Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council Meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch, District 1 and Council Vice Chair, Hopley Gerdes, District 2, Brandi Gabbard, District 3, Ed Montenari, District 4, Lissette Kanowitz, District 5 and Council Chair, Deborah Fig Sanders, District 6, Gina Driscoll, District 7, John Muhammad, and District 8, Ritchie Floyd. Good morning, everyone. We will now call to order our February 1st, 2024 City Council Meeting, beginning with a roll call. Gabbard, Montenari, here. Kanowitz, here. Vic Sanders, here. Driscoll, Muhammad, Floyd, here. Gerdes, here. Thank you. Joining us this morning, we will have our invocation given by the Reverend Dr. Wayne G. Thompson, the pastor of First Baptist Institutional Church, my church since I was 8 years old, and followed by a moment of silence to honor Officer David S. Crawford, end of watch, February 21st, 2011, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join me in standing. Let us pray. O God, our Creator Eternal, we are grateful for this day which thou hast sent to us. We can gather to attend to the affairs of our city and to ask you for the continuance of your care upon all of our lives. We ask today your blessings upon our city of many cultures, upon our council which manages the affairs and lives of all those cultures, and our mayor who presides over all of these affairs. We are humbled today because we are here to remember those who have preceded us on this journey, to make us realize that your hand of mercy has been grateful and gracious unto us for a long time. We thank you, O God, that we have this opportunity on the first day of February to recognize the African American culture, the contributions of its ancestors, and the continued presence of its descendants, that we are part of the fabric of your creation. And we celebrate this city of diversity, which makes us a greater place in numbers and presence. But also we celebrate our diversity, which makes us stronger in our collaborations. Thank you, O God, for the opportunities that you lay before us. Opportunities to recognize our differences and reach out across lands and hands, making us realize that we are better together. Opportunities that will let us know that there's much work yet still to be done, and that there are lives who need to be helped, mouths to be fed, bodies to be clothed, and to make homes for all who are in need. O God, prepare us for the obstacles that are sure to show themselves to us. But don't let these obstacles divide us. Help us to embrace them, that we might erase them, that we might know, O God, that your hand is guiding us into a better place. And then improve our outlook upon which you have provided us in this city. This city has grown so much since I was a little boy. Seen so many changes and seen so many challenges, and yet you've proven to be good to all of us. Make us celebrate today because we are a reflection of your goodness, a reflection of your change, and a reflection of the challenges that we meet. Now, O God, allow us to lift up our heads and join hands together as we recognize your power, your grace, and your mercy. And even help us to be as children who sing the song that you love us all, red and yellow, black and white. We are all your creation. We ask you to do all these things as you bless all of the celebrations this month and this year, in whose name you may pray, and in whose name I pray, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for that, Pastor Thompson. Please join me now in a moment of silence as we honor fallen police officer David S. Crawford. End of watch, February 21st, 2011. Thank you. Now for the pleasure of allegiance. We 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. Thank you. Please be seated. Again, thank you, Pastor Thompson, for that wonderful invocation. Council members, we have an agenda before us today with a request to add item H-5. I'll entertain a motion for approval. Move approval. Second. Oh, I'm sorry. Council member Floyd. Thank you, Chair. I would like to withdraw item H-3. Thank you to everybody who's come out today. I apologize for that, but they're receiving community feedback. I think we could bring it back later after having more community conversations and as to not distract from what I've been told could possibly be the last black history flag raising as well. So I would like to withdraw that and we'll have future conversations about it. Thank you. So with the agenda being adjusted, do we still have a motion for this agenda? Yeah, move approval as changed. Second. We have a second. Having been motioned and seconded, can you please open the machine for voting? Now that our present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, a motion to approve. The agenda passes unanimously with council members Driscoll, Gabbard, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you, and that's with the removal of H-3. We're going, we now have a consent agenda. Do I have approval of the consent agenda? And we do have a card on the consent agenda. Move approval. Second. You go ahead. David Sokol, please come up to the podium. State your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address council. Good morning, David Sokol. I'm on the board of the Phyllis Wheatley Rise to Read campaign. It was one of the items on the consent agenda, and the city has agreed on that consent agenda to co-sponsorship an event for the June 18th celebration at Alpert Whitted. And we do appreciate, we know when you sponsor something, co-sponsor it, it involves money in terms of the support of the police and fire and trash. And so we appreciate that. I recall Councilman Fix-Wiggs, at one point there was a request that the board do more and get more people involved. I've been on the board for six months, and I think you'd be very impressed with all of the diversity on the board, from Dr. Benson on the school board, CPAs are involved, librarians, historians, family counselors, church liaison, art club, boys' clubs, mental health counseling. So I believe the event will be a good event to raise awareness, and I just wanted to let you know that your request, they heard it. Thank you. I appreciate that. All right. Thank you. Thank you so much. So we would normally go into... Hold on. You've got to vote. Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot. We need to vote. Can you open the machine for voting? Now that our present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the vote? Madam Chair, a motion to approve the consent agenda passes unanimously, with council members Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you. We're going to now move, because of time, we have a hard stop at 9.50, because we are going to do our flag raising at 10 o'clock. So I do understand that we started late, but I'm going to ask administration if we could go ahead and have our public hearing. That would be E1, amendment to the fiscal 2019-2020 annual action plan, and do we have Mr. Housing and Community Development Director Joshua Johnson. Morning, Chair, and members of City Council. Would you like a brief... You have it to 9.50. Okay. Move approval. Second. Okay, now that we have a motion that's been properly second, can you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please cast your votes. Now that all present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, a motion to approve. Agenda Item E1 passes unanimously with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbard, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you. So we're moving into our open form, and our open form is limited to 30 minutes. We have 10 minutes for open form, so once we get to the 10-minute mark, we will recess council for our flag raising, and we can resume open form afterwards. And so just so that everyone is clear, Item H3 has been removed from today's agenda, so there will be no action taken on Item H3. Can you please read the rules for open form? Madam Chair. If you wish to address city council on subjects other than public hearing or quasi-judicial items listed on the agenda, please sign up with the clerk. Only the individuals wishing to speak may sign the open form sheet. Only city residents, owners of property, business owners in the city, or their employees may speak. All issues discussed under open form must be limited to issues related to the City of St. Petersburg government. If you are speaking to an item on the agenda, you may only speak once, during the open form or when the item comes up on the agenda. In order to provide an opportunity for all citizens to address council, each individual will be given three minutes to speak, and after which the microphone will be muted. If you wish to address city council through the Zoom meeting, you must use the Raise Hand Feature button in the Zoom app or enter star 9 on your phone at the time the agenda item is addressed. When it is your turn to speak, you will be unmuted and asked to state your name and address. At the conclusion of your comments, or when you have reached the three-minute time limit, you will be muted. All raised hands will be lowered after each agenda item. Regardless of the method of participation used, normal rules apply, including the three-minute time limit on comments. The requirement that any presentation materials must be submitted in advance of the meeting and the rules of decorum. If public comments is disrupted by the rules of decorum, the chair is authorized to accept public comments by alternate means, including by e-mail only. And, Madam Chair, we do have some speakers. Thank you. Can you call two at a time, please? Lynn Wilkinson and Rosie Myers, please step to either podium, state your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address council. My name is Lynn Wilkinson, and my address is 534 22nd Avenue Southeast. May I start? Okay, sorry. So, my name is Lynn Wilkinson, and I am against the proposed gas plant redevelopment deal. At the Neighborhood Summit last Saturday, I was impressed by Mayor Welch applying the city's guiding principles for accountable and responsible government to the awards given to the neighborhood leaders. I wondered if the guidelines were applicable to this proposed project. No time for all six? I picked three. As stated on the city website, number one, in touch. Our approach will be hands-on, active in the community, and collaborative with constituents. If this were the case, the citizens of St. Pete would be asked to vote on a referendum for the expenditure, described by the city as $650 million and by other analysts as $2.4 billion. The city is instead taking advantage of the 1986 in-town CRA designation, which means the area is considered depressed. No doubt that was true in 1986, but it's not true now. Then the plan is to renew the CRA designation, effectively saying this prime chunk of real estate in one of America's fastest-growing and desirable cities is still economically depressed. That's just not true. However, renewing does allow the city to preserve, A, the charade that our tax dollars are not paying for the proposed new debt, and, B, deprives the citizens of their voice and their vote. Number two, inclusive. Everyone will have a seat at the table. Every constituent will be heard, and every employee will be valued. Right now, the table seats only the mayor, his team, the city council, and the Reyes-Hynes group. In the current proposed deal, the city receives no stadium revenue from the Reyes, a for-profit organization, no tax revenue ever for the stadium's 22 acres, and deferred tax revenue on the 64 acres the city is selling at far below market value. In addition to our public assets, the Reyes will have complete control over the 64 acres. The option to buy that land is also open-ended, meaning the Reyes don't pay for it until they begin building, which could be years in the future. No taxes will be charged until the said building is in service, and, and, at any time, they can flip the properties, no doubt, for a handsome profit. Wouldn't all burgers like to be included in that windfall? Number four, intentional equity. We will incorporate equity into all policies to ensure that our growth benefits our entire community. There is no clear evidence that a stadium creates equity for anyone other than the owners. The Reyes cannot fill the trap even for a playoff game, and we are still paying off the debt from building it. Equity for our entire community looks like stormwater hardening. The $700 million price tag was just reported yesterday. Real affordable housing on a timetable the city controls, not a private entity. It looks like long-delayed infrastructure upgrades, improved transit, and broader, safer support for our unhoused citizens. It does not look like an expensive and untaxed baseball stadium that every burger will have to buy a ticket to enter. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Rosie Meyer, 1301 45th Avenue North. Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, and members of City Council. I want to show my support for the Reyes-Hines development in the Gas Plant District. St. Petersburg has a rich history with baseball, which dates back to spring training days. I've been fortunate to be part of the family that has recognized and appreciate the economic impact of baseball in my community. My uncle Jim Healy, along with a good family friend, Rick Dodge, saw the vision of what Major League Baseball could do to revitalize an old-time Florida city. As a city, we struggled, but we built. But despite some initial heartbreaks along the way, we succeeded in obtaining the Tampa Bay Rays. And we did so because at our core, we are a baseball town. I'm a proud alumni of John Hopkins, right down the street from the TROP, and I walked across the stage at Tropicana Field to receive my diploma from Gibbs High School. But I'm also thinking of our next generation. I want my son to have the same opportunities I had to grow up to cheer on the Rays for decades to come. Northeast Little League registration is up this season, demonstrating that we have a baseball fan base built in for generations. The Rays' support in our community is astronomical, and we as a city need the Rays. We need them economically, socially, and just for the pure joy of the game of baseball. The Rays have supported our community, so let's support them in this Heinz development. While living in Los Angeles, California, I was part of the company that built SoFi Stadium. It's where the NFL Chargers and the Rams play. I saw firsthand how a community shifted and grew from the new development of a major league sports stadium, the good and the bad. I've also seen how a community-conscious development can revitalize a neighborhood and even a whole city. The Heinz proposal takes into account the citizens of St. Pete, especially the surrounding areas in the history of the Gas Plant District. No one is left out, and everyone can take ownership of this development. That in itself is unique and something not all developers do. We won't find a better partnership than the Rays-Hinds team. My family has owned and operated a restaurant for 40 years in St. Pete. We get a bump in business when the Rays are in town, even though we're nine miles from the truck. We're a baseball town through and through, and we need to support the Rays by supporting this development. City Council, you have the opportunity to continue to fight for our beloved Rays, right the wrongs from the past, and create a place for all of our citizens, our future generations, and baseball families to enjoy. Thank you. Men. We have time for one more. One more? Okay. Paul Carter, please step to the podium. State your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address Council. I will. Thank you. Last but not least, I hope. My name is Paul Carter. I live at 341 5th Street South and have been a resident of St. Petersburg since 2007. I'm here this morning to unabashedly support the Rays-Hinds proposal for the redevelopment of the gas plant district. Basically, three major reasons for my support. And first, I think it's important to note that this is about a lot more than just the stadium. This project is the most significant economic development opportunity this city has ever seen. Over $6 billion to be invested in the project, over a million square feet of desperately needed office space. It's projected to create 37,000 jobs. And as an aside, I think creating high-paying jobs is a great strategy to deal with the affordability issue of housing. Secondly, I believe that without this project, we would lose the Rays. And while the new stadium is critical to the Rays staying here, for which they're paying more than half the cost, the stadium will also serve as the anchor tenant for the rest of the development, probably the best anchor we could imagine, and critical to the success of the whole project. And incidentally, I agree with keeping the name as the Tampa Bay Rays. This is the media market, the Bucks and Lightning, Tampa Bay. And I know the Rays have and will continue to work with the national media to make sure they understand the Rays play in St. Pete, not in Tampa. There are so many other benefits to this proposal. Thousands of market-rate housing units, 1,200 units of affordable workforce housing, a whole host of intentional equity initiatives, $50 million in community benefits, commitments for MWBE participation in the project, and so on and so on and so on. I know some people think there would be better uses for the land, and if so, no realistic or economically feasible ideas have come forward. And if we wait for something supposedly better or even more perfect to come along, my guess is we would wind up with 86 acres of asphalt and an obsolete stadium. I don't want that, and neither should Council. I urge you to support this proposal. Thank you. Thank you so much. Just a reminder, before we break for our recess, to raise the Black History flag, and we'll convene back at 1030. But just a reminder, H3 has been removed in regards to the ceasefire, but we still ask you to stay and join us for the flag raising. We would appreciate your participation with that. Council meeting is now adjourned until 1030. Recess. Recess. Until 1030. As City Council, and we'll begin with our, well, open forum. We need to continue with open forum. How many cards? We have nine speakers. Nine speakers. Can you call the first two, please? Don Legrone and Tiffany Robinson. Please step up to either podium. State your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address Council. Thank you. My name is Don Legrone. I live at 2620 13th Street North. In 1978, the site of the historic gas plant neighborhood was designated a blighted area. City Council designated it as a CRA and displaced 800 citizens with promises of blue-collar jobs, better housing, and access to prosperity. These promises have never been fully kept. Instead, the council voted to build the Tropicana. At the time of its creation, property values in the in-town CRA totaled $107 million. In 2021, that figure had ballooned to $2.48 billion, an increase of a factor of 23. Downtown St. Petersburg has become one of the most prosperous and rapid-developing areas in Florida, but not all citizens have benefited equally. The current plan to redevelop the gas plant will compound the error of the past by transferring $1.6 billion of taxpayer assets to wealthy owners of the Rays and Heinz Development Group and saddle the city with debt. You should oppose the current proposal. There is a better way forward for St. Pete. Prior to the end of the 2028 baseball season, the city should obtain an updated appraisal of the 86 acres, taking into account its current best and highest use for mixed residential commercial development, including high-rise buildings. Recent comparable sales in the area suggest that the land's current value is between $700 and $900 million, not the $105 million gift value provided to raise Heinz under the current plan. Once reappraised, the city should offer the land in part or whole to the Rays-Heinz Group to be purchased outright at the time. Within the conditions of the city's building codes and ordinances, Rays-Heinz can develop the land, paying the city for needed infrastructure and property taxes. Should Rays-Heinz not purchase the entire property, it should be offered to other developers at market rates based on current repeated appraisals. The first $500 million of sales income should be used to establish an affordable housing trust to support upgrades and purchases of homes for citizens restricted to those making less than 80% of AMI throughout the city. This would provide more jobs for residents and local contractors than the current plan and will help address our acute need for affordable housing. It will also create a meaningful path to intergenerational wealth through home ownership, not rental. Another $50 million should be set aside in reserve for a community benefit trust to develop the African American Museum and the historic cemetery site west of 16th Street North. The remaining funds could be held by the city for needed upgrades in city infrastructure as well as to respond to tropical storms, red tides, and climate change mitigation. At its conclusion, this approach will develop our city, avoid debt, and begin to repay our historic obligation of your descendants. The bell was quiet. Thank you. It was quite quiet. Okay. Tiffany Robinson. Okay, next car, please. Lamont Elhassan and Matt Widener. Please state your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address the council. Good morning, council. My name is Matthew Widener. I own property at 250 Mirror Lake just across the lake. I'm here to tell you that I'm agitated and frustrated that the single largest land use change has been proposed in the city of St. Petersburg, and it happened over Christmas break. And if you folks are going, what are you talking about? I'm a city council member. I've never heard of this. Or you're the mayor, and you go, what are you talking about? I've never heard of this. That's because when this notice went out from the city, I asked Derek on January 10th, Derek Kilbourne, did city council know about this? He said no. Did Gina Driscoll, this is in her district, did she know about this? He said no. Did the mayor know about this? He said no. Your staff has taken the initiative to designate all of Mirror Lake Historic, and none of the elected people that have to bear the burden of this knew about it before it started happening. The damage has been done. This affects hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property, including mine, and all of these projects around here. I sat out there with Gina Driscoll in 2021 when the message come directly from the governor said, the courthouse is not coming here unless you yank this historic designation thing that was previously pending. Why did the governor say that? Because he said, we don't want the imposition of a historic designation that crushes economic development. You've crushed economic development right now, and you've impacted council. In the email that I sent yesterday, Madam Figgs Sanders, I referenced the point in the conversation when she withdrew it, and you asked a very good question sitting right there. You said, Ms. Driscoll, will this affect other properties? How can we do this that isn't a problem? That was a good question. Ms. Driscoll, when she withdrew it, she said, before we do this again, historic designation, we demand that the people get involved in this process. Let's have a conversation. That didn't occur. This comes out of the blue over the holidays to take people by surprise. This is a problem because it's dumped in your lap. You're the elected people, and you're the ones that are going to have to deal with the litigation and deal with the conflict and deal with all these people that are going to be here in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of potential risk that's on the table because of this right now. We had a fight before that. That was the Driftwood designation. There was litigation. There was a guy called Charlie Gerties that sat right down there. You might know him. They altered ballots. The city was sued because the city of St. Petersburg staff altered ballots, and if the federal prosecutor in you goes, well, wait a minute, what do you mean by that? Ballots came in. They weren't marked. City staff checked in. You might remember that, Council Member Montaner. You were there. What did your council do? What did they do? Instead of acknowledging that that's a problem, you changed the ordinance, and the ordinance now says that city staff has the ability to alter ballots after they come in on historic designation. That is mind-blowing, and if you as a federal attorney look at that and go, wait a minute, we can't pass something like that. That's the problem. I've been screaming about this for years. Various councils have said we need to review this process of historic designation across the board before we do this again, and that's what I'm asking you for. Thank you, folks, very much. Appreciate it. Where are we with our 30 minutes? I'm sorry? Where are we with our 30 minutes? 30 minutes. We are, one moment, please. 12 minutes left. Next card, please. Jason Spears and Peter Kitt. Please state your name and address for the record. Yes, good morning. Peter Kent, 8 Academy Way, St. Petersburg. The race hounds proposal seems to be costing the city $1.6 billion over the next 30 years, while guaranteeing only 5% of that amount as community benefits. Several recent surveys of the residents have shown the public is running over 4 to 1 against the approval of the current race hounds proposal. Several council members have asked me to propose how the city might better return for its residents if the race hounds deal is voted down. Here are my six steps. One, offer the race their desired five-acre parcel for $25 million or, ultimately, a one-year lease on the existing stadium for 2028. Two, assume the county is going to continue to offer their $313 million towards the new stadium. Two, develop the Boker Creek into a beautiful five-acre linear park with walkways and benches and, hopefully, restaurants along the side. Three, set aside land for the African-American Museum and the historic cemetery, offered the developers the remaining 86-acre parcel at the end of 2027 when the current lease runs out. The developers are subject to the normal city's building requirements, including infrastructure, affordable housing, and green space requirement. Four, because the current land appraisal is based on eight non-high-rise parcels, five of them out of the state and none of them in St. Petersburg, get a new land appraisal, which I think is going to bring it in at about $800 million. Five, the developers can offer to either buy the whole parcel up front or they can offer to buy one parcel at a time. If they purchase one parcel at a time, then the city acts as a developer, installing the infrastructure and building the parcels to any builder at the current market price. And six, from these land sale profits, establish two trusts, one for $50 million as a community affordable, or one as a $50 million community benefit trust as proposed, and a new one, a $250 million one, a citywide affordable housing trust. This affordable housing trust could help 10,000 qualified residents buy and fix up their homes citywide and provide much work for local contractors. With the rest of the land sale profits, provide the necessary upgrades to the existing roads, water, sewer, and stormwater systems. This will provide many times the community benefits offered in the Ray's Hines proposal. Thank you. Any questions? Thanks. Jason Spears. Next two cards, please. I can't pronounce the first name, but the last name is Mola, M-O-L-L-A. And the next person, and I'm going to have to spell this as well, it looks like V-C-J-S-E-N-M-O. This is in regards to H3 manager. Next two. Kwame, last name is C-H-E-S-C-H-U-R. I think this is spelling. The address is Nebraska? Yes. Please state your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address counsel. Can you repeat your address, please? Yeah. I just recently moved here. Can you call the next speaker, please? And the next last speaker is Abdu Salih. Abdu? Please state your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address counsel. Hi, my name is... Hold on a quick second. Mr. Chakua. My address is 11213 North Nebraska, Tampa. Sorry, you can't speak. You have to be a resident in the city of St. Peter. I have. I'm sorry. When you said Nebraska, that's why I asked you to repeat your address. Yeah, so that's how Florida is. Oh, I'm sorry. Welcome to Florida. Hello, Salih Abdu Ad, 4163 Frontera Lane. What's that? 4163 Frontera Lane. Oh, sorry, Wesley Chapel. To be a city of St. Petersburg resident and a business owner. Okay, thank you. I think that we appreciate it. It was my pleasure. With that being the end, we're going to now close open forum, and we're going to move into our new ordinances. In bringing the first ordinance, which is G1, amending the city code relating to authorization for certain travel expenses, we're welcoming interim chief financial officer director Erica Langans and debt financing director Ann Fritz. Do you have a title, Tareen? Do you have a title? Madam Chair, would you read the title? Yes, please. I'm just trying to see if they're coming, though, because we may have to move on to the next. G1. Yes, G1. Okay, thank you, Patty. Ordinance number 572-H, and ordinance amending section 2-78 of the St. Petersburg city code related to authorization for certain travel expenses, providing for definitions, establishing revised methods of calculating the payment and reimbursement of certain travel expenses for executive branch personnel and the legislative branch personnel that may be included in written per diem and travel expense policies and providing for an effective date. This item is scheduled for a public hearing on February the 15th, and we do not have any cards. Move approval. Second. Well, it's been properly motioned and seconded. Seeing the request of speed, Mr. Clerk, could you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please cast your votes. Now that our present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item G1 passes unanimously, with council members Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Now we'll move on to G2 that has an A and B, and can we vote on those at the same time? Yes. Okay, so now we have G2 A and B. Joining us is Britton Wilson, the planner with Urban Planning and Historic Preservation. Would you like me to read the titles first? Please. Ordinance number 758-L. An ordinance amending the future land use map of the comprehensive plan for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, by changing the future land use map designation for a 5.24-acre parcel located at 7045 Burlington Avenue North from Institutional I to Residential Medium RM, providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 15th. Ordinance number 790-Z, an ordinance amending the official zoning map of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, by changing the zoning of a 5.24-acre parcel located at 7045 Burlington Avenue North from Neighborhood Traditional-2, NT-2, to Neighborhood Suburban Multifamily-1, NSM-1, providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 15th, and we do not have any cards. Move approval A and B. Second. Now, I've been properly motioned and seconded of G2A and B. Mr. Clerk, can you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please cast your votes. Now that all present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item G2A and B passes unanimously, with council members Driscoll, Gabbard, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you. We're moving on to G3, which also has an A and B, and also joining us is Brittany Wilson, Britton Wilson, for that particular line, or can you please read the title? Yes, Madam Chair. Ordinance number 77-L, an ordinance amending the future land use map of the comprehensive plan for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, by changing the future land use map designation for a 1.35-acre parcel generally located at the southeast corner of 32nd Avenue North and Hartford Street North from residential medium RM to plan redevelopment mixed use PR-MU, providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof, and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February 15th. Ordinance number 789-Z, an ordinance amending the official zoning map of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, by changing the zoning of a 1.35-acre parcel generally located at the southeast corner of 32nd Avenue North and Hartford Street North from neighborhood suburban multifamily-1, NSM-1, to corridor commercial suburban-1, CCS-1, providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof, and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 15th, and we do have one card, Madam Chair. Thank you. Can you go ahead and call that person? Ashley Rittenbeck, please state your name and address for the record. You'll have three minutes to address council. Thank you so much. My name is Ashley Rittenbeck. My address is 601 55th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida. Good morning. I would like to thank the members of city council for giving me the opportunity to speak today, and I commend you guys for always trying to do what is right for our community at large. I would also like to express my gratitude for Loretta and the city council office. She did an amazing job helping me prepare for today, and also the St. Pete Housing Authority for their guidance that has enabled me to participate today in this discussion. I'm a public policy major at St. Petersburg College, and I also have the privilege of serving as a vice president for a nonprofit. It's an organization dedicated to supporting homeless veterans in our great state of Florida. I'm here to voice my support for agenda item G3. I believe that this proposal is in the best interest of our community. I find that these amendments align with various comprehensive plan goals, objectives, and policies. The focus on facilitating affordable housing in suitable neighborhoods, meeting the needs of present and future residents, and protecting the interests of special needs groups resonates with the mission of both the housing element and the St. Petersburg Housing Authority. I believe that this proposal is crucial for the well-being of our community, and I'm here to voice my support based on my background and commitment to addressing housing challenges, especially for those who have served our country. I also want to highlight from the agenda that SPHA plays a pivotal role in addressing housing needs of our community, and that's done by three essential programs. These programs and initiatives provide housing opportunities for 4,000 low-income families, seniors, and veterans, which is something that I feel very strongly about, and that's why I'm here. Noting its worth in our region that the population is currently growing at a rate of 0.82% annually. As our community expands, the demand for housing will inevitably increase, making it even more crucial to support initiatives like agenda item G3. This proposed amendment aligns with the changing dynamics of our city, assuring that we can accommodate the growing number of individuals and families seeking to find affordable and accessible housing options. I just want to thank you for your attention and your consideration. Thank you so much. Move approval of A&B. Second. Now that we've been properly motioned and seconded, item G3A and B, can you please open the machine for voting? Councilmembers, please cast your votes. Seeing that all present councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the vote? Madam Chair, a motion to approve agenda item G3A and B passes unanimously with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbard, and Mohammed being absent. Thank you. We'll now move on to G4. Joining us is Historic Preservationist 2, Cindy Kochanik. Please make sure I said that correctly. Kochanik. Thank you so much for correcting me. Can you go ahead and read the title for us, please? Ordinance number 134-HL. In Ordinance of the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, designating the Will Cressie and Blanche Dane Cressie House, located at 625 20th Avenue Northeast as a local historic landmark, and adding the property to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places, pursuant to Section 16.30.070, City Code, and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 15th, and we do not have any cards, Madam Chair. Move approval. Second. Seeing that it has been properly motioned and seconded, Mr. Clerk, can you please open the machine for voting? Councilmembers, please cast your votes. Seeing that all present councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item G4 passes unanimously with Councilmember Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Now we're going to go ahead and move into our council committee reports. Item I-1A, Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am respectfully requesting approval of a resolution authorizing the Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee Chair and City Administration to negotiate an agreement with Matrix Consulting for a management evaluation of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Department the proposed resolution is attached, and I'll move approval. Second. Seeing no request to speak, it has been properly motioned and seconded. Can you please open the machine for voting? Councilmembers, please cast your votes. Seeing that all councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item I-1A passes unanimously with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad voting yes, being absent, sorry. Thank you so much. Moving right along. Now we're going to go into new business. We have H-1, Councilmember Monteneary. Thank you, Madam Chair. My new business item is a referral to the Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee for a discussion on a revision to the city's fiscal policies on interfund loans in combined amount not to exceed $5 million from the Economic Stability Fund, and I'll move approval. Second. Councilmember Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll vote in support of moving this to BF&T. I do like the flexibility of using this fund and not having to incur bond costs, so I just wanted to put that out there while we're sitting, but I'm happy to move it to BF&T and have the discussion, and I support it today, but I just wanted to quickly voice my opinion. Thank you. Seeing no further requests to speak, it has been motioned and properly seconded. Can you please open the machine for voting? Councilmembers, please cast your votes. Seeing that all present councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item 1 passes unanimously, with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you for that. Moving on to H-2, Councilmember Monteneary. Thank you, Madam Chair. Before I address this new business item, can I ask legal, do we need six votes to refer something to a committee of the whole meeting? We do. Prefer. Yeah, I'll go ahead and defer this, Madam Chair. Thank you. Moving right along, we have item H-4, Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. We're respectfully requesting a referral to the Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee to discuss issuing a one-year note for the public utility to finance its FY24 CIP, and this referral is a staff request, and I'm formally submitting this new business item as a method of informing City Council, and I'll move approval. Second. Seeing no requests for me, can you please open the machine for voting? Councilmembers, please cast your votes. Seeing that all present councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item H-4 passes unanimously, with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. And last but not least, H-5, Councilmembers. Thank you, and thank you all for bearing with me while I added this, just a little too late to get it on ads and deletes. I'm respectfully requesting a referral to the Housing, Land, Use, and Transportation Committee for a discussion regarding tenant protections for city-owned and city-subsidized housing, and I'll move approval. Second. Seeing no requests to speak, Mr. Clerk, can you please open the machine for voting? Please cast your votes. Seeing that all present councilmembers have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item H-5 passes unanimously, with Councilmembers Driscoll, Gabbert, and Muhammad being absent. Thank you. Now we're going to go ahead and move back into our second open forum. Do we have any cards? Okay, well, that'll work. We're going to move in now to announcements, and does anyone have anything that they would like to report? Councilmember Monnery. Thank you, Madam Chair. On Sunday, I attended the 44th Annual Service of Remembrance for the sinking of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, Blackthorn. A very moving ceremony. The Blackthorn sank close to the Skyway Bridge, and there were 23 Coast Guard members whose lives were lost on that day. And it was good to see so many members of our community there and their leadership from Sector St. Petersburg. Thank you so much. Ain't no other requests to speak. I'm just going to thank everyone for your patience today. For our Councilmembers that are out not feeling well, I'm going to ask everyone that you continue to protect yourself. Wear your mask if necessary. Do the right thing. Stay home so that you do not get others around you ill. And we just want to make sure that everyone has self-well-being. Take care of yourself and your family. But, again, thank you so much for your patience today. It was unique, but it was also special. And also thank you for those that joined us for the raising of the flag this morning. You know, I know February is designated as Black History Month, but we all know black history is 365 days a year. And we do appreciate you for all of you, for your attendance, participation, patience, and understanding. And, too, our clerk's team, you rock. Thank you so much. And with that being said, and no other further requests to speak, we are adjourned. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you.