as strong partnerships with all the area shelters.

We prioritize access for those individuals with severe persistent mental illness, high risk behaviors, and chronic homelessness.

Safe Haven is an alternative to jail, emergency rooms, and CSUs.

But the work is challenging.

We have to focus on early consistent engagement through outreach and trust betting.

Sometimes this can take a long time to get someone to come off the streets.

It is all about that trust building.

This is only our South County Safe Haven.

I focused our data right now on South County Safe Haven.

257 individuals since 2020.

So if you look at that, we serve about two people in each bed or a year.

That is about the average turnover.

Disabilities at start, so 614.

What this is saying is that when they come into the safe havens, they're on average, they have two to three disabilities, which means that in addition to a severe and persistent mental illness, they also have some sort of co-occurring substance use or physical health condition.

37.3% of the people that we serve are 55 and older.

So we the program is also addressing some of the disparities that we see in the homeless population.

And 32.6% come directly from the street.

And you'll see the data.

This has been a huge focus of ours over the last couple years, is really focusing in on the street population.

Five years ago, we were really a lot of our referrals were coming directly from shelter, but we've really, because of the street issue, we have shifted our energies, our efforts to street outreach teams, and you can clearly see the numbers in 2324 spiking up, really addressing getting people directly off the streets into Safe Haven.

And 81.5% have been more than a year homeless.

And you'll, as you'll see through the case studies, it's not uncommon to have someone 10, 12, 15 years on the streets.

A little bit of the cost from a perspective of bowly, as I mentioned earlier, you know, it can cost 40 to 60,000 with inflation, even more to serve a chronically homeless individual in a community.

Safe haven is average cost per bed per year is 20,856.

And again, that's serving about two people a year since we turn over that bed twice in a year.

And then permanent supportive housing, which is often the solution and the and the and the outcome for individuals coming into Safe Haven, that cost is 12,121 per unit per year.

So an obvious significant cost savings.

I want to shift a little bit to some of our key outcomes.

So engagement is a huge part of this work from both from the street perspective as well as when they're in the facility.

These are oftentimes individuals that might want to retreat when they get in there because it's overwhelming for them.

So engagement, relationship building is key.

We maintain a 90% engagement rate when we when we talk about our street population.

People are high utilizers of our public systems or jails or hospitals, detox.

You know, they often have untreated psychosis, co-occurring substance use disorder, and many times no prior housing history history.

The average length of stay for Safe Haven is six months to a year, depending on the individual, which allows time for that stabilization and relationship building.

This is an important piece.

Less than 10% really require any room emergency room visits, incarcerations, psychiatric hospitalizations after placement in Safe Haven.

82% of all Safe Haven residents in the past five years have transitioned to either permanent housing or to a necessary higher level of care.

This is a 2025 case study of six uh six individuals that came directly through referred through St.

Pete Street Outreach Team.

Four of these individuals this is year have moved from street into Safe Haven and have now also moved into permanent supportive housing.

One was connected with necessary medical treatment and unfortunately end of life care.

And one has recently agreed to leave the streets and is now in Safe Haven, working on her stability and uh her housing plan.

All six had high mental health symptoms, including psychotic symptoms and risk of crisis placement, and all six were at risk due to public camping laws as to where they're where that where they're residing.

A little deeper into some case studies.

Lysinda, 64 years old, homeless since 2019, nine entry exits into our Pinellas Homeless Information Management System, which is the system we use through our continuum of care.

19 services in that system was living in the parking lot at Grace Lutheran Church downtown.

Extensive sexual trauma history was not allowed at any of the local shelters due to her trauma and psychotic symptoms.

Was placed at Safe Haven for about a year, has been stably housed in bully permanent supportive housing for the past eight months.

Michael, 75 years old, homeless homelessness began in 2008.

22 entry exits into Pemis, 3,785 services.

He was also living in Grace Lutheran Church parking lot, extensive mental health history and untreated cancer.

Spent 11 months in safe haven from 23 to 24.

State haven't staff coordinated uh transfer to a hospice facility due to his terminal cancer.

So sometimes, even in a in a tragic uh situation, you have you have dignity uh of someone's life, um and they they can end their life uh in a in a respectful place uh with love and care around them.

John, 45 years old, homelessness started in 2011, 59 entry exits into HMIS, 2,172 services.

He'd been living at Vinoy Park, I believe this is the one Amy maybe referenced earlier on a bench.

He moved to Safe Haven at the end of 2024, and he's currently waiting for his his apartment and should be coming up any moment now.

Um Annie, 66 years old, her homelessness began in 2014.

She has a history of numerous psychiatric hospitalizations between 2014 and 2022.

Uh she lost her son in 2017.

She had a suicide attempt.

Uh she entered Safe Haven in 2017 from the psychiatric hospital, and then she moved into permanent supportive housing in 2018.

Sometimes, even when they move into permanent supportive housing, they still require an extensive amount of supports.

Um this city funded a special program for uh the last three, four years called SPIN, which was an intensive wraparound program for those people in permanent supportive housing that needed some additional wraparound care.

Um, with the help of that program, that intensive need, she's now been stably housed, re you know, her housing was stabilized, and she hasn't had any law enforcement or crisis encounters since 2022.

Um, and that that was certainly not the picture of her story prior prior to that program.

So uh why do why do they matter?

Uh you know, fewer jail uh situations, fewer hospital visits, CSU stays in some cases non-existent because they're getting the care, the support that they need when they need it.

Um these stabilized individuals that just aren't successful in other models, that is who we serve, people that uh uh can't can't make it through shelters and other traditional environments.

Um we build trust through uh low barrier approaches and and focusing on health restoration and safety.

Um these programs are about bridging the gap to permanent housing and and recovery.

This work is definitely not a is a triathlon, it is not a sprint, you know.

It is a long-term investment and with individuals with complex needs.

Uh requires collaboration, patience, and commitment.

We we we couldn't do this alone either.

We we rely on our our extensive partnerships and and into the success of the work that we do.

Um before I um take any questions.

Uh for those of you that have not um uh ever seen a bowly property or toured a bully property, uh uh I would love to connect with you and and take you on a full comprehensive tour.

But I'd also like to invite you to uh the open house of our newest project, which is Founders Point on August 29th.

Uh it'll though there's an open house at 8:30 in the morning.

We would love to have you all there to celebrate this new bully housing project.

Um I'll pause there and uh take any questions or comments that you may have.

Thank you.

Councilmember Floyd.

Thank you.

Uh thank you so much for the presentation and the work that you do.

I've you know had uh experience with uh the support that you've done in the community, and it's always been really positive for me.

Um I was uh I you showed the uh numbers for how much the you know 24-7 support costs and the long-term support.

And so I guess you know, just to ask like quite directly, like, you know, could can you scale like if we were to say make an investment uh into your programs, could you rapidly scale and do it at the same cost, or could you get better?

Just what would that look like?

And if you could speak to that because uh I think you know, I'd have some interest in having conversations about supporting you a little more, even it's it's a great question.

Um I I think we we we operate we you know, we have two safe havens and then we run also for uh other residential treatment facilities, so we have success in our model of running residential programs.

Uh I think the challenge with any residential program, whether it's funded through a HUD source or even meant just mental health dollars, is is you know there hasn't been a big commitment into the investment of that 24-7.

Um, you know, the the population that we're serving definitely require that and tissue uh you know uh level of care.

Uh I'm not suggesting that we couldn't take someone from a street situation right into an apartment, but I don't believe that we would have the success measures that we have with that because um there is a lot of work that happens in Safe Haven to get to the point of permanent supportive housing.

Um the resources I would need obviously is a building, you know, and then you know, the the the cost to to run those um you know is is is costly.

Um, you know, we rely on typically three or four sources to keep them running.

Um so you can only really compare them to the cost of keeping them where they're at, which is was uh which is on the street.

Um but um I I do think that it's uh scalable, but I do think that they have to be um smaller environments.

I I don't think that this is the safe haven is a program where you could have a an 80-bed facility.

Um it it's it would be too much.

Thank you.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking was like, you know, if we wanted if you were to come into a big financial uh boost, there's still other logistical issues, and I'm glad you spoke to that.

Yeah, I agree.

I think a small facility uh would definitely be necessary.

Also, you know, I don't know what your experience is, but finding qualified employees who can uh do the work that I I'm sure is quite intensive, I'm sure is tricky.

So you know, I I see the work that you're doing, and uh and the uh what's what's the word I'm looking for?

Um I guess at the affordable price that you're doing it at, it's very impressive.

And so any thing a financial uh support is always you know the first thing that comes to mind, I think when city council's interacting with uh anyone, but particularly some uh program we would like to support, but you know, I'd love to hear what support looks like beyond that as well, and so that we could get to a point where we could uh do more work like this in the community with you all.

And that's what I was getting at.

So uh, you know, keep that in mind and let us know anything that we can do for you because I really appreciate this kind of work and I've seen uh success in it, and uh I'm very grateful for it.

I appreciate that.

I I I do have great concerns, you know.

I do have great concerns that programs like Safe Haven are not gonna be supported at the federal level um uh in the near future, and uh and that that is uh frightening.

Yeah, that's a very important uh thing for us to hear today.

So I'm I'm grateful for you bringing it up.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Givens.

Thank you so much, Chair.

I appreciate it.

And you just uh alluded to what I was gonna bring up, those federal cuts, right?

Um so many people having the ire on organizations that are out there serving our unhoused population.

Uh how do you foresee uh withstanding the test of times, right?

Uh, how do you foresee being able to continue to serve the population that you're serving our most vulnerable population?

I I I think you know, I have to keep doing things like I'm doing here today um with as many people as possible to to really show the results um and show that um you know these programs make an if uh an impact and and change lives and and uh dispel myths.

I I I I started the presentation out with talking about the infrastructure of Boley because you know, we didn't just you know go into a safe haven without the future in mind, and I think um the reason that safe havens went from 150 to 50 units over time is because people jumped onto this model without an exit strategy.

Um what do I do with these individuals when they were here?

And so they would stay in the safe havens in other countries for long periods of time without an exit plan, and there was nowhere for them to go.

Uh Boley has been able to, you know, dis disprove that um through over 15 years because we've we've built an infrastructure that makes a difference.

We have outcomes that speak for themselves.

But I do think that it's gonna require um it's gonna require some activism.

It's gonna be it's gonna require my my lobbyist helping me.

It's it's gonna require a lot of work.

Uh we have some challenging times ahead of us.

Um, but my hope is that um the stories, the work, the outcomes, uh, the lives uh, you know, meet the test of time.

Appreciate that.

Um can you talk a little bit about um that exit strategy?

Um I'm thinking about the wraparound services that you mentioned.

What sort of job training, career readiness are you preparing your residents to kind of find that independence and sustainability that they need to really live on their own?

Good question as well.

Um I I would say probably you know 65, 70 percent of the population that we serve are um are of beyond uh at retirement age, uh significant disabilities.

Um they they they may not be at a point of going back into the workforce.

Uh what what we try to do is connect them to the community and have them have purpose in the community through whether it's through volunteerism, whether it's through uh developing you know networks within their their living environment.

Um it's not to say that um employment opportunities aren't offered to them, um it's just that you know some of them are just it isn't their focus or priority right now.

Uh you know, we we it's not uncommon to serve people in their 60s, uh 70s and late 50s.

For those that um are are younger and want to work and are able to work, um Boley offers um uh we have a supported employment program uh within our organization as well.

It is a is another uh entity in which we manage and run, and we have partnerships with you know Volk Rehab and Department of Labor, and we we will we will set up uh meetings uh for anyone interested to come in and get set up with VOK Rehab and we work with them and and getting jobs and getting ready for jobs, whether it be closing, resumes, so we have the entire employ supported employment infrastructure for anyone that wants and needs that.

It's great information.

And speaking of partnerships, um, I know you talked about uh resources that you need.

Um as you talk about expanding your partnerships and expanding the services that you're able to offer.

I thought about faith-based partners.

Um can you speak a little to the relationships that you currently have?

Um is there an opportunity to partner with other faith-based organizations or churches uh to take advantage of the yes in God's backyard live local like that was passed, right?

To be able to provide that facility that you need.

That's another fantastic question and really good timing.

Um we we are actually in uh deep conversations right now with two churches uh here in the county um on developing uh affordable housing units uh on their on their land uh as as you know uh it this actually this project actually began before uh got in my backyard, and that's just now you know is gonna help uh help the process even further.

So, yes, we're uh I'll be presenting um for Friendship Baptist Church on 31st Street.

I'll be presenting to their board uh probably in another week or two.

Um I've already put together some proposals for a project there, and then um First United Methodist on 66th Street uh is uh we're also in um discussions there, uh much larger project there that we will probably be partnering with um uh uh another um uh low-income tax credit uh corporation uh for that project there.

But it is a huge part of our strategic plan right now because uh you know land is is a very challenging source.

We've had great success over our 55 years at a time when when land maybe wasn't as challenging, but now uh we have to shift to some different strategies to be able to do that, and this is uh is a really uh effective one.

You said it yourself, Kevin, land and grow on trees.

So thank you so much for taking advantage of these innovative partnerships and solutions to uh really take advantage of this um law that just passed.

You know, I think we have to start getting creative, looking for strategic partnerships and uh creative ways to get out of this problem and this housing crisis that we're facing.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Fix Sanders.

Thank you so much.

Hi, Kevin.

How are you?

You know, I wasn't gonna let you come and not have any words um to say, and of course, the first words that I will say is thank you.

Um we work together on the continuum of care.

And and you know, I want to say, out of a lot of organizations that are doing this work, you have never in directions for a living.

You all have never ceased and showing um you take, and I'm sure all organizations do, but you're always there walking the walk.

Um, and I do appreciate the fact of what Bowley is doing for our chronically unhoused.

And I think one of the things that a lot of people miss is that you are dealing with the serious and persistent homelessness with uh mental health issues, which adds a whole nother look as to the type of housing um that you're able to provide, but you're still there, always fighting for that, always there showing up for COC.

Um, and I just have to publicly say that you're doing a great job with actually doing that because I see it.

Seems like we meet almost every week, right?

But I I see it.

Um, and so I want to thank you for that.

And I do want to make sure now the the ribbon cutting on August.

Is that the one on 31st Street?

Yes, sir.

Okay, so that barely still makes it my district on the inside of 275.

So I definitely look forward to making sure um that I'm there.

And I'm glad you named those two churches because I heard of two other churches that were interested, and I'm trying to have a meeting with FAST to see how they're also going to engage in that conversation in these regards.

So, again, you know, I I see what you do all the time because we work together, and thank you for the tour.

Took the tour a little while ago, and I definitely appreciate that.

And I'm glad you gave the different case stories and you presented them as people, not where they're from, not their nationality, not what they're what they used to do, or issues that you had.

You presented them as people.

You know, and that's when we're looking into this particular area, how we need to continue to look at those clients that you serve as people.

And so for that, I thank you, and I look forward to continuing to work with you.

All right, thank you so likewise.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Well, Kevin, thanks for the update.

Really wanted uh highlight everything that's going on, especially uh at Safe Haven.

Just uh the tour was amazing.

I continue to well, I'll be in the car now with people.

I'll be like, Yeah, you know, there's that's bully.

They had no idea, you know.

Uh and so it's just it's amazing uh what you're accomplishing there, and I want to thank our team at the city for all the work that you do with Bowley, and um please say hi to Jack and Dama for me.

And um just and I again this is kind of a theme of today.

Please don't hesitate to let us know what you need.

We want to continue to support.

And thanks for all the work you're doing.

Thanks again.

Good afternoon.

Thank you, you too.

Okay, council members.

Um do you want uh 10 or 15 minute break, or will you want to keep rocking and rolling?

Let's keep going.

All right, let's do it.

I like it.

Okay, we're gonna move into F4.

We're we've got two resolutions, F4 and F5 talking about Tropicana Field Stadium non-roof repairs.

I'll turn it over to Raul.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, Raul Quintana City Engineering Capital Improvements Department.

Just want to take a second and introduce uh Catherine Corcoran, Kat is uh the project manager for us, and as I've done my one-on-ones with you with Beth Harandine, we mentioned hey, we have a really strong team behind us doing a lot of this heavy work.

Kat's our project manager, she's the one, she's kind of the point of the spear on everything having to do for with the the mitigation and BMS CAT and chasing down the leaks on the stadium to working with the contractors and making sure that all of the scope that you're about to see are really is defined and going through the the damage matrix.

So if there's any questions and Beth is unfortunately out of the office this week, but uh Kat's here to uh also assist with that.

So with this, we have two items.

The first is F4, which is the award of the agreement to Shaw for the TERF.

This is a million three hundred thousand dollars.

This is uh the field itself and this and the support system for that field.

Uh we've received uh approvals from Major League Baseball and the Rays uh for this agreement, so everything is um is prepared to move forward with this installation by the way wouldn't happen.

And this is one of the last things we do.

So this is a February installation, but to get all the shop drawings and get all the approvals going, we needed to enter into this agreement now.

And the second item is uh really the bulk of this, which is GMP number three, which is the balance of the major work.

This is uh a significant amount of work that we've been working towards uh providing this uh this uh third GMP on.

It's all the architectural and mechanical electrical plumbing, the audio video, some the low voltage wiring, the broadcasting, uh, and this one is um I can go through some of the details on it.

So the the GMP itself is uh 14 million four thirty-six, uh comprised of the the cost of the work uh and all the soft costs, and all of these um these unit costs or the insurance and all of that is uh proportionally we've vetted it all out, and it's uh in the context of all the other GMPs, it's very well aligned with those numbers.

And here's where we are overall.

Uh two weeks ago I brought to you GMP number two, which was the site site uh sports lighting and the catwalking, catwalk electric.

Uh this one GMP number three, as we said, it's 14 and a half million dollars.

And we still have GMP number four, which we're working on still.

Uh, we're hoping to bring it to the first meeting in September, and that's going to be some of the remaining non-roof, but mostly the video production work, and that that is still being uh developed.

So I wanted to go through just real quickly, uh, you know, what is made up of the this uh particular GMP proposal.

There's a lot of a lot of uh finish work, a lot of you know the ceilings, uh drywall, and very specified areas.

And in a minute, I'll go through how did we determine what that scope is.

Um but this is just a couple of images here, real quick.

Uh the bat the bullpen uh hospitality zone, flooring, um, all of the kind of the baseball related uh specialties as part of this scope, uh the netting, the baselines, um, the dry, a lot of drywall in specific areas like the dugouts, and then you'll see details of you know the dugouts themselves.

The dugouts got hit pretty hard, the benches, um, kind of the restrooms.

So clearly uh on level one, a significant amount of work, uh level two, uh the mezzanine level, and then the main level three.

There's a couple of photos here of some seating stanchions, the seat stanchions are being replaced.

A lot of those were uh there's some rusting and some corrosion.

So we're focusing on the seat stanchions.

We have an allowance for some of the seating related to necessarily not replacing all of the seating, but allowing ourselves the time in the room to go in and evaluate the seating.

We had a seating consultant, the Hunness Hesse, who's the seating um manufacturer who's given us a report on the condition of the seats, and so we're basically following their recommendation of having uh an allowance for some seat replacement.

Um the the area, the 360-degree uh walk area, which is I guess this zone here.

You can see the actually this is the uh the Budweiser porch, the Budweiser porch facing the the stadium itself, and then behind the Budweiser dome uh porch.

You can see a lot of the damage replacement that we're looking at drywall flooring, and then we have the club level.

Uh this is uh an image, you know, some of the suites, we have minimum suites that we are repairing drywall carpeting, some of the countertops, a lot of work to you know, ceiling repairs, cleaning and and uh looking at countertops, uh the suite level five.

There was also some work there.

There's a the image below is uh mill work in the broadcast booth area that needs to be replaced.

That got hit pretty hard.

And then the upper deck, which is the maintenance X deck.

That area has uh limited repairs, mostly drywall, uh replacing drywall and some painting.

And then the a lot of the costs here associated with the MEP and the audio video.

Uh and so this is just an image of the the larger of the scoreboards, which has a good bit of work associated with it, uh replacing damaged modules primarily, but the mechanical repairs are a lot of that is in support of the architectural.

In fact, um there's not significant amount of uh plumbing, this minimal plumbing related to some of the counters and such that have to be repaired.

There's some pumps that have to be replaced, a couple of lift stations that are having uh pumps replaced, uh fire, uh a big chunk of this is um working through the fire alarms and the repairs and the programming of that.

Minimal mechanical, uh the mechanical associated with areas outside of the kind of the the back part of the stadium include the smoke the tampers, uh the the diffusers, uh the cupola fan needs to be replaced.

These did get impacted pretty heavily, uh, and then the broadcast system, uh the the speakers, uh the low voltage system, uh you know the data and the the close the closed circuit TV system uh again, all of those are um a pretty good number here, including um some of the the scoreboards.

I think this is a repeat slide, so I'll just skip over it.

And then this one I just kind of wanted to I know it's hard to read.

It just to give you a sense of and I know one of the early questions that we had at a previous presentation is you know what is the list of all of these um you know items, and so that list is uh spreadsheet that's over a hundred pages long, and that spreadsheet is tied to these drawings.

So all of the drawings, there's over a hundred sheet of drawings here, uh, and they're broken down in quadrants, and you can see the lower left corner, there's a little symbol.

So this is quadrant A.

It's the it's the south uh east, southwest corner of the stadium.

And so you you you start with a general sense of where the work is going to be, and then you refer to a number of other drawings, and the the details are in the spreadsheet that's on the upper right corner, and all of the sheets have reference to um each of the rooms, what is the extent of the work that's being done in the room, the the need for uh the the type of bid work that's needs to be provided for each of those elements, and all of that uh is uh uh packaged in bid packages sent to the various subcontractors.

And here's just another image of another quadrant just above that.

So you get a sense of you know, really what went into scoping the work, providing uh the ability for uh the rays and major league baseball to understand the scope to weigh in, they're weighed in on the damaged uh matrix.

There's you know, again, we are having weekly meetings, discussing all this, then packaging that work and obtaining these bids.

And this is just another image from the drawings of some of the details of the drawings that uh were um part of the bid packages.

So with that, um happy to answer any questions.

And um again, we're uh moving right along.

The project maintains the schedule that it presented two weeks ago.

Um the most of the um materials that were uh being installed are just about done as far as the netting.

We do expect to get the panels in next week and start the installation of the first batch of panels next week on the roof.

So with that, happy to answer any questions.

Thanks, Raul.

Vice Chair Hanowitz.

Thank you, Chair.

Raul, your last comment there must have you figured out what I was gonna start asking you.

I'm not sure what that was.

Um the first thing I was gonna ask was how are you feeling about the costs as they are coming in and also the timing of everything.

So the costs um, you know, we we have a lot of allowances in these GMPs, and that's based on the fact that you know, while we have a lot of information, the details need to be worked out.

So getting all the experts' eyes on it, getting, you know, defining the scope well enough so that we can get legitimate bids, and we've been getting good bids.

And that's one of the one other thing that I did want to uh share with you, and I know there's gonna be questions on kind of the the outreach and what that entailed.

Um, but the numbers I believe are very conservative at this time, and we have enough allowances, enough contingencies, and they still have to go through what's called uh the buyout phase, which is when a contractor receives bids, they have the ability to vet those bids very well, and before they this will be an approved GMP, then they go out and they contract for that, and a lot of times there's savings.

Those savings revert back to the owner.

So we we're gonna be um holding on to those savings.

Uh so from the cost standpoint, I feel uh, you know, it's a lot.

There's a lot of information here, there's a lot of work, and it's a lot of work that's compressed in a short amount of time.

So some of the cost of this is also that coordination and that's that staging of work, working off hours to make sure that the work does get scheduled appropriately.

So there's a there's a high level uh oversight and there's cost associated with that.

The timing um, you know, knock on wood.

We're you know, barring any uh major issues weather related.

We we are where we said we would be, and not hearing any issues from the the foreign.

In fact, we know that all of the material has left Germany where it was uh fabricated, and the material, some of the material is in route.

We should be having here here in a couple days.

Other portions of material are all in China being fabricated or being ready to be delivered.

So we have been getting updates uh pretty much every week with on on that subject.

Well, thank you, Raul, Beth, and Kat for navigating us through all these different contracts.

I know that you have your hands full, the coordination is like unreal to make sure that everything's done in a timely fashion with everything, all the outside pressures that um you're facing at this time.

So I really appreciate the fact that you've been really good about contacting us, having those one-on-ones, keeping us updated.

Thanks, administration for doing that.

Um, because as we all know, these are repairs that are required to be performed to comply with the city's contractual obligations that we have no other choice to do.

So uh as every time I see this, I I'm gonna mention it.

It doesn't make me happy, but we are contractually obligated.

I always feel the need to say that.

Um, but thank you so much for the work.

Thank you.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

Thank you for this uh this report and for really working some miracles out there.

Um, but knowing that you're heading this up, you've got support from from Beth and others, I have full confidence that you're gonna be able to get this done and get it done at the time we need it.

I did want to ask about um like this completely makes sense.

Everything you're asking for, I think is very reasonable.

Just want to clarify when I look at um some of these like repair and for the main level.

Let's look at the main level.

Uh repair and service of drywall and food halls, concession stands, and box office as needed.

Does it by as needed, does that mean we're repairing all of them, or the ones that have been determined to be required in order for the reasonable operations for major league baseball?

So uh that would the latter part of your sentence is correct.

It's it's those areas that first uh was it damage caused by the storm, and is it necessary to uh for major league baseball and for the conduction of a of a ball game to have that repaired?

So that's been the threshold.

Um and it also is a back and forth with the raised staff.

I mean, they're the ones that understand the facility and operational, and sometimes they point things out to us that hey, there's something that has to happen alongside, and we take all that into account.

So it's it's effectively what's necessary in order to conduct a major league baseball game, uh, and uh was it caused the damage caused by the storm.

Right, and I know that that question came up with some of the seat damage and things like that.

But in your opinion, um, are the requirements or are the um the claims of things that are needed?

Do you feel that that's been reasonable?

Yes, I feel like it's it's been a reasonable approach throughout.

And it's and you know, these these are you know the the damage and not in all cases is obvious.

I mean, there's some things that are you know behind walls or you know, it's if it's an electrical component, a lot of testing has been done on the electrical wiring, for example.

And it's not that we're going in and replacing all the wiring, but the testing's being done.

And if it's if the wiring is acceptable, we're not replacing wiring.

We're we're placing uh devices and we're placing panels.

So I think yes, there's been I can't stand here and say everything that's been done because there's been so much, but I can say that we are taking a very hard look and making some decisions that are um you know based on the the guidelines that we've had, and so I feel really comfortable with it.

And I'm I'm glad you're being so practical about it.

So thank you for that.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gabbard.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Raul, for the presentation today and for the one-on-ones.

I also just want to personally thank you for the tour that you and Beth took me on a little bit of time ago.

I think it was a couple of items ago.

Um, it's really fascinating to see it all come together.

Um, and I just really appreciate, you know, Councilmember Driscoll touched on some of the things, um, but we talked pretty extensively, both in our one-on-ones and when I was on site with you all about things that for me as a council member were just a step too far, right?

And so I think you have all taken our input and our consideration of what we are willing to invest in very seriously, and I just wanted to thank both of you for that.

And uh, I know just from talking with Beth that she takes this very, very seriously.

She carries this responsibility very heavily on her shoulders.

And so even though she's not here today, I just wanted to say a big thank you for that.

The rest of my comments are gonna be a little bit redundant, and it's not really any questions.

Everything that you um have laid out here very much makes sense.

It is the path forward.

We're kind of already in it, and no matter how painful it is, we got to just keep pushing forward because that is our obligation to uh Vice Chair Hanowitz's point.

But I I'm hearing so many kind of misnomers out in the community about what this is, what this isn't, votes that we've taken before, what they mean for this agreement.

I just heard it again yesterday from some residents who were saying, well, you all canceled the agreement.

That the agreement's been canceled, the agreement's done.

Why do you continue to spend money?

And I just wanted to be very, very clear that what we did in that last meeting when we canceled the agreement, did not change our use agreement that we currently operate under.

And so I just wanted to give legal one more opportunity to set the record straight again.

Because as council members, these are what this is what we hear, right?

Because it's in sound bites and it's clickbait, and we have to, it's our responsibility to make sure we are communicating articulately what we are spending money on, why we are doing it, and that it yes, they are similar entities with what we did last time and with this agreement, but they are not interwoven at this point.

So I just wanted to make sure that we have that conversation again.

We may continue to have that conversation every time this comes up, but I just think it's really, really important that we are super clear with the community what we are paying for, why we are paying for it, and what the obligation, not only from us, but from the Rays whenever we have this stadium completed.

Uh, you're a hundred percent correct, council member.

Any the termination of the stadium agreements that automatically terminated the action that you took to terminate uh the gas plant redevelopment agreement have no bearing whatsoever on the repair obligations for Tropicana Field.

The existing uh use agreement requires that, as we've discussed.

Um, adding on to what council member Driscoll brought up.

Administration has also talked legal about all of the different items.

Beth has been extremely judicious on that.

We agree that the things that have been presented to you are required under the agreement.

Um there's no other option from a legal standpoint, in my opinion.

Thank you.

I appreciate you clearing that up.

And Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to kind of clear that up again for the community.

Um, because you know, we hear it almost every day.

We read it online, and I think it's just really really important when we are here doing the business of the city that we are very clear about what that is and what that isn't.

So thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gibbons, thank you so much, Chair.

I appreciate it, and thank you, Raul.

Uh, thank you to Elizabeth for everything that you do.

Um, our new project manager, thank you for all of your hard work.

I keep hearing that we are contractually obligated to fix the stadium.

Um, but what I'm not hearing, or at least the question that hasn't been asked in the sunshine is does the new owner who's being floated even want the stadium fixed.

I know what we're obligated to do.

I don't need to be reminded of that.

But what I do want to remind council members and administration is that we're also obligated to listen to our constituents, and our constituents are telling us that the price tag is getting too high, and this is not what we were initially told.

It's not what we were sold, right?

What I want to make sure is that the stadium is operatable for major league baseball games.

I don't want to, and I'm glad Councilmember Driscoll brought this up, renovate every single suite, renovate every single concession stand, because God knows when we were there during the days that the games were being played, there were many concession stands that were empty.

But I want to make sure we aren't rushing this, and that's what I feel like is that I'm being put in the corner and being told this is what you got to do, so deal with it.

No, we were elected to listen to our constituents, and our constituents want us to ask the question.

What are our options?

And I'm I've I will not accept the fact that this is all we have to do, which is just spend the money.

When our homes are ruined, many of our homes were damaged in the hurricanes.

When we didn't have the money to spend to get things fixed, and we had to do patchwork like many of my constituents in my district, you know what they did?

They didn't just go with the first bid that was put in front of them.

They didn't take the first option that they were sold.

No, they shopped around and they found a better option that was more economical.

And so that's why I'm voting no today is because I feel like there are other economical options, and this is being rushed.

And I would much rather wait another four weeks, six weeks, whatever, until we know what the Rays want to do.

Because as of right now, the way I see it in legal, you remind me if we spend this money, can we get a refund?

I mean, this is our contractual commitment, so it's our financial responsibility.

There's no refund uh that would be contemplated from the Rays.

And is FEMA guaranteed?

No.

No.

So $60 million down the drain.

And it's money that we cannot recoup.

Meanwhile, we have other pressing needs, utilities, stormwater infrastructure, everything facing this council diet right now, but we think this is a priority.

I just want to remind us that we have other pressing issues besides just major league baseball, right?

And and this is the reason that we need to start having the conversation about other revenue replacement streams.

Because, say our new owner, Mr.

and Mrs.

whoever decides that they want to go to Toy Town, they want to go to Tampa, they want to go to Orlando.

We are up a creek without a PAL.

So I just want to remind us that yes, we might be contractually legally obligated to do certain things, but we were also elected to do certain things, which is to be fiscally responsible.

So I I have more so comments than anything, Raul, but I I have concerns.

So I I do have a question uh specifically regarding the timing of our tariffs, right?

We know that just kicked in a few days ago.

Um so how will that impact future GMPs?

So the pricing as we receive them are uh dated such that any tariff that would be affected would be included in that pricing.

Uh the only one where we had uh some unknowns was on the original GMP for the roof, where we established an allowance of I think 100,000 for tariffs that could be applied on the roof.

We did receive indication that those tariffs would be more than that, but 260,000 total.

So the difference is something that we're gonna have to cover in our owners' contingency.

We had contingency in that GMP, and we should have it covered.

Let me just say I appreciate your comments, uh, council member, and I believe uh the only way I I know to respond is that um, you know, we've we've brought to council numerous GMPs on this subject.

This particular GMP is is to complete that effort.

The very first GMP we brought was for the roof.

Uh that is underway and to be done.

That's a massive amount of work.

Uh these other GMPs that we've been bringing to you have not been done in isolation or uh changing anything that we've presented and always been part of the the concept.

So this GMP is as necessary as any of the other ones in order to comply in order to complete our obligations.

And I want you to know I don't fault you, Elizabeth anyone on that.

I appreciate all your hard work and the time you have given.

I just wanted to clarify that.

And I appreciate that clarification, but my concern is we are giving we we're being given parceled information, right?

We're not being given that complete picture.

And you said yourself you're still trying to define the scope of the work, which means that figures may change, estimates may change.

Am I right or wrong?

Um no, we have we know the scope.

We're just getting final pricing on one last element of this, which we've all along have said that's the last one we're doing.

Uh because of the the need to uh to define that scope very carefully, very clearly.

It's it was the most complicated one.

It was all the production work.

So no, there's no there's in my mind, we haven't, you know, we're not lacking any information at this point.

But we shouldn't see any additional overruns.

I'm not I'm not sure what you mean by over.

But we shouldn't see another increase of 3.45.7 million dollars, nothing else should be increased in the GMP.

I have we're I'm bringing one GMP proposal back to council pretty soon.

That's for the broadcast for for the production work.

Um I don't have that number right now.

Okay, thank you, Roll.

I appreciate your honesty.

Um, and then my last concern and and oh, did you want to say something, Bridget?

Yeah, if I just may add some context to it, um, this type of project implementation is where we accept multiple GMPs towards the overall cost of the project.

So I I get that you're seeing it at different points, but um early on in the project, what we did is we did come with the and you know, to council member Driscoll's point, what's that list?

And we worked towards approving that um first part where we identified all the elements that were required.

Now to maintain our contractual obligations of getting the work done in a timely manner, what we're doing is authorizing work as it's completed.

So it's sequenced in such a way.

So it's not as though um these are things that we're discovering as we go along.

It's it's a strategic approach that um we know we have to order this, we know we have to buy this now, and these are things that have to get done now.

So we're pricing these elements now while we're finishing design on the other elements.

So that's really how it's come along.

It's not that their price increases because contextually, within the um, you know, during the damage assessments, we did understand that the preliminary damage, and I think that's a perspective I will also like to give.

Um, you know, during our storm, we have 24 to 48 hours to do what we call a preliminary damage assessments.

And at that point, it's a really quick look.

But then we get into the detailed damage assessment.

So in that time range within the first 24s, while you know, we're still trying to recover as a city address flooding within the first 24 hours.

We estimated that on the high initial level of you know, in that 50 to 60 range and that magnitude.

But as we got into the detail design, that's when we said the um detailed estimate, and that's what we came into that 75 reach.

So contextually, right now, we're still above 59 million.

So we're still within what we projected.

I appreciate that projection.

And then very quickly, and lastly, um you mentioned damage assessment.

So granted, we are not at peak hurricane season yet, and there is not a roof over Tropicana Field yet.

I'm guessing there will still possibly be water inundation.

So where do we stand on the mold inspection?

So that's that's one of the things we've been keeping an eye on.

We've had uh a consultant who has come out periodically, they actually just completed some additional inspection.

So as the as those test results come in, we take action.

Uh right now we haven't found anything of significant of concern, but we're we're managing that issue as well.

I appreciate it.

And thank you, Chair.

Thank you all.

By Sure Hanowitz.

Thank you.

Um Jackie, I just um want to go over some of the requirements of the use agreement that we are right now under contract with just to clarify.

Who are we in contract with right now under the use agreement?

It's a Tampa Bay Rays, the current ownership, right?

Current ownership.

Okay.

And what is our responsibility in regards to the stadium?

Is to fix the stadium suitable for playing home games.

Okay.

And what are their obligations to us under the agreement?

They're supposed to stay there, right?

Correct.

Through when?

Right now, if if everything stayed on schedule through the 2028 season.

Okay.

Have they released us from the requirements of this use agreement?

No.

Okay.

Are the negotiations between the current raise ownership and a potential buyer change any of the obligations under this agreement?

Not as it's currently written.

Not unless there was an amendment to the agreement which would have to be approved by uh city council.

Okay.

And I just want to make it clear, because there are a lot of people out there that are confused about what the raise future may be.

The raise, the current ownership, what's happening right now is between the Rays and the City, and that's the agreement.

It has nothing to do with what they may, if they may sell the team, who they may sell the team, because at the end of the day, it's the current ownership that makes the decisions.

Is that correct?

Correct.

Not anyone else.

Okay.

And you know, uh it's it's frustrating because this is an agreement that was entered when back in 1998.

95.

Can't even keep track of all the agreements at this point, but 1995, right?

Okay, so we are operating under the 1995 agreement, has nothing to do with any of the agreements that recently were terminated.

We're back to the use agreement, and that use agreement required us to fix the trap.

And once we fix the trap, they have to stay there through the end of the season of 2028 based on the current schedule as it stands.

Correct.

Okay.

And if they sell the team, right, that agreement still stands.

Correct.

Okay, under the new ownership.

They have to abide by those terms.

Right.

Any new owner would have to assume the obligations in the current use agreement as they currently exist.

Okay.

And the Rays have indicated to us first, they want the stadium fixed, right?

I would defer to administration on that one.

They're on board with this, right?

Yes.

They're step by step going through this process with us, right?

Yes.

Okay.

That's all I needed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Floyd.

Thank you.

Um just figured I'd excuse me.

Uh take a second to just again reiterate my position on this.

I know my colleagues disagreed with me at the beginning of this.

Uh I felt we could have done uh we could have pushed a little bit further when we first put the roof on, but we voted to put the roof on.

And I uh despite being an opposition, then I see no path out of where we are right now.

We are uh I think there's a saying like uh my foot's tied to the pedal or something like that.

I can't remember what it is, but I I see no legal opportunity at this point.

Uh I did, and I know people disagreed with me, and that's why I was the only person to vote against us going down this process, but I don't see it now.

And so uh I've been impressed by uh the speed and the efficiency with which the administration's gotten this project done.

Uh I'll reiterate again.

Um, you know, I look forward to that in all of our projects going forward from now on.

So no pressure.

Yeah, no pressure, but you've shown uh a real skill here.

And uh I uh you know I'm not happy, but uh I'm gonna support us continuing down the path that we decided as a city, uh despite my opposition because that's the only thing that I believe is feasible right now.

Uh so and also I don't think that anything has happened that you know was unexpected at all.

Like when we had the first vote on the roof, like it was well known that projects are brought to us and they have costs associated with them, and those costs can change.

Uh and this, in comparison to many program projects that we've done, uh the cost has changed very minuscuely.

I understand that uh you know people are interested in this, and it's a very high-profile job.

Uh but uh you know, I I think if you compare it to recent capital programs, uh, the one that always gets compared to me as a library, uh, this has uh been done in a very professional and expedient way.

Uh not happy about it, but gonna continue to support it today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Move approval of item F4 and F5.

Second.

Okay.

Just quickly, um, I'm gonna follow up Vice Chair Hanowitz.

I probably won't do it as eloquently.

Um we released the raise from their obligation to play through 2028.

No.

If they moved under that obligation, if they decide to just pick up and move, what's the remedy at that point?

A variety.

Uh first and foremost would be we would seek injunctive relief to compel them to honor the contract as it's and I'm assuming as a part of that injunctive relief.

If if they didn't follow the injunctive relief to fulfill their obligation, we would then go after anything we've spent for them to play in this stadium.

The I I wouldn't foreclose that possibility, but the what the agreement provides for they do not have an option.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, and then just thank you, Jackie.

Um, and then just I want to make one thing really crystal clear, and I know it's kind of been talked about, but I but again I just want to double-click on it and make sure this is not uh the raise order and we deliver.

This is a con uh a collaborative effort that we then verify to make sure what we're doing is for major league baseball playable games at Tropicana Field.

This isn't like they come up to the McDonald's counter and they get to order off the menu of everything they want done.

That's very much the case, sir.

Yes, sir.

All right, that's all I had.

We have a motion and a second on the floor.

Seeing as no other council members wishing to speak, Kirk, could you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing as all present council members have voted, Clerk, please finally announce the vote.

Mr.

Chair, the motion to approve agenda items F4 and F5 passes seven to one with council members Driscoll, Fixanders, Floyd, Gabbard, Gurdis, Hanowitz, and Harding voting yes, and council member gibbons voting no.

Thank you, team.

Okay, we're gonna move right into F7, and we've got our FY26 utility rates update.

Claude, welcome.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And uh, if we can pull up the presentation all right, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um I want to do is walk us through today's presentation real quickly here.

So we have the timeline here for the utility rates program schedule.

You can see we're approaching the end.

Uh, this is uh this is a long process that begins in January and uh involves a lot of interaction and uh with with council, with uh the departments, with the mayor, administration, and uh and and runs concurrently in parallel with the budget process itself at the at the BFT meeting number two.

Administration brought a proposal for the adjustments to the uh utility rates as is shown on this screen, it'd be an average of about 8.6% increase on the overall bill for a for a customer.

Uh but each utility program will have its own uh uh adjustment as is shown up here on the screen.

And we talked about what kind of projects would be funded through that SPAR program and what we are doing to prepare ourselves for it.

Oops, sorry.

So during so at the final part of that presentation, administration brought to uh the the committee four different scenarios for moving forward for the funding of that spar program, and we called those scenarios A, B, C, and D.

Scenario A assumed that the SPAR program would be funded through a general obligation bond.

Scenarios B, C, and D made the assumption that the SPAR program would be funded through a combination of a cash and utility bonds, as is shown on the screen here.

We looked at a 100% utility bond or 75% utility with 25% cash or 50-50 cash to utility bond ratio.

We then projected what the utility rates might be in fiscal year 30 in these different scenarios, and you can see that under the scenario A with the general obligation bond that the assumed utility rate for stormwater would be about $30.7 per month for the tier two customer.

And then you can see the other values there, assuming we used utility rates to go out for a utility bond to pay for the spar program.

During the meeting, um councilmember Gabbard asked us to be a little bit more aggressive, and I appreciate that.

You asked us to look for some other scenarios, and so we went back and evaluated what those other scenarios are, and one of the scenarios that was suggested was what if during fiscal year 26 we went ahead and added one additional dollar to the monthly utility rate for the tier two stormwater customers.

What would that allow us to do in fiscal year 26 to accelerate the program and not have to wait to do the majority of the work starting in fiscal year 27?

So that would have been scenario E that we would have looked at.

And we did look at it.

So as you'll see here, scenario E would allow us to jumpstart the SPAR program in fiscal year 26, uh, but would jumpstart it in the stormwater section only by adding one dollar per month extra for the tier two utility uh stormwater utility.

By doing this, we would be able to borrow under the utility bonds about approximately 32 million dollars under utility bonds to do this work up front.

This assumes a 30-year utility bond with a 5% interest rate, and that extra $1 per month on these on the tier two uh rate would generate approximately $2.1 million per year for that 30-year period, allowing us then to fund that $32 million utility bond.

As we were doing this analysis, it became apparent to us that the $25 million from the CDBG DR program was looking like it was going to become available to us sooner than we had anticipated.

And this is based off of the feedback we were getting from HUD but also from other communities and other counties such as Pinellas County on their progress with their C D B G DR program.

And so we decided to look at what if we were able to go ahead and use those funds in fiscal year 26.

We had originally anticipated that it wouldn't be available necessary in 26, so we would we would not be able to use it until maybe 27 or later.

What if we were able to use these funds in fiscal year 26 again for stormwater only, funding additional stormwater CIP projects for the 25 million dollars for the from the CDPGR grant?

That um under those under that grant, those funds must be used to fund infrastructure projects that support disaster recovery, long-term resilience, and we needed to target neighborhoods with concentrations of 50% or more LMI households.

So this became scenario F.

So here's a recapping then of scenarios A, E, and F.

I've I've um made B, C and D lighters because we're not really talking about those.

And what would be the impact of any one of those three scenarios?

And you'll see that both A and F would allow us to assume that a future fiscal year 30 utility rate for Tier 2 would remain at $30.07, with the scenario E that that rate would be at the $31.07, $1 more.

Looking at what how that would impact fiscal year 26, the fiscal year 26 stormwater tier 2 monthly utility rates under scenarios A and F would be $23.24.

Under E would be $24.24.

And if you add what we currently have in our CIP plus what we may be able to do additionally for SPAR, then under scenario E, we'd be able to do the $32 million that we currently have planned plus an additional $32 million, which comes to $64 million total.

Under scenario F, it would be the $32 million that we currently have planned, plus an additional $25 million from the grant for a total of $57 million towards CIP in fiscal year 26.

So this is the scenario that administration is recommending for approval.

And so I want to dive into a little bit as to what an irrigation only meter is.

So if a customer is using potable water for both domestic uses, such as drinking, cooking, cleaning, but is also using potable water to irrigate their yard, and they're they're receiving all this water through a domestic normal domestic water meter, they will be charged sewer charges on that water that they are irrigating their yard with, even though that water does not come back to our sewer system.

So the irrigation only meter allows them to have a second meter that is hooked up only to their irrigation system that they can use to irrigate their yards with, and that the water that goes through that irrigation only meter, you only get charged for the water.

You don't get charged for the sewer.

The first tier starting at around zero to 3,500 gallons per month usage, whereas the irrigation only meter, the first tier goes up to 7,000 gallons.

Why do we do that?

The concept is that potable water is very expensive to create.

So therefore we want to make sure that they those users had the the lowest rate.

And so that's why we we are showing on the irrigation only meter that the first tier goes from zero to seven thousand and is at the same rate as the tier two for the domestic meter customers.

The change that we're making is that in fiscal year 2025, we only had one, we only had two tiers.

Tier one went from zero to ten thousand five hundred at a rate of fourteen dollars and fifty-one cents.

The change we're making is we're adding an additional tier.

So now we have three.

Tier one now goes from zero to seven thousand at a rate of six dollars and forty-eight cents.

Tier two goes from 7,01 gallons to 10,500 and is at proposed at 1558, which is the tier three value for potable water.

And then tier three matches tier four for the domestic use.

The other change we are proposing this year is to go ahead and um achieve our target of a thousand dollars per water closet for full cost recovery for uh new connections to our our system.

And so you'll see we are we are proposing to go from six hundred dollars per water closet to one thousand dollars per water closet in fiscal year 26.

And this addresses the the question that we often hear, and and I know during the uh the opening comments, there was those the comment about how do we get development to pay for their fair share.

This is how we get development to pay for their fair share.

For every uh bathroom that is added to our system, uh the person developing that bathroom, whether it's one bathroom or 400 bathrooms, they have to pay a thousand dollars per bathroom to add to our system.

So what are the key drivers behind the utility rate increases this year?

The first thing I want to point out is we are not adding significant staff.

Uh this year we have 900 uh 910 position across all the utilities for fiscal year 26.

We're only proposing to add two positions.

So the increase the in in the cost is not being driven by adding a bunch of staff.

Regrettably is being driven by just the normal inflationary uh pressures that we're all feeling in terms of the sanitation department, the landfill tipping fee is increasing by eight percent.

Uh our vehicle and repair maintenance, uh the numbers I put up there are specifically for sanitation.

You can see those have gone up, and then we use a lot of chemicals and tools and other equipment in our operations, and and those costs have gone up.

We are also proposing a larger spending on capital expenditures.

Again, this is to address the the the knowing the known variable, the fact that we we need to continue to invest in our utilities to make them resilient going into the future.

And so we're proposing to spend more on capital expenditures.

So what are the next steps?

Um we are looking from for council concurrence today as to when we come to you for the first reading, which of those scenarios, A, E or F, we will bring to you for the first hearing.

And then we do have the first reading next Thursday on August 14th at 3 p.m.

And then the final public hearing for these utility rates on Thursday, September 4th at 5.01 p.m.

And that concludes my presentation.

Thank you, Claude.

And just for clarity, we're not voting, we're just giving feedback, right?

Okay.

Just thank you, sir.

Thank you.

All right, we're gonna go to Councilmember Gabbard.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh pushed my button early in the presentation since my name was in the presentation.

I just figured I might as well kick us off, right?

All right, so I've got a lot to unpack here.

Um, so I I hope that you can have a little patience with me in the time today, but this is very, very important that we are having this final conversation here at City Council because a lot of people don't pay attention to our committee meetings.

I have always pushed for us to bring this here as a last stop because I think that that transparency is very important.

Um, so I'm just gonna one housekeeping item that I just want to mention at the top.

The way that the presentation was given as part of backup prior to us getting the presentation via email yesterday, I believe, it needs to be corrected on the city website.

Um so what we all saw with the big draft across it in our ads and deletes, that is still on the city website as of today.

And if this is about transparency, why why do we have a presentation that people can only read half the information of or that they don't even know is the final presentation?

Um that right there, I just think for the levity of what we're talking about, I just want that corrected.

So I wanted to bring that up right off the top.

All right, so let's actually talk about what happened in the BFT meetings and kind of trying to break this down a little bit easier for everyday residents to understand because we're living it like we've been through all these meetings, and even still it's a bit of a numbers jumble.

So I just want to be like I want to kind of set the record straight on some of this stuff.

Okay, so in July June and July at BFT, both presentations said on them that there were no spar projects included in the proposed scenario A utility rates for FY26.

However, in this presentation, there is a slide that talks about 10 million dollars that is included for pre-planning work as proposed in FY26 for the implementation of SPAR kicking off in 27.

So can you explain why in two presentations back to back, we were told there was no spar included, but here it's saying that there's 10 million dollars of spar pre planning.

So it's my recollection that I don't have those two other presentations in front of me, but it is my recollection that we did talk about the fact that we needed to do pre-planning prior to actually kicking off the projects and that in both the water and the sewer side, and both the water and the stormwater side that we were going to be doing some projects, some pre-planning work to get the projects kicked off.

So the 10 million dollars that is being discussed here, that is in both stormwater and water resources.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you for that clarification.

Um then so the way that this was laid out with the scenario E, as I've been calling it, um I don't know.

I think that by not really showing here in this presentation the um B was the scenario that I used, which was the 100% financing.

That was I believed it was a difference of $1.16, not just a dollar.

So let's let's not, you know, let's make sure we get those numbers right.

But that it would actually, if we were to do that scenario B at 100% debt financing, that that over 30 years would be what we could utilize to pay for SPAR.

But now that I'm reading this, if it's if we want to just simplify it to a dollar, it would only generate 2.1 million over third for 32 years over 30 million dollars.

I don't really understand that.

I don't understand why it was laid out one way, yet here it's being laid out to diminish the amount that that increase for stormwater could actually invest in our system.

So I need you to explain that.

So I'll do my best to try to understand how the the miscommunication, but we were we were always assuming that we would pay for spar over several different years.

And so therefore we we would borrow only the amount in any given year to pay for that portion of the spar program.

Okay.

So rather than borrowing the full 614 million up front and going ahead and wrapping it into the rate for fiscal year 27, we would just borrow what we needed for 27 and then 28 and 29 and 30, and then that we we would show those increases over the each year to pay for the entire spar program.

So you said 27.

Starting in 27.

So that's back to where my problem lies.

We just talked about how we're doing Tropicana Field in an expedient manner and how quickly that's moving, and how some of us are frustrated because we have other needs in the city that are not moving as quickly, but we keep talking about doing these projects in 27.

And I realize that there is planning and implementation that has to happen, but we're not doing it fast enough, and we're not increasing our staff.

We're not getting there.

And I just because I didn't get a one-on-one about this before, um, scheduling or whatever.

I wasn't able to really dig into the math on this.

I'm just having a hard time believing that if we even talk about scenario E seriously, that we're only talking about 2.1 million dollars and 32 million dollars over 30 years.

I that math is not coming out for me based on what we were told in BFT 1 and 2.

So I'm still confused on that, and I don't know that you're gonna clear that up for me today.

Um there was also this comment, you know, scenario E would adjust stormwater CIP only.

Yes, okay.

I understand that there is still maintenance and repair and upgrades that need to be done to water resources, but I want us to all have a level set that we have spent in our water resources over the course of the last seven, eight, nine years, four hundred, five hundred million dollars, yet we have not invested in our stormwater in the way that we need to.

And in last year, it was the stormwater system that showed vulnerabilities.

So I just want to be really clear that we are not making, in my opinion, and I look forward to hearing what my colleagues say, I don't think that we are making that same concerted effort on our stormwater system that we were able to do with our water resources, and we continue to talk about water resources as though that is the end all be all of becoming a resilient city.

And yes, it's important, but they have to have equal merit, or we are never going to get to that dream of being able to do everything we can to protect our residents from from our vulnerabilities from sea level rise and climate change.

So I I've said that over and over and over again, and I just don't know that I'm being heard.

So I just wanted to say it one more time.

Tom, do you want to just to make sure we're all on the same page?

Yeah, thank you.

Um so I just want to to kind of highlight um what that exercise, what we did in that exercise.

So we quantified that one dollar increase and forecasted what that would extrapolate to in annual revenue generated, and then how much that would support in debt service.

So we are just isolating that $1 increase.

So that will generate $2.1 million, which will support a five uh 30-year bond at 5% of $32 million.

So I just wanted to make sure that that was clear what what our response or what we presented in this information.

Okay, thank you.

Um so funding scenario F.

And Claude, you and I talked about this in a one-on-one that we had.

Um and this piece of it, I'm very happy to see it laid out in um, you know, as a part of what we're doing with our utility rates because it is very important.

That 25 million dollars is very important.

Um, but as I understand it, and I just want you to clarify for me, the CDBG dollars, we have six years to expend.

Yes.

You're saying that you believe that we'll be able to utilize it sooner, but I'm also being told that we don't have additional staffing, we don't have bandwidth to start implementing projects.

Can you kind of clear that up for me?

Because we've already voted for the CDBG plan.

So as long as HUD comes through, which I hope to God they do, that's happening.

That's not new.

But I need to understand the bandwidth in which we can actually put those $25 million into play tomorrow versus over six years.

Absolutely.

So I I'm gonna ask uh Burgesh Brayman, our engineering director, to come up to speak to that since it'll be his team primarily um pushing these this work forward.

Uh and also one of the tools that we're gonna we're using to help expand our our own bandwidth is um the fact that we we've now have selected some engineering firms and and I believe we brought those to you back in June to help expand our staff.

This is staff augmentation services that we've we've we've uh contracted with.

But Brajesh, if you want to speak to the bandwidth.

Uh Consumer Magabod, City Council uh British Engineering Carbon Improvements Department.

Uh great question.

So, you know, there's there's the perspective also um, you know, you bandwidth is always the correct thing to ask.

Um the reality is that we did, and council was gracious to approve those annual contracts for us of staff augmentation.

Um that's how we will look towards supporting some of these projects that can be isolated, and why we're looking to also implement some of these projects earlier, the planning fees.

Um, but there's so much involved in stormwater projects, which is challenging, meaning um stormwater projects are right away, generally right away to right away, as opposed to you know, a sidewalk project or a pipeline project or even projects within plants.

And um, you know, I get the perspective that you know some of the projects we've implemented really quickly, by example, you know, Trump, but that was under a procurement weaver.

We typically don't have that.

A lot of the permitting processes under that was governed within the city.

Stormwater projects, unfortunately uh regulated on the water management district.

And in some cases where we connect to tidal water conditions where we're now regulated by the Army Corps coast guards.

So the bandwidth is important, and you know, with council support, we were able to get um you know more extension of staff that we could bring in as needed.

Um, but we're still tied towards that timeline on implementing projects on the regulatory side.

Um but I mean your point's well taken, and we will we will continue to push as hard as we can to start these projects early.

And I think um I'll go back to a good example of the BCN C projects.

Um, you know, the master plan, because we did that preliminary study early, we were able to have these projects in the CIP U.

So um we do have a I'm almost want to use the term laundry list of projects that we are queuing up based on all our analysis that we took from the Hillen and the Milton Impacts.

Thank you, Prajesh.

And and uh Brajesh, I know you share in similar goals to mine for us to speed this up, and I I recognize you are doing everything you can with what we give you.

And I I recognize you are doing everything you can with what we give you.

Um I tell you all the time, it's my goal to give you more.

I appreciate it and help you do these things faster.

And so that's really what what I'm saying today.

Now on the scenario F with the 25 million dollars, um, that really isn't going to be utilized citywide necessarily, correct?

Because we have these LMI um limitations, and so have we already gone through and looked at what areas of the city that we are going to be able to spend these dollars in, lined them up with projects in the stormwater master plan, and if so, um how like can council kind of learn more about that as we continue to move forward?

Certainly, absolutely.

So, as part of this process and preparing for today, uh Brajesh and his team looked at either a 32 million or 25 million.

If we had that additional in 2026, what could we do with it?

And how would it align with the stormwater master plan with projects that were already planned with projects that um would would meet those that 50% LMI?

Um, and so uh we don't have that list to share with you today because we're we we really want to suss it out completely.

But if Mr.

Prehmann, if you want to speak to some of the items that you looked at.

So everyone knows I'm a data geek when it comes to this stuff.

So we do have the shapefile data from the Stormwater Master Plan.

Um, you know, some of you have shown me, I've shown you all like the LIDAR data, everything that we have.

So using that intelligence as well as the data layers from the LMI, um, that's what we'll start to overlay.

We've also um targeted and gotten the information from the storms.

So based on the guidance today um as to what the thresholds are, that's then when we'll go back and figure out okay, what are the projects that would get us the biggest ban for the buck within these areas?

So so taking the numbers, we'll now be able to now digest it to come and essentially come up with a final work plan program.

But it's be we will be overlaying all that information and is essentially connecting the dots to which projects within the fall within those category areas.

Okay, and council's been given um some engineering reports as of late, and um some of this is from Jones Edmonds, and it's the conceptual stormwater project management evaluation.

Um is is this work that's happening the work that will guide the prioritization?

I I guess I'm not really sure how all of this correlates.

So we've started doing a lot of analysis on some of these um local um localized um locations, I hate to say localized locations.

Um and that's what some of these reports are, some of the modeling that are looking at these specific locations and providing us guidance as far as okay, this is a good project to advance.

So really refining that data.

So, yes, you're absolutely correct.

Okay, all right.

Well, may I also to just and thank you for that question because uh we don't want to just just do big projects.

Um we we want to do big projects, but not just big projects.

Um sometimes we could have some localized flooding that may impact just one block or two blocks that for that that one or two block area is extremely impactful to the residents there or the people commuting through there, that the cost for those is would not be that great.

And matter of fact, some of them are are projects that we could do ourselves in-house.

And but before we go and and start um uh upsizing the pipes in the in those one or two block areas, we have to make sure that when we do that work that that doesn't just transfer the flooding further downstream to another area.

So our staff working between the our engineering team and our stormwater team, they came up with some areas that our our maintenance staff were aware of that they were called out to on a regular basis many times per year, uh, and and and gave our our engineering staff those locations, engineering turned those locations over to Jones Edmonds.

They did an analysis to make sure that if we made those improvements, we just wouldn't be passing the the flooding downstream.

So that was the purpose of that, and we're moving forward with those projects.

Yeah, I mean, I I appreciate seeing these reports because I think it's interesting to see that how something that came maybe out of the stormwater master plan and had a certain amount to it.

Um, you know, you look at this one that's on MLK, and I mean, very clearly it says that there was no flooding benefit from upsizing just the existing pipe, and therefore alternate one was developed, but it's double the cost of what so I think that a lot of this, what we're gonna see is that the cost is not getting less, it's getting more, but we don't have the resources or the staffing available to be able to actually absorb that.

So we continue to just be behind the gun.

And for me, that's just not acceptable.

And so I don't I'm trying to come up with every solution here to try to move us forward faster.

Um, but like I said, there's a lot of kind of doubt in I think some of the stuff we're being shown.

Um, so you've got scenario E, you've got scenario F, which we know is already happening.

Do I understand it here on slide 10 that if we were to say that we were willing to move forward with scenario E, recognizing that scenario F is already happening?

Would that combine those two, or how would that work?

Because you've got 64 million for E for the FY26, CIP and SPAR, and you've got 57 million.

That wouldn't combine that, that would be instead of, correct?

That that is correct.

So for scenario E, you would take the 32 million shown in scenario A, you'd add the additional 32 million from the bond, and that comes up to the 64.

For the scenario F, we have the 32 million that's in scenario A and add a 25 million cash for the 57.

Okay.

So the E, the 64 million, I just want to make sure I understand this.

Does or does not include the 25 million from CDBG?

It does.

So it doesn't.

So if we did E, we could add the 25 million to that.

We certainly could.

Yes.

Okay.

Now we're talking.

All right.

Okay, just two more questions, and then I'll give up my time.

Um, the sewer capacity fee.

Can you clarify that um those fees are used specifically for water resources improvements and not for stormwater?

Absolutely, yes.

Only for for water and sewer, not for stormwater.

You're absolutely so to my point earlier, more resources going into one part of our system, less ability for others because that is not a revenue stream that can be used there.

That is correct.

We cannot use it there.

Okay.

All right.

And then I think my last question, this is one that I got at a neighborhood meeting um not too long ago about reclaimed.

And um just getting questions about why it's increased so much over time and um the correlation uh with impacts to wastewater, you know, from getting rid of reclaimed, and um people were talking about well, can they just turn reclaimed off?

Like if if they don't want it, now they're gonna start using their potable water instead, right?

So you talk about these um meters.

Are you talking about actually installing new meters that would read the difference?

So the irrigation only meters are not for reclaimed water that's for power.

They're for potable, but are you talking about installing new meters on potable if a customer asks if they ask?

Yeah, if they ask for a second meter, then we will install one.

And I think we have it's in the low hundreds in in the city, so there's not that many of them.

Okay.

All right.

I'd like to learn more about that because unless I missed it, this was kind of the first presentation I've really heard about this.

So I'd like to learn more about that because I think we might have some individuals who are thinking um as a way of cutting costs that they might want to get rid of reclaimed or not have that part.

I think that people should very clearly understand the financial implications if you don't have reclaimed if it's available to you, and then what the opportunity for this other metering might be.

So I'd like to have a more comprehensive conversation about that outside of this utility.

And and we we can also, if a customer calls in and and we we have folks that can walk them through what that might look like based off of what what they're paying for reclaim versus what they might be paying if they switch to the the irrigation only for the potable water.

Okay.

So I'm just gonna end with saying, I mean, recommendation F is already happening.

Um as long as we get our HUD dollars, which we feel pretty confident that we will.

We're talking about the geo bond, but there's a lot of taxing uncertainty.

I'm just feeling like we're at a place where we just have to make what I think is a relatively low investment over time for a better return on that investment.

And I said it the very first BFT that I mentioned it.

I think that if you talked to a resident who whose home flooded in an area, and I I have one neighborhood in my mind, I won't pick on them.

They're a neighborhood of about 200 homes, and about half of those flooded during the storm.

And we have a CIP in the stormwater uh plan.

There is a project that would remove about a hundred homes from the stormwater floodplain.

I I think if you ask those residents, would you spend another dollar sixteen a month to improve projects that could potentially keep your home from not flooding?

I think they would say yes all day long.

Because it could help people to be able to not be as vulnerable.

And so I I'm just not I'm not in a place where I'm ready to give up on us moving something forward more aggressively today with the actual utility rates.

I'm sure I might be an island on that, but that's where I stand.

So thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Floyd.

Well, you're not an island is the first thing I'll say.

But I I do uh you did cover a lot of things that I was interested in asking.

Uh, but I want to get some clarity, and so we might be reiterating some here, but I'll start with uh A versus E versus F.

And so it seems like F is the new default instead of A.

Like I maybe that's okay, yeah.

Like I see you shaking your head.

Assuming that our assumption that we're gonna be having the C D BG funds in 2026, and we feel confident about that, but it still isn't an assumption.

Of course.

Assuming that is the assumption, then yes, that would be the default.

Of course.

So we would move forward with that.

Uh you know, if we were to say we're doing scenario A, we're yeah, by default, doing scenario F based off of our assumption.

Um and then, yeah, I mean, the first thing I wrote down was why was it presented to us to do scenario E as if scenario F wasn't our new default?

So, because it does feel like if we were doing scenario F, uh you would have to add the numbers from uh you would have to add the 32 million to it to really get a clear picture of what we would be capable of doing.

Does that make sense?

Yes, it does.

Yeah, and Claude, if I if I could step in there and and you and Tom can can correct me if I'm wrong because you know better.

I mean, I I think what we're saying in that scenario is we want to dedicate these resources to stormwater.

Okay.

We don't have to dedicate stormwater.

There's other uses for them.

And so I'm not sure it's a default.

Okay.

We're offering it as a focus on stormwater.

Okay, so we had and submitted voted to approve a plan for CDBGDR.

Those that plan included stormwater.

Yeah.

That's a question, yeah.

Under under the infrastructure scenario, that those funds could be used for stormwater or water or wastewater.

Okay, could be.

Okay, okay, okay.

Um, now I see how it's a little uh more nuanced to it.

Uh so I appreciate you explaining that.

I would be supportive of using them for stormwater.

So uh but you know, ultimately is it administration's position that if we were to go with scenario E that maybe we should reconsider using those funds for stormwater.

Would that okay?

Okay.

Okay.

Um then what it sounded like was you know, we have logistic and hurdles in the way, not just financial, and that's why we talked a lot about staff.

Uh do we feel like we could feasibly put out uh you know the amount of money that would come from scenario F and E in a in a short period of time?

It would be challenging.

It would definitely be challenging.

And right now, as I mentioned, Mr.

Priman has looked at what would it, what would we be able to do, what projects would we be able to do, assuming the 32 million dollars extra.

If we were looking at a total of 57 million dollars extra, we would just need to look at that and and figure out what we would do.

We are comfortable that with the council's approval of the the um staffing services that uh were approved in June, that that'll help us tremendously.

Um but most of the work that we believe can be done in fiscal year 26 will will likely be in um doing some additional design preparation work for the construction, as we know as we've we've been through with all of our projects, including TROP, there's a lot of design work that goes in up front before we can actually get to the construction.

And with these projects, as Mr.

Prayman mentioned, uh being in the full right-of-way, um, being out in the public, requiring not only permitting for ourselves to you know to do do the permitting within the right-of-way, but also permitting from the regulatory agencies.

It just takes time.

Yeah, yeah.

I I hear that you believe you can do it, and you know, I uh understand that, and that's why you bringing it forward.

I'm asking uh a little more specific question though.

Uh do you believe that you could bring forward in an accelerated manner?

Uh not the 57 million or the 64 million from scenario E, but the what I believe is 89, yes, thank you.

Uh 89 million if we were to do scenario E on top of scenario F.

It'll be very challenging, but I can I can tell you we our staff, our team are I mean, we want to get this work done.

Okay, yeah, yeah, of course, of course.

Or saying no, we don't want to.

Of course.

So I'm just trying to figure out what hurdles are in the way of us getting something like that done.

That's all.

Um, you know, and you know, uh, if there is hurdles and we're increasing rates, creating a uh dedicated revenue stream, that's an opportunity to provide more resources, not just capital improvements.

So that that's something that I would keep in mind too.

Because you know, I I think uh I'm interested in accelerating as well, and I'd like to see us do everything we can, and I think what's been presented in scenario E and discuss is a small one-time thing that can really just help us jump start something which is uh an overall picture of jump starting, but we can get it a year faster, and I I'd be interested in continuing down that path personally.

Um and I know council member Gabbard as well.

So I I've covered that as much as I need to.

Um I want to talk about two other things real quick.

Uh the irrigation meter stuff.

You you uh I think I need more information on the the rates and how they're set and what the impact is.

Uh I just don't have enough right this second.

Uh you also mentioned, you know, by changing the rates, the impact of changing the rates will be offset by removing the uh sewage charge to that rate as well.

Um, I think in my mind it just first went to this, and I just want to put it in your head, and I don't expect a response right this second, but I think an irrigation meter implies that you're irrigating your lawn a certain extent.

I do think that does have a stormwater impact though, even if it if it doesn't have a sewage impact, like you're in theory you would be you know, saturating your lawn and making it less uh able to absorb stormwater uh in the future.

And so I just wanted uh or in potentially uh putting w water into the stormwater system at the same time if uh you know you're using more than uh you need I don't know how important or impactful that is.

I just wanted to mention it because it when you said it doesn't have a sewage impact, that was where my mind went.

Uh so take that for what you will.

Um and then the last thing is just about our rates in general.

And uh you know I feel passionately about how we manage this every year.

But I I wondered if you all could uh I guess Claude, if you could, and then in the future we could have this conversation, just um a really direct comparison to uh just like maybe CPI inflation in general versus our rates.

Uh, because I think uh I I don't have it off the top of my head, but I do think that we're probably being quite fair to people in that respect.

Uh but I need I would love to see it specifically.

Uh that way we can show people like, hey, we're we understand that it's frustrating that the rates are changing, but here's in comparison to the cost that we're expecting and how we've found efficiencies, we've been able to do it at this or that rate, would love to have that direct information in the future.

I think we've talked about it before in the past.

We have, yes, sir.

We in past years we've shown how if um 10, 15, 20 years ago, I can't remember what the time frame was, but it if if we had in the past started raising our rates every year by the CPI, where the rates would be versus where we are now.

We have provided you that information, but we didn't provide that this year.

Yeah, yeah.

And I'm thinking like, you know, if you probably showed like CPI versus our rate increases over the last five years, it'd be enlightening.

Yes, if you show it over that short period, it would be because we had so many years without any increase.

Yeah, okay.

All right.

I just uh wanted to bring that back up.

I'd love to just see things like that every year.

I think it's helpful for us.

But I appreciate it.

This was interesting though, because this is my last comment.

Um I feel like there was some slightly new information presented today.

I guess there was and uh that's not normally how we I know understand this is not a normal year, but that's not normally what I expect to see like at this point.

And so I'm just feeling like I still need to learn more at a point where I feel like I should feel confident with it.

Just wanted to put that in your ear, and uh I think that means that you know we just have some more discussing to do.

I I have some more discussing to do and some more thinking to do, and I'm sure that'll be with you and staff and everyone who's been working on this.

But I I appreciate it, and uh I look forward to wrapping my head around everything even further.

Thank you.

Council member Harding.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

Well, thanks thanks very much.

Um there was some new information um today, and I just uh I want to clarify that the concept of adding um an irrigation meter, um the the if we raise rates on the on the potable water, but we eliminate the the the um the discharge part of it and we balance out the the cost of the consumer, what's the uh I'm I'm failing and what's the point of doing it in the first uh at all then if uh if the money if the money ends up roughly the same but they're in different buckets, what's the value in in looking at a program like that?

So we've had the irrigation only meters for a very long time.

Um there's not a lot of customers that I mentioned that that use it.

The advantage has always been that when you have the water coming through just the single domestic meter, that meter doesn't know whether how it's being the water is going to be used.

And so therefore you're charged for the sewer disposal for that water.

That sewer disposal cost it can be ex quite large.

And so by not having to pay that, then when you're only paying for the water part, then the cost, your your water, you're not paying for unused sewer is basically it's it's a cost that you're not having to pay for.

Understood, but we're we're looking at uh changing the rates on just the irrigation part um the versus the the domestic use part.

Oh no, sir, I'm sorry.

I'm I'm sorry for that mis uh miscommunication then we are proposing to change rates on the domestic side.

That's the six point two five, I think, percent that we're proposing overall um for water.

But but what we're doing for for the um irrigation only meters is we're adding that additional um uh additional tier and then then tying those tiers to the domestic water tiers.

So now the the irrigation only tier one um rate is gonna be pegged to the domestic tier two rate.

Understood.

Okay, thank you for that.

Um page 10 of your presentation, that just so I understand that middle column stormwater um stormwater rate adjustment from fiscal year 25 to 26.

That the A scenario, that would uh that is an increase of 17 and a half percent in the stormwater rate.

Is it I'm reading that correctly?

Yes, sir.

So if we went with a uh uh a bond um in in scenario E, um we're not gonna raise rates uh on our residents by 22 and a half percent.

That's correct.

Okay, I uh I uh a bit contrarian.

Um I happen to uh agree and appreciate with uh the comments that that uh council member gabbard put out, and I'm in agreement.

Um I will struggle with uh with raising rates at for any of our residents at 22 and a half percent.

Um the the I realize the dollar value is is we're we're talking about lower dollar values, and uh and I fully understand that that in the past we haven't been um probably as fiscally responsible as we should have been 20 you know 20 years ago um and left rates the same um it without paying attention to to CPI and it it has averaged uh one and a half, three percent over the years, and that adds up over ten years.

Um and I fully understand that.

Um but the the the catching up to where where we should be now versus uh versus tasking our residents with uh with bigger increases now because of what we didn't do years ago, um I think needs to needs to go forward.

Um that that'll be uh that'll be a struggling point for me.

And uh and I appreciate that the work you're you're doing on this, but that's a that's a that's a big number.

Um and this this generally comes back to uh we all have we all have residents on on fixed income.

to where where we should be now versus uh versus tasking our residents with uh with bigger increases now because of what we didn't do years ago um i think needs to needs to go forward um that that'll be uh that'll be a struggling point for me and uh and i appreciate the the work you're you're doing on this but that's a that's a that's a big number um it and this this generally comes back to uh we all have we all have residents on on fixed income my parents live in my district um and they're in their 80s they're on fixed income and and this is not a news story um by any stretch but their their property taxes are eight grand a year and um and their their power bills are three hundred dollars a month water bills are now fifty dollars a month they'll plan for it we we can stretch that um we can continue to ask for some more but but coming back and and that fixed income rises by CPI every year as well um but but we're we need to be cognizant of and and I would like it as a bigger part of the discussion that the delta between um what fixed what fixed income looks like in the next in the next year versus um versus uh the needs of the city the needs of the city are always be there we could always do a better job um but I come back to and I'll leave the point with this that um that we could have a hurricane this year we could have uh uh another rainstorm where we get four or five plus inches an hour um that is all possible um but it's also possible that we don't get any of that but the grocery bill is still a grocery bill and um and that balance that uh that council looks at every year I just want to make sure that that we are more cognizant of of we can't just make up for years past um and uh and I'll leave the point at that and Claude thank you very much really appreciate your your presentation and and yours and and Burgesha's diligence in this this is catching up over over decades of of what we should have been staying up with and uh and I think the plan that you guys you all have put forward is uh it is well thought out um and unfortunately it's just expensive so we'll work that out as we go along thank you vice chair thank you vice chair handowitz thank you chair and thank you Claude for the presentation another in-depth uh power points a lot to consume a lot of good points made by everyone here um I will say all this gets fixed with money it's money no matter where we look it's money and somebody's paying for it and we are all paying for it and so I hear what all their council members are saying in terms of what we need to do what we should have done in the past what we're spending how much we're spending how much are raising rates we're gonna have to raise rates no matter what because we have to get these projects done the issue is how much can our ratepayers pay you know pay at the end of the day and then we have the conversation of the general obligation bond that's coming up that's not part of this that's gonna raise property taxes if voters agree to that.

So besides all this there is the general obligation bond that's being talked about here that if it goes to referendum then that would mean that the citizens here say okay we want to invest in our system what 600 million dollars and that's gonna cost X amount which again puts pressure on property taxes and with the utility rate still going up so I just want to make it clear to everyone none of this is going down it's just not and it is a reality and the issue is are we spending too much or too little and then figuring out what people can pay that is a challenge and what we have a fiduciary duty to do which is to make sure that we have a system that's running so I it's a hard job it's a hard job.

So anyhow I I want to say a couple of things number one when it comes to stormwater and wastewater obviously I've always been we need to spend more in these systems but we can only spend so much that people can pay.

So I'm fine with scenario F based on everything I I don't think if we want to go for a general obligation bond and you want voters to say yes I'm gonna tell you it's gonna be a hard pill to swallow it really is and the more pressure you put on it I think it's gonna be more difficult.

I will say it's not a stormwater versus water with a system because water includes wastewater right yes and so those investments when a storm came and the switch plants went down no one was happy and I will tell you this if we get a storm surge of nine feet like we talked about last time and it goes into our system how many days is that without a system over 30 40 something days without without being able to flush your toilet so those are really good investments as far as I'm concerned and I would think that if you have a referendum and you ask people out there would you like the switch plants to be hardened to make sure when the next storm comes you that doesn't go down for over a month it's a good way for people to say yeah I get that investment and so I want to make it clear these are lots of things we're lifting at the same time we want a lot of things there's only so much capacity no pun intended so much capacity for the rate and although I wish we could do more I would go with F at this point knowing that we still have a referendum and I would hope that we can have clarity as to what are the things in a referendum that we're going to be addressing at a city that

And so I want to make it clear, these are lots of things we're lifting at the same time.

We want a lot of things.

No pun intended, so much capacity for the rape here.

And although I wish we could do more, I would go with F at this point, knowing that we still have a referendum, and I would hope that we can have clarity as to what are the things in a referendum that we're going to be addressing at a city that you can have the majority of people, not one person in the neighborhood or whatever, but the majority of citizens to say, yes, we want to invest in that.

We want to invest in A, B, and C, and I just want when we have these conversations as a council to make it clear that this is going to be a very hard message for people to grasp because when I look at this chart and I look at wastewater collection system, what waste water distribution system, wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater drainage improvements.

People are like, what does that mean?

If you tell them, well, the sewage plant is you know, we're gonna do XY or whatever it is, that they understand, and they can understand the value of that.

So I probably said more than I needed to say on that, which was not part of this, but I feel like it is part of it because we every time we talk about this, it's just I feel like it's muddling the waters.

It's a lot of things that um are moving pieces that we're dealing with right now in terms of investment in the past versus a future, and council member Harding brought this up, and it's an issue that we always get.

The this, by the way, is not gonna be a one time where everyone's gonna pay the 600 million dollars.

This is through 20, 30 years' time, so it's generational that people are gonna be investing in the system.

This is not just my generation, this is a generational project, right?

Yes, yes, ma'am.

So I just want to make sure that there are things that are we're doing that are capital improvement needs that we need to do, but there are other things.

So if we make those investments, they are going to be generational, it's not gonna be just one generation paying for it.

So um that's all I had to say.

Thank you so much for the work.

Um, and I know it's it's it's a hard pill to swallow, but there is no way that we cannot look at the utility system, and and we're talking about I don't want to get into the do conversation, but it costs money to make water, and so when we talked about the irrigation thing and the meter, uh on Tampa Bay water, people have no idea how expensive it is to produce water that you can actually drink, period.

The most important thing you can have.

There are cities, there are states that have a water problem.

It is expensive.

We had water wars here before Tampa Bay water.

Irrigation by portable water is not the way to irrigate.

I'll just leave it at that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Robert Driscoll.

Thank you.

I'll be quick.

I I'm leaning more towards scenario F.

Um, it seems like the it seems like the best way to get things started sooner.

And I I do agree that um it's a little frustrating that we're not seeing more that can be started very quickly.

I have a hard time believing that Bresh doesn't have anything that's shovel ready that we can find some way to pay for.

Um preferably in Basin C, my favorite um area, but that is also an area that probably would um uh qualify um for some of that that grant or the C D B G uh funding.

Yes, it would.

I will note that last week, a week ago today, um our real estate department closed on the Salt Creek property.

It's free and clear in hours, and I drove by Monday morning, and the guys were out mowing, and uh we're ready to go there for that pump station, and that's part of this, right?

That's part of the plan.

Yep, and Bradge has also done a great job of trying to find um outside funding to support that project, and I want to see that go forward.

That's going to help with flooding in Lake Magory and Harbordale and other neighborhoods like Bartlett Park.

I mean, we need this now.

Um I don't I don't know that we are gonna be able to get these bonds if people aren't seeing action now, if people aren't seeing enough going on now.

I I I have I I really do think we're taking a chance.

Um I mean, I don't know what the other answer is, but I don't have a great comfort level with the overall plan.

I'm glad we're trying to have one.

But I'm just not sure about this.

I'll continue to listen and learn, read and ask questions as we go forward.

Um I wanted to tell you thank you for the irrigation only meter work.

Um I learned about those by surprise this year when I had a uh resident with the situation with his.

Um and it looks like you found the right solution, and I think you as you said, not a whole lot of people have them.

But for those who do, this work really matters.

So thank you.

Um the last thing I'm gonna say for now is um you know, regarding reclaim rates going up.

I mean, I know it's just sort of because everything else is going up, but it it when you talk about how what a bad idea it is to use potable water.

I mean, some people don't really have a choice.

Those who have reclaimed, um I I don't see where we run out of it a lot, and it is um helpful in so many ways.

So it's starting to these the amount that people have to pay for a reclaim now is starting to remind me of that um connection fee that people have to pay to do when they have solar just to be connected to the system, you know, and that keeps going up.

This is starting to give me those vibes.

And I I think that those who are um fortunate enough to have a property that is connected to reclaimed water, it's starting to feel more like a penalty.

And I would love for some thought to be given to that.

Um, Mr.

Chair, if if I may speak to reclaimed water.

The the there is a specific reason why this year we are proposing an increase to reclaim water.

So as you know, uh it's it's been our our policy, not a formal policy, but it's been our agreed upon uh approach that the reclaimed water fees would pay for 20% of uh 80% of the cost.

The reclaimed water fees would pay for 80% cost recovery of the reclaimed water system, where the other 20% would come from the water and sewer fees because of the fact that reclaimed water helps reduce the amount of potable water is used, but reclaimed also um gives us an opportunity to dispose of the treated wastewater.

So we're always looking at that 80-20 split.

Our reclaimed water system is reaching the age where portions of it are now having to be replaced, and we do have a very large diameter reclaimed water line that its only function is to transmit reclaimed water that needs to be replaced.

And the cost of replacing that line is the driver behind uh put putting the costs onto the reclaimed owner.

And and I'll be happy to provide more information specifically on that project with each of you.

Thanks.

We can talk about that more another time.

I mean, I think if you if you were out there talking with people, they'd rather have more restrictions on when you can water than they have to pay so much more for it.

Sure.

So we could look at some other options that could create wins all around.

Um maybe not this time.

But I want to keep talking about that, but not today.

That's all I have, Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gibbons, thank you, Chair, and thank you, Claude, so much for your hard work.

I know this is a tireless effort.

Um, but I want to preface by saying I get it.

You know, this is something that unfortunately was thrown in our laps.

Um you had council after council that continued to kick the can down the road, and so now here we are having to figure out how to pay the bill, right?

We have uh infrastructure improvements that are needed, uh, and we have to figure out how to do that.

And someone asked the question earlier, well, who pays?

I get it, we have to, um, but I don't think we should have to pay it all.

Um I I think about the fact that we have people who are really dealing with some real issues, right?

I I I have someone who just because of electric costs, they live in a three-bedroom house but only utilize one room in that house because they're afraid to turn on the switch in the other rooms.

You know, they're afraid to take baths every day because they don't want to run their water.

But here we are talking about raising rates, and so I think it's all about messaging.

I get it.

We have maintenance issues.

Um, we have improvements that are long overdue, and now we have to pay that.

But how do I answer to my constituents when they show up and they say, I'm living paycheck to paycheck?

And you want me to pay more.

But yet here they are, we're raising their bills, doubling them, tripling them in some cases, but yet we go from $600 to $1,000 in our water closet fee for developers.

So I think that responsibility and that cost should be shared with developers.

I get what you're saying, we're doing something.

We we've made a little improvement, but to me, a little is not enough.

Um I'd like to see their costs double, if not triple because I know they can afford it, but so many of my constituents cannot.

So how do we get to that number of a thousand dollars, Squad?

A few years ago, three or four years ago, we did an analysis of what is the what is the cost, the full recovery cost of a single connection to our water and sewer system?

That is that is the methodology that we we are we have to use in order to justify these kind of um some people call them impact fees.

Uh we call it a water closet fee.

Uh so we did that analysis several years ago, found that we were significantly lower than what that cost would be.

So we came up with a plan.

We're increasing it over a certain number of years.

We uh, as we implemented that plan, we realized that we could accelerate the plan.

And so um the plan originally, I believe was to get from the original to the a thousand dollars over about a 10-year period.

I think now we've done it over about a four-year period.

But that's how the analysis is is done.

Uh, we also have um in in previous presentations to BFT, we we did show how our proposed water closet fee compares to the other um municipalities and counties around us, so we can kind of see where we stand uh to those.

Uh and so with this a thousand dollars proposed, what we'll be about in the middle.

And uh so we'll certainly be looking at that in the future and calculating what it needs to be in the future, and if it needs to be raised in the future, and we can justify it with those calculations, we'll bring those those values to you.

And I look forward to seeing that because I'm thinking about you know the burden, how can I alleviate the burden on constituents and impose that burden on developers who I know have the money, they have that liquid cash.

Um, are there other impact fees that we could be imposing on developers to try to you know catch up on our shortfall?

I can't speak to other impact fees that are available for the utilities that that we're here to talk about today.

Okay, I appreciate that.

Hopefully, we can talk more in the future, Claude, about that.

Um, I do have a question um regarding this bond.

So I keep hearing it mentioning, you know, well, hopefully voters will approve it.

Well, what if voters don't?

What if voters decide we don't want to burden ourselves any more than we already have for the next 20 to 30 years?

Well, then who pays?

Um, I'm thinking for it.

Again, I'm always you know, using my foresight, looking to the future.

Um, we've already been talking about this use agreement with whoever the rumored new owner might be of the race.

Well, whatever happens at the historic gas plant district, could there be an opportunity for us to sell out?

And I don't know, administration fear superior to answer today, but I just want you to be considerate of this that we could parcel out some of that land, hypothetically sell a parcel, you know, an acre for a million dollars each, utilize those proceeds, plus whatever that cost was or the um investment that the Tampa Bay Rays were going to give us initially a few hundred million dollars.

Let's double that, bring that up to a billion dollars.

And again, I'm talking about funding sources now.

Could the historic gas plant district redevelopment be a possible funding source for the infrastructure improvements that we need?

I'm sorry, I think you said that you were just mentioning that for us to think about it.

Yeah, yeah.

We appreciate it.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Yeah, and again, I just want us to consider the options, and and again, I would rather not burden taxpayers and burden those who have the money to to spend.

So thank you, Chair.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Um Claude, thanks for the presentation.

Thanks for the one-on-one.

Um this uh, you know, I think I've heard kind of all sides of it.

This is nobody likes having this conversation about rates and where they need to go, and it's been echoed among among all my colleagues.

Uh I'll just very quickly um before I kind of give my two cents on the ABCDF.

Um very happy to see the jump to a thousand to council members given's point back in 2023.

We're at 350, we have tripled.

So, and I'm and we continue to look at that uh at BFT every year.

And so I like Claude mentioned, we're kind of right in the middle, and I don't think at this point we're afraid to continue to raise up if we find ourselves at a point where the addition of a connection is more than a thousand.

So very happy to have seen that, Claude.

The the only thing I'll say on the irrigation only meter, and I'm sorry I didn't bring this up in our one-on-one.

I would just be interested to see how many users are in would end up in tier one, two, and three on the new.

Um I I'm I'm fine with this, but I'd be interested in that data to see where they where uh consumers land uh in the in the new tiers.

Um but otherwise I'm fine with that.

Um I'm really struggling to go to go from a 17 and a half percent increase to a 22.6 percent increase.

That's where my big struggle is on this.

And so uh based on our conversation and kind of everything that we've gone through in the anticipation of a GO bond.

Um, you know, I I think I'm at F.

So I I'll leave it there for now.

Uh administration, you feel like you've gotten enough guidance, or do you um I mean I legal says we could vote.

You where you where do you want us to be on this?

Well, we'll defer to you.

I mean, I think we'll go back and review the tape.

It's been a long conversation, and and we appreciate the feedback, and we'll take a look at it and we'll come back with a recommendation.

Okay.

All right.

Sounds good.

Well, thank you, Claude.

Thanks for all the work.

Thanks to your entire team.

All right, we're gonna move on to F7.

Uh, we're gonna talk about a proposal for the MLK parade event planning services.

And we've got uh George Smith joining us, and Councilmember Driscoll, you pulled this, so I'll go ahead and turn it over to you before George comes up.

Thank you.

And um, thank you to George and others who have been um helping me gather some information uh which everyone should have received between Tuesday night and last night.

Um I pulled this item because the amount that is being considered or requested is substantially higher than what has been allocated in the past few years.

And with all of our discussions about this being a tight budget year, I wanted to find out more about this and have council take a closer look at whether or not we can really agree to increase this when we saw in the budget workshop last week how many things are being unfunded in order to close the gap that we have right now.

So we're gonna have George give an overview of the process.

Um I will say that I was also um uh surprised when I saw that we are not using the same organization for planning that we've used for uh many years, who really turned this around and um and and over the years has made this into the parade that it is today.

I do want to um give some recognition to Advantage Village Academy for the work that they've done.

And with that, I'll go ahead and have George start it off.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chair, Council members, George Smith, Chief Equity Officer for the City.

Uh, thank you for this opportunity to come forward to you today uh to make this presentation.

We're requesting that city council approve an award to Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival to provide event planning services for the ML King Parade.

The initial term will be for three years with one two-year renewal option.

The annual ML King parade began in 1986 and represents a significant piece of civil rights history in Florida.

Having started as a grassroots effort and growing into what is recognized as a nation's longest running ML King Parade celebration.

As part of that rich history, we would like to acknowledge Mr.

Tariano Parker of AVA Academy and its team for exceptional leadership in organizing and directing the ML King Parade for almost a decade.

Through his dedicated service and unwavering commitment, he made sure that this vital community celebration continued to honor Dr.

King's legacy, even through a pandemic.

To you, Mr.

Parker, and his team, we extend our heartfelt gratitude.

A request for a proposal or RFP solicitation was released on March 25th, 2025, with proposals due to our procurement department by May 27, 2025.

The annual budget for the parade services is 150,000, unchanged from the previous year.

This includes funds for the cost of insurance, permits, fees, marketing, media, meals, transportation, and floats.

Separate funding of $80,000 is budgeted towards a cost associated with securing a marquee historical black college or university marching ban.

The funds are to be used for transportation, meals, lodging, and an honorarium to the university.

If the vendor is unable to secure the ban, the funds will not be expended.

The total direct financial support from the city is not to exceed $230,000.

Other costs include city services that are provided by various departments, such as parks and recreation, police and fire departments, sanitation, traffic, and stormwater.

The cost is averaged $120,000 for the past several years.

City services will be included in this agreement and will not exceed $125,000.

We received six proposals in response to the RFP solicitation for the applications were disqualified due to either an incomplete proposal or not meeting the minimum qualifications as outlined in the solicitation.

Two proposals were evaluated.

One from LUMJTV media firm, whose principal officer is located in Atlanta.

And Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival, a St.

Petersburg-based organization.

An evaluation committee comprised of five city staff members recommended to Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival be awarded the contract.

Therefore, we are requesting City Council to approve an award to Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival Link to provide event planning services for the ML King Parade.

The initial term will be for three years with one two-year option agreement.

Available to answer any questions.

Okay.

We have uh, I think one card.

We'll go to public comment first.

Trevor Mallory, please go to the podium.

State your name and address for the record.

You'll have three minutes to address council.

Good afternoon, council.

Did you max it out, Trevor?

Not yet.

But I'm done growing, so I'll never get there.

Trevor Mallory, 4501, 63 South St.

Petersburg, Florida, 33705.

I'm just here to speak about this item because I've been a part of this for the last nine years, right?

And I guess you can say I have bought into the legacy of the MLK parade.

It's a hard event to manage and to pull off, right?

And I'm going to tell you there's two things that brought me here today.

One is the recent news of Doge coming to go through the city's budget, right?

Me knowing the last nine years that this parade already operates in the red by the time it's over, what's going to happen to the budget when they leave here?

Is this budget even going to be allowed to continue?

With all of our African American history already under the attack, that scares me.

Two, in the last couple days, I've gotten about 10 emails of parade items that have been canceled or not canceled.

I would say hotels that have been canceled that were already booked.

Feeding of certain bands that was already set up has been canceled, but I haven't seen any response to those emails that helps the situation.

So I'm trying to say this needs to be a protective transition.

And from what I'm seeing right now, and I do believe the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival and its staff is definitely qualified to run this, continue this parade, but they need to be protected.

And when I get all these emails, I don't see the protection coming from the city and the administration and helping them to move on to be successful.

I congratulate them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Murray Fix Sanders.

Thank you.

Um, and thank you, um Trevor, for your comments, and thank you, um, George, for providing the information that I asked for in regards to the receipts.

And I think the reason why I asked for previous invoices, um, Mr.

Mallory just made it very clear, we already operate in the red.

So I think the reason why it was taking taken off of consent was does it cost that much to run a parade?

So I don't know how you know it.

Someone that ran it has already said it operates in the red.

Um, and so when I look at some of the expenses um in regards to running the parade, um, and I do agree we're really behind the the gun as far as timing is concerned.

But the fact that it was going to an RFP was made very clear last year.

It wasn't a surprise.

Um, and you know, again, I cannot sit here and not thank um Torriano with what he did with the parade, um, because he was very, very accommodating, especially to elected officials in regards to hosting it.

And unfortunately, they did not apply for the RFP.

Um, so I don't you know know the reason behind that.

But when I look at the funding for this parade is 150,000 enough, and we just heard from one of the organizers that 296,000 was not, and we're still working in the red, so I'm confused as to pull.

When I look at the city of 150,000, when I look at visit St.

Pete Clearwater, which was 75,000, when I look at parade revenue from last year at 14,000, when I look at the Sheriff Department's donation of 10,000, when I look at JWB's um uh contribution of 5,000, there are a lot of people that bought into this parade.

So it's not for me, the issue is I know we're looking for budget cuts, but for me, as what is what's the priority?

Some of the things that we vote to fund um have less relevance to me than the legacy of MLK.

I understand that we're looking at Doge, but one thing that I don't want us to do is to operate in fear.

I don't want us to feel as though we can't continue to support a legend, we can't continue to support um the man that brought us to this point of not walking in fear.

I when I looked at the RFPs, it was undoubtedly an easy decision for the Collard Green Festival to run this parade, and the comment has been made.

Well, they've never done anything like that before.

Well, you know what, AVA hadn't either, and we had full confidence in them.

When I look at the fact that the Collard Green Festival stood up, wanted to continue, not change, but continue the essence of elegance that the former operators have given to the parade.

I am hopeful, and and I am very encouraged, and with that, before I forget, I'm gonna move approval on this um proposal, but I don't want us to forget the fact that 150,000 doesn't even cut it.

When I looked at, and and if you're telling me that the previous uh um uh organization that ran this did if they gave money back, then you're right.

But I don't think that's the case.

When I look at the band alone last year was $61,000.

When I look at to feed the band was $25,000.

There was also a pay position.

So this position gave a lot of income to our police, our fire, our recreation, our stormwater, our traffic transportation.

That was a lot of money that was spent even for city staff and a lot of departments.

So I'm going to concur with the fact that the same assistance that we gave last year, the city meetings were we met every single week to ensure that they were successful.

That same transition needs to be provided.

And that's gonna cost money.

You know, when you start looking into it.

When I look at the last minute cost that was added, we're talking about 150,000.

Is that too much?

Well, we ended up spending 164,000 because at the last minute we got additional requests for food to serve the band.

So I'm not sure why we're here, but that 150,000 was consumed and used for the sole purpose of providing the um parade, and yes, it has increased just like everything else.

We we sit here and we hear how costs increase.

We hear how things go up.

And had it been the same organization running it, costs still be there.

It would still be there.

So the only change that I see is that it's a new organization running it.

Um, but I do hope that we will provide the same services and getting the hotel rooms because a part of the contract for the Collard Green Festival organizers that they also have fundraise.

They also have to get outside the revenue in order to pull this off.

It's not like the city is going to be its only expense.

However, we do still have an additional spends.

If you look at the cost of city services on top of the 150 that was used last year, again, let me clearly state none of that money was returned.

So there has to be a need somewhere for this to run.

And again, if we're gonna look at this organization to decrease, let us look at all of it.

And I think that's where the conversation from the community has come into play is that all of a sudden now do we want to pull fund from the MLK parade?

So I'll leave that there for now to hear what my other colleagues um have stated.

But as I said before, I do move approval on this proposal.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

And just to say again, um the reason that I pulled this item was not with the idea of cutting the funding, which has been $150,000 for the last few years.

But the question was about increasing on top of the $150.

If this was a contract, and I don't care which group it would be for, if it was for the same, if we were just holding the same amount of funding to support the parade for next year, I would have no problem with that.

But at a time when we haven't even fully funded the fire department yet for FY26, we have to look at every other thing.

And yes, it is our responsibility to ask questions when something is increased.

Now, I want to ask was the parade organizer reimbursed for this year's parade regarding all of the expenses related to Florida AM's participation.

No, we only paid the amount that we were contracted for at the last moment.

We were requested to provide additional funding.

I think it was $14,000.

So the $80,000, so the $80,000 additional that is for the marquee band is addition, is it is more than what we paid to this year's parade.

That is correct.

So it is an increase of $80,000.

If we get if they book it.

If they book it.

That is correct.

And so that's the part where you know I get it that they won't they don't receive it until then, but I do have to wonder can we still have a great parade without that at a time when things are so tough and we're already talking about how next year will be worse.

Then I I just want to recognize that there was a speaker earlier today during open forum who talked about going to the parade year after year and how much she enjoyed it.

And she threw out the idea to us to maybe take a different approach and look at doing more assistance, more service to the community.

Um it made me think of the day of service that um has been done in the past on this day.

I want to give you an opportunity to talk about another thing that is not part of this contract, but it is part of MLK weekend, MLK Day, and honoring in the proper way.

I want that, I want that speaker who is so thoughtful to come.

I want her to know that we do have some plans to really do a a great day of service to the community.

Would you mind spending one minute talking about that?

I'll be glad to, and thank you again for your question.

Uh in the budget we have set aside from the ML King parade, we've set aside $30,000 that is designated as a community date of health and wellness.

What in that will actually be is the ML King Day of Service mini grant program that we will provide many grants, probably up to $1,500 for organizations to provide uh service in the community on the day that will be uh reminiscent really of uh or indicative of the plans of the intention of the ML King parade and the weekend.

So we have designated funds set aside just for that, and that will be a citywide opportunity, not just uh for any particular geographical area, any community neighborhoods uh that are interested in applying, and those applications are expected to be ready to go out by October 1st.

That's excellent, and I'm looking forward to that.

I'm hoping you'll team up with neighborhood relations to make sure that we get the word out because those are um not only meaningful, but it's a lot of fun, and it's a great way to help the community and build the community.

So um I want to hear what my colleagues had to say, but at this time um I would be supportive of approving this at the level of 150,000 per year for the three-year term with the new group.

I think we should hold off on increasing it by the eighty thousand dollars, which later on, if um if the administration wanted to bring something forward or do something on their own, um however that would need to work, that would be fine.

But initially, I think just um in a time of austerity and in a time where um we need to be really looking at this stuff.

I think the the best move forward right now or for now is to contract this at 150.

That's what I can support today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sheriff.

I could I just want to be be clear on something, maybe for my own understanding, maybe I misunderstood.

There was a question about whether or not we paid for the band um in this past parade.

Um and and I'm not sure I heard the answer clearly, but my understanding is we did pay for the band uh this past year.

So I want to be I want to be clear about that.

Um, if you want to address that that this past year at the parade we did pay for the band.

Um and so this goes to the question of is this additional?

Because last year in the contract we had the 150,000.

We paid for uh the fam you ban to come, which we thought really increase the activity and the vibrancy and the interest uh in the parade.

Um and so what we're really trying to do is just continue that this year, and what we did was we built that funding into the base amount of the contract.

So I I might have misheard George's response, but I'm not sure that's what he said, and I just want to make sure that everybody's clear.

Yeah.

So the 80,000 or whatever was play paid to Florida AM was part of the you're just considering that part of the 150.

No, it was on top of that.

Well, I don't see that in this report.

And George just said that they didn't.

That's why I'm trying to clarify.

Maybe I'm the one.

I know.

Well, you know, you know what?

That's what we did.

It's I would I would love clarity, but I also want to keep things in perspective here because that is what happened in the past.

But what we're seeing here and what the city council approved before was $150,000.

Yes, ma'am.

Please do not turn this into a shell game, because it is the last thing in the world that we need to be doing for something as important as this parade.

Well, we're not trying to turn anything into a shell game.

I'm just trying to be clear with council and clear for myself on what the funding was.

So to maybe to try to you know uh clarify in the adopted budget for FY25, which we we just completed that parade, there was 150,000 in the budget for direct support for Advantage Village Academy as the uh coordinator and um uh of the parade.