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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners Regular Session - April 28, 2026

Board of Commissioners & CRA — Tuesday, April 28, 2026

BodyTarpon Springs, Florida

SessionBoard of Commissioners & CRA

DateTuesday, April 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:47:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

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

Unassigned speaker

3:57

I

Speaker 1

3:57

call to order the regular session of the City of Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners, Tuesday, April 28th, 6 p.m.

4:06

Roll call, please.

4:09

Here.

Speaker 2

4:09

Vice Mayor Kulyas.

Speaker 1

4:11

Here.

Speaker 2

4:11

Commissioner Eisner.

Speaker 1

4:12

Here.

Speaker 2

4:13

Commissioner Banther.

4:14

Commissioner Weaver.

4:15

Here

Unassigned speaker

4:17

we

Speaker 1

4:17

are going to have our reflection this evening.

4:20

Um by the Reverend Janet Tunnel of All Saints Episcopal Church.

4:50

And this will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

5:00

I pray, dear Lord, that we uh that you grant us the peace and the serenity to make good decisions on behalf of the city of Tarpon Springs.

5:12

Uh I pray for the health and safety of our first responders, our police department, our fire department, and all those people that dedicate their life to keeping us safe.

5:25

And I wish the best for all the residents of Tarpon Springs.

5:29

Amen.

Speaker 3

5:30

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

5:32

I

Speaker 1

5:32

pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

5:37

And to the Republic, which is one nation under God.

5:42

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

5:47

Okay, so our first item.

5:50

We have uh three presentations tonight.

5:53

The first will be the

Unassigned speaker

5:55

uh

Speaker 1

5:55

Tarpon Springs Clean Water Storm, um, clean water stormwater pollution prevention poster contest.

6:02

And I would like uh Mr.

6:04

Manello to please come forward.

6:07

Oh, he's already there.

6:08

Okay.

6:09

So would you like to make your presentation?

Speaker 4

6:12

Yes, I would.

6:13

Mr.

6:14

Mayor, Mr.

6:14

City Manager and Commissioners, thank you all for supporting once again um our efforts in publication and uh public education and outreach uh for the city of Tarpon Springs.

6:24

Um my name is Tony Manello, as the mayor said.

6:27

I'm the streets of stormwater supervisor of public works uh for City of Tarpon Springs.

6:32

We're here tonight to recognize some uh talented individuals from fourth and fifth grades within the city.

6:38

Um actually winners.

6:40

Uh we um as the mayor said, we are having the awards for my tarpon springs clean waters stormwater pollution prevention poster contest.

6:50

I'm I'm trying to abbreviate that title too.

6:52

I I saw uh it's problematic.

6:54

Um what this includes is fourth and fifth grade students from each elementary school uh in Tarpon Springs show their creativity and talents by creating a poster which displays their thoughts and ideas in the areas of pollution prevention, clean water benefits, animal or vegetation habitat impacts of stormwater runoff to our local beaches, rivers, bayou, and lake.

7:19

Environment environmental awareness uh young students is now and and will be uh a major part of maintaining our community's clean waters and assure sustainability of these natural resources for their enjoyment in the future.

7:33

Matter of fact, this is our sixth year, and uh in a couple short years, the first winners are gonna be adult citizens here working and living in Tarpon.

7:42

So uh

Unassigned speaker

7:43

you know,

Speaker 4

7:43

you plant a tree, it's a little sapling, but it gets when it gets full full grown, it's really effective.

7:48

Um so we're here uh tonight to award nine talented students from fourth and fifth grades, as I mentioned, at Tarpon Elementary, Sunset Hills, and Tarpon Springs Fundamental Schools.

8:00

They are gonna receive a certificate of achievement, and uh for third place a $25 gift card, second place a $50 gift card, and the first place winners take home a hundred dollar gift card tonight.

8:12

Yes, congratulations.

8:15

Um our contest winner's artwork has been displayed in City Hall here in the front lobby for the past month.

8:21

Uh it'll be up there until the end of the week.

8:23

Um if you'd like to, I encourage everyone to take a look at and see the talents that we've got here in town.

8:29

Um all right, so with without further ado, students when your name's announced, come on up and get your awards.

Speaker 1

8:38

So our um let's start with our third place winner from Tarpon Springs Elementary School,

Speaker 5

8:48

Marlin

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation█████████████████17%

Procedural███████████████15%

Public Safety██████████10%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%

Public Engagement███████7%

Personnel Matters███████7%

Public Works Recognition██████6%

Youth Programs████4%

Economic Development████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners Regular Session - April 28, 2026

The Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs met in regular session on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 6:00 PM. Mayor John Koulianos presided over the meeting, which included community presentations, proclamations, and policy decisions on school resource officers, fire department reorganization, beach parking fees, and pension plan adjustments.

Presentations & Proclamations

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Poster Contest: Anthony Mannello awarded nine 4th and 5th-grade students from local elementary schools. Winners received gift cards ranging from $25 to $100.
St. Petersburg College Greece Study Abroad Program: The board contributed $20,000 to student scholarships, up from $15,000 in 2024. The trip is scheduled for December 11–21, 2026.
Dementia Friendly America (DFA) Initiative: Resident Susan Rose proposed making Tarpon Springs the first dementia-friendly community in Florida, noting 12.5% of Floridians over 65 live with dementia. A Memory Cafe launched in January.
Proclamations: April 2026 proclaimed as Donate Life Month; May 3–9, 2026 as Public Services Recognition Week.

Commission Committee Updates

Vice Mayor Kulyas reported on Forward Pinellas, discussing ongoing merger plans with Hillsborough and Pasco counties that might reduce Tarpon Springs’ voting power on the regional board.

Consent Calendar

The board unanimously approved Items 6–22: attorney fees, special event permits (4th of July, St. Nicholas Cathedral Cookout), grant agreements (DEP Spring Bayou, CDBG, Library Construction), procurement awards, and employee insurance.

Public Comments & Testimony

Sue Swenson (resident) thanked the city for cleaning Pinellas Avenue and supported the DFA initiative.
Teresa Price (Principal, Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary School) and Debbie McKinney (resident) spoke in full support of maintaining SROs in elementary schools.
Brian Flynn (HOA President) stated the Bayshore Heights HOA planned to shut off 16 streetlights unless the city assumed responsibility.
Anita Pros (West Bayshore Drive resident) urged the city to take over all 16 streetlights for safety.
Katie Taylor (Rose Cemetery Association) supported granting the perpetual easement for encroaching graves.

Discussion Items

SRO Agreement (Item 23): Chief Jeff Young stated the school board is reducing SRO funding at the elementary level, creating a $102,000 annual budget impact to keep current officers. The board unanimously voted to maintain all six SRO positions.
Fire Department Reorganization (Item 24): Chief Craig Misener proposed reorganizing command staff to secure full county EMS chief funding. Projected cost: $74,000–$104,000. Approved unanimously.
Water Meter Replacement Program (Items 25, 28, 29): A $4.8 million program was presented. A scrivener’s error in the contract amendment language led the board to unanimously defer all three items to the May 12 meeting.
Bayshore Heights Public Lighting (Item 26): The board voted unanimously to take over 8 streetlights on West Bay Shore. The HOA was directed to return with a cost-sharing proposal for the remaining 8 lights on Lowquat to prevent dark streets.
Ordinance 2026-03: Sunset Beach & Splash Park Parking (Item 31): Data showed 291,000 visitors to Sunset Beach in 2025 (75% non-residents). The board approved a $5/day or $50/year fee for non-residents at Sunset Beach (vote 3–2). A motion to apply the same rates to the Splash Park failed (vote 2–3). The ordinance proceeds to a second reading on May 26.
Firefighters’ Pension Plan (Item 32): The board approved a first reading amending the plan to increase the benefit multiplier from 3.25% to 3.5% to remain competitive. Annual city cost: $72,745.
Rules of Procedure (Item 33): Resolution 2026-18 was approved, revising board conduct, social media, and agenda management. An amendment was adopted requiring a majority vote to defer or delete an agenda item.

Key Outcomes

Unanimous votes: SRO Agreement, Fire Department Reorganization, Rose Cemetery Easement, Planning & Zoning Board appointment, Firefighters’ Pension (1st Reading), and Rules of Procedure.
Split votes: Sunset Beach parking fees approved (3–2). Splash Park parking fee motion failed (2–3).
Deferrals: Water Meter items (25, 28, 29) deferred to May 12.
Directives: Bayshore Heights HOA to return with Lowquat light cost-sharing proposal. City staff directed to restart Howard Park free parking negotiations. Mayor to add Greece study-abroad attendance to a future agenda.

Meeting Transcript

I call to order the regular session of the City of Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners, Tuesday, April 28th, 6 p.m. Roll call, please. Here. Vice Mayor Kulyas. Here. Commissioner Eisner. Here. Commissioner Banther. Commissioner Weaver. Here we are going to have our reflection this evening. Um by the Reverend Janet Tunnel of All Saints Episcopal Church. And this will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. I pray, dear Lord, that we uh that you grant us the peace and the serenity to make good decisions on behalf of the city of Tarpon Springs. Uh I pray for the health and safety of our first responders, our police department, our fire department, and all those people that dedicate their life to keeping us safe. And I wish the best for all the residents of Tarpon Springs. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic, which is one nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, so our first item. We have uh three presentations tonight. The first will be the uh Tarpon Springs Clean Water Storm, um, clean water stormwater pollution prevention poster contest. And I would like uh Mr. Manello to please come forward. Oh, he's already there. Okay. So would you like to make your presentation? Yes, I would. Mr. Mayor, Mr. City Manager and Commissioners, thank you all for supporting once again um our efforts in publication and uh public education and outreach uh for the city of Tarpon Springs. Um my name is Tony Manello, as the mayor said. I'm the streets of stormwater supervisor of public works uh for City of Tarpon Springs. We're here tonight to recognize some uh talented individuals from fourth and fifth grades within the city. Um actually winners. Uh we um as the mayor said, we are having the awards for my tarpon springs clean waters stormwater pollution prevention poster contest. I'm I'm trying to abbreviate that title too. I I saw uh it's problematic. Um what this includes is fourth and fifth grade students from each elementary school uh in Tarpon Springs show their creativity and talents by creating a poster which displays their thoughts and ideas in the areas of pollution prevention, clean water benefits, animal or vegetation habitat impacts of stormwater runoff to our local beaches, rivers, bayou, and lake. Environment environmental awareness uh young students is now and and will be uh a major part of maintaining our community's clean waters and assure sustainability of these natural resources for their enjoyment in the future. Matter of fact, this is our sixth year, and uh in a couple short years, the first winners are gonna be adult citizens here working and living in Tarpon. So uh you know,

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