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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Tarpon Springs City Commission Final and Organizational Meeting - April 14, 2026

Board of Commissioners & CRA — Tuesday, April 14, 2026

BodyTarpon Springs, Florida

SessionBoard of Commissioners & CRA

DateTuesday, April 14, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

3:12

Call to order the regular session of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs Tuesday, April Fourteenth, six thirty PM.

3:21

Roll call, please.

3:23

Here,

Speaker 2

3:24

Vice Mayor Eisner.

Speaker 1

3:25

Here.

Speaker 2

3:25

Commissioner Kulas.

Speaker 1

3:27

Here.

Speaker 2

3:27

Commissioner Di Dunado.

3:28

Here.

3:28

Commissioner Banther.

Speaker 1

3:37

Um, from St.

3:38

Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

3:41

And it will be followed by the presentation of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:47

Please stand

Speaker 3

3:59

of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Christ is risen.

Unassigned speaker

4:05

Oh,

Speaker 3

4:05

Lord, our Lord, O Lord, our God, you created us and brought us into this life, and have said that apart from me, you can do nothing.

4:13

In faith, we embrace these words as we gather this evening and entreat your blessing upon your servants.

4:20

Look with mercy upon the board of commissioners of Tarpon Springs.

4:24

Grant unto them the grace to know and do your will.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Grant to all the civil authorities and residents of Tarpon Springs, as well as those who labor for the city, the power to make this government continue to work so that all may prosper and live together in peace.

Speaker 3

5:09

For you are the king of peace, and to you we send up glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

5:19

Christ is risen.

Speaker 1

6:02

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

6:11

One nation, under God, indivisible,

Unassigned speaker

6:14

with

Speaker 1

6:15

liberty and justice for

Unassigned speaker

6:16

all.

Speaker 1

6:22

Is our singer here tonight?

6:26

Well, I'm not doing this by myself, so we're gonna collectively sing our national anthem.

Speaker 4

6:35

Oh,

Speaker 1

6:36

say can you see by the darns

Speaker 4

6:41

early?

6:44

Whatsoever we have at the twilight last week.

7:03

For the ramp were so less, and the rock is me.

7:30

Oh stay does that way

Unassigned speaker

7:40

for

Speaker 4

7:41

the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Unassigned speaker

7:57

You don't need to

Speaker 5

7:57

hear me sing it on.

7:58

I'm

Unassigned speaker

7:58

gonna

Speaker 5

7:59

need a workshop on that one.

Speaker 1

8:34

So anyone that would like to get up and speak about anything or want to say nice things about Frank, please come forward.

Speaker 6

8:47

Good afternoon,

Unassigned speaker

8:49

uh,

Speaker 6

8:50

good evening, whichever.

8:52

Uh, my name is Deborah Hill Jones, 429 East Boyer Street, and I know I've been up here before about that water bill and the deposit, and trying to see if you all would put it back on an agenda and look into it.

9:09

My deposit have been up there for 23 years, and I know other states, all the places where I've lived that uh after you get a rapport or uh showing that you've been paying the bill a long time, they usually um refund it to you, or take it off your whole, take that whole whatever hundred dollars, hundred and twenty dollars off your bill.

9:32

But I know that your policy is that you give it in entrance in September, but I think that's something that you all need to look into.

9:42

That's

Unassigned speaker

9:43

it.

Speaker 1

9:44

Thank you.

Speaker 6

9:44

Yeah.

Speaker 1

9:47

Next.

9:48

Please say state your name and address.

Unassigned speaker

9:52

Good

Speaker 7 · Possibly Anita Prose

9:52

evening, board members.

9:53

Anita Prose, 901 Bay Shore Drive.

9:56

Mayor, this is for Frank De Donato.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural██████████████████████████████████████████42%

Personnel Matters██████████████████████22%

Public Engagement███████████11%

Community Engagement███████████11%

Religious Freedom████4%

Transportation Safety███3%

Economic Development███3%

Historic Preservation██2%

Environmental Protection█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Tarpon Springs City Commission Final and Organizational Meeting - April 14, 2026

The City of Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners held a combined final and organizational regular session on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, beginning at 6:30 PM. The meeting featured the ratification of the March 2026 election results, the formal farewell to outgoing Commissioner Frank DiDonato, and the swearing-in of Commissioner-elect Lori Weaver alongside re-elected Commissioner David Banther for the new commission.

Consent Calendar

Resolution 2026-17: Ratification of Election Results: The Board unanimously (5-0) ratified the results of the March 10, 2026 municipal general election.

Public Comments & Testimony

Deborah Hill Jones (429 E Boyer St) requested the city revisit its policy on refunding water connection deposits for long-term residents.
Milton Smith (Spray Lane) thanked the commission for supporting the First Responders Car Show, which drew over 2,000 attendees.
David Ballard Geddes Jr. (Palm Harbor) expressed concerns over declining bird populations due to environmental factors and raised security concerns regarding the autonomous drone industry.
Alakis (514 Ashland Ave) delivered a statement on peace and against indifference to violence, quoting Pope Francis and Archbishop Bartholomew.
Maggie Miles (433 E Boyer St) advocated for opening Belcher Road to Diston Avenue to alleviate traffic on US 19, questioned street parking regulations on Gross Avenue, and inquired about unified trash can initiatives. In a later appearance, she urged the Board to consider a resolution against proposed state property tax changes.

Discussion Items

Farewell to Commissioner DiDonato: Mayor Koulianos presented Commissioner DiDonato with a plaque and diver helmet, reciting his extensive record of service including his U.S. Navy service in Vietnam, 46-year chiropractic career, and previous elected terms. Commissioners Banther, Kulas, and Eisner offered thanks. Commissioner DiDonato encouraged continued civic involvement and thanked the city. The first session was adjourned sine die at 7:04 PM.
Swearing-In and Organizational Session: Commissioner Banther and Commissioner-elect Weaver were sworn in. Commissioner Weaver delivered an inaugural speech emphasizing historic preservation, economic strength, infrastructure, and a centennial celebration for Sunset Beach. She stated she was elected not to maintain the status quo but to serve as a conduit for residents and pursue progress through respectful disagreement.
Board Appointments: Mayor Koulianos was appointed to the General Employees Pension Board (moved by himself, 5-0). Commissioner Weaver was appointed to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) board (5-0), replacing Commissioner Banther, who cited a scheduling conflict.
Procedural Updates: Mayor Koulianos confirmed the rotating vice mayor system, with Vice Mayor Kulyas serving. The Board voted (5-0) to begin the April 28 meeting at 6:00 PM for proclamations with regular business starting at 6:30 PM to improve public accessibility and transparency.

Key Outcomes

Ratification: Resolution 2026-17 passed (5-0), confirming the March 2026 election.
Commissioner Transition: Frank DiDonato retired from the commission; Lori Weaver was sworn in. David Banther was re-sworn in for a new term.
Appointments: Mayor Koulianos (Pension Board), Commissioner Weaver (PSTA).
Meeting Schedule Change: Future regular meetings will begin at 6:00 PM (proclamations) / 6:30 PM (business).
Upcoming Agenda: Mayor Koulianos announced a special session on property taxes and upcoming workshops on the Downtown Master Plan and city branding.

Meeting Transcript

Call to order the regular session of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs Tuesday, April Fourteenth, six thirty PM. Roll call, please. Here, Vice Mayor Eisner. Here. Commissioner Kulas. Here. Commissioner Di Dunado. Here. Commissioner Banther. Um, from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. And it will be followed by the presentation of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Christ is risen. Oh, Lord, our Lord, O Lord, our God, you created us and brought us into this life, and have said that apart from me, you can do nothing. In faith, we embrace these words as we gather this evening and entreat your blessing upon your servants. Look with mercy upon the board of commissioners of Tarpon Springs. Grant unto them the grace to know and do your will. Grant to all the civil authorities and residents of Tarpon Springs, as well as those who labor for the city, the power to make this government continue to work so that all may prosper and live together in peace. For you are the king of peace, and to you we send up glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Christ is risen. 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. Is our singer here tonight? Well, I'm not doing this by myself, so we're gonna collectively sing our national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the darns early? Whatsoever we have at the twilight last week. For the ramp were so less, and the rock is me. Oh stay does that way for the land of the free and the home of the brave. You don't need to hear me sing it on. I'm gonna need a workshop on that one. So anyone that would like to get up and speak about anything or want to say nice things about Frank, please come forward. Good afternoon, uh, good evening, whichever. Uh, my name is Deborah Hill Jones, 429 East Boyer Street, and I know I've been up here before about that water bill and the deposit, and trying to see if you all would put it back on an agenda and look into it. My deposit have been up there for 23 years, and I know other states, all the places where I've lived that uh after you get a rapport or uh showing that you've been paying the bill a long time, they usually um refund it to you, or take it off your whole, take that whole whatever hundred dollars, hundred and twenty dollars off your bill. But I know that your policy is that you give it in entrance in September, but I think that's something that you all need to look into.

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