OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting: Budget, Proclamations, and Trail Referral - July 16, 2026

City Council — Thursday, July 16, 2026
BodySt Petersburg, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, July 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:54

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Welcome to the City of St.

0:07

Petersburg City Council meeting.

0:09

Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch.

0:14

District 1, Hopley Girdis.

0:17

District 2, Brandy Gabbard.

0:20

District 3, Mike Harding.

0:23

District 4.

0:25

And Council Chair, Lissette Hanowitz.

0:28

District 5, Deborah Fig Sanders.

0:32

District 6, Gina Driscoll.

0:35

District 7, Corey Gibbons Jr.

0:39

And District 8 and Council Vice Chair, Richie Floyd.

0:48

Welcome everyone to the July 16th, 2026 City Council meeting.

0:52

Clerk, could I please have a roll call?

0:53

Givens?

0:54

Here.

0:55

Gerdis.

0:56

Here.

0:57

Here.

0:58

Harding.

0:59

Hannah Witz.

0:59

Here.

1:01

Driscoll.

1:03

Today we are going to have our invocation given by Council Member Copley Girdis.

1:07

If you can stand if you're able to, and then please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:12

Thank you so much.

1:17

Please bow your heads.

1:20

This is the day the Lord has made.

1:23

Rejoice and be glad.

1:26

We rejoice today for a lot of reasons, Lord.

1:29

We rejoice for our residents.

1:31

Not only the ones here, but the ones throughout our city, maybe even ones traveling.

1:38

We rejoice for their community that they give us on a daily basis in this great city.

1:47

We rejoice for our employees.

1:50

Those who go out every day and do the work of this city to provide for those very residents.

2:02

Those that go out and put their lives on the line to protect us on a daily basis.

2:14

Who lead those employees, those first responders, who try to lead from the front.

2:23

And we rejoice for this council.

2:25

I rejoice for this council.

2:28

For the daily work that they put in, for the love of this community, for the love of those residents, those employees, this administration, for the daily work of trying to make St.

2:38

Petersburg a city.

2:40

You are proud of.

2:42

We celebrate our residents.

2:45

We do the work for those residents.

2:48

And you have trusted us to do that work.

2:51

So we ask today that you continue to bless this city, this administration, this council, that we can continue to do that work today and every day going forward.

3:02

And we ask this in your name.

3:04

Amen.

3:06

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

3:15

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

3:22

Thank you.

3:22

You may be seated.

3:23

Thank you, Councilmember Gertes, for that beautiful invocation.

3:26

Thank you.

3:30

Okay, council members.

3:32

We have an agenda before us.

3:33

I'll entertain a motion for approval.

3:36

Second.

3:36

We have a motion, a second.

3:38

Clerk, if you can open the machine for voting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability███████████████████████23%
Disability Rights███████████████████19%
Economic Development███████████████████19%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Youth Programs█████████████13%
Community Engagement███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Active Transportation██2%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Petersburg City Council Meeting - July 16, 2026

The St. Petersburg City Council met on July 16, 2026, at 6:30 PM. The meeting included the FY27 budget presentation, several proclamations and awards, a public comment on the Faith and Family Month proclamation, and a referral for a trail-oriented development overlay. Councilmember Gina Driscoll was absent due to ongoing medical issues.

Consent Calendar

  • CA2 – Surveillance Cameras Contract: Council Vice Chair Floyd asked for clarification that the contract (PSA LLC) was for citywide camera networks, not specifically police. Administration confirmed it covers basket trucks, conduit, and other city facility services. The consent agenda passed unanimously with Driscoll absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Pete Michler (4715 Bay Street NE): Expressed disappointment that the June 11 Faith and Family Month proclamation was renamed "Inclusive Faith and Family Month" with language redefining family. He stated the original was not exclusionary and that children on average do best when raised by their married mother and father. He asked for the same respect given to other proclamations. He noted he was informed that Mayor Welch's office added the language, but said it would only have been done at urging of council members.

Awards and Presentations

  • Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Day Proclamation (D1): Councilmember Gertis presented the proclamation recognizing July 26, 2026 as ADA Day. Megan Young, new ADA coordinator, noted approximately 12% of St. Pete residents (over 33,000) live with a disability. Shelley Graham (city employee and amputee) and Matt Walker (Empowered Abilities Foundation) spoke about the importance of inclusion and accessibility.
  • Get Ready for Back to School Month Proclamation (D2): Dr. Sharon Brown presented the proclamation. Representatives from Night Riders (Donnie Williams, 42-year organization, 35+ years of backpack giveaways) and iCare St. Pete (Bob Coker) spoke about their efforts.
  • Distinguished Citizen Awards: Councilmember Fig Sanders recognized three small business owners: Brandon Gauman (Life's Beach Lemonade), Najee Campbell (Son of a Brisket food truck), and Jakara Fitzpatrick (First Class Eventures, Car Barbie). She also recognized Tony Leno (city employee of 40 years) for his support of small businesses and event coordination.

Discussion Items

  • FY27 Mayor's Recommended Budget Presentation: Mayor Welch and Budget Director Liz McCoskey presented the proposed budget. Key points:
    • Proposed millage rate: 6.4525 mills (same as FY26), generating $243.7 million in ad valorem revenue (increase of 6.47% or $14.8 million).
    • General fund operating budget: $437.325 million (increase of $25.4 million or 6.17% over FY26).
    • Total city operating budget: $1.05 billion in revenue, $1.023 billion in expenditures.
    • Proposed general obligation (GO) bond of approximately $600 million for sewer upgrades, flooding, and neighborhood resiliency (SPAR program).
    • Salaries and benefits constitute 68.5% of general fund.
    • Key investments: Complete streets (+$400,000), street/road improvements (+$1.55 million), K9 and fire training facilities, arts funding restored to FY26 levels.
    • Public hearings: September 3 and September 17, 2026 at 6 PM.
    • Councilmember Givens asked about closing the budget gap (balanced), rent increases at Jamestown apartments (still under discussion), hiring freeze (not a freeze but ongoing evaluation of open positions). Councilmember Gabbard requested pre-committee meetings.
  • G1 – Referral to HLUT Committee (Trail-Oriented Development Overlay): Councilmember Gertis requested a referral to the Housing, Land Use and Transportation Committee to discuss creating a trail-oriented development overlay specifically for the trail segment between 23rd Street and 34th Street. Motion passed unanimously with Driscoll absent.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously (Driscoll absent).
  • G1 referral to HLUT Committee approved unanimously (Driscoll absent).
  • Next budget discussion: Committee of the Whole on July 30, 2026 at 9 AM in Room 100.
  • Public budget hearings: September 3 and September 17, 2026 at 6 PM.
  • Councilmember Fig Sanders announced she was elected Chair of the Continuum of Care.
  • Councilmember Gertis noted Councilmember Driscoll is in his prayers and likely will not be at next meeting due to ongoing medical issues.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch. District 1, Hopley Girdis. District 2, Brandy Gabbard. District 3, Mike Harding. District 4. And Council Chair, Lissette Hanowitz. District 5, Deborah Fig Sanders. District 6, Gina Driscoll. District 7, Corey Gibbons Jr. And District 8 and Council Vice Chair, Richie Floyd. Welcome everyone to the July 16th, 2026 City Council meeting. Clerk, could I please have a roll call? Givens? Here. Gerdis. Here. Here. Harding. Hannah Witz. Here. Driscoll. Today we are going to have our invocation given by Council Member Copley Girdis. If you can stand if you're able to, and then please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you so much. Please bow your heads. This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad. We rejoice today for a lot of reasons, Lord. We rejoice for our residents. Not only the ones here, but the ones throughout our city, maybe even ones traveling. We rejoice for their community that they give us on a daily basis in this great city. We rejoice for our employees. Those who go out every day and do the work of this city to provide for those very residents. Those that go out and put their lives on the line to protect us on a daily basis. Who lead those employees, those first responders, who try to lead from the front. And we rejoice for this council. I rejoice for this council. For the daily work that they put in, for the love of this community, for the love of those residents, those employees, this administration, for the daily work of trying to make St. Petersburg a city. You are proud of. We celebrate our residents. We do the work for those residents. And you have trusted us to do that work. So we ask today that you continue to bless this city, this administration, this council, that we can continue to do that work today and every day going forward. And we ask this in your name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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