Welcome to the City of St.

Petersburg City Council meeting.

Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch.

District 1, Copley Gurdis, District 2, Brandy Gabbard, District 3, Mike Harding, District 4, and Council Chair, Leseth Panawitz.

District 5, Deborah Fig Sanders.

District 6, Gina Driscoll.

District 7, Corey Gibbons Jr.

And District 8 and Council Vice Chair, Richie Floyd.

Court to Gavel.

That is our special guest, Chelsea Brown today calling us to order.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, my good sir.

Good morning, everyone.

And welcome to the March 5th, 2026 City Council meeting.

You're welcome.

Clerk, can I please have a roll call?

Harding.

Hannawitz.

Here.

Dick Sanders.

Here.

Driscoll.

Here.

Givens.

Floyd.

Here.

Gurtis.

Gabbard.

Here.

So today we're gonna have our invocation given by Deacon Richard Richard Santello from St.

Mary, our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.

And if you can please stand, and it's gonna be followed by a moment of silence.

Then you're gonna please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Good morning, Deacon.

Good morning, thank you.

I'm a sign.

Let us raise our heart and mind to God in prayer.

Gracious and all loving God.

As we gather in City Council, we are thankful for the privilege with which they have been entrusted of serving our city, its citizens, and visitors as stewards of your many gifts.

We ask your guidance upon these council members.

Grant them the wisdom to listen with care, the courage to speak with conviction and respect.

May they find common ground to act with integrity, serving all citizens with concern and fairness and the common good.

May this council's actions foster justice, prosperity, and peace for our city.

We ask our blessing on them, our mayor Ken, and all who engage in their work.

And so we pray a prayer of trust and confidence by Thomas Martin.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I'm going.

And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore, I will trust you always, though I may be seeing seem to be lost in the shadow of death, for I do not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Amen.

Amen.

Now a moment of silence for firefighter Abner Dotry, last alarm, March 4th, 1954.

Thank you.

And to the Republican for which it stands one nation under God, individual with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Deacon, for that beautiful invocation, and Chelsea for gaveling us in this morning.

We have an agenda before us.

I'll then motion for approval.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

Clerk, if you can open the machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all present council members have voted.

Clerk, please tally and announce the vote.

Motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously with Councilmember Gibbons being absent.

Thank you.

We have a consent agenda.

Clerk, do we have any cards?

No cards.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

In the name of efficiency, I chose not to pull item CA3, but I wanted to bring your attention to it.

This is something that I'm extremely excited about.

This is an allocation to fund the construction phase of the Williams Park Banchell.

This is a project that I uh started working on back in 2022.

And things never happened as fast as I would like them to, but um, in spite of the delays, we we now have this this opportunity to celebrate real progress.

This is part of a bigger vision for Williams Park to renovate the band shell and and make it uh more modern and and and uh more feasible for our performing arts groups to um entertain everyone on and eventually and this might happen when I'm off city council, so I'm just putting it out to the universe for those who will be here beyond this year.

Um, that my goal was in the end to um uh ask for a historic designation of the Williams Park Banchell, which is um iconic um in and of itself, but it's also part of William, you know, Williams Park was our original town square, and so I hope that the bigger project will continue for now.

I'm really excited that we're at this point.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, and thank you for your advocacy for the band show.

Councilmember Harding.

Thank you, Chair.

Um want to bring attention to CB 10.

We uh we're being asked to uh to approve an allocation of money to uh a company to help locate utilities for uh the two million feet being laid in our communities of fiber optics.

And um, and although I'm sure it's gonna pass tonight, it wasn't pulled.

I wanted to bring attention to um the companies that are currently currently installing, especially um back in District Three in Schraker's and in Snell Isle.

Um I have not received as many complaints about anything.

We have broken everything that we can break.

We've broken water lines, we've broken power lines, we've broken uh I can keep going and keep going, but I hear about it up to two times a week.

And I've talked to uh public works about it, and I've talked to engineering about it, and I think that our team is uh is doing everything they can.

I think the city is limited um in what the state allows us to do, and I appreciate the efforts of the city and I understand their limitations, and I um more than understand the the frustrations of uh of our citizens that um that over just the past three weeks I've talked to people that have been without gas, been without power, been without water, been without reclaimed water, and um and I would like to uh I would like to to at least put it on the public record that um that the companies that are doing work in our neighborhoods, you guys have to be better at this.

You have to be better at this.

Um that's it, thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Councilmember Harding, and I will echo what you said.

Um we experienced it in my district in Old Northeast.

Um, same issues that you're talking about in different contexts, and I know that public works had been working really hard on this issue, and we had meetings, neighborhood association meetings where residents came out and were extremely upset at how these companies were treating the right-of-way and not doing the things that they're supposed to be doing.

So I'm glad that you brought this forward and you said that in the open uh in it um openly to the public.

Council members, I'll entertain a motion for approval.

No approval.

Second, we have a motion and a second on the consent agenda.

Clerk, can you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all present council members have voted, clerk.

Can you please tally and announce the vote?

Madam Chair, motion to approve the consent agenda passes unanimously with council member given being absent.

Thank you.

Now we move on to open forum.

Clerk, are there any speakers?

Uh we have no speakers.

Okay, now we move on to awards and presentations.

One of our favorite things to do here at City Hall, and the first award uh we have is the one the developmental disabilities awareness month proclamation, which is gonna be read by Councilmember Gertes.

Good morning.

Thank you, madam chair, colleagues.

Um got some visitors here today.

We've got uh a bunch of people from uh the west side over at park, and so Brian, if you join me, uh and anybody anybody from park if they'd like to join.

Yeah, and so and then also, although the the proclamation itself is tailored towards uh excuse me, park, uh we do have some representatives from the city and our TR program and Camp Redbird, who uh I know you have heard me talk about in the past and doing wonderful things also on the West Side at Azalea Park, and um it's just amazing all the work that's being being done across the city when we're talking about developmental disabilities awareness month.

Um just quickly, I want to talk about I was able to tour the new um children's services center just uh about a month ago, and it's one of my favorite times of the year is when I get to spend time at campus at park.

And I know you hear me say this about park and about camp Redbird, but there are miracles happening there daily.

And for those of you that know me know that I do not use that word in jest, I use it very seriously.

There are miracles happening there daily, and it's not because of anything crazy or spectacular, although if you've listened to the choir there or you've listened to the music program or the art program, those things are spectacular.

But it's the everyday, it's the the camaraderie, it's the community, it's the people that work there doing the work every day in our community.

My neighbors, your neighbors, physically my neighbors though, because I could I I'm not good enough to hit a driver there yet, but maybe one day.

Um but this is happening here, and we're leading from the front, and I'm thankful for all of the residents and participants at uh park, and we have a birthday that we got to celebrate downstairs.

It's Lisa's birthday, so everybody say happy birthday to Lisa.

Happy birthday, Lisa.

And so there's just um there's this amazing thing about being on that campus and how you feel uh when you're standing next to my friends at park, both from uh the employee side, the resident side, the participant side, it's an amazing thing because not only do you get to see it but you feel it, and I'm just so thankful that that's happening here in St.

Petersburg.

And so it's my pleasure on behalf of the mayor to uh present this proclamation to City Council.

Whereas Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is avert observed each March to promote understanding, inclusion, and respect for individuals with developmental disabilities and to recognize their meaningful contributions to our communities, and whereas early intervention services play a vital role in supporting developmental progress, enhancing long-term outcomes, and fostering independence and inclusion for children with developmental disabilities, and whereas for more than 73 years, Park Center for Disabilities has been a cornerstone of the St.

Petersburg community and district one, providing essential services, advocacy, and support to children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

And whereas Park Center for Disabilities currently serves more than 900 children and adults each year, empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential while strengthening families and the broader community.

And whereas on March 25th, Park Center for Disabilities proudly celebrates the grand opening of its children's services center, expanding access to critical early intervention services for children with disabilities as young as two months old.

Now, therefore, I Councilman Copley Gurtis, on behalf of Kenneth T.

Welch, mayor of the city of St.

Petersburg, Florida, do hereby recognize the observation of March 2026 as developmental disabilities awareness month and encourage all residents to recognize the importance of inclusion, advocacy, and support for individuals with developmental disabilities and the organizations that serve them.

Thank you.

That's pretty cool.

Good morning, Council members.

My name's Brian Rothie.

I'm the assistant vice president of quality and government relations with Park.

I've been there almost 20 years, have a younger brother with a developmental disability.

So definitely have a stake in the game and um looking to make some change.

To thank the city, thank you for your support.

For more than 70 years, you guys have supported us and continue to support us.

So we really truly, truly appreciate it.

March 25th is our grand opening for our new children's service center.

Very excited for it.

You're all invited.

Um, and I brought my friends with me, so I don't want to take up too much time, but Chelsea has a few words.

Welcome, Chelsea.

Thank you so much, and I'm so honored to be here for Mr.

Mike and the honorable Mr.

Richie Mr.

Floyd, too.

I've been here at Park for almost a long time.

And my biggest inspiration is my mom, who is my the true mobile person in my life, and I've been and I love to help people, and I love to make the world a better place.

And as you may know, I am part of the Thurlow St.

Pete, and I started in 2024 of last year, so I've been doing this for 20 years, and I have a dog, and he's name is Machel, he's a big wiler.

And as for you, and my biggest inspiration is for Miss Jill as well, and Mr.

Rothi and my family of all and stuff, and I am so honored to be here.

I thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, and thank you all for joining us today.

Thank you, Mr.

Floyd.

We're just gonna wait a second, so we can head out.

And next up, we have the two the Florida Flood Plain Managers Association Flood Awareness Week proclamation, and that's going to be given by Councilmember Gabber.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh, honored to be here today to present again.

I almost believe this might be every year that I have been on City Council, uh, flood awareness week.

Um, as you mentioned, um, the Florida floodplain managers uh have a fantastic website for anybody who wants to go to it and get some uh messaging and some educational information.

So, real quick at the top, I'll go ahead and just mention that it's FL Floods with an S at the end dot org.

So next week will be Flood Awareness Week, and this is something that unfortunately in our community, uh, we would think, well, you know, I think people know, right?

That we have flooding issues here in the city of St.

Petersburg over the last at least six years that we uh can you know track consistently.

We've been having repetitive flooding throughout our community.

Obviously, Helene and Milton brought um even more substantial damage.

And um, you know, that's one of those issues where we recognize that those of us who have been living through it certainly are aware, but we have people moving into our community every single day, and they may not know, they may not really understand what all of those risks are, and that's what flood awareness week is about.

It is about making sure that everyone understands how to protect themselves, how to protect their livelihoods, how to protect their investments here within our city.

Um, this is a challenge that is certainly not going to go away.

Um, we realize that this is now a citywide issue.

Um, it used to be that, you know, district two and three uh kind of carried the brunt a lot of the uh particular issues we were seeing, but then certainly after Milton, we realized that this is a citywide issue, it needs all hands on deck, and that we all have to work together to make sure that we are protecting our city for generations to come.

So uh with that, I want to go ahead and bring up the entire team who does this work alongside the administration and city council.

So I'm joined by Hannah Rebholtz, our floodplain manager, and uh, whenever she speaks, she will introduce you to the rest of the team because I don't want to mess up anyone's names or mess up their titles.

So welcome everyone.

I had heard there were several inspections happening today.

So we're gonna get through this fairly quickly so everybody can get back to work.

Thank you.

All right, and the proclamation reads whereas St.

Petersburg has experienced severe weather in the past in the form of extreme rainfall or tropical system events, resulting in flooding in coastal areas, and this flooding has caused damage and flood losses to homes and buildings in all areas, whether they are in a high-risk special flood hazard area or low to moderate flood risk.

And whereas the city of St.

Petersburg is dedicated to proactively safeguarding our coastal communities and preserving the way of life for residents for future generations through comprehensive planning and decisive action.

And whereas public education and awareness of potential weather hazards and methods of protection are critical to the safety, health, and welfare of all residents.

And whereas St.

Petersburg is a voluntary participant in the community rating system through the National Flood Insurance Program.

And this provides residents with the opportunity to protect themselves against flood loss through the purchase of flood insurance at reduced insurance premium rates, as well as setting higher regulatory standards to reduce flood risk and potential flood damage to property.

And whereas the Florida Flood Plain Manager Association has declared the week of March 9th, 2026 as flood awareness week to promote awareness and increase knowledge of flood risk, the availability of flood insurance, flood protection methods, and how to prepare for emergencies.

Now, therefore, I, Councilmember Brandy Gabbard, on behalf of Kenneth T.

Welch, the mayor of the city of St.

Petersburg, to hereby proclaim March 9th through March 15th, 2026 as FFMA Flood Awareness Week in St.

Petersburg.

And we encourage our citizens to increase their knowledge of how to protect themselves and their properties from flooding.

Madam Chair, I'd like to bring Hannah to the dais to or to the uh podium.

You want to go to the diet?

No.

No, okay.

Well, I tried.

I tried to give her the reins.

So Hannah Rebholt's our floodplain manager.

Good morning, Anna.

Good morning, Council.

Thank you for already raising this.

This is nice.

Um first I want to introduce the team.

So we've got the whole floodplain management team.

Um, we've got Talia Redding Redinger on inspections, Charles Parks on inspections, and Melanie Palmerac as floodplain coordinator.

Um, and then our two honorary members.

We have the building official Angie Phillips and deputy building official uh Ricky Campbell.

So without their hard work, we would not be here.

I just want to say something really quick, and uh then we can get going.

First off, I am truly honored to accept this proclamation highlighting Flood Awareness Week on behalf of the floodplain management team.

Thank you for this recognition and for your continued support in keeping our community informed and prepared.

As someone who works closely with residents and businesses every day, I see firsthand how important awareness and preparation are, especially in a coastal community like St.

Pete.

Flooding can affect any of us, and Flood Awareness Week serves as an important reminder that understanding our risks and taking proactive steps can make a meaningful difference in protecting lives and property.

My role as floodplain managers to help guide education, support compliance, and ensure we're building a more resilient future together, but none of this work happens alone.

This proclamation reflects the collaborative efforts across the city departments and our community members who take flood preparedness seriously.

I'm grateful for the city's support and for the opportunity to serve this amazing community.

Together through our outreach and education, we can continue building a stronger and safer St.

Pete for years to come.

Thank you again for this honor and for your dedication to flood awareness preparation.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gurtis.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh Hannah to the whole team, just thank you so much for the work that you do, not only uh during rainy season but the entire year from a preparation standpoint.

I'm just so thankful.

I don't know when Hannah sleeps because when she's not here, I see her at Northwest with uh her family cheering on baseball and softball games, and I I'm not sure how she does it.

And so we probably sleep about the same amount now that I'm thinking about it.

And so uh I'm just very appreciative, Hannah.

Thank you so much.

Uh and then I I would be remiss and uh Councilmember Gabbard, thank you for giving yourself some kudos for uh presenting this proclamation for all of these years you have been at the forefront.

Certainly we want to celebrate the team.

Uh but all I think most of the time that is happening in the background, and um you're the one up here and and screaming and yelling and advocating about um floodplain and resiliency and and prevention.

And so I just wanted to thank you for your eight years of advocacy, and I didn't want to go without uh recognizing you as well.

You certainly have been a um my guess is like you and Hannah are best friends now.

Um so um I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your advocacy.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Harding.

Thanks, Chair.

Hannah, thank you.

The uh I I I want to make sure that we recognize what you did for us after uh after the floods and thousands and thousands of people uh lost their houses.

Um they then needed to rebuild them and they turned to the city, and there's no way we could do that right away.

It's just too big of a thing.

And uh, and there were there were a lot of uh of hurt feelings, and there are a lot of people who wanted to express themselves.

And the focal point of that inside the city of St.

Pete with its 3800 employees and nine elected officials was you.

And um, and you took quite a beating through this, and um, and I want you to know that we recognize that, and we thank you for that.

That the beyond what it is that that you all did, beyond what it the hours that you all worked and the the what you were able to accomplish.

Um, you also took a lot of grief for it, and we recognize that.

And I want to thank you for uh for for not only making it through that but shouldering that burden.

So thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

And Hannah and team, I echo what other council members have said.

I can't look as council members.

We hear from a resident, usually it's when they're upset, sometimes when they're happy.

Um, but after a storm, you get a lot of upset.

Um, and you all took the brunt of it, as council member Harding said, and we're well aware of that, and it is hard.

It is hard for our community to go through that, and it's also hard for our employees who sometimes are going through that and they're also trying to help others.

And so I commend you all for all the work that you do every day, and we know it's been a challenging few years.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I also would like to thank council member uh Gertis uh for his work on Cappy, the committee to advocate for persons with impairments.

Uh, I didn't have a chance to tell you before because you were saying your goodbyes, um, but there is a reason why he presented that proclamation, and the same thing with council member Gabbard, who has always been advocating on the flood issues and resiliency, and sometimes as council member Gurtis had mentioned, screaming and yelling.

So positive.

All in a good way, all in a good way.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

You welcome.

And next up, J one.

We have a resolution approving the settlement of the lawsuit.

Uh Coursela versus City of St.

Petersburg.

I believe Mr.

McCollum is not here, and Sarah Locker is here with us.

Good morning, Sarah.

Good morning.

Thank you all.

Uh Ken said that he's sorry he couldn't be here.

He had a personal matter for today.

Um, but I'm just bringing forth a washout settlement for a workers' compensation claim.

The settlements and the amount of 100,000, and it's the case for Anthony Corsella versus the city of St.

Petersburg.

So case numbers 2001 337 SLR.

It's an employee who was hired as a welder back in 1992, July 27th.

Um, he was placed on MMI for injury in 2001 and retired in 2020.

The city's total exposure for this is 509,380, and it got it down to 100,000 settlement.

Move approval.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

Clerk, you open the machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all present council members have voted.

Clerk, please tally announce the vote.

Madam Chair, motion to approve a genome J1 passes unanimously with Councilmember Given's being absent.

Thank you, Sarah, and thank Ken for us on this.

Okay, thanks so much.

Thank you.

Next up, we have public hearings, and at exactly well, no, we have a couple of minutes, so we have to wait.

It looked the clock looks like it's there, but but Apple does not say that.

So we go on to reports.

F1.

We have a resolution accepting the new Palmetto Park neighborhood plan, and Kaylee is with us.

Good morning.

All right, good morning, council members.

Morning.

Here today to talk about the Palmetto Plan.

Uh update.

So the Palmetto Park Plan was originally written in 1992, so it's obviously time for some updates here.

And I wanted to start off by talking about some of the benefits of completing a neighborhood plan.

These documents not only help us identify residents' priorities, um, but also their shared vision for the neighborhood.

And it gives us a chance to get out into the community um and talk with people about our existing city programs.

I'm sure we've all had conversations with residents where they say the city should really do XYZ.

Um and it turns out we're already doing it.

We just haven't been able to connect those dots yet.

So this is a great opportunity for us to do that work and then document some of the priorities that we can consider during our annual budget process.

So this plan was created through the neighborhood planning program or the NPP.

This is a program created under Mayor Welch in 2022 to help neighborhoods reduce blight, preserve their identity, balance their growth with long-term stability, and improve public infrastructure.

It is a CRA program, and then within it, there's three different kind of pots of funding, if you will.

The first is for neighborhood planning, so that's what allowed us to hire a consultant.

We used Inspire Placemaking out of Orlando to help us facilitate some of the community workshops and write the plan.

There's also funding in the NPP for project implementation.

So we'll talk a little bit more about this at the end, but as long as one of the projects identified falls within one of these four subcategories, it can be paid for with these funds.

And then there's also funding available for neighborhood traffic plan implementation or updates.

So to talk a little bit about the community input that we used to help draft this plan.

This was before my time in neighborhood relations, but there were three community workshops conducted, a community survey that was available online and as a hard copy at different community events, and a project website with an interactive mapping tool.

So I think you've probably seen these for other projects that are kind of in the works right now, but these maps are pretty cool.

You can zoom in on specific intersections and click and add comments with your suggestions for the area specifically.

And then we advertise all three of these different community input avenues through postcards, door hangers and flyers, and also through the neighborhood association newsletter and Facebook page.

So look at the timeline here.

Engagement with the neighborhood initially started back in December of 2023, and you can see the dates here for the three public workshops.

When I took over in neighborhood relations, we met with the neighborhood and wanted to make sure that they we had their blessing on the plan before we went through the approvals process.

And they did want some changes made.

So we worked closely with them to make some of those edits, and then we started the approval process in December.

So the first stop was with the South St.

Pete CRA Citizen Advisory Committee.

Then we went to the CPPC in February, and now we're here today for your final approval.

So before we get into some of the details of the plan, I just kind of wanted to show a map highlighting the Palmetto Park neighborhood and where it's situated within our city.

So this is in District 7.

You can see its northern border is right along Central Avenue.

In close proximity to not only the historic gas plant, but also the Deuces and 22nd Street South Business District.

So this site is really prime for opportunity.

When the consultants were writing the plan, they looked at the neighborhood's streets, homes, and destinations.

And so we're gonna talk about each of those one at a time.

And they use this strategic framework here to evaluate each of those things across these five different attributes.

So they wanted to see if streets, homes, and destinations are connected, inclusive, do they support neighborhood well-being, do they empower residents?

Um and are these things resilient.

So starting off with streets, consultants discovered that about 88% of the neighborhood residents travel by private vehicle, and only 6% are utilizing public transport and bike.

This was one of the biggest takeaways from this neighborhood plan is that residents really want to see more complete streets improvements to help uh increase those numbers of pedestrians and bikers.

So they talked about some of the strengths like large block sizes that make it ideal for walkability.

Residents also reported liking the historic brick streets and street art that's um along the Pinellas Trail.

They also noted that some intersections have already been improved with new paved crosswalks and queer road markings, but there is still some room for improvement, like some inconsistency in sidewalks, so sections might be missing throughout the neighborhood, or they need some ADA ramp improvements.

They also mentioned that there's a lack of shade trees throughout the neighborhood, and they'd like to see some improvements in the bus stop infrastructure like shade and additional seating.

And while bus stop infrastructure is completely controlled by PSTA, we can obviously work with them and share those findings with them and hopefully address some of those challenges.

Okay, so moving on to the homes domain.

Most people in this neighborhood live in single-family houses, but there is some and a growing number of affordable housing units in larger multifamily buildings.

So residents reported that they like that diversity of housing options, and uh again noted that uh these options are great because of their proximity to the businesses on Central and the First Avenues.

The challenges are things that I think what we're all hearing throughout the entire city.

Housing affordability and how we manage legacy development close to modern redevelopment without a good visual buffer, some variability and owner upkeep, and then some specific parcels in this neighborhood are also directly across from industrial uses, or their primary access is through unpaved alleys.

So looking at some of the things that we can do to make those improvements for those residents.

Okay, and then our last domain is destinations.

There's a lot of great destinations in Palmeadow Park.

They've got a playground and community garden.

Again, they're right along the Pinellas Trail, close to the Grand Central shops and restaurants, as well as some art destinations along the trail, like Florida Rama.

Residents reported liking the strong creative and cultural identity, again, especially along the Southeastern Quadrant and the clusters of cafes and retail along Central and the Fifth Avenue South.

But they did express some concerns with vacant or underutilized parcels.

So getting into the implementation section here, if you take a look at the full plan, you can see the consultants split it up into three different areas.

There's strategic initiatives, capital improvements, and programming initiatives.

But there is a lot of overlap between these things.

So on the next couple slides, I did my best to kind of combine these all into just a few ideas.

So as I already mentioned, the biggest takeaway from this plan was complete streets.

Residents really want pedestrian infrastructure.

So sidewalk repair installation, additional bike lanes where possible, more signalized crosswalks, intersection improvements, so adding new signage, lighting, or shade trees, and then also improvements to the Pinellas Trail.

So greater connectivity, and then looking at the possibility of adding benches, pavilions, or even some larger scale items like outdoor fitness stations, picnic areas, and dog amenities.

Residents also expressed interest in having new wayfinding and gateway signage for their neighborhood, improving overall recreational amenities, so increasing the green space, making improvements to the existing playground or community garden, and then again looking at the possibility of adding new things like a dog park, a fitness station, or ball courts in the neighborhood.

And then there was also discussion about improved food access.

So this could be through something smaller, like identifying a site for a pop-up farmer's market on the weekend or something larger, like increasing um grocer options throughout the neighborhood.

There's a desire for additional mixed-use multifamily infill housing development.

They requested help with addressing some of the safety concerns in the neighborhood, primarily through illegal dumping.

And then we also discussed some SEPD strategies.

So if you're not familiar, SEPDED stands for crime prevention through environmental design.

So this might include things like pedestrian scale lighting and even properly maintaining landscaping.

When people know that a neighborhood is well taken care of, they're less likely to commit crimes in the area.

So these next two slides I'm not going to go through in detail, but as I mentioned at the beginning, this plan has already been reviewed by the South St.

Pete CAC as well as the CPPC.

So these two slides here highlight this plan's alignment with the comprehensive plan and the South St.

Pete CRA plan.

And I'm happy to answer any questions about this alignment.

And then next steps.

So with your approval today, this plan will be considered final and it's eligible for us to start funding some of the implementation ideas in this plan.

So on your screen, you see three different uh kind of pots of money that we can use to fund some of these projects.

The first is the neighborhood enhancement project funds.

This is part of the neighborhood relations budget.

Then we also have the partnership matching grant.

This is for projects up to $20,000, and neighborhoods are asked to match the grant with either in-kind services, cash, or volunteer hours.

And then we have the neighborhood planning program implementation funds pot.

This is also funding through the CRA.

And this is available every fall through an application basis.

We did our first application cycle of this last year, and at the time Campbell Park was the only eligible neighborhood, but this year we hope to have a few others.

And we have a Sunday committee that meets and evaluates all the projects and determines what the best use of the funds.

So with that, I would be happy to take any questions.

Great.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation and um for all the work that you've done on this.

I also want to thank the neighborhood.

This is an active neighborhood that really knows how to use their voice to get things done.

Some of you may remember that it was um uh a a good representation from the neighborhood that came and spoke when we were working on our zoning overlay for the warehouse arts district.

Um these folks know how to how to get things done.

And so I'm I'm just thrilled that they have been working on this neighborhood plan.

I I do wish we were doing this during a uh later meeting because I know that they would be here if they could.

They'd be here in droves if they could.

Um so I want to point out just a few things um from this report.

It was a lot to read, but it just made me um really want to do my own advocacy for the neighborhood.

Some of these items that um could represent significant improvements to the neighborhood are um they seem simple, but when it comes to funding and getting it on the schedule, getting the uh things together to make it happen, it's it's kind of difficult.

But knowing that this is this is a neighborhood that um is full of bicyclists and pedestrians and they want more of that.

I would think that the sidewalk, the pedestrian connectivity, um that kind of thing could be a priority.

So there's a lot in here, and so I'm kind of wondering um have you started to prioritize or get a game plan together for all right, this is what we're gonna tackle first.

The neighborhood has.

Um I've been to Imagine that.

I went to their last meeting um and they gave me a list, I believe it's like eight to ten items of their their top priorities from this plan.

Um, and they provided some additional details and you know, even specific sections of sidewalks and things like that.

So uh my team is already starting to reach out to Cheryl's team, engineering and having those conversations just to make sure all those things are feasible, um, but they will be prepared well in advance of the CRA funding cycle because they like you you said they're they're on top of it and they're ready to go.

So good, good.

And so speaking of the the CRA funding, it it it got me thinking about something that I have pondered from time to time regarding the way that we allocate CR South St.

Pete CRA funds.

Um, you know, there are a lot of people out there who um claim that they don't see a whole lot of progress with this.

Where's all the money going all these years?

And I think we are spending it on great great projects, but they're spread out in the South St.

P CRA is huge.

So it's kind of hard to see it when it's spread out.

What if we concentrated some of the effort, some of the some of the funding, not all, but did a real concentration of um uh spending in this neighborhood, for instance, because they've got their neighborhood plan done.

Um really showed a greater impact with uh uh the South St.

P CRA funds through those projects.

I mean, then you're then you're really seeing, and I've thought about this with Campbell Park 2, because they did their neighborhood plan.

If we can concentrate the funding with some of these items, I think that we could really show the strength of the South St.

PCRA and what it does for its residents.

So just an idea there.

Um there was a mention in here about um uh the SEPTED, and that was related to um vacant parcels.

Are any of those city-owned?

Do you happen to know?

I I don't know offhand, but I can get you a map.

So um uh you don't need to do that.

I'm just going to suggest that if any of those parcels are city owned, maybe we can prioritize disposition of those properties for something good, and that could be um a win all around for people.

Um regarding the um access to the Pinellas Trail, one of the photos in here shows um um a chain link fence.

It looks like it's along Seventh Dave South.

Um is that a fence that needs to be there?

Is that something?

I'm I'm I'm asking the the universe.

I'm not asking for an answer, but I I'm wondering hey, does that have to be there?

Or is it something that the city can influence or do to create that access there?

See, these are some of those like some of the solutions I think are quite simple.

Oh my goodness, here's Cheryl.

Hi.

Hi, good morning.

I heard you had a question about the trail.

So naturally, I Cheryl's like, did somebody say trail?

There you go.

Hi, our trail, our trail town queen.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Cheryl Sachs, transportation and parking management.

Um the the those fences were installed when the trail extension was constructed back in 2008.

And so those were part of the original design plans associated with the trail.

Uh that the parcel is ours, uh it's city owned property, so I think we can have those um discussions.

I know we've had some of those conversations already.

We'd want to engage with PD clearly about that as well.

Um yeah, as we're talking about SEPTED, but that's certainly something that we can um start to look at for sure.

Excellent, thank you.

I can't wait to see what happens with that.

And Joe was wanting to say something here.

Good morning, Council Joe Wall, neighborhood services managing director.

Councilman Driscoll, I just want to touch on your previous point about the vacant lots.

Yes.

So when we did our first round of disposition um with the new program that you all recently approved the changes to, we did target lots within these neighborhoods that were in the planning process to make sure that we were getting new development with a single family in that area.

So we can get the specific addresses and things like that for you and look at the other lots that might be in the area that are city owned, but we did take that in consideration with that first group that we disposed of.

Excellent.

And doesn't the South St.

Pete CRA allow for uh money to be to be spent on acquisition of property for development?

I get yeah, so there's I mean, there's a couple programs there.

We're helping affordable housing developers acquire land on their own, and then it also has funding for the city to acquire properties yet.

Yeah, something else to think about.

I just see so many opportunities here.

Now, with the list of things that you can do, and I'm almost done.

Um, you know, the neighborhood partnership grant is such a great opportunity for the community to really um invest through the match and leverage those grant dollars to get some of the things that they want.

Have you gone through the list of ideas or um projects and identified which ones would be eligible for a neighborhood partnership grant?

Yes.

So um offhand, one of the they want some improvements to their community garden, a new fence um and a new sign, I believe, and they did submit an application for a partnership grant for that project already.

So we're working with real estate just to make sure uh because that's a city-owned lot that we have full permission to make those upgrades, and then we can start to process that and get that done even before the fall application cycle opens.

Okay, great.

And then finally, you mentioned that there's an interest in an outdoor fitness zone.

Yes.

Um I know of um at least one other neighborhood that is also interested in that.

Um it is quite costly, um, much to my dismay because I had no idea how expensive those things were.

But if we have multiple neighborhoods who are interested in doing this, is there um a way to um inquire about all of them at once and perhaps bringing the cost down for each one individually, you know, kind of a bulk discount kind of thing.

We can certainly talk to administrator Jeffries about that.

Yeah, yeah, because the company that that does that, I mean, it's fantastic, but I I have a feeling that it's more than two neighborhoods that want this, and I think we could um leverage that for some cost savings and um get give the people what they want.

So um, well, again, thank you so much.

This is um this was a lot of fun to read and got me really excited for the neighborhood and what's ahead for them.

So thank you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you.

Second, you have a motion of second.

I just want to say Kaylee, thank you for all your work on this.

I do want to say that first of all, congratulations for to Palmetto Park uh for getting their neighborhood plan.

There's a lot of neighborhoods that have been getting it through this program through the CRA.

Um, for those that don't know many, many decades ago, we had a ton of neighborhood plans that happened, including in my neighborhood back in the late 80s or 90s, I think it was federal monies that came in.

Um, you know, kind of revitalization and all that.

Um, and you one of the things I do want to point out, I mean, at the end of the day, there is the issue's gonna end up being funding, right?

Because I will tell you, I've seen lots of neighborhood plans for lots of neighborhoods in my district, and then there is all this these great ideas, and then the reality is and how are a lot of these things gonna get funded.

And you you have obviously some funds here from the CRA and and matching grants, I mean, those only go so far.

So, one of the things I want to point out, and I you know, I haven't heard about this for a while, and I don't know when the last time the city did this, but if there are things that certain neighborhoods want, there is a process through space special assessments where they can go and specially assess themselves.

Crescent Lake did that many years ago, and because they wanted certain things that were above and beyond what maybe the city could do, and I just think it's something to actually make sure that is in kind of the list of things so people understand that.

You know, there is that other option.

Obviously, it's great when the city can pay for everything, but because of the budget constraints, because of the things that are happening in Tallahassee and all this, I want that to also be known that there is a way to do these things.

And back in I I think it was whenever they did the Crescent Lake Plan at one point, and this is so 80s, they wanted a fountain in the middle of the lake or 70s.

I don't know when those were popular, but you know, there was a time where it's like you needed a fountain in the middle of the lake.

And that didn't happen, which I think is probably good, and they ended up using that money for the overlook, you know, at Crescent Lake Park.

So that was actually money from residents through a special assessment.

So I just wanted to throw that out there as a potential possibility for funding if people want I'm not just saying for Palmetto Park, I'm just saying in general for certain neighborhoods.

Yeah, definitely a good option for neighborhoods to know about.

Great.

Well, thank you for the great work.

Okay, now we go back to public hearings.

Oh, I'm sorry, that's right.

But we have a motion second, sorry, motion and a second.

I'm moving too quickly.

Clerk, you'll please open the machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all council members have present council members have voted.

Clerk, please tally and ask the vote.

Madam Chair, motion to approve adjunct F1 passes unanimously with Councilmember Gimmons being absent.

Thank you.

I was so excited when we were at public hearings at 928, then I couldn't do it, and now it's 950 almost 95.

So we go back to public hearings.

Hi.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning, Dr.

Avery Slecker here for housing and community development.

And we are here proposing a substantial amendment to our fiscal year 2526 HUD annual action plan that was approved under resolution number 2025-399 to transfer 156,000 in our home investment partnership funds from prior year undesignated balances, home fund 113 to support Bully's tenant-based rental assistance program, their fiscal year 2526 project.

The amendment is necessary, and this is due to continued rental market pressures with rising housing costs.

This is increasing the gap between household income and fair market rates.

According to the most recent HUD published fair market rent data, which is from fiscal year 2023, it shows nationally that our fair market rates have increased approximately 20%.

Here, that same data shows in the Tampa Bay region a 20% increase.

The reallocation of these funds will help prevent homelessness and homeless instability for extremely low and very low-income household.

It is offsetting rising rental costs in the local markets, leveraging an experienced nonprofit partner in bullying who can rapidly deploy this assistance and ensures timely expenditures of our prior year home funds, which maintains our fiscal stewardship of federal resources.

With this by expanding access to affordable housing, preventing homelessness, and stabilization for these vulnerable households.

Therefore, administration's recommendation is a resolution approving a substantial amendment to the city's fiscal year 2526 annual plan to reallocate the total of 156,000 of home investment partnership dollars to Boley Center's home project Tibra from 2025-26 authorizing the mayor or designee to submit the amendment to the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

We have a motion and a second.

Councilmember Harding.

Thank you, Chair.

I should like to thank you very much.

I just have a couple of questions.

Um the the first is um the this the request for this funding, it plugs a hole.

The the first is um the this the request for this funding it plugs a hole.

What happens at the end of the hole?

Are we uh are we pushing a problem down the road that'll that's going to pop up again?

And and and I and so I'm looking I guess what I'm asking is is and Boley is just a phenomenal organization.

But are they taking on too much?

And so if if we plug this gap when this money runs out what's next.

What's nice is that Tibra is a renewable project within our home investment partnership program.

And we work collaboratively with Boley and the entire continuum of care for Pinellas County on how can we solve this problem and we've had several meetings as of recent because we don't know what's going to happen with the continuum of care funds for this year and moving forward on how can we solve the problem and so therefore we're coming together not just the city of St.

Petersburg but Pinellas County and several other municipalities to see how can we solve the problem for future and ensure that it's stable throughout the years.

Okay thank you for that the other the other question I had is is um more related to the the funding itself it's written in here that uh centers currently utilize home TBPRA to provide an average of 20 households with rental assistance which average approximately 4200 a month that that's 2100 per unit that's uh that that's not a gap that that's that's a rent is that uh it are we are are that would mean at the at the the 80 percent of AMI we've got folks in in houses or apartments that are three thousand plus dollars a month um is that the gap we're we're funding it it is one of the gaps that we're funding and what it is is that bowling works extremely hard to locate landlords that have affordable rents but it's difficult in this field sometimes especially within the city um mostly what we are funding right now are households for single parents with multiple children and we've also got 20 percent of these individuals who are elderly seniors population the population for senior adults is very or for single adult households is very small and so what's interesting about the TIBRA program is that monthly they have to submit invoices to show that they need the support medically and they come in and they bring all these receipts and they're gone through with a housing specialist every single month to figure out where's their gap where can they afford it and then they're working consistently to increase their landlord pool and I and I am supportive and I think you're gonna define the council be supportive as well that my my question really at the end of the day because we're we're going to see this again is it is uh it is this phenomenal organization biting off more than than it can chew.

So councilmember Harding I wanted to clarify that um so that you understand that this program is already in existence this isn't a new program right this is backfilling dollars that um have not been enough as rents have risen I also wanted to clarify that um the other partners in this and I hope you all will take the time to thank them is that the county has come to the table to backfill as well as juvenile welfare board and juvenile welfare board does not often get involved in funding housing and so we're we're incredibly grace grateful for our partners who have done that and this is our share since the majority of the units are in our community this is actually way less than our our share of the tenants living in our community I also wanted to clarify that this isn't boley units so we're not subsidizing Boley units with these dollars these are market rate which is why the rents are as high as as you noted these aren't affordable units these are units keeping people off the street in a market rate unit while we're trying to find them affordable units um which you know we have a shortage of thank you very much appreciate that thank you chair thank you council member fakes hand thank you and thank you council member Harding um for asking those questions and hi Avery thank you so much um I think Avery and and administrative foster two of the busiest people that we have with the city because of the housing issues that we have and I just wanted to make note because I do sit on COC and I do work um heavily with Boley that I have to commend them for actually continuing to take this on with the threats that we've had for funding just in regards of affordable housing um having this shortfall um in this particular bucket would jeopardize putting more people on the street and so you know the motion you know was made quickly because when I saw it I understood the very very very strong need that we have for this funding and this dollar amount that we're asking for as administrative foster just stated is really very low considering to what some of the other um partners are actually contributing so um you know I just want you know everyone to still

Um having this shortfall um in this particular book, it would jeopardize putting more people on the street.

And so, you know, the motion, you know, was made quickly because when I saw it, I understood the very, very, very, very strong need that we have for this funding, and this dollar amount that we're asking for as administrator foster just stated is really very low, considering to what some of the other um partners are actually contributing.

So, you know, I just want you know everyone to still understand that yes, we do have a housing shortage, yes, we do have affordable housing um shortages as well.

But uh I do want to commend Bowley for because of the you know the the community that they serve, and then taking this on to ensure that others in the community do not become homeless and working with those other organizations with the COC.

Um, this is not a big ask.

It is it is not a big ask.

And um, you know, I appreciate the fact that we as the city of St.

Petersburg, we get so many kudos about what we do in regards to housing and affordable housing and housing for those that are actually struggling, not only just financially, um, but as as a whole.

So I want to thank the city of St.

Petersburg.

I want to thank Administrative Foster.

We get so many, you know, um, compliments in regards to how we handle this, and for that, I just needed to um put that out there for the record that this request really is not a large request considering the things that I've heard that the actual need really is.

So thank you for that.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Councilmember.

We have a motion and a second on E1.

Count Um Clerk, please open the machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all present council members have voted.

Clerk, please tell the announced to vote.

Madam Chair, Mustre to approve it, Jadam E1 passes unanimously.

Councilman McGivens being absent.

Thank you, and thank you, everybody.

Next up, we have the presentation from embracing our differences.

I believe Councilmember Driscoll, who is not here, it was her item.

So I was gonna have her represent uh present you, but you can come up.

This is Sarah Wertheimer, she's the president and CEO of Embracing Our Differences.

Welcome, Sarah.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm grateful to be here and grateful for all of you.

Okay, so I think perfect.

PowerPoint is up.

So at embracing our differences, we really strive to create a world where differences are respected and celebrated while also recognizing how much we do have in common with one another.

And so we do this in a variety of different ways, but really utilizing visual art and education programs.

So we have been in existence for 23 years.

We were originally started as a traveling art exhibition that the Florida Holocaust Museum here in St.

Pete brought to St.

Petersburg, Sarasota, and Boca Ratan.

And it was brought from Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem, Israel.

It was supposed to be a temporary exhibition that traveled all around the world.

If you've ever seen those coexist bumper stickers, that was actually an art piece, not original exhibition.

And so when it was up for that first time in Sarasota, we had community members who said, this is so important, this is something that we have to do every year.

So they incorporated the organization and really started growing the education programs from there.

And three years ago, we returned to St.

Petersburg, and we have been displaying the exhibition at Pointer Park for the past two years.

Um we're actually setting it up right now at Pointer Park.

Um as we speak, it will be up by the end of the day today.

And so when we first did our call for artwork in 2004, we received 124 submissions.

This year we received 14,904 submissions from 125 countries, 48 states, and 574 schools.

We want everyone to be able to share their perspectives, their opinions, and what they're going through in this world today.

Uh, a time that we think that the values of kindness, respect, and inclusion are so incredibly needed.

And and that is why we really want to celebrate them on as large of a scale as we possibly can.

So, as you can see right here, um, this is a video we can't do drone footage, unfortunately, of Pointer Park since it is right by the airport.

Um, so this is drone footage of the Sarasota exhibition to give you an idea of the scale and the scope of the exhibition and of the banners themselves.

They are 12 and a half by 16 feet, so they are very large.

It is completely open, free for the entire public to enjoy.

We do a lot of field trips throughout, and I'll get into the education programs in a moment, but I wanted you to get an idea of of what it really looks like.

So, out of those more than 14,000 submissions, we have a committee that selects 50 artworks and a committee that selects 50 quotations.

They are judged separately, and then we pair those together at the end, and that's what goes on display at the exhibition for everyone to be able to enjoy.

It's such a different feeling in this large outdoor setting, where often, and this is not anything negative to museums, but often when you go into a museum, you feel like you have to be quiet on your best behavior, hands by your sides.

This is a very different experience for students and adults to really be able to engage with the artwork in a very comfortable setting, and of course, making artwork free and accessible to everyone is huge and so important to our mission.

So throughout the time that the exhibition is on display, we offer free field trips.

And so starting next week, we will have a ton of field trips at Pointer Park for the next five weeks.

Field trips during the week of spring break are not as big, but um we'll hopefully have some youth groups and other organizations joining during that time as well.

Uh so this was a field trip last year at Pointer Park.

Um, one of the activities that we do is telling the students to pose like the art piece.

So that's what you'll see right here in this piece.

Um, but we also have lesson plans and curriculum that are created and aligned to the Florida standards, approved by the Pinellas County School District, so that teachers can utilize these lesson plans before, during, and after their field trips, so that it's much more than a walk in the park for the kids.

There's a full learning experience tied to it as well.

And um, and we do invite you if anyone would like to join any of those field trips, especially those that might be from your districts.

We are happy to share that information with you after uh the presentation.

We'll send you an email with a list of the scheduled field trips for Pointer Park.

Uh we will be having our grand opening celebration this Saturday from one to four at Pointer, completely free.

We'll have live music, Shelby Soul will be performing.

Um we'll have food trucks there, and about 12 community partner booths that will all have different fun activities, free for everyone, and really just a way to celebrate community and celebrate the value that the arts do bring.

So we are really looking forward to this.

We are thrilled that Councilmember Driscoll will be speaking and sharing some remarks.

So at 145 to 2.15 is when we will have those remarks, and then we'll do a special guided tour of the exhibition as well.

So we hope that that you are able to join us.

I know a few of you have RSVP'd, and we are very grateful for that.

Um we also do programs throughout the year in the school systems.

And we're really excited that we have been expanding these into St.

Pete this year.

So we started with our bucket filler reading day this past fall in the schools.

Um, the bucket filler program or or this book series is takes the concept that everyone has a bucket.

And when you say kind words to someone, you do good deeds for someone, you're filling up their bucket.

And when you fill up someone else's bucket, you're filling up your own bucket as well.

And also when you might say mean things or bully someone, you're dipping into their bucket.

And when you dip into someone else's bucket, you also dip into your own.

So it makes bullying very tangible and easily understood for young kids.

And it helps create a culture in the classroom where everyone feels like they belong, and they aren't having to worry about who's gonna be picking on them today.

They can actually focus on their academics.

So it's extremely helpful in a variety of ways.

We also have our spring reading day that actually happened yesterday, no, on Tuesday in Pinellas.

So we were thrilled that our bucket filler reading day, we were able to have 200 students, mainly in South St.

Pete, the schools that were closest to the exhibition to Pointer Park.

And then we were able to expand that for our reading day that happened on Tuesday and having more classes involved.

We had more than 20 classes involved for this year in Pinellas.

As you can see in Sarasota and Manatee counties, we have been doing this for many years.

So we now have more than 500 classrooms throughout those counties that participate on this one day.

We have volunteers go into the classroom and we donate books to every single student who has participated so they can build their at-home libraries and have their very own brand new book, which for a lot of kids, they've only ever had hand-me-down books, not a brand new book that they can write their name in the front of and really feel so much pride there.

We have high school programs as well that really do focus on leadership skills and on unity, really taking the barriers down that divide one another so that students can recognize that they are not alone in their struggles.

So often in this world of social media today, kids think that everyone else has this perfect life and they're the only one that has challenges or is struggling.

And so when they're able to recognize that they are truly not alone, they have friends, they have allies on campus.

It just makes their entire educational experience that much better.

We do a lot of professional development workshops with educators.

So we have our art-intensive workshop, and we have been doing that with all three counties for the past three years.

That has been uh really successful to give our art teachers this tools and resources to bring this into their classroom, inspire their students to create artwork around the themes of kindness, respect, and inclusion.

And that's really what the goal of that program is.

Our education ambassador program is a year-round cohort of teachers who receive professional development, uh continuing education credit hours, a stipend for participating at the end, as well as grant funds to implement a project in their school that carries on those values of embracing our differences.

We have a ton of resources on our website.

Once again, they are all aligned to the Florida standards.

They are all approved by the school district curriculum specialists within Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.

And these are available for anyone to be able to enjoy.

We highly recommend that you check them out.

They can be fun to do with family members too.

It doesn't have to be just students, uh, but a great way to deepen the experience of the exhibition and of these values.

So just a couple pieces to highlight that will be in this year's exhibition.

This is our best in show student piece, which is from an 11th grade student from South Korea who created equal booths.

And then the quotation is from an adult that says advocacy is never too loud.

Speak up for those who need your voice.

And um our best in show adult piece is an adult artist from Turkey who created the power of love.

And the quotation is from Bulgaria.

Kindness is a beam of light in the world of darkness.

And then we have our best in show student quotation for this year.

So each of these best in shows wins a $2,000 cash prize.

And when it's a student, it is split between the school and the student 50-50.

So this quotation says, Dulling someone else's pencil will not make yours any sharper.

And that is a student from Osprey, Florida, paired with an uh a 10th grade student from Kazakhstan.

And then here we have um the best in show adult quotation is an adult from Poland who said, Kindness is the language we all understand, even when our stories are written in different alphabets.

And just a really uh a powerful, beautiful piece.

We also do a special banner that features just students from Pinellas and Hillsborough County schools.

And so it's a little bit of an honorable mention banner, but really to recognize the incredible passions of these students.

Their artwork quality might not always be as high as some of those other pieces selected, but their message and their meaning is just as powerful, if not more.

So it's really special for us to be able to recognize them in this way.

So we're thrilled to have multiple St.

Pete schools here.

And then once again, just a reminder that we are so excited to have the exhibition on display at Pointer Park for five weeks, starting officially this Saturday, although the exhibition will be up by this afternoon, and it will go through April 12th.

We will have field trips starting on Monday the 10th that will go through April 10th.

And so we'll send you that schedule as well.

So hopefully you can check out one of the field trips and hopefully you can join us at our grand opening celebration this Saturday from one to four at Pointer Park.

Thank you very much for all of your support.

We are truly grateful to be a part of this community, to be working with so many other fantastic arts and cultural organizations, and to really just be trying to spread these messages of kindness, respect, and inclusion as much as we possibly can.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sarah.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation and for bringing this exhibition to our city once again.

I know it's something that um visits a lot of different places, but it's so St.

Pete that one would think that it was uh born and raised here.

Um it's just it's such a great fit for our city and and the values that we hold.

Um, and I'm excited about Saturday.

It's gonna be a fantastic grand opening celebration.

If someone, and you're gonna have guided tours on that day, but if someone were to just go on their own one day and wants to walk around and learn about each piece, um, I know you you mentioned that there's something on the website with the exhibit on-demand tours.

Um, but does the QR code on each one tell the story of each one?

I'm just wondering how could someone do a tour on their own and really learn about each piece.

Absolutely.

Thank you for asking that.

So on the banners themselves, there are QR codes, the same ones that are in the books that you all um either have been given or will be given.

Uh, and so that does, yes, fantastic.

Um, so those QR codes, when you scan them with the camera on your phone, it will bring you directly to that page on the website that has the artist statement, as well as most of the pieces have a brief video from the artist talking about their piece.

So you can do a little bit of a self-guided tour that way as well.

We also offer a few free guided tours that individuals can sign up for on our website, and we have some free uh activation events with Tai Chi in the park and movement through art, a few other events that everything is completely free for the public to enjoy.

Great.

Thank you.

And what would be um the best way for maybe city council members to help spread the word about um the exhibition and different activities that are taking place while it's here?

Thank you.

Truly any way that you feel comfortable doing it, whether it is through your social media, through any of your your emails with your constituents, or any other way that you are able to spread this message that in a time where public art is often being criticized or torn down.

This is a great way to experience public art and these values that we all hold so dear.

Thank you.

And then towards the end, you had a group of six pieces.

I think I think you said these are pieces that were submitted, but were not made into the large scale versions.

So that one will still be on one large scale banner.

It's just that all six of them are together on that one banner.

So this will still be at the exhibition as part of the exhibition on a 12 and a half by 16 foot banner.

Um it's just that all six of them, it will be displayed actually exactly how that is right there.

Okay, and these are these are made from um smaller pieces.

Yes.

So those originals, are they made available for sale?

So the originals are actually still held by the students or the teachers themselves.

They usually take a high-resolution image and submit that to us, and that's what we have blown up.

Um they still own the right to their artwork, all of the artists, and they can still sell it themselves or submit it to other competitions if they would like.

Um, with respect to the rest of the pieces in the exhibition, we do have on our website available that people can purchase reproductions of them, and a portion of those proceeds that do go to the artists themselves.

Okay, great.

I'm gonna have to track down these students in Palm Harbor that did the painting of the doors.

We're happy to help connect you with them.

I am I am captivated by that one for uh some personal reasons.

So I'm like, okay, I gotta find out what if I can get my hands on it.

Yeah, even a print would be would suffice if they don't want to part with it.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Um, but yeah, this is this is just another way to um bring people together, really enjoy art.

I love how you connect it with literacy, another thing I'm passionate about.

Um there's just uh it was so loved before, and I'm really excited that it's back.

And I think now more than ever, this is exactly the type of um display that we need and opportunity that we need.

Absolutely.

All right, thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Council.

Oh, I guess the button was somebody's button was pressed, but it's not pressing anymore.

But I will say this, Sarah.

I love the work that you all do.

I mean, just going through this book and seeing like all the beautiful sayings and pictures that have been drawn.

It's a beautiful example of the soul of humanity.

Absolutely.

I mean, throughout the world.

And it's just it's just fantastic.

I also want to thank uh Patrick Jackson uh who's on your team and is also a member of the arts advisory committee here in the city of St.

Petersburg.

So thank you for everything you do.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Appreciate you all.

Okay.

Next up, we have F3, uh, Cheryl Stacks.

Hi, Cheryl.

Hi, good morning.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Cheryl Stacks, Transportation Manager.

I'm pleased to be the staff person who gets the honor to present this information to you today.

I'd be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to thank Evan Mori and our staff and transportation and parking management and the city attorney's office and our procurement and supply management department and community enrichment and the overall administration for their continued support and providing mobility options for our residents and visitors.

For some background, bike share was originally launched in St.

Petersburg when the city purchased 300 coast pedal bikes, kiosks, and specialty racks.

We also entered into a license agreement for Cycle Hop to operate the system on our behalf.

In addition to the initial capital outlay for the equipment, the program required a subsidy from the city with funds going towards the monthly communications uh connectivity fees.

In 2021, as e-bikes were becoming more available in the marketplace for bike share operations, the city purchased 50 electric assist bikes to add to the fleet, and Cycle Hop also provided an additional 50 e-bikes to serve the St.

Pete market.

From the onset of e-bike deployment in the bike share program, they proved to be more popular than traditional pedal bikes from a utilization perspective.

And then 2023, the Sunny and City entered into an agreement with Lyme to operate the St.

Petersburg bike share system as we know it today.

Uh Lyme providing their own fleet of class one e-bikes.

The class one e-bikes have an electric assist to the pedaling and are not throttle-on devices.

And Lyme provides these services at no charge to the city, such that a recurring subsidy is no longer required to have this mobility option for our residents and visitors.

Under the current agreement, Lyme is authorized to deploy up to 300 e-bikes at designated parking areas.

The parking areas are provided by the city and they're often co-located with scooter corrals.

This increases the opportunity for users to find a device of their choosing and eases in the overall administration of the program.

Lime's local staff handles both the bikes and the scooters within the scooter program too, so there are additional efficiencies that are realized.

However, the technology is a little bit different than scooters.

For example, the bikes can't be tapered down to stop when they enter a no-ride zone.

Instead, LIME has the bikes program to turn off the electric assist when users enter a no-ride zone, and they're also programmed to turn off when a re when a user reaches a maximum speed of 15 miles an hour.

The weight of the bike itself becomes a bit of a deterrent when you enter the zone.

It's a 75, 80 pound bike.

We continue to see good ridership with the bike share in St.

Pete since the program was made available with line bikes through January of this year.

The city has seen a total of over 72,000 trips.

Our highest ridership months are in the spring through the early summer when the city hosts many of its large special events, including Grand Prix and the St.

Pete Pride celebrations.

In fact, uh this past year we had a 30% increase in bike share use, bike share trips a year over year for this Grand Prix versus last year's Grand Prix, so that was great to know.

Average monthly ridership generally exceeds 2,000 trips.

And for a comparison of the usage under Lyme versus the former operations, we pulled data from the month of October.

It's a month that has some special events and reasonably good biking weather.

Um, so it represents a pretty typical month of use for us.

And October of 2022 is the last year under the coast system, and last year was our most recent October, and it didn't thankfully didn't have a storm included.

So you can see it's pretty normalized information and data.

You can see that we have seen a significant increase under the Lyme system over a 100% increase in bike share trips.

In addition to the increased popularity of the e-bikes, the city's been working to identify additional opportunities to make bike share available outside of the downtown core without being too disruptive to the neighborhoods, but while also considering reasonable destinations and supportive infrastructure, like the Pinellas Trail and our own West Central Streetscape project that included bike parking in the right-of-way and marked bike lanes.

The purple pins in the map on the right illustrate those locations.

There are a total of 15 of those, and including one that was completed at the President Barack Obama Main Library when the facility was reopened.

And that was a joint effort with our parks and recreation staff who've been really incredibly helpful in facilitating this expansion to West St.

Pete.

There are no right-of-way usage fees that are assessed to Lyme for the program, but nor is there recurring subsidy for the city required.

Bikes that are reported as improperly parked or tipped over or and are not corrected within 24 hours can be considered a nuisance and have a fee assessed for those.

We give the operator a slightly longer time to correct the issues with the bike since there's an expanded service area and the bikes are a little bit bulkier to move around.

Since working with Lyme, though, we've never had a need to assess them a fee for any any vehicles.

They've been very responsive to reports, and they also have direct access to issues that come in through C click fix.

The Lyme Access program continues to offer significant discounts to income eligible riders at 70% off.

They also offer 20% off of all rides that are initiated within the designated zone to promote access to the program and lower income areas.

The existing agreement also has language allowing for an extension to the term for a period of another three years, which administration recommends that the city exercise.

However, there are a few minor changes included in the amendment along with the term extension.

Those include modifying some language for consistency and terminology with a scooter agreement.

The designated zone for discounted rides would be amended to be called access zones so that there's alignment across all of the micromobility programs.

We'd be extending the turn the current term through the end of the month of March to ease an administration of the program and agreement.

And also allowing for required educational events to be conducted on an annual basis of two per year.

Right now, the requirement is one every six months, and because we have such a seasonal system, it makes sense to allow them to do two per year catching events like Halloween on Central plus Grand Prix that are how they're shorter in duration than six months.

Finally, the requested action from council includes an additional element to allow staff to address some legacy equipment from the coast bike share operations.

Many of the current bike share locations have the older coast racks still installed.

At the time of the conversion to Lyme, we thought that they would be able to work to serve the lime bikes, but the dimensions are really not compatible.

Um they lead to some tipovers.

Uh, with those racks now beyond their useful life, we'd like to take the opportunity to remove and replace those system-wide and move to our standard inverted U racks, which do work well with the Lyme equipment.

The amount requested to complete this system-wide replacement is expected to cost an additional ten thousand dollars over what was appropriated within the 26 um adopted budget.

And if we're able to make this change, we expect that we'll have considerably improved aesthetics and functionality, and it'll ease in our overall maintenance of the program infrastructure going forward.

Uh funding for the additional allocation to make the change would be through using a portion of the revenues collected in fiscal year 26 from the scooter right-of-way usage fees.

So, in summary, administration is requesting approval of the resolution for two critical actions, approval of the First Amendment to the license agreement with Lyme for continued bike share services, and an appropriation of $10,000 from revenues from the scooter share program to use towards removal and replacement of the legacy bike records um up system wide.

And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions that you have.

Thank you, Cheryl.

Councilmember Gerdis.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh, just quickly, I wanted to say thank you for your advocate to bring this west.

It's made a big difference.

I see them on the trail, I see them in our parks, and so just very thankful, Cheryl, to you and to the team for that advocacy with Lyme.

It's made a big difference.

Love seeing them uh all down Central Avenue, all the way from water to water.

So very, very, very appreciative.

And thank you for bringing in front of us.

Can we do this?

Uh can we do both at the same at the same time?

Yes.

Move approval.

Second.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Driscoll.

Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation.

And um for the work that you're doing to constantly fine-tune this program since its inception.

Um, we've had a lot of changes, but you can see that that results in growth with usage and with um it seems that people are more satisfied with the operation for this and um scooter share.

And I'm just grateful for that with so much of it being concentrated in the downtown edge district.

Um, you know, I hear about this a lot.

I want to make sure people know that these e-bikes are really not representative of the issues that we're seeing out there with e-bikes.

Um, these are not the the ones that speed, they can only go up to 15 miles per hour.

So these aren't the ones that are going 30 miles an hour on the trail, anything like that.

Um I wanted to ask, and I I'm thinking I I just can't remember.

Does this company have penalties to the user for improper parking?

My understanding is that that they do they do have mechanisms by which they can assess the user directly.

You know, our preference has been to not get into that relationship with the user directly and instead kind of have that nuisance um nuisance option for us so that we can assess the fine to and just keep our relationship directly with the operator versus getting into the weeds of users.

But when we see egregious writing from um scooter users or e-bike users, um Lyme has always been very responsive and um cutting off their access to participate in the program.

Okay, good.

It's great that they're being um the right kind of partner with us for that because that remains a concern.

I don't ever want us to loosen that commitment to ensuring proper usage and parking um all of that.

I just want to make sure no matter what changes take place in the future, we're still making sure that we're we're still doing what we can to um uh uh prevent clutter from happening, and that was something that we were starting to see more and more of with the scooters as um the last round was winding down.

So as long as we're staying on top of that, and um I too appreciate the expansion.

This was something that from the beginning that was the plan, and I'm seeing that ramping up more and more, and that's really exciting.

So thanks for all you're doing.

Uh I I know you've been so committed from the beginning to getting this right, and it's really paying off.

So thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Councilmember Fix Andrews.

Thank you, Cheryl, for the report.

I just have a quick question.

Sometimes I'll see them abandoned on the side of the road in different areas.

How often do they do a sweep um to ensure that they're actually retrieved and placed back into stock be use?

They have mechanisms on the back end that will kind of alert their system, but they're they're not fail-proof.

So that's usually when we need to have them reported through C Click Fix or others.

Um, their staff is available, and again, once we report it to them, if it takes them more than 24 hours, we have the option to assign that nuisance fee, but they're usually on it right away once it's reported.

So that's why we kind of recommend that most people, if you see something, and those would be considered improperly parked if they're out where they're not not supposed to be, even in the water, they're improperly parked, right?

Um, so they have uh we just encourage a lot of people to use C click fix because we provided them direct access to C click fixed.

So even you know, uh, if if I'm away, um the word still gets to the Lyme staff that they should be able to pick it up and and take care of it and get it back in its proper spot.

Okay, and so you say C clicks fixed, they won't be derailed somewhere else.

So C click fix is the only option that a resident has to use to report an abandoned scooter.

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify.

It's not the only option.

I think it's our preferred option.

They can always uh contact.

I get calls that come in from mayor's action line to come directed to me.

Um, so there are you know, however, they can get it to the city, we will take it.

Um C click fix is usually the easiest though, because there is a direct linkage that sends it directly to the Lyme program team.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

We have a motion and a second.

Clerk, can you please open the machine for voting?

Council members, please enter your votes.

And seeing that all present council members have voted, clerk, please tell you announced the vote.

Madam Chairmotion to approve a gentleman.

F three passes unanimously with council member gives being absent.

Thank you, Cheryl, for the update.

Next up, we have F4.

Um, and we have Derek Kilborn here.

I pulled this because every once in a while we do get emails and people want to find out what the status is on this.

There was one I received recently.

So I thought it would just be good as opposed to having consent kind of just give an update.

Okay, sure.

Well, good morning, and thank you, Chair, Council members, Derek Kilborn, planning director.

Um, what we put together for you this morning was just a quick background to run through a couple of timeline steps for refresh, and then we'll explain what's happening in the next uh round.

So specifically, we are talking about the Oaklawn Cemetery, have a graphic on the screen to distinguish among the three.

Sometimes you'll also hear reference to Evergreen Cemetery, which is the historically African American cemetery in the lower left side, and then Moffitt Cemetery, which is the historic uh veteran cemetery on the lower right side.

Um, you can see in the timeline here that uh our research and then subsequent actions started back in early 2020 with uh research and report.

Following that, we contracted with uh uh ground penetrating radar company and specialists to do some phase one evaluation of the Oak Lawn Cemetery, which was uh the site that was most ready for that type of work and also was the most timely because of the ongoing discussion at that time with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Um through 2021, the phase one report was received, and that identified the results of the ground penetrating radar.

We then went into a phase two evaluation uh which built on the original study.

There were some areas that were not accessible during phase one because of the um federal COVID tent response that was on a portion of the site, and so the team had to work around some of those spots.

But after the ground penetrating radar phase two work was complete, we had a report, and um that report included additional research that went beyond just ground penetrating radar, and what that report included was an evaluation of the historic plots in Oaklawn Cemetery, and um also how those plots might pair with the findings of the ground penetrating radar analysis.

And so on this screen here, you can see just a comparison and the forthcoming study area.

There was an apartment building here at one point, or are these in fact uh potential grave sites that were left behind when the original cemetery was relocated?

And so when you have that information, you can pair that with the plot records that are on file, and you can see that's an example on the north.

So we're looking at individual plots.

And as part of that phase two, that work was really important because it can also help us match up with potential um burials and individuals' names and families.

And so in this case here, you'll see, for example, I just highlighted in that top left corner in the aerial photograph here.

You can see there are some anomalies for 123 and 124.

When you go into the phase two research, um, you will see that in the records 123 and 124 was recorded as purchased by the Masonic Lodge, but we don't have any burial information.

So if those are grave sites and we don't know that yet, uh, but if they are then this is some of the challenges that we'll have in working with individuals and individual families and descendants is sometimes we just won't know.

But um the purpose of phase three, which is the upcoming uh contract agreement that was identified in the paperwork, is to now do the archaeological investigation, go down, see what are these anomalies, are they grave sites or are they something else?

And then if they are in fact grave sites that require an additional response, then we will um at that time uh continue the work and figure out what to do in response to that.

So the final point I'll make in the presentation is that regarding timing, because I know this is a concern too.

Um the way that this has been set up is that the ground truthing won't begin until after the end of this upcoming baseball season, which of course um for us, we are focused on that world series which starts on October 23rd.

So hopefully um, based on timeline, this work won't happen until after the conclusion of that world series, but um that timeline is is what we are planning for currently.

Okay.

Um that completes our initial presentation, and we do have other engineering staff here who can answer questions and follow up.

Thank you.

Thank you, Derek.

And I just want to ask, so for it looks from the picture, some of this there are trees there, or is that I don't know what's under the trees, I just see trees.

Yes.

So it's in an area where there are trees right now.

Um just because you know, like some of the questions that are what's gonna happen if you do find graves.

You said at this point you don't know, but what typically happens, or do you have an idea that you could share?

Because like we got a recent email asking, well, what happens, you know, if you do find graves, and um so our consultant who specializes in the ground penetrating radar work and has worked with cemeteries in the past, has a plan that they would typically then activate in regards to next steps.

Um I believe they sent some direction and information uh today or earlier this week describing what those next steps might look like.

We can try to get that information to you.

Um Rajesh looks like he might be able to add some additional information now.

So hi Brach Ash, welcome.

Good day, council.

Um thank you for actually bringing this full report.

It's good information that to keep the public up to speed on.

Um British Prime Engineering Copeland Improvements Department.

So once anything as part of this exploratory analysis is identified, the first step is to stop work and contact the state officer, preservation archaeological officer, and then that's a regulator process governed by Florida statutes.

So that's the first thing that will happen if anything is identified.

Right.

So the process involves obviously there are statutory requirements that are that happened.

So this is not just the city, it's gonna involve the state.

Well, that's good for the public to know.

Thank you.

Councilmember Fake Sanders.

Thank you.

Um, I just want for clarification because there are quite a few Masonic lodges throughout the city.

Is there any way we can find out in particular what laws that is?

Because they may not know.

And it would be great for them to have that informal information as well.

I don't have a detailed answer for that question.

We can certainly look into it though and find out.

So can you share that with us when you find out?

Of course, we'll contact the consultant who did the phase two report and see if there's additional details in the record that we can communicate to you.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

I think Derek, you stay with us.

Next up is F five.

Um this is oh, there's a motion and a second.

I did it again.

Not you.

There's no like Britney.

Wasn't there a motion and second?

Okay, motion and a second.

Okay.

I didn't think so.

You did a motion.

Second.

Right.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Motion second.

It's a morning.

I did it again, like Britney Spears.

It's a morning meeting.

Clerk, please open my machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all council members have voted, clerk, please tally announce the votes.

Madam Chair, motion to approve a genitum F4 passes unanimously with Council Member Gibbons.

Yes, and I did not have my coffee this morning.

F4.

This is an item.

I I brought this item forward because our community planning and preservation commission forwarded a resolution.

First of all, they passed a resolution unanimously requesting City Council to either oppose or support an amendment to Senate Bill 1342 and House Bill 1183.

So I I asked both David Thompson to provide an update as to what's going on in Tallahassee.

We've been getting lots of updates lately.

It may be a mood issue for now, but I still thought that it was important to have this discussion based on their request.

And also Derek is here to discuss it.

So I whoever wants to start on this, and maybe you can explain what happened at the CPPC.

What I'll do is just give you a brief update on CPBC and then we can uh answer any follow-up questions rather than going through all the details that we have in the written backup.

Um at our most recent community planning and preservation commission, we had a commission member uh request that the commission uh vote on a resolution opposing what is what we refer to as the TOD Act.

It is Senate Bill 1342 and companion house bill 1183.

And um it was a little unique for us that commission doesn't normally take action on resolutions in that way, but uh we were able to respond to it in that meeting.

Uh they then passed that resolution, and so we brought that information to the council.

Um there have been some changes since that time, and it appears that this particular legislation may not make it over the finish line in this session.

Uh but we do anticipate that it might come back next year in some similar fat form.

And so um it is still important information to consider.

Great.

Thank you.

Aven?

Absolutely, thank you.

So just to the or amend or improve section of the CPPC legislation in coordination with Derek Kilborn and our partners within Florida League of Cities, etc.

Um, we were working closely with Representative Cross to improve the bill.

So the um memo that you received additionally outlined the three main areas that we had worked to improve the bill on.

Those were historic preservation, um, the areas of exemption so that they would actually apply to locations within St.

Petersburg and the coastal high hazard area.

So um, as Derek said, the bill um never got heard in the house um at this point.

There is not a path forward from our analysis and our conversations with the bill sponsors in the house and the Senate.

Um, we do expect this bill to come back in the house.

It did go through two of the three um Senate committees, so we're gonna stay engaged on that legislation and and continue to work for it should it come forward again.

Great.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gavin.

Thank you, madam chair, and uh thank you for the update and uh thank you for uh having this item on the agenda today.

Uh we had all seen this in our email, and so we were familiar with it.

I'm glad to have a conversation quickly about it.

Um, just wanted to uh request of administration um that when we have our legislative affair and intergovernmental relations committee.

The purpose of the piece um when we are in session that is specific to Tallahassee, is so we can have a lot more robust conversation about these bills.

We've now had two bills in a row that have come to us through various means that were not discussed adequately, in my opinion, as the chair of Lair in that committee.

That is an opportunity for all of us to be on the same page to understand what is happening with legislation and to see if there are places where city council can plug in to be able to offer our support of whatever initiative it might be.

I've heard now twice um, you know, things like we've been working on this with our representative.

Um we were in Tallahassee a month ago and had a conversation about it, but we aren't having those conversations here.

The entire purpose of our committee structure is to give council and the administration an opportunity to work together.

I'm gonna continue to push on this over and over and over again.

There is much more might when we stand together as our two bodies of government, and we have got to get back to a place where that is what we are doing, and that is what the legislative affairs committee is for.

So thank you, madam chair.

Thank you.

And I I want to also point out uh to council member, I I watch the CPPC section, and thank you, Derek, for pointing me to the exact part where I needed to go through not that I don't enjoy watching a meeting, but I do enough meetings that that's enough for me.

So I really appreciate that.

Um, I do appreciate the thoughtfulness of um the members of the committee because I think I think part of the frustration is that you're seeing more preemption bills coming forward and what their concerns are.

And for those who don't know what the CPPC does, I mean, these are experts in their field that provide input for us in terms of planning.

Um, and I think their input is extremely important, and there's a lot of expertise and a lot of not many years of knowledge on the board.

So I think on issues like this for Lair for City Council.

I think they wanted to get from you all some information on bills and how that process, and I know it's not typical, but it's also not typical to have such an active state government that is preempting us and doing all these things that have huge impacts.

And they mentioned Senate Bill 180 and how that kind of affected things and you know the the burdensome language and restrictive and all that.

So we've been kind of seeing some of that.

So and how and they understand that they hear the community a little.

Why can't you do something about this and what's going on?

So I think from hearing from them, it's gonna be good, and I think that you all are on board that you're gonna kind of give them information and they could provide feedback in some of the uh bills that they're concerned about and some things in planning that Derek, you may point out that they're concerned that they could be concerned about.

And to Councilmember Gabbard's point, I think if you get that information early, maybe that's something that can highlight bills that we should also be talking about early on.

So we're all on the same page, and having city council and our CPPC kind of on the same page with administration is probably gonna be a really good thing.

So I I thought that was very good conversation that they had uh on this issue.

So I just wanted to point that out.

So thank you.

Thank you all for being here and for indulging me on this, but I thought it was important, it didn't come to normal way.

Um, but it was good to have this conversation.

Thank you.

Next up, we have H1.

No, actually, we have I I was jumping.

We have G1.

And we have is Britton here.

I gotta have to read the ordinance manager.

Yep.

If you can read the ordinance, I just wanted to make sure she was here.

Uh proposed ordinance number 799-Z, an ordinance amending the official zoning map of the city of St.

Petersburg, Florida by changing the zoning of a 3.84-acre parcel located at 7701 22nd Avenue North from neighborhood neighborhood suburban dash one, parentheses NS-1 to institutional center backslash institutional parentheses IC backslash I, providing for appeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing an effective date, and we have no speakers for this item.

Thank you.

And this is quasi-judicial, and it's it's gonna be setting for March 26.

I'll entertain the motion and a second.

Move approval.

Second.

We have a motion of second, clerk.

If you can open the machine for voting, council members, please enter your votes.

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

Madam Chair, motion to approve a genetic one passes unanimously with council member given as being absent.

Thank you.

Next up, we have H1.

This is my item, respectfully requesting a referral for the public services and infrastructure committee or other relevant committee for a discussion on the harborage marine lease extension.

And this was a request by staff.

Second.

We have a motion of second clerk.

If you can open the machine for voting, council members, please enter your votes.

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

Madam Chair, motion to approve a genome H1 passes unanimously with Council Member Gives being absent.

Thank you.

Next up, we have council committee reports, and it is I one and council member Driscoll.

Thank you.

In the February 26th meeting of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, we had the start of a robust discussion on the current community community benefits program and discussion on potential changes.

Ultimately, the committee decided that this would best be continued in a committee of the whole meeting.

Therefore, I am respectfully requesting the city council approval of a motion to move the referral item related to the community benefits program to the March 12th, 2026 Committee of the Whole Meeting.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

I don't know if you did you moved.

Yes.

I did.

She moved.

Second.

We have a motion and second.

Clerk, you please open the machine for voting.

Council members, please enter your votes.

Seeing that all present council members have voted.

Clerk, please tally announce the vote.

Madam Chair, motion to approve adjournable I one passes unanimously with Councilmember Givench being absent.

Thank you.

Next up, we have open form.

Clerk, do you have any speakers?

We have no speakers, madam.

Do we have any speakers on Zoom?

Nobody with their hands raised.

Okay.

Open form is closed.

Councilmember Gertes.

Thank you.

We're in announcements at this point.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, this weekend, uh, this Saturday is the community festival on the west side of St.

Pete.

And so just wanted to invite everybody to Azealia Park.

Want to thank uh all of the sponsors.

Um, Crossroads neighborhood, my neighborhood.

Their president Aaron Bryce has been kind of the spearheading this, not kinda, he spearheads it.

And uh just very thankful for putting on this uh was what is a great event on Saturday.

So if you're so inclined, come join us on the west side.

Uh there will be a proclamation at some point, and so just very thankful for everybody participating in that.

It was a great success last year.

Looking forward to it on Saturday.

Then quickly, just uh it's my mom's birthday tomorrow and my son's birthday on Monday, and so just wanted to wish my mom and Cade a happy birthday.

Love you guys, and uh can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend.

Thank you, madam chair.

Great, thank you.

Well, it seems like there's a lot going on this weekend.

Obviously, we have our embracing our differences, we have the community festival in the west side, spiffs is going on also.

So um, council member gabbard.

Thank you, madam chair.

I would just like to announce that uh on Sunday, we will be celebrating along with our own assistant attorney, Janine Williams, uh, the African American uh ladies of history, and so congratulations to her.

She has had a lot of really great successes recently.

I can't name them all, but I said to her this morning I think every time I look at my feed, you are in it recent and well deserved.

So we look forward to celebrating with you on Sunday.

Thank you.

Yes, absolutely.

I look forward to being there too.

Yes.

Okay.

Well, I think that's all we have for announcements.

Great meeting, everyone.

This meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Chair.