Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The St. Petersburg City Council held its regular meeting on October 1, 2026, at City Hall. The meeting included an invocation and moment of silence, approval of the consent agenda, open forum, reports, public hearings, ordinance readings, and council committee reports. Key actions included unanimous approval of a historic landmark designation, an update on the USF nursing program, approval of $40.85 million in affordable housing funding for six projects, and support for a flood mitigation training program. Several council members recused themselves or abstained on specific items due to potential conflicts.
Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council Meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch. District 1, Copley Gurdis, District 2, Brandy Gabbert, District 3, Mike Harding, District 4, and Council Chair, Leseth Panowitz. 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 October 1st, 2026 City Council meeting. Clerk, if I can have a roll call, please. Gabbard. Henowitz. Here. Gibbons. Here. Roy. Here. Curtis. Today we're going to have our invocation given by our council member Deborah Fig Sanders, followed by a moment of silence, and then you will please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. You can please stand. Thank you, Chair. Good morning. Let us take this moment in reverence, seeking peace, faith, and prosperity. We gather today with some doubt, yet with faith. With hesitancy, yet with certainty. Some carrying anger, yet so many choosing kindness. And through it all, we recognize that we are walking this journey together. This is truly the day that the Lord has made, and let us rejoice and be glad in it. Heavenly Father, we know there will come a time when you call each and every one of us and ask us what have we done with the opportunities that you have given us to serve, to love, to help others, and to make a difference. And when that time comes, may we hear the words, well done, my good and faithful servant. So Lord, let us not take this moment for granted. Let us never forget the many wonderful blessings you've bestowed upon us. We come with our heads bowed, our hearts humbled, knowing there's so much for which to be grateful. We simply want to say thank you, Father. We thank you for your differences. We thank you for the similarities that also bring us together. We can ask you to continue to watch over us because Lord knows there is a struggle in every household. Lord knows that there is something weighing upon each and every heart within the sound of my voice. Yet even in the midst of those struggles, we recognize your grace, your healing power, and your mercy, mercies that we so often do not deserve. Yet you continue to bestow upon us each and every day. As we prepare to observe a moment of silence, we remember those who have fallen and those who are no longer here to stand among us, the ultimate sacrifice that they've made. So God, we thank you because we are still on this side this morning. We are here today to conduct business that would not always be pleasant, but we will all and it would always not be easy. But we accepted the responsibility to serve. May we move forward with peace in our hearts, kindness in our words, wisdom in our decisions, and respect for one another. In the mighty name of Jesus and in the spirit of serenity, unity and peace, we pray and say, Amen. Amen. Now throwing us for a moment of silence for firefighter William K. Walker, Last Alarm, October 10, 1948, Officer James