CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING - Nov 06, 2025

Good evening. Welcome to the November 6, 2025 City Commission meeting. I want to call the meeting to order. We will start with invocation and pledge of allegiance by our city attorney, Jen. Please stand. Let us begin

this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection in the honor of the upcoming Veterans Day. 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.

Okay. Before we do go to presentations, the Vice Mayor has had a family emergency, so can I get a motion to excuse

his absence? So moved. Second. Second. Okay. All in favor? Aye.

Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Okay. We are going to go to Veterans Day Proclamation. I think we have a few veterans out there. I see a lot of them. So I'm going to turn that over to our own veteran up here, Commissioner Walker.

Thank you very much, Mayor. I just, this is one of my favorite proclamations. This is just such a wonderful outpouring of love and support for our veteran community. And I continue to be amazed with the fact that a town of 38,000 people, we probably have five or six veterans organizations alone. And as I look across this group here, I see the veterans. I see the members. I, you know, this is just amazing to me. And so, could I get our veterans, members of VFW Post 2550, American Legion Post 275, and members of the Military Order of Purple Hearts, front and center, please. What a great looking bunch of guys. Veterans Day 2025. Whereas, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th, 1919 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. And 106 years later, our nation continues to honor our fallen heroes and commemorate their selfless sacrifices and to honor our veterans who have courageously defended our country and who now volunteer as mentors, teachers, and counselors. And while tens of millions of Americans have served in the United States Armed Forces during the past century, we are reminded that the defense of freedom comes with great loss and sacrifice. And veterans' courage, dedication to duty, and love of country have made it possible for Americans to live in freedom. And on this Veterans Day, we remember with the highest regard the bravery of a generation of Americans who fought with honor. And we salute the men and women who put their lives in danger to answer the call of duty. And whereas, we give thanks to those who have served freedom's cause, and salute the members of the armed forces. We also honor the men and women defending our nation today. Now therefore, I, Robert James Walker, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Mayor of the City of Dunedin, Florida, and on behalf of the entire City Commission, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, November 11, 2025, as Veterans Day in Dunedin. And I encourage everyone to join us at Edgewater Park for a Veterans Day ceremony on the 11th month, the 11th day, and the 11th hour. Tuesday, November 11, 11 a.m., Pioneer Park. And there we will recognize the tradition of freedom that we fought to preserve. Thank you.

Please, please do. Mike, if you could turn the mic off. Better?

Much better. There you go.

Again, Madam Mayor, members of the Commission, Jennifer, and all. I think there's just no question how important is the relationship between the Veterans community and the City of Dunedin. There has never been a time that we have come to the City to ask for help or assistance or support that we haven't had overwhelming support. I would be remiss if I didn't do a shout out to the department that makes it all happen. And that is the Department of Parks and Recreation. You know, there are members of that department that are so behind the scenes. You never hear their name. You never know who they are. And they're there working when everybody else is off. So again, my heartfelt thanks goes out, of course, Jory Peterson and Daniel Edwards, Big Joe McLemore. And whoever is in charge of hiring here in this town. Thanks for hiring Tony Mulkey. I mean, he's already a great addition to your team. He has already shown great initiative, great leadership. So thank you for that. And one other shout out has to go to Achieva Credit Union. You know, it is important that we have community partners that help us all the time. This is the second year that Achieva has stepped up and helped us. This is a big year because it's the 250th birthday, Army, Navy and Marines, a big day for us. And Achieva has stood up. They've helped us with the band. They've helped us with the speaker system. You know, Jody Percelli from Wild Iris is going to be handing out muffins and coffee. So again, understand that there's a lot of love coming from the veterans community to the city of Dunedin. So thank you for everything that you do. And we're looking forward to having everybody at

Pioneer Park. OK, good. Thank you. We'll be there. Thank you. Thanks for all you do. Will, we get a picture up here. We love our vets. No doubt about that. So thank you. Our next item is related. VFW Buddy Poppy Proclamation, which I'm going to read that myself since I'm a member of the auxiliary. And is Stoney here? Oh, I didn't see you back there. But if Stoney could come forward and anyone else appropriate, I'll let Stoney lead that so we can read the proclamation. You were hidden from me. There you go. So I just have to tell you, I see all the blue. And this is the first time I haven't worn blue for a long time because of the Toronto Blue Jays. But you're representing the cause. I like it. So, OK. VFW Buddy Poppy Proclamation. Whereas the annual distribution of Buddy Poppy's by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has been officially recognized and endorsed by governmental leaders since 1922. And whereas VFW Buddy Poppy's are assembled by disabled veterans and the proceeds of this worthy fundraising campaign are used exclusively for the benefit of disabled and needy veterans and the widows and orphans of deceased veterans. And whereas the basic purpose of the annual distribution of Buddy Poppy's by the Veterans of Foreign Wars is eloquently reflected in the desire to, quote, honor the dead by helping the living, unquote. Now, therefore, I, Maureen Moe Franey, by the virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Dineen, Florida, and on behalf of the entire City Commission, do hereby urge the citizens of this community to recognize the merits of this cause by contributing generously to its support through your donations for Buddy Poppy's on the day set aside for the distribution of these symbols of appreciation for the sacrifices of our honored dead. I urge all patriotic citizens to wear a Buddy Poppy as mute evidence of our gratitude to the men and women of this country who have risked their lives in defense of the freedoms which we continue to enjoy as American citizens. Do you want to say anything

first, Tony? Okay. We'll take a picture first. I just want to say thank you to the City of Dineen for recognizing the VFW Buddy Poppy. And for everybody in attendance, please stop by our our table during Veterans Day and pick up your Buddy Poppy, learn more a little bit about the VFW and the Buddy Poppy, and we're also going to leave these out front for if anybody would like one tonight. Thank you.

Thanks a lot. Thanks for all you do. You too, Jessica. Shout out to you too, Jessica. Thank you. You guys do a lot. Okay. We are going to move to our swearing in ceremony for our new firefighters, and then we'll go into swearing in for promotions. But we start out with new firefighters, and I'm going to turn that over to our new chief who's going to be sworn in tonight too. But we're going to let you take this ball and run with it. There you go. Thank you very much. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor,

City Commission, City Manager, City staff, families, and members of the public. It is an honor to be here this evening to celebrate several important milestones in Dunedin Fire Rescue. Tonight we recognize the swearing in of our newest firefighters, the promotion of several of our department leaders, and the presentation of the Medal of Valor. It is the highest award that our department can bestow. These ceremonies not only mark personal achievements, but they reflect the dedication, professionalism, and commitment to service that define Dunedin Fire Rescue and our city organization as a whole. On behalf of the men and women of Dunedin Fire Rescue, I want to thank the City Commission and the City leadership for their continued support of our mission and our personnel. Your leadership enables us to serve this community with the highest level of readiness and professionalism. The dedication we're recognizing tonight, from new firefighters to promoted chiefs, and the Medal of Valor recipients, reflects the strength, pride, and unity of our department and our city. It is now my honor to introduce and officially welcome our five newest members to Dunedin Fire Rescue. Each has demonstrated exceptional commitment, skill, and character, and now joins a proud tradition of service to our city. First up is Firefighter EMT Rustam Aghanov. Rustam was born in Moscow, Russia, and moved to East Lake, Florida at the age of 10. He has called Pinellas County home ever since. A graduate of East Lake High School, Rustam earned his EMT certification through the School of EMS and later graduated from the St. Petersburg College Fire Academy. He holds his State of Florida certifications as a Firefighter II and EMT. Before joining Dunedin Fire Rescue, Rustam was an active member of the Palm Harbor Fire Cadets, where his passion for the fire service began. His motivation for joining Dunedin Fire Rescue is to serve the community that he grew up in. Rustam is joined tonight by his mother and two sisters. It is also rumored that he is a championship arm wrestler. It's a skill that may come in handy around the firehouse dinner table, so he is taking challengers if anybody would like to. All right, right over there, sir. Next up, Firefighter EMT Taylor Byrd. So Taylor is from Winter Park, Florida and has lived in Pinellas County for just over a year. He's a graduate of the St. Petersburg College combined EMT and Fire Academy program and holds state certifications as a Firefighter II and EMT. Before joining Dunedin Fire Rescue, Taylor served five years on active duty in the military in the United States Navy as an aviation mechanic. Yes, so when we get our helicopter, he's going to work on it. No. Who said no? Wait a second. Where'd that come from? Small helicopter. It's not going to be a big one. No. It was a very strategic hire. So he has joined the fire service to continue serving his community and be a part of a team that feels like a family. Taylor is joined tonight by his mother and his girlfriend. So Taylor, right over there, please. Troy EMT, Firefighter Troy Fowler. Come on down. So Troy was actually born in Dunedin and grew up in both Palm Harbor and Dunedin where he's lived his entire life. He graduated from Palm Harbor University High School and later attended St. Petersburg College's combined Firefighter and EMT program in the same class, I believe, correct? Yes. So he has his Firefighter II and EMT certifications obviously through the state of Florida. Troy's goal is to serve the community in which he was born and be a part of a growing department that values teamwork and professionalism. He is joined by his parents, brothers, grandparents, and girlfriend tonight. Next up, Ryan Smith. Firefighter paramedic Ryan Smith. Ryan was born and raised in Germany and moved to the greater Tampa Bay area in 1996. He graduated from Tampa's Fire Academy and earned both his EMT and paramedic certifications through Hillsborough Community College, where he also completed an associate's degree in emergency medical services. Ryan has always believed in teamwork and that we can achieve more together than individually. And before joining Dunedin Fire Rescue, he served as an EMT for one year, a volunteer firefighter for two years, and worked as a career firefighter for eight years in Hillsborough County and one year in Jefferson County. So Ryan is again one of those products of that program that we have instituted here, where we can recruit qualified individuals to our city and have quality individuals right off the bat. So Ryan was drawn to Dunedin Fire Rescue for its strong culture and in focus on the work-life balance, right? Julian, come on up. This is firefighter EMT Julian Zakuri. Julian grew up in Clearwater and has lived in Pinellas County his entire life. He graduated from the Florida State Fire College and holds his certifications as both firefighter and EMT. Julian's goal is to serve this community and improve himself every day. His commitment to public service runs in the family. His brother is a firefighter with the city of Clearwater who is in attendance here this evening. He is joined by many of his family members as well this evening. So Julian. So at this time I'd like to see if the mayor would come down and administer the oath of office for you gentlemen. Why don't we get you all in the center here? There you go.

Perfect. And I leave it to the mayor. You guys look very distinguished tonight. Awesome. I just want to know who's out there protecting the citizens because it looks like all your colleagues are here. It's great. That's awesome. Okay, well raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, and say your name, do solemnly swear to do my duty as a firefighter with the Dunedin Fire and Rescue Department to the best of my ability and to serve the citizens of the Dunedin Fire and Rescue District with compassion, courage, and integrity to uphold the laws and constitutions of the United States of America, the state of Florida, and the city of Dunedin. So help me God. Congratulations, gentlemen.

So at this time I'd like to welcome the family members who will be pinning the newly sworn firefighters in with their badge and I'll call the families up in order. So I'll have all of you slide over for a second. Rustam Aghanoff's family to come up. Rustam, right up here in the middle. Perfect. You got this. We'll do one picture together here.

Oh, no. Sorry. Listen to G.

That's fine. Photoshop that one. Yeah. Yeah. Tyler Byrd's family, please. Troy Fowler's family. Troy Fowler's family. William Chance the Courage family. Welcome to the Dunedin Fire Rescue family, guys. Have a seat with your families, guys. Thank you guys very much.

Congratulations, gentlemen. So one more hand. That's right. Give it to you. So for my colleagues, once we do the promotions, then we'll have a chance for all of us to speak both to the new enrollees or what do we call them? New hires. New hires. Thank you. That doesn't sound official either. So anyway, so after we do that, we'll speak to both those issues. Okay. So we're going to move on to swearing in ceremony for promotions, which was Fire Marshal Jorge Danny Castillo, Deputy Chief Mark Cepetto, Deputy Chief Steve Santana, and Fire Chief Michael Handoga. But I'll turn it over to you for now, but then I get it.

You do. Yes. So tonight, we recognize the promotion of several individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to the mission of Dunedin Fire Rescue. Division Chief Danny Castillo. Where is he? Come on up. Division Chief Danny Castillo proudly serves as the Fire Marshal for the City of Dunedin, bringing more than 15 years of experience in the fire service and a passion for public safety and community engagement. His career began as a firefighter EMT and over the years has served with several departments through Florida, gaining diverse experience in fire suppression, emergency response, fire profession management, and leadership. Danny holds a wide range of professional credentials, including Fire Inspector 1, 2, and 3, Fire Investigator, Fire Code Administrator, Fire Instructor 1, Fire Officer 1, and 2, and Fire and Life Safety Educator. He is recognized as an NFPA-certified fire protection specialist, demonstrating advanced expertise in fire prevention, code enforcement, and risk reduction. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Danny is fluent in several languages, which has allowed him to connect deeply with diverse communities throughout his career. And outside of work, he enjoys a fulfilling family life supported by his wife, family, and in-laws, whose encouragement has been instrumental throughout his journey. This promotion marks a proud milestone for Chief Castillo, a reflection of his professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to serving the cities of Dunedin with integrity and leadership. I'm going to go off script here just a second. When I came here 10 years ago as I came into the fire prevention office, about six months after I got hired, the opportunity to hire a fire inspector came up. I worked with Danny in Largo and he was my first phone call. He has, I knew he would be the right person for the city, he is the right person for the job, and he has done nothing but excel, and I am extremely proud of him. So get to stand over there.

So you stole him? Is that what you're trying to say? You stole him?

Like, you don't believe how fast. And it was a great move. Go Chief. Yep. Deputy Chief Steve Santana. Deputy Chief of Fire Operations Steve Santana brings over 34 years of distinguished service to the fire profession. His career began in 1990 as an explorer and volunteer, followed by his appointment to the Atlanta Fire Department in 1992. In 1998, he relocated to Florida and joined the ranks of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, where he rose to the rank of captain. Over the years, he's held multiple leadership roles, including station captain, rescue division captain, and rescue division logistics officer. Deputy Chief Santana was an active member of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Florida III, and he served as a task force leader, a plans manager, during major disaster deployments, including Hurricane Harvey and the Surfside condominium collapse in South Florida. He is also a U.S. Army veteran and having served in Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science Administration from Waldorf University, graduating summa cum laude. He is a graduate of the FEMA Advanced Emergency Management Academy, an instructor at St. Petersburg College's Fire Academy, and a FEMA instructor teaching emergency management, incident command, and other fire-related courses. In September of 24, he joined the city of Dunedin as a division chief of logistics. That was just two weeks before two hurricanes. So welcome, Steve. In October of 25, so just last month, he was promoted to the deputy chief of fire operations, where he oversees all suppression activities, fire suppression activities, and the daily staffing and operations of the fire department. Chief Santana. Chief Mark Cepetto, born and raised in Clearwater. Mark graduated from Countryside High School in 1991. Go Cougars. He became an EMT that same year, volunteering with the Apollo Beach Rescue before joining Sunstar EMS in 1992, where he served with Sunstar until 1995. He was often running rescue calls right here in Dunedin, stationed out of the the old Clear Sky, if those of you remember where it was a Sunstar station. That was before we had our own ALS. So Mark joined Dunedin Fire Rescue in 1996, where he built a remarkable career defined by steady leadership, a commitment to service, and he was promoted to the Lieutenant in 2004, District Chief in 2016, and Division Chief of EMS in 2017. Throughout his career, he has answered the call to serve beyond the city, deploying to Hurricane Ivan, the 1998 East Coast Wildfires, and the Napel Wildfires. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he earned the EMS Merit Award for his leadership and service. Mark lives in St. Petersburg with his wife Tanya, whom they've been married for almost nine years. His dedication to his colleagues and citizens of Dunedin continue to set the standard for excellence in our department. Chief Santana.

Mayor, you get to come down now. Okay, but I'm going to make you turn around. I'm coming down. Okay. All right. So I took over this job this afternoon because I thought there's no way the mayor is not going to read the bio of the new chief. We're very proud to have you. Chief Handoga is a 1992 graduate of Countryside High School who began his fire service career with the St. Pete Beach Fire Department where he rose to lieutenant before joining Largo Fire Rescue in 2012 as a chief officer serving as both training chief and assistant fire marshal. He joined Dunedin Fire Rescue in 2016 as deputy fire marshal and was promoted to fire marshal in 2017 where he oversaw the life safety portions of major city projects including the Fenway to redevelopment, Dunedin State stadium renovation, city hall construction, and many other new developments. In 2020, he assumed the role of deputy fire chief, fire marshal, and in 2025 was appointed fire chief. Chief Handoga holds a master's in emergency services management, a bachelor's degree from USF, and associate's degree in fire science and general studies from St. Pete College. He maintains his chief fire officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, a distinction held by fewer than 2,100 fire chiefs worldwide. With over 23 years of service, Chief Handoga remains dedicated to advancing operational readiness, personnel development, and community engagement while upholding the Dunedin Fire Rescue's tradition of excellence. And so now, gentlemen, if you'd come forward this way, I'm going to swear all of you in. Okay, raise your right hands. I solemnly swear to the best of my ability that I will faithfully support and uphold the mission of the Dunedin Fire Department. I pledge to protect my fellow firefighters with the same enthusiasm, civility, and professionalism that I bring to protecting the citizens of Dunedin. I will hold myself accountable morally, ethically, and professionally, and I will hold others to the same high standard of conduct and commitment. I will remain diligent in my duties, steadfast in my word, and faithful in keeping every pledge and promise I make. A little test there, I know. I will guard against complacency, ever striving to strengthen my skills, sharpen my character, and pursue excellence in all that I do. I pledge to honor those who came before us and to pave the way for those who will follow. So help me God. Congratulations, gentlemen. So I, I'm going to let the Chief take over the pinning ceremonies until it's your turn. I'll go back up. Thank you very much.

So I would also like to have the family members come up for Danny Castillo. Castillo. I'll get it. It's only been 20 years. And Mark's family. Chief Zepetto's family. Chief Santana. So I'm going to do something a little special. I'm fortunate enough to have the first fire chief that hired me and my last fire chief to hire me here. So I'm going to ask Chief Gullner and Chief Parks to come up. This represents 18 years of mentorship, of teaching me, and I would not be here today without them. So we get to stick

them one last time. Yeah. Get them good, you two. So they're going to put bugles on, um, and then my

mother's going to pin me. But, uh, this is, this is important. So I, I want to recognize them and, um, for everything they've done for us and for me in the city. So don't go far. Help my mother. All right. And my mother's going to pin me. So come on up. And that's our, uh, promotions for this evening. Thank you very much for coming. Have a seat. We need a picture though.

Oh, that's right. Sorry. We need a picture of the four of us. So, uh, chief, before we go to the next one, I think I want to give my colleagues a chance to say something. Uh, I'll start with the commissioner Walker. Well, thank you, bear for the new hires.

I cannot begin to tell you what a great team you you've you're joining here. Uh, continuously amazed in just heartfelt pride in what these guys do for the, for our great city of Dunedin. Uh, for the one, uh, for the promotions, you know, so this is my third year in the seat. And, uh, I have to say, I've watched your careers over the last, let's just say four years before. And, uh, I will say that, you know, it's, uh, the process, the process works because when I saw you, the guys up here, what I saw was leadership and what you are accomplishing and will accomplish in the future is, it's, it's awesome. So thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Dugard. Thank you, mayor. As I sat

here this evening and watched the pride in the room, it filled me with pride that I get to be amongst you. You're the people that when everybody else is running out, you're running in makes a big difference to all of us. It makes me feel safe in my home city. I can look at people in the eye and say, this is the safest place you can live. Thank you so much for making it safe. Mr. Sandbergen.

It's almost overwhelming to you. New hires. Welcome to the city of Dunedin. Um, great place to live and welcome aboard to all of you to the promotions. I've had a chance in the last year to get to know each of you individually. And, uh, I could sit here and say thank you all night and it wouldn't be enough. You're good folks. You're good people. And I'm glad you're on our team. You know, you practice, you prepare, you wait. And when the bell rings, you're there to help all of us and keep us safe. And thank you to each and every one of you. Um, Jennifer, did you want to say

something before I have the last word? And I know you want a picture also with the new chief.

That's all right. Yes. Thank you very much, Mayor. Um, to our new hires, not just a great fire department, but a great city of Dunedin and a exceptional workforce. And, and I'm glad that you're here. Um, I hope you grow your career here. Stay for a long time until you're standing there and you're taking the oath as a promoting promoted person or one of our chiefs. So, um, to, to our command staff, to our new command staff, uh, very much look forward to working with all of you. I've worked with you for eight years so far, apart from Steve and first with Steve, since he started just before the hurricanes, it seems like eight years, but I look forward to, uh, the future of the fire department. We're going to have tough times. We know that, but we're going to have some really good times too. I mean, we're going to given the, the, you know, our personnel now and our command staff and, you know, this is going to be a very strong department. And as commissioner Dugard said, we feel safe in our department. Our fire department already has a very high rating in all of our citizen surveys. I don't know how you're going to do better, but you are right. Right. So congratulations. I very much look forward to working with all of you and, uh, and to the families of all of our new firefighters, all of our firefighters here and our new command staff, thank you for your sacrifice and your support of our fire department. They go home to you. You're the important part. You're the most important people to them. And so we're very grateful for all the support that you give them so that they can serve us and our residents the way that they do. Thank you. So, um, I, um,

had a long history with this department. I'm not going to say how long, but I will say, I, I, I think I met Mark Zepetto when he was like 10 years old, right, Mark? Yeah. So I still have that image of him as a little guy. Um, but, um, and I think I was probably HR director when he was hired. I think I'm right on that. Um, but I, I'm just so proud of this department, the evolution of all the new ones that have come on and the leadership growth. Um, chief and I couldn't be more happy, chief, that you are now officially our chief. I think it's great with great people before you, but I think you're going to, you're adding a lot to the department and your leadership team. I love that your mom pinned you. I think that's amazing. Um, and I, I know you guys are way sick of me bringing this up, but I'm going to bring it up one last time. Then I promise I won't do it again, because in the last year to year and three months, I have touched you guys three times, a flood, the fire because of the flood in my house where you guys came, um, my broken wrist as I laid on the street on Douglas and, uh, and then my mom's death at me's life. And you guys are amazing. You're just there. You're there. And I'll tell you what, there is no department and we, we get a lot of appreciation with our departments, but this city loves you and we are proud of you. So thanks for all you do. We've got to get a picture though. I'm just getting too emotional. We're going to have to end the meeting. No, it's going to get better here. Your mom pinning you, my mom's death. I'm like, it's just, but you guys are amazing. So we're going to turn to another thing we're very proud of, and that is a presentation of the Medal of Valor to firefighter paramedic, AJ Gonzalez and firefighter EMT, Michaela Bowers. And I will turn it over to our chief. Excellent. So yes,

this brings us now, can I have the two of them? Look at that. They all blend in when they do this, sir. So the Medal of Valor is the most prestigious award bestowed by Dunedin Fire Rescue. It is reserved for those act, for those actions that go far beyond the call of duty. Those who in face the danger, choose courage over comfort and selflessness over safety. Pause for dramatic effect. Standby. We did test it. That's okay. We can, we can come back to that. All right. So today we are proud to present the Medal of Valor to two exceptional members of our fire department. On October 14th, 2025, the rescue 60 crew, firefighter paramedic, Adam AJ Gonzalez and firefighter EMT Michaela Bowers, arrived as the first unit on the scene of a working structure fire. When they arrived, they were told by bystanders that there was a confirmed victim inside operating from a medic unit without suppression capabilities and armed only with a three gallon can of water. And without any other backup on scene, they made the courageous decision to enter the burning structure and attempt the rescue. They found the victim located in the back bedroom and with fire above their heads and ceiling falling down on them, they pulled the victim to safety. Their actions were swift, decisive, and heroic. Upon removing the victim from the structure, the crew immediately transitioned from fire ground rescue operations to life-saving medical care, shedding their bunker gear and initiating treatment with urgency and precision. Their actions directly led to the preservation of human life. Moments like this do not happen by chance. The ability to make sound decisions and to move with confidence under pressure and to work in perfect coordination comes only through experience and training. While it's rare to face such a situation without a full complement of suppression resources and lots of help, it's the training they've received repeated times over and over again that had them able to act instinctively and effectively. It's a reminder that high quality, realistic, and consistent training is not just important, it's what prepares us for the moments when lives truly hang in the balance. In the face of overwhelming risk and limited resources, Firefighter Paramedic Gonzalez and Firefighter EMT Bowers demonstrated exceptional judgment, heroism, and valor. These actions saved the life of a Dunedin resident who is alive and recovering today because of them. This level of bravery, decisiveness, and composure under extreme conditions exemplifies the highest traditions of the Fire Service and reflects great credit upon themselves and Dunedin Fire Rescue. It is with deep respect and admiration that we present the Medal of Valor to Firefighter Adam A.J. Gonzalez and Firefighter Michaela Bowers. Their bravery reminds us all of the profound responsibility we carry in this profession and the extraordinary character of those who serve. Do we have the audio? Is it working? No? Okay, that's all right. So please can join join me in congratulating these outstanding members of our department and we are going to present them with the Medal of Valor, if I might get uh aging up here first. All right, so, so thank you.

So we got to get some uh, and so we need to get pictures. Do you all, do you, if you want to say something?

No, no, they are more than welcome to, they are, absolutely. Sure, I mean, this was just the

intersection of us being at the right place at the right time, being trained and ready, and everybody's here that's wearing a blue shirt behind me, they would do the same thing. So you're, it's good company here and uh, all of us feel the same way about these kind of activities and they're all right there with me.

Kayla, anything to add or? I think A.J. said it the best, you know, we trust each other and we trust the crews that we work with. So, couldn't have a better partner, couldn't have a better

crew to work with. That's great. To exemplify the the gravity of what they've done, um, within probably four hours of the rescue, um, we were getting calls on from the, from national, uh, contacts going, what, what, what did you guys do? What, what happened? What was the, what was the call? Um, both, um, Mikaela and A.J. are going to the, uh, FDIC conference next year, uh, and they are going to be part of different, uh, study or, uh, panels, discussion panels because of what they've done. And that's, it's huge. They put us on the map. So we, we appreciate it immensely. So it's unbelievable. And firefighters can go an entire career and never have that opportunity. Six months on the job, a little jealous, three years, a little jealous. They did a great job. So Chicago fire right here

in Dennean. Yeah. Um, so, um, I want the commission to have an opportunity to speak and then we need a picture. Are you, but chief, are you, are you good now? Absolutely. Okay. Um, okay. Uh, Commissioner Sandberg and you want to say anything? I would love to. Your training, your readiness,

your preparedness. I'll bet you on that fateful day on October 14th, it probably was all tossed out and you're just, your adrenaline and your reaction took over. Uh, as a city commissioner, I want to tell you how proud I am of you too. And as a citizen, I want to say thank you to you too. You, uh, saved one of our Dunedin residents and that's priceless. So thank you and congratulations

for what you've done. Commissioner Walker. Uh, thank you, mayor. Uh, just so proud of you, proud of Dunedin Fire and Rescue. And I, you know, we, uh, we, uh, recognized the, the veterans, um, in commemoration of Veterans Day coming up. And there are a couple of words that, there are very, very much prevalent in, uh, the, uh, the remembrance of Veterans Day. And, uh, one of those is, is first of all, you answered the call. Second of all, you went into the building with no real, you, no thought for your own health and welfare and a great sacrifice. And you did your job and it, you, you, you got, you got the victim out and you know, that's the kind of stuff that it's just, is, you know, it's a lot of, I don't think a lot of people understand that because it takes a certain type of person to do this. And you two are obviously exemplary models of that. So I just say, I'm so proud of you. And thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Dugard. Thank you,

Mayor. So what makes a hero? It's a big question. Preparation, teamwork, all the things you spoke about. But at that moment, you went straight for it. You didn't hesitate, saved life. Gosh, what a brand, a hero. We're all proud of you. We're proud to be with you. We're proud you're here.

Thank you. Jennifer, do you want to say anything before I wrap up? Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Mayor. I think that, that everybody always wonders when they're faced with something like what you did, whether they would do the same, whether they would have the courage to do the same. We're so very proud of both of you and of the entire department because thereafter, right, the unit started rolling up and, and fire suppression in place. And it was a fully involved fire, correct? Yes. And so I know the neighbors were very active in the area. I know that you, you commenced your life saving, life saving procedures before the trucks rolled in, got to work on them. He saved his life. I mean, what a thing is that? I mean, how many people in the world can say that, that they saved somebody's life? So we're just immensely proud of the two of you and well done and thank you. Well, I know that

when I went to you guys' training thing, that training tower the one time and I had all the gear and I had to go to a smoke-filled place on my hands and knees, I'm thinking like, get me out of here, get me out of here. And I just can't imagine, you know, and I know you guys, you train for this, you go for this, but it does take special people to do this and to act when you need to act. I mean, I know like 15% of what you do really is fire-related versus EMT and medical-related. And so I don't think, like the Chief said, how often do you see that? But you got to be ready to act and go into training mode and do it. So we couldn't be prouder. Thank you. And look forward to good, strong careers for both of you in Dunedin. So thank you.

So I do, I do want to, I have some old, I have the actual audio of the call. I think it's important that we play it. So stand by. It's pretty impressive actually.

9-1-1, what is the address of the emergency? There's a fire. It's 1520 San Mateo and somebody says there's a man inside and the house is on fire. The whole, it's going to take the whole neighborhood down. What's the address of the emergency? My neighbor's house is on fire. It's, um, I think it's 1520 San Mateo Drive. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. Um, I see fire coming out of the window. The fire department is being sent down the line. I'll tell you exactly what to do next. Okay, there is someone inside this guy. Okay, do you know how many people are inside? There's only one person out there. They said he needs help. Okay, they're coming as fast as they can. Fire attack echo, truck 5-4, squad 5-7, engine 6-6, engine 4-8, engine 6-8, 0, district 6-5, district 5-2, LR-6-5, structure fire. Dispatch to all units be advised. We've had multiple calls on this as well. Just down there. Medic 60, dispatch. Medic 60? Yep. Medic 60,

we're on scene of a one-story single-family residential. We have heavy smoke showing from the Alpha side. We have reports of one document trapped inside. We're going to be affecting an

immediate rescue. Understood. Heavy smoke, one person trapped inside doing an immediate rescue.

District 5-2, dispatch. Go ahead and, uh, start me, uh, another sun star emergency.

And that right there is the call of some calm, cool, collected firefighters that did a great job. So, good job. Thank you. Thank you and thanks to all our firefighters.

Keep up the great work in protecting us. Okay, I'm thinking we're going to need a break. Anybody want a quick break before the crowd clears or you want to just keep going? Yeah, we're going to take just a couple minutes break while the room clears. We'll be back to get, get on with the meeting. Okay, thank you. Okay, we're going to restart the meeting. Maybe we should close the doors. I think it might be a good idea to close the doors. Deputies, if you would help us with that, that'd be awesome.

Yeah, definitely close the doors. Firefighters are noisy.

They are, but that's what that's up for out there. Let them have their day. It's all good. Okay, we're going to restart the meeting and our first thing, uh, to go is going to be the, uh, citizen input. Does anyone in the audience wish to speak on a topic that is not on the agenda? Okay, come on forward. Name and, uh, address and three minutes. Good to see you, John. You look very nice.

Good evening. John Torringen, 1901, Saddle Hill Road North, Dunedin, Florida, 34698. We are recognizing and thanking every U.S. Marine who served for their contribution to the legacy of our United States Marine Corps and to encourage their celebration of the 250th Marine Corps birthday. There are various celebrations starting tonight with McDill. Uniform tonight is dress blues or a suit. There are others such as our Dunedin VFW post on the 10th of November or your personal celebrations. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The following message to all Marines is from the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith. 10 November 2025. 250 years ago, before our nation declared its independence, a small group of men gathered in Philadelphia and formed a Corps of Marines. From that moment, our story is bound to the story of America itself. A quarter of a millennium later, Marines remain at the center of our nation's defense, ready to fight, ready to win, and ready to uphold the trust placed in us since 1775. Across centuries, Marines have fought on distant shores and in desperate battles, earning a reputation for discipline, toughness, and valor. From the revolution to the world wars to today's operations across the globe, Marines secure liberty, defend allies, and carry forward the promise of a free nation and a free world. We are the heirs of that legacy and we are its stewards. This anniversary reminds us that our standards are the foundation of our Corps. Honor, courage, and commitment are not abstractions, but the code that binds us to one another and to all who went before. At home, at sea, across the globe, Marines carry forward our proud traditions with skill and ferocity. It is your discipline, initiative, and fighting spirit that anchor our Corps. Happy birthday, Marines. Semper Fidelis. The following are just a few well-known quotes about the Marine legacy. The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle. General John Blackjack Pershing, United States Army, commander of the American forces in World War I. So they've got us surrounded. Good. Now we can fire in any direction. Those bastards won't get away from us this time. Colonel Chester Pulley, United States Marine Corps. Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, 1985. And to Dunedin, you played a significant role in the Marine Corps when you produced the first LVT, a vehicle designed and built by Donald Roebling here in Dunedin and where Dunedin was chosen by the Marine Corps for the organization of the first ever battalion of LVTs 85 years ago. In a 1945 communication, Marine General Geiger declared that except for the LVTs, it would have been impossible for our troops to get ashore on Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, or Pallelu without taking severe if not prohibitive losses. Ten years ago, several of us secured an LVT which is now located at the VFW post 2550 in Dunedin as a reference to that historical period. And so, happy birthday to all who contributed to the legacy of our Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis.

Thank you, John. Thank you. Thank you for your service. Okay, does anyone else in the audience wish to come forward and speak on an issue that is not on the agenda? Name, address, and three minutes.

Sharon, a little shorter than him. Sharon Herman, 2325 Armor Drive, and Stuart, you want to come up?

Stuart Meyer, 946 Highland Avenue, Unit 6, Dunedin, Florida.

Oh, wow. What a great night to be in person at a commission meeting. Oh, my gosh. This was amazing. Now we're here. So, we just wanted to say good evening to everyone and thank you so much. We want to give a heartfelt thank you for all the watch parties that the city put together. I know it was a lot to organize on such a short notice, and we really, really appreciate it. They're not just, you know, the Blue Jays, they're not just a great team on the field, but they're fantastic partners for us, and we cannot wait for spring training. I'll be glad to wear some normal clothes at least for a couple months before I start wearing the uniform again. But yeah, but we just wanted to thank the city for their leadership and hospitality and the Blue Jays for being such a great partner, and we're really excited for next season. So, thank you very much.

And for those watching, Sharon is the one that had the Blue Jay bird outfit on. The picture was in the paper. So, but thank you for that. Because early on, that thing had to be hot. You know, later it was, you know, a good blanket. I was a warm person.

Mayor, she's the only person I know in the world with a Blue Jays onesie.

I love it. I love it. Stuart. Good evening. First of all, it is with great humiliation that I stand here as a man in a baseball jersey with a beach ball amongst the greatness that we've had here tonight. So, my personal thanks to our war veterans and to our first responder firefighters, EMTs. It's an honor to be in this room with them. I can't believe it all started with the simple desire to connect with a couple of Toronto Blue Jays fans here in Dunedin. Thank you, Mayor Moe, Vice Mayor Gow, Commissioner Sandberg and Walker and Dugard, City Manager Jennifer Branley, our hardworking city staff and crews, local business leaders, the Blue Jays organization, and most importantly, all the local Blue Jays fans for making these incredible watch parties possible. Throughout their lives, I've always told my two boys that memories are always the best investment in life. And when you look at these past few weeks, everything that we went through and through that lens, the investment ROI for everyone involved is absolutely immeasurable. J-Ball also wants to thank Sharon Herman for bringing the beach balls to that very first watch party and to Sharon and Moe for entrusting me with this lucky beach ball after the conclusion of the ALCS. That simple gesture sparked his birth, his identity, and his unlikely rise to regional and international media stardom, captivating the hearts of Canada during his recent CBC News interview. These playoffs and World Series watch parties have been such a wonderful collaboration. I don't think any of us really wanted it to end, although catching up on a little sleep has been absolutely great and hanging out with the mayor at 3 a.m. at an 18 inning game with Pinellas County Finest dropping by and checking us wellness. So thanks to everyone involved. So believe it or not, our group has continued to grow even after the loss. We've surpassed 600 members. We're actually up to 621. I might have to find a couple of fake baseball players in there. They keep popping up. But we're very excited about it. Many have asked what's next. I've been hard at work on that for our Dunnean-based Blue Jays fan community. So stay tuned. A lot to share. Thank you so much.

Thanks for all you both did to make it special. Okay. Anyone else wish to come forward and speak on issue? There's not any agenda. Hi, David. Hi, Mayor. Name and address in three minutes.

Commissioners, Mayor David Ballard Geddes, Jr. I live on Georgia Avenue in Palm Harbor. The water districts are soon to franchise and subdivide the districts into water jurisdictions because that's what water districts do. They have declared to dissolve this government and assume separate but equal stations among the powers of the earth as this government birthing water jurisdictions under the 14th amendment intent to shapeshift the county, the city, and municipal governments from their fortnighted statehood into a politically laundered watershed operation. Such water jurisdictions are seen as a district not exceeding 10 miles square in Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of our current Constitution, making this government in hindsight as self-evident a bill of attainder, making this government here a puppet government here to aggregate the water supply, aiding and abetting intending to give rise to a watershed constitution reflective of the Louisiana land purchase. The Louisiana land purchase is, in fact, the western half of the Mississippi watershed region. Reflective of this watershed region is what the districts serve. Thereby, the attorneys in this country are all engaged in fraudulent behavior. I call into question Attorney Freeborn as being a fraud and criminal by nature. By the way, has anyone ever questioned why Attorney Freeborn conducts his legal matters in a wooden house that's maybe a hundred years old, keeping all his legal proceedings of the city in an antiquated old wooden building as catching fire and all his legal work gets torched, all his legal records of the city get burned up, all the evidence goes in smoke to include the forgery of my father's will that he and my mother forged together would all be lost in the fire. And afterwards, Freeborn collects a payout on an insurance claim on a fire that was easily predictable and reasonably foreseen in the downtown redevelopment area as declared, burning all the city records to include my dad's will and collecting an insurance claim from an old wooden building that was burned in the downtown redevelopment zone laughing all the way to the bank may just very well might find itself under trial and criminal court. Thank you. Thank you, David.

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 and three minutes.

I'm Curtis 2920 alternate 19 temporary address. I'd like to thank John for coming up and actually all the people that come up here and speak and not just keyboard pounders and makes a difference. So I'm here. I didn't make a plan tonight a little bit. I guess that's a lie. So I have 38 years of owning my own businesses, designing equipment, patents, changing the industry that I'm in safety record that is perfect and industrial. In an industrial and marine environment, which is really hard to achieve. I see things as black and white. So I see things when you go to a job that you got people that are either leaders, and they are willing to teach people, or you got people that yell at people, which usually doesn't work out good in the business. But it happens. So I think it's better to take time to teach people stuff, information of what's going on. So back when I had the marina last year, there was a lot of controversy on stuff that was said. I invited all you to go down to the marina, explain to you, show you, ask you questions, never belittle anybody, explain everything, no matter what it was, in layman's terms, that anybody can understand it. I think that's important for people to understand that just because you know a lot doesn't mean that somebody else isn't going to understand it. So with that knowledge that I have, I got voted on to the marine advisory committee last year. And everything goes really good until you start questioning what's going on with the city. And in business, you should be able to question. If you went into a board meeting and everybody just keeps agreeing with you, you got to start to wonder if there's actually good or bad or controversy is good. Makes you think about what's going on. So the last MAC meeting, I went to raise questions about a document that I signed that actually I have a disagreement with. So I went to bring it up to the MAC committee, which I did, but immediately the city manager interrupted and started on her speech about this is what the law is, law rules, whatever we want to call it. Okay. So I said, do we always stay by this? Yep, we do. So then I ask another question about other stuff. And they say, meanwhile, shake her head, red face.

That director comments here.

Either way. Okay. I'm a MAC member asking the MAC people, not the city manager. She oversteps her power when she doesn't need to and belittles people. It's not the first time. And I wish you guys would acknowledge it. Thank you.

Okay. Anyone else in the audience who wishes to speak on an issue that is not on the agenda, I'll name an address for the record in three minutes. How are you doing?

Mayor, commissioners. Thank you. I'm David Ferguson. I'm a longtime Dunedin resident. I live at 1110 Palm Boulevard in Dunedin. Thanks for the opportunity to speak this evening. I've met the mayor and most of the commissioners, usually when you've knocked on my door seeking my vote and asking to place a campaign sign in my yard. Our discussions have been a pleasure. But as a senior citizen on a fixed income, I was disappointed on one issue. When I asked what compensation I could expect for my vote, each of you said an honest elected official using their best judgment for the benefit of all Dunedin citizens. Very commendable. But with the graft and corruption in government today, I expected more in the way of a bribe. Sincerely, thank you all for the disappointment. In Dunedin, we've long taken pride in our city's quality of life, much of it due to the foresight of government leaders and others in our community. Among other things, we are viewed with envy for our green space, parks, beach, and recreational amenities, almost too many to list. Unfortunately, we might be on the verge of losing access to one of those unique amenities for one particular group of people. Due to the hurricanes last year, the Dunedin Causeway suffered damage that will require major restoration. It appears as if some in our community wish to use this as a reason to end the traditional use of a limited section of the causeway, launching motorized watercraft, a traditional use since the causeway was built in the early 60s. I know because I've been using it for that purpose since then. Unless I'm misinterpreting what I read of the most recent agenda of the Dunedin Causeway and Coastal Waterways Committee, they voted to recommend disallowing the launching of motorized watercraft on the causeway. This would be a devastating blow to all who have responsibly used it without incident for literally decades. I was out of town and unable to attend the committee meeting, but I'm going to attend the next meeting at the community center on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11th at 8 a.m. I'm hoping they're generous enough with their time to allow me to present some ideas toward a compromise that would benefit all groups and even aid the environment as well. We have a chance to help the city make a balanced decision that everyone can be proud of. I'm fully aware of the challenges, but in this community, we have a history of doing what others saw as impossible. Just look at Weaver Park and Douglas Preserve. I'm asking the commission, should a recommendation to close motorized watercraft launching on the causeway come before them, that they table it, or postpone a vote to give us time to create a compromise that might prove acceptable to everyone? The causeway restoration schedule gives us that opportunity. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, David. And I just looked up, it looks like the Causeway Coastal Waterways Committee is canceled for Veterans Day, which I figured it would be because all the offices are closed. So I would just double check when their next one is. And I appreciate it. I know there's a lot of discussion, I think we all do, about that very issue. I mean, so we appreciate your input.

It's a jewel that we can utilize. Thank you. Thank you all.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Okay, anyone else in the audience that wishes to come forward to speak on an issue that is not in the agenda? Oh, okay. I just need your name and address for the record then.

Seriously?

Got you. Jim Calgar, 2092 Valley Drive, Dunedin, Florida, 34698.

Okay.

And if you could be there before 11, that would be perfect. Thanks. Have a great night.

Take care. Thank you very much. And I think the word on it is he concurs with Mr. Ferguson. So, awesome. Okay. Okay. Anyone else in the audience wishes to speak on an item that is not on the agenda? Okay. All right. Seeing no one, we'll close that. And we're going to go to our consent agenda. Consent agenda is approval of the minutes for the 9-4-2025 regular meeting, the 9-11-2025 special meetings. Then we have board and committee appointments on Art and Culture Advisory Committee, Dunedin Causeway and Coastal Waterways Committee, Library Advisory Committee. 2C is approval to purchase a wireless microphone system for the chambers from vendor Pearson Audio Inc. of Jupiter, Florida in the amount of $46,869.60. 2D, purchase of an anti-vehicle barrier system to increase public safety during special events in the amount of $137,956. And 2E is approval to purchase services for 2025 holiday decorations. And I would ask, first of all, is there anyone that wishes to remove any items off the consent agenda? Okay. Hearing nobody, I would ask for a motion to approve the consent agenda.

So moved. Second.

Okay. Is anyone in the audience wish to come forward and speak on any of the items on the consent agenda? Okay. Seeing no one, I would ask, I would, let's go to voice vote. All in favor?

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Any opposed? And motion passed unanimously. Okay. Now on to action items. Second reading of Ordinance 25-07, amendments to the city's floodplain management regulations. Jen, could you please read Ordinance 25-07 by title only?

Ordinance 25-07, an ordinance of the city of Dunedin, Florida, amending the city of Dunedin land development code to comply with section 163.31795 and the Florida building code by repealing section 105-21.2, technical amendments to the Florida building code residential, repealing section 105-21.3, technical amendments to the Florida building code building, repealing section 105-21.4, technical amendments to the Florida building code existing building, and amending section 105-42-10.1.3, terms not defined, providing for applicability and severability, providing for conflict, providing for codification, and providing for an effective date. That was Ordinance 25-07, read by title only.

Okay. Thank you. And could I have a motion to approve? So moved.

Second.

Okay.

Commissioner Walker. Commissioner Sandbergen. Okay. Staff presentation. Joey, you're on.

Well, thank you. Good evening, Joseph DePosco, on behalf of Community Development, and I will be brief with this item. There has been no new information or changes since our first reading took place last month. By way of past actions, the LPA, as you know, unanimously recommended approval to the City Commission on September 10th of this ordinance, and then first reading was, of course, unanimously approved by the City Commission on the 9th of October. Just briefly, what this ordinance does, as you may recall, it does amend our land development code by deleting the five-year cumulative substantial improvement or damage. Period to meet our new state law requirements, so we're bringing ourselves in compliance with that state requirement. It does delete some technical amendments by removing a one-foot freeboard we adopted before it was required. Now, by the Florida Building Code, it's mandatory, so there's no reason to have those technical amendments any longer. We are replacing our definition of substantial improvement. Again, removing that five-year cumulative, replacing it with the standard substantial improvement definition, and then we're also correcting some references to the sections of the Florida Building Code in our definitions, just to have those line up with the new versions of the Florida Building Code. So with that, staff is recommending approval of this ordinance on second reading, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Okay, questions. Commissioner Sandbergen? No questions, Mayor. Commissioner Walker? Questions?

No questions.

And Commissioner Dugard, any questions?

Yes, Mayor. Thank you. Just want to be sure I heard correctly on what is market value, because that's a key issue relative to some people dealing with storms. And I think you've answered this question before, but I'm going to ask it one more time. Is it market value after the storm, or is it market value prior to the storm? And that, by the way, that has a key difference to residents. Sure, sure. So help me understand that piece, because I want to be sure I do.

Yeah, so I think, you know, clearly what you're talking about there is substantial damage, not necessarily substantial improvement. And I'll explain the difference. Substantial improvement, the market value starts before the start of the improvement. When it comes to damage, it's the market value is the value of the building, excluding the land, prior to the damage. And that is, of course, in our definitions, that is the national standard by which we go by.

That's all I have. Thank you, Mayor.

Okay, great. I don't have any questions, so let me open it up for public input. Does anyone in the audience wish to come forward and speak on this issue? Okay, seeing no one, I will close public input. I will go to Commission Comments. Maker of the motion is Commissioner Walker. Commissioner Walker, do you have any comments?

Only comment just for general public knowledge. This is really just bringing the ordinance up to date with the state law. And so, anyway, no, I'm in favor of it.

Okay, and seconder of the motion was Commissioner Sandberg. Comments?

Nothing other than that this is what the citizens wanted. We heard a lot of feedback about this, and I'm glad it's finally resolved.

Okay. Commissioner Dugard?

No comments, Mayor.

Okay. I don't have any additional comments either, so we'll go to roll call vote.

Commissioner Dugard?

Aye.

Commissioner Sandberg?

Aye.

Commissioner Walker?

Aye.

And Mayor Franey?

Aye, and that motion passes unanimously. Okay, we're going to go to 3B, which is HP-2025-002, 917 Loudoun Avenue. The Scottish-American site of Dunedin is seeking a certificate of appropriateness to replace front and back doors, replace a 6x8 shed with an 8x10 shed, and replace the wall design above the front doors on a historic designated structure. And so that's application HP-2025-002. It is quasi-judicial. So I'm going to open the public hearing and ask the city clerk to swear in all who wish to provide testimony on the COA to be heard. So I'll do that first. Anyone who's going to be...

Do you swear the testimony you're about to give in this proceeding is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Yes. Thank you.

Okay. Does anyone have any ex-parte communication to disclose for the record on the commission? Okay. Nobody? I don't either. So we'll go to Frances. Staff presentation.

All right. Good evening, Mayor, Commissioners. Frances Leong-Sharp, Planner 2 for the city here, presenting the Certificate of Appropriateness Case Number HP-2025-0002, which is 917 Loudon Avenue, as I think a lot of people may be familiar of, is the home of the Scottish American Society. So the application is requesting for the replacement of the front and back doors, as well as the replacement of a 6x8 shed. And I did make a typo. It's actually a 10x10 shed that's being requested for the replacement, as well as the replacement of the existing sign that they have above the doors. The reason why this item is coming before you as the city commission is there is one particular item that requires city commission approval, which is the replacement of the sign. The other items, the front and back doors and the sheds, were approved by the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee on October 9th meeting. And I'll go over some of the images just to give everybody an overview of what's being replaced. So with the front doors, those are the front doors that is to be replaced with the same style. And then same with the back doors in the same style and fashion. And then the shed that you see there is going to be replaced of that similar style that you see based on, well, the dimensions are not correct, but that is the example of the style of the shed that's going to be replaced with the blue shed structure with the plastic shed that's next to it. And then last but not least, the sign itself, as you can see that it's been worn and weathered. So this is the image of the proposed new sign that's going to be placed above the doors. And once again, the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee did meet and review this application on October 9th, and they had approved the proposed replacement of the front and back doors and the shed. And then the committee also recommended approval for the proposed sign. Based on staff's analysis, the proposed replacements are appropriate based on the criterias that were listed in the staff report. And staff and also our applicant, Joe McHale, is available here for any questions that you may have.

Okay. So is there actually going to be an applicant presentation, or does there have to be, or I just wanted to clarify. Okay. Okay. Well, I'm going to go first to questions for staff. So I'll start with Commissioner Walker.

The, I'm assuming the shed will be painted that same blue. Correct. Right. Okay. Yeah. Well, I have no further questions.

Commissioner DeGuard.

Thank you, Mayor. When was this first filed?

I'm sorry?

When was this application first recorded in the city? When did we receive this application?

We received it back in August. August? Yeah.

Okay. And I'm asking for a number of reasons. It's not pertinent to the decision at hand. I'm trying to judge what amount of time it takes for COA to get processed and through the system. And so I'm looking at that. So it was in the early part or latter part of August?

I think it's the latter part, I want to say. All right.

Thank you, Mayor.

That's all I have.

Commissioner Sandbergen.

I was looking at the approval from, I think it was an email from the parks. It seems like kind of an informal, yes, yes, we approve it. You think we should have a little more comprehensive or a little better approval from the parks and rec department? I think it was an email. Do you know what I'm talking about where it was approved?

As far as I understand, all we need is a documented response from the parks department of agreeing to have the tenant of the property to authorize them to apply on their behalf.

Okay. That's all I had, Mayor. Okay.

Yo is not a good answer. We'll tell that to them. Yeah.

So an email is considered a document, you know.

It's quite all right. I don't have any questions. So does the applicant have any kind of presentation, Joan? I don't. Okay. You'd rather just get done and be out of here, right? No. No, I'm just kidding. You don't need to.

I'll take a listen.

Okay.

I just want to say thank you. The building's old and the doors really need replaced. And the sign, you can tell by the sign. So, yeah, it's been a while. It's taken us a while to get to this point, but we appreciate, we would appreciate approval.

Thank you. For the record, Joan McHale. I think you know that anyway. Of course you do. Sometimes I'm already forgetting you used to work for the city. Of course everybody knows, you know. You're on your own world now doing other things. Okay. So questions for applicant? Anybody? Okay. Okay. Does anyone in the public wish to speak on this matter? David? Come forward, name, address, and three minutes.

I've got a question, Mayor. At what point does the heavy-handedness of government subjugating, you know, private property owners with regulations and inspections and so forth, permits, when does it become too much of a heavy hand, you know, replacing a little shed outside, a window, a door, those are kind of protocol things that you change throughout the years on a home as the home ages. I've brought a book before this board, it's Maloney's Water Code, and it kind of shows, you know, unfolding issues regarding development practices. And in there, it talks about a toilet inspection fee on Chapter 1, Section 13. And I'm thinking, that's a little heavy-handed for government. So when I was a kid, there really wasn't much in the way of, you know, government telling you you can't put in a hot water heater, you know, and whatnot. And today, you know, putting in a hot water heater requires a permit, and you've got to file it. And it just seems to me that the government's heavy hand is coming down harder and harder and harder. And at what point do we say, okay, stop, calm down, where are we going?

And I will answer your question after you're completely, but thank you, David. Thanks for letting me vent on that. Yes, that's okay. I'll answer that in a minute. But is there anyone else in the audience who should come forward to speak on this issue? So I, the way I would answer it, and you jump in, is basically this is a parcel that has voluntarily become historic. They want the historic designation. They want to follow those. And so they have voluntarily put themselves in a position to go through these rules to make sure. I mean, we're actually looking at, and we probably will change, a piece of it will, so for things like this that are minor, it will go through a committee that's a lot more streamlined to help them. But again, these are people that have voluntarily wanted to be in the historic preservation designation, and so they have put these requirements upon themselves. So we haven't put that on them. And despite that, we're still trying to streamline a little bit, because it doesn't all need to come to the commission. So I think it's a very valid point. Appreciate the question. So thank you, David. Okay. So we're going to close the public hearing, and I will go to commission comments. But first, I'm going to get a motion.

So moved. Second.

Who did that for, who did that? Okay. Stand very. Sometimes the stereo just doesn't, you know. Okay. So commission comments. I'm going to go to the maker of the motion, Commissioner Walker.

Yeah, I support this, but I do have to share just a couple of thoughts I had while we were going through this in terms of, and it kind of dovetails on what the mayor was talking about on streamlining the certificate of appropriateness process. Because I remember not too long ago where we had storm windows replaced in our house, and we, again, we voluntarily had our home historically designated. And I, and, you know, we went to, we went to some great lengths to make sure that the dimensions and the, and the breadth and the depth of it were, were consistent with the, with the era that the house was built. And I guess the coup de gras was, is recusing myself from the vote. But it was further compounded, I believe, by the, by then Commissioner Franey by saying that she was not in favor of this. So, anyway, that's, that, that comment. Got to have a little fun, right? Yeah, yeah. Anyway, no, I'm in favor of this.

But actually, I think that goes to what David said. You were almost starting to think, wow, I really got to go through all this, and I voluntarily did it to myself. So, that's why we're trying to streamline some of it. So, it's a fine line. Okay, seconder of the motion, Commissioner Sandbergen.

Nope, I just appreciate your hard work in making that building look even better than it already does. So, thank you, Joan.

Okay, Commissioner Dugard.

Thank you, Mayor.

I think this is probably an appropriate time because of your comments, that we indicate that one of the greatest values of Dunedin is its quaintness. And over and over again, our citizenry says that's one of the things they value. When people move into a neighborhood, they don't move into just a house. They move into a neighborhood. They move into a city. And that comes with some mutual responsibilities. That's an issue we're going to face many times up here. And it's an issue that's difficult. What are the rights of the individual that moves into the home? What is the right of the individual to expect neighbors to stay consistent with the look and style of the neighborhood? That's going to be one of the issues. So, my answer to you regarding, you know, heavy-handedness of government. Some ask us to make sure that quaintness is preserved, while others say, no, we want to preserve property rights. That's where that comes from. And we must balance that. It's a difficult balance. Thank you, Mayor.

And I would just, my comments are just, thank you, thank you, thank you to the McHales and the Scottish American Society for all that they're doing there. I mean, really, the way you've elevated it and taken on improvements over there is amazing. And it's appreciated. So, thank you very much. Okay. So, I just need a voice vote. All in favor?

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? And motion passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Okay. Thank you, guys. Okay. The next item is 3C, amendment to the agreement between Pinellas County and the City of Dunedin for emergency medical services, advanced life support, first responder agreement with the fiscal year 20, fiscal year 26 payment from Pinellas County of $3,051,015. I'll go to Chief Endoga. I didn't even see you still lurking out there. Okay. So, presentation.

So, this is basically the agreement that we have every year from Pinellas County for us to provide the ALS service. Currently, we are authority funded, meaning Pinellas County EMS is providing the staffing and funding for paramedics on Engine 60, Engine 61, Engine 62, correction, Rescue 60. So, there's two paramedics on there, Engine 61, Engine 62. We are doing what's called a contractor-funded unit, which is Engine 60. We are providing the paramedic on that unit. So, this is the annual agreement. It has gone up for we have received more money this year due to the staffing multiplier and the fact that there's Kelly days now, the NS days in the contract. So, that's really about it. There's not too much more to it. I don't think it's the...

Okay. Great. So, questions for the Chief. I'll start over here, I guess. I'm not sure where I started last, but Commissioner Sandbergen.

Okay. So, the advanced life support that we supply, those firefighters, I guess, need any specific or additional credentials? I mean, is this the...

So, our department is... Our stance is that we are going to be an all-paramedic department. So, all of our firefighters, frontline firefighters, are also paramedics. For instance, today, we hired four of the five gentlemen that we hired today, or that got sworn in today, our EMTs that will be going through paramedic school. At the end of the day, it just is a much better model, business model, for us to have all paramedics. It allows us to have much more diversity when it comes to staffing and flexibility.

Okay. And I think you talked about there were specific trucks or apparatus that are assigned. Did you touch on that?

That is correct, yes. Pinellas County is... They pay for the two paramedics on Rescue 60.

Okay.

They pay for one paramedic position on Engine 61 and Engine 62.

Is there a minimum or maximum amount of calls that Dadeen has to respond to, or is it...

So, the way that we ended up getting the rescue at Station 60 is we met a threshold. The threshold is 10 calls, 10 ALS EMS calls, or 10 EMS calls in a zone or a district. And the year that we got the rescue, we had 3,650 calls. You need 10 calls per day to get a rescue. And we got there exactly. It was like one call extra. So, that's why... And we got funded for two paramedics instead of the one that we had been funded for.

Okay. I was just concerned about minimum and maximum. That's all I had, Chief. Thank you. Commissioner Walker?

Yeah. Just to kind of jump on that, because it was my question as well. Well, in terms of that phased approach to get everybody EMT qualified, where does that currently stand right now?

So, I would say about 80% of our frontline personnel are paramedics. We have probably, I think it's about five that are either going into paramedic school or finishing up paramedic school. And then these four gentlemen will be going into paramedic school. I want to say that some of them are starting as early as January.

Okay. And is that at St. Pete College?

So, we have partnerships with St. Pete College and through a place called the School of EMS, which is located in Palm Harbor. The agreements that we have is that our firefighters that are going to those schools can do their ride time here in Dunedin and on our rigs, which is important.

Okay.

And we have preceptors. Some of our paramedics that are more seasoned are able to teach them and precept them.

Yeah. Well, I think that's a great idea. So, those are all the questions I have.

Okay.

Commissioner Dugard. Thank you, Mayor. I'm not upset about this. I mean, it's more money. I like that. Yes. How was it calculated? How was this number come to?

So, what they do is they take the 12s, because we have three shifts, and they staff four individuals per shift, plus Chief Cepetto as the EMS chief. They pay for his whole salary. So, they take the four people per shift, so a total of 12 line personnel, and then the EMS chief, and they pay 100% of their salary.

I see. That's all I have, Mayor.

And there's also some operational funds that they provide, as well. They pay for all their certificates and stuff like that.

Thank you.

So, this is through property tax, right? This millage, right? For EMS?

It's through the EMS millage.

Right.

Yeah.

Which is property tax.

Yes. Yes.

So, are you all talking about what if we don't have property tax?

There are, yes. The county, I believe, is working on what they're going to do with that.

I'm just elevating that. There's a total of mine. That property tax, if I may, Mayor, is for a lot of services. Go ahead.

We're actually meeting tomorrow.

Okay. Take a minute. It's okay. It's okay. I'll talk.

Yeah. Yeah. The subject does get me all choked up. Yeah. But we're actually meeting tomorrow morning in the city manager's consortium with the county to talk about various approaches in regards to addressing that issue, and also other approaches in Tallahassee, different ways to essentially accomplish what it is they want to accomplish. As you know, Nicole was in Tallahassee for the last two days. She has some news, which I will brief you out on maybe the next meeting or the meeting thereafter. But this is something that we're actually actively-

That's a little irritating news.

Both. Okay. Both. But this is something that we're actually actively addressing right now as staff to be able to provide you with recommendations moving forward if this has legs at all. We are putting out on our social media, as you know, a description of what the impact would be to the city of Dunedin. And we will put it out again. My thing tomorrow with the other neighboring cities is, what have you put out? What have- Because we've got to do this together. And as you said, Mayor, it's- You know, it's- Until it's an official referendum, if you will, I believe, then we can still- We're not- We still advocate. We're not reduced to just informing.

Right.

So we're actively working on it.

You know, the other, just to kind of throw another thing in there that I think the city managers, you guys, should be getting as a stat, because I know the state is using, I don't know, 40% are homesteaded in Florida. Yeah. And we're supposedly 75% in Dunedin. Yes. Per less. It seems like we should have that list because somewhere there's huge discrepancies in what that would mean to different communities.

We already have it. Okay. We've worked- We're crunching the numbers. We're looking at the taxable value within the city of Dunedin, and we're, you know, putting together the various scenarios of what this could look like for us.

Yeah.

Okay. Okay. Again, I want a tax break, too, but I don't want my city destroyed. Just saying. Okay. And then my other question is, we are going to be having, at some point, the county here with our fire department to talk about priority dispatch. Is that correct?

Yes. Yeah. I need to talk to Chief about that. Okay. And how we organize that.

And, you know, that's probably a good time, too, to just talk about, you know, our stations, the numbers, why they pay for what, how it's calculated, you know, kind of an overview. And then how priority dispatch fits into that, or why we don't want to be part of it, or we do. So, okay. That'd be great. Okay. So, I'm going to open this for public input. Anybody in the audience wish to speak on this issue? No. And seeing no one coming forward, I will close this issue, and I will ask for a motion.

So moved.

Second.

He took a breath there. He was giving you a chance, Commissioner Degard. I saw that. It was a very great opportunity. Okay. Okay. So, I'll go to Commission comments. Maker of the motion, Commissioner Walker.

Yeah. Really, no comments. I just think, you know, in terms of rapid response and all the things associated with that, having an integrated capability like this is absolutely an imperative, in my opinion. And the fact that we're getting money for it is even better. So, thank you.

Okay. And Commissioner Sandberg, seconder.

Nothing else to add.

Okay. Commissioner Degard.

My colleague said it best.

And I'll, I don't have anything else to add either. So, okay. So, all in favor? Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously. Okay. Proposed agenda for November 20th. Thank you, Chief. Thank you. Just not in that uniform. That's right. Okay. Sorry. I'm going to just get to this. Okay. Here we go. So, this is the November 20th Commission meeting agenda. Does anyone, is there anything additional that needs to be added? Or, anybody have a question about anything that's on there? I'm just going to say one thing. That presentation and the freebie, because it better be good to, you know, it just needs to be comprehensive. I don't know how else to say it. So, I'm saying that to the city manager. Okay. Anybody else? Are we good? Okay. So, I need motion to approve. So moved. All right. Commissioner Dugard. Do I get a second?

Second.

Okay. Okay. I have a motion, and I have a slow second. Anyway, so, all in favor?

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Any opposed? Motion passed unanimously. Okay. Informational items. City Commission. I'll go to Commissioner Walker.

Thank you, Mayor. So, Jennifer, I think, well, yeah, first of all, I'll say I did talk to Brad Miller, PSTA, on Wednesday when I was there for the executive committee, and he was also up in Tallahassee. And what I'll do is hold fire on the topic that you brought up. However, I will say this, PSTA has just been an amazing partner in terms of advocating for Dunedin and such. So, some highlights is, so, through their lobbyist, they met with our legislative delegation up there, and I think we've got a lot of reasons to be optimistic that we're going to get a little bit more relief from the storm damage, specifically for the marina. So, more to follow on that. One other thing, actually, two things. As I was driving by the marina today, coming to the meeting, it was really nice to see the Clearwater Ferry. There were a lot of people on the boat, and so I think, you know, this is just a wonderful thing for our city. Regarding ferry service, Tampa City Council and St. Pete, they passed the, they approved the Cross Bay Ferry. So, I think that's exciting, too. So, anyway, those are my updates.

Okay, Commissioner DeGuard.

Thank you, Mayor. There's so much actually happening in the community right now that you hesitate talking about any one or two things, because they seem to push in front of the others that are out there. One of the things I'd like to do tonight is recognize the work of Don Bergeron out at Honeymoon Island. He had his, he's retired now, and he had his going-away party, and many people that care about him showed up at that particular event. And I just wish to speak from the dais tonight and say, thank you, Don, for what you did out there. You suffered through a storm with all of us, and the park is nearly restored. Now, that's not a part of our city, it's part of the state, but, you know, this is the home of Honeymoon Island. And so, what he did out there was noteworthy and worthy of a little bit of time. And I think that I'm going to stop there, because there's just so much else I don't want to dig into all of it. Thank you, Mayor.

I'm glad you were at that. I couldn't get to it, but that was, yeah, I saw that on our calendars. Commissioner Sandbergen.

No, just looking at that time of the year, there's very few weekends, probably no weekends until the end of the year. The city's busy, our commission calendars are busy, and I think the city looks great. I was down at the marina today, and maybe we could get an update on what's happening or what's not happening. I'm not sure. What I saw, I'm sure, is different than what other people are seeing. And the sheet piling seems to be moving along. But then when I was down there, it seemed to not be moving along, so maybe we could get an update. Nothing specific. I'm just curious after I walked the property down there today. So, that's all I have, Mayor.

Great. I have a couple things. I know Wines and Blues is Saturday, so everybody try to behave themselves. And let's see. I think, what is that? It's like 12 to 8 or something? 12 to 8? Yep. So, and I know the Chamber's worked hard on that, and it's a popular event, so hopefully that'll be very well attended. I expect that it will be. I was also going to bring up, and I know this is a little bit your area, Commissioner. I know spring training schedule came out. I don't know if you'd seen that yet, or probably.

I did, and we're like 100 days away from starting it again.

Let's go. Let's go. So, just keep in mind, so I think February 1st is opening day, so, you know, we'll be, I get another chance to throw the first pitch, which wasn't very good last year, but, you know, I'll work on it. But I was going to say, I looked at the schedule, and we always have the Mayor's Challenge with Clearwater, and the only other home, so opening day is the Phillies, which obviously we don't do Mayor's Challenge on opening day. Okay, and, but, and the only other Phillies game is the week following, which would be the 28th. So, I'm just asking if we could all kind of, I'll tell Lindsay, but if that's the only other Phillies game, then that's probably going to have to be it, so. And I'm thinking it's a split team, and our guys will be here, which will give us an advantage this year, and we need it, so.

It's our turn.

Although we won't need it now, because we got the best, so. It's our turn to host this year. Yeah, it's our turn to host, yep, yep, so. So, anyway, so, anyway, I know you'll be dealing with Shelby on some of that, so I appreciate that. Gosh, how do you not talk about the Blue Jays? I just can't, like, it was hard to put on a different color today. I had to dig deep, man. Anyway, I'll, I'll let that go, but, again, I don't want to.

We need an EAP for the Mayor when we took the banners down there.

Yeah, well, I saw that Mark Shapiro did a really, really nice letter to Blue Jay fans, so that was good. I guess that's it, but I did want to make sure that we do take time out of one of our meetings to thank our staff for all their work, and let's do it sooner, because they could be working themselves to death with a welcome back Blue Jay, so we better, we better thank them.

Yeah, and actually, we do have a list. We are putting together a good list, and we will do that. Actually, I wanted to do it in a morning meeting, because it's a lot easier for staff, but we don't have a morning meeting until the beginning of December, you know, in a workshop, so we can, we can discuss it when it's the best time. Yeah, okay, that sounds good.

May I, Mayor? Sure, yeah, go ahead. Jen, I tried to reach out to you today. I've had two or three people ask me about. You did, yeah. Yeah, so there's nothing, we're not going to do anything until the welcome back later to next spring?

Well, you know, when we were walking off the field after game seven, I was telling the mayor, we're going to have a golf cart parade anyway, but it's actually difficult at this point, because there are so many events coming up. Okay. Yeah, so I think it might be better and more appropriate to really roll it all into the welcome back Blue Jays. Okay, I agree with that. Thank you.

And really, a lot of business owners, they're all in. You know, they want an epic welcome back, too, and I think, you know, I'm sure you're out there talking as well to people, and so, yeah, I mean, epic.

So we have a, right, and Mayor, if I may, we have a meeting coming up, and it's an internal meeting, and then we'll meet with, visit St. Pete, Clearwater. We're working on the planning for that epic 50th season.

You bet, epic 50th. Yeah. The only other thing I just want to remember is I did have Lindsay forward you all a paper that Agency on Bay and Coastal Management did, which is part of the TBRPC, Tampa Bay Regional Planning, and it's on the PFAS issue that we talked about at the commission meeting, the workshop, and it looks, you know, it's pretty good, and I think, I just thought it would be helpful for all of us to, you know, as we kind of get caught up on this issue. So that's all I have. City Clerk Update. Okay. Thanks. Thanks for all you do. And City Manager Update.

The only thing I have, Mayor, is that attached to the City Manager Update agenda item is a grant application fee. That's a Ford Pinellas grant. It's in the amount of $150,000 for planning and $3 million for construction, and this is for a trail safety grant. It was a grant that I had discussed.

The downtown zone, right?

Right. Right, and that's what I discussed with Witt, and he had, I was under the impression that Ford Pinellas is going to apply for it. That was not the case, so this is the application for that grant.

Great. That's awesome. Anything else? Any questions for Jennifer? Come on, some hard question. Let's ask her. Okay, City Attorney Update.

No update.

Okay. Okay, well, if there's nothing else good for the order, then this meeting is adjourned.