City Council - Regular Meeting

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Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Tampa City Council. I see a lot of young people here. We never have any young people in the audience. Good morning. We'll talk about you in a few minutes. I'd like to recognize Councilwoman Hurtek, please.

We're all just going to stand for a moment of silence today, and then please stay standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. And please silence your phones.

Why don't we get one of these young people to lead us in the pledge? One of you guys, come up to the pledge. I'm picking the girl on the end here, you. Me? Come on, come up to the podium. She'll lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Just state your name. Hi, I'm Morelli Acevedo. I am an intern for Community Engagement and Partnerships.

Very good, welcome to City Council. Go ahead, start us off.

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.

Well, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Clerk, would you call the roll, please?

Miranda, Maniscalco, Pertak, Young, Vieira, Carlson, and Clendenin. Here. We have a fiscal call.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to adopt the minutes from the regular session held on July 30th, 2026? I have a motion from Councilman Brandes, second from Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Let's go through the agenda. Mr. Chair. Councilman Carlson.

I have several, but just starting with number three, we had asked the Charter Review Commission to come speak. The chair is here. They only have like one more meeting. And at this point, we don't really have time to intervene in what they're doing. And so I think her preference is to come back once they're done and report to us rather than giving an interim and then coming back in a couple of weeks for a final. with the consent of everyone else. She's prepared if we want her to speak, but with the consent of everyone else, I would just move to remove that from the agenda.

I have a motion from Councilman Carlson to remove item three, a second from Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye.

Yes, sir. And obviously, Councilman Carlson, I'm inclined to support this. It's your motion. But if the chairwoman is inclined, then there's nobody else here from the committee that I see. Okay, just making sure. Yeah, no, but obviously, yeah. That's it. Thank you.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. Councilman Carlson.

Yeah, and I think she would rather talk about history this morning anyway, so that's good. Okay. We love that part. Yeah. I would just like to pull 32 and 33 for a separate vote.

Okay, a motion to pull items 32 and 33 for a separate vote from Councilman Carlson. Is there a second? Second. Second. Councilman Vieira, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Okay, stand by.

With regard to items 32 and 33, is that only for a separate vote during the consent docket, or do you want it for discussion and to have staff present? I just want to be clear for the record.

Well, you just said pull for a separate vote.

Okay.

Okay.

If somebody wants to discuss it at that point, fine, but I'm not asking for staff.

I'm not asking for staff.

You always try to bring us into a point of confusion. The lawyers will always do that to us, take us right off the rails. Okay, let's go. Okay, wait, I have to vote on that one. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Thank you.

I'd like to move to poll, well, no, never mind.

Okay. Anybody else for the agenda? Okay, let's go ahead and look at staff reports. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Shelby.

A question came up during agenda review regarding written staff reports. Did you want to talk about that when we get to it?

Well, we're getting there. We'll get there in just a second. So let's go through these non-written staff reports. Okay, thank you. Does anybody need staff on 41 for the KBAR cut through? Yes. Okay, so yes. Yes, sir. So yes. Okay, 42. Yes. Yes. 43. Goes with 49.

Yes. I apologize. May I, Mr. Chair? Yes. And you want a time certain on that? If I may, and Karen Clay was going to come and speak, if she may, on that, and to the best that we can today.

This is my goal. I'm guessing that if we really go through this agenda, we may not even have to take a lunch. We can get out by 1. So you just want to do it at the last order of business? That's good with me, sir. At the last order of business. Yes, sir. Councilman Miranda.

There's two ones, AM and PM.

Not in the military. We're not in the military. Councilwoman Hurtek.

Does that include item number 49?

49 I think we're just going to receive in file. Okay.

44.

We need staff for 44? There's a written report in it, yeah. Okay, so...

It says staff is, I'm sorry.

Yeah, I think we should have staff on that. I'm going to ask for staff on that one.

Yeah, because I spoke to Brandon Campbell about this and, yeah.

Yeah, let's talk about staff. Okay, 45. How do I know that's going to be answered?

uh 46. well just so you know chair 45 we continue just to have a conversation among council yeah so that's okay that sounds good uh 40 okay bill carlson yeah 46 um i i spent time talking to uh city attorney's office and also um emily hensdale

And we came up with some language. I can pass it out now, but I can make the motion then or during new business. But we've got some language now that's been vetted by legal and also.

Then why don't we just say yes to staff and then we can discuss that during that time. So yes, so we'll have that discussion for 46. Then you don't have to wait until new business. We can do it since it's already an agenda item. Oh, sorry. That's not 46.

That's 50. 46. Yeah, so that was number 50 because it was a written report, but then there's a motion tied to it from legal. 46, I had a discussion with Kamaria Pettis-Mackle, probably the rest of you did from legal, and I'm satisfied with what she said. So unless you guys have some ideas on how to fix this problem, there seems to be a solution for it that she identified, so I don't see a need to bring her back.

yeah and i and i spoke with uh one of the concerned citizens about this and i said you know we have time we've we've got a let's let's see for like a year see how this goes and we can always revisit this next year it seems like short term we have a solution so i agree so no staff on 46. so motion to receive and file that uh yes in the memorandum yeah we'll wait when we get we'll do all the reports at one time uh 40. we have to wait for a public comment oh that's true on which Yeah. On 46. Yeah. So but so we do not need staff on 46. So we'll wait and do 47. Yes. Yes. Maybe not going to get out of one of 48. Yes. Okay. Okay. Councilwoman Hurtado.

I know you said that we could receive in file 49, but I do want to make clear for the record that there is no written report for this request for a written report.

The staff will be.

Yes, but you can't be present for a written report.

Interesting. Okay. So do we want to pull 49 from written report and ask staff to be present?

No, but I'm just saying that if we ask for a written report, there should be a written report.

Okay. Councilman Breer.

Yes. So they're going to be here in person on that today. So as the maker of the motion, I'm satisfied with that.

Okay. So we're going to leave that alone just on a technicality, but I appreciate that calling that out. Thank you, Councilwoman Hurtado. OK, so anything else on the agenda?

We got a lot of memos about 37 and 38. Yeah, but I'm just saying at this point, as we get to it, that we probably will be hearing, I'm sure, from the public. But if there's anything anybody wants to say before we get to the public. then we can discuss at that time. I would, based on public feedback and my analysis, I would not be inclined to approve it at this time.

Okay, so I've got, anybody else on the agenda? Can I get a motion to approve the agenda?

I move to accept 49, 50, 51, and 52. Those are the staff reports. Okay.

We have a motion to approve the staff reports, to receive and follow the staff reports, the written staff reports 49 through 51 from Council Part 52 through Council Member Heretic. Second from Council Member Scott. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Motion to approve the agenda, please.

Can I just make one other statement?

Councilman Carlson.

Yeah, 52 regards the EDC. I just want to remind everybody that contract can be canceled with 30 days notice.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda? Motion to approve the agenda for Councilman Miranda, second for Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Thank you very much. Okay. Okay, let's go. Item number one, and Councilman Vieira, what we'd like to do is have you pull both officers up at the same time, do the accommodations, and then for the public citizens that would like to acknowledge, they can do both officers at the same time. Okay, thank you. So we're going to do one and two at the same time.

Thank you. So it's my great pleasure to do our Officer of the Month, and we have two over here. And this will be the first time for our Chief Owen to come and talk about these officers. So we have Officer Jared Richards, who's our Officer of the Month for July of 2026, and Officer Gregory Van Heist, who's the Officer of the Month for August of 2026. So, Chief, if you'd like to come talk about these individuals. Certainly.

Council, we have Officer Jared Richards. He is a member of the District 1 Street Anti-Crime Squad. Yes, sir.

We have interim chief. We have to start with saying your name, and that helps us with the automation and the minutes.

My apologies, sir. That's okay. Brett Owen, the acting chief, Tampa Police. Thank you. We're here to recognize Officer Jared Richards for July of 2026. He is a member of our District 1 Street Anti-Crime Squad for District 1. Officer Richards consistently demonstrated outstanding initiative, strong investigative skills, and a relentless commitment to removing violent offenders from our community. Throughout the month of May, Officer Richards played a key role in several significant investigations involving violent crime, burglaries, and wanted offenders. His presence, attention to detail, and proactive approach led to the identification and apprehension of multiple suspects, while helping bring successful resolutions to complex investigations. Officer Richards consistently goes beyond responding to calls by developing leads, interviewing victims, witnesses, and reviewing surveillance footage, working alongside detectives and partner agencies to identify offenders and recover stolen property. His efforts resulted in multiple arrests, search warrants, recovered evidence, and confessions from suspects involved in crimes both locally and across multiple jurisdictions. Whether locating violent offenders, tracking burglary suspects across county lines, or safely taking suspects into custody during high-risk incidents, Officer Richards continually demonstrates sound judgment, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our community. Officer Richards' professionalism, work ethic, and dedication to serving the citizens of Tampa make him an outstanding representative of the department. Congratulations to Officer Richards for being our outstanding recognition of July 2026.

So what we usually do is we have members of the community come and give you gifts. We're going to do it jointly, obviously, with you and your colleague. But first, if I may, sir, I'd like to give this Tampa City Council commendation to you, sir. We really appreciate all your work and service. God bless you, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Good morning. First, I'd just like to thank you, City Council. Thank my command staff.

Could you restate your name for us for the minutes?

Sorry. Officer Jared Richards, Tampa Police. Thank you to City Council. Thank you to my command staff, supervisors, everyone that was involved in selecting me for this award. I truly feel honored and grateful. I've been in this career 12 years. I take a lot of pride in serving my community. So this is especially meaningful to me, and I'd like to thank my family that flew from Connecticut to be here to support me, and my girlfriend, my loved ones, and the community for coming out. So thank you very much. Very good.

Can his family members, especially those ones that flew from Connecticut, can you stand? I want to see that level of commitment for family. You guys want to stand up for us? Welcome to Tampa. Move on down. This is the best place in the United States to live.

All right. For the month of August, 2026, we are recognizing Sergeant Greg Van Heist. He is one of our most tenured sergeants on the department. He leads our internet crimes against children's squad. He leads one of the department's most specialized and demanding investigative units through his leadership and hands-on approach to squad continually. continues to identify child predators, recover critical evidence, rescue victims, and hold offenders accountable. This year alone, the ICAC squad has conducted more than 80 search warrants, including 14 residential search warrants, resulting in 19 arrests. These investigations have led to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material, the identification of numerous child victims, and the protection of children who are being actively exploited. Sergeant Van Hise remains directly involved in many of the unit's complex investigation. His undercover work, digital forensics expertise, and persistence have resulted in the arrest of dangerous offenders and the successful prosecution of individuals responsible for crimes against children. Whether leading his team, coordinating complex investigations, or mentoring investigators, Sergeant Van Hise has consistently demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. His work continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless victims and their families. Congratulations, Sergeant Van Hise, on his well-deserved recognition for August of 2016.

And, Sergeant, for all that you've done and will continue to do in your work, we really appreciate you, sir. It's all an honor to give you the City Council commendation. God bless you, sir. We really appreciate you.

Greg Van Heist, I'm very grateful for this award. Thank you, City Council, for this honor. Thank you for TBD staff for... for selecting me. I couldn't do any of this work without the squad that I supervise. It's an amazing group of men and women that do amazing work every day, and some tough work, too. And I'd also like to thank my family. It's a very tough career, and they've been very supportive.

Stand up, guys. Family, stand up. Thank you very much. Thank you. Councilwoman Hurtado.

I also just wanted to take a moment to welcome Interim Chief Owen. I think this is the first time you've been in front of us since you've been named Acting Chief and we're happy to have you. You and I had a chance to sit down and have coffee and talk about some things and I would highly recommend other Councilmembers do so as well. I'm very excited to work with Acting Chief Owen and congratulations.

Thank you.

Welcome, Chief. Also, I want to acknowledge yesterday, in case anybody wasn't paying attention yesterday, there was a big event at the Convention Center that we attended to say goodbye to Chief Burkall, who's going on to... work at USF, so congratulations to him and welcome, Gene.

Thank you. Thank you very much. OK, very good. Next. Yep. Those of you in the audience who would like to recognize these two fine officers, you can stand up and come to the in front of the officers lined up against the wall.

John Miller with Tampa PVA. Both of you, on behalf of the membership of Tampa Police Pedestrian Association, want to present you with these gifts. And also, the good folks at Busch Gardens couldn't be here, so they sent along complimentary tickets for each of your families.

And remember, the microphone is buried in the podium, so when you're speaking, face us, because that's where the microphone is. Start with your name. And start with your name and who you're representing.

Good morning, Council. Good morning, Chief Owen. Good morning, Officer Reynolds and Sergeant Van Heist. I'm Grace Gonzalez. I'm here on behalf of the Gonsmart family and the 1905 family of restaurants. Thank you so much for being here in Tampa and being committed to our community. We really appreciate it. We want you to take these gift cards and enjoy dinner with your family at Ulele, Casa Santo Stefano, and Ybor. Just enjoy yourself. See you at Flamenco Show. Thank you for everything you do. We appreciate you. Congratulations.

Good morning, officers. Good morning, council. Mary Dillon, Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

On behalf of Straz Center, thank you so much for your service to our community. We have a little show called Banksy right now playing until the end of August. You each have some tickets to attend.

I hope you enjoy it very much. Thank you for your service.

Good morning, council. Jill Watecki, Tampa Theater. It is such a pleasure to meet both of you. Thank you for everything you do. And on behalf of Tampa Theater, we'd love to invite you with an annual membership to come see us as part of our centennial celebration this next year.

Good morning. I'm Gabby Palachetti. I'm here from Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk. So we have personalized pavers in honor of you all and some gifts from our partners that you can go and enjoy. So thank you so much. We really appreciate the work that you're

morning council leo gary and uh dennis montero from bill curry ford um congratulations officers on uh on this award um i know you guys uh brought there and um every single day um put on that uniform sacrifice for each and every one of us in this room so we truly appreciate everything that you guys do on behalf of bill curry ford i want to give both of you a handwritten letter from jennifer curry herself and then there's a gift card in there as well and then there's also some

And just remember, the microphone is buried, so if you guys want the recognition and stuff, talk to the microphone, because otherwise nobody can hear you.

Good morning, Council. Ryan Spradlin, Chief Security Officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a 27-year law enforcement veteran, it's an honor and privilege to be here today and meet you both and recognize you both. Brian Ford, our COO, sends his regrets. He had a scheduling conflict. But on behalf of the Glazer family, of course Brian Ford and our entire organization, it's an honor. Thank you so much for what you guys do to protect our community.

Now Brian has a history of fumbling the ball. Thank you guys. Thank you.

Good morning, council members. Good morning. My name is Mark Haney. I'm with Zoo Tampa. And we have an appreciation, a year's membership to Zoo Tampa for you and your families. And I always have to tell you what animals are in here. This is a clouded leopard. And this is a Sumatran tiger, one of the rarest tigers in the world. There's only about 200 of them left.

And this is for Gregory.

Good morning. Good morning, Council. Mike McArthur, Steph's Towing. Today I'm joined by Bryce Nagel. He's our new operations driver manager, so he might be taking over for me from time to time, but we'd like to congratulate you guys on a job well done, and thank you for everything you do for our community. So on behalf of Todd Steph and Steph's Towing, I'd like to present you a $100 gift card for each one of you guys to enjoy a night off and have dinner with your families and stuff like that. And, Chief, welcome to the position. Thank you, guys, for everything you do for our community.

Mr. Michelini, last but not least.

I had a 20-minute speech, you know, 10 minutes for each officer. Give it your best shot. The chairman told me to cut it down to two. Give it your best shot. For each of you, I have gift certificates for Jackson's Bistro on Harbor Island, Chicho Restaurant Group. They own a number of restaurants in South Howard, and the Yummy House China Bistro. So I'll be happy to give those to you, and we'll get those. Let's see, we forgot this right. There's Richard's. Thanks for keeping our safe, our streets safe and protecting the children. That's really, really important. So thank you. Thank you, Mr. McLean.

Well, on behalf of Tampa City Council, and I'm sure you all know that you have a very appreciative city government, including the seven members that sit up here that support our police officer women and men that keep our streets safe. Thank you for what you and your family do for you every day. We are very appreciative. The city of Tampa is one of the safest cities in the country because of our wonderful men and women that protect us. So thank you so much for what you do. Love hearing these stories, and this is one of our favorite days of the month. So thank you for coming today.

We should repeat the crime numbers that the mayor said yesterday. down 50%. Chief Bowen, do you know those numbers? I don't have them. Violent crime down. Yeah, it was a huge amount of decrease. Anyway, congratulations, everybody.

Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we'll do that one. Did somebody recognize the antenna? I'll make sure.

Okay.

Good call. Stephen should know better.

Thank you.

Okay, we have these young people we talked about earlier. I wanna start off by Victoria. Are you out there somewhere that I can't see you? Victoria, there you are. Come on up to the podium.

Come on up.

This is Victoria. She is an intern with Judge Tesh's office. Come up here to the podium. I want you to start with your name. Tell us what you're doing in Tampa and where you're from.

Okay, I'm Victoria, and I'm from Paris, France. I'm interning with Judge Jesse Arkin in RPO Court. I'm in business school, and I'm studying public affairs.

Very good. Well, welcome to Tampa, and she's flying to Nashville this afternoon.

Thank you.

Very good. Congratulations. Welcome to Tampa. And all of our city interns, why don't you guys line up? I want you guys to come up and just say your name and which office you're interning and what school you're in. Just one at a time, right to the podium. Start with your name, what office you're interning in in the city, and what school you're in, if you're in school. Good morning. Good morning.

I'm Trevor Bradley, and I'm a freshman at USF, and I'm interning with TNI. Very good. Thank you so much.

Good morning. My name is Melvin. I'm a senior at Flint High School, and I work at Tampa Police Department. Go Panthers. Good morning, my name's Aaron Vermani. I'm interning with TNI, so that's Technology and Innovation, and I'm a junior at Strawberry Crest.

Nice, very good. Good morning.

Good morning, my name's Nycaria Turner. I'm a senior at Spoto High School, and I intern at Code Enforcement slash Neighborhood Enhancement.

Very good, thank you so much.

No problem.

Good morning, my name is Laura, and I'm an upcoming senior at Chamberlain High School, and I work for the Neighborhood Communities Affairs.

Very good. Good morning.

Good morning. My name is Katia Rodriguez.

I just graduated from Chamberlain High School, and I work in Neighborhood and Community Affairs.

Very good. Good morning.

Hello. Excuse me. Hello. Good morning. I'm Aurelia Acevedo. I am an intern for Community Engagement and Partnerships. I am a freshman at University of North Florida. Thank you.

Well, well, well, who are you?

Hi, I'm Zafiana Lagines. I'm interning with City Council, and I'm an upcoming senior at Hillsborough High. Thank you. Ashley Aspires. I'm interning with the City Council, and I attend Temple Bay Tech as an upcoming senior.

Good morning. Hello, I'm and I'm a rising senior at Milton High School, and I'm interning within the community engagement and partnerships department.

Very nice. Excellent. So how was y'all's experience interning? Do you like it? Everybody's good? Thumbs up? Yeah? good excellent excellent hopefully hopefully it'll kick off it'll look interesting to see you come back come back in 10 years and tell the next the council how this affected and where you are in your life that would be very interesting to see uh the councilwoman young's interns come back up here because i think she wants to talk to you guys councilwoman young well these are my you know i had three interns this summer and these my

My college student, Kendall, she is gone. She's at American University. I have my last two that are left, and today is their last day. And I'm sad to see them go, but I know that they are going to do amazing things. It is their senior year, and I have watched you two ladies since your first day. You have grown so much, and you have been so helpful in the office, and it's really been a joy to have the both of you. I've got so many compliments when I'm out. And they're like, you have the best interns. You have such great interns. And I'm just really proud of you ladies. And I know that you're going to do amazing things.

thank you you know one thing i say passing you in the hall and talking to you your lights shine so bright and don't let anybody push that light out so keep that positive attitude and that what you've shown since you've been in city council has just been amazing it's been really nice having your energy around and both of your smiles are just amazing and it's obviously two very intelligent bright women your future is just yours to yours to build so thank you for being with us and bringing your energy to city council thank you Okay, Mr. Shelby, you're up.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning. Members of council, Martin Shelby, the city council attorney here to talk briefly about the rules of decorum for today's meeting. Now, up until this time, you've had the opportunity to fill out a card if you'd like to speak at general public comment. And the cards are accepted until the start of general public comment. And there's a box outside to do so. And while I'm speaking, if you haven't and you wish to, please do so now at this time. Each person submitting a card will be recognized by name by the chair to approach and speak. A three-minute time limit applies. And please print legibly. Names that cannot be read will not be called. And if you're here to speak at a public hearing, which today are items 37, 38, 39, and 40, there's a sign-in sheet to use instead, instead of the card. And if you need assistance, please see city staff. Now, members of the public are allowed a reasonable opportunity at the beginning of today's meeting to address any item on the agenda before the city council takes official action on an item. Per Council's rules, preference is given to those speaking on agenda items first. As I said, a three-minute time limit applies to all speakers providing public comment. Speakers and members of the public are also reminded to please refrain from disruptive behavior, including making vulgar or threatening remarks or making or causing disruptive noises or sounds or displaying signs or graphics. And please direct your comments to the entire city council rather than individual members. The chair will rule out of order any person who speaks without being recognized or attempts to address the city council from outside the speaker area at the podium. Persons failing to comply with the council's rules may also be ruled out of order and at the discretion of the chair may be removed from the chambers for the remainder of today's meeting. And as I said, if you're here to speak, on item set for a public hearing you will have that opportunity when that item is later called up and heard during the agenda and no public comment is taken later during staff reports if you wish to speak on anything such as the consent docket or staff reports the time to speak about those items is now during general public comment and finally council members should refrain from engaging a speaker under public comment and the public should be aware The City Council does not take questions or have a dialogue during general public comment. This is your opportunity to express your position. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you so much. Okay, our first public speaker is going to be Pamela Cannella, speaking on item 48, and Stephanie Poynter, followed by Michelle Mastratitano. Good morning. Good morning.

My name is Pam Cannella. I do not support public comment, non-agenda, city business at the end of the agenda. Constitutional rights must have a balance. I realize the intent of this council is to provide a safe and more efficient meeting. Amending public comment to state non-agenda city business achieves your intent. But moving the public comment to the end of the agenda, even with the best of intentions to stay on time, places a hardship on those that come and take time out of their day to express their concerns that they feel is important. allow public comment not agenda city business to remain after public comment agenda items at the beginning of the schedule it is not a conflict or hardship for city council and it will not affect city council business but it will ensure public has every opportunity to speak and share their concerns without feeling their voices are being suppressed This is a fair compromise for both city council and the public. This simple compromise builds a more trusting relationship between elected officials and the people. The reason for increasing amount of cases in the Circuit Court of Appeals is the attempt by elected officials to silence public comment. The Constitution, First Amendment, protects the people against the government, our elected officials, from overstepping its boundaries. It's about transparency and public trust between the public and our elected official. This respect has to go both ways. THE PUBLIC FEELS AT TIMES CITY COUNCIL IS NOT LISTENING TO OUR CONCERN. HERE'S THE PEOPLE'S VIEW OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS DURING A PUBLIC COMMENT ONLINE SPEAKER AT THE TIME. AND I KNOW SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO REFER TO NOTES, BUT MR. CHAIR, TO TURN YOUR BACK AGAINST THE PEOPLE, I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT MOVE. I think it would be better if you just dismiss yourself and leave. Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning, Stephanie pointer. Um, I'm gonna start a little backwards. I wanna talk about number 50, the school speed, speed zone camera fines should only be spent on school zones. There's no reason to spend it elsewhere until everything's perfect. We have sidewalks around every school and we have cameras for every school and we have the safest environment for our children to get to school. They walk two miles. to school and most of the kids who walk to school every day are not rich white kids like mine okay so let's just keep that in in mind um number 48 amendment to the rules and procedures as long as you bundle the workshop you shouldn't have to cut back the feedback during workshop time i sent you a spreadsheet analyzing that um i also think that you guys should all start with three minutes to say your piece. I can get a whole lot done in three minutes and so can you. And then that cuts down 14 minutes off of every single item. Just to start, if you need more time, you ask for more time. Fines and fees for number 46. Contractors, when will the contractors be fined? They are supposed to know the rules better than anybody, but we see these citizens, the homeowners being fined and the contractors did the work and they weren't permitted to do it. And I've got a great tree story for you guys about that one. Number 36, 21% increase in logistics and asset management budget. There's no explanation for it. This is an issue that I'm seeing throughout the entire agenda recently, that things aren't explained, so I have to ask more questions. Picnic Island Park, the pipeline, it's only $1,800 a year. But they're going to put it in the general fund. That pipeline is coming through Picnic Island. Every penny of that $1,800 a year should be spent at Picnic Island. And while we're speaking about Picnic Island, when is the Picnic Island Pier going to be fixed? People fish off the Ballast Point Pier and the Picnic Island Pier to feed their families, not just for fun, but to help supplement their grocery bill. and both of the piers in south of gandhi are down and people drive from all over the city to fish on those two piers what about fishing pole holders for those piers with that eighteen hundred dollars a year it's easy spend update on the pier okay um infrastructure accelerator what is that there's another what is this why is it being done i don't understand it i'm reading through the documents i still don't see it um the pay the plan for number 22 for picnic island Can we do the same thing for Tappan Park? Why can't we? Who started that? Who wrote the grants? Let Michelle Mastratatero get in the middle of that so that we can start making some improvements for Tappan Park in South Tampa. The NRAC, I saw Tara Bluma's list of recommendations, and I wholeheartedly agree with everybody that she put on her list. I know number 37 and 38, people were kind of fired up about it. Again, if somebody had written what is really going on with that, because that's just a motion for you guys to take the money from the county.

Thank you.

If we're real clear.

Just remind everybody, 37 through 40 are public hearings. That's your opportunity to talk about those. Hi, Michelle. After Michelle, the next speaker is going to be David Phillips.

Let me just hand out these.

And after Dave, it'll be Emily Hinsdale.

Good morning, everybody. My name is Michelle Master-Totaro, as you know. I'm a passionate advocate for areas, and especially areas that seemingly are not getting the help they need. So this is Tappan Track Park. Thank you, Stephanie. First off, I would like to commend the city for granting money to Picnic Island. One statement in the request, the proposal especially, stood out for me. The city is working on scalable solutions that can immediately be exported to other areas. So I'm hoping Tappan Park, because Tappan Park actually It's people's drainage. So it works off a gravity system. So it's not just technically a park. It's actually an essential part for the people that are in that area. And if you see this, this is what it's turning into. And this is wildlife that are there. getting destroyed. This project developed successfully. The technique would pick the guideline. I hope the city will make Tappan Park a priority by applying the same proven natural base solutions on the park and dire need for restoration to be addressed for the erosion, the flood resilient, and restore valuable habitat because it's all these animals, they're all displaced. The raccoons are, I mean, this used to be once a beautiful location and people love it. I mean, it's young. Adults walking up and down, they don't even have sidewalks to walk. They walk in the street. I also respectfully request the city aggressively pursue additional states and federal grants. We need grants. If anybody can make a motion to make a grant for this area because I'm a taxpayer, everybody in my area, and that's our drainage. We have no drainage. So this is our only drainage system. Council members had came and seen we have no drainage. That's the only thing. All the water stays. It can't go back out. And we're in need of help. Every neighborhood deserves the benefits of resilience, infrastructure, and healthy natural system. I appreciate the city if they can just come together and help that area because I don't want to lose my home again. And it's coming to be a really hard situation for me, and I'm working with Swift Mud, Ted Fowler, and Stormwater don't wanna answer their phones. So I am left in limbo trying to get help. And if you guys, please, thank you.

I'll be talking to you in a few minutes. David Phillips, followed by Emily Hensdale.

My surname is pronounced Philipson. I've had that since I was born. Anyway, my name is David Phillipson, not Phillips. Um, first off, I'd like to say, uh, thank you to waste management and the city of Tampa for a brand new recycle bin. I am very pleased with the service that I have received from them. So kudos to you people for that. Um, Now, the other thing I'd like to comment on is, well, I'll just let it go for today. But I just wanted to say thank you for the recycle bin. I appreciate it. I think everybody who gets them should use them, not just let them sit in a front yard like a lawn ornament. Thank you so much. I'll be back.

Thank you, Mr. Phillips. And sorry about misreading your name as you asked Michelle, the previous speaker, I give her name wrong every time. Good morning, Emily. Start with your name, please.

Good morning. Um, my name's Emily Hinsdale. I'm here to speak on agenda item number 50, a memo in reference to city council's June 4th motion to ensure that school speed camera penalty revenue was dispersed towards actually making school routes safer. This issue appears to have been misunderstood, so I would like to encourage city council to make a clearer, more specific motion that will guarantee these cameras serve their intended purpose, keeping kids safe. The current language reads that fine revenue will go to administering the cameras and public safety initiatives. Public safety initiatives is a very general term and could arguably use for any pet project, anything from adjusting downtown parking to new police stations to providing a police presence at a parade. It is not a phrase that will ensure these funds are spent on children's safety going to school. So I would like to suggest amending this language in the motion to make the focus more specific. These funds must be used to administer speed detection systems in school zones and on infrastructure focused safety initiatives in school attendance zones defined by the Hillsborough County School District. This language would allow the funds for administering the system, including TPD oversight for applying the penalties, and direct funds toward the City Mobility Department for improving children's safety by applying infrastructure enhancements like sidewalks, crosswalks, crossing lights, ADA compliant intersections, and speed reduction designs around schools. Let's keep our eye on the ball here. Children's safety on the way to school. Children do not have a choice of whether to attend school or not. That's decided for them by adults. The very least we adults can do is not put their lives at risk while we urge them to education. I hope City Council, the Mayor, the Tampa Police Department, and all of us will stay focused on the only important purpose for these cameras, reducing speeding risks in school zones. I'm hoping City Council pushes to codify language that will help improve our school safety through automated speed enforcement and traffic safety speed deterrence. Thank you.

Thank you, Emily. Connie Burton followed by Valerie Bullock.

Good morning, Ms. Burton.

Good morning, Connie Burton. Start with easy stuff first. Item number 16, it's just wonderful to see how people can see privilege, and that's what I see. When you read the agenda that certain parks can be utilized as a fundraising tool, and that's what it is for Jesuit, and I don't have no problems against them, but just to simply go to the park in our community to have an event, people can't usually do it. You know why? Because they don't have money for reserving the park, bringing families out. You all got to have a balanced approach on what you're going to give away and what you can give back to the community because we are constantly watching that. Number 48, the rules and procedure of how we stand up here, I think has been already resolved by the removal of Matisse not being able to come to the council. That's what spurred it all. You can go back and say because you was wasting time, but it was because of the constant dig that he keep reminding his council of the absence of economic opportunities coming to the black community. Number 52, we want to see something besides workforce discussion and development and job fairs. When these people come up here, they should be able to tell you for the number of years that they have been participating, what have they delivered to undeserved communities? What jobs have actually came to communities that have very high unemployment or underemployment? We have too many young people in our community that simply cannot retain employment because of a variety of reasons, but one of them is because nothing is suitable inside of our community. And lastly, I'm not a police officer, but I could tell you about plenty horror stories that we hear in our community. And you know, to go to internal affairs, it's never resolved because of the balance of proof that we have to always carry the burden of, did the officer do such? Well, you know what? It was caught on camera. It was caught on camera and of course the officer was terminated, but the results of having just a poor relationship inside of our community must be addressed. So that officer was terminated, but what happened to his partners? All this, if you see something, say something, What would have happened if the body cameras was not there? You all need to call for some type of workshops to be developed in our community so we can have real communication regarding the issue of violence that occurs from police officers to many black men in our community.

Thank you, Ms. Burton. Valerie Bullock, followed by Steve Michelini. Good morning, Valerie. Thanks.

Good morning. Valerie Bullock, Councilor Leon, and College Hill. I want to give y'all kudos for number 31, rescinding that resolution because the community never know who was buying all of that property, what are they buying it for. So kudos for y'all for rescinding that. And if I had it my way, it would be revoked. And on item number 46, the city is agreeing to suspend the fees and the liens for these property owners on number 46. Let's do the same thing for number 17 and number 42. And if you can't, could you please tell me why? What's the difference with it? And on item number 50, this is the one that I love the most. We keep giving the same non-profits, the same organization, millions, millions, year after year, but individuals' lives are not being changed. All I see is the nonprofit making subsidiary with other companies, and now you've got three companies that came from one company getting money from the city of Tampa. And we do need to be held accountable. We need to see how much they are spending, where they are spending it at, and if they are spending it for what we told them to spend it for. I don't know if you all do it, but I'm pretty sure you do. Every dollar we give out, we need a community benefit agreement lined up to it. And we don't want no more training. We don't want another workshop where they get my name, email, and phone number. We want people in East Tampa to get paychecks. And I think this would be the start of it. When my kids come to me and say, you got $200, first I need to know what they want it for, what you did with your paycheck. They got to be held accountable. And that's what we need to do with the citizens' dollars of the city of Tampa. We need to hold people accountable. Everybody's getting money, and nothing's changing in East Tampa. You might say, well, we built two houses that are affordable. $450,000, that's not affordable for somebody that got $45,000 income yearly. How do people's lives are changing? That's what I want to see. I want to see this guy get off the street corner, stop going around with his lawn mower tied up to his bicycle, cutting yards. I want to see him go get a job. And that is not happening. We've been asking for the same thing in East Tampa, Belmont Heights, and Jackson Heights for the last 40 years. If y'all got some receipts of the changes, I would like to see them.

Thank you, Valerie. Steve McElhinney, a reminder that 37 and 38 are hearing items, so if you have the opportunity to speak to those at the hearing.

Okay, thank you. Steve McElhinney, one of the issues, I sent you an email regarding the code enforcement issue, and the request really is to make fines not discretionary on the part of the city or the magistrate, But rather, it's an outright right that you cannot fine or assign liens to properties while you're in the middle of the resolution of that issue, whatever it is. Discretionary is fine, but staffs change. Hearing masters change. The legal department that are responsible for overseeing that, they change. So, I mean, if you say in the code that you cannot fine people when they're in the middle of a rezoning or a variance or permitting, then it becomes the right of that citizen to resolve the problem without being punished. Recently, the staff and the magistrate have been more lenient with that particular issue, but there's no guarantee that that's going to continue going forward. So it would be respectfully requested that you continue with the code change that would say basically that when you're in the middle of a citation and trying to resolve the problem with code enforcement, that you cannot assign fines and liens. And it's not just discretionary on the part of the city, it's a right of the property owner. And the second thing regarding the sidewalks, I forgot to put this on the little card, but sidewalks and the cameras. If you direct the money to be used for sidewalks and improvements around the schools, that is an appropriate expense and not diverting it to some citywide other project that who knows exactly what that is. But it should be directed to improvements around the schools instead of obligating people who are two miles away or a mile away to pay for sidewalks around schools, use the money for that. Thank you very much. Thank you, Stephen.

David Corona, followed by Ashley Moreau. And those are our last two in-person public speakers. Good morning, David. Start with your name, please.

Good morning, my name is David Cornell.

Okay, how you doing today, Ms. Michelle?

I'm doing fine, and you? Good, good.

So you remember your last interview with Dave, right? Excuse me? You remember your last interview with Dave, right? Yes. Okay. So about what he was talking about. So have you felt safe since the last time you talked to him? Yes. Have you felt more secure?

Yes, a little more.

So what's been going on? How was your day?

My day's been fine. God has been blessing all day. Okay.

So I'm here. You just getting in. How was the weather? Oh, the world is in and out. A little hot.

We've got a little rain. We've got a rainstorm.

Yeah. So, um, has anything been bothering you about what's going on out here? No, but I'm trying to get me an apartment.

Someone is saying the police department is helping me. They helping you? Yeah.

Well, I'm pretty sure I... Did Dave ever give you his card? How do you know? Well, if you want to sit here, you need more help. I'm pretty sure Dave has sources where he can find a little more help, a little more resources. Well, okay. So I'm going to get back in touch with Dave? Yes, and I'll give you his number. Okay.

In Highland Pines, that is a homeless person, or unhoused, excuse me, named Auntie. We affectionately know her as that. I represent the Highland Pines Committee, Incorporated. And tomorrow, in the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, there's going to be an article about our committee. And that's pretty much it. I'd like to present before the Chair or any members, we have a proposal for what's called the Highland Pines Hideaway. It's on the website, but I have it printed out over here. And that's pretty much it. Thank you for your time. Okay, thank you. It's going around this way.

Thank you, sir. You're welcome. And now for the highlight of our public comment, our Chair of our Charter Review Commission, Ashley Morrow.

Hello, my name is Ashley Morrow and I'll be sharing Tampa's black history. So last month, I shared a story about Hugh McFarland and Fortune Taylor with this bridge deal that was apparently nonexistent. Since then, I kept digging through federal land records and discovered that part of my understanding was even, part of the understanding was even more interesting. Fortune Taylor sold much of the land to E.A. Clark on June 3rd, 1875, yet the federal government didn't officially approve her homestead patent until a month later July 1st 1875 so it was already vested towards this man prior to her even getting her documents for her homestead. So moving forward and trigger warning we will be talking about Ku Klux Klan activity here in Tampa. Back in 1899 He also, we're also gonna talk about how Hugh McFarland served as a defense counsel for a man accused of intimidating a black postmaster named Daniel H. Morrison. Hugh McFarland was counsel. In the community of Peck, today near the Ottawa area of Tampa, If you have never seen this, this is not something that's new. I didn't write this. This is a very old article about white capping. They called Ku Klux Klan white caps back then. And they white capped this man named William C. Crumb because he hired a black man to deliver the mail in Peck, Florida. And the people did not like that. The man's name, like I said, was Daniel H. Morrison, and he was the sub. All right, so they go to trial, and a mass mob pull Crumb from his horse. They whip him. They pour carbolic acid on his lacerated flesh. Sorry, it makes me wiggle. In addition, one side of his flowing side whiskers was amputated, so he had these long whiskers. They cut off half of his mustache. And he gets brought into court, and these are, well, here's where it was. This is the old courthouse. I don't know if you recognize it. from the 1890s. This is the courthouse that they used during that time. That's the entrance. These are the people that were charged. These were the witnesses. And on the day of the trial, the most important witness didn't show up, William C. Crump. So he doesn't show up, but eventually he comes into the courtroom And here's Hugh C. McFarland, if you've never seen him. And you can read this later, but he talks about, he basically defends them and discredits William C. Crumb. He tells the jury and everybody that he's not credible. He hired a black man. You guys don't want your mail delivered by a black man, do you? So he actually wins this case. It doesn't move forward. And that is the end of my story. If you want to read the whole thing, there's the QR code. Thank you.

Thank you as always, Ashley. Okay, Michael Randolph, are you online?

Good morning. My name is Michael Randolph. Today I'm here wearing a different hat. as the CEO for the Center for Nonprofit and Community Development. Today I want to discuss the growing crisis affecting nonprofits across Tampa, Florida, and our nation. Community-based nonprofits provide violence prevention, youth mentoring, workforce development, affordable housing, mental health, and economic opportunity. Many are under unprecedented financial pressure. Since early 2025, nonprofits have faced federal funding freezes, grant cancellation, and increase in competition for limited resources. National research indicates that 60 to 80% of nonprofits relying on government funds are struggling financially. If those funds are reduced, then they're in trouble. While nearly two-thirds of nonprofit leaders are concerned about their financial sustainability. The reality is simple. Our funding model must evolve. For decades, nonprofits have depended primarily on grants and donations. These resources remain important, but grant funding alone is not enough. If grant determines whether your organization survives, then your mission is vulnerable. The non-profits that will succeed will be those that diversify their revenue with social enterprise and income programs, consulting, workforce training, fee for services, and other mission driven business that generate sustainable income by advancing their mission. We must also embrace technology, leadership development, data, and artificial intelligence to improve fundraising, operation, communication, and program delivery. At the Center for Non-Property and Community Development, we believe that the friendship belongs to community impact enterprise, organizations that combine mission with financial sustainability. Let's stop asking, where's the next grant, and start asking, how do we build organizations that transform lives for the next 25 years? Join us online as we explore practical strategies that help small nonprofit survive, diversify, and increase their revenue, and use AI to help. Please contact us at the Center for Nonprofit and Community at gmail.com. That is the Center for Nonprofit and Community at gmail.com. Thank you.

Thank you, Michael. Have a beautiful day, and I hope you're on the road to recovery.

Thank you.

Take care. Okay, that concludes our public comment for the day. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. We are moving on to board appointments and administrative appointments. Oh, it's time certain at 11. Oh, so I missed that part. Sorry about that. Okay. Very good. Let's move on to the consent agenda. Louis Vieira, chair of our Public Safety Committee, items 11 through 36. I'm sorry, 11 through 13. Sorry about that. Let's just move them all at the same time. So we have a motion from Councilman Vieira, second from Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Thank you. Neighborhood Community Affairs Committee, 14 through 18.

I move items 14 through 18. Second.

We have a motion from Councilman Young, second from Councilman Veer. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Infrastructure Committee is 19 through 22. I move items 19 through 22. Okay. We have a motion from Councilman Maniscalco, second from Councilman Miranda. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Did you say something? Oh, I do hear an echo. It's weird. Odd. Council Member Beard, maybe turn that microphone on. Or maybe yell. Turn them off. I don't know. Okay, we are down to the Development and Economic Opportunity Committee, 25 through 31. Council Member Carlson. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. Obviously, we didn't tell that. Council Member Randall, items 23 through 24.

Move items 23 and 24.

We have a motion from Council Member Randall, second from Council Member Scott. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Now, Council Member Carlson, 25 through 31. He's getting a brief.

Yeah, on the advice of Marty, I'm going to abstain from 25. My company doesn't work in any way on this topic, but we have a client that's tangentially related, and so I'm going to recuse myself. So I'll sit here and not vote on that, but I'll move 26 through 31.

Okay, I have a motion to move items 26 through 31 from Councilman Carlson, a second from Councilman Vieira. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Item number 25. Can I get to Councilman Young?

I move item 25.

Thank you. A motion from Councilwoman Young, second from Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? With Councilman Carlson. Motion carried.

Councilman Maniscalco.

Thank you. Thank you. Mobility. Councilwoman Hurtado.

Yes, I know that we're doing a separate vote for items 32 and 33. Yes. And I have sat on the TPO since I have joined council. And the reconstructing, the RIA grant, the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator, we were given a million dollars by the federal government. It came to the city of Tampa. But because it's regional, we actually gave it to the...

Tampa Bay Chamber for the administration of it.

I'm sorry, the partnership, the Tampa Bay partnership so that we so that it wouldn't seem that like we were the ones leading it. We were trying to create. Would you like to speak on it quickly?

I will. Adam Purcell, Transportation Services Director. City of Tampa. I'm also the project manager for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Program. We received $1.75 million in federal funding for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Program. There was an interest to not have it singly focused on the City of Tampa because we understand that many of the systems that feed the City of Tampa are in fact regional systems. So we wanted a regional voice at the table to help lead the discussion. We brought in the Tampa Bay Partnership for a component of that discussion. They received $200,000 in funding from the city to support kind of the regional engagement effort. So there was a $1.75 million grant that went to HNTB for the regional infrastructure accelerator. There was an additional $200,000 that went to the Tampa Bay Partnership to help support the regional engagement. What's on the agenda today is a related effort called the Innovative Finance and Concessions Grant, which is a related subset of the scope of the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator. So the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator looks at kind of the existing programs and funding opportunities that we have to advance our transportation funding in our projects. The Innovative Finance and Concessions Grant is intended to look at city assets and how those assets can be leveraged to generate revenue to support the development of transportation system.

But basically, the point is this is not our money. This is federal money, and we are acting as a pass-through.

So we've accepted the grant as the city. We are using consultant services to support the grant activity so that the Tampa Bay Park.

But this is not city money.

Correct. This is federal dollars.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Mr. Chairman, we've had such a long conversation about me pulling these. Yeah, I have I have a couple concerns and this is no relation to you And if you're new with the city and then everybody has faith in you I don't the public and I don't trust this administration to provide transparency Also, the the Tampa partnership is a membership only organization. You have to Pay like $50,000 and be approved and if you're blacklisted, you don't you don't get a seat at the table. It's not collaborative Inclusive organization that has the ability to really build regional cooperation. But this administration has not been transparent on this project and they don't, it appears that they don't intend to be. If the administration would like to come present to council, which means presenting to the public and fully disclose everything that's going on with this, then I'll support it. But I'm gonna vote against every single thing related to this until the administration agrees to be transparent about this. What appears to be happening is they're going to put together some deal and drop it on us at the last minute. And I and the public object to that. Secondarily, the consultant that's being put in here, allegedly one of the senior managers of the city in mobility who left, has a senior level position in this organization and maybe one other is about to join that organization, I have concerns about conflicts of interest that need to be addressed as well. So I'm just going to vote no on both of these. And if the administration would like to explain whether there are conflicts of interest in the future, I'm not asking you to do it now. And if they'd like to fully explain what's going on and where they intend to go with this, then I may support it in the future. Thank you.

Councilwoman Hurtek, would you move items 34 through 36?

Well, I'm going to move items 32 and 33, and I will suggest that anyone who has real interest in this continue to go to the Transportation Planning Organization meetings where we talk about this at length.

Okay. I have a motion.

And should I just say I was on the TPO and I watched the meetings and the information there is not sufficient for the public. The mayor's office needs to come clean on this and describe what their future is because they keep making claims to the public about what they intend to do. But there's no backup on it, just like there's not backup on a lot of issues. Okay.

Okay. Thank you. Okay. We have a motion from Councilman Hertech and a second from Councilman Maniscalco to move items 32 and 33. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay. Aye.

Motion carried with Carlson voting no. I move items 34 through 36.

I have a motion from Councilman Hurtek, a second from Councilman Maniscalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. And we are not at 10.30 yet. We are moving way too fast. Yeah. No, we can't at the public hearings. Yeah. Okay, let's go.

39 and 40.

Oh, it's not, okay. Okay, so item number 39. What is that? Skip 39 and go to 40, okay. Item number 40.

So we're at the administration update here. I don't have mine at 40. 40, this is mine.

Council Member Vieira. Is there staff in the audience to present 40? I'm here for 39.

We can't do 39. Is 39 a public hearing? It is a public hearing. But 40 is not, okay.

Is there any staff here on 40? I don't think there is. I move an ordinance of the city of Tampa Florida requiring City Council to be provided notice of any changes to the executive order setting standards for triennial updates to

Keep going. Just keep going. Yes, sir. Keep going.

Yes, ma'am. Sir. Sorry. I woke up at 2 a.m. this morning, so I'm very slow. Couldn't go back to sleep. Triennial updates of the respective public safety master plans of the Tampa Police Department and Tampa Fire Rescue repealing ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict or with providing for severability, providing an effective date.

I have a motion from Councilman Vera, second from Councilman Matuskako. Yes, sir. Do you have anything to add to that?

Nope, Carl Brody from Legal.

If you have any questions, I'm here for you. You just did not expect this level of efficiency to get to this. This is a first. Okay, we have a motion. I have a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Very good.

Motion carried unanimously. Second reading and adoption will be held on August 27, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. in City Council Chambers, 315 East Kennedy Boulevard, 3rd floor, Tampa, Florida, 33602.

Mr. Shelby, would that have been required? That was not a public hearing. No, it was not. It was a first reading. Okay, very good.

Our council rules say that we allow public comment.

There was a motion for that. If you wish to ask if there's anybody who wants to speak to that specifically.

You don't have to reconsider. I'm saying based on their public comment.

If you have to.

Was there anybody in the audience that wanted to speak to item 40? Hearing none, for the record, thank you very much. Okay, how about the administrative update? Can we get to the administrative update?

Are there any that can be taken?

Is anybody here for the minute? Nobody from the administrative? What about the K-bar? I thought that was coming through.

Yeah. And may I, Mr. Chair? Yes, sir. Thank you very much, sir. And thank you, Brandon, for all your work in this. And so I'm bringing this and I'm going to continue to bring this because this is something that's going to reduce response times in parts of New Tampa by 40%. We're going to keep on hearing. And so we get a conclusion of it. But if I recall, the issue I brought this back on was to see if something could be set right now or in the near, near, near immediate future for TFR and TPD potentially to be able to go through right now as opposed to the public, so.

Yes, good morning, Council. Brandon Campbell, Mobility Director. On the K-Bar Ranch Parkway extension over to Morris Bridge Road, of course, we've talked about this a couple of times over the last month or so. Most recently last week when Mr. Pargov, the the engineer of record on that project called in and spoke to you about the potential for even possibly opening up that connection for emergency response before it's open to the public. Again, just the caveat being that not being a city project, our level of control over everything that goes on there is somewhat limited. But we are working with the contractor and the developer on the utilities acceptance testing that precedes their final grading and paving of that roadway segment. This week, I know it's been just a week since we were in here talking about it, this week it's been fairly rainy. I think that's hindered some of that utilities acceptance testing. But in meeting with the project team, our contract administration department reported back to us yesterday that they're still on target to get the roadway open probably by September 15th. And so there's some intervening steps between now and then that may or may not allow for early access by emergency services. We'll continue to try to work with them to understand if and when that would be possible. But the update that I have from them so far as of today is they're still shooting for September 15th for it all to be ready and taken over by the city.

Great.

Thank you, ma'am.

Mr. Chair, briefly.

Thank you very much. Sure. And thank you, Brandon for that. And I'm going to be having a community meeting out in Easton Park. So this would be accessing Easton Park to get into K Bar Ranch because there are some concerns there about increased traffic and different things like that. So I am going to be having a a written report on something involving that but i will be getting with your department to potentially have somebody there or at least have some notes that i can read from to update on what the city is going to do hey not to not to put you on the spot but is there anything the city is going to do in terms of improvements uh that that for that uh concern

Uh, I'm for the concern of access on Easton park. Yes, sir.

In other words, increased traffic, not necessarily by first responders, but just increased traffic coming from Morrisburg road through the Easton park neighborhood.

So if you're, if you can't answer it, cuz I put you on the spot, how about, how about you guys deal with that offline? So you give him time. Yeah. And so he can brief you for your meeting.

Yes, sir. So, so that's gonna be on the 18th. So I will get back with you, but again, council, I continue to push this cuz this is a very important issue for us. And Brandon, thank you, sir.

And we can make sure that someone from the department is able to. I appreciate that.

Thank you, sir.

And for council, since Brandon is still standing there, can I get a, without objection, move to item 44, which would require Brandon on the alley?

Sure, yeah.

Is there no objection?

On item 44, of course, we submitted a memo just talking about some of our touch points on alleyways. My team actually met internally with Development and Growth Management, I know Adam's here, he may be able to provide additional details on that, to talk about what this strategic approach should be to clarifying what constitutes an open and used alley, and then to go from there on what needs to be done to, like, preliminary, excuse me, I'm tripping over my words, to preliminarily assess the existing alleyways so that if a developer comes in and wants to develop on a parcel, they know exactly what the expectations are with respect to alleys. So the CRA recently did a similar study in West Tampa. Of course, that's where the West Tampa overlay is. requirements are a little bit more stringent with regard to accessing alleys in that overlay. That was about a $250,000 effort. It becomes very complicated very quickly, so we still have some additional steps to explore what we need to do to provide clarity for developers and truly everyone else on what the expectations are. obviously can be used for multiple things. Sometimes they're just for utilities. Sometimes they're for transportation access. Sometimes they are used for solid waste. So those layered needs and layered opportunities sort of come together in a way that makes it, again, a little bit more complicated for us to bring order to the various needs and various areas throughout the city. So I don't know if, Adam, if you wanted to add to that or if you all had any additional questions. We have met recently. We're continuing to better define the effort.

MR. Right. No, I think Brandon did a really good job of recapping. Sorry, what's your name? MR. Adam Purcell, Transportation Service Director. We have met once with mobility staff, once with a larger team, with city planning, with code enforcement, with land development. We started to, again, to parse out the many needs related to alleyways and the many implications of changing standards or defining standards. So working through that process, we we've got the two motions the first is to kind of set that quantifiable definable standard for for vehicular access and that's what our primary focus is on now we're also working with that team i met with them yesterday afternoon for an hour we had a productive meeting but then to define the scope of a city-wide study for alleyways and start to put a a cost to that effort. I think the West River effort is probably a good indicator of kind of where we're headed, that it would be a seven-figure type of study citywide to define how we utilize our alleyways. It's in progress. I think we had the foresight when the motions were made to provide a status update because we knew we were beginning to poke at a very complex issue that has been a complex issue in this city for many decades. So we're in the process. We're doing the staff work now and are working hard to get an answer. So this is my motion.

So I'm going to ask a quick question, then I'll go to Councilman Hartek, and then I'll go to Councilman Miranda. Is there anything... Is the direction from council clear enough? Do you need further direction? What else do you need from this council so that we can try to do it in a more expeditious manner?

So I think at this point the direction from council is clear enough. We're happy to set up any briefings as needed if you want. more in-depth discussion on an individual basis, though. And made progress reports. Yes. Councilwoman Hurtado.

Well, we only did part of West Tampa, only the part in the CRA. And so Development and Growth Management put in their budget money to finish the study for West Tampa. From my understanding, that did not make it into this budget, correct?

I'm not aware of what's in the proposed budget for development and growth management. Of course, that's an ongoing discussion between all involved parties and the budget-making process is ongoing.

Well, I'm going to ask you to find the answer to that by Monday because that's our mobility and stormwater budget meeting. And for me, it's incredibly important that this study be a part of the next budget because talking about biting off small portions where if we if we can actually get west tampa done it will give us a guide to go forward doesn't mean that we're not we don't need to still keep thinking about the whole city but it would be great just to get one portion of the city done since we've only done the cra portion the city needs to to pony up for the rest and we just need to get it done so i that's going to be something i want to see in this 27 budget So anything on that would be great, but that will give us a really good head start. I have looked and read through the CRA's alley study. It's great. It's very clear. So I really want to see us go forward. This is a really monumental study. You are not incorrect, but the city, we really need to talk about how we're using our alleys. That's been something that I've been on since before I got on council because Seminole Heights is very protective of its alleys.

We'll look a little bit more deeply into the development and growth management budget. I do believe that Jerry Lopez may be on. She mentioned that she would be joining as a panelist. I don't mean to put her on the spot. She may be able to answer that question here and now and not wait until Monday. Our screen just went white.

Maybe Tech is trying to get there. Oh, there she is. Thank you. You didn't even have to mention her name three times.

It's magic. Good morning, Council. Jerry Lopez, Deputy Administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity. This is an item that our city planning department has been pleading with the CRA funding. We did request for additional funding to complete that alleyway study as part of the city planning budget. As Council Member Hurtak mentioned, it is not currently in the budget, but I will discuss with Revenue and Finance to see if we can get you an answer for the Monday work session.

Thank you, and I it would be great if you could get a number attached to that so that that's something that we can try to look for the money necessary Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you councilman her check for bringing that clarity and that information Councilman Miranda Thank You Mr. Chairman, you know in West Tampa the very size alleys and with some are 5 feet 8 feet 10 feet 12 feet So the ones that I'm talking about mostly I don't believe are in the CRA there north of Columbus Drive on McDeal Avenue, you go all the way north to St. Joseph Hospital, and you'll find that these alleys were closed, but nobody knows about it. I can give you one that I know of, that there was a house there with a chain link fence, boring two sides with a house, all houses on this side. On the other side, there was vacant land, and that land was sold, and the individuals who bought it built two houses. That was an eight-foot gap because there's another fence that they put up. And just for the heck of it, I looked it up, and it says alley between the two fences. So now I assume that's a silly alley. I'm not knowing that it is. But it's got to be somebody's alley. It ain't one to the north or the one to the south. And there's about three or four trees there that are grown in the city property that look like they're going to fall. The alleys are different. And my suggestion is for the ones that are small, Talk to the neighborhood, have a meeting with them, do whatever you do, and close them because nobody can use that. And if you have an alley that's gonna be used, who's gonna be responsible for the future paving of those alleys? The property owners or the city? I just want that answer way ahead of time before we start doing anything else because I think that's the only logical thing to do. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Councilman Miranda. Okay, thank you. May I? Councilman Carlson.

Thank you. So just, I agree with things my colleague said. Just an overlay, 10 or more years before I got in council, I was, I started my neighborhood advocacy in Hyde Park, fighting to protect neighborhoods and, sorry, fighting to protect neighborhoods, but also alleys. And in South Tampa, in Hyde Park, if somebody tries to touch an alley and do not maintain it, we'll have 200 people here. And as... council member Miranda always says we need to treat the whole city and for too long alleys and other parts of the city have been falling apart and we have folks come here begging us to vacate alleys because they're a hazard because people throw trash in them or sometimes people live in them or whatever and it shouldn't be that way the The design of the neighborhoods was intentional when they were built. And the neighborhoods, for the most part, want to keep their alleys. They want them to be maintained. They want them to be accessible. And I think we need to do everything we can throughout the city to maintain the alleys, to protect and maintain the alleys that we have. As people are looking ahead in the future in urban planning, most folks, most planners want us to maintain the alleys as well. there's a big project where somebody's buying the entire block and they want to vacate it so they can build on the whole thing you know maybe but but what's happening is that people are asking us to vacate just because there's garbage and trees growing in them and that's not acceptable so thank you all for your help in trying to repair the alleys it's a really important infrastructure thing for neighborhoods thank you can you give me a test one two three we're trying to see yeah i'm hearing that my mic is not working that well one two three four

No, we're hearing a lot of echo, like really tiny echo.

We just turned his mic off to see if that was part of it. It's not, so it's still echoing. Yeah, I hear that somebody texted me and said my mic is low, and so I don't know.

So for CTTV after this meeting, maybe you could diagnose. I could shout into it if you want. No, it's not that. There's an echo to it. It's a ringy echo to it, yeah. Okay, very good. Anything else? Okay, thank you. Can I get a motion to receive and file the staff reports for 44 and 46? I have a motion from Councilman Miranda, second from Councilman Maniscalco, second from Councilman Miranda. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. And we are at 10.30. Can I get a motion to open the 10.30 public hearings? I have a motion from Councilman Maniscalco, second from Councilman Miranda, open the 10.30 public hearings. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. And here we are. Item number 37.

Good morning, Council. Emma Gregory, Legal Department. I'm here for item 37, which is the public hearing for the adoption of the resolution approving the city's non-ad valorem stormwater service assessment role. This assessment funds the operation maintenance for the city's stormwater system. The resolution setting the public hearing was adopted on July 16, and we sent mailed and published notice in accordance with our code and state law. As you may recall, this assessment was originally adopted in 2003. The service assessment rate this year is $82 per ESU, which is the equivalent stormwater unit, and has remained the same since 2015. There is no change to the assessment rate this year. The city did not receive any written objections. And, you know, as with all non-advalorum hearings, the vote on the resolution adopting the role has to take place during the hearing. Of course, that would be after public comment. And I'm here, and Brandon Campbell, Mobility Director, is here if you have any questions.

Any questions?

I think the public will weigh in also, but as members of the public have gone through and done analysis on how this money was spent over the last few years, they disagree with the way it was spent and they want to make sure that we have real tight controls over how the administration can approve it. And so the community will be saying this, but they want us to have a more robust conversation and narrowly define the projects or processes that can be paid for in this so that it's not wasted on frivolous projects.

I have a question.

I have a question. So I want to make sure that I truly understand and I know I should have probably dealt with this ahead of the meeting so I apologize for that. Voting on these stormwater issues today, Does that bind us in any way on the South Howard flood project? No. It doesn't obligate any further expenditures. It doesn't obligate any further nothing.

So item 37, and I mean, we can certainly talk about this during item 38, which is the capital improvement assessment, but this is simply the service assessment. This funds operation and maintenance of the stormwater system.

Okay, very good. Can I just elaborate a little bit? I mean, after Milton and Helene hit, We have many, many videos from throughout the city that show that no maintenance was done at all, even though there were promises when this was raised in 2016 or whatever. We have videos of promises made that maintenance would be done, but there were trees growing out of places that they shouldn't have been, which shows that maintenance had not been done for decades. And although this administration and protecting the last administration disagrees, we've got video evidence of it, And the public wants to know how the money was spent. We discovered that a big portion of it was spent on parades, which the public feels is inappropriate. But what I would, if we have to vote on this today, I'm gonna vote no, because I think we need tighter controls of it. The entire city should not be flooding in a storm like it did this past weekend after 20 years of funding something like this. There should have been more maintenance and more prevention. The amount of flooding that's happening is completely unacceptable. And so what I would rather do is continue this for a week or two and then have a hearing where the administration is able to tightly define how they plan on spending the money. We can go through that and then we get legal to help us put tight controls on them so they can't spend it on parades or whatever other frivolous projects they want to spend it on. Thank you. Thank you.

Hold on a second. We'll hear from Councilman Karatek and then I'll get back to you. Councilman Karatek.

You know, I'm not opposed to anything, but I realize this is a necessity in a way, so maybe we could pass this with a caveat that the administration comes back with a plan of where they're going to spend the money for stormwater where it's needed without anything other than stormwater. It cannot be used for any other thing other than for what it says it's about. And maybe we can write it that way. I'm not sure you can, but the attorneys here, maybe we can ask them to do that.

so that's pretty much what i'm expecting to see on monday because that's our stormwater budget hearing so i'm a little um for so for folks who are concerned about this i don't see a reason we couldn't wait until after we hear about what the budget is planned for for stormwater next monday um is there any is there any issue with waiting until after we hear about the stormwater press from the stormwater presentation for the fy27 budget

In order to get on the tax collector's role, we have to adopt and send them the role by September 15.

We have two regular meetings.

And so my question, though, is so it sounds like we'll have plenty of time, if we want to dissect this on Monday to bring it back at the very next council meeting.

What I will say is that when the city levies a special assessment, that money comes in with strings attached. It can only be spent for the purpose it was levied. So this service assessment can only be spent for maintenance to the city's stormwater system. And in fact, the general fund supplements

The stormwater budget at least you know as far to my knowledge and and that's appreciated but again I from this day as we have had a concern about the money being spent for salaries or the money being spent Not necessarily through this but but on parades and just being able to show the exact clarity about where the money's coming from. And so that's the concern that the public has. So we're here as stewards of the public. So I honestly think that that would probably be our safest bet. Obviously we're gonna listen to the public comment today, but I think Monday's workshop of very clear budgeting and showing line for line what we're gonna spend this on would be beneficial to the concerns that people have.

anybody else on a first round or i'm going to move to second round councilman carlson for second round

Yeah, just after public comment, I would like to make a motion to continue 37 and 38 to next Thursday. And if not, then the next one. It sounds like we would have plenty of time, but it would give us a chance to go through it. The other thing, in addition to the discussion about budget on Monday, I really would like legal to weigh in as to how we can put tighter controls on the administration so the money is not spent for things like parades. Thank you.

Well, I mean, I think clearly staff has just indicated that the money is tied. And I don't know if there was an allegation that money is spent on the parade. That was staff. But staff, as she said, that the budget is supplemented by general fund money, which pays for it. So this money we're talking about, the assessment, is legally bound by the uh you know what the definitive roles that that assessment was levied on um but i think so there's two different issues here there's there's city staff and what how city staff is paid and the assessment is only paying for what is legally allowed as well

I'll let the members of the public do the research weigh in on that. But the reality is that until city council started and the public started complaining after the storms, the city was not doing sufficient maintenance. And right now we're doing catch up and there's a lot of hard work being done. But we have at least 10 or 15 years of neglect. If a 30-year-old cherry is growing out of a culvert, that shows that nobody's looked at it in probably 40 or 50 years. And so why was there flooding throughout the city for a regular rainstorm this past weekend? There's lots of excuses we can use, but maintenance is a big part of it, and we need to get more aggressive about it and catch up. Councilman Miranda then council owner.

I heard our city account the city attorney Specifically speak that this cannot be used for anything else other than what it's on this three word stormwater Service assessment fee for that particular item only my correct what you said? Yes Therefore if there was money spent from this stormwater division, it could have been from stormwater division or other monies but not from this I Now that's a question you have to think and think about. I don't know if it was spent that way or not. I'm not accusing anyone of anything until I see the facts. So if anybody has the facts on that, let me see them, including the administration of Ulysses. Okay, Councilwoman Herjit.

So that's kind of the point of Monday's budget hearing, that we can talk about that. So that's why. I mean, yes, it is clear that we're supposed to spend the money on specific things. And again, I think for the public, I think for just the concern folks have, waiting until we actually discuss this and talk about it at the budget was probably a better way to bring this forward. I think if we had waited until the August 27th, agenda, we may not be in this space, but if we did, then I'm glad we did it now, so we're gonna hear from the public, we're gonna hear their concerns, and hopefully, I mean obviously we've gotten a lot of email on this, but if folks could, People from the administration can just jot these notes down so we make sure we answer these questions on Monday. I think that will help everyone and be able to get us to approve this with the specificity it requires. I mean, no one is saying this money does not need to be here and be spent. We just want to very clearly know what it's being spent on. And I think that's a very reasonable request for the public.

um but thank you for bringing this to for us today and you know let's just all write some notes and make sure that monday we get these answers all right i'll just i'll close that out and say that 37 37 is really a yes or no vote if we're going to continue with stormwater service assessment fee and i can't imagine in the situation that we're in right now with climate change and the issues we're having with stormwater that this city would even consider not continuing with the stormwater assessment fee. I mean, it's such a critical element of our strategy of mitigating the flooding, both fresh water flooding and sea level rise. So 37 is that. But I do understand the communication aspect. So if we continue this today, this is not, I don't think that there's anybody in this diocese that's gonna say that we shouldn't be continuing with the stormwater assessment fee. or maybe there is, I don't know. I'm assuming there's not. But I think it's just a matter of information transfer from the city to the community so they understand what this really, and I know it's, because sometimes it's complicated, especially with some of the information that's out there because of the issues we just discussed. But I mean, this is just about whether we're gonna continue with the stormwater assessment fee. Killing this would mean we would no longer be collecting that, which would put us way behind.

Yeah, eventually, I'm going to vote for this. But if they make us vote today, I'm going to vote no. And that's fine, because I want to hold them accountable to the money. clearly states that the mayor has control over all the administration and we have control over the budget. We've gotten tons of complaints about flooding, including this past weekend, but most of it is because of lack of maintenance. Not because the teams haven't been working hard the last year, it's because nobody did anything really for 10 years prior to that. And yes, administration, go ahead and send another nasty email to us about that. What we need to do is the administration needs to stop playing politics and protect our people by preventing flooding. And as soon as we approve this, they can do whatever they want. And so the only power we have to try to hold them accountable as representatives of the public is to hold this for a couple of weeks and try to require them to show that they're going to be accountable and then hold them to it. Remember, a couple of years ago, we voted to create a fire station in a way in a place that we desperately needed one. And the administration just decided they weren't going to build it and they didn't tell us and they moved the money and didn't tell us. And the next year they just said we didn't build it. And this is how this administration dismisses city council and the public. And so we have to use whatever limited powers we have to try to hold them accountable to get results because it's not the flooding in this city is not acceptable thing.

Councilman Moran and then we're going to close.

Let me make a motion that we asked the administration to give us a rundown of the money from last year's stormwater service where we spent and bring it on Monday. I mean, I got to clear the air. I'm not one to point fingers. I like facts. I don't want to deal with facts. whether the right or wrong, I don't know, but we have to get to the bottom of this. We're a city united, not divided, and I'm getting a little frustrated. I'm going to start growing my hair back if this continues.

Okay, I have a motion from Councilman Miranda to request that the city provide a detailed analysis of where money from stormwater assessment fee has been paid. Is it a time frame that you're referring to? It might be possible. No, what I'm saying about from the...

It's going to have to be 2025, because we don't, we can't.

We're in the middle of 2020. For 2025, is, okay, we got that? Yep. A motion from council.

Really, may I comment on the conclusion?

Well, hold on, because I think, did you want to say anything support?

I wanted to clarify the dates because there's really not. I mean, other than we do get stormwater quarterly updates, so we could probably bring the first couple of quarterly updates. Mr. Campbell is nodding, so it looks like he can provide probably a mid-year, but I don't think we're going to get anything past a mid-year. So the two stormwater updates, actually, I think you have a third quarter as well. You could probably bring us because we are well known. It's still August. It just finished.

Available data 2025 and beyond. Available data.

As much of 2026 as possible. Councilman Christensen.

What we really should do is go back to 2019 or to 2016 when it was increased because we know for sure from all the video evidence and all the testimony by the public engineers who looked at it that there was very little and nothing done from 2019 until Helene and Milton and we know that nothing was done before that because how could you have trees growing out of culverts so the public wants to know what you know since 20 since this was raised in 2016 where did the money go the last year we know that they've been working hard but but now we have years of neglect and the public doesn't know why why the basic maintenance wasn't done

Yeah, but we're talking about a quick turnaround time. That's a very comprehensive report. I don't know if we'd have time to be able to do this. And I want to highlight, so I had heard earlier there seemed to be a sentiment with the staff. This is what I'm hearing. We have a motion and I have a second for staff to have a report at the Monday workshop for all the detailed analysis of where the money has been spent in 25 and whatever reports are available in 26. Okay, that being said, if this item is not passed today, I heard that there was somebody discussed August 27th. August 27th and then the meeting after that are very full meetings. So my expectation would be that this issue would be hashed out on Monday. And if this was continued to 20 to 27th, it would just be a quick, very little discussion up or down vote because these meetings are full. Okay. So the first motion is for staff to return to city council at the workshop meeting this Monday to report that information that we just previously discussed. That was from councilman Miranda and councilman Metta Scalco. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Now I'll entertain a motion to continue this. Hold on. Mr. Shelby.

My suggestion council would be that this is a public hearing. And if there are those people who came today, you're right. You're right. It may affect your number one. It may affect your decision. Number two is they do have an opportunity to speak and raise issues.

Okay. You're right. I'm sorry. So we did pass that motion on the information requested by council for Monday night. That's done. Okay. Now, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I, but that being said, The public should also be aware that your intention is after public comment to continue the item.

Correct. Okay. Okay. So does staff have anything else to add before we go to public comment?

Oh, I would just ask, yeah, that the motion is very clear that we are continuing to August 27th.

Not yet, but we'll do that after public comment.

Oh, yeah, after, at 1030.

Okay. We'll take care of that. If there's any clarification needs at the time, we'll deal with that at that point. Okay. Okay. Very good. Okay. Anybody here in the public that wishes to speak to item 37, 37 only, please stand against the wall. We'll call you up one at a time. Steve Michelini, you're first. Start with your name, please. Steve Michelini. Thank you.

Council, I think it's the right thing to do is to continue this until you know exactly where that money is going, how it's going to be spent, and it should be attached to that resolution for the adoption of the assessment. There have been too many cases where the money goes into the big umbrella of stormwater and it gets shifted around. There is a great concern that some of this, if not all of it, a majority of it, could be shifted to a single project as opposed to addressing flooding issues that occur throughout the city. There are a number of occasions here, and I've heard, although we'll provide you with documentation, that they're not being completely transparent with you. The staff is not telling you that they have a plan of how they plan to spend that money. They can generate that, and they can generate it quickly. You know, one of the things that we're really concerned about, and I spoke to one of the members of your staff regarding the maintenance, the budget number in the maintenance for this year decreases. over last year. It doesn't increase. It decreases. And so, you know, honestly, most of the money should be going to maintenance immediately. And you all approved, I think it was a councilwoman Her talk insisted on $500,000 for immediate stormwater relief, which is just the beginning. But there is millions in here that needs to be diverted immediately to maintenance. We've shown you pictures. A number of people that are lined up here I've shown you pictures of trees growing in ditches, culverts that are broken, inlets that are obstructed, all kinds of stuff. And by estimates of our own engineers, these are private engineers, not the city engineers, but the city agreed that the obstructions of these inlets have created the flooding problem as recently as last week. Let's get on the maintenance program and stop messing around with this stuff. Salaries is another issue. You know, there was an estimate that a lot of the money was going to salaries. They should be disclosed. How much money is being spent on salaries versus real work crews in the field with real equipment dedicated to stormwater maintenance? They've been borrowing equipment from other departments. Half of the time, according to Pam Cannella, has identified equipment that's been broken down for like six months at a time. So they shifted it and they started leasing equipment so they wouldn't have to worry about broken down equipment. There are a lot of things in here that you all need to be careful of. Please go through with the continuance. Let's talk about this in more detail on Monday and see where it goes from there. I'm not opposed to the stormwater assessment. I don't think any of these people are opposed to the assessment. Simply, where are the allocation of funds? Thank you.

Thank you so very much. Next. Please start with your name. Anybody else coming in who wants to speak on items 30 on item 37 only? This is the maintenance portion. Right. Please line up to the left.

David Philipson, for the record. Last name is spelled P-H-I-L-I-P-S-E-N. As far as your maintenance for flooding, I've seen the flooding firsthand. I mean, it's it's bad. Like yesterday, I'll give you an example. I live in a group home, and the group home has a van. And that van is basically its only mode of transportation for the time being, for now. So my comment is really geared toward if the flood water damages that vehicle, the group home will have to pay for another vehicle. The flooding is bad. I've never seen things in real life that bad except on TV, on the news. You guys need to do something here. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next.

Hey there, James Adair, the neighbor who cares, and this is my issue. A couple of things, just to clarify. We are talking about maintenance. We're not talking about commingling of funds from the improvement fund. It is true that there are restricted uses for this. The way the administration has explained it to me is that parades are paid for out of the extra they get from the general fund. So I believe last year was five million. As long as they didn't spend more than five million on parades, they're in the clear. Next, your resolution about having data as to where this can go. You need to have City Works data pulled and do it year over year. That will help you get a historical understanding of how much progress has been made or the times that things were slow. I wasn't even gonna speak today because I was gonna advocate for doing an audit instead of what this is, but I kind of could dig this if there's a way to pull this off. But having an audit, I sent that email a couple weeks ago, to look for the efficiencies of why we were able to turn such good numbers in for this year through April compared to last year. The department did something. I believe I know what it is, staffing changes, et cetera, and they've had their foot on the gas. So if we were able to do that, how much more money do we need to make this work, right? It will be a really hard task for them to outline exactly what it is that they're going to do with this money. I just don't know how that's going to be feasible, but I'll be interested to see what happens. to think through the pieces that need to be at play in order to say this is what we get for that is going to be a big challenge. I have been advocating for more staff to do the ditch grading and things like that, but this department across the city was also told that no more staff is going to be added. So we're in a freeze. There are some challenges with that, and it's actually costing us money. We don't have enough time for that. At the end of the day, I don't know that holding this will make a difference. But if you can put teeth in now to get some accountability, that's great. But if not later, I would advocate for having an audit. Remember the mayor's list that came through? Add this to that list. And what's vital is the efficiency. All the other numbers and the equipment and how crappy fleet is and getting stuff back, whatever. The leasing is a good thing because then we're not stuck with downed vehicles. So there are people in that department making smart choices, but to really know what we're talking about, you've got to get that year-over-year report. It's vital. It exists. It will not be hard to come up with. Just pray it doesn't go through public records. It'll take you a month. Thank you, guys.

Thank you very much. Next. Reminder that we are talking about just the maintenance portion. Item number 37. Okay.

Y'all are doing a good job. Oh, my name is Pam Cannella. I wasn't prepared to speak today on this. I'm coming Monday, but I just want to say that I think you understand our concerns. Uh, we want this money to go for maintenance actually for cleaning. Cause we are not even on a maintenance mode yet. We're still cleaning. Um, I'm concerned about the flooding. I'm concerned about the contaminations that of our drinking water because The lack of cleaning and the maintenance that we need has pollutants in our retention pond. I keep seeing one retention pond and that's the one, you know, we all know. But all our retention ponds, ditches, they're full of plastics, waste, trash, debris. They're still there. We need to find a way to get it all cleaned. We need to find a way to support our stormwater department. One of my concerns is that the stormwater is under mobility. So I wonder about staff salary, because you have staff that's under mobility, but then stormwater money maintenance is going to them as well, according to what we found out. So I'm concerned about that. Um, I guess that's basically it for today. You're getting the short version. So thank you.

Next speaker, please start with your name.

Valerie Bullock. I'm concerned about the storm water because for so many years they didn't do anything. And when they had the money, where did that money go? What's going to make this year right here different? So questions need to be asked. And it makes me pause when somebody said, got to be done today. No, wait. Don't give them the money, then y'all ask questions later. Ask the questions on Monday and then approve everything. And one other thing that's my biggest fear is everybody was talking about all the money going to the Howard Street project. That is unacceptable. All the stormwater funding can't go to one project. It needs to be equitable across the whole city because it floods everywhere. And the ditches, the retention ponds, all of that do need to be cleaned out. And I've said it before and I'm going to say it again. The people who work on Team Clean in East Tampa, they got heavy equipment, operation skills, so they can do a lateral transfer to stormwater so that we will have people that's trained and that can get to work as soon as possible. But we do need this pass. All the money just can't go on Howard Street Project. Thank you. Thank you, Valerie. Ms. Poynter, start with your name, please.

Stephanie Poynter. I just want to remind everybody that this is Florida State statute, and there's a two-part test for the assessments and how it's spent, and it should be fairly and reasonably apportioned. That means not spending it all in one, putting all our eggs in one basket. That means that the ditches in front of my house gets cleaned just like the ditches in any one of anybody else's house. And this assessment, I think I threw a bomb in front of it about maybe last year or the year before last. And it was funny because I walked upstairs to Morris Massey's office with him and they tried to get Mr. O'Hara on the phone. It must have been the year before last because he was with this big B day and Mr. O'Hara and Mr. Perry refused to answer the questions that Mr. Massey had. I thought he was going to blow a gasket. He was very contained, but he was not happy. So this stormwater funds, if it's all going to one spot, I'll keep my money. Thank you. If it's all going to go to one place, I'll keep my money. Thank you. And yes, this is for maintenance. And here's the thing. Everybody says, oh, the stormwater department work on the parades and the special events that comes out of the general fund. It's not about the money, folks. It's about the time and the effort and the energy. When they're spending five weeks for an entire crew doing something besides stormwater, who's getting left out? I can tell you right now, I put in a stormwater cleanup for for Interbay at Manhattan, which had three feet of water after Milton last year or the year before last. It had three feet of water. All the ditches are full of crap, but it still hasn't been addressed. It still hasn't been addressed. So we've got to stop playing games. And the other thing is, I'm still looking at the payroll sheets because they're in a really crappy form, but Chief Bennett says he's going to get it for us anyway. But last year we found people who were on the stormwater salary sheet that weren't doing stormwater work. Have we verified this for this year? That's a question that everybody needs to ask on Monday. Is stormwater only being spent on stormwater? Because if it's being spent on anything else, then you are denying the citizens of this city their apportionment from this assessment. It's just that simple. This is not Stephanie Poynter's words. This right here is the words of a former city attorney who said this under oath in front of council. So make sure you're following the rules.

Thank you, Ms. Poynter. Michelle? Start with your name, please.

Good morning. My name is Michelle Masher-Totaro. I want to address the maintenance as well. I think it's been 15 years plus that our area has even been looked at or maintained. Our area has no way of the water expelling due to all the erosion from all the hurricanes. And I diligently call stormwater. I write everybody. I've been with Ted Fowler. He can't get nobody on the phone from stormwater. They don't wanna answer their phones. They don't wanna help. I have an excavator for two weeks down the road on my street that's being not utilized and nothing is being done. And we still got this puddles and puddles of water everywhere. I have a sinkhole right in my driveway that my car almost fell into. We really need a lot of help, and maintenance is not being addressed. I mean, what can we do as taxpayers? I don't even have drainages. I work off the gravity system. So that park needs addressing, but nobody wants to address it. George Cox turns around and tells me that he's going to fix it and waiting for SWFMUD to come. SWFMUD tells me they don't even have an application. So what is Stormwater really doing? I don't know if their hands are tied, if they just stopped working, but it needs addressing a lot of issues. My area drew Park. I mean even to even think about South Howard It's deplorable to think about the CIT money going to the Rays and Sarah man We need addressing. I looked at Stephanie's Agenda on the budget if you guys all looked it said from 2023 what happened to 24 25 and 26? Where was all that money? so from 23 all those other years no money was being addressed and nobody was doing anything and I think that we need to start you know getting stormwater to start doing stuff to care and we need to firm up our antics with them and try to get help because they won't answer their phones and people are really in dire need and it's hurricane season and we all got to do this for us, you know, help the neighbors. Thank you.

Thank you, Michelle. Tara, start with your name, please.

Hi, Tara Bluma. I'll try to be quick. Mr. Adair said I believe that they spend $5 million a year on parades. And city staff said, well, but we don't spend this money on parades. If you have a bucket for stormwater and you take $5 million out for parades and then you need $5 million from the assessment to put it back in, you may not be spending this $5 million on parades, but the result is the same. If you have an extra $5 million to spend on parades, then you're either not doing the amount of maintenance that you're supposed to be doing, or us taxpayers would like to keep our $5 million. And you don't need the assessment. It can't work both ways. Since this is about maintenance specifically, Ms. Mastro-Totaro and I live at opposite ends of the same street. We do not have... gutters or anything in the street. Every all the water runs down Prescott and she does constantly, has feet and feet of water in front of her house and we've all put in requests, no maintenance gets done there. And we are paying for the maintenance and we don't have the drainage. So at a minimum, more work should be done to dig ditches or to find other solutions. Because I was told by city staff that Prescott Street itself is our drainage solution. So my house is okay. Her house is not. Finally, I totally agree with everyone else that it is not okay to spend all of this money on the South Howard project. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay. Anybody else in the public wish to speak to this item? Okay. Prior. I need a date, time, specific, and location.

All right. Move to continue item 37. To I will put it under 10 30 a.m. Uh public hearings At 3 15 east kennedy boulevard third floor temple, florida august 27 27. Is it 27? Yeah 27 27.

Yeah, yeah second. Okay. I have a motion councilman of scotland. I have a second councilman carlson Would you like to anything else we need to clarify? Is that good for you?

No, I think that's right. Um I I think um Concerned citizens can also appear by video if they register in time. Okay. But.

Very good. Okay, very good. Thank you. And we'll have this discussion at the workshop meeting on Monday. I have a motion. I have a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Okay. Do you think we should do that now?

Yes.

Okay. We had time sorted on the other stuff. Okay.

Do we intend to continue 38 to the same day as well?

Well, let me ask you this. For efficiency of the schedule, if we have a lot of public comment, I'm going to go ahead and go to the time certain is at 11. Is there anybody in the audience that if we open up 38, they're going to talk to item 38 if we continue this to the 27th? Okay, hearing none, so let's hear item 38.

Motion to continue item, well, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you got to present, aren't you? We're going to continue.

We don't have to, we're going to continue it. Okay, go ahead.

Motion to continue item 38, it goes along with 37. This is the capital improvement project, not the stormwater assessment.

It is the capital improvement project.

assessment role adoption resolution so it is the assessment that goes towards funding the two items that appear on the property tax bill so i'd like to continue item 38 to august 27th under uh 10 30 a.m public hearings to go along with 37 that would previously continue to 315 east kennedy boulevard tampa florida 336 02 third floor and people can register virtually to speak on that as well

Mr. Chairman, if you will, the same conditions regarding presenting a budget should be included in 38.

It's all with 37.

I understand that, but I just, for clarity, it might be useful to make that motion as well.

That would be redundant. We have a motion from Councilman Maniscalco, a second from? Councilman Vieira. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Can I just make one quick comment? Yeah, go ahead.

No, in the, we continue both in prior and prior conversations about, um, about stormwater and in particular certain projects, um, that we have evidence from the public and also public records that the mayor used her, um, uh, political staff and communication staff to scare the public and whip them up to come to meetings, to protest against any things that were city council were doing. Um, my read is that falls under the political prohibition. that the city has under the ethics rules. And if, if I see that the mayor's office is doing that again, the next time I'm going to file an ethics complaint against them. Thank you.

Councilman Carlson. Okay. Very good. Well, that, that item is dispensed with. We are now, we had a time certain at 11 o'clock to open up the board and administrative appointments. We're going to move to item number four and recognize our wonderful clerk of the court, Shirley Fox. Clerk of the clerk of city of the city.

Good morning. This is Shirley Fox knows city clerk. Good morning, Chair and Council.

I'm here regarding the... Hey, Ms. Fox-Knowles, how about we do, because I know people are waiting, and these should just be really quick, five through ten, and then move to four, because that'll take a little bit longer, so we can release those people... Is that okay with you, Ms. Fox? Sure. This is your show. Okay, very good. I have a motion from Councilman Maniscalco to move items five through ten. All those in favor? And a second from Councilman Vieira. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Thank you. So those are done. Now we go on to item number four. And congratulations to everybody.

I am here to present the candidates for the applications for the Natural Resources Advisory Committee. I believe you have... Some individuals will not be attending, but they emailed a statement. I will not read the statement. I believe you have it already. There were three, four people that withdrew their applications. They include Allison Date, Aubrey Keck, Carolyn Lewis and Ruth Pearson. We also received notification a short while ago that Santino Valdez will not be attending. The first person would be that will present to you for about Three minutes, Amanda Vasquez.

And that's a maximum of three minutes. You don't have to take the whole time. Amanda, if you'd start with your name, please.

Okay, yes. Hi, everybody. I'm Amanda Vasquez. Never done anything like this before, so bear with me. I have lived and worked here in Tampa for 25 years. Seeking your support to serve on this natural resource advisory committee and I feel I bring a unique perspective in that I hold a degree in social work and also in sustainability and I have a good understanding of human health and behavior and impacts and how people are impacted by their natural environments. For the past two decades I've worked here in the community as a clinical social worker, various different community mental health, resources, inpatient, outpatient, healthcare, university, and now I work for corporate doing psychiatric assessments. But in studying sustainability, I did my research on food security and sustainability, and particularly food waste within Hillsborough County School Districts, a whole different topic. And I also had the opportunity of working on eight different farms across the country studying sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. Just personally, I love the community. I spend a lot of time volunteering in different environmental activities, cleanups, et cetera. I serve on a corporate sustainability team at my current workplace. And what I think I offer to this committee is just a unique understanding of the benefits of natural resources on human health and wellness and behavior. and how policies and initiatives can impact quality of life for residents. I see the initiatives such as the Tampa urban tree canopy expansion, not just about neighborhood beautification or cleaner air or climate resilience, but also as vital infrastructure for community health and wellness, recreation, stress management, and community pride and social cohesion. so for those reasons I think that I could use my experience and just community engagement and knowing about health and behavior of individuals and I also have some specific training and sustainability so

Thank you, Amanda. Quick question. I'm going to ask all the applicants. Do you currently hold or have you held a city council board position? Never. Thank you. Councilwoman Hurtek.

And I'm going to ask the same. I'm going to ask a question of everyone as well, so you can add it in, too, if you want. But one of the things that we talked about when putting this committee together is that we want to make sure we have someone from every district represented. So I'm just going to ask you, your city council district, that would be either four, five, six, or seven, because... um one through three we represent the entire city um if you happen to know um if you don't know just tell us your neighborhood and we can figure it out for you i don't know but i'm in seminole heights okay so i you're you're probably six so okay very good well thank you so much very nice presentation okay and so i'm assuming we're going to go down this list cecilia bidwell is that right

Sure. If you want, I can, I've got the list in front of me. I can call them up for you. Cecilia, go ahead. Yep. Three minutes.

Uh, good morning. I'm Cecilia Goodwell and, uh, Like the prize speaker, I also live in Seminole Heights. I'm in the Hampton Terrace neighborhood. I've lived in Tampa since 2007. I used to live in South Tampa before moving up to the Heights in 2023. I'm an attorney, and like probably all the applicants today, I am a huge tree lover, and I am... passionate about the Florida environment and natural resources and the role that that can play within the city. When I first moved to Tampa, I was very impressed by the historic tree protections that have always been in place in Tampa, especially with respect to grand trees. And as an attorney, I of course noted that in 2019, the state of Florida passed a statute that made tree removal much easier. And I've seen the impacts of that within the community in my own neighborhood and around the city. That's one of the things that I think if I were on the committee, I could help address by working with the community to understand the value of trees, how they impact heat management, how they impact flooding in a positive way, because I think there's some lack of understanding about those issues. And particularly with the storms in the last few years, there is a lot of, I would say, fear about damage that trees can cause and about the expense associated with that. I know that there are some great programs in place that the city has. I personally have a tree in my yard that I got from the mayor's tree giveaway earlier this year, but I'm not sure that those programs are known as widely in the city as they could be. And I think my skill set as an attorney and my history of advocating for people and identifying issues and communicating with the community would be an asset on the advisory committee. So I would ask you to consider my application. Does anyone have any questions for me?

My question is, do you currently or have you ever held a city board position?

No, I have not.

Thank you very much. Anybody else have any questions? I think she told us I'm in Hampton Terrace, right?

I'm in Hampton Terrace, yes. Okay, thank you so much. Thank you.

Okay, the next speaker I believe will be Christina Arenas. Oh, she's virtual. Do we show her online? Okay, Christina.

Hello, how's everyone doing? Good morning. So I'm a little nervous too, but hello council members. My name is Christina Arenas and I'm a lifelong Tampa resident with deep roots in this community. Public service and environmental stewardship has shaped both my family's life and my life and my own path. My great-grandfather, Charlie Walker, for whom Walker Middle Magnet School is named after, and my great-grandmother, Barbara Hamilton Allen, who donated land to Hillsborough County Schools so that black students in the Park area could attend public school in the area, could receive education instilled in our family, a deep commitment to serving our community. I am incredibly proud of that history, and it has inspired my own dedication to protecting the places and people that make Tampa unique. I hold a master's degree in global sustainability with my concentration in water resource management from the University of South Florida, and I previously served as the environmental program manager for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful. In that role, I led planning environmental initiatives, partnered with local governments and community organizations, and developed programs focused on watershed protection and litter prevention and environmental education. As the founder of Blue Sage Eco-Boutique, I also spent nearly a decade educating our community about sustainable living and the difference in the connection between environmental health and personal well-being. I'm seeking an appointment to the Natural Resources Committee because I care deeply about Tampa's waterways, green spaces, and natural ecosystems, especially as our city continues to grow and to evolve. I believe that sustainable growth requires collaboration through thoughtful planning and a commitment to preserving that natural resources that support our community. If appointed, I would bring not only my background in sustainability and environmental management, but also my experience building partnerships, engaging the community, and finding practical solutions that balance conservation with needs of a growing city. It would be my honor to serve the city that has shaped me to contribute to protecting Tampa's natural resources for future generations. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Christina. Could you tell us what district you live in? And have you ever served on a city of Tampa board?

No, I have not served in the city of Tampa board. And I live in the Temple Park, Temple Terrace era.

District 7 area.

Yes.

OK, OK, very good. OK, so very good District 7. OK, thank you so much. Appreciate your interest. Our next speaker is going to be Ed Austin, followed by Elizabeth Dunn. Ed. Good morning, let's start with your name, please.

Good morning, Council. My name is Ed Austin. I'm a resident and board member for HNCA, the Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association, and I'm from District 5. I believe in the inherent purpose of the Natural Resources Committee because it includes and represents the interests of all stakeholders. I think candid viewpoints can foster balance on committees. Residents have strong feelings about the urban forest and for good reason. Tampa's tree canopy has shrunk significantly. And for neighborhoods, the urban forest provides a multitude of benefits, shade, walkability, removal of pollutants from the air, water, aesthetics, reduction in storm water flows, to speak for a few. This very important and relevant advisory committee provides a voice for neighborhoods and stakeholders. Having lived in Ybor City for nearly a decade, I am passionate about addressing the need for trees and protecting our natural resources. not only in our historic landmark district, but for all city neighborhoods. I have attended several tree workshops hosted by the city and have invited city staff to appear for HINCA meetings or as speakers for trees and sustainability. As an applicant, I can tell you that I believe in volunteering and engaging in meaningful neighborhood initiatives. I don't restrict my participation to meetings. I'm an active advocate for the organization and the community. This includes listening, participating, and finding solutions. I just don't attend meetings. I reach out to the community, bring back feedback, act as a listener, and as a coalition builder. Providing input for local government, I believe, is necessary for contributing to best practices in government. And volunteering, in my view, is participation for the betterment of community. Over the years, I have been involved in a variety of local organizations as a volunteer. That includes the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, a board member, volunteer leader at Metropolitan Ministries, Meals on Wheels, chair of the Hillsborough County CAC Citizens Advisory Committee for Transportation for multiple years, St. Leo University Sport Business Advisory Board. I'm a current member of the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame and current chair of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee for Henca. That includes our Tree Boar City Initiative. My professional career includes both professional sports administration and academia. I'm retired now with more time for volunteerism and community activism. This is a great city, but there are many challenges. So let's move forward with solutions, and the NARAC committee is a needed right step in that direction. Thank you for considering my application, and I have not served on a city board. Thank you, Ed. I appreciate that. Thank you.

Elizabeth Dunn, or does the council have any questions? Elizabeth Dunn, followed by Erin Caitlin. Good morning. Start with your name, please.

Hi. Elizabeth Dunn. I am in District 4. Good morning, council members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all today. My name is, I go by Liz, Liz Dunn, and I'm asking for your consideration to serve on the Natural Resources Advisory Committee. I want to acknowledge that I may not have the same level of direct experience in natural resources or environmental policy as some of the other applicants, but what I may lack in years of formal experience, I make up for in something I believe is equally as important. A lifelong connection to this city, a genuine passion for our natural environment, and a strong commitment to to showing up, learning, and contributing. I was born and raised in South Tampa. I currently live by Gadsden Park, and I have proudly called this city home my entire life. Because of that, I have a personal investment in seeing our city remain beautiful, sustainable, and a place where future generations can thrive. My passion for natural resources and gardening has grown significantly over the years. I am an active member of the Tampa Garden Club, where I've had the opportunity to become even more involved in gardening and horticulture. I have also pursued that interest academically through horticulture courses at the University of Florida. I believe that perspective would allow me to bring something valuable to this committee. I'm not approaching this solely from a technical or professional standpoint. I'm approaching it as a lifelong Tampa resident, a gardener, a community member, and someone who genuinely cares about the future of this city. Professionally, I bring a diverse skill set. My career includes expanding through law firms, financial institutions, hospitality, and I currently work as a senior vice president at Citibank, which is an environment that requires strong organization, governance, and thoughtful decision-making. I have experience working with people from different backgrounds, perspectives, navigating complex issues, managing competing priorities, and working with stakeholders at different levels. And I think these skills translate well to committee service. If appointed, I would take this responsibility seriously. I would come prepared, listen to different viewpoints, ask thoughtful questions, do the work necessary to understand the issues and approach decisions objectively and without a personal agenda. I also recognize that serving on a committee like this is an opportunity to learn and I And I do not expect to, am I done? Okay. And I, um, and I would welcome the opportunity to learn from other committee members, city staff, environmental professionals, and community stakeholders while contributing the perspective that I do have. Ultimately, I do believe that a strong committee benefits from having people with different backgrounds and different reasons for caring about these issues. And I can bring a fresh perspective and a personal maturity. strong organization skills, and most importantly, a genuine love for this city.

Thank you, Liz. And have you served on any city boards or committees? I have not, no. Thank you very much. Thank you. And for those of you, I know there's a lot of people that are not coming with council, there's a timer on the dais. When the yellow light goes on, you still have 30 seconds. When the red light goes on, your time is up. So just so you have information. And for those of you that are staff and council, I was hoping to be able to work through and get without a break for lunch, but based on the amount of public discussion I anticipate, I believe this will be our lot once we finish this issue, we'll be at lunchtime, I think a one hour lunch. and then we'll come back as the amount of public discussion. For staff, we won't be getting to anything else before lunch, plan on coming back after one at one o'clock. Councilman Vera, if you'd like to coordinate, if it's good for you, time's certain for item number 43 at one o'clock, returning back if we get out by 12. So as soon as we come back from lunch, we'll be, okay, very good. So for staff, we won't deal with anything else until after lunch. Okay, very good. Thank you so much for your patience. Erin Galen, followed by Gavin Covey. Good morning, start with your name, please.

Hello, Council. My name is Erin Catlin. I'm a resident of Ridgewood Park in District 5 and an environmental specialist with the Florida Department of Agriculture. Thank you for inviting me here today to present myself as a candidate for the Natural Resources Advisory Committee. Building community resilience in the face of environmental challenges has been my primary goal throughout my education and professional history, and I look forward to continuing that work in this committee. Two weeks ago, I completed my year of service as a member of the City of Tampa's AmeriCorps Green Team Program, working to provide environmental stewardship and education to residents throughout Tampa. That work included planting hundreds of trees in our parks and maintaining them, removing invasive plant species to support native ecosystems and biodiversity, coordinating and facilitating giveaways of distributed trees to our residents, and providing them with education surrounding tree selection and maintenance to ensure the long-term health of our neighborhood canopies. That work allowed me to collaborate across departments within the city, parks and recs, sustainability and resilience, water, solid waste, and more. And working with Green Team also reinforced questions I first explored while earning my environmental studies degree at the University of Central Florida. It's not just about how we expand our urban canopy, but how do we do it in a way that communities actually support? Through my research, I found that people generally understand the benefits of urban trees, cooler air, cooler nature, Cleaner air, cooler neighborhoods, shade, and better stormwater management, but they also have valid concerns. Maintenance costs, hurricane damage, harm to existing infrastructure, leaf litter, and even the fear that new green projects could contribute to gentrification all affect whether someone is willing to support the planting of a new tree in their neighborhood. And that shifted how I think about natural resource planning. Good ideas aren't enough if they don't account for the experiences and priorities of the people they're meant to serve. It's also been a driving force behind my work with the nonprofit citizens climate lobby for almost five years. I've worked with them to help people engage in environmental policy. I've organized trainings, mentored volunteers, and help people effectively advocate for issues they care about. I've also worked directly with elected officials, helping bring community voices into conversations about environmental solutions, especially for people who may not have the opportunity to advocate for themselves more than anything that experience has taught me how important it is to listen first. Some of the best solutions come from people who live with these issues every day. And I've learned how to bring those perspectives into conversations that lead to better decisions. Between my work with the city's green team, my education, and my experience with Citizens Climate Lobby, I've had the opportunity to see environmental and natural resource issues from several different perspectives. And I would be honored to continue contributing to Tampa's resilience as a member of this committee. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Have you served on any citizen boards? No, I have not. Okay, very good. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay. Gavin Covey followed by Jean Perdon. Gavin, are you in the audience? Seeing none. Gavin Covey? You're supposed to be in person. Okay, so you're seeing that Gavin is not present. Jean?

Good morning, members of City Council, fellow attendees. My name is Jeanne Prudhomme. I'm from District 4, and I would like to thank the Committee for the opportunity to present my candidacy for the position of Neighborhood Representative on the National Resources Advisory Committee. People often ask me where I'm from. Depending on my situation, my answer is from everywhere and nowhere in particular. This international journey explains my accent, but more importantly, it has shaped how I feel and how I view environmental challenges and the world around me. I was born in the Caribbean, educated in England, and I attained a double major in anthropology and environmental studies from the University of Toronto. I've lived and worked in Trinidad, the UK, the UAE, and Canada before making Tampa my home about 10 years ago, and I settled in South Tampa with my husband. Like many people during the pandemic, I turned to online learning, completing coursework in urban nature, global environmental management, and sustainable cities through Coursera, just to stay on top of emerging issues. Wherever I've called home, I've endeavored to transfer environmental passion into grassroots action. I've done quite a bit of community outreach, serving for several years as a founding member for a grassroots nonprofit called Green 13, and this was in Toronto. I was also interning as a community coordinator, where we facilitate the implementation and programming of a municipal carbon challenge initiative, and this was for a provincial candidate. I've also performed outreach and marketing for another nonprofit called For Our Grandchildren. I've served on also my condominium waste diversion initiative committee, and I've also volunteered with local councilwomen during local elections. This was in Toronto as well. But here in Tampa, I'm honored to serve the Bayshore Beautiful Neighborhood Association, primarily as the Committee Chair for Environment and Sustainability, and then now as Vice President, current, for these two years. In the BBNA, we also partnered in 2023 with the Mayor's Free Tree Giveaway, and we only could house about, I think, 70 trees on our properties, and we had so many more applicants that we could not fulfill the demand because of all the demand for the trees. So I want to serve on the Natural Resources Advisory Committee because I believe in transparent local governance, open communication, and direct community engagement and partnerships. Because I've lived and worked in different countries, I've lived in large cities, small towns, and I can say that Tampa's growth and resource challenges are not unique. Any medium or large city experiencing rapid expansion that we have faces immense pressure on its natural resources. I believe that environmental issues do not exist in silos. We have to protect our natural resources. It's not just about budget. It's about achieving something lasting with the resources we already have. And I believe with collaboration, open dialogue, and creative partnerships, we can bring this issue to the board. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Have you served on any of the city boards?

I have not. Okay, very good. Thank you so much. And the next speaker is online, Jennifer Armstrong. Jennifer, start with your name.

Okay.

hi guys i am jennifer armstrong i'm in semel heights i have not served on any boards um i have lived and worked in sunny of tampa for the past 26 years i'm a current resident and business owner in semel heights and an active member of both the northeast semel heights neighborhood association and the current vice president of the old semel heights neighborhood association along with an active member of the USF Botanical Gardens. Throughout my time in Tampa, the city's natural resources urban plan has been a recurring part of my personal and professional life. I've experienced it from multiple perspectives, both as a resident and a business owner, a steward of natural resources and a beneficiary of the programs. Over the years, I have found that the rules governing the natural resources program have often lacked clarity, making it difficult for residents to understand the challenge and challenging of the city administrator and enforced consistently if tampas can continue growing successfully while protecting its natural resources greater clarity and transparency is essential because i have first-hand experience of this program from every angle i believe it can provide a practical perspective that will help improve the program making it more accessible understandable and effective for both the city and the residents it serves thank you thank you jennifer appreciate it have you served any of the board city boards before no i have not okay very good thank you so much

Next speaker, Joel Cleveland. Are you in the audience, Joel? And it's being followed by Julia Martin. Oh, not attending. Disregard that one. Laura Lawson will be next.

Good morning. My name is Joel Cleveland. I live in the Bayshore beautiful community. Thank you for this opportunity. I've lived in Tampa for nearly 50 years. I'm a transplant from Southeastern Pennsylvania. I retired from IBM in 2021 after working there for over 42 years. I received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State with a minor focus on the natural sciences, ornithology, herpetology, horticulture, and environmental sciences. For decades, I've been a passionate and active environmentalist, and I'm currently active with 20 to 30 local, national, and international environmental groups. dedicated to protecting and saving the world's natural places and the flora and fauna that's contained therein. I will use the knowledge I've accrued as an active environmentalist and protector of our wild places as part of the NRAC. During my time in Tampa, I've actively worked with the Florida Native Plant Society, Tampa Bay Watch, the Tampa Audubon Society, the Tampa Sierra Club, the Friends of Tampa Wildlife Refugees, and others. I've laid a strong foundation through these efforts. I'm an avid birder and horticulturist, and I'm very familiar with the city. Two-thirds of my IBM career was in management. I know that my management, leadership, and communication skills will serve me well, and I can leverage them to show our fellow Tampanians the value of the Advisory Council and its efforts to protect and expand our urban forests. In the past five years, I've seen a void between neighborhoods and the residents and our elected officials and those who work for the city. I'm confident that I could provide an active, strong, and vocal intermediary and liaison between the people who live in our neighborhoods and the leaders in city hall. There, in my opinion, there's a lot of confusion in Tampa about our trees and what can and can't be done. There should be a focus by the advisory council, in my opinion, to educate people on tree ordinances, such as Do we follow state or local laws? There seems to be a lot of mystery and confusion. And also we need to focus people on the value of trees. Far too often people want to cut trees down in lieu of trimming and taking other options to keep the tree healthy. Mayor Castor's 30 by 30 initiative is laudable, but I feel so much more can and should be done to protect our existing trees and our canopy. We've been designated as a tree city for decades, and I think we can and should do more. In the last 10 years, I've taken action to turn our lawn from grass to 90% natives, and I actively engage with our neighbors to answer questions about gardens, importance of trees, and be an advocate for the environment in general. Through my introduction to you as the city council, I'm confident you see how I embody the values of our city with respect to natural resources, conservation, and protection. Thank you for your time.

Have you served on any boards? I have not. Okay, very good. Thank you so much.

All right, thank you.

Okay, next speaker. Just making sure she's not here. Julia Martin, you didn't change your mind and decided to show up? Julia? No? Okay, very good. Laura Lawson, please, followed by Lisa Larson. Good morning.

Hey, good morning. I'm I'm Laura Lawson. Thank you for having me here to present my application for the natural resources committee. I can tell from the presentations that I've already heard that you all are going to have an excellent committee. You've got a lot of good candidates. I am. I live in district six. I'm in south Seminole Heights. Um, I have lived there in that neighborhood since 2002 or 2003. I've been a Tampa resident since 2002. I'm an attorney. I've always done, um, public service oriented work. I was a lawyer at Bay area legal services for four years. I was a guardian ad litem attorney here in the 13th judicial circuit for about seven years. And then the statewide guardian ad litem program, I was an appellate attorney for about six years there. I've also worked for the judges of the 13th judicial circuit and most recently for commissioner Pat Kemp for eight years at the commission. They're lucky, fortunate to have two aides. So commissioner Kemp made me her policy aid. And I worked with Raquel Valdez there who did. the calendar and all the communications. So I'm very familiar because of that experience with board work and with Robert's rules. And of course, she was on the Environmental Protection Commission, so I supported her work there. On top of that, before I started working for her, incidentally, I succeeded Mr. Austin as chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for what was then called the MPO. It is now called the transportation planning organization. I assisted Commissioner Kemp in an important effort to save trees along the upper Tampa Bay Trail. They were literally going to Pave Paradise and put up a parking lot and we stopped it. Beyond that, I personally am, as a previous applicant pointed out, really frustrated by what the state has done. There is absolutely nothing more local than an old growth tree. You move it, you kill it. And so it's so important at the local level that we focus on trees because every last tampon, every last tempeño knows the value of shade. And so I believe because I have the right skills, the right experience, and the right commitment for this role, Um, I, I can't remember if I already said I live, I'm in district six and I, I have never participated on a city committee previously. So thank you for considering my application.

That's surprising with your activism. I thought you had would have had very good. Thank you so much. Uh, Lisa Larson followed by Megan too.

Good morning, everyone. My background is not in environmental science.

Start with your name, if you would, please, Lisa. Oh, I'm sorry.

My name's Lisa Larson.

Thank you so much.

My background isn't in environmental science. It's in strategic communications. And I believe that's exactly the perspective that I can bring to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee. When most people think about environmental stewardship, They think about science and they think about policy, which makes total sense and is essential. But good decisions also depend on helping people understand complex issues, ask thoughtful questions, and build consensus around solutions. For more than 20 years as a creative director, predominantly in the healthcare space, I've helped organizations translate complex information into clear, compelling communications that educate, engage, and support information decision-making. Throughout my career, I've collaborated with diverse stakeholders and transformed complex strategies into practical, understandable solutions. As I've become more involved in Tampa's community, I've developed a deep appreciation for the natural resources that define our city, from our tree canopy and waterways to the parks and public spaces that make Tampa healthier. more resilient, more reliant, and a wonderful place to live. I understand the committee's role is to thoughtfully review the urban forest management plan and provide recommendations to the city council. My experience has taught me how to analyze complex information, ask thoughtful questions, consider multiple perspectives, and communicate recommendations clearly. I believe that perspective would complement the committee's technical expertise and contribute to sound, well-informed recommendations. I would be honored to serve the city of Tampa, helping ensure that our natural resources continue to strengthen the quality of life within Tampa. And thank you for your considerations.

Thank you, Lisa. Could you tell us what city council district you live in? Oh, yes. I'm sorry.

I'm in District 5. And no, I have not served on any sort of committees.

Very good. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. You're welcome.

Thank you.

OK. The next we have a statement. So we're down to Megan.

Good morning. My name is Megan . I am a resident of the urban core in the city of Tampa for 11 and 1 half years. I live in Ridgewood Park, District 5. Um, I have not been on a, um, appointed to any type of board in the past. Um, I hold a bachelor's degree in science and national resource management and geography and a master's degree in science, urban planning and geographic information systems. I've worked for small and large government in the past and also worked for multiple universities and facilities management and healthcare. I've done updates to master plans and zoning plans. I was the treasurer for our neighborhood civic association for four plus years and the beautification committee leader. I managed the neighborhood butterfly garden in Ridgewood Park for nine years, and I partnered with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful. We adopted that space all the way up to Columbus. So we did four... cleanups per year. We also led a tree planting initiative in the neighborhood and we solicited donations from the builders and developers in that space. and we collected the money, we purchased the trees, most of them were canopy trees, and we planted 20 plus trees in our neighborhood. We partnered with the city's green team to plant those trees and also volunteers from the neighborhood because we wanted to promote some action. In that area, you know that a lot of the trees have disappeared with the growth of new homes and large homes in that space. So we took the initiative to go ahead and do that. My husband and I also have won the Waterwise Award from the city of Tampa in 2022. Our yard is full of native species and plants and we do not use any pesticides or herbicides or any of that nature. So we practice what we preach. I do believe that trees are an asset and I think we need to push that information out to the community about how we need to protect the trees and also plant more trees in the urban core. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Megan. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay. Just to make sure that nobody's here that had emailed a statement. Lori Ballard, Margaret Peters, Mary Wilson, Melanie Smith, excuse me, Renitak Sendedik. Sendedik. Sendedik. Sendedik. Okay. Yeah. Okay. I forgot Monica. Monica O'Flanagan, are any of you guys in the audience? Okay, just wanna make sure I didn't miss anyone, give them the difference of being able to speak if they were here. Okay, the next speakers are Michelle Mastrochitaro, followed by Pamela Jackson-Haney. Morning again, come on up.

Good morning.

Start with your name again.

My name is Michelle Machitaro. You all know me, and Alan, it's my time to shine.

It's your time to shine.

You always shine. My name is Michelle Machitaro. I am here today because I'm deeply, deeply passionate about this role. I live it firsthand. I am a big advocate. I work with Mary Bryson sometimes with growth and development. Every part of this aspect, I had to learn the hard way, and now I'm very well educated on every part. I live it firsthand, so that makes me a candidate because my passion. my persistence, I don't walk away from problems. I love helping people, I like to listen and I know from my experience what I've been through, what not to do for future developments and right now the tree fund is a precious thing right now and it's, It never been higher than it has and I believe in that we can work to ensure the funds for the trees and it's spent fairly. The trees are the most benefit for the environment along with all the different species of mangroves. I am very passionate as I said and I bring dedication, consistency for the community involvement and my willingness to do hard work that is necessary I inform, I am about a decision I make not because I want to go with what I feel others. I am a very big person that I believe what I believe and I know what's right for the community. I am not going to be persuaded any which way I have. I have so much passion for this position that everyone who knows me knows that I will do a very good job at what this has in store, and I think I'm a great asset to this committee and I thank you for all your considerations and knowing that I won't let you guys down in regards to having a beautiful environment for us moving forward into the years to come. And I'm a very big tree advocate and I'm working with Tara trying to get a whole bunch of stuff done in Tappan Track Park and I'm willing to put a whole bunch of trees on my property and you know what? I think that you all are amazing, and thank you for your time.

Thank you, Michelle. I know we all know you live in District 4, but you've never served.

Oh, yes, District 4, and no, I've never been on a committee, and you said you had the position, so this is my time.

Okay, very good. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

And Pamela. Good morning or good afternoon followed by Mr. Fernandez.

My name is Pamela Jackson-Haney, District 4, never served on a City of Tampa board. You may remember me because I have been before you many times speaking on behalf of Tampa's trees as an environmental advocate. From a very young age, I have always been a tree lover. Diverse terrains and their vegetation, mostly trees, were my favorite subject in sixth grade. Due to a wonderful teacher, I learned to appreciate what trees do for us in our daily lives. As a child, I even had a favorite tree in my neighbor's front yard. Because I didn't have the calmest home life, that tree provided great comfort. I would lay or sit under its shade where I could either pour my heart out or collect my thoughts. One of the reasons my husband and I purchased our then 80-year-old fixer-upper home, we now have lived in for 30 years, was because it was surrounded by beautiful live oaks. But I have seen the trees disappearing all around me now." I have lived in Tampa for 33 years and have raised all four of my children in this community. I have also worked in Tampa for many years as a legal assistant and most recently I worked for a mediator. As for my volunteerism with four children, I devoted considerable time and effort to volunteering at their public schools. supporting their educational journeys and contributing to the broader school community. I served on the executive boards of the PTA and Academic Foundation at Roosevelt Coleman and Plant High. I was the PTSA president at Coleman and was the president of the Athletic Foundation at Plant. Obviously these jobs required working closely with school administrators and I'm happy to say we had an excellent working relationship and I can still consider them good friends today. I am a founding member of Tampa Tree Advocacy Group, TTAG, The mission of TTAG is to engage, advocate, and collaborate with both government and the local community to preserve, protect, and expand the urban tree forest. Through this group, I strive to ensure that trees remain a valued and integral part of our environment. We have worked very hard and I have learned so much from my four fellow group members who I'm honored to know. I have become very familiar with how city government works. Another benefit of being in this group is that community members now know about TTAG and often reach out to us to serve as liaisons with the city. Six years ago, TTAG started pushing for the restart of NRAC, mostly because we thought the city needed to be more in touch with what the citizens of our community wanted to see regarding green infrastructure amid all the new development. I feel I would be a good addition to the NRAC because through my working life and volunteering, I have learned how to be a good listener, researcher, and problem solver. Coming from Cleveland, Ohio, a great tree-loving city, I have fallen in love with the city of Tampa and with our tree canopy. I understand we can't freeze things and times. Homes and businesses are going to be developed, but I want to help ensure that it's done in a sensible manner, and I don't see that being done consistently right now. We need to preserve the beauty of what we have because we aren't going to get it back if we don't have a solid plan. The next generation of children growing up in Tampa will very likely not be able to enjoy, as my children did, what was a relatively pastoral urban environment if we don't come together. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Pamela. Okay, Rick Fernandez, followed by Stephanie Castellano.

Morning, Council.

Morning.

For the record, Rick Fernandez, 2906 North Elmore Avenue in Tampa Heights. That's District 5. It's Young's district. I have served on a city council appointed position some years ago, the Independent Oversight Committee for the Offer Transportation Tax. That was a two-year, rather thankless endeavor, but nonetheless, I was there. Compliments of this day. We were invited to... offer an elevator pitch today. You all know me for better or worse, so it's going to be a short elevator ride. Yeah, well, like I said, better or worse. It'll be a short elevator ride. I have a few things here I just want to tick off very quickly. I am a Tampa native. I was born and raised in Tampa Heights, lived in Tampa Heights through high school, Jesuit in 1972, moved back to Tampa Heights in 2012, purchased the home that I am now in, For the last 14 years, I have served on the Tampa Heights Civic Association Board as either an officer or a board member. I'm currently president of the Civic Association and about ready to term out. I also serve as chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Transportation Planning Organization. I've been part of that organization since 2017 on an appointment by Les Miller back in the day. One of the reasons I'm standing here today is because the organizations I am active with do have bylaws, and we have term limits. And I am terming out at Civic Association as well as the TPO CAC. And I'm looking for that next thing to do that will be contributory to the community. Much of the time that I have spent over the course of the last 10 plus years has been with a focus on historic preservation and environmental justice. This seems a natural step to me. I hope you'll give me the opportunity. Just by way of background to tick off a few things, I have been a member of the Florida Bar since 1978. I'm now inactive. I am retired. I served as president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association back in the day when dinosaurs roamed. Florida Bar Board of Governors as well. Served six years in the United States Navy JAG Corps, straight out of law school. That was 1978 to 1984. And perhaps most relevant of all, and goes back a long way, I'm a graduate of the Master Gardener program, University of Florida Extension program. That goes back to 2010. Who knew? In any event, I have a passion for trees. I have a passion for the environment. I live in a community that's on the front line. I hope you'll give me an opportunity to serve. Thank you very much.

I'm shocked that you're terming out of the TPO. I don't even know what the CAC would look like without you.

You'll have a chance.

That is crazy. Stephanie Castellano, followed by Susan Lane, please. Hey, Stephanie, can you start with your name, please? No, she's not here? Stephanie? No? Okay. Stephanie's not in the house. So we got Susan Lane followed by Sylvia Roro online if she's online. That's all she had. Maybe she can come back.

I have something to pass out that I wrote for the Tampa Federation Garden Club. Can I do it now? Okay.

Hi, Susan. It's been a long time. Good to see you. She's in District 4, right? Susan?

Good morning, honored members of City Council. I'm Susan Lane, and I'm very interested in volunteering to serve on Tampa's Natural Resources Advisory Committee. I'm a Tampa native with a degree in American Studies from USF. and my family's presence in the city here began in 1848. In my lifetime, I have seen much change in Tampa's environment. Over 100 years ago, Tampa's tree canopy was mostly pine trees Pinus elliottii variety, Densa, was one of the species here, and other native trees, especially on the Interbay Peninsula. My knowledge of the history of change in our local environment and my advocacy for native trees can help to guide the Natural Resources Advisory Committee decisions going forward. I have been a member of Rose Circle and Tampa Federation of Garden Clubs since 2003. I am Rose Circle's tree person for Florida Arbor Day. Rose Circle has donated longleaf pines and bald cypress trees in recent years to MacDill 48 Park, Ignacio Haya Linear Park, Lowry Park, and a South Tampa public school. on my recommendations and input from others and Parks and Recreation. I would like very much to serve on Tampa's National Resources Advisory Committee and help with decisions regarding Tampa's future tree canopy. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Susan. Any questions? Yeah, it's been a long time. You're still in District 4, right? Excuse me? You're still District 4? You're South Tampa? District 4, I believe. Okay, very good. And you've never served on a city council?

No, but my family served in all capacities down through history.

I would say your family is notorious, exactly. Very good. It's good to see you. I haven't seen you probably since Stacy's house.

And I agree with a lot of the other applicants, too.

Okay, very good. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Anybody have any questions here or not? Okay. Let's see. We are Sylvia Arroyo decided to withdraw from email. Is that correct? Yes. Okay, yes. Okay. Viandrea Jackson. Followed by Zyda Darley. And she'll be the last one. Viandrea, if you'd start with your name, please.

Hello. My name is Viandrea Jackson. I am a lifelong resident of Tampa, Florida. I was born and raised, went to school here, went to college here, and raised my family here. My educational background is in educational studies and community leadership. I am currently enrolled at USF pursuing my MBA. I have been actively involved in the community for several years. Currently, I am the president of the Tampa Overlook Neighborhood Association. I have years of experience in volunteering within the community, neighborhood cleanups, volunteering with Tampa Police Department, with the neighborhood watch associations and with usf student ambassador programs my career background i have over 16 years in government over 15 with the state of florida i'm currently working with hillsborough county board of county commissioners customer service and support I feel my experience that I can bring to this committee is I understand community as well as government. I have a wealth of community engagement and plus I understand how government decisions impact residents as well as environmental issues. I live in Tampa Overlook area so I live in the North Tampa area and I am very familiar with how the environment has changed. with the floodings and everything and I understand how trees you know play a part of climate and helping with flooding and I understand that from the residents as well. I'm interested in serving on this committee to contribute to bettering our community, not just for now, but for the future. I'm interested in helping the city kind of balance growth with sustainability and protecting our natural resources long term for our generations to come. So I live in Tampa, I work in Tampa. I love Tampa and I just love to serve and give back to the community. Um, and I'm district seven and I've never served on any other committees.

Excellent. Thank you so much. Thank you. Appreciate that. Okay. Ms. Darling Darlie, excuse me. You're closing us out.

Hi, I'm Dr. Zyda Darley. I live in North Hyde Park. I have been a resident of Tampa for about 10 years, but I grew up in Florida, so I have seen... quite a bit of changes over the years. My education is anthropology mostly, but I focus on environmental issues. I started with archeology where I studied ancient water management using soil science and GIS, and that influenced my work in the Florida Public Archaeology Network where we would have excavations, we would see hurricane damage and everything like that in the soil and things like that. So I'm familiar with outreach as well. My main background is outreach and the Oh gosh. That influenced my actually going into, after I was done with the Florida Public Archaeology Network, I ended up working for the Office of Sustainability at the University of South Florida. I have either been a student or worked for the University of South Florida for like 15 years. I am familiar with the canopy study because I was helping support that study when it was first starting with getting students to measure trees and do the survey to be able to do the reports. I'm excited to see Dr. Landry's work still continuing with the city of Tampa. Uh, after, um, working with the office of sustainability, I ended up, um, going to, um, to the PhD program where I studied water and water, um, wastewater and tourism in several countries, um, and also Florida. And so one of the things that we were involved with is working with engineers. The engineers would come to us as anthropologists and said, Hey, we have this engineer solution, make the people use it. which is not how it kind of works. So we were working with the engineers and biologists to be able to figure out a way for people to implement some of their engineered solutions. Sometimes it's a little tweak that needs to be done or an understanding of the culture to be able to, for things to get adopted into society. After I finished my, graduated from USF, I ended up working for the state of California as a, senior environmental scientist where I was in charge of compliance of over 400 urban water management plans. So I had to look in and see how people were using water and making sure that they were following statutes. And then I came back to Florida. So I'm trying to get back. Basically, I'm doing real estate right now. I see how people respond to the tree canopies and the trees and themselves whenever I'm

trying to sell a property you know how they are have the positive and negative responses thank you doctor and just verify you have you served on a city council floor i haven't worked no okay very good thank you so much thank you and that your district floor correct uh north high park i think is it five is it five Okay. Yeah, the line goes weird there. I just don't know. Probably five. Okay. Probably five. Okay. Well, that concludes. Shirley, would you verify that I got everybody I was supposed to get?

You have everyone. Okay. On yesterday, a memo went out in reference to the names and everyone was asked to select

uh... come prepared with an appointee and also alternates yes i think i think if there's no objection if anybody has an input on this i think because we have a couple of goals one i would say This has got to be a record number of applicants for any board appointee probably in the history of the city of Tampa. And not just that, extraordinarily qualified applicants. If I was a company hiring, let me put it in perspective. Air traffic control is a very difficult position and difficult to hire. I used to hire air traffic controllers. and interview air traffic controllers, I'd be envious of a similar type of qualified list and a panel of folks that are applying for a job as an air traffic controller. I mean y'all are just extraordinary. I'm really proud to find out there's so many people in our community that have focused on resiliency and sustainability. I mean that's just amazing. There's so many folks that are such advocates of that and passionate about it. I just came from a conference last week with one of our city staffers who was in our sustainability office. And it's, I'm really very, it's very admirable that you guys passion. Anyway, if you guys are good with this, this is what I'm thinking. I think we go to the single member districts and I think we'll start at seven because that seems probably the easiest and then work our way down. And then the at large people can fill in the gaps that we find when we get into the gaps. Does that sound good for everybody? Okay.

I'm sorry. Yeah.

Like, put a nomination out for names. So we'll start with the single member districts, have a nomination out, and then the at-large people can fill in whatever gaps we kind of feel that are existing in the applicants. May I, Mr. Chair?

Yes. So I state who my appointee would be? Correct. OK, yeah. And we won't vote on each one at a time.

We'll compile a list and then vote at the end. Yeah. Okay.

So we wanted to. I mean, so, so you, you, you had two, two folks from District seven, so you would.

Three. Oh, three. We don't have to.

We don't. We don't have. Sorry.

Mr. Chairman, just so I'm clear, these are not really, um, Selections from an individual council member.

These are nominations for nominations for the board's consideration. Okay So what we're going to do is we'll start with seven you give us a name for a nomination for board consideration Yes, sir. And if there's any discussion we can have discussion We'll compile a list if we reach consensus on that those seven folks will have a definitive vote on nominee and on Well, let's see how it goes we may need it Because i'm sure somebody's going to say one of the persons that are on my list and i'll have to go down so and

I just had a question about those of us who are at large. So you're saying that we want to do the district, allow the district council members to nominate someone first and then and then the rest of us.

Okay. It will fill in the gaps. Councilman Carlson.

Wasn't the idea of having seven that we could each appoint one?

Well, that's what we're kind of doing. That's right.

Yeah, that's what we're doing.

What is the... Well, because the way this was written up, this is kind of a...

I don't have the ordinance in front of me. Maybe staff knows.

May I, Mr. Chairman? It wasn't written up for... I mean, I think the intent was, and that's why I felt like this was the way to do it. We'd go one by one for the districts. Because I don't think the way it was written up was that each individual council's appointing the board. So we have to go to a council appointment for the whole board. So we'll have a nomination from each person, which in essence, without somebody arguing about your nominee.

Why don't we just, so that the city-wide representatives can participate, why don't we each just nominate somebody and then we can- Well, that's what we're doing. But I thought we were creating a pool and then- No, no, it was okay.

So let's go with this and see how this works. Can you go with me on this and see how it works?

I didn't write down no district.

But you get to nominate whoever you want. You don't have to go to the district. Well, here's the thing.

What I'm looking at, an illogical thing in my mind anyway, that if we're going to pick somebody from our district first or whatever, who knows if somebody else is not better qualified. I'm trying to level this thing in my mind.

how do i make a decision you're not restricted but what would i think what the goal the i think the goal was if i if i remember our discussion i think councilman her text even prefaced that with when her request to ask the nominees where they live is that we had a uh representational uh element to this that folks from all neighborhoods or all areas of the city that we had some representation and i think the best way to do that would be to kind of like at least say focus on that and i agree let's say that you were in a district that i mean that had folks that you felt like just didn't reach that level of qualification that you had to bypass, I would get that. But I would say, give me the difference. Let's see if we can work through this. And if we can't work through it, we're not voting now. We're just nominating.

The two members that I have from District 6, Councilman Miranda, were Amanda Vasquez and Laura Lawson. So those are the ones I had for District 6.

No, Cecilia Bedwell as well.

Oh, and Cecilia Bedwell. No, that's District 5.

Mr. Chairman, Martin Shelby. City Council Attorney, Mr. Miranda? I don't think that when the memo went out, and correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Chairman, it was your memo, that you had intended to only limit council members their first choice should be from their district no no no absolutely not so basically there are four members of council here who represent all seven districts and can three three members excuse me three thank you three members the at-large members represent any district and every district correct so your method would work to allow that to be filled in but i just want to make sure because i don't want

anyone to feel that there's only because for instance in this case two people who are in that district that he's limited to that that's his decision nobody's limited to anything we're just going through one by one each council members i'm going to start with district seven to to announce a pressures on you your name for a nomination only Until we compile a list, nothing is set in concrete.

And if I may, Mr. Chairman, the way I'm going to say this is that anybody who anybody has a preference of as a courtesy, I will vote and support just because there's seven appointees and that's it. My nominee is actually not here. Maggie Wilson, who is written down, I believe it is, is Mary Wilson. She has been general manager of the Tampa Palm CDD for many years. urban forestry is part and parcel in New Tampa. There's many, many trees, and that's obviously a very big issue. I did want to say, if I may, I mean, as you said, Mr. Chairman, many, many, many people here of just immense qualification and quality. There are great people in District 7, Ms. Arenas, Ms. Jackson, who's here, Ms. Arenas, was here virtually, Rick Fernandez, whose amazing civic involvement, Laura Lawson, Liz Dunn, Mr. Ed Austin. I volunteered for Ed's county commission campaign when I was 20, by the way, against Bob Buckhorn, by the way, in a primary, which is funny.

So, but yeah, no, that's my nominee. Okay, very good. Okay. So Mary Wilson has been nominated by Louis Vieira. Councilman Miranda.

Well, I mean, what you said, what you echoed is a sounding board from everything, because everyone here has a fantastic, I mean, you can flip a coin and get the right one, okay? So I'm not flipping a coin because I don't have a coin. But I'm going to go with somebody that's not in the district. He really enthusiastic me the way he spoke and the voice that he had and what he talked about, what he wanted to do. And he's been doing this for some time, as I understand. Uh, from what I remember, what he said is going to be, uh, at Austin.

Okay. Councilman Miranda is nominated at Austin. Okay. Councilwoman young.

Well, these, I echo your sentiment, councilman Clinton, and this was really, really awesome. And we have a lot of advocates. And just listening to you all and just your passion was really awesome I've had the opportunity to the first time I met my appointee and we've Had meetings since then and she's just extremely passionate And we've had you know, really great conversation. So my nominee would be for Erin Catlin Okay councilman Carlson

Yeah, same thing my colleague said. It seemed like about half of the folks who spoke are from my district. So I would pick all of them if I could. But just because we had to pick one, I'll pick Michelle Mastro-Totaro.

You took mine.

You took mine.

OK, Michelle Mastro-Totaro. OK, let's go to District 3.

Um, I, uh, I really, gosh, I mean, there are so many amazing folks. Um, but I do feel actually very obligated to choose to make sure we have representation in all the districts. So, um, I am going to recommend someone that is in district six, uh, just to get a district six person. So I'm going to, um, I'm going to nominate Amanda Vasquez Vasquez.

Thank you, Amanda Vasquez. She was strong right out of the box. Okay, district two.

There's so many candidates that I like, our applicants, and this is, I have stars next to so many names, but some have been chosen, so thank you. I'm gonna do Ricardo Fernandez.

Rick Fernandez, who is that?

Rick Fernandez, better known.

Okay, so now it's me. I am going to go with Pamela Jackson-Haney.

How many alter institutions?

Are we picking alternates?

Can we move the slate?

Yeah. I have a recommendation.

Shirley, do we do the alternates now?

You can.

Okay. Mr. Shelby?

Should we move the slate first? Let me just... And I thank Kamaria for coming in because I want to make sure that this is consistent with the resolutions. There we go. Now it comes back to me how they were recently passed.

Okay. We'll pause for a moment for your digestion. I appreciate it. But just on the off chance that somebody gets knocked off.

Do you have a slate? Presently?

Yes. We have a slate of the seven.

Could you please announce that slate?

Okay, the slate would be Mary Wilson, Ed Austin, Erin Caitlin, Michelle Mestre-Tataro, Amanda Vasquez, Rick Fernandez, and Pamela Jackson-Haney. Haney. Haney. This is how the sausage is made.

And that's why this is a meeting that is in the sunshine.

There you go.

Okay, yes. So it looks like it's in conformance with what your resolution is. What I'm looking for is... Alternates.

Yeah, that's that's my question.

But can we just vote on this?

Yes So I have a motion from councilman Vieira second from councilman Maniscalco to approve the Slate as announced for appointment to the committee all those in favor say aye aye opposed Congratulations everybody councilwoman her check if we are choosing alternates.

I do have a suggestion I Go ahead. I thought Christina Arenas had a lot of really good experience with work in water resource management, so that would be my nomination.

Do we have two spots for alternate? Two. Councilwoman Young?

I was going to nominate Ms. Jackson, B'Andrea Jackson.

That was mine. Jackson, what was the first name? Okay.

Yeah, very cool.

Councilman Carlson.

I would add in Laura Lawson. Yeah, you're gonna do Laura Lawson, so I'm good. Okay.

And Council Member Beard, did you say?

Yes, sir. I mean, they've been named. I was going to name Ms. Jackson as well as Ms. Lawson as alternates.

So previously named. Anybody else? I was going to nominate Susan Lane. Susan Lane. Yeah, absolutely. Good. Okay. So that means we would, if any here, anything else? I'm waiting for a word from the attorney. Would we be able to, we probably, we have four nominations for two. We probably have to do a ballot for this. Do you guys have any prepared ballots?

okay well we could do we can we can we can win i'm going to have to um think this through work this through perhaps with um with ms pettis mackle because if council appoints two what happens if one of the people who leave is a mayoral appointee and and by the way does it i don't see the way

i can i can tell you that the answer to that the answer to that is the mayoral appointees are very specific they fulfill a particular role so then the mayor would simply replace those folks so these appointee these alternates that you'd be selecting and you'd i guess would be council council alternates yes because because we chose to make this a citizen advisory supportive whereas the mayor's appointees are very specific things. I see it. Landscape architect, you know, attorney. Certified arborist, engineer, professional scientist. Yes, very specific, and that's why we chose to have people from the community while she had subject specific.

So a vacancy in a mayoral appointee shall be succeeded by a choice by the mayor, whoever that should be. Understood, and the resolution that would have to come back to you would reference council alternates in the event of a vacancy. Okay.

Okay, so I have four nominations for alternate members. Those nominations are Christina Arenas, Laura Lawson, Susan Lane, and I'm sorry, Dr. Darley. Oh, Viandra Jackson, I'm sorry. Viandra Jackson, sorry. Is that list again, please? Okay, so the four nominations are Christina Arenas, Laura Lawson, Susan Lane, and V'Andrea Jackson. Okay, I'm going to... And how do you... I'm going to do... Each person will... I'm going to call one. You're only able to vote for two people. So if you vote for two, you can't vote for anybody else. I'm going to call them one at a time. And if you would just raise your hands.

And then we need to have the names announced of the people who are raising their hands just so we can keep track of this.

Okay, thank you very much. Clerk, would you do that? Oh, anybody that wants to vote for Christina Arenas, please raise your hand. You're gonna be able to go twice. Okay, Christina Arenas.

Hurtek, Clendenin, and Young.

Okay, very good. Laura Lawson.

I have Miranda Maniscalco, Hurtek, Vieira, and Carlson.

So congratulations, Laura Lawson. You have secured one of the alternate positions on the committee, Laura. Okay, Susan Lane. Remainder, if you raise your hand twice, you cannot raise your hand again. The next one is Viandra Jackson. OK, clerk, would you tell us where we land? They're all tied, okay. So the only one that's not on, here we go again. So we now in nomination is Christina Arenas, Susan Lane, and Viandra Jackson. Okay, somebody's gonna have to change their vote. So Christina Arenas, raise your hand. You only get to raise your hand one time, by the way. This time not. Yeah, it's very, but we should probably start again. Okay, understanding that you only raised your hand one time because we only have one position now. So it's one time, one position. One time, one position. Okay, one time, one position. Christina Arenas.

Clendenin.

Okay. Susan Lane.