CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING - Jun 04, 2026

Okay, good evening, and welcome to the June 4th, 2026 City Commission meeting. I think it actually is at 1776? Yeah, okay. City Commission meeting, I want to call the meeting to order. We're going to do it a little different. We're going to have our city attorney, Jen, do the invocation, but then we're going to have George Washington come up here. You might as well come up now because you'll lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, George. We appreciate you being here. We know you came a long way through time. Yeah. We like that. We like that. Okay, so invocation, please stand. Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection. Amen. General. 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. We will properly address the U.S. General. Yes, and I apologize. I said George, and I should have said General. So I'm very sorry. Okay. Okay. Well, our first item is America 250 Proclamation and Declaration of Independent Signing, and I'm going to turn over to Vice Mayor Walker, who, again, is our veteran. And I don't think you served back then, right? Or? Yeah. No, but I have people that did. Okay, good. That's true. So, General Washington, do you want to come up to the podium with your staff? Sorry about that. Oh, got it? All right. We're very honored to be here, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commission, and participate in the Declaration of the Independent Signing. It's very important. So many of you probably know this, but that declaration, the signature, it was so important for Washington because he had 20,000 troops when he started. It was dwindling like crazy. And before he won his first battle, he was down to 6,000. The Declaration of Independence, once it was signed, they read it all over, and it motivated, back then it was only men, motivated men to come forth and fight. So that was a very important document, more than just the signatures. Because you have to remember, probably only 30 or 40 percent of the country was actually behind what was going on. They had about 30, 40 percent that didn't care, and they had a bunch of loyalists to England and Britain. So that was an important document. It shifted a lot of the loyalists over to our side. So thank you for that, General. Before I get to the proclamation, one of the jobs that I have here with the city is being the liaison with the Dunedin History Museum. And I have to tell you, this is such an awesome group. There's just so much that they do for this community, and I appreciate them being here. I do want to ask, are there any sons or daughters of the American Revolution in the audience? Okay. Oh. That one. Melissa? All right. All right. All right. Vice Mayor is a son of the Revolution. Yep. Thank you. Thank you, General. All right. On to the proclamation. 250th anniversary of American independence. Whereas in the year 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, asserting the right of the 13 American colonies to self-governance and freedom from British rule. And whereas the bold declaration laid the foundation for a new nation built on the principles of liberty, democracy, and justice. And whereas over the past 250 years, the United States of America has grown from a fledgling republic that continually strives to uphold these foundational ideals. And in the year 2026, the United States will commemorate its 250th anniversary, also known as the semi-quincentennial. And whereas this occasion offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the nation's journey, celebrate its achievements, and envision its future. And as we commemorate this significant milestone, Americans should work together in addressing the challenges of the 21st century and building a more equitable and prosperous society. And whereas nationwide celebrations and events will be organized to engage and inspire citizens from all walks of life. These activities will include historical reenactments and exhibits, parades, and festivals, public discussions and forums, and community service initiatives. And whereas as the United States embarks on the next chapter of its history, this milestone celebration will stand as a testament to the strength, resilience, and determination of its people. Now, therefore, I, Robert James Walker, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the mayor of the great city of Dunedin, Florida, and on behalf of the entire city commission, do hereby proclaim July 4th, 2026, as the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence, as we recognize, celebrate, and acknowledge the contributions of diverse communities in shaping our nation's identity, and pledge to continue fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding. Be it further proclaimed that we reaffirm our commitment to liberty and democracy, honor the sacrifices made by countless individuals to protect these values, and ensure that future generations continue to enjoy the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. Be it also proclaimed that this proclamation will serve as a powerful reminder of our nation's enduring spirit and a call to action for future generations. As the United States embarks on the next chapter of its history, this milestone celebration will stand as a testament to the strength, resilience, and determination of its people. Okay, so, General, did you want to say anything before we start the process? And then I'll go ahead and tell what we're going to do here. And I'm not sure why this alone microphone. Do I need to turn it? Oh, no, it's on. So, you know, when George Washington, he had a lot of failures and battles, and there's a lot of life lessons if you study them. He had failure after failure, and he continually learned, but he had a strong staff under him that he trusted, much like all of you. I kid a lot tonight, but it's just like you. And that staff kept their confidence in him, and they actually, many of the, including John Adams of the Continental Congress, were wanting to get rid of him during that winter when they were at Valley Forge. And they decided that if they got rid of him, all the soldiers would quit. Because it was really, they weren't being paid, they weren't being fed properly, weren't being clothed. Three-quarters of them didn't have shoes, and they were in freezing sub-zero, one of the worst winters ever. He determined that if they could go attack Trenton across the Delaware, and he divided into three points of attack. Two of them, as they went across the river crossing, got frozen in the water and couldn't get there. His group made it, with him leading. And 24 of them took down 900 that had high ground, and they had superior cannons, the other 24 of them. And if they were saying if he wouldn't have won that battle, we wouldn't have a country right now, because that would have turned the war. So it's so important, and what you guys do day-to-day here, it's much like that. And we so appreciate from not only the citizens of Duneen, but the History Museum, but our country in our 250 years. And it's so important what you do here day-to-day, and this brings forth that. So we're so thankful, and that's why we want to have this symbolified. And I know we have county commissioners here and state representatives and other state people, so we're really honored to do this tonight. So you want to set us up, Madison? Before I do, General, I just want to also, I'm reading a little book on history right now, and it appears you also kind of set the tone. You set a tone by doing two terms as president, and you set a tone in a lot of other ways, because you knew presidents to follow. And I didn't want to do the second term. I did not want to do the second term. Well, there you go. I didn't see that part. Okay. Yeah, but did not want to do that. Well, when I saw some of the candidates, I said, whoa. I got to come do another term. Yeah. I got to come do another term. Yeah. That may be my deciding factor when I decide to run for real action. Okay. So what we are going to do here is we're going to do declaration of independence signing. I know as mayor, I'm honored enough to do the John Hancock signature. And then after myself will be Vice Mayor Walker, Commissioner Gow, Commissioner Guard, Commissioner Sandberg. And again, we are honored to have County Commission Chair and former Mayor Dave Eggers here. So he'll be the next signature after that. And then we also have Commissioner Brian Scott and also fellow Ford Pinellas member, actually Vice Chair, but here. And so we're honored to have you here. And then also we're honored to have Representative Kim Bierfield here. And so she's back there. I see her. Okay. And so she'll sign then. So, okay. So Madison, do you want to guide us through it all? Okay. So I should come down. Okay. We the people. It's a quill with ink, so it's not easy. It is a big signature. Right as a book. Okay. Okay. Please. Sure. This is not the Bible. Okay. Vice Mayor. Sure. We've done that. Let me talk. As you guys know, I've become very progressive since back in then we allowed women to sign. Well, you did want to be here tonight, didn't you? Yes. So if the general only knew that the women would be taking over, correct? So here's a simple fact about General Washington. He had real teeth made dentures out of the, they were teeth out of people, including some of his own, not wooden. And they weren't all his originally. That's a great thought to keep us. He was a good dancer. And in his day, he was six to six tall. And they said he would have been the, like, if you consider Tom Brady, however you consider the ultimate athletic person, that's who he was in the day. Yeah. And there's some articles that talk about the order was given to the British to not kill him, stab him, anything, because they so respected Washington. They said you do not touch him in battle. Commissioner DeGuard. Commissioner Sandberg. Commissioner Sandberg. Commissioner Sandberg. You took Sam Adams? If you took Sam Adams, that tells us all we need to know. County Commission Chair Dave Eggers. County Commissioner Eggers. I want to really tell you, I appreciate the trail being built so we can move our soldiers up and down. That is great. Great idea. We can get our soldiers north and south when we need to easily. Okay, and we have Commissioner Brian Scott. I heard the roundabouts gave the troops some more. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the roundabouts were a little tricky for the troops, right? Or maybe just for the general. The carriages have problems. It's okay. Most people go right over them anyway. So, Jen. Yes. The French. In general, did you bring the homemade whiskey that you were having after the signing? Yeah. Some grapple, too. Okay. Representative Kimberly Beerfield. So, the last thing we'll end with, this will be available for citizens of our colony, Dunedin, here, to sign in both City Hall here, the library, and the museum. And the dates are on our website, right? Yep. And then we're also having, on June 20th, from 11 on, we're not only having a reenactment at 1130 at the chapel, but a whole event over there, too. But thank you very much for signing and getting us started. And I can now get more soldiers in my army. We've got to get that right around, so. Okay. Let's get a picture, General. So, yeah, let's get Commissioner Eggers and Scott and Representative Beerfield, as well. Yeah. The commissioner. How do we want to do this, though? Can you? That would be great. Perfect. Oh, yeah. Let's go. Okay. All right. Let's see. Do you want to be in the picture? Yes. Perfect. I want that one. Good. Can you match me with your vote? Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. One more. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Stay. Not me. All right. Ready. Just these guys. Thank you. Okay. Thanks a lot, General, and we appreciate all that the museum is doing, and we have now signed a living declaration. Thanks for being here. Okay. Okay. We are going to go, well, first of all, before we go to the LBGTQ Pride Month Proclamation, I did just want to share with everybody out there, as well as my colleagues, I did a separate proclamation earlier today to the aphasia awareness, well, aphasia group that meets at the health center, and they've met there for 10 years, right, Nicole? And Nicole, I think is their contact there, and next year, I want to do that as part of the meeting. But it was really, so aphasia is an acquired language disorder due to stroke or other brain injury. So there was a room full of individuals with aphasia, and I'll tell you, you want something humbling, that's it. And just a lot of people who really, very intelligent people, had great careers, still may have some good careers, but again, different type where they have been affected by speech, but their intellect is completely there. And so it's that, I think, the awareness to make sure that we all take patience and understanding and realize they are the same as they were. It happened in a second. It can happen to any of us. But we'll have some more awareness on that next year. Two things that came out today that I thought was interesting is that the awareness is particularly important for transportation, and apparently PSTA, and you can pass that on, does a really good job with transportation in that regard. And then also just awareness through the police departments and sheriff departments, because many individuals do drive, and if they are stopped for some reason, they may have trouble being able to communicate. So I think our sheriff's department doesn't do that, hasn't done some of the training with Voices of Hope, who is the group, and I think it'd be great for us to hook it up, because I think Sheriff Galtier, he's always, you know, game on for those kinds of things. He's very good about that. So I like to make that happen, and I do have the card of the woman that runs that particular group. So, but anyway, anyone else, who was there this morning? Anybody in here today? Just Nicole, probably. But anyway, it was humbling. It can happen to anybody, and it's important to remember, still people, still just as smart as they were before, and just may take a little more patience on our side. So, okay, we're going to go to the LGBTQ plus Pride Month proclamation, and I'm turning that over to Commissioner DeGuard. Thank you, Mayor. Jason, Kimberly, would you come on down? It's so good to see you as muted as you always are. That's right. Absolutely. I'd love to pull this down for me, so it's right there. I will be reading the proclamation, and then you will have time for comment. Does that sound good? Perfect. All right. Very good. Whereas all are welcome in the city of Dunedin to live, work, play, and retire, every family deserves a place to call home where they are safe, happy, and supported by friends and neighbors. And whereas a number of LGBTQ plus historical events and people of all races have contributed to the history of equality for all people. And whereas each year, the month of June, honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan and the struggle for basic civil rights for the LGBTQ plus community. To remind all cultures within our wider community of the important roles LGBTQ plus people have taken in shaping the social, historical, legal, and political worlds we live in today. And whereas Pride Month affords a special opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the LGBTQ plus history and honor the many LGBTQ plus American leaders who have contributed to the progress of our nation. And whereas the city of Dunedin has a strong history of honoring inclusivity, we value the contributions the LGBTQ plus citizens bring to the city and pride ourselves on diversity. And whereas the LGBTQ plus community has made great strides forward, but equality, inclusion, acceptance have not yet been fully achieved. We must practice these values and teach them to future generations. Now, I therefore, Tom Dugard, by virtue of the authority vested in me from the mayor of the city of Dunedin, Florida, and on behalf of the entire city commission to hereby proclaim June 26th to be LGBTQ plus pride month in Dunedin and call upon our community to respect, honor, and celebrate our diverse community and to continue building a culture of inclusiveness and acceptance of the LGBTQ plus community. Thank you. I'm a little choked up. That doesn't happen too easy for me. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, and truly all of Dunedin for your support. My name is Kimberly Platt. I'm the president of the newly formed nonprofit Dunedin Pride Incorporated, along with our vice president, Jason Garnett, our board of directors, and our faithful, large, and super strong committee members of Rainbow Ambassadors. We have achieved what we consider great success so far. It's six days into our pride celebration, and each event and day has brought new wins and successes for us. Our partner businesses have been very proud of what they've done so far, and we're only a few days in. We have 20 more events this month on the calendar, and there's only 26 more days in the month, so think about that. We do have a calendar that we will leave if anybody wants it with all of the events on it. It's also on our Facebook and our website. A good number of the businesses downtown are supporting and hosting events. There's something for everyone. In addition, this week, Jason and I attended functions, an indivisible Pinellas meeting at St. Mark's Church. And also this morning, by invite, we were very honored to be asked to come gratis. We showcased what we're doing at the Tampa LGBTQ Chamber Pride Luncheon. And that was kind of a big deal today. And it was at Hard Rock Casino. So we got these hats. And we're not just trying to look like our super supporter, Steve Beatty, who now is George Washington. And I thought he was going to have his hat on, so that's why I was wearing it. And here we are. So we'd like to be like Steve because he's a fantastic guy and a big supporter of us with Lane's Lemonade. The luncheon actually gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves and our brand to all the other Pride Festival administrators around Pinellas and the surrounding counties. The speakers at the event gave us two shout-outs, which we were not expecting at all. They repeated our words of how inclusive Dunedin is. It was super humbling to be sitting there and being first-time there, first-time attendees. And they were talking about Dunedin a lot. And it was all positive. So that really was humbling today. So we've had a very big day today. We had the chills, and we felt like we just got here. How is this happening? But also, we've been here for a very long time. We know these opportunities will open doors and continue conversations to help us and to help you all navigate the potential changes in laws, which may prohibit your support in the future. We cannot wait to meet with you all and discuss the new things we've learned so far. So there's hope, and the future is positive. The turnout to each of our Dunedin Pride events so far has been positive, humbling, and record-breaking amount of attendees have shown up. That's amazing in this climate. We're confident that we will continue to bring the support and people to Dunedin. Just like we know, if at all possible, you, Mayor and Commissioners, will also continue to bring support to us. And we thank you so very much. Thank you very much. I did not prepare a speech. I spoke at flag raising. That's good for me. Thank you. Thank you very much. And before we take a picture, I just want to make a couple comments. So the flag raising was Sunday. How many out here were there? Some of you. And it was wonderful. My favorite part always is the literally, just all the churches that come out. I mean, it's just amazing. It is so Dunedin. I love it so much. Talk about getting emotional. I mean, that's a day you can really get emotional because that's what inclusivity is all about. And at the pride flag raising, I made the comment as mayor that I think one of our most important traits is our inclusivity. And I had looked it up in the dictionary. And it says, it is the intentional, active practice of ensuring all individuals, regardless of their background, identity, or abilities, feel valued, respected, and empowered to participate. And that is Dunedin. And it's only in Dunedin style as well. Everyone on this commission was there on Sunday, supportive, because we know that's who we are. And we're proud of that. And I have to say that a thank you to the chamber for the years that they did pride. But Kim and Jason, you guys have just blown it out of the ballpark. You're doing such an amazing job. And our businesses are just, you know, really on board. And so remembering this isn't just about pride, but it's also just, it's also economic development of our businesses. And so we want to support all of that. So thanks for all you've done. I mean, you've done just a phenomenal job. So thank you. Thank you. We're just all about bringing people to Dunedin. And like I said, this week, the two meetings we went to, I can't even tell you how proud we are. So thank you guys. Thank all of you. Let's get a picture. Let's get a picture. Let's see. Perfect. Perfect line up there. Ready? Thank you. And I know that General Washington, you're a sponsor for some of these things. So thank you for that. You've, you know, surpassed time, you know. You know what's in now. All right. I love it. Okay. All right. We're going to go to recognition of the 2026 Senior Hall of Fame inductees. I'm going to call up Nicole, who runs our Hale Center, and Cindy Cole, Committee on Aging Chair. And I'll turn it over to you all. Turn it over to us? Okay. All right. Well, thank you. My name is Nicole Allen. I'm the Recreation Coordinator for the Hale Senior Activity Center. And I stand alongside here with Cindy Cole, who's our chairperson of the Committee on Aging. So I just wanted to give you a little background to what the Senior Hall of Fame is, the eligibility requirements, and then introduce this year's two inductees. So each year, the City of Dunedin Committee on Aging inducts new members into the Senior Hall of Fame. This year, the induction ceremony and luncheon was held on Wednesday, May 6, at the Hale Senior Activity Center. The recognition honors older residents of Dunedin, whose meaningful contributions and dedicated service have made a lasting impact on the Dunedin community. In order to be eligible for the Senior Hall of Fame, nominees must meet the following criteria. Be 70 years of age or older. Have resided in Dunedin for the last seven years at some point in their life. Have demonstrated the art of aging successfully. And have contributed their time and skills to activities that serve the community. The City of Dunedin and the Committee on Aging proudly recognizes Alan Kimes and Eric Houghton for their outstanding achievement as recipients of the 2026 Senior Hall of Fame Award. At this time, I'd like to introduce and welcome Alan and Eric up to the podium to say a few words. So who's first? Alan? Age before beauty. I thought we were going to go by height. Well, we know him as St. Alan Kimes, the husband of Deborah Kimes, who challenges him from time to time, right? So you want us to talk? Absolutely. This is it, Alan. I was asked to bring back my award. I thought it was because they thought it was a mistake that they had made. But actually, they just said, we're going to re-award it to you. And so I did that because I've been taught by Deborah to follow instructions explicitly. And so, but when I got here, Eric said that he had inadvertently forgotten it because of his busy schedule. And I said that I would explain to everyone that his award looks substantially similar to this one, except for the name. They did change the name for his. And so that's what he would be getting if he had remembered to bring his and wasn't so busy. So I did, they did say we could talk a little bit. And so I brought a little bit to say. And because, you know, you have to be of a certain age to qualify for this award. So that gives you some latitude in the things that you can also bring, such as papers to read and glasses to read it with. And we shall begin by saying thank you, Mayor Moe and Vice Mayor Robb and commissioners and Manager Jennifer and Madam Attorney and Madam Clerk and other esteemed individuals who are surrounding me in the back. Thank you for this and the Committee for Aging. I want to thank. They did a wonderful job. And by the way, at the presentation that was already referred to, there was a wonderful video of our respective lives. Mine was shorter than his. It was not indicative of age. It was just because Eric's is so drawn out and he's done so many things that, but anyway, they were beautifully done and I really appreciate that. So I'd like to thank the Committee on Aging. And I particularly, my wife said to do this, thank you so much for the giant basket of treats and treasures that we got. I mean, it was very difficult. It's this large and we've used all of the treats and treasures. And yesterday, just yesterday, we were going to another event and used the basket. The basket is fantastic. So I'd just like to say thank you for that. And if anybody is, you know, it's wonderful. So we got the basket too. And it's been very helpful. Deborah and I got to Dunedin in 1979 and we didn't know anybody. We found a house on Edgewater that was for sale for $92.5. And we had been looking for a long time for a house and we had marshaled our resources so that we had like $30,000 that we could put into a house. And that wasn't quite enough. But John McGinnis said that since we were youthful and so dedicated to the community, potentially, that he would hold money. So we bought it for $92.5. I was trying to get it for cheaper, but Deborah said, no, I want it. The sunset is coming through on this pink fireplace and I'm not leaving until you buy it. So that we got it. So that was 1979. We did have some wonderful neighbors and Fran Truslow and Vivian Grant and John Hubbard and Kathy Harlan-Shaw and the Walkers and Alan and Ingrid Rutberg were all around there. And they immediately, within a short period of time, came over and started to introduce us to the community. And so that's how you get involved is by your neighbors and the people that your neighbors know. And so they introduced me to Bill Hale. And then Bill Hale and Karen Walker said, we need some people on the board of this new art center thing we're doing. And right then it was like three rooms and a bathroom. And they said, come over for lunch. And so I went over and it was just Bill Hale and Karen Walker and me and a basket of flowers and a bottle of champagne in the hallway. Because that's all they had. And they said, we'd like you to be on the board. So that started things out. And I went on the board. And after a little bit, they made me the president. But at any rate, you don't say no to Bill Hale. And then after that, some folks said, you need to go to Rotary. And I went to Rotary. Rotary is filled with people that are active in this community. And one of them was Bill Heutig. Bill Heutig kind of took me under his wing and said, you know, I should really get involved in this Rotary thing. And I said, okay, I'll do that. And so they immediately made me the song leader, which I was for like four years. And then they said, well, you've done such a good job as song leader. We're going to make you president. So they did that. And so that's a natural progression that happens to a lot of people. And after our kids, we had some kids there. They've been born in the same house on Edgewater. And Deborah started getting involved in volunteer positions with the city. And she got associated with Gus Cooper and Manny Kuzarias and John Lawrence and Tom Anderson and Mofrini and Richard Goering and some others. And that opened a lot of doors for us. And so when those doors opened, we also ran into city attorney John Hubbard, again, who was a neighbor. And John said, I'm starting this library foundation thing. And we think you should come on to that. And that was in the 1990s. And I joined that along with David O'Day and Jimmy Brown and Aaron Fodeman. And, you know, again, it's like Bill Hale. It's hard to say no to John Hubbard. So I did that. But after a little bit, Deborah decided to get really involved, and she got elected. And when she got elected, I was asked to get off of all of the city boards and committees that I had been on because there was this conflict of things that I couldn't do that. So they said, here's plaques. So I got a lot of plaques. And they said, you can do other things in your community, but you can't do this anymore. So I started working with her doing things and doing what I'm told. And so we started working, again, hosting things for the Arts Center and the Vote Club and the Library Foundation and Rotary. And back then, it was the Historical Society, which we sometimes slipped and had another name for it. But it was hysterical a little bit, the society. But one time we had it, I think, for the Historical Society in February. And in September, we got a thank you from them. And they were most gracious. But the efficiency has improved dramatically with the group that we have now. We continued doing those things, the Junior League and the First Presbyterian Church. And, of course, Deborah's thing with the bad girls. And that still goes on. So we still host those things. And so there's numerous individuals and organizations that I haven't mentioned. I've forgotten. It's a function of age, which is, of course, one of the qualifying characteristics for this award. And so if I didn't mention you, it's because of that and not because I don't appreciate what I've been able to participate in in other groups. But we have a city where activity flows naturally from your neighbors. It also flows from the city staff. It flows from the city officials. Everybody in this city is involved in something else. And just as it started with me with one thing with the Arts Center and then the Rotary Board and on the Rotary Board is all these other people. And all you've got to do is get up off your seat and put your feet on the ground and go to some of these things. And you'll have more opportunities to be a contributor to the city of Dunedin than you can imagine. We live in a special place. And all of that that flows naturally, it's been such a wonderful thing for us. And as Deborah said in one of her little articles, that Dunedin is a special place. So we thank you for allowing us to be here and for the opportunity to contribute to some extent. Thank you. Eric Houghton. I will thank everybody and say ditto to what he said. We'll skip all the other thank yous. But thank everybody for this great honor. What I'd like to do briefly is celebrate Dunedin and how it's molded me. But I need you to help me. As I go along, I'll pause at some point and I'll say, and it happened in the neighborhood. And I would like you to say, in the neighborhood with me. Let's practice. Audience also. It happened in the neighborhood. Oh, a little bit louder than that. Come on. It happened in the neighborhood. All right. Well, let's start this story. So my paternal grandparents, the Houghtons, came here in March of 1920 from Blackpool, England. And they lived across the street at 533 Wood Street. The next year, in 1921, my father was born in the front room. A few years later, they moved down the street to Lockley. And my grandfather built a couple of houses. So that all started in the neighborhood. All right. My mother's family came from Minnesota. But they made the mistake of moving to Clearwater in 1916. She was born at Morton Plant, not in the neighborhood. But they had a good sense in 1932 to move to Dunning. They bought five acres at the corner of, let's see, where is it? Bell Trees in Milwaukee. And they built a house there. And that was clearly in the neighborhood. All right. You're pretty good. Good audience. Okay. Then in 19, right after World War II, my parents got married. 1948. And the wedding was in my grandmother's living room. And it was? In the neighborhood. Good. All right. Then I had the good sense to be born at Mee's Hospital the next year, December 1949. A really good month. Wasn't it, Tom? And that clearly was? In the neighborhood. Well, the first few years of my life, my parents and I went to my grandmother's house. And we lived upstairs on Beltry Street. And that, of course, was clearly? In the neighborhood. In the neighborhood. Boy, you're good at this. My uncle and aunt, Jim and Jane Beardsley, live right down on Highland Street, a few blocks from here. And my three cousins were there. And we spent lots of time with my family there. And, of course, that was? In the neighborhood. In the neighborhood. All right. So, if I think back on my life and this whole thing about being elected to the Hall of Fame has caused me to reflect in a way maybe I never had before and see some elements that I miss somehow. But, thinking about it, all the anchors of my childhood and my life ever since are in the neighborhood. Let's briefly talk about that. First Presbyterian Church, three or four blocks in that direction, was really my spiritual and ethical home. Really so important to me. It helped mold me to who I am. And that clearly was in the neighborhood. And then there was the Dunning Elementary School at the very end of Highland. Today, it is Curtis Fundamental. But I went to kindergarten through sixth grade there. And that was the foundation of my education, clearly, in the neighborhood. And then there was the Dunning Library. In my lifetime, it's had four different locations, but always in the neighborhood. Where I loved the library so much. It was foundational to me. And then Troop 10 Boy Scouts. If you go at the end of Loudoun here, you run into the Scout Hood. And that's where I was able to earn my Eagle Award. And it was in the neighborhood. All right. So you can see this Dunning neighborhood, only about 12 blocks north and south, maybe six blocks east and west, served as my ancestral, my spiritual, my educational, my literary, my scouting neighborhood. In the neighborhood, it has been pivotal and foundational to who I am. So within the neighborhood, there were so many mentors and so many influencers in my life. There were my grandparents and, of course, my parents and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins. There were pastors and scout leaders, teachers, and the great librarians with the little pencil through their bun in the top of their head. And that was all in the neighborhood. So when I became an adult, it was my pleasure to return the favor by volunteering and serving in those same places, at the church, with the scouts, in the schools, at the library, with the city of Dunedin itself. How fortunate I have been to live here in Dunedin all my life in the neighborhood. So thank you very much. Yeah, let's get some pictures, but just on behalf of the whole commission, I just, we wholeheartedly approve of the selection of you two gentlemen. You've done so much for Dunedin, both of you, Alan and Eric, and we couldn't thank you enough for being part of our community and such an active part of our community. We're going to get a picture. Mm-hmm. Nicole? Eric? I know. I couldn't see you at all, Sue, so I knew I had to move. I need a picture with you, because I have a collection of me with really tall men. Clark Kellogg would be my favorite. Thank you. Congratulations. Those are great stories, yeah. Okay. That was awesome. Okay, we're going to go to citizen input. Does anyone in the audience wish to speak on a topic that is not on the agenda? This would be your moment. Okay, name and address for the record, and three minutes. Good evening. My name is Sharon Herman. I live at 2325 Armor Drive here in Dunedin, Florida. And for anyone who doesn't know me, I've been a financial planner for about 25 years, helping people create financial plans, managing their investments, and helping them achieve their lifelong financial goals. I'm honored to have been named Business Person of the Year by the Tampa Bay LGBTQIA Chamber of Commerce. And, oh, Jeff's not here. I did that for him. It's really LGBT. I just wanted to show off. Okay, I could get the letters out. The LGBT Chamber of Commerce, recognized as a finalist for the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Businesswoman of the Year Award, and I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. So money has been a big part of my life. And today I'm here to talk in a personal capacity about the property tax proposal that will be on the ballot this fall. Since March, the Florida legislature has introduced 10 different iterations of property tax reform legislation. 10 different proposals in just three months, and none have been fully vetted to demonstrate their complete financial impact on the residents of Florida. On June 1st, the latest version was voted down. That same night at 10 p.m., a new version was introduced and then passed roughly 15 hours later. We are being asked to believe a proposal affecting millions of Floridians received thorough analysis in less than a day. In fact, it takes more time to thaw Thanksgiving turkey than the time the legislature spent reviewing this bill before passing it. As a financial planner, if I presented 10 different financial plans to a client in three months, they would question my judgment and my ability to do my job. They certainly wouldn't consider me a good steward of their financial future. We should hold our elected officials in Tallahassee to the same standard. Next year, the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission will convene. This constitutionally established commission of 25 subject matter experts appointed by the state of Florida, they meet every 20 years to conduct a comprehensive review of Florida's tax structure, revenue needs, spending priorities, and government efficiency. That is exactly the type of a thoughtful, deliberate process that any kind of reform deserves. Property tax reform might be needed, but reform should be carefully studied, transparent, and fiscally responsible. This ballot proposal fails that test on all three fronts, and I believe it will greatly harm the residents of Dunedin, Pinellas County, and communities throughout Florida. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Does anyone else in the audience wish to come forward and speak on an item that is not on the agenda? Name and address for the record in three minutes. Hi, David. Hi, Mayor, Board. David Ballard Geddes, Jr. I live on Georgia Avenue in Palm Harbor. For over 40 years, Honeymoon Island has been routinely set on fire, burning every bird's nest in its process. The mangroves have been systematically and purposefully killed for over 20 years, causing the beach to erode. Strategically, the pine trees are dying of a recently introduced pine beetle blight. There's enough rocks on Honeymoon Island to stub everyone's toe from here to Orlando. Honeymoon Island is an environmental crime scene overseen by a political crime syndicate. Dunedin Causeway is a disaster waiting for a solution as well. The Causeway Bridge was damaged 30 years ago with dump trucks that were overladen with filled dirt, excavated from the construction of the Will Dunn Reclamation Facility and brought out to the beach. The overburdened bridge today remains in a constant state of needing repair. Such longstanding, legislatively collaborated, comprehensive, polemic political mismanagement has proven itself to be unworthy of holding the public purse. Corruption runs like water in this state. In revision to this, I have a concept of how I would like to see Dunedin Causeway reconfigured, implementing a new, larger, more expansive bridge that frees up tidal flow, flushing the estuary behind Caledese Island that is in a state of decay. The reconfiguring of the causeway would also include extending two northbound cul-de-sacs, seen here in the diagram. These cul-de-sacs would run, in effect, parallel to the intercoastal waterway, and they can be extended northward. As the population increases, so can these cul-de-sacs increase to accommodate the people that want to go to the beach. We all moved to Florida for the purpose of accessing the water. This would be a way of going about doing it. And to pay for these reconstruction efforts, those that got paid to do it the first time and didn't do it right, they should be held on the hook for paying for reconfiguring Dunedin Causeway. They knew this was going to come all along, and they knew they have to redo this, and they're responsible for doing it right. Thank you. Thank you, David. Okay, anyone else in the audience wish to come forward and speak on an item that is not on the agenda? Okay, seeing no one, we will close citizen input, and I will go to the consent agenda. Okay, so we have several things on the consent agenda. 2A, approve the minutes for the 4-16-2026 regular meeting and the 5-5-2026 workshop. 2B, boards and committee appointments. We've got some appointments for Dunedin Causeway and Coastal Waterways Committee and the Marine Advisory Committee. 2C is authorized task order number 2026-02 for sanitary sewer cured-in-place pipe lining to Vortex Services LLC in the amount of $44,479. 2D, sole source purchase of an ABI Force Z-230 turn turf and infield maintenance laser grading machine from St. John's Turf Care LLC of Mishakwa, Mishakwa, that is not how that's said, but sorry about that, Indiana in the amount of $54,885. 2E, first amendment to the interlocal agreement between the Pinellas County and NPDESMS4, co-permittees for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, FDEP, annual regulatory program and surveillance fee in the amount of $1,452.47 for the calendar year of 2026 and thereafter for the duration of the extension. Are there any items to be pulled? Yes, Mayor. Would you please pull 2D? D? D. D as in dog. Okay. Do you want to say why or just pull it? Sure. I'd love to say why. So this is a very elaborate piece of equipment, if you will. It's for leveling infield and outfield. It's a zero turn. It's a very useful piece of equipment. It will add efficiencies in the future. It is very expensive, though. And so in light of some of the reform issues that we're going to be looking at in the future, I'd like to have another look at it to make sure that it will gain the efficiency that we need moving forward. Okay. Anything else to be pulled? Okay. So if I could have a motion. So moved. Second. Okay. And is there anyone in the audience that wishes to speak on any of the items on the consent agenda? General, anything? Okay. Okay. All right. Okay. All right. Okay. Seeing none, closing public input. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passed unanimously. Okay. Do we want to take a break before the action items? Or just keep going? Keep going? Okay. We're going to keep going. Okay. First action item is 3A, Resolution 2607, Fiscal Year 2026, Second Budget Amendment. Jen, could you please read Resolution 26-07 by title only? Resolution 26-07, a resolution of the City Commission of the City of Dunedin, Florida, amending the City's operating and capital budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025, and ending September 30, 2026, and providing for an effective date. That was Resolution 26-07, read by title only. Okay. Could I have a motion? So moved. Second. Okay. I have a motion and a second. Staff presentation. Les and Jean, you're on. Great. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. Les Tyler, the Finance Director. I'm here with Jean, our Budget Manager. And as mentioned, this is Resolution 2607. This is our second budget amendment for this fiscal year. The total amendment in this staffing is an increase in overall appropriations of $1,826,000 in various funds in fiscal year 26. The proposed amendments are on pages 2 through 4 in the staffing report. And I'll briefly go over the amendments, starting with the general fund. The first item is an increase in expenditure budget of $182,000 for the replacement of carpet tiles in the library. This project was not in the original 26 budget. And it will be 100% funded by the making the state bequest for the library. These are restricted funds only for the library. There's no impact on available fund balance as a result of this item. This item was presented to the City Commission on March 5, 2026. Item 2C, award replacement of the carpet tiles for the main area of the library. And next item in the general fund is a reclass of $85,000 from aid to private organizations to aid to government agency account for the Clearwater Ferry Project. This reclass is for accounting purposes only, put it into the proper account. And we're doing this as a result of the fact that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority took over the Clearwater Ferry, and there's no change in fund balance with this item. This item was presented to the City Commission on September 18, 2025, Clearwater Ferry Services Interlocal Agreement. And the next fund is the Impact Fee Fund. We have an item for that, and that's an increase in the capital budget from $80,000 to $138,000 and a reclass to the correct capital expenditure account, which was capital equipment for the purchase of a modular vehicle barrier system. This results in a $58,000 increase in the expenditure budget, which is offset by a $58,000 increase in the revenue for a transfer from the risk fund to assist in funding this expenditure. The total cost between the Law Enforcement Impact Fee Fund and the risk fund together, they both end up paying for that asset. There's no change in the net fund balance. And this item was presented to the City Commission on November 6, 2025. And the next fund is the Wastewater Fund. This is an increase in capital expense budget by $1,446,000 for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility 8 Filter Media and Basin Rehab Project. This construction bid came in over the $1.468 million budget. This results in a decrease in the net position for the Water Wastewater Fund of $1,446,000. And this item was presented to the City Commission on December 4, 2025, awarding the construction bid for the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The next fund is the Marina Fund. This is an increase in debt service expense of $43,000 for the Marina Fund. And this was for interest for the Stormwater Line of Credit, expenses that we incurred with Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This results in a decrease in net position. And this item was presented to the City Commission on February 5, 2026, which was a non-advalarium revenue note for our line of credit that we issued. And next is the Stormwater Fund. This was a transfer of $1,444,000 from the Gating Repairs and Maintenance Project to the Ditch Maintenance Program EWP Project due to increased costs related to the stormwater damage cleanup. Both of these projects are funded by a grant from the Emergency Watership Protection Program, and there's no net change in position with this entry. This item was presented to the City Commission on February 19, 2026. This was a PO issue to Crowder Golf and also Tetra Tech to do that work. The next item is the Risk Fund. And we have a—this is the other side of the entry we mentioned a minute ago. It's an increased transfer-out budget of $58,000 for the Risk Fund's portion of the Modular Vehicle Barrier System. The cost of the Modular Vehicle Barrier System is $138,000 in total, and the Risk Fund is contributing $58,000 towards that. This results in a decrease in the net position in the Risk Fund. And this item was presented to the City Commission on November 6, 2025. The next fund is the Internal Service Fund. This is an increase in capital equipment expense budget of $45,000 and an operating expense budget of $82,000 on the Network Infrastructure Upgrades Project. And this was offset by a decrease in capital—the capital equipment budget of $50,000 on the Citywide Security Camera Project and a decrease in the capital expense budget of $27,000 for the purchase of the replacement network servers for a five-year support contract. This item resulted in a $50,000 decrease in net position to the IT Services Fund, and this item was presented to the City Commission on November 20, 2025. And that concludes the BAs. We do have also an Exhibit C in the Staffing Report. It shows the estimated available fund balance, and that's the last page in the Staffing Report. And it shows the impact of those fund balances on the funds that have an available fund balance impact. And it shows the beginning amount, and then it walks through to the projected ending balances. And all the funds meet or exceed their reserve target levels, with the exception of one fund, the Stormwater Fund. The Stormwater Fund available fund balance is less than the target, which is 25 percent is the target. And that was planned in our budget, actually. The City has been actively and successfully getting grants to help cover costs for some of these larger stormwater projects, such as our gabrium repairs and our ditch maintenance mentioned earlier as a result of Hurricane Salina Milton. We've included capital projects in the budget to assist with applying for the grants. Grants want you to have the projects in the CIP for applying, and we don't plan to begin some of these projects until we know that the grants are awarded in some cases. So that's one of the reasons our fund balance looks a little lower than our target. We also will likely do debt financing over the next couple of years for some of the stormwater projects. That includes our comments, and we'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks. Okay. Questions for staff? I'll start with Vice Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Les, if you could just remind us of the meeting we had on December 4th with regards to the wastewater, the Facility 8 Filter Media and Basin Rehab Project. Was that, because what I'm unclear on is, was that bid almost two times what was budgeted? Yeah, that bid came in significantly over the budget. Yes, it did. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, no. Okay. No further questions. Okay. Commissioner Sandberg, any questions? Do I understand correctly on the Marina Fund? Is that we've never accessed that credit line, have we? That's right. To date, we have not accessed the credit line at all. We estimated we would draw down and need $43,000 this year of interest, and so far we haven't drawn it down. We will be drawing it down soon for the East Bulkhead project. Okay. We haven't had to yet. We're monitoring that closely, but I think in the next month or two, we'll probably have to start drawing down some on that project. Okay, and that $43,000 was interest, even though we're not using it? Is that how that works? Well, it's a budget. It's an estimated budget of what we think we would draw down, so it was an estimate of our drawdown schedule, and luckily, at this point, we've not drawn down as early as we thought we would. Okay. That's all I had, Mayor. Okay. Questions? Commissioner Gow. No questions, Mayor. Questions? Commissioner DeGarden. Thank you, Mayor. I'm a little – I'm curious also about this water-wastewater fund and the initial bid, which came in as – the way I'm reading this is, as $2.9 million. Is that correct? Back in December? Yeah. And we're looking at a $1.4 million addition to that? Is that what this – make sure I'm reading this right, please. I'm going to let Clay help on this one a little bit. Hello, Clay. I should have known you were sneaking up on my left. Yes, I was trying to sneak it up. I do have to think back and refresh my memory. Yes, that project did come in under – or over budget. The way we were awarding it, we did have some alternative bid, some bid alternatives in that contract, where especially it came in if we – once we removed the filter media, some of the project was if we would need to look at the condition of the concrete and see if we would need to do any repairs to that. So that was where we left that out as a bid alternate. We did not award that. So part of that award – we awarded a base contract but left some of our bid alternates out of the award. And then we – fortunately, we have actually had some success over the last two bid closings. We've had a couple of things that have come in under budget. So hopefully that will help us out on that too. I'm not sure I got my question answered. Okay. I'll do my best. Let me go back and redo that just so I understand. The initial bid was $2,915,000. Is that correct? Yes. Okay. And what we're looking at is an additional $1.4 million. Is that correct? Correct. So we're looking now at something close to $5 million. No. No. No, yeah. No. Our original estimate was the $1.5 million that was that much over our budgeted amount for what we thought the project would cost. So it's not a total add. Okay. It's just that's the $1.5 million that we went over. Thank you for that clarification. Yes. That's all I have, Mayor. Okay. I don't really have any questions. I guess the only thing would be none of these are a surprise. We've seen these all in some form before. That's correct. Yeah. Correct. Okay. So I don't have any other questions. So does anyone in the public wish to come forward and speak to any of these items? General, anything from you again? No? You good? I don't think that it is budget amendments. No troop needs that aren't on here or? Okay. I don't think they did budget amendments then. Yeah. Probably. Yeah. You guys didn't do budget amendments then. Okay. All right. Seeing no one come forward, including the general, I'm going to close public input. And I'm going to go to Commission Comments, starting with maker of the motion, which is Commissioner Walker. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah. I appreciate that clarification, Clay, because with that particular issue, it pertained to a potential contingency, which was realized by the state of the concrete. I agree. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. No further comments. Okay. And seconder of the motion was Commissioner Gao. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah. No real comments. Some big numbers in here, but it is just kind of housekeeping. Nothing in here we haven't seen before. Okay. Commissioner Sandbergen? Nothing really to add. It's in good hands being taken care of by the right people. So thank you. Commissioner Dugard? I'm very satisfied with what we've got going forward. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah. I am as well. This, you know, again, it is housekeeping because we've seen these and talked about them even though there's some big numbers. Okay. Roll call vote. Commissioner Dugard? Aye. Commissioner Sandbergen? Aye. Commissioner Gao? Aye. Vice Mayor Walker? Aye. Mayor Franey? Aye. And the motion passes unanimously. Okay, now let's do a little drum roll here. I think we have a very exciting voluntary annexation coming up here. Okay. Not to show any prejudice to this quasi-judicial item, correct? Okay. 3B, application ANLUPZO-2026-0001, voluntary annexation, land use plan amendment and zoning district designation for the property located at 1991 Spanish Pines Drive, first reading of ordinance 26-02, voluntary annexation into the city of Dunedin, first reading of ordinance 26-03, land use plan amendment to residential low, first reading of ordinance 2604, zoning district designation to single-family residential R60. Okay, so we're going to have one presentation from staff, but one or more of these ordinances are quasi-judicial, and therefore I would request the city clerk to swear in all who intend to speak. So anyone who intends to speak, if they could stand and be sworn in. Okay. And I will ask, is there anyone up here who has to disclose any experte contact for the record? Okay. And so I will ask for a motion. Wait a minute. Hold on. Sorry. Wrong. I knew I was missing something. Ordinance 26-02 on annexation. Jen, could you please read Ordinance 26-02 by title only? Don't want to forget that part. No. I wasn't going to let you. I knew you weren't. I knew you weren't. Ordinance 2602, an ordinance of the city of Dunedin, Florida, annexing certain real property located at 1991 Spanish Pines Drive. Parcel number 13-28-15-84576-000-0340, with designated meets and bounds totaling approximately .24 acres into the corporate limits of the city, providing for filing with the clerk of the court, and providing for an effective date. That was Ordinance 2602, read by title only. Now I may have a motion. So moved. Second. Okay. Third, just because I want to be part of it. Fourth. Okay. There we go. And, you know, of course, I know that Vice Mayor rushed to that. I could tell that. He wanted to be making that first one. So, okay. We'll go to staff presentation. George. Yeah. This is a good. No density discussion. No height discussion. That's it. Really good. Good evening, Commissioners. Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. George King on behalf of the Community Development Department. As was already indicated, this is a voluntary annexation request by James and Gene Davis. They currently reside at 1991 Spanish Pines Drive, and that is the property that's subject to the annexation request. It is approximately two-tenths of an acre in size, and it is occupied by a single-family residence. This map just might help orient folks to the location. It is in the Spanish Pines subdivision plat, as indicated on the left-hand side. Spanish Pines consists of 47 residential lots, and it was platted in September of 1975. The Davis property is lot number 34, with that single-family home being built in 1976. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have purchased the property in August of 2001, so they've been there approximately just about 25 years at this point. Another map to orient folks, this is the subdivision itself is located at the corners of Curlew and Belcher. As you can see, it's a hashed area. It is an enclave type A that is suitable for annexation into the city of Dunedin. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are requesting this annexation from unincorporated Pinellas County into the city. And again, the location is noted on the map, and you can see by the future land use element piece on the lower left-hand side of the slide, this is something that is encouraged by our master plan and actually considered as a very appropriate action. Very quickly, from a land use perspective, as was indicated in the reading, the county existing land use is residential low. That is the exact same land use that we are recommending that it be placed in when it comes into the city of Dunedin. Residential low permits single-family residential as a primary use, which is consistent with the existing land use classifications in the neighborhood. From a zoning perspective, the zoning district designation also is indicated in the initial reading. It's currently located in the county and zoned R1 single-family. It is proposed to be converted into R60 when it comes into the city of Dunedin. And again, R60 zoning permits single-family residential as a primary use. And as you can see by the table on the lower right-hand side, the property conforms to all of those dimensional criteria that are located in that zoning category. Finally, I just want to mention that the LPA did consider these ordinances on May 13 of 2026 and did unanimously recommend approval to the city commission. Accordingly, staff also recommends approval to all three of the following ordinances. Ordinance 26-02 for voluntary annexation of the subject property into the city of Dunedin. Ordinance 26-03 to designate the property as residential low on the city's future land use plan map following annexation and Ordinance 26-04 to designate the property as R60 single-family residential zoning district following annexation. What's interesting about this is the designations are consistent with the countywide plan. So they'll process this as a tier one administrative application. So it'll be returned to us very quickly. And we anticipate being able to follow through with the second read as advertised for next month. And with that, I will close my comments. I know the applicants are here and probably excited to say something about the process. And if you have any questions of me, I'm certainly happy to answer those at this time. Okay. So questions for staff. I'll start with Commissioner Young. No questions, Mayor. Commissioner Dugard. No questions, Mayor. No questions. No questions, Mayor. No questions, Mayor. And so applicant presentation. Applicant presentation. Did you guys want to, do you have like a long presentation for us? And yeah. Do you want to come up and say anything? And that does. He needs to be sworn. Yeah. And you guys, you do need to be sworn in though. So raise your right hands. Mayor, the testimony, you're about to give us a question. Okay. So, okay. Well, thanks for the opportunity to stand in front of you guys. Jim and Jean, you know us. And we're grateful to have the opportunity to have the chance to get to be official citizens of the city of Dunedin. Had I known George Washington was going to be here tonight, I'd have dressed a little more patriotically. I did check my shirt and there is red, white, and blue in here. So I've got us covered. And we're just grateful for the opportunity and look forward to next month's hopefully final verdict. And I can't wait till then. Great. Thanks to both of you. We look forward to volunteering even more and being on those committees legally, right? I like it. Being involved and then some. Dunedin's in our blood, so. We always have blood and bread. Well, we're excited. You can tell. So. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. I'm going to open up for public input. General. We're very, the general speaking. Excuse me. Very pleased to have you. Excuse me, general. Name and address for the record. Oh. In three minutes. Steve Beatty. Oh, and you have to be sworn. I got sworn. You have to be sworn. My other right hand. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. The testimony you're about to give in the proceeding is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing of the truth. Yes, I do. And I invented the truth. But I'm George Washington, father of the country. So my present address is 1050 Prestwick Place, Dunning, Florida. Steve Beatty. I go under that assumed name. But we're very pleased to have you joining into our fine city here and being in one of my colonies here, our coastal. We need your boat. So we're very glad to have you. Okay. Perfect. So, yeah, we need more boats. But thank you very much. Thank you, General. You're adding so much to the proceedings tonight. Okay. Anyone else out in the public wish to come forward and speak on this issue? Okay. Seeing none, I'll close public input. And there's really no response for you to have to the public hearing. Okay. I think we just go to commission comments, starting with the maker of the motion, Vice Mayor Walker. Thank you, Mayor. And I'm really glad to see that we still have control of this meeting. Jim and Jean, you guys, you've done so much for Dunedin. And I'm very much looking forward to officially welcoming you to their great city. Although you've been serving our city for a long time. And anyway, thank you for bringing this forward. Seconder of the motion, Commissioner Zandbergen. Does this have to go through a second reading? Yeah, it does. Is there any way that we can move it along that we can't? No, it's an ordinance that requires two reviews. And I have to transmit to the county. Okay. Okay. Sorry, Jim. I tried to, Jean, I tried to get you in quicker. But that's all I had, Mayor. Okay. Okay. Okay. Commissioner Gough, final comment? Well, I think this is testimony to the lengths that some people will go to to be eligible for the Hall of Fame award that we saw. They realized that, oh, we need to live in the city? We dedicate our lives, but yet we're not eligible. So, no, just Jim, Jean, thank you all for what you do for this community. And we're excited that you'll finally make it official. So, thank you very much. Commissioner DeGuard, final comments? You've already made great contributions to this community. We're just glad to make you official. We're glad to have you here. Thank you, Mary. Yeah, my comments are, you know, you act like you already are. So, I mean, this seems kind of crazy, right? I mean, even the time you've been at the strategic planning sessions, helping the city plan thing, you've got everything. So, I mean, you know, personally, I'm excited. You guys are just part of the life of the community, and it completely makes sense. So, it's great. The second reading will be a time of celebration. So, we're going to do a roll call vote. Commissioner Gow. Aye. Commissioner Dugard. Aye. Commissioner Sandbergen. Aye. Vice Mayor Walker. Aye. And Mayor Franey. Aye. And motion passes unanimously. Okay, we're going to go to Ordinance 26-03, Land Use Designation. Jen, could you please read Ordinance 26-03 by title only? Ordinance 26-03, an Ordinance of the City of, I'm sorry, an Ordinance of the City of Dunedin, Florida, amending the City of Dunedin Land Use Plan as adopted by Ordinance 20-01. Uncertain real property following annexation located at 1991 Spanish Pines Drive, parcel number 13-28-15-84-576-000-0340, with designated meets and bounds, and totaling approximately 0.24 acres, to assign the residential low, RL, Land Designation, and providing for an effective date. That was Ordinance 26-03, read by title only. Okay, could I get a motion? So moved. Second. Okay. All right. And we have already had the presentation, so any additional questions to George? Okay, and would there be any public input to this issue? Come forward and speak now. Okay, seeing no one, including the general, we'll go and close public input, and we will go to commission comments, starting with maker of the motion, Commissioner Walker. No additional comments. Commissioner Gallo. No additional comments. Commissioner DeGuard. No comments. And Commissioner Sandbergen. Nothing to add, Mayor. And I have no comments either, so roll call vote. Commissioner Sandbergen. Aye. Commissioner Dugard. Aye. Commissioner Gallo. Aye. Vice Mayor Walker. Aye. Mayor Franey. Aye, and that motion passes unanimously. Okay, so we go now to Ordinance 26-04, zoning designation. Jen, could you please read Ordinance 26-04 by title only? Ordinance 26-04, an ordinance of the City of Dunedin, Florida, zoning certain real property following annexation, located at 1-9-9-1. Spanish Pines Drive, parcel number 13-28-15-84-576-000-0340 with designated meets and bounds, and totaling approximately .24 acres to single-family residential R-60, and providing for an effective date. That was Ordinance 26-04, read by title only. Okay. Thank you. Could I have a motion? So moved. Second. Okay. Don't you feel loved? Okay. Okay. We have a motion in a second. Any questions for staff in addition on this particular item? Okay. Seeing nobody. Anyone in the public wish to come forward and speak on this issue? Seeing no one, I will close public input, and I will go to commission comments, starting with maker of the motion, Vice Mayor Walker. Nothing further to that, Mayor. Okay, and seconder of the motion, okay, and Commissioner Dugard? I have about 20 minutes of, never mind. And Commissioner Sandbergen? Nothing to add, Mayor. Okay, and I have nothing additional to add, so we'll go to roll call vote. Commissioner Dugard? Aye. Commissioner Sandbergen? Aye. Commissioner Gow? Aye. Vice Mayor Walker? Aye. Mayor Franing? Aye. Aye. And the motion passes unanimously. The second reading will be scheduled for July 9th, 2026 commission meeting, so the party will be that night. All right. All right. All right. In general, if you're going to be here, let him know. He'll dress a little bit differently, okay? Okay. Okay. Thank you guys, really. Sincerely. Thank you. Okay. We're going to go, as soon as I pull this up. Take care. That night. We're going to go to the proposed agenda. Should I say something while you're looking at it? Sure. You know, Tom's using that new microphone, and can you all hear how much more clear? I think they're really better, but. Should we all be? Tom, you don't realize it, but we can hear you so much better on that microphone. Yeah. So, yeah, yeah. It does sound a lot clearer, and so let me get with staff, and we'll, you know, put. Are they hooked up? No, these are the new wireless ones that we purchased. So we could swap right now and just see for the rest of the meeting? Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's do it. Let's get rid of the. Yes. Okay, so everybody hear me better? Is it better? Okay. Wow. Okay, there we go. These are actually the ones that the county commission has, so, yeah, because we use these type for forward panels. I think they have a little longer thing, but this is probably good for us. Okay, we're going to go to proposed agenda for the June 18, 2026 commission meeting. Any additions or changes? No, ma'am. Mayor? Yes, ma'am. May I? So it doesn't necessarily have to be approved today by all of you, but under city manager's update, I will provide you a memo on Grand Oak Park to answer the questions that all of you had had at a previous city commission meeting, and also to give you an update on exactly where we are. I have the memo in hand now, but we're, it's in draft form, so I want to go through it with staff a few more times, and then we'll, we'll supply it to you under city manager's update. Okay. Okay. That'll go in section three? Yeah. No, four. Four? Oh, okay. If that's four. Yeah. Yes. Four. That is. Okay. Okay. No. And so, anything else? So, I guess I just need a motion. So moved. Second. Oh. Yep. Okay. So, I have a motion. I have a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Can I say one more thing about these microphones? So, like when you're talking, Jen, it's, it, it's, I'm not going to turn this into a bathroom issue, but, no, it's, so we can, it's coming through a speaker at the same time. That's why we're hearing Tom so clear. Wow. See, I, I still got an eight track tape in my car, so. No. Good. I'm good. Thank you. And at the very end, we'll let you do an analysis of self-advocacy. All right. Okay. So, we're going to go to informational items. Commission, discussion, and comments. I'm going to start over here with Commissioner Gow. Really, no, no comments, Mayor. I'm good. Okay. Commissioner DeGuard. Pride Month is exciting in this town, and it's a great set of activities, and I'm proud of what's going on here and the amount of energy I've seen put into this process. I have not been able to participate in every event, but I did participate in the dunk tank. Might I note that my colleagues seem to enjoy putting me underwater? But I think that as a community, we should be very proud of the fact that we embrace this, that it's not a, just a tip of the hat. I had some comments that I was seriously considering, but I'll save them for, I'm saving them for now. What was helpful to me was seeing the movie, The Imagination Game, The Imitation Game, rather, about Alan Turing and the experience of his life as a gay man in England during World War II, and the abuses he suffered and the prosecutions he suffered. We forget that that was not that long ago, and there are many communities that think that's appropriate still. I'm proud of our community. I love this community for what it does in embracing others, and that's what makes us great. Thank you, Mayor. Great comments. Okay. Vice Mayor, commission discussion items or comments? Or both? There's no, wow. General, you have, I don't know, there's something you've put in the water tonight. Okay. I apologize. Vice Mayor, it's your, you're on. Thank you, Mayor. So I attended the PSTA Legislative Committee meeting on Wednesday, and got a pretty good rundown on where we stand with the property taxes. I think we're all pretty well up to speed, and there's really nothing new out of this. Except for the discussion about how the municipalities, they call it a backfill option. And the challenge, well, we're not, you know, this really only applies to the rural communities. And I still, my hope and desire is, is that there is some element of discussion that's going to be occurring in terms of the backfill and making the communities whole. So, and actually, there, there is a bit of optimism, at least the, Ron Pierce, the lobbyist, had held for this, because there's still, there still are some off ramps here. And, but I, we really need to communicate and educate and do this in collaboration with our county partners, the other municipalities. And that has to, my opinion, that's the drum that needs to be beaten. So that's, that's my comment on that. Yeah, I also want to say, you know, something about, you know, Pride Week here in Dunedin. And, you know, it is, it, it, it's just, it, it, the, you know, the, the, the love and the energy from the flag raising was just purely, it was just purely overwhelming. And, you know, I, I will share a, a, a story from, you know, my experience that, you know, where, where inclusivity and togetherness and love really, really can happen here. And I was, it was during my service in the Navy. And we, one of the, my petty officers, he was, and this was the 1980s, and it wasn't, you know, it's still, there's still a lot of reluctance to, to come out, if you will. And he, there, you know, he, he is gay. And, you know, the thing about it was, everybody in the crew knew he was gay. And this, this particular individual was positively the very most squared away sailor I'd ever, ever served with. And there was never any question about this individual's commitment to the crew or the crew's commitment to him. We always, you know, in, on a submarine, it's, it, it's literally, you know, you have to have trust that, you know, your shipmates are going to be able to act and they have your back. Well, this particular individual, there was never any question of this. And, you know, for me, that was, you know, that was a moment that, you know, really caused me to reflect in terms of, you know, the, the nature of the world we live in. And that is an example of, of how this works. And I, fast forward 30 years, Dunedin, pride flag raising, I felt the same energy on Sunday. And, uh, anyway, I'm just so darn proud of this community. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. That's beautiful. Um, uh, Commissioner Sandbergen. Uh, tomorrow night, we'll be attending the, uh, Dunedin Blue Jays game following the, uh, golf cart parade. And you may very well recognize the guy that throws out the first pitch, but I won't give you any, uh, hint on who it might be. I hear he still has pretty good fastball. I, I certainly hope it's better than the mayor's first pitch. And, and, and by the way. So does he. But just so you know, because it made me feel so much better that a constituent sent me a clip of Travis Kelsey's first, his first pitch. Okay. And let me tell you, it's, it's a toss up. Mine might've been a little better. Okay. And mine is pretty bad. So, okay. So thank you for sharing that. Uh, well, I can't wait for it. Uh, yeah, so, um, yeah, I mean, first on pride pride was, it was a great day. A lot of energy. The churches are just amazing, but it's just the whole community that comes out. And I don't really know how many cities, uh, did it, um, raised the flag. I know St. Pete did. I think all four did. I know we did. Um, uh, but I'm just proud. I'm proud of the inclusion that we have in this community. Um, it is, I think as commissioner Sandbergen said, that's who Dunedin is. And, uh, it is who we are. And no matter what we face in the future, um, in terms of any kind of state laws or whatever, we will always be inclusive. And we will find a way to share that inclusivity and, um, because it's important. Everybody, everybody deserves to be part. So, um, uh, yesterday I went to the mayor's council. So obviously the topic of the mayor's council was, uh, was the property tax referendum. Um, we had a really good discussion. Everybody obviously was on the same page. Um, everybody feels, um, not just because of property tax, but because of a lot of items that are happening in Tallahassee that, you know, home rule, um, and local government is just under attack. And, um, and it's really important. This is, uh, this is just part of, uh, of many things. And I think that, um, obviously now, uh, now that this is going to be on the ballot, um, it'll be important for us. And, uh, the, the mayor's all discussed this, uh, to educate, educate, educate as objectively and as impartially as we possibly can. Um, um, no matter how it got here, no matter how we may think it was irresponsibly not thought out to be on here, um, it doesn't matter now. Uh, it's going to be up to the citizens to make an educated decision on what they want their communities to look like. And, uh, and that was the kind of discussion we had. We honored the city clerks from around the county. So Michelle was with me and, uh, and that was a, that was pretty special as well. I mean, everybody knows the, the, uh, some of the things that the clerks deal with now, especially with public records requests and things like that. And so it's a really important position. So we were all very grateful for her and, and for all the other clerks. Um, um, I, just to share, um, I am going to be doing some interviews on the property tax. I do have my first one tomorrow with Bay News 9 and, uh, I know that, uh, Sue's got me getting scheduled with some other places as well. And I will, uh, try to, uh, do my best to, um, communicate on our behalf, um, you know, as fairly and objectively about what, what the city will face, uh, based on the impacts of the legislation, what, whichever way it goes. Um, uh, and also I, I shared, and I will continue to share, and I may have shared this Tuesday, but boy, uh, Jeff Brandeis, former, um, senator, Republican senator, um, for the state of Florida. Uh, he's in a, uh, nonpartisan think group tank now, and he, boy, he's doing some great stuff on the impacts of, of how this, um, this ballot measure, you know, really is not that well thought out. And, but gives a lot of views and concerns to share for people to think about. So, um, I think, um, uh, and we all agreed, let's keep Jeff talking because he, he knows, he knows. He's been up, he was up there at the state level, and he knows, um, from both a local and a state perspective, um, the issues. So, I think, um, he's, he's going to be a great, um, you know, just a great person out there educating and, and making sure that people see both sides of this. Like, let's face it, we all like to see less property tax. It's what the impact of that would be to our communities. Um, okay. I don't think I have any other comments, so I'll go to, uh, city clerk update. Thank you, Mayor. Just wanted to share my thanks for your support yesterday and, and all of you. Thank you. That was very nice. I appreciated it. You do a great job. Um, city manager's update. Yeah, thank you, Mayor. Uh, you had asked for an update regarding the marina and their repairs on the marina, and so I've asked Clay to help us with that. We do have a PowerPoint, uh, presentation as well for all of you. It's a short presentation. We have it in hard copy, and also Michelle's going to upload it into the, um, electronic agenda, uh, when we're done so that it'll be available to the public as well. Moving forward. So, these, these microphones are better. Just saying. All right. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. We want, like, like, um, city managers mentioned, we wanted to give you a quick little, uh, update of where we stand on everything with, uh, marina, with repairs, um, and, and the design. And, and, and, and just other things as we sort of work our way through, through the repair from, from the hurricanes of, of 2024. Um, we'll start just as, um, the east seawall or bulkhead. Um, currently our contractor has driven all the piles, um, along that eastern wall. Um, they're working on recutting and removing the old, uh, cap and backfilling behind the sheet wall. That's sort of what their, uh, game plan will be for this week and next week. Um, items that will still need to be done, sort of the long range for the, to the remainder of the project. Uh, we'll be, um, forming and pouring the new concrete cap on those, um, from the piles that have been driven. Um, installing the stormwater drainage system, um, that will sit, um, at the edge of the parking lot. That'll help keep some of that stormwater that might have been our cause and our problem, um, from the old wall. And it'll collect it and send it out through the wall instead of sitting it. Um, we also are looking, there'll be some new, uh, uh, wooden pile fenders that'll kind of sit outside of the wall to help do a little protection. Uh, and with that, we also have the new sidewalk that'll be built, um, on the, against the seawall with the curbing and the parking area and the dry vials. Um, on the north side, uh, like we talked about before, the sheet piles have all been installed. They've wrapped that up two weeks ago. Um, they've cut the piles now down to height. Um, and they, too, well, those, because those piles were not driven as far as the other ones, they do have to come back in and put a, um, corrosion member, the, they have to coat the, the, the piles as, because the other ones came pre-coated. Um, and work to do on that side also is to work on the new concrete cap forming and pouring that. Um, these, this side, we are adding some tiebacks to the existing wall and to this wall, just as, because of the, the way this was a smaller segment of wall, we wanted to do some repairs to them in the existing wall and not at the full replacement like it was on the east side. That, too, has some more piles, wooden piles that will be driven in front of it to sort of give some areas as a fender. And then there is a, the new sidewalk that will go on the top of the wall. Um, we are working through a little quick change order, um, with our contractor. Um, we, through, as we started moving through with A and B, we realized that we wanted to move the proposed location, uh, that we ran our electric future electrical ducts. So that was, the, the location, as you can see in the top right-hand side, it was more located to the north of, uh, dock A. We have relocated that as part of, between A and B to be more aligned where the future location is if we have the gangways meet there and then go down to our floating docks. Um, we also have added a couple more electrical ducts just to make sure we have plenty. Uh, you can all, there's never, never a few enough. That way we have everything under the ground and we're not tearing anything up any later. Um, and then there's a small, small little revision. Um, we also, our utility crews have installed, um, a new water and fire line to that location. So as, when the wall is fixed, we can, they'll penetrate the wall. Uh, there is, through, also with that same relocation, we also have a proposed relocated force main to handle the, the pump out, uh, for that. And then during construction and due to just the time frame, we've relocated an electrical pole. You can see in the bottom right-hand side, just that it was up as you came into the dock on A, sort of in the sidewalk. So we've moved it out into the parking island to help sort of produce a little bit more island in the parking. So that's just as we're working through a change. Um, some of this work has, like I said, has been completed by city staff. But just, this is what we're working through at this time. It's finalizing our changes as we go through construction. Um, as I know, we've had a lot of discussion previously on where we stand on the time frame and our count on our schedule. Um, the, the project's substantial completion date was this Monday on June 1st, uh, with a final completion date on June 30th. Uh, the contractor's most recent schedule has them of the completion date of August 25th. So it's final completion in September. Um, so we just wanted to, we understand, and we've asked them several times, and we're, we're looking for an updated schedule. And hopefully also a, for a little bit of recovery to try to cut that time so it's, we're not looking at late August. And set into September for the final completion of this. Um, quick update on the fishing pier. Uh, the demolition of the decking and the railing is complete. The, uh, timber piles that were the supports will stay out during, until construction starts. Uh, the contractor, one, we didn't want to mess with anything in water as we're still waiting for the Army Corps permit. And two, the contractor would mobilize the same equipment to install as it was to remove. So we, he was just waiting for that. We have had ordered, the contractor's ordered all long lead items when it comes to the electrical pairs and the floating docks. So all that stuff has, has been, has been ordered. And hopefully we'll get them on site and ready to go as soon as we have the, the Corps permit. And in the last note, like I said, we are, we are still waiting on that permit. Um, we did receive some comments in late March-ish. And we didn't respond to those in early April. So we're waiting to, we're waiting to hear back any comments on, on those, um, those responses. Um, a lot of those were, one of the comments was we had to do a survey of the seagrass, which was, that's why we had to wait a couple weeks just for the time frame when those, they allow those surveys to take place. Um, Doc, Doc A and B, the design, uh, right now our consultant is currently working on the, the Corps permit submittal package, uh, with a target completion of, of that package here next week, the week after in mid-June. Uh, we're scheduling a pre, uh, pre-application meeting with the Corps. Most, main reason for that is we want them to understand that we're, we are doing multiple projects at the same time. So we don't want any confusion with another project submitted inside the marina. So maybe try to, they don't, we want to leave the fishing piers permit separate from, from the, from the Doc A permit. Um, and another note, this, as we permit Doc A, it's not just Doc A. It will be all the revisions that you'll see in the master plan. That way, when we come back and do the other phases, we already have the permit. We just do a quick permit mod to kind of cut that permitting time down for the future phases. Take a little bit of a hit on the long lead item now, but the rest of them, as we work through, should be a little shorter. Um, their consultant has got the vast majority of a list prepared, um, for marinas to take forever, for everybody to go take a look at. Um, whether floating docks, concrete docks, or excuse me, floating and concrete docks. Um, there are different locations that are here in Pinellas County for the most part. Um, well, that list should be finalized come July. And at that time, as we work with those marinas to try to schedule, um, visits, we should be seeing those visits July, August. So everybody, you guys, you guys can all have an opportunity to see the, the, the projects that we would be recommending in action and in use. So you can get the first-hand look at those. Um, then with the master plan, the master plan and doc A are kind of weaving themselves a little bit together. Um, so as we work our way through design and finalizing, the doc A will finalize the master plan and bring, bring those back to you. Like I said, August, we're sort of planning in August, September. That way after the, we've had a chance for everybody to go visit the, um, the docks and have some opinions and reviews. We can sort of follow that behind there and then finalize the plan as we move forward. And then, um, just a few other items as we're progressing. A couple items that are not the big items but stuff that the staff has been working on. Uh, we are working on new lighting along the commercial doc. Uh, those, that has a purchase order that has been approved and we're just coordinating final approval moving forward to purchase and everything. So hopefully we can see that in a few months. Do you think so? Evening, Commission. Tony Mulkey, Parks and Recreation Director. Yes, uh, we, we are also, uh, contracting to get the removal of the old poles. That's going to be taking place, uh, hopefully beginning next week. So we'll get those removed and we'll see, uh, some movement and then it'll just be on the, uh, lead time for the vendor. For the installation. And then also the, the, the boat pump out was damaged during the storm event. We, uh, staff has secured an FDEP room for full replacement of that. The agreement has been sent, was recently sent over and we're sort of, now we'll go through the approval process, attorney review approval process. And so we'll get, once that gets through the process, they'll be able to purchase that pump. So that'll be covered. I believe it's fully by DP. Yes. So that, that pump gets fully covered by, uh, Department of Environmental Protection. So, and that was really all we have. We have, we're assuming we'll have some questions from that. So we're here to answer any questions for you. Okay. Questions? Vice Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Um, just, uh, some points of clarification. So the contract substantial completion date, May 31st rolls to June 1st, final completion date, June 30th. Um, now those are con, that's a contract date as well, right? Correct. Correct. And then why, why is the contractor schedule different than the contract date? Because they're, they're just, they're behind schedule. They're not going to be able to deliver the project in the time frame that we had initially agreed upon. Do they start, uh, do we start realizing the indemnity part of this? You can, it can be started, realized, yes, on the, after the standard completion, excuse me, after the final completion date of the contract, after June 30th. After, okay, after June 30th. All right. Okay. Um, can you, uh, why, why are they behind? That's a great question. I know there was some, that the driving of the piling has been slow, um, that went a little slower than they expected. Um, and there has been a few times where we didn't, you know, the, the crane was removed for in November. That's probably slowed them down some. So, I mean, that has, that has been, they've been a little slow to, to move a few things. Um, okay. On the fishing pier, um, I know that we, we were challenged by the, uh, my understanding of how the, the permit processing works through the, uh, the, the county has a role in the, the permitting process with the Corps of Engineers, right? Correct. We have that permit already. Okay. All right. So that, that's not an issue. Not an issue. We have the county, we have the state DEP permit. The only one we are waiting on at this time is the Corps permit. Okay. Um, yeah, and I, I completely understand, you know, separating the pier from the docks. That's, you know. I don't, we don't want to slow that, that fishing pier down anymore than it already has with this permitting. And then back to the, the dock layout and, uh, so we'll, we'll start, we'll start, uh, we'll have a better idea of what the alternatives are for, uh, for the docks in that July, August time frame. Yes. Once we send that list and we get to, we'll, we're going to find marinas that are nearby that you can actually go. We'll get, well, they'll allow us to come on and you can walk them and see them, how they operate today. Okay. And is that when you're anticipating bringing the commission down? So, yes, yes, we'll schedule, you know, five different site visits for everybody at each one. You know, we'll, we're looking to have about five different marinas. So, we'll figure out a way, I mean, to try to juggle in what's good for the marina, what's good for everybody to try to make sure we can get everybody to see all five. Yeah. Okay. So, it's, that's why I'm saying that July, August, it's, it's going to be a juggling match, but we're going to, we're going to try to get in there as best we can. Okay. All right. I have no further questions. Thank you. Mr. Sandberg, any questions? I may have missed it. Did you, Tony, did you address the, the fishing pier? The, are those posts going to come out that are, or are we going to, did you, did you bring that up? I, I, I think I missed it. No, yeah, those will come out and remove once we get, once we start construction. So, those will be removed, new, new piles will be, would be placed. But, the machinery to remove them is the same as to take them out. So, the contractor is waiting for that. And, two, we wanted to make sure we stayed above water with all the work we've been doing. Okay. Um, actually, I, I did miss, the contractor has had some work that is a, um, sea, land side. There are some repairs to the seawall that he's already completed. Their intention is they're trying to get as much as they can landward side. So, that's done once they get the core permit. Then they, that's all they have to do is to stuff out of our water. Okay. Did we provide that, uh, of course, I don't have to say I was down there again this week. So, it's only one time this week. Did we provide that sign on that fence that talks about, um, I think it's Bon Appetit in Old Bay? Yes. See, that's. Well, okay, thank you. City manager. Yeah, that, okay. Actually, that was, uh, Bob's shop. Okay. Um, yeah, um, Matt, uh, requested that, that we pass some sort of signage that those businesses were open. Okay, that was important. Uh, no, that's, that's, that's all I have. Thanks. Hey, uh, Commissioner Gow. Uh, thank you, Mayor. All my questions have been asked and answered. Thank you. Okay. Uh, Commissioner Dugard, questions? Thank you, Mayor. Um, I'm looking at the fishing pier, and I'm trying to put some frame around that as what our expectation should be, uh, when we have permitting, not issued, things like that. Can you put some context into this so that we have an expectation of delivery? We were really hoping to have had it this month. Yeah. Uh, but, I, I mean, I'm afraid whatever I tell you is not going to be, will not come true, to be honest with you. Um, so we're hoping in... Is it a calendar year? Maybe. Okay. The fishing pier, yes. I know, we really wanted it for the, for the boat parade. Yeah. I can see that look I'm getting, so... Well, we're working on the parade regardless, though. Okay. So... There may not be a pier, but we're going to have a parade. Um, after sitting in a couple of the, uh, Marina Advisory Committee meetings, uh, there was some concerns that we might be delaying by processes that, in my opinion, weren't even connected. And I was trying to sort all of that out. The selection of floating docks, that kind of thing, is really not connected to the completion of the Marina and the pier. It is actually a phase of improvement. Is that a correct statement? Let me make sure I get this right. So, when, as those conversations that we were having at the, that we're having at the Marine Advisory Committee, I think a lot of them were, you know, I think, you know, is fixed cheaper than floating, and some of that was happening. But what I was trying to project at everybody is, we want to get the Corps permit. It is a long lead on it. It could be 18, 20, or four months. So, as long as we have the general layout of what we want to come in for, if a pile moves here and there as we go through the process, that, those changes can be happened, can happen after we get a round of comments, and we can make those changes. Well, what I'm trying to do is separate restoration to improvement a little bit, in the way we're thinking. Because I look at the floating docks, although some would argue that they're restoration. I see them as improvement, and going into more of our strategic plan for, the Marina, and the restoration of the pier, and all of the bulkheads, is actually recovery. So, I think that needs to be separated in the mind of the Marina Advisory Committee, because I would see them conflating the two, and bringing them in. And they were trying to make sure we weren't going to be delayed by selection of floating, and which type of floating, and that kind of thing. Yeah, and I think they also were, there was a lot of discussion on sort of that, is the floating a mitigation, and how FEMA was treating that. That question came up also a lot. And while we're not, you know, FEMA's being FEMA, some of our early conversations with FEMA was, you know, they understand that floating docks is a mitigation, so we're not back at the same position we are. You know, if we had a little bit of water, and we're replacing 90 electrical pedestals again, this allows that to happen. Yeah, and your attempt to be precise, Clay, sometimes I think you lead them into a place of overthinking, if you will, because the floating, I mean, we're going to have the Marina back in operation before those selections and installations occur. And in many ways, the Marina's going to look like it did, better than it did, before, I hope, the end of this year, if we can get that pier done. Yeah, absolutely, yes. You're correct. Once, I mean, for the most part, once the construction on the bulkheads are done, a lot of that internal to the Marina, the east side, the drive aisle will all be back, and a lot of the users will be able to park along the seawall. So, yes, it will be sort of back, a little bit visually, a lot back to normal. It will be done by the end of this year. I would like to say that, yes. Okay. Let's hope we can stick closely to that. But as far as the types of floating A and B and those kind of things, they're going to be out in the future. I'd like to kind of segment those as one part of a strategic process of continual improvement, even though we may be getting money from sources associated with the storm, and then getting that Marina open as good or better than it was. And I think that would be helpful to the advisory committee, as I said in that last minute. No, and those are very good points. So, yeah, I can see how it probably was, and that would have been a little confusing during some of those meetings. So, thank you. Thank you. Just a point of clarification, if I may, Mayor? I don't know. Please. Is it a long clarification? No. Yes. Please. Go forward. No. I mean, I just, the Marina is open and operating. I mean, when we talk about the Marina getting it up and operating, it is open and operating right now. There are vessels in and out. There are times, supposedly, on docks A and B when it was under construction that they weren't able, and they were actively in the construction area, able to access, from my understanding as the contractor, made accommodations, in a lot of cases, to get them to their vessels. There are, you know, docks A and B will need to close, obviously, in order to repair in the future, but I just want to make it really clear that the Marina has been open and operating for a year and a half, probably. So, you know, like I said, it's out there in the community that it's closed, and it is not. So, thank you. Okay. Well, I now know that you're seat two, so when seat two's light comes on, I'm going to try to not. Okay. There we go. So, I just wonder, General Washington, I'm just wondering if, could you come forward for one minute? I just had a quick question. No, you're going to have to come to the mic before you start talking. I need that Marina completed so I can bring in the French Armada. Well, I just wanted to know, was it this complicated back, you know, in your time when you were docking your boats? Did you have to go through a lot of purchasing requirements? No. No, we had no FEMA. We had no ordinance. Dranked a lot of tea, a lot of beer. None of this. Okay, well, it has changed, hasn't it, General? Yes. Yes. But you guys are doing great rent in my colony. Just want to point that out. But I knew they had a marina open to get the French Armada in here. Okay, good. Well, thank you, General. Thank you. Okay. Okay. I don't have any other questions. I just thought we'd get some clarification. Okay. So, okay. So, we're good with that, right? Okay. So, we're going to move on to the city attorney update. And I do have an item tonight, Mayor. You'll see attached to the agenda, there's a conflict waiver. And so, what this is about is the city was noticed of a foreclosure action that's going on between PNC versus Garnett. I'm sorry, Garrett. And the city currently has a code enforcement lien recorded against the property. BMO obviously represents the city as a city attorney. But BMO also represents PNC in an unrelated matter. And so, there's no dispute that the city has an inferior lien. But I do have an obligation under the Florida Bar rules to advise you of the conflict. And as long as the conflict of interest is something that I believe is reasonable and the representation will not adversely affect either you or PNC and you consent to a written consent as to the representation, then we can proceed. PNC has already consented to this. And if there were any other changes in the case that would bring about some sort of adverse effect for the city, then I would bring it to your attention and we would discuss it. So, at this time, I'm asking for a waiver from the city commission to continue to allow us to represent the city in the foreclosure matter. So moved. Second. Okay. Any questions? Commissioner Gough? No questions. Okay. Commissioner DeGuard? Questions? No questions. Vice Mayor? No questions. Commissioner Sample? No questions. I don't have any questions either. So we have a motion and a second. So all in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Okay. You have it. Thank you. Okay. Anything else from the city attorney? No. You've already really talked about what's happened up at the legislature. I'm happy to go over that. You did get a memo. If you'd like me to discuss it, I'm happy to. Anybody have any specific questions right now on the property tax or we'll just read it, read your memo? Okay. But thank you. Absolutely. Matter of fact, if we want to read the memo right after the meeting, I think they've released the new Pride Beer at the brewery tonight during our meeting. It's still going on. So there you go. That'll be a fantastic combination. Yeah. Yeah. Who knows what we might say out there? General? I don't know what. Yeah. Okay. He's busy back there with his. Yeah. Martha's here. Okay. So actually, there was one other item we added. So I wanted to finish with that. We had Commissioner Sandberg and was doing his final analysis on the new microphone system. Did you want to give us your final analysis on the new microphone system? I have nothing further to add, Mayor. Okay. And special thanks before we adjourn to General Washington for being here tonight and staying the whole time. That is true patriotism, sir. Okay. Meeting is adjourned.