Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners Regular Session – August 25, 2026

The City of Tarpon Springs Board of Commissioners met Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Auditorium. All five commission members were present: Mayor Kulinas, Vice Mayor Kulyas, and Commissioners Weaver, Banther, and Eisner. The meeting opened with an invocation by Reverend Gee Thomson of Greater L.I.F.E. Christian Church and the Pledge of Allegiance. No meeting minutes were provided; this summary is based on the agenda and the raw transcript. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• The board unanimously approved consent agenda items 1–10, including attorney fees, lien releases, special events, procurement increases and renewals, the July 4th fireworks display, mental health resources, code enforcement settlement reconsideration, and maintenance contracts.
• Commissioner Eisner pulled item 8 for comment only, expressing concern that code enforcement fines had gone unresolved for roughly 20 years and asking staff to bring older violations into compliance earlier. He did not request a separate vote.
• Item 11, the City of Tarpon Springs/AdventHealth North Pinellas Memorandum of Understanding, was deferred to a date to be determined. City Manager Mark Lecouris later explained the deferral was needed to add hospital notification rules concerning helicopter operations and evening events at the new golf course clubhouse.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Marty Peters expressed concern about Amendment 3, saying it could cut about one-third of future property tax revenue to the city. He suggested the city explain the budget impact to community groups and homeowners associations, using a family-budget analogy, and noted Dunedin’s city manager had already explained the potential impact there.
• Pierre Delakis read from Isaiah and urged the city to consider a data center moratorium, citing recent moratorium actions in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Zephyrhills, and Sarasota counties/cities. He raised concerns about data center water use and the city’s vacant property, and suggested exploring a marina and a private recycling/waste partnership.
• Melissa Andrus, speaking for Peace for Tarpon, described the organization’s school mentor project and training. She announced a second mentor training on September 2, 2026, at CoHatch, with fingerprinting provided at no charge, and noted mentors commit to working in schools for five years.
• Robin Sanger, also speaking for Peace for Tarpon, announced a Peace Day gathering on September 20, 2026, at Peace Pole Park, tied to the United Nations 2026 theme “Invest in Peace Every Day,” and invited elected officials and community members to attend.
• Susan Rose provided an update on the dementia-friendly Tarpon Springs initiative, including a caregiver questionnaire accessible by QR code and a monthly memory cafe at the public library on the first Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Discussion Items

Fleet Management Division Audit #13_2026

• Internal Auditor Billy Poulos presented the audit, which reviewed policies, preventive maintenance, inventory parts, and third-party vendor use. The audit found only one finding: inventory parts practices were appropriate but had not been codified into written policies and standard operating procedures. Staff had already remedied this by late June.
• Poulos reported positive observations in all other areas, including up-to-date policies, proper preventive maintenance controls, and proper controls over third-party vendors, who handled roughly 25% of the division’s work. The board unanimously accepted the audit report.

PSTA Jolley Trolley Coastal Funding Route Agreement

• Economic Development Manager Karen Lemmons presented the renewal of the coastal funding route agreement with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) for the Jolley Trolley’s North Coastal Route. The new three-year agreement is retroactive to October 1, 2025, and includes options for two additional two-year renewals.
• The annual cost was stated as $63,911, fully budgeted in the general fund for fiscal year 2026. PSTA staff said the agreement includes a 6.4% annual contribution increase cap and does not contain a separate fuel-price escalator. PSTA staff also said about 30% of Jolley Trolley coastal route ridership starts or ends in Tarpon Springs, and the full route runs to Clearwater Beach, taking about one hour each way with a fare of $2.25.
• Commissioner Eisner questioned why Clearwater contributes about $24,000 while Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, and Pinellas County each contribute about $63,000. PSTA staff said the split is based on route mileage, but Commissioner Eisner argued the other jurisdictions were subsidizing Clearwater. PSTA staff agreed to review the funding history, and Mayor Kulinas recounted that Clearwater had originally agreed to contribute during the 2015–2016 negotiations even though it did not need the trolley service to come north.
• Public comment included Pierre Delakis questioning the difference between the quoted $63,911 and the contract’s $68,001 fiscal year amount, which the Mayor explained as the result of the 6.4% cap/escalator. Anita Protest urged approval, describing strong community use of the trolley for farmers markets, weddings, medical appointments, and tourism. The board unanimously approved the agreement.

Salary and Classification Plan FY2027

• City Manager Mark Lecouris presented the FY2027 Salary and Classification Plan, noting it was unusual because of current economic conditions. The plan keeps salary ranges unchanged, provides a 3% cost-of-living adjustment funded in the budget, reclassifies long-term part-time temporary employees as part-time regular employees so they receive prorated vacation, and corrects a vacation allowance discrepancy among three department directors.
• The plan also suspends the second half of previously approved shift differential and on-call compensation, and suspends merit increases and additional merit funding for the budget year due to economic pressures and the potential property tax referendum. Charter official adjustments were noted as a board decision. The board unanimously approved the plan.

Ordinances and Resolutions

Ordinance 2026-14 – Vacation of East Harrison Street Right-of-Way (Second Reading)

• The board unanimously approved Ordinance 2026-14, vacating approximately 7,950 square feet of right-of-way on East Harrison Street at its intersection with North Avenue, about 600 feet south of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Staff confirmed there were no changes since the first reading on August 11, 2026.

Land Development Code Updates – Ordinances 2026-12 and 2026-13 (Second Reading)

• The board unanimously approved Ordinance 2026-12, amending LDC Article V (Planned Development Regulations), and Ordinance 2026-13, amending LDC Article VIII (Plan Consistency, Concurrency, and Mobility Management). Staff reported no changes since the first reading.

Ordinance 2026-15 – Electric Bicycle Safety Regulations (First Reading)

• Police department staff, with credit to Sergeant Jake Miller and City Attorney Andrew Salzman, presented the first reading of Ordinance 2026-15. The ordinance prohibits riding or propelling bicycles, e-bikes, and similar covered devices on designated sidewalks in downtown Tarpon Springs, the sponge docks, and Craig Park, while excluding medical mobility devices. It also allows temporary “high pedestrian activity zone” designations for special events and establishes escalating civil penalties.
• The proposed designated areas include downtown from Pinellas to Ring, Dodecanese Boulevard from Pinellas to Roosevelt, and all of Craig Park. Staff said signs would be placed and enforcement would begin with education and warnings. The city is also waiting for a countywide e-bike ordinance to consider consistency later.
• Public comment from Jane Harrington supported the ordinance but asked when restrictions would extend beyond downtown and special events, noting safety concerns on regular sidewalks with school back in session. The board unanimously approved the ordinance on first reading.

Board and Staff Comments

• Commissioner Weaver thanked staff and the new Main Street project for the ice cream social, praised City Manager Lecouris’s budget work, and requested the K9 unit appear at the September meeting.
• Commissioner Banther reported attending the fire union’s pickleball tournament and mentioned his daughter’s student council campaign.
• Commissioner Eisner praised community events including Main Street, the merchants meeting, and Hippie Fest.
• Vice Mayor Kulyas made extended remarks defending his recent trip and criticizing Commissioners Weaver and Eisner, including calling Commissioner Weaver a “space cadet” and using personal insults. Commissioner Weaver moved to remove Vice Mayor Kulyas from his vice mayor position, and Commissioner Eisner seconded.
• After discussion, the removal motion failed on a roll call vote: Commissioner Weaver yes, Commissioner Banther no, Commissioner Eisner yes, Vice Mayor Kulyas no, and Mayor Kulinas no. The vote was 2 in favor and 3 against.
• Mayor Kulinas then warned that future personal attacks or impugning of motives would bring a censure motion and stated he was at zero tolerance. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent agenda items 1–10 unanimously; deferred item 11 to a later date.
• Accepted the Fleet Management Division Audit #13_2026 unanimously.
• Approved the PSTA Jolley Trolley coastal funding route agreement unanimously.
• Approved the FY2027 Salary and Classification Plan unanimously.
• Approved Ordinance 2026-14 (street vacation) unanimously on second reading.
• Approved Ordinances 2026-12 and 2026-13 (LDC Articles V and VIII updates) unanimously on second reading.
• Approved Ordinance 2026-15 (e-bike safety regulations) unanimously on first reading.
• Motion to remove Vice Mayor Kulyas failed 2–3.
• Next steps include PSTA contract execution by October 1, 2026, PSTA review of the Clearwater funding history, return of the AdventHealth MOU with revised notification language, and monitoring of the countywide e-bike ordinance.