Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners Regular Session – January 13, 2026

The Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, met in regular session at 6:30 PM in City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Commissioners approved the consent calendar and routine business items, adopted resolutions on a forestry grant and authorized signatories, gave first reading to a downtown density text amendment, approved a site-plan revision for a second driveway, and voted 4-1 to remove Zoom from the board’s rules of procedure. The regular meeting adjourned at 8:36 PM; a separate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting followed at 8:45 PM and adjourned at 9:09 PM.

Proclamations

• Mayor John Koulianos proclaimed Friday, January 16, 2026, as Florida Arbor Day. The city has been recognized as a Tree City USA since 2007. Mayor Koulianos noted Arborist Mona Neville charged him $413 to remove a falling tree. Neville explained that tree-removal fees go into a city tree bank used for maintenance, replacement, and the Arbor Day free tree giveaway.
• Mayor Koulianos proclaimed Monday, January 19, 2026, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Reverend Milton Smith and Juliana Day accepted the proclamation. Reverend Smith spoke about growing up in Tarpon Springs and the changes he witnessed. Juliana Day announced the January 17 MLK celebration: an 8:00 AM breakfast at First United Methodist Church, 10:00 AM parade lineup, 11:00 AM parade, and a festival at Dorset Park.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Margot Lizer criticized what she described as attempts to reduce public participation, including a suggestion by Commissioner Banther, and urged the commission to treat residents with kindness and keep public engagement open.
• David Ballard Gettis Jr. spoke against Forward Pinellas, alleging it is an interlocal planning agency creating privatized jurisdictions and surveillance corridors. He later opposed continued development during the site-plan public comment, saying the area is running out of water and should consider a development moratorium.
• Katie Taylor requested a screen at the Epiphany waterfront event so attendees could see the church service, asked about Discovery Park playground lights not turning on at 6:00 PM, followed up on a Lime Street traffic survey, and thanked staff for helping with a grave found outside Rural Cemetery.
• Lori Weaver, a candidate for commissioner in the March 10 election, announced a League of Women Voters candidate forum at City Hall at 6:30 PM on January 20, 2026.
• Deborah Hill Jones asked the city to change its water deposit policy, saying her $100 deposit has been held for 23 years with only about $7 in yearly interest; she requested a refund after establishing a payment history.
• Peter Lacas asked for MLK-related holiday lighting on the MLK street, raised the opening of Disston Avenue, read from Proverbs, and said discrimination remains a concern. He also supported using future hurricane recovery funds for coastal resilience projects such as Whitcomb Bayou.
• Juliana Day thanked city crews for responding to a water issue but reported a third opening on Oakwood Street and water seeping through the ground, plus a city-owned pipe running along her property.

Consent Calendar

• Items 3 through 11 were approved collectively by roll call. These included the Unice Salzman attorney invoice for $507.50; the Touch a Truck and Open House 2026 special event; the bingo hall public art proposal; extension of the purchasing card services term contract; a Phase 3 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services grant agreement; renewal of reverse osmosis cartridge filters; award of the Red Wing Safety Shoe Program; renewal of traffic control products; and renewal of Flock Safety license plate recognition cameras.
• Item 12, the appointment of a temporary part-time senior administrator, was pulled by Commissioner Kulas. He successfully amended the term from three months to six months, from January 15, 2026, to July 15, 2026, to help the finance transition. The item passed unanimously.

Discussion Items

• The board ratified the appointment of Ashley Kempton as Finance Director. Human Resources Director Tabitha Adkins said Kempton is a CPA with 15 years of municipal public accounting experience and has accepted the offer. Kempton attended the meeting and said she starts Thursday, January 15, 2026. The ratification passed unanimously.
• The board approved Mayor Koulianos’s Acts of Kindness Initiative. Residents will be able to submit short acknowledgements of neighborly or staff kindness through a city website portal; city staff will choose positive submissions to display on the meeting screens and YouTube feed before meetings. The initiative passed unanimously.

Ordinances and Resolutions

• Resolution 2026-01, supporting the city’s grant application to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the Community Forestry-Hurricane Ian Recovery Grant Program, was approved unanimously. Staff stated the maximum request is $75,000 with a 25% match provided as in-kind staff time.
• Resolution 2026-03, designating certain officials as authorized signatories on negotiable instruments, was approved unanimously.
• Ordinance 2025-20 received unanimous approval on first reading. The amendment would remove the 15 units-per-acre residential density cap and the 50 hotel-units-per-acre lodging density cap in the Downtown Character District of the Special Area Plan, while retaining floor area ratio limits of 2.0 on portions of Tarpon Avenue and 1.5 elsewhere. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval 6-0. Commissioner Kulas said he wanted first-floor retail protected and asked for clearer per-property density information; staff agreed to incorporate those concerns into the broader code update or a separate amendment. The second reading is scheduled for January 27, 2026.
• Resolution 2025-69, approving a site-plan revision to add a second vehicular access point at 1372 N. Pinellas Avenue, was approved unanimously. Staff said the project previously had the access shown but not approved, and the applicant has since obtained Pinellas County and SWFWMD permits. Conditions include no mangrove alteration, field verification of utilities, and possible public R program requirements. David Ballard Gettis Jr. objected during public comment, saying the city should stop paving over the environment.
• Resolution 2025-70, a one-year time extension for the same property, was withdrawn.
• Resolution 2026-02, amending the rules to remove Zoom participation, passed 4-1. Commissioner Banther proposed the change, citing a $14,000 annual cost, very low use, and the fact that Zoom was adopted for the pandemic. Mayor Koulianos and Vice Mayor Eisner supported removal, while Commissioner Kulas voted no, arguing the city should maintain remote access for major public issues. Commissioner Kulas’s motion to preserve Zoom for specific agenda items at a commissioner’s request died for lack of a second. Public testimony included Craig Lunt asserting that five of the six most populated Pinellas County cities currently offer some Zoom participation and that removing it removes a right; Katie Taylor asked about the difference between Zoom and YouTube; Juliana Day said she used Zoom when ill; and Peter Lacas defended Zoom access, saying the money could support other boards and that disabled and elderly residents benefit from it. IT Director Suzanne Linton said Microsoft Teams is not currently configured for public webinars and could take one to two months to set up.

Board and Staff Comments

• Commissioner Banther announced he would miss the next meeting due to a trip to Ireland and would deliver a key to the city and proclamation to the Mayor of Dublin.
• Commissioner Kulas noted the holiday season had ended and urged the city to stay focused on upcoming projects and budget work.
• Vice Mayor Eisner announced a Forward Pinellas workshop on January 14 at 11:00 AM, praised the city’s Epiphany event, and thanked police and staff for their work.

Community Redevelopment Agency Follow-up Meeting

• After the regular meeting recessed, the CRA convened at 8:45 PM. The City Manager presented a proposed contract for services with the Downtown Tarpon Springs Main Street program. The Main Street approach uses four points: Organization, Design, Economic Vitality, and Promotion. The program would be an independent nonprofit with a working board, committee structure, quarterly reports to the CRA, and a professional executive director. The contract would provide $15,000 per quarter, an annual rate of $60,000, prorated to $45,000 for the remaining three quarters of the fiscal year. Commissioners expressed support and discussed board composition, property recruitment, and the program’s maturity timeline. The contract was approved unanimously, and the CRA meeting adjourned at 9:09 PM.