City Council - Feb 15, 2024

Welcome to the City of St. Petersburg City Council Meeting. Your elected officials are Mayor Ken Welch, District 1 and Council Vice Chair, Copley Gerdes, District 2, Brandi Gabbard, District 3, Ed Montaneri, District 4, Lissette Hanowitz, District 5 and Council Chair, Deborah Figg Sanders, District 6, Gina Driscoll, District 7, John Muhammad, and District 8, Ritchie Floyd. Gabbard? Here. Montaneri? Here. Hanowitz? Here. McSanders? Driscoll? Here. Muhammad? Here. Floyd? Here. Curtis? Here. Today's invitation is given by the Reverend J.C. Pritchett II, the President and Executive Director of the Interdenominational and Ministerial Alliance of Florida, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Will you all please join me in standing? Let's pray. May the President and Executive Director of this sunny city built on a peninsula by visionary leaders with cash, credit, and connections, and also by those on bended knees laying Augusta bricks without either. Our prayer is that you continue to shine blessings on this administration, council, police, firefighters, and city staff that looks like how creative you are. Black, white, brown, gay, straight, male, female, young, and younger as they lead our city. May clarity, courage, conviction be at the center of their work. May these truths be self-evident that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May happiness be found from Child's Park to Crescent Lake, from Mirror Lake to Lake McGorry, from the west side to the south side, and every neighborhood in between. May the actions, policies, and procedures taken by this body create opportunities for all to share in the happiness here in our city. Amen. Thank you, Reverend Pritchett. Council members, we now have an agenda before us. Our entertaining a motion for approval. Move approval. Second. Now that we have a motion, it's been seconded. Can you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please place your votes. Seeing all present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce a vote? Madam Chair, motion to approve the agenda passes unanimously. Thank you. Council members, we now have a consent agenda before us. Do we have any public comment on consent? Madam Chair, we do not. Thank you. Move approval. Second. Now that we have a motion and a second, can you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please place your vote. I second. Okay. Go ahead. Do you think council members, okay. Seeing that all present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the vote? Madam Chair, motion to approve the consent agenda passes unanimously. Thank you. So next, we're going to have open forum. Clerk, can you please read the rules? 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 forum sheet. Only city residents, owners of property, business owners in the city, or their employees may speak. All issues discussed under open forum 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 forum 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 like public comments is disrupted by violations of the rules of decorum, the chair is authorized to accept public comments by alternate means. Just in case you did not hear what was stated, you have the opportunity to speak once, either during open forum or during the agenda item. This being our first open forum, we are limited to 30 minutes, just so you know that. And then when you introduce yourself, please make sure you give your complete information, name, address, including your city, before making your comments. Okay? Thank you. Can you call the first two cards, please? Frank Cirillo and Oscar Banks. Please step to either podium, state your name and address for the record, including your city. Now you have three minutes to address council. Can we start now? My name is Frank Cirillo. I live at 1400 Yandy Boulevard North, Unit 406, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33702. Hello, council. I used my personal leave time to be here today, so I hope the city recognizes that having a meeting during business hours is really hard for working class people to make it to public comment. I'm here to talk about three different issues first, I would like to ask for an independent review of the city's investment policy as there's some glaring errors that need to be corrected, I would look favorably upon the city using a firm that is not familiar with our city as having fresh eyes would really help get some clarification and also ask the city to clarify if the investment oversight committee is an oversight body or an advisory body as oversight board members having voting power The only reason we're talking about this is because the city councilman Montaneri brought this up in a prior meeting. He's running for state senate and he needs to score political points with the donor class. Our city has nothing to do with international politics or foreign policy, but I do support councilman Floyd's ceasefire resolution today. And I think we would be using our time better if we discuss the Tropicana field development deal, which is the third thing I'd like to speak about today. The purpose of this deal is to help the billionaire class. I think we'd be doing a lot more with our public money if we invested it directly into our city and not into a new baseball stadium. Thank you so much. Hello, city council members. I want to thank you for your time. My name is Pastor Oscar Banks of Palm Lake Christian Church here in the city of St. Petersburg. I live at 2437 15th Avenue South here in St. Petersburg. And what I would love to address is the issue of housing in our community. Since I've been in the city, we've been fighting for affordable housing as I am the co-chair of also the social justice organization, FAST, faith and strength together. So we are fighting the good fight of faith. And I know that we're working with many of you as we've met in different spaces and talked about the issue of affordable housing. As a pastor in the city, I also believe not just being a loud voice, but you all know that our church, we're also putting our land where our mouth is. And so this issue hits near and dear to my heart. And as we've been fighting in this journey, we've been called all kind of things, outside agitators. We've been called Pharisees because we're seeking something for the people, which is very interesting. And so I just wanted to read a little bit from Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham jail. He says, Never again can we afford to live with the narrow provincial outsider agitator idea. Anyone who lives in the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds. MLK reminds us that it's always the right time to do what is right. And right now, our city is focused on building housing for people making 120% AMI or more versus those who are making 80% of AMI or less. And so now is the time to do what is right with this amazing city staff, with this amazing city administration. Now is the time. Tomorrow is not promised. Next council is not promised. Next mayor is not promised. Now is the time. And we can do it together. And so we want to invite you to our Fast Nehemiah Action on April 30th at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church on Gandy Boulevard, again, here in St. Petersburg. I believe all of the council members have been invited to this event. We want you to show up and show the people that you mean what you say, that you're here to serve the people. And it's now time to make the people a priority over profits. And so, again, as a pastor in this city, as one who is fighting on behalf of the people, I don't care if I've only been here for five years. I'm putting in work for the people. Amen. Let's go ahead and move forward. The next two speakers are Eric Reiner and Janet Hammer. Please state your name and address and city. You'll have three minutes to address counsel. Eric Reiner, 323 Cordova Boulevard, St. Pete. I'm talking about the resolution around the ceasefire. First, this town council should not be weighing in on any foreign events. It's outside of our domain, your domain. It's outside of your area of deep expertise. If you're going to comment on one issue, on a foreign issue, you should comment on all issues. If you don't, if you do comment on this issue, I think it's divisive and harmful to this community. And I think it has consequences. I think people will take this and label our community as a divisive community. I don't think that's good for anybody here. And any action here would appear to be anti-Semitic unless you're going to say that your new domain is to weigh in on every international issue. The second, the idea that the terrorist attacks in Israel were any kind of justified resistance is just inappropriate. Over 1,000 people died, or the proportional equivalent of 40,000 Americans. That's 13 times the lives lost in 9-11. Women were savagely raped. Babies were decapitated. Focus on that. The killings were filmed and broadcast on Facebook accounts. 200 hostages were taken. 100 remain in captivity. They're being tortured there. That's the equivalent of 6,000 Americans being taken hostage. Some of us remember the 1980 hostage crisis. Imagine if 6,000 Americans were in Iran. It was 50. Some people say 9-11 was justified. Same thing. Everyone always thinks everything's justified. No one just randomly does a terrorist act. They say it's because the West is bad and there's materialistic and they have it coming to them. These are the same kind of folks who want to say this is justified. So then the question is, what's a proportionate response to a heinous act? Well, we lost 40,000 Americans is the equivalent. If we lost 40,000 Americans and 6,000 hostages were taken, what would we expect the United States to do? They would eliminate that threat. Now, what would happen if that entity that did that said, we're going to do it again and again and again? What would we expect us to do? What did we do in Pearl Harbor when we were attacked? We took out the enemy. So any ceasefire should be mutual. It should make sure all the hostages are returned and Hamas needs to surrender. If not, you're not creating any long-lasting peace. They've said as soon as you stop the ceasefire, they're going back in. I urge you to reject this flawed resolution. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you. Hi. My name is Janet Hammer, and I live at 769th Avenue South, St. Pete, 33705. I'm in Deborah Figg Sanders' district. And I really appreciate the previous speaker's talk and fully endorse what he said. So I'm going to try to not repeat everything that he said. I am very concerned that our city council is looking at a resolution that goes way beyond municipal code. I went back and I read municipal code, and I'm like, where is there information about things beyond our city? It's the – this is, to my reading, not within the realm of the business that the city council should be addressing. I believe the city council should be addressing how well-educated our population is about the history of the Middle East, the history of Israel, the history of hate. We have one of the only accredited Holocaust museums in the United States. There's only three, and we have one here. We have a community that we celebrate diversity. So I – if we do have to address international issues, I question it. But when I look at the most recent version of the resolution that calls for a ceasefire, I can tell you with great conviction that a ceasefire is not what we're ideally thinking is a ceasefire. In the eyes of people who are jihadists, which is what Hamas states its goal is, is to annihilate the people of Israel, to annihilate Jews, that is actually not a posture one takes before a ceasefire. Israel is a very small and determined country that is staring down the eyes of terrorists. I was there for two weeks just – I just got back two weeks ago, and I spoke with survivors. I spoke with people who lost family. I spoke with injured people who've been in the hospital since October 8th and have no idea when they're going to get out of the hospital. This is Israel fighting for its life, and I believe that our goal as a city is to educate people so that people are not following false information streams. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. Next in speakers, please. Tatiana Haberkamp and Tiffany Robbins. Please state your name and address for the record. We'll have three minutes to address counsel. Hi, good afternoon. I'd like to make a quick addendum. My name is Tatiana, not Tatiana. Thank you. Tatiana. Yes. My name is Tatiana Haberkamp. I live at 871 64th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33705. I am also here to speak on the ceasefire resolution. For one thing, let's be clear. If we're going to argue that city council is stepping over its bounds by speaking on Israel and Palestine now, let it be known that city council already did that a while ago, quite a while ago. There was something that was passed that was in favor of Israel, and I did not see or hear from these people about that being overstepping our bounds. So we're having this conversation. That is happening. I've also heard already that this will only further deeper division. I do not agree. Ever since October 7th and the onset of Israel's retaliatory violence, both Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attacks have been on the rise in the United States. A ceasefire has the benefit to help all of us domestically, right? On top of the fact that at this stage in time, what we are opposing is what has been deemed by the ICJ to be an active genocide. Are we going to sit back and say, what, one hostage taken from Israel is the equivalent of this many American hostages? What about Palestinians? Palestinians. Approximately 2,000 Israelis were killed on October 7th, and right now, we don't even have exact numbers because we can't get through the rubble, 30,000 Palestinians are dead, over half of them children. I would strongly urge the City Council to join other cities throughout the United States that are calling for peace, that want to use our diplomatic leverage as the United States to urge for an end to civilian deaths, a permanent ceasefire, and for a solution that does not require further bloodshed. This should not be controversial. I think we can all agree that the death of civilians is wrong. I will very rarely play this card, but of the people in this room, how many of you have seen a child die in front of you? Next card, please. Tiffany Robinson, 4981, 30th way south. I'll point to the last speaker. Oh, St. Petersburg, 33712. One point for the last speaker. In fact, the ICJ refused to order a ceasefire about two weeks ago. The best thing for the people of Gaza would be for Hamas to be defeated. Not only is it holding Israeli hostages, but Hamas is holding the people of Gaza hostage, too. For those people, Hamas normalized using children, patients, schools, and hospitals as shields for weapons storage and rocket launches. If the billions of dollars of aid money had been spent appropriately, Gaza would be a thriving destination instead of a poor place atop 350 miles of tunnels designed for warfare. In one of the first Bible stories, when Cain and Abel were fighting, Abel led up his fighting for a minute, which allowed Cain to summon his strength to kill Abel. Lesson learned. Don't allow your enemy to rest. A ceasefire will only help Hamas, which was designated as a terrorist organization by numerous countries and international organizations. As opposed to the lives of Jews and Arab nations, in Israel, many Arabs are citizens. They own jobs. They own homes. They have the jobs they want. Many, many are employed in health care professions. They are doctors, pharmacists, technicians. They vote. They have representatives in the Knesset, which is the Israeli parliament. In fact, in 2018, an Arab woman was appointed dean of faculty at Hebrew University, which is a world-class university like Johns Hopkins or Oxford. When people chant from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, they don't mean free to vote, to hold jobs, or live where they want, because they already have that in Israel. They mean destruction of the state of Israel. They mean free from Hispanics, Asians, Americans, Jews. They mean free from everyone who's not just like them, a place where diversity, equity, and inclusion doesn't exist and isn't even a concept. Hamas has stated they want to eliminate Jews first and Americans second. After the U.S. was attacked on September 11th, the United States launched a war that lasted 18 or 19 years. No one told the United States to ceasefire. Arab countries have colluded not to readmit their own people. We call upon the 23 nations of the Arab League and the 54 predominantly Muslim countries to assist. We all know that if they cared about their people, there would be no crisis. None of you were elected to influence federal foreign policy. I urge you to focus on this city so that in the next election, we don't need to ask your views on topics outside of St. Pete. If this resolution passes, I would expect a resolution in support of the Russians who are suffering because of the war in Ukraine. I vote. I watch how each of you votes and I influence as many people as I possibly can. Please vote against the resolution. Thank you. Next two cards, please. Madam Chair, we have somebody through Zoom. No more cards? Yes, we do. Okay, but you have Zoom? Okay, who is that? Amanda, once you get into the meeting space, please state your name and address. You have three minutes to speak. Amanda, can you hear us? Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Please state your name and address in city. You have three minutes to address city council. Oh, thank you. One second. My name is Amanda Doty. I'm sorry I'm sick. My address is 1901 Oak Street, Northeast, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33704. So I just want to say it is absolutely a need that people be educated. I do agree with that, but that is the only thing that I agree upon from the people speaking against the ceasefire. We have seen a rise of Islamophobia and hate in St. Petersburg and other Florida cities. So it is absolutely, it should not be a big ask for us to weigh in and have you guys join in the other cities that have done, went for a ceasefire. As for the comment about the ICJ ruling against a ceasefire, no, that is not correct. They told Israel to stop all genocidal acts and that they had a month. And instead, Israel continued to kill hundreds every single day. Just yesterday, I saw on Instagram a girl that was probably 12 years old hanging, hanging, her dead body hanging over a wall. When you are saying no to a ceasefire, you're saying that 30,000 people deserve to die. This is not, this is not okay. And the war in Iraq was not okay. I don't understand how that's even being justified. And us, we should have to tell America to ceasefire because they shouldn't even have gone over there. I don't know why that's being a point brought up. And then also just the fact that anybody can sit there and say it needs to be defeated, defeated, yada, yada, yada. And Israel has time again, over and over again, lied about things. They have bombed hospitals saying that there's Hamas underneath. There is no afterwards that when they left, there is no proof of that. Time after time again. You cannot sit there and say that when there is no proof to what they are doing. Israel told Gazans that, oh, you need to move down. You need to keep moving down south. Oh, go to Rafa. It's safe. And now they are bombing Rafa. Now they are wanting to open the Sinai in Egypt and put the people of Gaza there. They want to put them in a desert, even though Israel is already starving them, not letting in food, not letting in water, not letting in medical supplies, nothing. Gaza would be thriving if Israel didn't have an occupation on it for almost two decades now. And it is ridiculous. Thank you. Next two cards, please. The next two cards are Walt Driggers and Dr. Rivers. I'm sorry, Dr. Rivera. Please go to either podium. State your name and address and the city, please. You'll have three minutes to address counsel. My name is Walt Driggers. My address is One Beach Drive Southeast, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701. And we'll lighten it up just a little bit temporarily. But I came here to thank you today from the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport with a special thanks to Chair Fig Sanders and the mayor who graciously gave us a recognition for Barrington Irving, the speaker we had come to our scholarship event last weekend. He is well recognized. He is a world record holder. He is an aviation icon. And he is certainly, most importantly, a genuine nice person. As an update on the scholarship, we gave away 30 scholarships last weekend and 12 of which were prior recipients. So they were able to do, were able to carry forward and create professional pilots. And 24 of the 30 were in one of your districts. And all of them were within St. Petersburg or Gulfport or you get the idea. And all of them were overwhelmingly appreciative. Aerospace Day is coming up March 23rd. Last year we had about 40 young kids between 16 and 12 for Aerospace Days to expose them from everything from mechanics to the space and what have you. This year we're going to have about 100 of them. And we're including the third to fifth grade as well. And then our historical documentary looks like it will have a premiere third or fourth quarter of this year. And so I just came to thank you for supporting what we do as we go out and educate and demonstrate to the community that St. Petersburg is a better place because Albert Whitted Airport. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Hi, my name is Dr. Chelsea Rivera. I live at 238th Street South, St. Pete 33711. Good afternoon. Thank you for the time to stand before you to speak. I stand before you to express my unwavering support for Councilmember Floyd's resolution to support peace and security for all in Palestine and Israel. According to Oxfam, the daily rate in Gaza is higher than any other 21st century conflict. To be clear, that means that the daily death rate exceeds that of the conflict of Syria, Sudan, Iraq, and Ukraine combined. 11,000 children have been killed. Over 1.9 million Palestinians are facing displacement. These numbers are staggering. We need you to sign on to this resolution to demonstrate your commitment to the safety and security of all lives everywhere. This resolution calls for peace and security for all, both Palestinians and Jewish people. The conflict, the genocide, currently happening in Palestine is not an issue of pro-Jewish or anti-Semitism, is an issue of forced displacement, of settler colonialism, of imperialism, and of nationalist politics, of which this nation and this city is no stranger to. In boiling this matter down to either pro-Jewish or anti-Jewish, and ignoring the larger historical context within this moment is occurring, we harm our interlocking, intersectional movements for justice. Some folks have discussed that this resolution is outside the jurisdiction of City Council. Mayor Welch's vision for St. Pete, and by proxy that of City Council, is that St. Petersburg will be a diverse, vibrant city guided by principled progress and intentional inclusivity, where innovation, partnerships, and ingenuity create opportunity for all. Intentional inclusivity means that we need to be explicit in our dedication to the sanctity of all lives. In signing this resolution, you are making explicit the city's commitment to justice, to inclusivity, and our dedication to international struggles for liberty and self-determination, and our clear opposition to violence. You are signaling to St. Pete's residents, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, queer, black, white, atheists, that they are safe here, and that you stand in solidarity with ensuring their safety abroad as well. I ask your support for this resolution. I ask that you live your values out loud and on paper. I ask that you sign this resolution to support peace and security for all in Palestine and Israel. Thank you. Thank you. How many minutes do we have remaining? Five minutes. Five minutes. One card, please. Jay James. Please step up to the podium. State your name, address, and city. We'll have three minutes to address Council. Before I go, I have a quick question. If you speak, don't... Your time is running because we can't respond. Okay. All right. Well, my name is Jay James. Pronounce they, them, and theirs. I am a however many generation native of the city. 2042, 27th Street South, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33712. I am here for many reasons, but I'm here to support the resolution for the ceasefire and the Israeli aggression on Gaza. I've heard, I'm actually disappointed that I'm hearing that certain lives are worth more and valued more in this city than others. I heard some people say, oh, it's the equivalent of this many American deaths. Well, the 30,000 Gazans who have been killed by Israel equivalent to 4.4 million Americans. If we're going to talk about equivalencies, let's talk about all of it. This is not okay. This is not okay for us to sit here and do, and folks to do nothing and actually support the continued aggression in Gaza. 1.5 million people are in the area that's barely larger than St. Pete right now and are being bombed right now. That's in Rafa. I'm talking about Rafa specifically. This is where they were told they were safe to go by Israel, the aggressors, by Israel. And Israel saying, oh, now, never mind. We're going to bomb you some more. And, you know, occupy the last remaining operating hospital in Gaza. I also want us to, I want to implore us to reconsider any, sorry. It's just, I'm sorry. I can't even talk about multiple things, but I can. This is just disappointing. This is so disappointing. Some people that I've worked with over my entire adulthood or their mentors to me when I was a child to be here and support the continued aggression of Israel in Gaza is disappointing. And we must investigate, do I really support the continued killing of human beings? Thank you. Thank you to everyone that spoke today. So now we're going to go ahead and close open forum, and we're going to move to our report items, beginning with F1. Joining us is Chief Anthony Holloway. Good morning, Chief. How are you? Well, yeah, it's afternoon now. Good afternoon. How are you? Good afternoon, Chair and Councilmembers. So this quarterly report is going to cover October, November, and December, but also Council is also going to close out the year of 2023. So overall, crime is up by 1%, but if we compare it to last year, crime is down by 1.5%. The five-year trend, crime is down by 6%. And we're going to find out, again, our driver is going to be auto theft. Violent crime is down by 4.5%. Five-year average violent crime is down by 6.7%. Property crime is up by 2.4%. And the five-year trend is down by 6.7%. Again, I'll talk more about property crime. Our homicides for 2023, overall, homicides are down by 18%. The five-year trend is down by 35%. And I'd also like to give the men and women of the detective bureaus kudos. For the past two years, they have closed out every homicide case in our city. So in 2023 and 2022, every homicide case was closed with an arrest. The gun response investigation team that we started, it is working quite well. We saw a trend in that. Overall, crime is down in aggravated assaults by 9%. For 2023, five-year trend, crime is down by 4%. Stolen guns, we're still averaging about what we normally average per quarter. But I want to thank the citizens out there. A lot of people are starting to turn in their weapons. So we're the ones that they don't want or the family members are realizing they don't need them in the house, so they're turning them in to the police department. But we're still trying to remind people that please do not leave their vehicles unlocked with the weapons inside. As we talked about earlier, these are the crime trends again for October, November, December. To close out the year for 2023, robberies were down by 0.5%. Five-year trend, robberies are down by 27%. Burglaries are down by 7%. Five-year trend, burglaries are down by 24%. Auto thefts are up by 9%. And a five-year trend, they're up by 24%. But I'd like to tell council what we've seen in the past three months is auto theft is starting to trend downward. So people are starting to take their keys out of cars, lock their cars. And again, the detectives are doing an outstanding job on that. And you can see our arrest reports reflect that, again, compared to last year to this year. Our Second Chance program is still going strong. So we are still getting kids to get into the program. We're holding about somewhere between 75% to 80% of the kids that go through the Second Chance program are not re-offending. Our home unit is still monitoring the kids that need to be monitored. And again, that's with all the surrounding agencies in Pinellas County. Our PATH unit is doing an outstanding job working with our unhoused individuals. And I'd also like to give credit to Amy Foster and her team. They're out there every day making contact with our unhoused individuals. You see the numbers are up. And the numbers are up because we are now fully staffed in that unit. We have a sergeant and six officers working five days a week making contact with our unhoused individuals. Our heat unit continues to work exploitation cases, nooses abatements. We're getting compliance. Pursuits for this quarter, we had zero. Use of force, again, every time an officer uses force to take someone into custody, we make sure we review all those. The three citizen complaints we received, they're not to do with anything. Use of force is either discourtesy or also failure to write a report. We're still getting great tips from our community. That's also helping with our trending and our crime. The Park Walk and Talk program is still going strong. What we did, again, instead of telling the officers one hour, we're leaving it up to them. We'd like to see them do more so they can do 10 or 15 minutes at one location. We are still staying under the average for a call for service, so I see no issues there. Traffic, we're doing, continue doing heavy traffic enforcement throughout our city. We saw a downward trend in traffic fatalities, and as of this month, we're down by 50% with traffic fatalities. We continue to exceed our goals, off-duty work. We're continuing to operate in the black. Over time, we're staying within budget. The last thing is our community liaison program. It is still going quite strong. We've been asked not only to talk about our program throughout the state of Florida, but we're getting calls to do Zoom calls and also go throughout the nation talking about how successful our call program is working. So with that, Madam Chair, I'll open up for any questions. Member of Montaneri. Madam Chair, Chief, it's always great to see you. Thank you for spending some time with me earlier this week. Just one question on your presentation about auto thefts. You've talked about them being up 9% and the five-year trend being up 24%. Yes, sir. Can you talk a little bit about when we catch people, how many people are repeat offenders? I can probably somewhere between, and this is just going to be a guesstimate, sir, somewhere between 20 to 30 juveniles or repeat offenders. When we arrest them within a week period of time, we're probably arresting them again for being in a stolen car. And what can we do to deal with that issue? We are working on that. At the mayor's direction, we're talking to judges. We're talking to the state attorney's office. As those kids that we can adjudicate as adults, we are working with the state attorney's office with that. They're the same thing. If there's no consequences to these kids taking these cars, they're going to continue to take these cars. So our detective unit is doing, again, a great job. They're out there. They're looking for them. So we're on top of it. We're just trying to hope that the courts will hold these children more. Okay. All right. It's just those numbers are alarming. You know, up 9% in the five-year trend. And you did have some good news. Can you repeat it for me? The longer-term trend is down, but is that farther out than five years? Yes, sir. So in the past three months, we have continued to see a decrease in auto tests. So last year, I can get you the number. I think we were like maybe at 30% or 40%, so we're down to 9% overall. So that says a lot that, again, people locking their cars and taking their keys out of cars, the detectives making an arrest, and the system is holding the right kids that need to be held. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, Chair. You're welcome. Thank you. We do have a public comment on this particular item. William Kilgore, please step up to the podium. State your name and address and city. You'll have three minutes to address council. I see him. Oh, yeah. Okay, we'll come back. Council Member Muhammad. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Chief, for the report. Just three questions to start, and we'll see how the double-click works, all right? The equal opportunity goals, how are they set? Because I saw in some of those areas they were exceeded, and so how do you determine, like, this will be the number? Is it a percentage of the – is the goal to have the department reflect the population of the city? I just wanted to get a little more information about how do you determine the goals and if those goals need to be increased because they're, in some cases, exceeded. Sure. Yes, sir. Those goals were set by the city, and what they looked at, the city looked at what's the working population that's out there versus what's the actual population. So we look at who's at the age of 21 that can come on and work in law enforcement. So we keep matching those numbers up. So those were the goals that were set by the city, and we continue to, you know, succeed in all those goals. Congratulations there. And then you mentioned the park walking. I just wanted to clarify. Park walk and talk, you said there's no – you're no longer requiring the one hour? So what we found out, if we just tell the officers to work, do it for one hour, that we're not really covering enough. So we said, okay, now, Tony Holloway, you can do 15 minutes on Monday, 15 minutes on Tuesday. So we're stretching it out instead of just saying one hour on a Friday. Let me get it done and get it out of the way. I'd rather see quantity versus – you know, quality versus quantity. So we're seeing more, and we're making more contact instead of the officers just saying, I'm going to walk this one area for one hour. I'd rather for them to get out, talk to someone like you for 15 minutes, and then they may have to take a call. But then the next day, follow up with someone else for 15 minutes. Some officers are doing a complete hour, but it's just – we're not seeing – for this one hour, you're going to do that. Okay. Okay. I got it. Thank you for that. And then the last question that I had is, I'd like for you to tell me a little bit more about the new eligible call type. For calls, I said that you added a new eligible call type, and I'd like to know more about the type of call and the process for adding a different type of call to the program. Sure. So that new element type, sir, that's the one that we added in through City Council. So we're able to get someone now to work with the youth in our community. So now that call person is mainly working with juveniles that are going through issues so we can have just a call person designated to continue to work with our youth in our community. Was it another position or is it – That is another – I'm thinking about when the phone rings and you're dispatching calls. The way I understood it – and again, this is why I want the clarification. So when you receive a call, a 911 call, there are certain types that are dispatched to the call program. The way I read it was that you're adding other call types so that now you can do more calls. Am I reading that right? So what we changed was when we're talking to the people that are unhoused, that was a different type of call type. So we named it something that was totally different because those people that are unhoused, they need a different type of service. They may not be going through a mental crisis. They may need help with just trying to find housing. So a call is handling some of those calls. Okay. And so those calls are originated by someone, and then once the dispatcher determines that this is not a mental health-related thing, it's just somebody who's in a situation where they need some other resources, before that wouldn't have gone the call, but now it is? Some of those calls, you still have a director-of-foster team taking care of the majority of it, but then some of the officers that are assigned to that can refer someone that's going through a crisis like that to call and call or handling those type of calls. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. We do have Mr. Gill. Mr. William Kilgore, please step up to the podium, state your name, address, and the city for the record, and you'll have three minutes to address counsel. Hi, everybody. Thanks, Chair. William Kilgore. I'm a resident of the Ponce de Leon neighborhood, and I am an organizer at the St. Pete Tenants Union and St. Pete Copwatch. Normally I always say resident. I don't usually. Oh, but they were doing something a little bit. Okay. All right. Okay. Yeah, 2550, 28th Avenue North. So, yeah, I just wanted to speak on some of the issues. You know, our organization, I think I came back here over the summer, you know, talking about, you know, we have been going through the clerk's website and seeing an increase in citations for the sleeping ordinance. We have a couple sleeping ordinances. I'm talking about the daytime sleep, sleep, lie, and recline ordinance. It's section 2073 of the city code. And so in 2023, there was around, just a preliminary count here, 250 citations, you know, for this ordinance. And it's primarily targeted at, you know, the homeless, obviously. You know, and it's more than double the total for any other year since 2019. You know, so it appears that the police department has been increasing its enforcement of this ordinance. And on the broader level, you know, the city code is really being weaponized against the homeless. A lot of the time, these citations, these municipal citations, you know, it can result in, you know, a warrant being issued in some cases, you know, if it requires a court appearance. A lot of the time, this stuff is, you know, it's, you know, they'll get adjudicated guilty because they don't show up or don't pay the fine. And then it goes to collections. And so, you know, the police department and this whole way of doing this and targeting homeless people with the criminal justice system, and it's just putting people in debt or putting people in jail, you know. And I think with the PATH unit is a horse and pony show. It's really just a way to make it look like, you know, we're doing referrals for service before we resort to criminalization. You know, and yeah, there's, you know, as far as I'm aware, safe harbor, you know, there's usually, it's never at capacity, you know, but it's the old jail. People don't want to go and utilize, there's not enough, my point is there's not enough services. And so you can't be saying we're referring people to services, why, to get on another wait list or to, you know, have to deal with all that kind of thing, you know. And so I think that's a big problem. And, you know, the cherry-picked data that's in this report today, you know, the city needs to be looking at how it's doing this and why is not, why the police shouldn't be dealing with homeless issues at all. It should be through call or through social workers and things like that. And it's, yeah, just wanted to bring that to your attention. And thank you very much. Councilmember Driscoll. Thank you. Thank you for the report, as always. I wanted to talk a little bit about the guns stolen and that particular slide indicated that the total stolen was 64 during that three-month period and 32 were taken from vehicles. So if we could eliminate the number of guns being left in vehicles and open and available to be stolen, we could cut that number in half. So I think it's more important than ever to continue to remind people that they can help to reduce the number of guns out on the streets and protect their own property by keeping their, taking the gun out of the car when they're at home and keeping their car locked, right? That is correct, Council. Now, there were, also you mentioned a couple slides later that the number of thefts from motor vehicles was 72. So that tells me 32 out of the 72 thefts from vehicles was actually guns. I would have to go back and check, but I could assume that, yes, ma'am. Yeah. So I applaud you for the work that you and marketing has done to get the word out and remind people that they can do their part with that. Do you know approximately how many crimes involving a gun are committed using a stolen gun? I couldn't tell you the exact number, but I could get it to you. Again, because we wouldn't know until we arrest a subject with a gun. So I can tell you this week we arrested three, I'm sorry, yeah, three people and the guns they had were from stolen vehicles. Right. It seems like on a regular basis when we get these reports of incidents that involve a gun that it does state that the gun was stolen. So that kind of completes the picture there, and I think it's a good story to tell and continue to get that out there because this is something that I think we can really improve on, and it takes the public, it takes our residents to help us out. And I can tell you, Ms. Fernandez and her team, when we see something like that, that we can get out to the community. We do take care of that. We either put it on our Facebook page or we contact the media so we can see some type of interest so we can continue to educate our community on how they can continue to reduce the fear of crime in our neighborhoods. All right. Thank you. And then regarding the PATH unit, the number of officers that we have in the PATH unit has increased during the time that I've been on city council, and we've seen really good results with that, with really leading with compassion and resources. Is there, are you sitting where you need, where you think you need to be right now as far as the number of people in the unit? Yes, ma'am, we are. Like I said, we finally got up to full staff. So the, and like you said earlier, it's not a crime to be homeless. The officers respond to when they get called from citizens to those areas, and they do try to find services so we can find the unhoused people, the services that they need. We also have St. Anthony's, we have a nurse, a clinical nurse that rides with the PATH unit. So if someone's in need of medicine or something like that, they are given their medicine during that period of time. Okay, I just wanted to make sure that you have all that you need to continue doing that good work because it appears, and I don't have numbers, but just from going around town, it appears that we have more folks who are outside and unhoused right now in St. Petersburg, and it could be it's winter, and so we do see an increase in our homeless population during that time. But I want to make sure we've got the resources from your department to match what the need is out there and the number of people that we see. And I can tell you there might be a slight increase, but there's not a large increase of our unhoused in our city. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. Councilor Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Chief, always good to see you. Thanks for the report. First, I just wanted to start with a thank you. You know, I think one of the things we probably all hear about is speeding and traffic, and I just wanted to thank you and administration for the new traffic details in each district. I think it's gone a long way, and I know that the stats are showing the same thing. But specifically in District 1, it's very visible, and so I'm just very, very appreciative of that new traffic detail. I had a question about, and I don't want to blanket this, but it seems, at least the few that I've dealt with over the last few months, that let's say a car gets stolen in District 1, it seems like that car ends up in Gulfport or Treasure Island or a different municipality. What's the process like that those municipalities are communicating, whether they find the car, whether we're going into another municipality because we can track the car? How does that work? Sure. So when a car is stolen, it's placed into the computer, NCIC, FCIC. So when a car is stolen, every law enforcement agency is aware of it. When a car is recovered, the same thing. Then that car is removed from the computer system. We work quite well with all the surrounding agencies because, as you and I had that conversation before, is our youth, they don't just stay in St. Pete. They will go to Gulfport. They will go to Tampa. They will go to Sarasota. So we do our units talk to each other on a weekly basis. I would say on a daily basis. They'll say, hey, we recovered one of St. Pete cars in Sarasota. We recovered one in Tampa. So those units are talking, and then we make sure that we can get evidence out of the car. We do so we can go and get a arrest warrant that we can tie that child or that youth to that vehicle. And so are we – so let's say a car gets stolen in St. Petersburg and it ends up in Tampa. Is Tampa processing that car, or do we go get that car and then process it? It's courtesy so Tampa will process that car, and then we will follow up with it. Okay, cool. Thank you for that. That's very helpful. The last thing I just wanted to bring up was, again, a thank you. You know, the increase – when you look at the map of Park, Walk, and Talk, you can tell that this new way of doing this is making a difference from the breadth of the city. So I just wanted to say thank you. I know we've talked about some specific neighborhoods that it has impacted and continue want to see police presence. And so I just – just very appreciative of always trying to come up with new and innovative ways to help us with each of our citizens. So big thank you from me, Chief. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Again, thank you, Chief, so much for this report. But I do want to – if you can go to the heat slide where you talk about for human exploitation and trafficking. I have sat on several panels in regards to human trafficking because we do understand that Florida is one of the top three hubs for human trafficking, and yet we've had zero arrests for human trafficking incidents. So I do see that we have investigations. I see total arrests. Those total arrests were for human exploitation. I mean, what's the difference? So – and I always have my detective, that language, so I can get that back to you. But human trafficking just means that someone was trafficking that. Human exploitation – I'm trying to – which one are you? I'm on – there's – I see investigations. So those – so let me back up. So those investigations could be leading to a point where someone's online talking, thinking that they're talking to a child. They're coming to meet the child. So that's one part of it. Human trafficking is you're actually trafficking with the person, bringing them to and from a different location. Okay. And I guess it's just, you know, a little baffling for me with us being like one of the number one hubs in Florida, that we're not more actively involved with human trafficking arrests because we do know just how traumatic that is and how rampant it is in our state. So I just wanted to highlight the – and I want to congratulate your sergeant that's actually responsible for that because they generally sit on a lot of panels that we've done. And so I just wanted to figure out a way that we can be more proactive with some of our human trafficking cases because for three months during the holiday period to have no arrest for human trafficking, that kind of raised the flag for me a little bit. So, again, I can tell you we do several operations, but the people that we're getting, we're talking to them online, and they're not trafficking someone, they're either bringing someone there. When we talk to the victim, the person that's there, they're saying they're not being part of human trafficking. So that's the first part of being because you've got to prove coercion and those things for human trafficking. But the person could be looking for coming to St. Pete to meet with a 16 – I'm sorry, with a 6-year – a 12-year-old or a 14-year-old. So that's a different type of case. So that's why you would see it's not a human trafficking case but a human exploitation case. Okay. Thank you for that. Seeing no other requests to speak, thank you again, Chief, so much for that. Seeing no other requests to speak, we will now move on to item F2, who will be presenting a resolution establishing race days for the 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Our Development Coordination Managing Director, Mr. Chris Belestra. Hello. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of council. Chris Belestra, City Development Administration. Very happy day today, happy item that we have in front of you right now. With us today, before I start, I have – and they'll be here momentarily – Kevin Savory and Kim Green of Green Savory Racing and staff supporting this project, Tony Lino, Sean Druin, and David Wirth. If I could start with the clerk's office, the first video. I have two videos to show you, one now. The hardest thing about racing the streets is – I don't know if we can turn the lights down. That would be great. This is just a 29-second video. Give you kind of a feel for what we're about to talk about. Zero. That's how many mistakes you get to make here. No mistakes out of the gate. No mistakes in turn one. And your pit crew gets zero. Everything's on the line. If you can make lap one with zero mistakes, you get the chance to make zero mistakes 99 more times. The IndyCar season kicks off at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, presented by RP Funding. Tickets at gpsap.com. Thank you, Jordan. Appreciate that. So, again, in three weeks from time right now, we will have the 20th anniversary of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This street race has been around in St. Petersburg since 1985, but this is the 20th consecutive year racing on the streets of St. Pete in this track, with this team, and this public-private partnership that we currently have and have enjoyed, I think, collectively as a community. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is part of the NTT Data IndyCar Series. We are, again, the first race of the season that has special implications in and of itself. 1.8-mile course, you know it well, 14 turns, turn the streets of St. Petersburg, and it will run from March 8th through 10th. So I'd like to thank in advance this body, City Council, Green Savory Racing, for the continued support over this long 20-year history. This is a model public-private partnership that we have embarked on many years ago, extensive community outreach, with results that we see year-over-year, which are undeniable. I'm a big fan of metrics. I think metrics matter. And I had provided this body an echo impact report earlier in the week, which reflects overall economic impact of last year's 2023 race of $61 million of overall impact, $37 million of direct spending, and arguably, very important to the city of St. Petersburg, $3.3 million of direct tax revenue for the three-day event. So these are important metrics that we don't want to lose sight of and I think speak to the relevance of this event in this community over time and moving forward. Most importantly, as I have discussed year-over-year, I am just very proud of the brand that all of us together have created. This is marketed internationally as the first race of the season, of the IndyCar season, but it puts St. Pete on a map that we can't buy with our own marketing budget. So it has a special place on many different levels. The race will be carried live on NBC on March 10th. The TV coverage will begin likely at noon right now with a green flag in and around 12.30 p.m. There's a couple of business points that I want to make sure to cover. We are here to hopefully have you vote on a resolution before I turn the mic over to Kim and Kevin. But what the race day's resolution does, it started with an ordinance, 702G, in 2004. It's been amended in 2011 and 2015. It effectively waives certain rules in the city, i.e. the ability to exceed the speed limit. We do a little bit of that on that weekend on the city streets. It covers the race days and the race zone, no different than we do when the Tampa Bay Rays get into the playoffs. So there are certain conditions that we ask for that I think are beneficial and provide better surrounding public safety for the event and surrounding community. Again, the resolution covers the period from March 7th through March 10th, 2024. Of course, administration recommends approval of that. But before council takes that up as a voting item, I would like to invite Kevin Savory and Kim Green to share from their view of the world what's coming in a few weeks there. Thanks, Chris. Thank you, city council. Obviously, one of the highlights of every year is to get here and talk about what we're doing. And so many years ago, city council challenged us to be more effective in our build. And this year, 26 days will start on Monday, the 19th of February, and we'll finish about noon on March 16th. So I'm very proud to say that we understand in this city that's much different than we started in 2005. It's a busy downtown. And I always challenge our team, stay out of the way and get out of the way. And it's very simple to say. It's much more complex to build a racetrack. And so, again, thank you very much for everything that you do for us. Eight races over three days. We obviously are expanding our components related to charity, and we're very, very proud of that. We're proud partners with Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg, and the 5K benefits that. Kim and I try to do our part as well. On Friday night, we're having an anniversary party, and we've got the proceeds of that that are going to benefit four local charities, one of which is like youth football, another one, a local college, which has to do with, you know, hopefully mentoring young people to take up trades. So we're very proud of that. Another one involving cultured books. Anyway, so much going on. And then Saturday, we're having a concert on Saturday night, Party Graz. So thrilled about that. So should be a good time for everybody. And then, obviously, Sunday, kick it off on NBC and around the world for the start of the 2024 IndyCar season. So, again, thank you very much, and happy to answer any questions anyone has. Thank you. We'll move on to Council Member. Council Member Monteneary. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's great to see you. Kevin, Kim, thank you for being here. I also want to thank our city team, Chris, Sean, Tony, David. And I know there's a lot more to kind of put this whole thing together. This is just an exciting time of our year, or of the year. And I think back to when, back to the first race and where our city was when you all first started. And back then, a lot of people called our city God's waiting room. Around the time that you all got started, things started to change. And we started becoming more vibrant and more, like, in tune with what you all bring to St. Petersburg with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. And I'm just so thankful that you all had the vision, along with Mayor Baker and the City Council at the time, to bring IndyCar Racing to St. Petersburg because it has changed our city for the better. I also just wanted to mention that economic impact report. It was powerful. You look at the numbers and the impact that the Grand Prix brings to the city of St. Petersburg. It's amazing. And it kind of, you know, I think we, before we had reports like this, we knew it had a huge impact in our city. But this report gives us the metrics that I think we all figured that we had. So thank you for providing that. And just wanted to say welcome. And I'll move approval of the resolution as before us. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Councilmember Driscoll. Thank you. It's just amazing to think about celebrating 20 years of this and how far we've come during that time. The efficiency is appreciated by so many. And as a council member who represents our downtown residents and businesses, I know that they appreciate it very much. And I love seeing how you have this cadence of how everything works. I mean, it is truly a well-oiled machine. And everyone knows what to expect now, whether you're a business, a resident, or, you know, the operator of the Mahaffey Theater or the Dali Museum. And so your ability and willingness to work with everyone, you talk to residents, you will talk to the businesses, I just appreciate that so much. It really shows that you are part of St. Pete. You are truly one of us. And we are so grateful to have you as a partner and as, you know, one of our biggest promoters. I mean, I absolutely love seeing what it looks like on TV, although it's even better in person. But touching on the economic impact report that Councilmember Montaneri mentioned, you know, it's more than just something that's fun. And this is something that generates real revenue for our city. Based on the 2023 event, there was $37 million in direct spending generated by the event. That is direct spending. And $3.3 million in taxes generated, 643 jobs supported through visitor spending. And as a person who used to work in the hotel business, I was zooming in on the room nights and the incremental hotel room nights generated by the event, 15,210, just last year. That is meaningful. That is meaningful. And so I am just grateful to you, not only for bringing an incredible event that we're all so proud of, but for generating the numbers that really back up why we go through all this each year with the setup and everything. So I appreciate this report. That report was generated independently of us by Visit St. Pete Clearwater. And so, again, a big thank you to them because those are incredibly expensive and time-consuming. So a big thank you to them as a partner for helping to create that for us. Yes, thank you for pointing that out. That is important. And I appreciate Visit St. Pete Clearwater for working to put that together for us. So I wish you all the best as you get ready for this year's race, and I will see you there. Thank you. Thank you. Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Quickly echo Council Member Montanerian, Council Member Driscoll, the city team. Thank you so much for all the work you do. I know it's a long month and then probably an even longer weekend. And so great appreciation for all the work, making it an unbelievable event every year. To Council Member Driscoll's point, I'm pretty sure that it's the most hotel rooms in a single event of any St. Pete Clearwater event. And so that's something to be said. You know, you talk about sports, Valspar, all kinds of different events that go across this county. The single event that brings in the most hotel rooms, TDT tax, is the Grand Prix. And room rate. And room rate. Yeah, and the room rate. That's not even getting into ADR, where the ADR jumps about 40%. And so it's a huge deal. The last thing I wanted to say is I totally and absolutely agree with the Green Savory team being reachable, amenable, open to conversations. If you don't know, the entire team, I think there was like 12 of them, that showed up to Cappy a couple of months ago in preparation for this year's, including our city team. But they had like 12 of their own people there, to make sure that this race was accessible to all residents of St. Petersburg. The whole team showed up months before the race to make sure that they were hearing feedback from Cappy. And when they walked into the room, it was powerful. They took every suggestion. They took it seriously. They tried to find ways to make sure that the accessibility tour, they could do multiple of them. It was incredible. And I was blown away by it. And so I just thank you so much for always being accessible and open to those conversations, whether it's Cappy or whether it's here, whether it's anywhere in our city. I know we had breakfast on Monday on other topics. And so I just always appreciate that openness, and it goes such a long way. And that's the core reason, starting with our team and your team, that this is an amazing event and one of the shining jewels in St. Petersburg throughout the year. So thank you so much, and thank you for being at Cappy and making sure we have an accessible event. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Seeing no further requests to speak, thank you again for the report. And we have a motion that has been properly seconded by item F2. Can you please open the machine for voting? Please vote. Seeing that all present council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item F2 passes unanimously. Thank you. And thank you. Madam Chair, point of privilege, if I may. I have one more video to show you, which is about a minute and a half. But more importantly than that, I'll hold off on that for one second. If I could bring up Mr. Tony Lino. This is not only the 20th year with Greens Every Racing. It's the 20th year that Tony Lino has led this event, and so it's an anniversary for him. And again, I just want to personally thank Tony. He is the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete. Without Tony, the race doesn't happen, as far as I'm concerned. And I think Kim and Kevin would jump up and down and agree with that as well. So I just wanted to point that out. And again, congratulations on a 20th successful year. Thank you, Madam Chair. And if we show the video then. St. Pete always brings out great races. I love this track. It really fits with my driving style. Super tight, super aggressive. 110% every lap, every corner. I love coming to St. Pete to start the season. It's a good race weekend. And when you're racing a street course, you don't see what's around it. Apart from the straight line here in St. Pete, you realize that you're on the airport runway, which is pretty awesome. This place is really awesome. I think it's as close to Monaco F1 as you can get in the U.S. You got to be on it around this place. You know, the street circuit. So there's no room for error. You got walls lining the entire track. We got the water right here. We got all the yachts. The fans are everywhere lining the walls. We're racing right through downtown. I love coming here. I think it's the perfect place to start the IndyCar and Indy next season. Thank you so much for that presentation. We are St. Pete. Thank you. Next, we'll move on to our new ordinance, items E1 and E2. E1, approving the vacation of 20 feet of street right of way on the north side of 23rd Avenue, north, abutting lots 15th through 28th between 32nd and 32nd and 32nd. 34th, 31st Street North and Block B of the Waverly Place Subdivision, generally located at 2300 31st Street North, setting forth conditions for the vacation to become effective and providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 29th. Thank you. Ms. McKaylor, how are you? Good. Thank you. I have a presentation if you care to hear it. Move, approve. Second. It's that seat. It's that seat. It's that seat. This has been properly motioned and seconded. Can you please open the machine for voting for E1? Council members, please place 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 E1 passes unanimously, with Council Member Floyd being absent. Thank you. Now we'll address item E2. Can you read that title, please? 4th December 1164-B, and Orrin's approving the vacation of the north-south 11.2-foot alley between Central Avenue and Commercial Avenue South, and the full length and width of the full length and the full length and width of Commercial Avenue South, in McAdoo's replat of 1921, generally located at 1100, 1120, 1122, 1126, 1128, 1180 Central Avenue, and 1101 First Avenue South, setting forth condition for the vacation to become effective, providing for an effective date. The public hearing for this item is February the 29th, and Madam Chair, we do have some cards on this one. Well, joining us, how are you, Ms. Liz Abernathy? Good afternoon, Liz Abernathy, Director of Planning and Development Services. I just have a quick introduction for you, and then I'm going to turn this over to Cheryl. We have had a couple of changes since the presentation was published last Friday, and I just wanted to give you that quick update. Now, we don't typically route vacations to our fire rescue team, but given the nature of this application with existing buildings to be preserved that currently have egress into Commercial Avenue, staff asked the applicant to meet with our fire rescue team and get their feedback. So the first meeting was on February 5th. We had some initial feedback. Your presentation was published, and then another meeting happened yesterday, and some additional information was provided. So specifically on slide 11, that was updated, the fourth bullet, and there's a new slide 13, which is a life safety plan that was added to address the concerns expressed by fire rescue about egress. So with that, I am going to turn the presentation over to Cheryl. She'll walk you through the particulars. This is a particularly complicated one, so I'm expecting there might be some questions. We're here, along with our transportation team, to answer any questions you might have. Thank you. Good afternoon. For the record, Cheryl Brigelo from DRS. So the applicant, the request is to vacate the north-south 11.2-foot alley between Central Avenue and Commercial Avenue South, and the full length of Commercial Avenue South in the downtown center 1 zoning district. This case is related to a site plan application, which was approved by the CRA on January 4th, and by the DRC on January 10th. The application is also supported by the Edge Business District Association. An abutting southern north-south alley in the block was previously approved for vacation for the Moxie Hotel project. On the slide, it's in green. A condition of that approval, in addition to the requirement to re-plat the vacated alley and abutting properties, was to create a north-south pedestrian access easement in the vicinity of the vacated alley. And for the subject application, all property owners on the block are co-applicants. So these are the sketches of the north-south alley and commercial avenue south, which are proposed to be vacated. And these are some photos, southward view along the north-south alley. And then you can see the new parking garage ramp in the photos in the middle and on the right. These are some views along commercial avenue south. According to the application narrative, the purpose of the right-of-way vacation is to allow for redevelopment of the property. This is the ground floor plan of the project with the right-of-way locations highlighted in yellow and the one previously vacated in green. There's a proposed north-south arcade, including the eight-foot public pedestrian public ingress egress easement on the north-south alley to be vacated. There's also a shorter north-south arcade and an east-west arcade, which are proposed to be gated after business hours. So the east-west arcade is proposed to be gated. And then there is an unhighlighted north-south arcade, which is also proposed to be gated after business hours. The project proposes an overall 24,000 square feet of commercial space, 360 dwelling units, and a parking garage. This elevation shows the location of the proposed north-south arcade with access easement off of Central Avenue. You can see in red the eight-foot easement is noted. This elevation from 11th Street South shows the entrance to the parking garage, the east-west arcade, and a service area. These are renderings from 11th Street South, showing the entrance to the parking garage, the east-west arcade, and a service area with smaller, the two smaller arcade features. And the image on the right is the main arcade, the main east-west arcade. This elevation shows the location of the north-south access easement in the alley area from 1st Ave South. So that's on the right, the left side of the image. That will link Central Ave to 1st Ave South. So in terms of comments we received, water resources objects to the application until new sewer connections are made. Engineering has provided special conditions of approval regarding sanitation service, sanitary sewer requirements, and other items that will be addressed during site plan review and prior to the release of permits. The Transportation and Parking Management Department has requested greater detail on how the east-west arcade will function and has requested an east-west pedestrian easement over the portion of commercial Ave that corresponds with the planned east-west pedestrian arcade. Um, Ms. Abernathy mentioned the preliminary plan review meeting that was held between the applicant and, uh, fire rescue. And initially they were concerned about the egress from the existing buildings because of the gates. Uh, however, another, they had a subsequent meeting on the 14th and were provided with a life safety plan that addressed their concerns. Uh, the applicant is working with sanitation to address their concerns and, uh, uh, and no objection from them is a recommended condition of approval. And then some utilities objected and they'll have to work with them to obtain a letter of no objection once they get further in their design plan. This is the ground floor plan with, uh, proposed easements and recommended easements. So you can see the eight foot north-south, uh, proposed easement through the vacated alleys and then the recommended hatched, diagonally hatched, uh, recommended easement, um, the transportation department has requested that for pedestrian access through the block. This is the life safety plan that was submitted on, uh, uh, the 14th to address fire concerns regarding gates. So it's difficult to see, but, um, they essentially added these corridors in the arcade area for pedestrians to exit the buildings, um, in kind of their own access system. Um, and that, that did, um, to date satisfy the fire marshal, the staff report contains recommended conditions of approval and at the DRC hearing, the applicant requested that part of condition one regarding the required east-west pedestrian easement over the planned arcade be removed. Uh, the DRC voted 5-1 to approve that request, uh, so the applicant would like the ability to gate off the east-west arcade after business hours, gated off to the public. The overall vacation request was approved unanimously by the DRC on January 10th. Um, at the hearing, there were no objections from the public and no comments from the downtown neighborhood association or Kona. Um, two members of the public did express concerns about the access coming on to 11th street south. Um, and two people from the edge business district did speak in support. So staff does recommend approval of the right of way vacation subject to the recommended conditions of approval. Uh, the application meets the criteria for the vacation of right of way is outlined in the staff report. It is not needed for future use by the city and doesn't conflict with or impair any goals, objectives, or policies of the comprehensive plan provided that easements through the vacated areas are provided. Uh, transportation has specifically requested the east-west easement be added to the project. Um, so this is the list of the first six conditions. There's another seven and eight, which are standard, um, expiration, uh, conditions. So the first is that they, um, the vacated areas and abutting properties be platted. The second is for the north-south pedestrian easement and an east-west pedestrian easement. Um, the application already accomplished number three. The DRC did approve the site plan, uh, number four is a requirement that that southern north-south alley, that that vacation be completed through the recordation of that vacation ordinance, which will occur when the final plat is approved. Um, and then number five is compliance with water resources, engineering, transportation memos, and then the, uh, no objection letters from sanitation and the private utilities. So that's the end of my presentation. I'll wait for questions. We do have, uh, public comment on this particular item, E2. Uh, we have three cards to Madam Chair. The first one is Roger Curlin and Debbie Reeser. Please step, step to either podium, state your name and address, along with the city. We have three minutes to address Council. Good morning, Roger Curlin, uh, 4535 6th Avenue North, and that's in St. Petersburg, Florida. I am the Executive Director of the Edge Business District Association. Thank you, Council, for hearing this matter. We have supported our unanimous letter of support from the board on behalf of the Association to Council on this item. Um, we're very, very excited about this project for several reasons. Number one, it's going to bring hundreds of new residential units to the city of St. Petersburg. It also has hundreds of new jobs and dozens of new businesses that will be built out through this project. World-class architecture that we can be proud of in not only the Edge, but the city. We're going to, they are going to be building more parking than is required by the city on that project. The owner and the developer team has worked, um, hand-in-hand and kept the association informed the entire time through the several years they've been involved in the Edge, um, with their various projects. So we support the project. We support the alley vacation, uh, the avenue vacation. What we do not support, though, is the easement, the east-west easement. Um, one of our concerns is that part of that is undercover and that if the public is allowed egress at all times into that area, it could open up the opportunity for bad actors, whether that's a break-and-enter, a vandalism, um, heaven forbid somebody has, uh, an incident that happens of self-harm in that area. It's not easily seen back under that east-west easement. So the association is not supportive of granting an easement, uh, that could also maybe the, open the city up to liability if that's granted as well. So once again, um, thank you, Council. Thank you. Next card, please. Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Debbie Reister, 105 4th Avenue Northeast in St. Pete. Thank you for your time. I'm going to repeat a lot of what Roger's already said. I'm, um, the president, I currently serve as president of the Edge Business District, so we're in alignment on supporting this. PTM has been great to work with. On November 7th of last year, the board for the Edge Business District Association sent a letter of support for the project to city staff. In particular, we were excited to see the plan for cleaning up Commercial Avenue. PTM's proposal will utilize an area which is definitely not pedestrian-friendly. And my reason for being here today is to speak against the suggested pedestrian easement along Commercial Avenue. It's our opinion that restricting the developer's ability to manage access to the proposed east-west arcade along Commercial Avenue will be detrimental to the overall project. Periodically limiting access enables the owner to be able to maintain a safe environment along the corridor. As was already stated, deliveries and trash pickup have already been discussed with sanitation, so it won't impede normal business—they won't be going through the alleys at normal business hours. And their sanitation has been discussed, uh, has been talked to about timing for emptying the trash compactors. I'm aware there are already right-of-ways in place, but they are uncovered. The portion of Commercial Avenue, where the city is proposing an east-west pedestrian easement, will be mostly covered by the project's buildings. Without a way to control nighttime access, I fear a dangerous area will be created where bad characters will congregate in the evening hours. We, just last week, had a report from C-Click Fix that there's a homeless camp over by Dr. Barbecue, so it is a problem in our area. I urge you to grant vacating Commercial Avenue without the recommended pedestrian easement. Thank you. Our last speaker is Don Mastry. Please state your name and address for the record, along with the city, and you'll have three minutes to address counsel. Good afternoon. My name is Don Mastry. My address is 200 Central Avenue, and, uh, I am representing all of the owners of this 1100 block on the south side of Central Avenue. Uh, we're here for our first reading of the ordinance in the setting of the public hearing. Uh, the only issue before you that we have any issue with is the second sentence of Condition 2, which provides for an east-west pedestrian easement over the vacated Commercial Avenue. And as you've heard, this was brought up at the DRC, and the DRC voted to delete that requirement. And the staff, again, is requesting that that requirement of a pedestrian easement be included. Uh, the owner wants to be able to secure this area, and I don't know if you understand, this area is covered. It's not just an open, vacated alley. It is covered, and it is an area that will attract people, and they want to be able to secure it to keep out overnight people. And, uh, it is not an area that's used by the public. It is, uh, it's a service area to the Central Avenue stores. It's where their trash will be removed, and it's where they'll receive deliveries. And you have heard that the Fire Marshal has his final statement is that he supports our plan and does not require the easement. And he says in an email yesterday, thank you for providing the narrative below in the attached ground-level life safety plan. The project proceeding, as shown as described, does not, does satisfy our concerns as stated in the attached email. And the formal fire plans review process will ensure that all the proposed ingress strategies are compliant with the current edition of the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Uh, I would also point out that you have recently approved vacations at 400 Central Avenue and at the 234 2nd Avenue South Project and the Eshlan Project at 3rd and 3rd. You have not required a pedestrian easement over any of the vacated alleys that are there. And I would also say that, uh, if you go up and down Central Avenue, there's several arcades, and every single one of those arcades can be secured by gates. And we're just asking for the same thing. And, uh, I would urge you to, uh, uh, delete the second sentence of condition two and set this for final public hearing. I think it's, uh, February 29th. And I'd answer any questions you have. And we have with us the architect also who can answer any questions you might have. Thank you. Councilmember Hanowitz. Thank you, Chair. Um, is, um, Evan here from Traffic and Parking Management. Hi, Evan. How are you doing? I would like. Good. So I want to hear a little bit about what the issues is. I believe you heard the speakers, um, address some of the things that they're concerned about. Um, I want to understand, first of all, the safety issues. How is this any different than anywhere else? I mean, our laws and ordinances still apply there like anywhere else. There's a trespass issue. They can still apply it. So I don't understand the safety issues. And if this, if, uh, our chief or assistant chief is here, I would like to understand that a little bit more. Um, because I can't imagine that they can't enforce the laws in that area with an easement. So that's one thing I want to understand. Uh, the other thing I want to understand is, um, what's different between this and the different arcades they mentioned. And, um, also, you know, if there is a vacation and no easement and they decide to close the gates completely all the time, they can do that is my understanding. And so I want to, I want to get an understanding of all that. Okay. Um, I will attempt to address some of those. And then assistant chief is, is here who can speak to the enforcement side. Um, I, I do appreciate the opportunity to, uh, explain our perspective a little bit today. Um, we're usually in complete agreement with the edge district. We work very closely with them. I happen to know Roger and Debbie for over, over 20 years and respect them very much. We also would like to see this project move forward. So we support the, the applicant, but, um, let me talk to you a little bit about why, how we look at, at vacations and why we would ask for this. So one of the first things we look at is what does the city's comprehensive plans and applicable section is T 2.4. It says the city should preserve the historical grid, grid street pattern, including alleys and shall not vacate public right away until it's determined that the right away is not required for present or future public use. So we start from the perspective of the comprehensive plan guidance saying that we should not vacate the alley. The transportation parking department believes that the city's grid pattern is one of the city's biggest assets. And we always look for ways to preserve it. And we also consider not only motor vehicle transportation, but also other modes, particularly that of the pedestrian. The second part of the comprehensive plan tests is that the right away is, that is, if the right away is required presently or in the future, we shall not vacate it. Required is a strong word. And in this case, we feel that the public access is important, but it's not absolutely required. So we can ultimately support the vacation. And there's certainly precedent, as just mentioned, where other downtown alleys have been vacated in the past. We also support the project overall and want to see it move forward. We know that at least some of the alley, a commercial avenue, has to be vacated in order to provide the planned garage access. However, because the east-west public access is desirable, we've requested that a portion of the 30 feet be preserved as a pedestrian easement so that it's protected for this purpose in the future. And when we read the initial application, we interpreted that east-west public pedestrian access to be considered by the applicant is very important. And I'd like to read a few of the relevant excerpts from the applicant's narrative. Commercial Avenue is Baum Avenue's twin. This project proposes to transform this street, Commercial Avenue, into a shaded pedestrian experience. It creates a pedestrian spine with direct access through the block to both Central Avenue and First Avenue South through that T. The new facades permit people to seamlessly pass from the street through the project's interior via publicly accessible arcades. And the fact that the arcades are made available to the public and residents alike position the block as a social hub for this in adjacent neighborhoods. So, in reading those statements about a pedestrian spine that does lead to an activated interior in the project as well as other arcades, about this being exactly like Baum Avenue, open to the public, all these sentiments point to preserving and guaranteeing public access somehow. So, the vacation with easement allows the applicant to build on and over Commercial Avenue, which is obviously critical for the project. And related to the concerns about overhead protection of the arcade, creating a place where loading could become a problem, that is true, that could become a problem. But I would point out that for the north-south easement that everybody's in agreement with, some of that will be covered as well. So, we have a separate concern related to Commercial Avenue serving deliveries and sanitation, service in the future, if there's no easement, gates will be installed and the city will have little or no control over what time the gates are open versus closed. And in this case, how do we ensure that deliveries are not frequently happening on Central, on 11th or on First Avenue? None of these streets can we afford to lose a lane for delivery trucks to park and block. So, ultimately, we suggest an easement, which we feel is consistent with the applicant's narrative about how the space is intended to be used, and that it would be a public benefit to keep an open area that's open to the public now open to the public in the future. And we believe some future problems may be avoided if we avoid the gates. For the security aspect, my understanding is that once it's vacated, the ownership will be that of the private developer. And even though there's a public easement, they can still do a blanket trespass warning and the police could come and enforce that. I'd like Chief to expand on that. I would love that. Hello, Mike Kvassev, Assistant Chief at St. Pete Police Department. I'm not going to pick sides on, you know, the neutral part of it, but I will tell you that whether it's vacated, which makes it easier, obviously, for the developer, because it comes to private property, a blanket trespass could be utilized for that portion of the project. If it isn't allowed as an easement, the same thing, we would be able to enforce rules and laws that would be in their ordinances as well. It would require them, obviously, probably to contact us, so it would be a little more difficult for navigating that. But regardless, the police department can solve either one of those issues. It just depends on how we're notified and whether the issues need to be addressed. So it doesn't necessarily increase in terms of a safety issue. Well, I understand the safety issues. The fact is that when you close off the area, it's a private area. And so you're controlling it at that point. When you have the easement, you lose a little bit of that control, but it doesn't affect our operations at all. We'd still respond. We'd still be able to address things. But I get the fact that there may be issues with call for service. But ultimately, it doesn't affect how we handle anything. Okay, great. Thank you. That's very helpful. I would love to hear from other council members. Thank you so much. Thank you. Council member Driscoll. Thank you. I'm excited about this project. I really want it to happen. I do have some concerns about this gap that we have with regarding the pedestrian access concerns voiced by water resources, still need to figure out sanitation. I mean, there are just still a lot of boxes left to check. I'm hoping that we have more answers to these questions by the time we get to second reading, because I'll support moving forward with this this time. But by the time we get to the second reading, I want to have more information, and I want to have some solutions in place. Mr. Morey, thank you for explaining the position of your department. I know it's very thoughtful. I know that you want to see this be a success as well. But we do have to keep in mind all of the different moving parts here, because it seems like the developer is asking a lot out of a small space there. I mean, we've got parking, we've got pedestrians, we've got service and deliveries. And somehow we they've got to make all of that happen. I know that if you don't provide a place for service and for deliveries to happen, they're going to it's going to happen on the street. And there are other places downtown where, yes, we've vacated alleys and things like that. And guess what? Traffic gets blocked. There's a lane of traffic that gets blocked on a regular basis next to one building that comes to mind immediately. And they have a parking space right inside their garage for deliveries and nobody uses it. Or if it is being used, what happens when the second one comes along? And this is a busy place. It's a mixed use development where you've got all kinds of different things coming and going. I don't want to see that happen somewhere else. And I certainly don't want it to happen in a place where traffic is pretty tight as it is. I love the idea of having the pedestrian access because the narrative that was mentioned earlier just gives you this great picture of a wonderful experience for the public, whether you're a resident of the building or a patron of one of the businesses. And it just really goes with the vibe of the Edge District. And I so appreciate that, that it really keeps in the character. And this would help to do that more. But we've got logistics to figure out. And I really hope that everyone will continue to have meaningful conversations. I'm thinking if you worked it out with the fire marshal, you can work it out with anybody. So I will, I will support this today. I do appreciate the idea of the blanket trespass to help with safety. It's something that we recommend to many business owners and throughout our city to just make sure that everyone stays safe outside of, outside of business hours, especially. So, um, if that is a commitment that can be made, I think that will go, uh, go a long way. And then, um, I would like to get a better picture between now and then of how everything is going to flow, uh, within that, with the parking services, deliveries, and pedestrians. Uh, what we were given is good, but I, I need, like, better visuals or, um, a better explanation. And I know that this is something that's evolving. We got the latest presentation late yesterday. I look forward to hearing how things move along as we get close to second reading. Thank you. Council Member Martin-Ering. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, so can we hear a little more about the plan when, when the gates are going to be open, when they're going to be shut? Maybe, maybe Mr. Mastery, Mr. Yeah. Can you talk, talk a little bit about when the gates will be open? I'm going to have the architect come up and answer that question. And I don't know that they have decided any certain hours that it may be an open issue still. Good afternoon, Council, Vice Chair. Gerd is good to see you, Chair. Vic Sanders. I'd love to answer that question. I want to show a few more things to also answer your questions. Um, uh, Council Member Driscoll. Could you go back a few slides? Okay. Thank you. And if we could lower the light. So, so right now ownership is simply saying off hours. They haven't, uh, listed what the hours will be just yet. We'll be working with that. Um, one, one thing I want to mention is how this site work and why it's so encumbered. Um, here on this side is, uh, the CXX, uh, portion here, which we can't ingress or egress at all because of the way, uh, it's laid out and, uh, the sort of talks with CSX, uh, or we're not fruitful. This portion here is actually not public right away. It's a private property by Bradenbridge, but we have, uh, uh, access that we can actually do some curb cuts for public use. So the first question is, um, how does parking work? So parking enters from 11th street and we, we work with the city and we're, we're completely in agreement to make that happen. And also as you come in through parking, there is a zone for you to park your truck and load to either serve the tower and, or pull a hand truck to serve these, uh, residential portions. There is also a curb cut that was granted in the first phase that would allow another truck to come in, park here to serve the balance of, of the block. We worked with sanitation earlier on, uh, probably in the month of December to walk, uh, Troy Davis through some of the turnaround turns, um, send him a draft of that. Uh, so we've been, we've been already doing that concept and we look forward to getting it solved. Uh, this is complex in the fact that we certainly want this to have two modes where we're also doing services that will happen in early hours. Uh, sanitation can't agree to an exact hour, but as it is today, sanitation comes anywhere around seven to seven 30 to pick up the trash on commercial. Uh, and the ownership, the reason why they want to sort of have private control is ownership is going to be working with all the tenants on this block to come to an agreement in terms of loading hours. Uh, come to agreements in terms of loading in loading out. And if the easement is overlaid completely over here, it restricts how we can work that because we have no other, uh, places to do this. We don't want to be on first half South, as was mentioned. We certainly don't want to do it to our neighbors on 11th. Uh, my office is here, uh, personally, and we don't want to do it on central. So the reason why this wants to be privatized outside of the, uh, potential safety issues is the idea that this could be an agreement. It could be an agreement amongst the tenants here in terms of load in load out. And this could be orchestrated perhaps if owner wants to do it in early hours for all loading and load out and late evening hours to, uh, load in load out. That could happen because there'll be an internal agreement amongst ownership. So that is the reason or the nature of, of that. Secondly, because we love St. Pete and it's sort of 1920s arcades. We want to make sure that this during the daytime is open to public and we can fully enjoy it. But during other hours, we want to be able to close it. So if a person who lives here wants to use a secondary, uh, entrance, they'll have a key fob access and won't have any security issues coming in and out. That's sort of the general story. And I agree with you, uh, council member Driscoll will continue to work on that to make that narrative a bit clearer. Thank you. Thank you for answering those questions because just from a, my, my point of view, it seems to me like you probably close the gates, uh, late at night and open them early in the morning after, you know, a lot of deliveries and, uh, uh, maybe city services are, are operating. And I'd like to like to know a little bit more what the, what the owners want to, want to do there. Uh, I am very excited about this project. Uh, and, and I'd like the art arcade, uh, the, the way that you've designed the arcade. And I think that's, that's going to be a very distinct feature. I did want to ask another question. Uh, council member Hannah, what's talked about, uh, other arcades. And, uh, Mr. Morey, you, you compared this with bomb Avenue, but I didn't hear an answer about other arcades that have gates on them. Can you, can you talk about that comparison, please? Um, I'm not sure exactly which arcades, but a couple of that come to mind, I think are enclosed and they're on private property. Um, off of central Avenue, like the Snell arcade. I am not sure, but I think that's private property. Is that, and the other example that came to my mind is the, um, pedestrian path through the sundial garage, which is open and, um, not gated. So, so we have examples kind of both ways of covered areas that are open to the public that, you know, provide some pass through or the Snell arcade. And some of those arcades, which yes, have always been, you know, traditionally have been gated because they are private property. So that provides the, that option. Okay. Thank you. So, uh, I, I, I hear my, my colleagues and I want to hear from a couple more of where they want to go. I, I would, I agree with the DRC and what they want to do with, uh, the deletion of, uh, the second sentence and, uh, the condition number two. Um, but let me, uh, let me, let me hear from my, my colleagues, but, uh, I'm ready to move this forward. I'm not sure about the timing of, uh, deleting this, uh, recommendation at this, this point in time. Thank you. Vice chair Gerdes. I'm going to get that. Yeah. Thank you, madam chair. Um, I guess first thing is Evan having heard the architect, do you want to, do you want to add anything or add any comment? Not to put you on the spot, but that's okay. So I think only one thing, which would be that, um, the, the morning plan to have things happen at a certain time for deliveries. I think that that could happen either way. If there's, uh, an easement overlaid, it's not going to, I don't understand why it would preclude that from being able to happen. And then chair, if it's okay, Mr. Mastery, if I could have you come up. Cause I know, I, I know during Evans, when Evans presentation, it seemed like you had, you wanted to make a couple of comments. I I'd like to hear if you, if you have any, if you have anything else. Well, he, one minor point, he emphasized this being part of the grid system. I question whether that's accurate. This avenue starts on the east end of this block and doesn't even go through to the west end of the block. To say that that's part of the grid system is a stretch. The grid system is not being destroyed by being able to close off a vacated right away. Uh, and I, I think that when I, I, I don't disagree with Evan. He's, I respect him and I, the officer's comments, but to say we want to rely on calling the police every time there's a group that gathers underneath there or tries to spend the night. There is no question it is going to be an attraction and you have all of your neighbors, the edge district. There hadn't been anybody to come in and say, let's put a pedestrian isn't there except the city. And I've asked the city, why, what do you want to do with it? And they said, we have some plans, but they won't tell us. I don't know what they are. It's, I've never seen us have an impasse like this, uh, and not understand the reasoning. It just does not make sense. We're going to have it where people can walk there. It will be open, but to say it has to be open 24 hours a day to, and cause people to get used to sleeping there just doesn't, it's not good. And yes, we had a situation, the, an, uh, an easement at the, at Baywalk. And look at the problems we have had at Baywalk, uh, over the years in the past. I think yes, once it's vacated, it becomes private property and we're asking the city to do it because it meets the requirements of the LDRs and the comp plan. And there's no special area plan. Cheryl's report has already shown all of that, but I don't think that that means we in effect just give it back and open it up 24 hours a day. That's it. That's the whole issue. And it's that simple. If you, if you disagree with me, you'll, you'll disagree. It is not a complicated issue at all. You want to vacate it and let the public have total access as if it's not vacated. Or you want to give the owner of the vacate, the vacated owner, the right to control it from certain times. And if you want to set some times, that's possible too. That's possible too. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Mastery. Um, I, I think at this point, I'm, if I heard you correctly, council member Montaneri, I'm, I'm, I want to move this forward. I'm open to, uh, removing the second sentence at second hearing. I w I want to do a little bit more talking with Evan and his team, but at this point I'm, I'm for moving it forward and then examining that a little bit further in between now and the public hearing and making a final decision on that sentence at public hearing. That's all I have. Thank you, Madam chair. Thank you. Council member. Thank you. I will say I agree with, uh, Mr. Mastery, uh, in that this is simple, uh, but I have some differences in just that, uh, this is a vacation. We are giving away city property, just handing it over to, uh, someone and we're simply asking that there's an easement. Um, I don't really see, uh, why we should give something away and not get anything in return. And so I'm really, uh, in favor of leaving the easement there for that simple reason alone. Um, but, uh, more than that, you know, I mean, I feel like I rely on staff all the time to explain to us why they. Uh, feel the way they do and there are experts. And so if they've got concerns, then, um, it's understandable, but really, yeah, I do think it's simple. I mean, we do vacations all the time and I've had questions before about, you know, what do we get from these vacations? And, and the answer oftentimes is absolutely nothing. And that's kind of disappointing. And so, um, I, uh, I think, uh, to ask for an easement in there is not too much really. So, uh, that's where I'm at today. I'll, uh, you know, I can go forward with the easement. I'm not going to support it otherwise really. That was my thing. Thanks. So member Gabbert. Thank you chair. And, uh, I think I, I just have maybe one question and this might be for Mr. Mastery. Um, I don't think the developers here, but the architect, of course, as well. Um, so we received an email about this, um, and there was a comment in here, talks about the operational problems, but it also talks about drastically impairing the finance ability of the project. So can you talk at all about that? No. You can't. Okay. That's not my wording. Is there anyone here? I mean, I just, I found that to be an interesting statement. I mean, hi. Hi, council members, uh, madam chair. My name is Nicholas Pantoliano of PTM partners. Uh, the email was from. Oh, okay. Very good. Thank you again. Um, so the preliminary feedback we've gotten is that the liability issues that might be associated with a 24 seven easement could be detrimental to the overall finance ability of the overall project that having that type of 24 seven, uh, mandated, uh, easement could be problematic for the longterm public safety of the project itself. Um, we appreciate the efforts by the, by the city team, but, um, when push comes to shove, people will be able to congregate there and operationally it will be difficult to determine when people can load unload trash can happen and when pedestrian activity can, can, um, occur overall in the project. We think we have a thoughtful design there where we've separated parking. We've organized trash into three different compactor locations and, uh, tried to streamline as much as we could the operational functions. But we still think that overall, if we don't have overall control of it, it could be a liability longterm. And that's where that comic came from. And there is resident access, um, in that area. Is that what I heard the architects? That would be the idea. They would, it could be secondary access. If you have a key fob, both if you have a business or if you, or if you're a resident. Yeah. I certainly understand from a resident point of view, how a safety concern that could be. Um, not knowing that that is secured at least at night. That's right. Um, okay. And the north-south access is, is correct. But, uh, there's a, a viaduct that's mine. It's a minor width about maybe 10 to 15 feet wide that would connect the oxy garage to the, the new garage. But otherwise the north-south passageway is open to the sky. Yeah. And I, I find, I don't know, I'm kind of struggling with comparing this particular, um, road to Baum Avenue. Um, I mean, lived in the city 20 years, sold a whole lot of real estate in this city. Know this city pretty well. Never heard of Commercial Avenue South until this item came up. Right? So I feel like that's a bit of a stretch, um, to consider that to be such an integral part of our grid system. Um, and I also, you know, feel like the arcade, um, idea that, you know, most of the arcades that are gated are north and south. So I don't know that the two are really, um, comparable there either. Um, but I would be open to supporting this today with that condition removed or that second line. Um, but maybe talking about how maybe we could increase a condition around hours of accessibility. Um, that would be something I'd be very interested in seeing how we could negotiate between now and, uh, second reading, um, because I do want that area to be safe. I don't want this development to happen. I don't want these residents to go in there and then the area not to be safe for them. Um, so I, I definitely want us to, I support the DRC, but I want us to talk about what times of opening those gates might look like. And we're happy to continue conversations. Okay. All right. Uh, I'll leave it there for now, chair. Thank you. Councilmember Muhammad. Thank you, madam chair. And, uh, just wanted to note that, uh, I appreciate the, all of the questions that have been asked, uh, that really handle most of mine. I too am supportive of staff's recommendation of having that line in there, um, and allowing for the 24th, uh, the total access 24 hours a day, um, at this point. Uh, but that doesn't mean that at second reading after we go through these conversations and negotiate a little bit more about hours and access. But right now I would like to see it, uh, remain available and open to the public. Um, I'm hearing a lot of, um, things about the people not being there. And when I hear that, it just, it's like a button for me. Like we might be trying to, uh, prevent people who are unhoused or undesirables as we have been talking about. And so I'm just a little sensitive to that when I hear how we're trying to keep people out from congregating at will. Um, uh, the chief assistant chief really mentioned his ability to enforce it. So I'm confident with his ability to ensure the safety of residents. But, um, where I am right now is I'm supportive of the recommendation with, um, that staff made because we do rely on them for a lot of things, a lot of times, and I don't think this is different. And so, um, as it stands now, I wouldn't, um, want to see that removed. But at second reading after we've had some more information for more conversations, I would be open to hearing where we land. So happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Thank you. Um, so I'll go ahead and close this out. I, um, believe it or not, I actually agree with council member Montaneri. Can you believe that? I agree with council member Montaneri on this one. And the reason why I, um, I do have that thought because when I hear the phrase, uh, council member Muhammad, and I have, I share that same sensitivity. And when I had this conversation, um, just like you hear that term, those people, who are those people? I sit on the board of the homeless leadership alone. So we get those type of struggles and we have those type of conversations. But we also want to make sure that those people who are our residents, our constituents also have that right. Now, as far as the development is concerned, the thing that out ranked me is the safety of the residents and the homeowners. You can't compare that arcade with the arcade at Baywalk because everything at Baywalk shuts down at a certain time. So if they're there, you're not bothering anyone. But this development, these are residents, homeowners. This is where they live. So you walk outside in your carport. You okay with people being in your carport? You okay with people sitting on your, on your sidewalk? That's the piece that, that kind of caught it for me was that these are residents and they're, they're entry in and out. And another question that I made sure to ask is what are going to be the hours? So I'm, when it comes down to the sensitivity of the homelessness, I made a request that if we have an issue with that, that they are taken care of and those issues are addressed. And we do have social agencies that actually manage and monitor that. And that's something that I will be glad to assist with on that. When it comes to the security piece of it, I don't mind it shutting down for those residents to go in and out because, you know, I, I still have a sensitivity, not just for those people, but even more sensitivity of market rate housing. Right. So there's a whole bunch that was wrapped up in this for me. Um, you know, we're, we're giving, you know, and I, I hear you council member Floyd, but I'm also looking at the benefits to removing that second line. So I will support it either way, but I'm more prone to removing that east or west pedestrian easement due to safety, um, for my benefit. Um, I don't know if it can be removed now, but I would definitely, um, I can't make a motion, but I would definitely support it. Um, if this is where we are with that and I will leave it at that and I will move on to council member Hanowitz. Thank you. And thank you everyone. I think there's a lot of good feedback here from city council on this issue. I'll tell you, I'm on the fence. I, I want to see times that are set, but the reality is how are they enforceable? Cause once you vacate, we lose control of it. And the idea that, um, you have someone tell us, well, we're going to keep it open X amount of time. I'm not sure that we can control that. And then if the property sold again, a new owner and we can't control that either, but I would like to make sure it's safe. And I think there are good conversations that you guys can have. I trust our, uh, staff and this doesn't come up often. I don't think on an issue like this, where there are concerns that are raised like this. They're, um, I think very cautious about what they do in their work. And if they're going to bring up an issue, especially here at city council, after the DRC approved it, I think it merits us really looking at it. So I have no problem moving this forward. This is first reading and then there could be further conversations. And, and a lot of our concerns could be addressed. I'll move for approval. Second. I'll go ahead and support the motion that's on the floor. Um, and I do want to have this, this, I do want this conversation to, to continue. Uh, I did want to ask legal a question. Uh, could times for access be written as a condition for. We, we can, we can explore that. I would want to talk to Mr. Dima. Um, I hear both you and council member Hanowitz on, we can explore and provide this council options for making that enforceable. There may be more than one way to do it. So we'd be happy to report back as part of the public hearing or brief you one on one, um, in advance if you'd like. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. I have a question as well. So if we kept control over this particular space, we can't build on it. We can't do anything to it. Um, public access isn't going to be restricted by them being able to close. Well, it's in the nature of an easement. So it would, I mean, it would be all of the rights that flow from that easement. Thank you. So we have a motion and a second. Can you please open the machine for voting for E2? Now that all present council members have voted, can you please tally and ask the votes? Madam chair, motion to approve a genital E2 passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. That's the most conversation we've had on a vacation of easement or any first reading. Um, with that being said, we're going to take a 10 minute, um, recess, please. Testing one, two. Testing. One, two, three. Testing. One, two, three. Testing. Testing. One, two, three. Coming back to order. Oh, they fixed the mic. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Now we will move on to our new business items beginning with G1. Council member Driscoll. Thank you. Thank you. Um, this item is respectfully requesting a referral to the Budget Finance and Taxation Committee to add the acquisition of the property located generally at the northwest corner of 4th Street South and 18th Avenue South to the Weekiwachi project list. Second. And I'll move approval. Second. Now that it's been, um, Vice Chair Gerdes. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I, and I, I just have a question, uh, cause this is our first Weekiwachi, I think. So this doesn't add it to the Weekiwachi list, right? It's the discussion to add it at BFMP. Right. It's, it's one of the many, many steps. Right. I know there's like 18 steps. Right. That's what I thought. I just, again, it being new, I just wanted to discount double check. So thank you. Thank you. It's been properly motioned and seconded. Uh, can you please open the machine for voting? Council members, please place your votes. Now that all council members have voted, can you please tally and announce the votes? Madam Chair, motion to approve agenda item G1 passes unanimously. Thank you. Council member Driscoll, moving on to G2. Thank you. This item is respectfully requesting a discussion of potential amendments to section 3-7 regarding alcoholic beverages. More particularly discussing the elimination of certain procedural requirements set forth in section 3-7 G, which applies only to the edge district specialty center in regards to permits for exemption. Currently the edge district is required to submit a request 60 days in advance of a special event for city council approval, approval via resolution. Whereas in other areas of the city, the requirement is only 30 days in advance for approval by the POD. If approved, the edge district will be subject to the same permit requirements as all other areas of the city defined in section 3-7 F. And I will move approval. Second. Aye. Now that we have a motion and a second and no request to speak, can you please open the machine for voting? G2. Council members, please pass 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 G2 passes unanimously. Thank you. Council member Driscoll for G3. Thank you. This item respectfully requests a referral to the Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Committee for the discussion of potential amendments to section 16.20.6.2 regarding the calculation of floor area ratio bonuses for workforce housing. We did have an increase in a change to that calculation some time ago, and I would like this to be placed on the referral list for the appropriate time to discuss examining that again for another potential increase. And I'll move approval. Okay. Seeing no request to speak, 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 G3 passes unanimously. Thank you. Now we're going to move on to item G5. Council member Floyd. Thank you. I have my new business item here. First, I want to thank everyone for reaching out. I read every piece of correspondence up to a point. Today we were quite busy. And many of them, not all, but many were thoughtful, measured, and I really appreciate it. So I'm presenting, I'm respectfully requesting a city council approval of the attached resolution. Supporting peace and security for all in Palestine and Israel. I've got some comments and then I'll read the resolution. So I actually wrote them down, which is not my norm. I want to start by addressing the suggestion that this resolution is out of the norm and therefore problematic. I understand that people don't have time to pay attention to everything that we do. We all have busy lives and I wouldn't expect it. But taking positions on issues both national and international is a much more common thing than I would have even guessed before I joined city council. In the last two years, we've taken a position on Ukraine and Russia, Iran, a controversial Japanese figure, and we even, yes, passed a resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas last October. It's in that context that I bring this resolution forward today. This is a continuation of a conversation we started last year and I would not have felt the need to do this had we made a more inclusive statement last time. In the past few months, we've heard from many constituents, hundreds, that feel forgotten and left behind by the fact that we weighed in on this issue but excluded any mention of the plight of our Palestinian Arab and Muslim residents. And my intent in this was to correct for that. And many of you may feel that I've done a poor job of being inclusive or that I'm misguided with this resolution, but I at least tried to be inclusive, which is more than I can say for our last resolution. So, today's resolution was drafted to advocate for peace, security, and a return of hostages, nothing more, nothing less. As such, I will read it now. A resolution supporting peace and security for all in Palestine and Israel and providing an effective date. Whereas the City Council of the City of St. Petersburg recognizes the immense suffering and tragic loss of life experienced by everyone impacted by the events in Palestine and Israel beginning on October 7th, 2023. And reaffirms the unwavering commitment to prioritize the safety, security, and well-being of civilians irrespective of their affiliations or geographical locations. And whereas the City Council advocates for the safety, dignity, freedom, and equality of all people regardless of religion, race, or nationality. And whereas the City Council condemns the recent rise of anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic attacks in our city and across the nation, including the leaking of personal information of students, professors, and others expressing their political opinion. And whereas over 1,000 people in Israel and more than 27,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in a matter of months, of whom over 11,000 are children, according to February 4th reports from the Gaza Health Ministry. And whereas the City Council recognizes that the current crisis takes place within a long history and affirms that for a pathway to a lasting peace and justice to be developed, the root causes of the crisis need to be addressed. And whereas there is a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is getting worse with each passing day, with the only remaining hospitals running out of fuel and medical supplies and over 1.9 million Palestinians facing displacement, homelessness, and starvation. And whereas international organizations, including Amnesty International, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the United States Agency for International Development, the Rescue International Committee, and many others have made a call for a ceasefire in order to prevent further loss of life of civilians and to be in accordance with international humanitarian law. And whereas 68% of American voters support a ceasefire according to an October 20, 2023, Data for Progress poll and want to see the United States leverage its diplomatic relationships to prevent further violence and civilian deaths. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, that the City Council supports United States Congress House Resolution 786 and joins other cities in calling on our United States Congress to demand the following of all parties. An immediate bilateral ceasefire, an immediate bilateral ceasefire, release of all hostages, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to Gaza, the respect for international law, the protection and security of all innocent civilians, and a peaceful political solution to the crisis. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. So that's the resolution. Just a couple other things is that the call for a ceasefire has been widespread, with many City Councils passing similar resolutions, and in addition to the groups I listed in the resolution, I wanted to highlight a few others that have since called for a ceasefire. The American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers, the largest teacher union in the country, of which our local teachers are members, and I'm a former member, called for a ceasefire, and their resolution has many similarities to this one. The Service Employees International Union, which our city employees are members of, has called for one. The United Auto Workers have called for one. The AFL-CIO, so the entire labor movement at this point, the King Center, the Carter Center, the American Postal Workers Union, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, of which I grew up going to, the Pope called for a ceasefire necessary to protect the lives of children, and has called for one multiple times. Yesterday, 24 U.S. Senators, including many supporters of Israel, sent a letter to the President advocating for one. And many progressive Jewish organizations have led organizing on this issue, and I consulted with organizers from the Central Florida Progressive Jewish Coalition on this resolution. And finally, even the liberal Zionist organization J Street said it's time for a negotiated stop to the fighting to bring freedom to the hostages and relief to the people of Gaza. The desire to advocate for peace is clearly widespread and actionable. There's already been one ceasefire that helped return hostages and their active negotiations for another. I'm hoping this council can advocate for peace with the same gusto that we've advocated for so many other things in the past. And I'll end by mentioning that this is an emotionally charged issue, and I understand that people are passionate, but I believe it's important that we hear everybody out and be respectful to each other. So I'm asking public speakers to please be respectful so that we can hear everyone's opinion today and make sure we can move along. And with that, I'll move approval. Thank you. So we have public comment, but I wanted to make a note that in the receipt of that particular resolution, I myself drafted an organization that Council received on yesterday. In regards to peace and resolved, I'm not going to read the resolution, but please know that there is one on the dais also that I'm offering for consideration. And so we'll now go ahead and move forward with public comment. Just a reminder that you do have three minutes. We need you to state your name, your address, your city, and you do have three minutes, and we're definitely going to allow everyone to speak. Now, as Councilmember Floyd also stated in the due diligence of being respectful, I know my colleague was criticized for ending open forum before. There's a certain level of respect that we are all doing, and there's a certain level of respect that we are all going to exercise and entertain. So that we address everyone's comments. We're going to ask you to please speak your piece, because that's why we're here. We're here, and we want to hear what you have to say. We are also going to be respectful to each other and to each other's voice. With that, can you please call the first two cards? Absolutely. The first speaker would be Rabbi Jen Mangold, and the next one would be Ken Sherman. Please step up to either podium. State your name and address and city. You'll have three minutes to address Council. My name is Rabbi Jen Mangold, and the address is 400 Pasadena Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida. I serve at Temple Beth El. And I certainly understand the desire for peace. I pray for peace with all of my heart. Jewish tradition teaches that every human being is made in the image of God, and that every human being is holy. Judaism teaches us to value the lives of all of God's children. The death toll of this war is devastating, and our hearts break for all of its innocent victims, both Israeli and Palestinian. Our hearts break for every wounded and murdered Israeli whose life was shattered by Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7th. Our hearts break for every innocent soul in Gaza whose life has been destroyed. And our hearts break for the hostages and their families and friends so desperately praying that they will come home alive. While we yearn for the day when fighting will end, the resolution we are discussing today contains anti-Semitism and should not be approved. The resolution opposes Israel's right and obligation to defend its people, a right no other country is forced to battle. The resolution lists organizations that have called for a ceasefire, including the United Nations and Amnesty International organizations that have a history of employing anti-Semitic double standards against Israel. And the resolution omits any mention of the heinous atrocities of Hamas on October 7th, failing to mention that Hamas is a terrorist group that initiated this war by brutally attacking innocent Israelis. We desire peace. I desire peace. Calling for a ceasefire, leaving Hamas, and power over Gaza will not lead to peace. It will strengthen the power of this terrorist group that has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction, desires the murder of Jews throughout the entire world, and uses innocent human beings as shields. A ceasefire leaving Hamas as the governing force in Gaza threatens the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, denying them safety and security. Our vision for peace must be one in which Israelis and Palestinians can live safely without the threat of Hamas's next attack. Together, may we create sacred spaces for meaningful dialogue, just like today. And may we find the courage to listen to voices different than our own, and may we work together to bring light into darkness. Thank you for your service to our community. Good afternoon, Council. My name is Ken Sherman. I live at 180 Beach Drive Northeast, St. Petersburg 33701. I want to let you know I appreciate your time today. I'm not going to reiterate the stuff I've sent you. I'm hopeful that you've had an opportunity to review it. I know you've seen some of my personal struggle, and I really appreciate that, your understanding of that. What I do want to speak to you about today is the divisiveness of this issue. I think that we all, everybody here, has a uniform consensus that this is an emotionally charged issue, and it's quite divisive. What I don't think the Council is aware of is the depth to which the Jewish community feels abandoned at this point in time and targeted. I think that I've spent the majority of my career dedicated towards outreach for the communities. I was a member of the Executive Board of the ADL in California. I have done, been a member of the Cancer Research Foundation that reached out for underprivileged children to give them cancer treatment. I've done so much in my career to bring communities together. And I can tell you that what you probably don't know is right now, with the Jewish community feeling abandoned, that there's been a complete back-off of that type of outreach. And I think you need to be aware that these types of resolutions and these types of feelings are affecting our community in that way. I can tell you that where previously the Jewish community, the temples here, I'm a member of the Board of Temple Beth El, marched in the King Parade, the Martin Luther King Parade. We were proud to support that. This year we could not find anybody within the community to really march within that. And you'll notice that there was an absence. There is a true breakdown in our community. The question that the Board, that the Council needs to really consider today is do you want to further that breakdown? Or do you want to outreach to the community and to start to heal those divisions? Whether it's black, white, Arab, Jewish, Muslim, it doesn't matter. The question is in our community, are we coming together or are we breaking apart? And I can tell you as a leader in the Jewish community that many Jews feel separated. They feel targeted. They feel that this community is breaking down for them. So you as our Council and our leaders need to address that. Thank you for hearing me out. I really appreciate your consideration, your consideration of my own story and how I've been targeted. And I thank you again for your attention to this. Thank you. Next two speakers, please. Franklin Perez and Marla Setkik. Please step to either podium. State your name and address in city. You'll have three minutes to address Council. Is there a timer? Okay, thank you. Can I speak? Great. My name is Franklin Perez. My address is 4250 Alafea Trail, Oviedo, Florida. Please rescind all pro-Israel resolutions you have made in the past and support Councilmember... I'm sorry? And did you give your name and address? My name is Franklin Perez. My address is 4250 Alafea Trail, Oviedo, Florida. Back up from the mic just a little. Like this? Okay. Can I have my seconds back? I'm sorry? It's okay. It's okay. If open form is limited to only St. Petersburg residents, however residents of any city can speak on a matter that you're going to vote. Okay. Thank you. So we have that clarification for everyone in the room. All right. Can I have my seconds back or something? Could you please give him his three minutes? All right. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Franklin Perez. My address is 4250 Alafea Trail, Oviedo, Florida. Please rescind all pro-Israel resolutions you have made in the past and support Councilmember Richie Floyd's ceasefire resolution. Enough. Israel is a Jewish supremacist apartheid state that has been committing ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses against Palestinians for 75 plus years as per reputable human rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B'Tselem. And now you can add genocide as Israel is on trial at the Hague for genocide against Palestinians. Stop supporting Israel. Stop giving it weapons. Stop giving it money. And condemn it for what it is, an apartheid and genocidal state. Many human rights experts refer to Gaza as an open air concentration camp. The Israeli apartheid regime's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has invoked genocidal language against Palestinians in the Gaza concentration camp by referring to an ancient biblical passage in the Old Testament comparing Palestinians to Amalekites that must all be put to death. Men, women, children, babies. The Israeli apartheid regime's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has dehumanized Palestinians by referring to Palestinians in the Gaza concentration camp as human animals. Mikko Pellet, Israeli Jew, son of a famous Israeli Jew general, ex-Zionist occupation forces enforcer, and Palestinian rights activist has stated that the Israeli army is the best terrorist group in the world. Ex-Israeli Jew Zionist occupation forces pilot, Yonatan Shapira, has stated that the Israeli army is a terrorist organization run by war criminals. At this point, due to scattered Zionist-only occupier settlements in the West Bank, the only fair solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict is a one-state solution where everyone, Jew and Palestinian, has equal rights. That's what is referred to as a free Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. All U.S. government entities should be pressuring the Israeli apartheid regime to move towards such a free Palestine. That includes the dismantling of the Gaza concentration camp. The refrain that Israel has the right to self-defense is a red herring. The real question is, does Israel have the right to use force to maintain an illegal occupation and apartheid state that commits ethnic cleansing, genocide, and human rights abuses against Palestinians? The clear answer is no. Under international law, Israel has no right of self-defense when it is the oppressor and occupier. While Palestinians do have the right to physically resist and defend themselves against their oppressor and occupier, the Israeli apartheid regime. Hamas' fight is not with the Jews. It's with the Zionist occupation project of the Israeli apartheid regime as per its latest 2017 charter. I request that you pass City Councilmember Richie Floyd's cease-fire resolution and introduce another resolution to stand with Palestinians demanding an end to the siege of Gaza, a permanent cease-fire, and an end to all USAID to Israel. Military, economic, political. Cease-fire now. Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Mirella Setkic, and I live at 4200 25th Avenue North here in St. Petersburg, zip code 33713. And I am here today to, number one, say thank you to Councilmember Floyd for bringing this resolution forward. And number two, urge all of you on the Council to vote yes on this resolution. And to furthermore elaborate, I am here as a long-time St. Pete resident, but also as someone who, from the age of 7 to 11, lived in a city that was occupied and under siege. And I have firsthand experienced what something similar to what the people in Gaza are experiencing today. And trying to stay calm because this is a very difficult topic for me because as a child survivor of genocide and trauma, which stays with you for a long time, topics like this are very difficult. And so that's one of the reasons that I'm also here to speak on behalf of all of the children, 13,200 Palestinian children who have been murdered in Gaza and who will never have a voice and who are gone. And I do remember being a little child and realizing that I am going to die because my city was going to be taken by the opposition or by the aggressors. And I also vividly remember wondering if anyone cared. In those moments, everything was calm, quiet, silent. And I felt like no one cared. And I also remember thinking that I would never want anyone to ever feel that in their life. And I'm here to speak on behalf of the children in Gaza who may be feeling that right now and on behalf of the children who felt that and are no longer with us. And again, thank you for your time. And I urge you to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. And I will use the rest of my time just to be silent in honor of all the people that we have lost in Gaza. Thank you. Madam Chair, the next one is Frank. The next one is Frank Cirillo. I believe he already spoke under open forum. He's already spoken. The next person is Morris Bornstein and Steve Schorke. Please step to either podium. State your name and address for the record. Include your city. You'll have three minutes to address Council. Good afternoon. My name is Morris Bornstein. My address is 13356 88th Avenue, Seminole, Florida. I want to submit to you respectfully what I consider to be a point of order with regard to this motion or this resolution. The resolution as written, I submit, is out of order. The reason it's out of order is because it refers to an entity called Palestine as does House Resolution 786, which apparently was the foundation for Councilmember Floyd's motion, which refers to occupied Palestine. It needs to be recognized that an entity, I'm sorry, there is no such legal or governmental entity as Palestine. There have been no less than five opportunities over the past 75 years for the leaders of the Palestinian people to create such an entity. Many of those opportunities were presented under extremely favorable terms, and each of those five opportunities was rejected. So the fact remains that there is no legal or governmental entity called Palestine. I submit that because of that, this resolution should be ruled out of order. I thank you. Hi, thank you. My name is Steve Schwersky. My address is 1913 Oral Court, Clearwater, Florida. And I want to thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to speak this afternoon. I completely understand the desire to propose a resolution such as this for peace and security. I'm sure everyone in this room wants an expedient end to the current war taking place in Israel and Gaza. However, I strongly oppose the resolution for two major reasons. First is the demand for the ceasefire. Please keep in mind that there was already a ceasefire in which Hamas broke October 7, 2023, by infiltrating Israel and murdering, raping, and mutilating innocent Israeli civilians. The current war is a direct result of Hamas's barbarism, which included tying parents and children together and setting them on fire. Most importantly, Hamas has vowed to repeat those atrocities again and again until Israel is annihilated. Demanding a ceasefire before Israel can accomplish its goals of returning the hostages and completely defeating Hamas would be a call for Israel to stop defending itself and allowing another massacre of its citizens to take place. I'd like to thank the Council for recently adopting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, which includes applying double standards to Israel by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation. Currently, I'm not aware of any resolutions passed or present from this Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Russia, Ukraine, Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya, and many other conflicts around the world where millions of casualties are occurring. This is exactly the type of double standard that the IHRA definition speaks of. Secondly, I take exception to the reference suggesting that Israel is not acting in accordance with international humanitarian law. While Israel has been and is abiding by international law, Hamas has been violating the law in numerous ways. While Israel is creating safe passage for Gazan civilians to relocate out of war zones, Hamas is blocking those paths wherever possible. While Israel is making phone calls, texting, and dropping leaflets to warn civilians to leave the area, Hamas is forcing them, often at gunpoint, to stay. While Israel is working diligently to allow humanitarian aid to civilians, Hamas is stealing that aid for itself, sometimes shooting its own citizens who are attempting to get aid to their families. And finally, Hamas is using homes, mosques, schools, hospitals, and UNRWA facilities as command centers, and to store and fire weapons, as well as using its citizens as human shields. Unless the resolution specifically calls out Hamas atrocities, violations... Thank you. You're at your three minutes. Thank you. Thank you. So, again, I've made a statement, and I'm going to express a point of clarity again. Public comment, yes, is something that we would love to hear your expression. Again, we're going to do it respectfully. We also do have the opportunity to shut it down, and I think all of us want to have our words and our voices heard, so please don't let one of two of you ruin it for everyone else in this room. Can you please call the next cards? Craig Scheer and Eric Pastman, please step up to either podium, state your name and address in city. You'll have three minutes to address council. Okay, I'll start. My name's Eric Pastman. I'm at 1663 Watermark Circle Northeast, St. Petersburg, and first I want to thank you for allowing me to speak today. I'm also chairperson of our local JCRC, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and I'm serving as my sixth year as president of the Men's Club of Congregation B'nai Israel. So as you know, the war in Gaza began on October 7th when Hamas launched a massive attack against the Jewish communities along the Gaza border. Their intent was to murder or kidnap every person they encountered. However, it turns out murder was only part of their objective. They terrorized these communities by raping, dismembering, and burning people alive. It didn't matter how old or how young they were. It didn't even matter if they were Jewish or not. They simply wanted to commit their murder in the most horrific ways that they could imagine. After brutally murdering 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping over 240, including an eight-month-old baby who is still held in captivity, Israel declared war on Hamas. The resolution that Councilman Floyd proposes requests an immediate ceasefire and a release of the hostages. It also endorses H.R. 786, which does not request a release of the hostages. H.R. 786 was introduced by Congresswoman Cori Bush on October 25th. In the three months since its introduction, it has garnered 18 co-sponsors. Mind you, that's 18 out of 435 House of Representatives. You may wonder why so few representatives have co-sponsored this bill. It only asks for two things. First, it urges the Biden administration to immediately call for and facilitate de-escalation and a ceasefire to urgently end the current violence. And second, it calls upon the Biden administration to promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. As we all know, humanitarian aid has been flowing into Gaza for months, as President Biden has requested. Thus, the only purpose of supporting H.R. 786 is to call for a ceasefire. That leaves the hostages in the dungeons of Gaza. That leaves Hamas in control of Gaza. And that ensures more wars and more death will follow as Hamas strives to kill Israelis in the future. As Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's decision-making political bureau says, and I quote, the Al-Aqsa flood is just the first time. And there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. I'm a little surprised that anyone on the St. Petersburg City Council. Thank you. Thank you so much for your three minutes. Mr. Scheer. My name is Craig Scheer. My office is at 248 Mirror Lake Drive, and my residence is in St. Pete Beach. I'm not going to repeat everyone's comments. We've got a lot of speakers far more eloquent than me. My point is simple, and I respect Councilman Floyd's right to bring this resolution, but I profoundly disagree with his resolution. And if they keep bringing it up, we'll come back time and time again. It takes a lot of time and effort to do this, but this is intensely personal and passionate for members of the Jewish community and, quite frankly, members of the entire community. You know, in the 30s and the 40s, Hitler eliminated 6 million Jews. Most of you don't know there's only 15 million Jews in the world. About half of those live in Israel. There's no doubt that Hamash's mission, as well as Hezbollah and other Iranian state-sponsored terrorists, that they want to eliminate Jews and eliminate Israel. That's pretty personal when you're Jewish, that 15 million Jews could easily be eradicated if people like Hamas and Hezbollah are allowed to exist. Israel's a democracy. They got attacked. There's no question and no debate on whether they were attacked and the brutality that ensued. There's no other democracy or other country in the world that would not defend itself and take every means possible to defend themselves. You know, see Pearl Harbor, see 9-11, see all sorts of other attacks where people basically didn't comment and get admonished for defending their rights to exist and to try to have their enemies surrender or eliminate the enemy. So the fact to call for a ceasefire of Israel's enemy and, quite frankly, the Jewish people's enemy, I think is uncalled for and unconscionable. I think we need to prosecute that war until Hamas surrenders. And so we have some security that we can live freely and not be in danger of being eliminated. It's a very, very difficult situation. So, as our rabbi said, we mourn for all those that are maimed, injured, and killed on all sides. We wouldn't be human beings if we didn't do that. But, unfortunately, war is difficult. There are casualties. And we rue the day that one more person dies. But it's important that we prosecute this war to ensure the existence of Israel and all the Jewish people. So I urge you to oppose this resolution. And, above all, thank you all for your service to our community. It's a great City of St. Pete, in large part due to all your efforts. Thank you very much. Thank you. The next two speakers, please. The next two speakers is Stuart Berger and Rabbi Ed Rosenberg. Please step to either podium. State your name and address for the record. I'll have three minutes to address Council. Good afternoon, City Councilors. And thank you for allowing me to speak to you today. My name is Stuart Berger, 602 Lime Avenue, Clearwater, Florida. But I speak to you today as the Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation here in Pinellas County. Less than four months ago, I spoke in these chambers about passing the IRA definition of anti-Semitism, which you did, and I thank you. But today I stand before you again asking you to vote down a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Because a ceasefire will only ensure more fighting in the future, as we have learned from the past. I have been a devout peacenik all my life and a fervent believer in the two-state solution. There is nothing more I'd like to see than Israel living in peace with its neighbors, but it takes a neighbor that wants to live in peace with Israel. I rejoiced when Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, who then returned to Egypt the entire Sinai Peninsula. I supported the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, a withdrawal that was very painful for many Israelis, some of whom were forcibly removed from their homes. I prayed that those in Gaza would take the opportunity to create a lasting peace with Israel. Unfortunately, the leaders of Gaza didn't hope for the same and thanked Israel with rocket fire and cross-border incursions. In an effort to control the flow of weapons into the strip from other nations, Israel and Egypt imposed a border blockade. Hamas soon came to power with their formal charter, openly calling for the genocide of Jewish people. So many countries and people around the world wish for a ceasefire, except for the leaders of Hamas themselves. If they cared about their civilians, they could end the death and destruction today by releasing all hostages, by laying down their arms and rockets, and by making a true and lasting peace with Israel. Unfortunately, the leaders of Hamas are happy to be winning the propaganda war, despite the fact that they are very open about what they want. And it is not peace, and it is not a two-state solution. A senior Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan, stated on October 11th, from the comfort of Beirut, quote, Hamas has just one no, no to the existence of Israel. So Osama is saying no to a state that is refuge for Jews from all around the world. No to a state that has LBGTQ and women's rights. No to a state that is multi-ethnic, and if folks look beyond their chosen propaganda outlets, no to a nation that is home to many people of color. When considering this resolution, please keep in mind that even the International Court of Justice did not order a cease-fire, as many expected they would. And there was a cease-fire in place until October 7th, when thousands of terrorists burst through the border security fence and massacred 1,200 Israeli civilians and dragged hundreds of Israelis into captivity. Thank you again. Thank you. My name is Ed Rosenthal. I'm the campus rabbi at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, and my address is 412 6th Avenue North on Tierra Verde. When I saw the resolution brought before you today, on the surface it appeared to be an even-handed call for a cease-fire to end the suffering of the people in Gaza while recognizing the trauma that Israel experienced on October 7th. I thought this resolution was motivated by a true concern for the plight of people under such dire circumstances. So, with that understanding, I looked to compare this resolution to a previous resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Syrian Civil War, which to date has seen over 614,000 people dead, mostly civilians, 13 million people displaced, and 6.7 million forced to flee the country. But I couldn't find that resolution. So I thought maybe there was a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Yemen, where over 400,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians, where 4.5 million people have been displaced, and where the United Nations has called it the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century, which has left 21.6 million people requiring humanitarian aid. And I looked for that resolution, and I couldn't find it from this body. There are currently about 30 armed conflicts across the globe. And it made me wonder, why is the St. Petersburg City Council passing a resolution calling for a cease-fire in a just war by a democracy in response to the most horrific terrorist attack on the civilian population of Israel by an internationally recognized terrorist organization? I don't believe it's motivated by anti-Semitism. After all, you passed a resolution a few months ago accepting the IRHA definition of anti-Semitism, which includes the double standards of holding Israel to a higher level of accountability than any other country. So I ask, why this resolution? Where is the moral outrage for the hundreds of thousands, actually over a million people dead, in Syria, in Yemen, in Sudan, in Ethiopia, in Ukraine? Where is the moral outrage for the millions who have been displaced by terrorists and dictators around the world? If you want to cease-fire, I respectfully ask you, throw this resolution out and create a new one that calls for the immediate surrender of Hamas and to lay down their arms. That will bring an immediate cease-fire. There's an old saying, if Israel lays down its arms, if Hamas lays down its arms, there will be peace tomorrow. If Israel lays down its arms, tomorrow there will be no Israel. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair, the next two speakers is Leslie Bowman and Dr. Christy Faust. And the third person, Madam Chair, Jay James, already spoke under open forum. Mr. Bowman and Dr. Christy Faust. Please state your name and address and city for the record. You'll have three minutes to address counsel. I'm Dr. Christy Faust. I live at 753 29th Avenue South in the Harbor Down neighborhood. I am a homeowner and business owner. I've lived in St. Pete since 2016. Since then, I've learned mottos like, the sun shines here, suggesting it shines brightly for everyone. I googled the town's mission, and it's to create a diverse, vibrant city, guided by principled progress and intentional inclusivity, where innovation, partnerships, and ingenuity create opportunity for all. These are wonderful words. They describe a city I want to live in, filled with neighbors I want to get to know. But to make it real takes action. It takes actively fighting against white supremacist culture based on settler colonialism in our own city and beyond. The fight is not easy, but city council's voice matters at the local, federal, and international levels, especially when added to the nearly 50 principled progressive cities who have already adopted ceasefire resolutions. I'm hopeful for our city and the world to still end up on the right side of history, despite fourish months of being on the wrong side. Today, I heartily thank council member Floyd for bringing this resolution to the dias and connecting the city's stated mission with this resolution. The resolution is grounded in intentional, intentional inclusivity. It supports diversity of all people, and it encourages a culture where innovation, partnerships, and ingenuity, with my added emphasis on the partnerships, can truly create an opportunity for all across our blue globe of a home. Ultimately, it's a resolution supporting peace, and one that 61% of Americans are supportive of. We are with you in supporting this resolution, even though only a small number of folks can attend these meetings. We're in the midst of Black History Month, and not long ago I witnessed leaders of the city raise a flag to honor the contributions of our black neighbors and their ancestors, whose labors and lives literally built this country. Fannie Lou Hamer, a black freedom fighter, said, Nobody's free until everybody's free. Nobody's free until everybody's free. I look forward to this council putting the city's mission into action by voting yes on this resolution, standing with the majority of people it represents, standing for peace, and standing on the right side of history. I do just want to pause since I have a little bit of time. Just, I'm a former educator in Pinellas school systems even, and I do think education, robust education, guided by peer reviewed data supported facts is so important. There are a lot of folks saying a lot of things that are not grounded in fact, they are not grounded in truth. They are not saying true things, and they are lies, and don't be emotionally swayed by them because they are lies. The right side of history is with the Palestinian people. Support the cease fire. Thank you. I'm Leslie Bauman. I live at 2920 Burlington Avenue North in St. Pete. And I'm delighted and proud to be represented by Richie Floyd on this council. The statement that I'm going to read was composed by a Quaker working group in Tallahassee and speaks the minds of many local friends. And it just disappeared. I'm sorry. We are heartbroken by the terror, violence, and devastation in Israel and Palestine. Our Quaker face reminds us that there is that of God within every person without exception, and that every person has the capacity to experience and respond to the love and guidance of God. As a result, we unite with the calls of people across the world for, number one, a permanent cease fire now, two, immediate release of hostages, three, the provision of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and four, the creation of an independent sovereign state of Palestine beside the state of Israel. We unconditionally oppose bigotry against Jews, Palestinians, and other Arabs and Muslims that has led to the rise in hateful rhetoric and actions targeting these communities in the United States and worldwide. The government of the United States has a responsibility and an opportunity to think with greater vision rather than contributing to the further militarization of a tragic situation. We urge the President and Congress and this Council to join with other nations to address the roots of war and to work for a lasting solution that provides for security, justice, and dignity for all Palestinians and Israelis. Our faith challenges us to resist the escalating pressures throughout our human family that attempt to justify atrocities against other human beings and to remember that we are each capable of evil, even in the name of God. We take up the commitment to turn from our own hostile impulses, from amplifying division within our local communities, and from the cycles of vengeful action in conflicts worldwide, so we can move together towards the courageous work of peace-building. Let us seek paths to work for peace with tools available to us. We are called to act in faith and love and with persistence, patience, and courage as partners and hands of the Divine Spirit as we pursue the sacred goal of peace. Shalom. Shalom. Shalom. Thank you. Thank you. Next two speakers, please. You have a couple of speakers, Madam chair. Okay, thank you. Carla Correa, once you enter into the Meeting Space, please state your name and address and city. You'll have three minutes to address city council. Carla, can you hear us? Hi, yes, yes, I can hear you. Carla Correa three, four, five 5th Avenue North. Please excuse my voice. use my voice i went a little too hard with karaoke last night but first uh thank you to council member floyd for introducing this necessary resolution and thank you to all the incredible organizations um who have been pushing this um to the council please join the other cities across the united states who have taken the step to pass a necessary this necessary resolution after 101 101 131 days of the latest most deadly phase of the 75 years long genocide against the palestinian people this is the least we can be doing as a city to send a message to the biden administration that the american people do not endorse this carnage we have a moral obligation not only to stand against the slaughter happening in gaza right now but also to the israeli occupation itself that seeks to ethnically cleanse and displace all palestinians out of palestine the saint petersburg tenants union exists to fight gentrification and displacement i'm here with the saint petersburg tenants you don't think i said that before um and we can understand the displacement of workers and tenants uh particularly uh black and brown people from their communities in the united states in a similar way of course in a much lower rate um from 2018 to 2022 saint petersburg lost 10 percent of its black population and the saint petersburg tenants union seeks to resist displacement whether it's here in saint pete or whether we're talking about our sisters and brothers in palestine when we look at the history of you know the land that the tropicana field sits on now we can see we can uh clearly see the parallels of state sanctioned violence to displaced to displace oppressed people here um as what's happening in palestine the fight for a free palestine is a fight for humanity since october 7th over 30 000 palestinians have been killed by the israeli occupation forces over 67 000 injured and these were all people with their own hopes and dreams um the majority of them children um are almost all of them children um my voice hurts so bad uh so i'm gonna stop talking and um we need a ceasefire right now please be on the right side of history thank you next speaker please thank you so now in once you enter into the meeting space please state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council good evening everyone can you hear me yes we can please state your name and address and city and you have three minutes to address city council thank you um i'm senna nimid willow oak lane spring hill council members over the last four months i have learned so many gazzin names i've learned of six-year-old hind rajab who died in her uncle's car surrounded by the bodies of her family members that were murdered by israeli snipers while trying to evacuate ghazza city i've learned of ahmed and yusuf who were bombed by israel on their way to rescue hind despite being an emergency services team in an ambulance i've learned of darin an 11 year old girl and her younger brother kinan who lost 47 members of their family including their entire immediate family i've learned of hisham and zakaria who were both targeted in hate crimes here in the u.s for wearing the same scarf worn by many constituents in the chamber today i'd like to kindly ask the council members please raise your hands if you recognize a single name i mentioned the lack of knowledge about these tragedies or worse the denial of them and the thousands like them is one of the reasons i'm here to speak today but another is that if there had been a ceasefire in ghazza two weeks ago or one month ago or two months ago i wouldn't know hinn's name either i wouldn't open my phone to learn more names after this meeting i don't want to learn the names of any more ghazzan children newborns mothers fathers professors doctors engineers or journalists because they were killed for simply existing as they are where they are so many innocent ghazans have been killed in this onslaught that if you were to attend a funeral every day it would take you over 82 years i say this so that you can grasp just the glimpse of the destruction behind why i am speaking in support of councilman floyd's resolution i understand you're being told that calling for a ceasefire is anti-semitic or that those of us advocating for one don't truly want peace that somehow as many people have alarmingly proposed today more violence will beget peace despite four months of slaughter conclusively proving this false so don't take it from me or from anyone else that speaks out today in support of this resolution take it from our leaders instead take it from those who fought apartheid in south africa from archbishop bishop desmond tutu who wrote in 2014 which was 10 years ago that those who contribute to a sense of normalcy in israeli society are doing the people of israel and palestine a disservice they're contributing to the perpetuation of a profoundly unjust status quo he continued on to say that ultimately events in ghazza are going to test who believes in the worth of human beings i understand what people are telling you but let me be frank it should not be controversial nor divisive for a community like st petersburg to take a stand against violence funded by our own tax dollars and follow in the footsteps of cities like chicago san francisco seattle and over 60 more by passing this resolution at a time when our country feels so polarized and divided you have a chance to heed the words of desmond tutu who was also dealing with a country divided and was part of one of the most successful human rights campaigns in recent history we cannot allow the status quo and worse than the status quo to continue the international court of justice has deemed it plausible that israel is committing genocide and if they are ultimately found guilty in that court it will become criminal for u.n members to interact with israeli war criminals don't wait for that moment to justify what's already clear now instead you can look proudly back upon your actions in this chamber here today and say that you stood up for humanity when the time came on the side of sanctity of life thank you okay okay that's once i've said it twice please i've said it once i've said it twice i want everyone to have that opportunity to speak i really do but i want everyone to be respectful please next two cards please rabbi phillip weintraub andy greet sandy greeze please approach either the podium please state your name and address in the city you'll have three minutes to address city council hi i am rabbi phillip weintraub of congregation b'nai israel 358th street north st petersburg florida 33710 thank you for hearing the varied and diverse voices of our city we know you balance the needs with a world of so many different visions hopes and dreams you know for me my dream is the well-being of all people and i've stood here in this spot many times offering blessings of hope and peace for our for our city and my congregation has been in st petersburg for over 101 years a community that welcomes all regardless of their race or sexuality and i think back to earlier generations of the city where people of color could not sit on our green benches and jews could not stay at many of the hotels and in fact there were signs on the bridges encouraging jews not to come in at all today in gaza military drones were found in the humanitarian supplies hamas has spent the last 20 years controlling gaza and in that time they built terror tunnels stockpiled weapons in mosques and hospitals and intentionally used children as human shields they provided very little actual humanitarian aid to their people in fact there are 500 trucks that are sitting under hamas control that have not reached the citizens at all at the moment they claim israel is committing genocide while they preach genocide with every word and every speech that they make i want to share just jews at this moment are not allowed to be residents or citizens in saudi arabia or in gaza and many would like for jews to be banned from the west bank entirely after pogroms and violence in the 1950s jews were forced out of their homes in iraq iran afghanistan yemen lebanon and syria where they had been living for nearly 3 000 years so why is it that muslim countries need to be eudenrein or free of jews why does gaza need to be free of lgbtq individuals where hamas has said repeatedly they will throw them off any building i want to share a couple words from a congregant who has come here from germany where he no longer feels safe he said my family sought refuge here dreaming of a life marked by liberalism democracy and finally freedom from anti-semitism a dream clouded by the proposed ceasefire resolution called by richie floyd i'm going to jump ahead that in the country i came from for decades every one of the roughly 40 synagogues a place of worship across all of germany has had to be protected by police forces 24 7 and i will note you know in that list from uh chief holloway we probably contribute a good bit of their overtime budget you know lately in the us my dear friends and jewish congregations have begun to experience what european jews have faced for decades threat and danger and this resolution while perhaps intended i know intended to promote peace but it divides our community undermining the unity that should define us anti-semitism like all forms of discrimination should not be politicized that is a crime against humanity this resolution will not bring anything else to our world other than to fracture our community thank you thank you so much my name is sandra geist i live at 1635 47th avenue north in st petersburg and i'm here to support councilman floyd um i just would like to see the ceasefire because so many of 30 000 people have been killed two-thirds of them women and children and the humanitarian crisis there that there was no clean water they have very few medical supplies and they're on the point of starvation thank you very much thank you next two cards please next two speakers jeff jeff giffon and emma shock please approach either podium please state your name city and address you'll have three minutes to address city council hi my name is jake giffon i'm at 9100 dr mlk street north in st petersburg i represent the progressive jewish coalition of central florida we are a collective of jews from across central florida who are organizing towards liberation for all people no matter what it really disturbs me to see so many in my community here talking about spreading misinformation and simply speaking about palestinians and the palestinian anything related to palestinians as if they actually know this is a trend of orientalism that we see consistently throughout western academia in general there is where we think we know everything already that we need to know to understand these people to make an image of them in our heads and it's not true i've had the opportunity and the privilege over the last few months of to be deeply engrossed within the local palestinian community here in tampa bay which is massive every single time without fail that i meet an elderly palestinian person they tell me the stories of their jewish friends their jewish neighbors that they never were able to see again after nakba they talk about how they they understand our faith they're not strangers to us and that's a one-way street not many of my jewish peers know much about islam through knowing about islam i feel more true in my judaism i feel i feel more knowledgeable about our shared abrahamic tradition i think there's nothing but celebration that we can find from each other but we have to be honest with ourselves israel didn't exist a hundred years ago because those people lived in europe my family are ukrainian and lithuanian jews whose traditions of musar whose traditions of speaking yiddish that's gone now the culture has been erased the yivo language institute and israeli organization shows and documents how yiddish ladino and other diasporic languages and cultures were intentionally suppressed by zionism in the 19th and 20th centuries we consistently both as jewish people and as semitic peoples are being harmed by zionism we're convincing the world that the actions of israel reflect the actions of the jewish people and we know that's not true because we know that there's a thousands of year long history of interfaith cooperation you have maimonides being the physician to saladin and his son leading an interfaith muslim and jewish community in cairo a thousand years ago you know that you have after the spanish inquisition 16 ships were sent from ottoman palestine to bring jews from spain into the holy land palestinean families crowdfunded the dorms at hebrew university which were later which those families were later kicked out we have been given the most utmost hospitality and now when we have created the most extreme set of conditions the most extreme set of contradictions and raised generation after generation of children on the bones and blood of their families we are appalled to find that they're resisting by any means necessary which is legal under the un we have to embrace tzedek we have to embrace kehillah kadoshah b'salim elohim and bring the holy community that we know will exist into existence thank you so much next speaker my name is emma shock i live at 7891 4th avenue south st petersburg florida 33707 and i'm here today to speak to you about the genocide in palestine and demand that you vote yes on calling for a ceasefire it's clear from the resolution that you passed six votes to one on october 12th that there is a great deal of willful ignorance about this genocide and based on what people have said today so i'll take this opportunity to enlighten you this is not a war this is not a stop the violence on both sides situation where two entities with military powers are fighting each other this is an occupying force that has ethnically cleansed palestine of palestinians for over 76 years through violent settler colonial policies and projects enforcing a brutal apartheid regime that systematically dehumanizes abuses torments mocks murders and now full-on genocides palestinians because they are palestinian israel equals zionism not judaism since its creation israel has used judaism and the western guilt of the holocaust as a tool to do whatever they want to palestinians and receive no repercussions the narrative is twisted often censored to paint israel and the occupation forces out to be heroes protecting the west from the evil arab terrorists when the real terrorists are the settlers the occupation forces and the israeli government this did not start october 7th there was no peace in place palestinians were killed on october 6th palestinians were intact israel has been proudly murdering palestinians for decades israel has stolen their homes land identity and freedom since its creation it cannot exist without the oppression forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of palestinians from palestine during the super bowl occupation forces slaughtered over a hundred people in less than an hour including children of course in rafa at least 1.5 million palestinians are sheltering in tents there where israel told them to go told them they would be safe this past tuesday a young man wearing only a thin white jumpsuit a yellow blindfold pulled above his eyes and handcuffs arrived at nasser medical complex he had been kidnapped beaten tortured by the occupation forces they forced him to play messenger and tell the displaced the medical staff the injured seeking treatment and everyone else that they must leave the hospital that the occupation forces are coming although his mother begged him not to return to his torturers he was threatened with claims that the soldiers would quote storm the hospital reach him and kill him if he did not come back despite being handcuffed imposing no threat despite following their sadistic orders to deliver a threatening message to terrified civilians despite bravely returning to his captors to protect the thousand sheltering inside nassar medical complex those rabid bloodthirsty genociders shot him three times they murdered him with indescribable cruelty just because they could for the past 132 days i have seen men women and children in pieces the charge remains of what used to be an infant a father next two speakers please next two speakers lima ahasan marley price please approach either podium please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council can i submit something to city council okay okay um my name is dammit hassan i live 5011 starfish drive in st pete zip code 33705 um the islamophobic and anti-arab vitriol that have been hearing today has been extremely disrespectful but you know what i persevere because i am the product of survival i am the child of palestinian refugees we have seen atrocity after atrocity for 75 years and in the last 131 days it's been escalated it's been a genocide that's committed by israel against palestinians in ghaza it's been a holocaust a holocaust is defined as a destruction or slaughter on a mass scale if 30 000 dead in four months is not mass scale then what is the holocaust by the nazis against the jewish people was just deplorable in the 1930s and 40s and it continues to be deplorable today by israelis to palestinians when we say never again we mean never again to anybody i know if i was alive then what i would be doing i would be fighting like hell for my brothers and sisters who are jewish because i am not okay with that and we know the atrocities that are happening in ghaza every single day do i tell you about the palestinian that was holding up a white flag to try to go save his mother and bring her to safety and then he was shot by a sniper and the flag who became red with his blood or do i tell you about the 15 year old leyan who called the palestinian red crescent when her family was trapped in a car and you hear israel's bullets firing in the background you hear her scream and then you hear silence in that same car her seven-year-old cousin hind that somebody mentioned earlier today was trapped for hours with the bodies of of the rest of her family who also then called the red crescent begging for help the red crescent went to try to rescue her and they had not been heard from for 12 days and last saturday they found that ambulance they found it bombed by israel and they found the bodies of hind and the two red crescent medics yusuf and ahmad these are only a few of the many many many atrocities of what israel is doing to palestinians in ghaza i others mentioned what happened in rafah this past weekend there's a live feed showing the genocide that's happening there is no safe place in ghaza the people in ghaza are being starved because israel refuses to stop the bombing and let humanitarian aid through the conditions are dire saint pete has an opportunity to stand alongside the many other cities like detroit atlanta and chicago and saying no more we have a responsibility to stop the u.s's support of this genocide saint pete has the opportunity to be the first city in saint pete oh my gosh okay the first city in san florida to pass the ceasefire resolution uh so you either stand for justice today by passing this resolution or you support genocide by abstaining or standing against thank you and just for clarification i wasn't being rude when you asked could you pass something out but it does state regardless of method of participation use normal rules for participation apply including three minute time limit and any presentation materials must be submitted to the clerk's office prior to prior to the resolution or prior to city council to the meeting yes all right thank you for that but thank you for that though thank you yes marley price uh 50 34 or 32nd ave north and i just wanted to show my support for the ceasefire resolution and thank councilmember floyd for bringing this forward uh given that in october the other resolution passed overwhelmingly i hope to see the same enthusiasm today from all of you but if the thousands upon thousands of dead civilians and the myriad of war crimes haven't convinced you yet well then i just hope it's important i just think it's important that we have this on record because what a blemish on whatever legacy you leave to deny one of the moral questions of our lives thank you thank you just so that you know we have approximately 36 more speakers so we're in for a long haul next two speakers please lorna perez nicole waters please approach either podium please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council hi i'm lorna perez 812 14th street north st petersburg 33705 in our community of st pete any word of one child being abused is enough for us to investigate and take action to help stop it and we are vocal about advocating for them but we have watched over 12 000 children and counting murdered on our phones in 4k and it's even a debate for us to say that we want it to stop we are watching in real time children losing their limbs being operated on without an anesthesia kids under the rubble of buildings toddlers aimlessly looking for their families who they will never see again start kids people families start starving to death how do we not see them as our children of being worthy of being protected and of being vocal for them if saint pete is a community that claims to care about the well-being of all families we should stand up for exactly that all families because i don't see a difference between my family here my family in puerto rico and our palestinian families they are our families how are we so desensitized as to be in a world where we have access to watch civilian mass murder paid for by our government only to go about our days as if this is normal this is not normal what kind of community are we in if we don't stand up for saying no to all civilian death collective punishment and no to war crimes i'd like to be part of a community that shows the world that we believe in the value of human life and we don't hold a double standard of anyone for this council body to stand and be vocal and say something will mean everything to a lot of people looking to you for hope joining other cities and setting an example is not simply symbolic it will put pressure on congress to do the right thing let's lead with courage and love let's lead with moral clarity and fight for peace let's be the first city in saint in the state of florida to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire thank you and as she calls the next two um readers if you would like to also just come to the podium and just say i agree vote no or vote yes um that would also expedite it if not you have 35 more cards at three minutes apiece so we'll be here for a while so thank you can you call the next cards for readers please um nicole waters we had her already sam ubade bobby ewing please approach either podium state your name address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council sam ubade 190 112th avenue north st petersburg florida 33716 good evening city council members my name is sam i'm a spoken word poet and anti-discrimination educator and a local activist i have been doing this work for over a decade in some iteration of the or the other and um not much shocks me anymore but the cognitive dissonance around calling for a ceasefire on a genocide that is indiscriminately executing maiming starving and orphaning thousands of children and ending entire bloodlines is absolutely baffling to me let me localize this for you i'm a queer masculine human in 2021 a random nobody behind a keyboard found my contact details through my last job and decided he was the solution to correcting both my gender identity and my sexuality for a year he sent me texts emails commented on every one of my posts the majority of the content of these communications included threats to break into my house and sexually assault me for a year i went to bed when the sun came up out of fear for my life had i told any of y'all when this was happening that this was happening you would have told me to call the police file a complaint and get a restraining order none of you would have said you get the bat i'll get the gun let's go get this guy so please help me understand why does israel get to do that why does israel get to raise villages and snipe babies all while pretending like they're providing safe evacuation routes in the name of justice why does israel get to break every international law written and publicize their vapid cruelty through social media without consequence is this justice is this okay now if i go hunt down my stalker will i get a past two at least my stalker is real in 2021 florida representative randy fine referred to palestinians as terrorist animals and beneath pigs rats and snakes if that's where the opposition is coming from then the conversation with them ended before it even began the question is do you agree with them and refuse to refusing to call for a ceasefire is your message to saint pete's palestinian community that you think all palestinians are terrorist animals the cognitive dissonance is real the cognitive dissonance is sad and the cognitive dissonance is deadly you cannot pass a resolution condemning all wars and in the same breath refuse to call for a ceasefire the city of rafa remains the last refuge for palestinian people 1.5 million people cornered in 25 square miles who israel has committed to wiping out where is the lie here what will it take for the city of saint pete to call for a ceasefire or will it be just another posthumous resolution citing never again until again is once again now history will keep repeating itself until we step in and stop it do the right thing call for a ceasefire children are counting on you and as a final note i am also a muslim queer to all the straight genocide supporters using the lgbtq plus people as a weapon for their cause please keep my people out of your racist mouths thank you thank you next hi my name is bobby ewing uh 100 mirror lake drive north saint petersburg i'm an organizer with the party for socialism and liberation and i'm here to stand with humanity and the people of palestine and demand that city council votes yes on agenda item g5 and call for a ceasefire in gaza in response to the counter-attack by multiple palestinian resistance factions against israeli settler colonial occupation israel has illegally murdered over 30 000 people including over 13 000 children and hundreds of journalists and medical personnel they've destroyed almost every building in gaza including virtually every single hospital and school they've for decades refused to comply with international law including u.n general assembly resolution 194 which states that the palestinian people have the right to return to their homes and the land that they've been expelled from the majority of people in gaza have now been forced into tarafa an area that is only 25 square miles and which was previously declared a safe zone they are now being bombed indiscriminately the leaders of israel have openly called for permanently removing the palestinian population from gaza and displacing them into the sinai peninsula the palestinian people have been steadfast in their resistance and many have stated that they absolutely refuse to be displaced again and that they will either return to their homes or they will die as martyrs the entire international community has condemned israel the international court of justice has ordered israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of article 2 of the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide which includes killing palestinians causing serious bodily or mental harm to palestinians and deliberately inflicting on palestinians conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part tens of millions of people around the world have taken to the streets every day for months in support of the palestinian resistance including hundreds of thousands across the united states the world stands with palestine passing this resolution is the absolute bare minimum other cities in the united states such as chicago as well as multiple labor unions have called for a ceasefire you all have a responsibility to pass a ceasefire as well as to stand with the palestinian resistance and call for an end to the siege on gaza the release of and the release of all palestinian hostages held in israeli prisons thank you thank you next two speakers please karen lieberman john stewart please approach either podium state your name and address you'll have three minutes to address city council karen lieberman john stewart my name is karen lieberman i live at 253 sunlit cove drive northeast in st pete i want this war to end as much as anyone else in this room and after recent discussion with councilmember floyd i thought the resolution should be worded as follows whereas israel is known to be the original homeland of the jewish people and whereas israel has the right to exist as a jewish state and whereas hamas is known to be a brutal terrorist organization committed to the destruction of israel and committed to the death of all jews and whereas hamas with total disrespect for international law genocidally and barbarically attacked raped tortured burned alive and otherwise murdered more than 1200 israelis and others on october 7th and whereas hamas viciously kidnapped 256 babies children women elderly etc on october 7th and whereas hamas terrorists cowardly hide among civilians causing thousands upon thousands of pointless and preventable deaths and whereas it is known that the cowardly hamas leader yaya sinwar is hiding among civilians in the ghazan tunnels and whereas hamas terrorists treat the ghazan people as pawns in a chess game considering them as martyrs as they continually attempt to destroy israel now therefore be it resolved that the city council of saint pete calls for immediate hamas surrender upon which there will be a bilateral ceasefire the immediate release of all hostages full destruction of the ghazan tunnels and unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance additionally be it resolved that the five billion dollars being held in qatar by ismail hania immediately be put to use as it was supposed to be used for infrastructure housing job development health care and food assistance for gazans not for bombs and weapons and tunnel building an international force will govern gaza until the forthcoming election the first in 18 years this resolution shall become effective immediately i think this is the resolution we should be voting on today thank you thank you john stewart john stewart is four next two speakers rabbi gary klein steven konisberg please approach either podium please state your name address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council i'm gary klein i live at 3305 waterford drive clearwater i'm going to relinquish most of my time um i fully agree with the people who have already spoken in opposition to the resolution and i urge city council to reject this resolution which i feel will be bad not only for the city of saint petersburg but for our entire region our entire nation and all of humankind including the citizens of israel and those palestinian arabs who hope to someday have their own uh entity in the remainder of palestine i too support a two-state solution but i do not think that this resolution will contribute to that thank you thank you my name is steve konigsberg i live at 7276 on club lane um i am opposed to this resolution i believe that war was declared when the mosque came and murdered raped beheaded and burned 1200 civilians israel is trying its best to keep civilians safe this is a war the war has not been started by israel and it cannot just stop and replenish when the enemy so anyway that's my feeling at this point thank you very much thank you next two speakers please next two speakers belina conisberg and sydney tusk please approach either podium please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council is this is this working all right cool i'm sorry thank you very much uh my name is sydney thus my address is 4200 54th avenue south saint petersburg florida 337 11. we've all come here today not by chance but by destiny the genocide in palestine is a raging storm that has revealed the lack of integrity amongst our politicians and fractured our nation it is simply not a conflict on a distant shore it is a symptom a manifestation of a deeper illness an illness where the true enemy is not flesh and blood but the illusion of control the seductive whispers of power that cloud our judgment and blind us to the true reality for too long we've been prisoners of this illusion pawns and a game orchestrated by those to seek to divide us we fight not for freedom but for the economic interest of politicians and foreign governments the blood that spills in the street of gaza is not the price of liberty but the wages of our collective ignorance however there is another way a path less traveled shrouded in mist but bathed in the light of truth we must shed the veil of illusion and see the world as it truly is the palestinian palestinian people are not our enemy but our companions on this journey their struggle for self-determination echoes our own a yearning for freedom that burns bright within every human soul a ceasefire is not a retreat but a step towards humanity and peace a moment to break free from the chains of war and step into a better world it is an opportunity to heal the wounds to mend the rifts that divide us and to forge a new path forward a path where diplomacy replaces bullets and understanding replaces suspicion the choice is ours we can remain tethered to the u.s war machine slaves to the illusion of power or we can embrace the truth and fight for a future where peace remains supreme the power to change the course of this genocide the power to write a history we can be proud of does not reside in the hands of a few but with each and every one of us we must join together and unite to fight for a world where humanity transcends its limitations where the true measure of our strength is not the size of our bombs but the depth of our compassion the future lies with us cease fire now free free palestine thank you belinda conisberg belinda is against the next two speakers is and andrew hernandez and bruce nison please go to either podium state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address council afternoon my name is andrew hernandez my address is 1618 burlington avenue north 33713 um about a million people are backed up against the wall right now they have no water we know that because the israel government has said so they're being bombed indiscriminately we know that because our president says so they're being slaughtered and there's been no real pressure on israel no real action from our own government to rein in the camp carnage and what can you do what can we do well the least we can do is show some dissent and i think there's a power in doing that in florida in a place where it's not expected who knows it would move some people on the ground might even flip a few people at the top people say it doesn't concern us we're being dragged into this conflict right now the longer it goes on the more dangerous it gets and you'll hear it's not our people not our problem but gazans have families here thousands of exiles palestinian americans in this country in this country in this place and if showing some dignified dissent helps them keep going get some sleep at night then i think that's a reason enough to do it and i'm not just going i'm not just talking to you on the council i mean everyone in this room do what you're going to do i support this and i support richie floyd thank you very much thank you my name is bruce nissen i live at 4310 queen street north saint pete 33714 i'm going to try to follow uh council member fig sanders advice be very very short just say where i stand on this and then try to address a couple of issues that i think have not yet come up much in this discussion one i support the resolution and i commend uh council member um for bringing it up um the i think we're having a problem talking to each other uh and i'm noticing that um the people who are opposed to the side that i'm taking uh are extremely extremely concerned and very very concerned and feel that the jewish community is kind of under assault in in the world and in the united states today and i think when you feel that way and you feel that your very existence is in danger you tend to get um more attracted to the possibility of extreme reactions in order to protect yourself and that's pretty natural we're all going to behave kind of thing that way i do want to argue that i think a military uh offensive by israel is the most counterproductive thing israel could do for itself for its image in the world for uh i just think that that there's any solution to the israeli and the palestinian issue has to be a negotiated one it can't be one of trying to annihilate people it can't be one of mass slaughter of close to 30 000 people to reach a couple hundred people that you're not going to reach anyway it is an impossible task to try to eliminate hamas by slaughtering all the people in gaza it won't work in fact if anything it'd be counterproductive it would create more supporters of hamas i believe so i think it's a very very counterproductive tactic no matter what side you stand on this particular kind of an issue and then the second thing i want to address is which is brought up before is why single out israel why are we not singling out other wars and large numbers of people being massacred and killed in other parts around the world and what i notice is when we get mass movements in the united states around something it's because the united states is behind it we don't have any control over a mass slaughter where our enemies of us were dictate tin horn dictators and others who oppose the united states are slaughtering people we don't have any leverage there and we don't generally generally you don't find a movement inside the united states to stop that because we really really don't have any leverage over those particular countries but we do have leverage over countries and same thing happened in the vietnam war and the rest when when it's united states it's behind it supplying the arms giving the money to do this and you see a mass slaughter that's when you start to see a mass movement against it and that's what we're seeing here i think in this case also so that's why if people want to know why single out israel well it's not israel it's any country the world it's the united states that's behind it and is doing the arming and is doing the the funding of some kind of a mass slaughter that we move to do it to me it's a very simple humanitarian kind of thing thank you two speakers please jeremy tolberg and dr david barris please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address council good afternoon my name is dr david barris i live at 6200 bahama shores drive south st p florida i commend councilman floyd for wanting to find some form of ceasefire resolution unfortunately this is not the proper resolution what i would recommend is that you take it back withdraw it and rewrite it if you look at your first two lines you state that a resolution supporting peace and security for all in palestine and israel when in fact there is no palestine that already is a mistake in this resolution and it's similar in the second paragraph concerning to whereas the city council where it mentions palestine maybe hopefully someday in the future there will be a state of palestine but as it is written it is inappropriate and is out of order so i would recommend that you take it back withdraw it and rewrite it i would love to see a ceasefire i am jewish i am the son of holocaust survivors my parents have witnessed the worst my mom was in auschwitz and in robinsburg and survived my father was in labor camps and survived if they were here to witness what our city is doing they would approve a ceasefire but not the way it's written not the way it's written take it back talk to jewish leaders i know you spoke to a few leaders but you did not really seek out jewish community leaders of the city of saint pete and then seek out leaders of palestinians to really come together and find a more reasonable resolution because as it's written this resolution will only lead to more divisiveness in our community i applaud your attempt at this i would love to see this happen i would love to see this council give full approval to a ceasefire but not as it is written now i am against this resolution thank you jeremy tober he does not state what is his or guess no position at all uh the next two is megan tye and vince norwicky please step to either podium state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address council i guess i'll go i'll go first uh hey everyone my name is vince norwicky 200 first avenue north unit 2000 st piersburg florida 33701 so on october 7th you had hamas terrorists launch a terrorist attack that killed 1200 innocent people and i find it odd that in the resolution it doesn't include how 35 americans were killed and no one else has said that today 35 americans killed on october 7th and you had american hostages taken in gaza that we're not talking about and that no one seems to really care it's been long-standing american foreign policy you know that you don't really negotiate with terrorists now i think everybody that's spoken before me has been sympathized that innocent people are suffering uh but hamas is a terrorist organization and if this body wants to side with terrorists um you know that that's on them but you still have americans that are hostages and a resolution that will have zero effect on national policy is a real waste of time well if we're in favor of wasting time and passing resolutions that have zero effect why don't we do a resolution to close our southern border why don't we do a resolution to lower grocery costs why don't we do a resolution to lower mortgage rates why don't we do a resolution to lower the cost of insurance you know those are all things that actually affect residents in the city day in and day out way more than the conflict that is going on between hamas and the state of israel but yet the small minorities that make the loudest voices get the most time and so i think we have to remember the americans that were killed on october 7th the americans that are still held hostage a hundred days plus the conflict are still held hostage today i believe it's about six or so but none of us are uh foreign policy experts uh so i think it's funny that we're that we're even talking about this you know i live downtown and constantly see homeless people day in and day out um you know a lot of people mentioned other cities that have passed this resolution i don't think some of those cities are shining hills uh that we want to follow you know chicago san francisco a lot of people have moved here from those cities because of their bad policies so why are we passing a resolution that has zero effect um just because other cities have done the same thing why don't we talk about the americans that were killed why don't we talk about actual things that this body this dais can control instead of wasting time on again a resolution that has zero effect on national policy and i think it's been made pretty clear by the people that have control of the policy that they don't support a ceasefire because we still do give humanitarian aid thank you thank you megan ty she's four she's four and then it's ronnie eagle ronnie eagle okay next speakers and she's against nadee l shotter sakia i sai ali please approach either podium please state your name address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council i actually was not planning to speak today but after you can please state your name and address and city please sakina seali 24 12 old village way st petersburg um like i said i was not actually planning to speak today but after everything that i've heard i i don't even know where to begin but i would like to touch on what the last person said before me america does come first he spoke of american hostages that were taken and that were killed but he's not speaking of how many americans are suffering right now because there's no health care there's no we're struggling to pay our rent we have to work three dead-end jobs to even make anything neat because all that money is going to support israel every single year we send about 3.8 billion dollars to israel and we are trying to pass a bill right now 94 billion dollars to foreign aid to me that's not putting america first thank you nadee nadee is four next two speakers please next two speakers rabbi alter cough tristan johnson please approach either podium state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council alter cough rabbi cork is not here anymore what's his position um he didn't indicate a position okay good afternoon tristan johnson 3935 18th avenue south st peterburg florida 33711 i just wanted to start this by saying there will never be enough time to fathom the pain and suffering imposed on a people for over 75 years however today i urgently implore you to support the ceasefire movement of palestine the prolonged conflict has inflicted immeasurable suffering on innocent civilians with a heartbreaking toll of over 30 000 lives lost including 12 000 children a ceasefire is not merely a pause it is a crucial opportunity for diplomacy negotiations and delivery of essential humanitarian aid promoting peace and advocating for a ceasefire isn't about taking sides it's committing to a shared human values of compassion and empathy this is a call for solidarity urging the community tonight for a just and peaceful resolution of conflict together let's be the advocates for peace and work towards a world where the children of palestine can grow up without the consent excuse me without the constant threat of violence ceasefire is not the end of the gaza conflict rather it signifies the beginning of a long and arduous journey towards lasting peace this journey demands sustained commitment open dialogue and collective effort to address the root cause of the conflict thank you thank you next two speakers please next two speakers carl goodman benjamin gordon please approach either podium state your name address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council carl goodman i don't think carl's here anymore okay benjamin gordon next two speakers please carl is against benjamin is for rain fisher charlene baghdad please approach either podium state your name and address you'll have three minutes to address city council you can begin my name is charlene baghdad and my address is 36 55 66 north in saint petersburg i'm definitely not a public speaker but merely a simple nurse who's dedicated her whole life to helping and saving human lives it's been a heavy four months on us here in saint petersburg and worldwide we have laid witness to daily continued war crimes against innocent palestinians who have already endured decades of humiliation oppression and persecution at the hands of the indiscriminate israeli government under the guise of self-defense and we americans pay for it and supply the weapons my tax dollars and yours therefore we bear the responsibility to ensure we don't remain complicit in these continued massacres we place trust in our political leaders to convey the moral and ethical values that this country stands for and what our founding fathers intended yet it's been over a hundred days and counting along with nearly 30 000 innocent lives lost it is our duty collective collectively to honor and value human life every human life vital medical services that have collapsed in gaza due to indiscriminate attacks by israel have caused hundreds of patients to not be able to evacuate because it's too dangerous there's no ambulances left surgical capacity is almost non-existent and only a handful now of medical staff remain basic supplies as we've heard earlier such as gauze fat you know pads and so forth have run out other than the tragic and preventable loss of life innocent people are starving intentionally starving as we all know aid trucks are being blocked from entering gaza children continue to be irrevocably traumatized we shut down the world in three days for covid yet here we are 100 days later 61 of americans support a permanent ceasefire in gaza but only 11 of congress has called for a ceasefire for those of us who know and understand the conflict know that this is not muslims against jews for hundreds of years jews muslims christians along with other faiths and ideologies lived side by side in the region without the atrocities we are witnessing today since the establishment of the zionistic ideologies israel has been founded on their ideologies thwart the fundamental teachings of judaism christianity and islam whereby making way for them to dehumanize dehumanize the palestinians and segregate the populace with propaganda and hate through their inhumane tactics tactics as albert einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results my name is rain fisher i reside on 39 35 18th avenue south saint petersburg florida 33711 i'm here as a fellow member of the community in support of the ceasefire i moved down here in search of the search of and found a community that stood on diversity and inclusion of so many cultures backgrounds and interest from good friday that we all love and going on the beach doing kayak and water sports it's a shame that we must even debate the protection of civilians against the u.s funded genocide not war that israel is committing against the people of palestine palestinians are human no matter how much propaganda the media the u.s government and the people here and all over the medias against the ceasefire used to dehumanize the palestinian people a 12 year old little girl siedra and i apologize that's miss crown was hung up on a wall and shreds by israeli soldiers this last week a ceasefire would prevent this from happening again i'm in support for a sea fire which would allow human humanitarian aid to the access of the people in palestine who have been eating grass and moldy food to stay alive and women who have been using tents as sanitary items this is shameful we have the chance to take a step towards peace for the people of palestine with the ceasefire resolution i would like to thank council member richie floyd for standing on the right side of history and using his platform in the correct way thank you for your time thank you just to um update you we are going to break um for dinner at about 6 15 but we have 17 more speakers so do the math 17 times three okay you just kind of want to give you a heads up next two speakers please next two speakers omar l high ward and darla olstein son please approach either podium please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council good evening council members and community at large excuse me state your name and address in the city please my name is omar al hawari and i live in tampa i'm here today with the council on american islamic relations florida chapter an organization committed to serving florida for over 22 years with a strong history of combating islamophobia and its anti-semitism and other forms of bigotry while empowering and advocate and empowering and advocating for our muslim community and other minorities we have worked relentlessly with the councilman richie floyd in presenting this historic resolution a first of its kind in florida we earnestly hope for its passage with ours with your support i stand before you today compelled to speak out against injustice because it is our duty as human beings to stand up against injustice when we see it over the past four months the israeli military funded by our tax dollars billions of dollars has unleashed continuous bombardment resulting in the loss of nearly 30 000 lives including 12 000 children and yes you heard that right 12 000 children gone forever additionally almost two million people have displaced have been displaced in gaza starving and alone now 1.5 million palestinians have been forced into a small town called refah comparable in size to downtown sampi with the looming threat of a ground invasion by the israeli army can you imagine the anguish of watching your family suffer your children starving to death with nowhere to go or escape while our community is facing a 400 percent horrific surge in islamophobia we must also acknowledge the alarming rise in anti-semitism our jewish brothers and sisters are facing here locally and globally we are urging you to support us congress house resolution 786 calling for an immediate ceasefire unrestricted humanitarian aid access to gaza and the result and the result and there is resortation of essential services like water electricity and medical supplies and it's important to note that the united nations international court of justice has deemed israel israelis actions as a plausible genocide today's resolution which calls for a permanent ceasefire is a crucial step towards fostering an inclusive community thank you manny ramirez once you enter into the meeting space please state your name address and city you'll have three minutes i'm sorry one second manny you are standing there my apology it's okay um that's okay my name is darla austinson um 2920 15th avenue south st petersburg um 33712 um i did not know that i was going to be here on the day that we were going to be talking about the ceasefire um i do support it that isn't why i'm here um so this is a break from the the topic um i'm actually here to talk about um saint petersburg city code well actually you can because we're having public comment on the um the g5 right now interesting okay so so i was announced incorrectly then uh i was actually supposed to be part of the open forum open forum sorry okay thank you yep thank you no well like i said i do support the ceasefire so yeah if you could just see patty and she'll she'll get you scheduled correctly if you want to stay until open forum okay thank you okay back to zoom can we please count the next speaker on zoom please yes madam chair madam ramirez once you enter to the meeting space please state your name address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council yes hello my name is manny ramirez address 13404 pine lake way tampa i want to say that i celebrate council member richie floyd for introducing this resolution in which i'm full support of of the ceasefire resolution what we have in gaza is the fact that israel is indiscriminately bombarding uh a city of over two million people one of the most densely populated cities in the world a city in which they've walled off in which several human rights organizations have deemed an open-air prison for years uh a city in which israel has blockaded for years right we need to continue to emphasize the fact that all of this did not begin on october 7th right and if we are to take a correct stand in supporting peace and supporting humanity that means calling for a ceasefire and if we do not support a ceasefire then my question to all of us to consider is what is it that exactly that we are supporting so please i call on all the council members to please vote yes on this resolution thank you so much ashley once you enter to the meeting space please unmute yourself state your name address in city you'll have three minutes to address city council ashley you there hi yes i am here please state your name hi good afternoon my name is ashley rodriguez 7152 hamilton boulevard tampa florida 33615 first of all i would like to thank council member floyd i speak before you guys today to address a pressure a pressing issue that requires our immediate attention and action the ongoing conflict in gaza has resulted in immense suffering and loss of innocent lives it is time for us to come together as a global community and call for an immediate ceasefire the violence and destruction witnessed in gaza are heart-wrenching families have been torn apart homes reduced to rubble and essential infrastructure decimated the impact on the lives of ordinary people is immeasurable children who should be enjoying their childhood are living in constant fear and trauma it is our collective responsibility to advocate for peace and the protection of human rights we must demand an immediate end to the hostilities and establishment of a lasting ceasefire the cycle of violence must be broken and dialogue should prevail as means to resolve conflicts we call upon all parties involved to demonstrate restraint and work towards a peaceful resolution it is crucial that humanitarian aid reaches the affected areas without hindrance ensuring that essential supplies such as food medical assistance and shelter are provided to those in need let us remember that every life lost is a tragedy regardless of nationality or religion we must strive for a world where conflicts are resolved through dialogue understanding and respect for human dignity only then can we ensure a brighter future for the people of gaza and the entire region in conclusion i implore each and every each and every one of you to join hands in calling for an immediate ceasefire in gaza together let us raise our voices to advocate for peace justice and the protection of human rights it is through our collective efforts that we can make a difference and bring an end to the suffering in gaza free palestine thank you thank you next two speakers roger butterfield and william kelgor please go to either podium state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address council thank you my name is roger ezra butterfield my address is 652nd avenue south st petersburg florida 33705 council members i want to be clear a ceasefire is the most straightforward method of enforcing the world court's order to prevent genocide it is the most sound method for preventing escalation into a broader regional war it does not preclude long-standing diplomatic methods to the release of hostages such as prisoner exchanges it does not demand defenselessness only negotiation to achieve a meaningful solution it is the path to the positive peace that american political philosopher and activist martin luther king described as not merely the absence of surface level tension but the presence of justice resonating through the whole of society the council's actions here can sound inconsequential but in 1985 st pete city council worked to divest over 13 million dollars in pension funds with ties to the south african apartheid regime resolution co-sponsor and reverend jw kate compared to building a brick wall that a few bricks aren't going to do much but if you put together enough together you've got a pretty strong wall that brick wall a state and local action eventually culminated in federal action via the 1986 comprehensive anti-apartheid act which bypassed reagan's veto to impose significant economic sanctions on apartheid south africa and within several years the regime was broken mandela and other leaders were freed and racial equality before the law won the day in south africa today's resolution requires less sacrifice and commitment but is no less urgent than the action that the council took 40 years prior another path forward is possible beyond the atrocities humanity can achieve a lasting peace in historic palestine a long-term political solution that uplifts the well-being of all and enables human flourishing across ethnic religious and national lines it is high time to work toward the integration of the palestinians into a secular bi-national democracy where all citizens enjoy equality before the law arabs and jews living side by side on equal footing is not the fullest room of naive idealists in fact it was the social reality of the levant for many years prior to the creation of the state of israel and the nakba that expelled palestinians from their homeland the task of rebuilding this peaceful interfaith and inter-ethnic fraternity in the levant in the modern world is an arduous one but the demands of justice and of conscience require no less than that we fight for it it requires that we remain loyal to core values not of national affinity or adherence to a party line but rather to love for humanity and faith in the possibility of peace in our lifetimes to quote the most influential palestinian jew to ever live blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of god council members stand on the right side of history let gaza live vote yes for a ceasefire hi thank you chair um william kilgore uh 25 50 28th avenue north and i'm an organizer with the saint pete tenants union um i i just wanted to start with a uh quote by uh from coretta scott king uh freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience i don't believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others um and i was thinking about that that first meeting way back in october after that other resolution was passed that really warmongering resolution you know you think about what's happening uh you know to the palestinian people and this apartheid and and what they're what they're dealing with and it's it's you know it's not like a you know it's oh well we have to just take the line that you know we're going to go along with the u.s war machine and this is you know because this is what's most politically convenient in the moment and you know what it's not the right thing um you know uh i i want to thank yeah councilmember floyd i mean this is really important he's been saying this from the very beginning and he was he resisted that um a first resolution that they came about and he's been tried and true for all that and we would appreciate your representation um you know i think i'm not an expert on the thing but you know i think about people i think about oppressed people all the time in our city you know that's the kind of work we do you know you think about 30 000 people palestinians innocent people indiscriminately slaughtered you know i grew up in north pinellis it's about about the size of tarpon springs actually a little bit bigger population wise that would that would be you know imagine if in four months the population of tarpon springs was wiped out eviscerated vaporized you know there's there's names there's faces there's people there's beauty and all of that that's just being wiped out uh and destroyed and it's you know i think for us here domestically why does this matter to us well because you know we see what's happening in our communities we're getting displaced we're having all these other issues and then the our government's funneling money over to fight wars and to commit genocide and so yeah we are outraged and i do i stand with the palestinian people i stand with the palestinian community here locally and abroad i stand with all oppressed people across the world uh you know because it's the right thing to do and we have to fight together this is the same fight this is about oppression and and being oppressed and uh you know i just want to add that the innovation district you know has all this defense tech and all this other uh enterprise that we're bringing into the city you know it's a defense tech hub you know so the same companies that are you know profiting off of this war and everything that's going on are operating right here in st pete it's shameful um and please vote yes today thank you next next two speakers is riman al najjar and matthew levine please go to either podium state your name and address in city we'll have three minutes to address council good afternoon my name is riman al najjar and my address is 5703 18th way south here in st petersburg i'm a nurse in the neonatal icu here in downtown st pete and my job revolves primarily around taking care of the most vulnerable population in our community newborn babies and premature infants in october i worked on halloween my co-workers and i dressed up as the toy story characters and we put all of our babies in cute little costumes and waited for parents to come take photos of their children i'm sure none of those parents wanted to be there but i hope that our work can help them look in hindsight and see that their stay in the hospital was somewhat positive and they can see the amount of healing hands that it took to care for their baby i remember smiling on the outside and being cheerful with my co-workers and being absolutely crushed and broken on the inside during my lunch break i scrolled through my phone to see countless images of babies children journalists doctors and fellow nurses have their lives crumble before their eyes and the eyes of the rest of the world as we complicitly watch in november in al nasr hospital israeli airstrikes cut off all the facilities power and oxygen supply and tanks surrounded the medical compound medical staff had to evacuate all of their patients but some patients were left behind at the mercy of the idf specifically for nicu babies these babies were later found dead and decomposed in their beds exactly where they were abandoned in january while we all talked about new beginnings and we watched the fireworks from the hospital window in downtown death toll in gaza hit over 21 000 innocent lives the kids in gaza couldn't talk about a new beginning because they never got a proper ending again while we were celebrating they were being showered with bombs at al-shifa hospital babies had to be taken out of their incubators which they are vulnerable to and dependent on for life one woman in gaza had to give birth inside of the hospital with medical staff doctors and nurses inside the same room unable to help her because if they moved israeli snipers would target and kill them babies currently have no diapers and mothers are too stressed to produce breast milk mothers are having to cut tents from refugee tents as diapers for their babies every night i go to work and i hold a baby and i think what is the difference i ask myself this every single 12-hour shift and i encourage you all to please support the ceasefire and i thank you all for your time thank you hi my name is matt levine i'm from tampa i'm here representing the progressive jewish coalition of central florida um i find it pretty incredible what some of the other people who say they're jewish got up here and said today i mean it's incredible that you can even fit so many lies into three minutes but some of these people uh about what they said happened on october 7th they apparently do not read israeli newspapers such as haaretz and yeti yet aranov or however you pronounce that because they have debunked all of these disgusting racist lies already and uh i mean these people apparently you know they don't know the meaning of tikkun olam to repair the world but uh you know i just want to say that richie did consult with jewish people in writing this resolution he consulted with jewish people who have some basic humanity recognize what the entire world is already recognized such as the international court of justice not only them but the northern district court of california judge jeffrey white there's a lawsuit by the center for constitutional rights suing president biden on behalf of palestinians for failing to prevent genocide and jeffrey white in his decision said that there's indisputable evidence that israel is trying to destroy an entire race of people and he unfortunately dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds but he said that it's the duty of every american to do everything that we can to stop this to stop the horror that's happening right now so again if i didn't say thank you to richie floyd i want to say thank you for introducing this ceasefire resolution can't urge the rest of you strongly enough to vote for it we know over 30 000 people have died already 100 000 people are dead injured or missing that's five percent of the entire population of the gaza strip we can go on and on about the horrors i hope that you all watch al jazeera and not just cnn so that you can see the the incredible horrors that are happening every single day so please get on the right side of history our federal government won't do anything about it about 50 other cities already have so please join them thank you we have um approximately 10 more speakers we will be breaking at 6 30 for 30 minutes so i just want to give you an heads up as to what we're looking for in regards to time next two speakers please the next two speakers is kelsey powell and michael eagle please go to either podium state your name and address in the city we'll have three minutes to address council good evening at first i want to uh thank all of you for your service to our community excuse me sir state your name i'm sorry michael eagle 491st avenue south um i'd say it twice thank you for your service to our community even when i don't agree with you i still am thankful for the service that you provide you're passionate about our great city i'm here to oppose with passion i've had a chance i should say first also i've had a chance to review chair fix saunders proposed resolution and i would support that with an important caveat um i believe in and i believe that this change would not impact your your the core purpose which is a call for peace and diplomacy um the removal of the reference to the ceasefire i would support yours um we're standing just a few blocks away from one of the premier holocaust museums in the united states that i'm the board chair of it's now going to become a world destination as the home to ellie wiesel's personal archive and as the board chair and as as many of you know i'm the grandson of holocaust survivors survivors of actual genocide based on the definition of the word i sometimes have to do hard and emotional things today's one of those days because i'm standing here to call out antisemitism from some members of our city council regardless of intent the good news is that it's not too late to fix it in september when i spoke in favor of the proposed ira resolution thanks to councilmember driscoll it was not without conflict and that day included some antisemitism after october 7th i came here to support councilmember montanari's resolution in support of israel's democratic status and its right to defend itself on that day there was more conflict more antisemitism including an attempt at a moral equivalency between the actions of israel and hamas's barbarism on october 7th when i see antisemitism anywhere especially in the city i call home and where the museum resides i'll speak loudly in honor and memory of the victims and the survivors of the holocaust and the non-jews who also stood up for them the council adopted the ira definition of antisemitism a definition adopted by over 30 countries including the u.s and also several states and municipalities it permits criticism of israel similar to that leveled against any other country that's appropriate candidly i don't know a jewish person here or abroad who doesn't criticize at least some actions of the government of israel just like in america by the way because they're both democracies you're allowed to do that here and there i'm an american i'm jewish i criticize the actions of both when i think it's appropriate but the ira definition notably holds is states that holding israel to a different standard is explicitly listed as an example of antisemitism it was mentioned here that there was a resolution on ukraine that's right and it refers to and i quote an unprovoked military invasion of ukraine quote the people of ukraine are now engaged in an armed conflict to defend their independence and democratic way of life switch israel with ukraine and you have the same thing but to my knowledge no member of this council ever requested a resolution for ukrainian ceasefire which would allow the russians to continue their invasion so please oppose thank you next two speakers kelsey powell please state your name and address in city you'll have three minutes to address council kelsey powell 22 24 15th avenue north i'm here with progressive people's action i am speaking today to ask city council to please stand against genocide on the right side of history by voting yes in support of a ceasefire real quick i noticed that all of the people speaking in support of israel spoke about the current intensification of the genocide as if it was something that just started on october 7th spontaneously blatantly choosing to ignore the horrific conditions that israel has faced palestin israel has forced palestinians to live under for decades such as the almost 200 military checkpoints in gaza and the restrictions on access to basic medical supplies and food like salt and flour i have intensely tried to find evidence of the many claims that were made in this room today um like the claims of sexual assault and beheading of babies um i have not been able to find anything over the last four months and i encourage you all to do your own research because those things have been debunked um believing that palestinian people have the right to resist occupation and live in peace is not anti-semitism there are jewish organizations all across the country who are standing against the genocide being committed by israel and there are jewish activists who staged a sit-in on capitol hill in october to call for an immediate ceasefire it's important that we stand up for our palestinian community members and all of our community members who are negatively affected by islamophobia city council's voice here does matter and you have a chance to use that voice to take a stand against the slaughter of 30 000 civilians in four months and the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of palestinians thank you for your time next two speakers is luan i think luan and that again luan v u last name and the next person is last name is mola m-o-l-l-a it's lana vu you state your name and address for the record uh and also the city you'll have three minutes to address council uh lana vu 69 51 72nd up north pinellas park three three six um eight one or something like that um you cannot pray for peace while wishing for the mass slaughtering of palestinians to continue there is a little poster out there that says anti-violence pro-community and you cannot refuse an end to the indiscriminate bombing of tens of thousands of palestinian civilians a ceasefire that this community is begging for and claim to be against violence and for community silence in the midst of a genocide is violence it condones the normalization of war crimes committed by the settler colonial state of israel as it bonds everything from homes to hospitals and mothers and fathers while the palestinians in gaza are being forcibly starved to death and resorting to eating grass to satiate their hunger and drinking contaminated disease-ridden water zionist squatters are camping out in front of aid trucks protesting the entering of humanitarian aid that palestinians have needed for years because they are trying to survive in a concentration camp that the zionist occupation decides to hit with the bombing campaign every couple years not to mention the occupied west bank where the occupation allows squatters to attack palestinians in their homes and on their native lands for no other reason than hatred and racism zionist occupation soldiers are on social media posting videos of them doing tick tock dances and torturing hostages all the while palestinian men women children nurses doctors and journalists are being massacred does this sound like the most moral army in the world to you your voice here does matter you are elected representatives so represent us i'd rather not celebrate council member richie floyd for doing the absolute bare minimum by calling for a ceasefire but i am still strongly urging the rest of the council to do the same thank you thank you thank you next speaker last name was mola right state your name and address and code in the city please hi everyone my name is yordanos mola i live at 2000 guinea boulevard north st piersburg florida 33702 and i'm here to share my support for the ceasefire resolution brought by council member richie floyd council member brandy gabbard i live in your district and i have left voicemails to your office so i'm urging you to listen to your voters gaza is a dense area facing hundreds of bombs it is smaller than the tampa bay area with a population larger than almost every city in the united states the loss of life in gaza is an absolute tragedy and cannot continue over 30 000 people have been killed 12 000 of which are children buildings have also been destroyed such as multiple mosques schools and hospitals which are essential for well-being of human life so many hospitals have been destroyed that doctors are having to do surgery without anesthesia israeli leaders have made it clear that their intent is the destruction of all palestinian life in gaza when the leaders of israel such as prime minister benjamin netanyahu refer to people in gaza as human animals and say that they must be destroyed we are hearing statements of genocidal intent when they say they want to remove all palestinians and control all of gaza and the west bank they are advocating for ethnic cleansing israeli snipers have already been proven to shoot civilians waving white flags and shooting at ambulances that are trying to save lives so it is clear that israel's claim of doing everything they can to minimize the civilian deaths is false and as elected representatives in saint pete you have the ability to influence our representatives in the federal government to stand with their local citizens and your choices have global impacts since a lot of non-african people opposing the resolution have mentioned why for example ethiopia or why not doing a resolution for ethiopia as well i an actual ethiopian want to show how israel is unique because of its direct link to the us our congress voted last year 14 billion dollars to israel and is considering an additional 17 billion dollars that is being used for bombs to kill more palestinians what israel does has a direct impact on us amnesty international reported that local police from orlando and other areas are getting trained by the israeli police and then come back to use the attack use those same tactics against us specifically black people that were cited as human rights violations as a black person i understand how the violence against palestinians go hand in hand with the violence that black people face here in the united states the city of saint betesburg funded the black lives matter mural and it's time that the city lives up to its values and listen to black people like me in favor for a ceasefire thank you to council member richie floyd for standing on the right side of history it takes a lot of courage to stand for what is right and we appreciate you for proposing this resolution we hope that the council joins in supporting you as they have a responsibility to listen to our constituents and also i just want to add that the person who spoke a few people before me saying that the holocaust was the only actual genocide was incredibly disrespectful and false as multiple human rights lawyers say otherwise we demand that the council support the call for a ceasefire thank you let's go ahead and do the um last two cards marty marks and chase harold please go to either podium state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address council good evening council my name is chase harrell uh 633 7th avenue north st petersburg florida thank you for your patience tonight it's much appreciated i'm tired council i'm 25 and i'm tired how many genocides and economic disasters have i experienced in my short 25 years i don't know i've stopped counting i'm 25 and i'm tired because i've spent my entire adult life working dead-end jobs that pay the bare minimum all my wages pay for horrible actions abroad that do nothing but enrich a select few i've cried myself to sleep thinking about that helplessness and horror that has been never ending for the men women and children and animals of gaza let's not be ignorant to the fact that the success of capitalism is built on the suffering of the global south that these events have not only picked up in my lifetime i am 25 30k in the hole for a college degree that has never gotten me a job and many generations i'm sorry and many of my generation are very unlikely to ever own a home all my hard work has ever done is all my hard work has done nothing to help my own people and is used to degrade the lives of so many non-white people abroad i have no autonomy in this country except right here begging my elected representatives to represent us what kind of world have we built this country's a joke we stand in an empire built by blood suffering in the labor of the masses how many people come up here and blame this war on hamas when israel has been committing war crimes since they were placed in another people's land and we call these people terrorists for fighting an occupying power that's been placed in their home by the white cap of this empire how many of you would not take up arms if your family had been murdered a common theme in your society and we act surprised when palestinians fight back terrorists are only made by acts of terror acts of terror committed by israel it is disgusting to ignore their atrocities and condemn others for fighting back because they're brown because they're muslim because they're poor because they don't fit western standards the call to keep this war going is nothing but bigotry heartlessness and ignorant hate fueled by propaganda that has been pervasive in our society since inception the quickest way to peace is not to continue bombing we're here today to ask city council to commit to this ceasefire to show the world where we stand so that others may stand with us it may not do much but this resolution is an opportunity for our city to take a step to begin building a better world the next 25 years of my life i can look back and be proud of the country and the people that i'm surrounded by thank you so we have oh thank you for your patience we have how many on zoom okay thank you hi my name is mary marks i'm from wesley chapel florida 33545 and i'm also with care florida i'm the policy manager um someone mentioned um that there wasn't a foreign policy expert in the room well i am in fact a foreign policy expert and an international human rights expert so i feel compelled to set aside my remarks that i had prepared for today um to address some of the bold-faced um inaccuracies and lies that were shared today that have dehumanized every palestinian american who resides in saint petersburg and florida i'd like to start with saying that the plan for the creation of the modern state of israel began in 1897 with hurtzel who i quote said i am going to prepare and plan a home for the european jews in the land of palestine so how can it not exist if it was in 1897 declared the land of palestine and again in 1917 when the balfour declaration was created and signed that also established a jewish homeland in the land of palestine that is a quote from the balfour declaration so um our palestinian friends do in fact exist as do their families and the land that they live upon um i would like to continue and share with you i have also hundreds of stories of murdered maimed kidnapped um human beings human beings who are no longer with us because of an occupying force and people who want to be free are in the way so why are we here why does this matter for saint petersburg why should you care because there are arab americans muslim americans living in your state in your city who need you to care about them and their families who are being decimated as we speak this resolution tells your arab american muslim and palestinian neighbors here in florida that you believe in life dignity and justice for all that you will fight for these constituents and neighbors as strongly as you fight for every other individual the highest court on the planet and a federal court in oakland have both found israel plausibly guilty of genocide and yet they have not stopped the bare minimum is to say that we do not want our taxpayer dollars to continue funding this genocide which does fit the international definition we um we are at the 6 30 hour some have been here since nine o'clock this morning um so we're going to if you will indulge us or if my colleagues want to take the last few calls or if you want to break because we still have an agenda we're not done we haven't done public hearing yet either so and we still have to have um conversation on that so uh we were going to take lunch at 6 30 um and unless you're you're commenting on lunch councilmember muhammad we will resume back at 7 p.m unless anyone else anyone else want to say okay we'll be back at 7 p.m we'll recess i'm going to call back the uh city council meeting back to order and i know we left off with um caller still on zoom yes can we go ahead and have those two speakers and collins once you enter to the meeting space please state your name and address for the record you'll have three minutes to address city council cheyenne hello can you hear me yes we can beautiful my name is cheyenne collins my address is 60 16 lynn lake drive south st petersburg uh 33712 um i would like to thank council member richie floyd for standing on the right side of history because this resolution and the support of it is standing on the right side of history the right side of history may not always prevail first but oh does it prevail in time we will look back on those who stayed silent during a genocide we will look back on those that defended a genocide we will look back on those who committed genocide so what will we see when we look back at you you who sit in leather chairs on raised platforms you who live in our cities and on our streets you who walk among us each and every day what will we remember to vote against this resolution is to be on the wrong side of history for anyone who needs a reminder on how that looks just think about the first word that comes to mind when i say nazi do you picture something positive the right side of history does not there is no glory and cowardice and obsession to pass a pass a resolution in favor of israel and vote against one for a ceasefire is to plant yourself firmly within the wrong side of history and as stated before we will remember that at this point it's embarrassing to watch people repeatedly spout debunk propaganda the cognitive dissonance that one must have to believe the lies and misinformation about palestine is unfathomable either it's that or it's because we're hearing from some of the same people who don't know how to reset their own wi-fi router i say again that i thank richie floyd for standing on the right side of history and i support this resolution dylan dames once you enter to the meeting space please unmute yourself state your name and disappear dana saliham once you enter to the meeting space please unmute yourself state your name and address for the record you'll have three minutes to address in city council hi can you hear me yes we can hi my name is dana salami i am um at 1223 23rd street east in parish florida actually um i am a palestinian american um my dad was displaced in 1948 when he was six years old and he his father decided to go to the other side of palestine to the west bank um he was always telling me that if his father decided to go left he would have been in gaza and at this point if my father was residing in gaza i would be shredded to pieces or maybe maybe living in a tent um fortunately i'm not for that reason i support a ceasefire resolution and i hope that you guys to do that thank you okay ashlyn langford once you're into the meeting space please state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address city council ashlyn hi can y'all hear me yes we can okay uh my name is ashlyn langford 833 12th avenue north um i would just like to read some statements from israeli government officials because i think they speak for themselves um prime minister benjamin netanyahu netanyahu said we will turn gaza into an island of ruins he also said this is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness um president israel isaac herzog oh sorry president of israel isaac herzog said there are no innocent civilians in gaza it's an entire nation out there that's responsible um minister of defense yoav gallant said that gaza won't return to what it was before we will eliminate everything um israel's public diplomacy minister said erase all of gaza from the face of the earth the gaza monsters will fly to the southern fence and try to enter egyptian territory or they will die and their death will be evil gaza should be erased israeli parliament member ben ari said the children of gaza have brought this upon themselves minister of national security ben guvir said to be clear when we say that hamas should be destroyed it also means those who celebrate those who support and those who hand out candy they're all terrorists and they should also be destroyed he also said we cannot have women and children getting close to the border anyone who gets near must get a bullet in his head parliament member from netanyahu's um liku party said um all gazans need to be destroyed deputy speaker of the kineset i don't know how to say that kineset um his name is nassim baturi he said now we all have one common goal erasing the gaza strip from the face of the earth those who are unable to will be replaced he also said gaza and its people must be burned i have no pity for them a minister of heritage said israel should find ways more painful than death for the palestinians he also said the north of the gaza strip is more beautiful than ever everything is blown up and flattened simply a pleasure for the eyes um israel army reservist major general um geora island said israel needs to create a humanitarian crisis in gaza compelling tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in egypt or the gulf gaza will become a place where no human being can exist um israel ambassador to the uk said that there was no solution other than leveling every school every mosque every second house in gaza um head of the lavat haherman regional council said i'm advocating for total annihilation i'm in favor of completely flattening gaza um retired major general of the israel army yadat ahranat said the international community warns us of a humanitarian disaster in gaza and of severe epidemic actually thank you the last caller speaker dylan games once you enter to the meeting space please state your name city and address you'll have three minutes to address city council hi council my name is dylan dames i live at 1201 dr martin luther king jr street north i'm here today in support of peace and security for all in palestine and israel peace and security for those affected in the conflict now globally recognized and as an extended attack on palestinian life this step supports united states congress house resolution 786 and joins other cities in calling on our united states congress to demand the following of all parties an immediate bilateral ceasefire release of all kept in captivity including hostages but not limited to the generational breadth of palestinian prisoners the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into gaza the restoration of food water electricity and medical supplies to gaza the respect for international law the protection and security of all innocent civilians and an active step toward a solution to this crisis i've been in these chambers not just to challenge the city but also to recognize the ways in which it leads florida in progressive policy creative leadership and a commitment to inclusivity even if just in celebration here's your chance to join detroit oakland bridgeport atlanta chicago and dozens of other cities and leading the country itself in progressive policy the people are progressing towards peace care for all aid for all the the resolution itself cites a majority of u.s citizens supporting a bilateral ceasefire this is because we know better this time the average citizen has too much access too many colleagues too many community connections to nazi violence for what it is we do not live in the echo chambers our ancestors lived in and neither do you we know brighter versions of the truth now more than ever and so do you what kind of city will we be the mass destruction of and loss of life in gaza cannot continue i'm from a small spaced out island y'all hurricanes can totally ravage this place without taking any human casualties to then be asked to imagine an aerial onslaught and continued dilapidation in tampa more densely packed that terrifies me to move further and be asked to imagine an area even smaller with hundreds of thousands of people is a nightmare it's a hellscape israeli officials have made clear their plans for gaza destruction and removal st petersburg has made clear its benefits its beliefs about government open quote we aim to create safer and healthier environments by investing in communities most impacted by poverty and equity and crime improving availability and accessibility to wholesome foods health care and social services while reducing crime gun violence and fear will provide more secure neighborhoods where our citizens will have the opportunity to thrive close quote this was taken from the city's pillars for progress statement on neighborhood safety if you believe this for all people and not just st pete residents you have an opportunity to demonstrate that today council member floyd has demonstrated what will decorate his term in elected office we applaud his bravery and in the same breath standardize it and invite the rest of council into the same practices of mercy and justice enough is enough thanks for your time thank you so we are at this point where we've had public comment um it's been presented and i before we go into discussion i want to again offer a subsequent resolution as i listened to all of the speakers um and the council members did receive this resolution i'm not going to be very verbose about it but i want us to understand that we've heard everything that was said and one of the things that really stuck out to me was if we wanted to demonstrate life dignity peace and security for all then you can't say for all and specify a particular set of people so uh council member floyd um i know earlier you know you were a little frustrated because of how long things were going and i don't want you to be um i have always shared with you my acknowledgement of the youth and your passion and what it is that you're trying to do so there's nothing for you to um apologize for or whatever the case may be because this is your passion this is your drive this is your heart and so i join everyone else in applauding you for this but i still myself um with some of the wording i i wanted to re-offer this resolution that incorporates everyone to include those in israel and palestine um for your consideration if not we will continue for with your resolution so i am putting that on the table for your consideration if that's the will of the body to go with your resolution i that's fine um you know there's been a lot of discussion about mine and i wanted us to keep have a have it out and be able to discuss it um but uh if you if it's up to y'all really i mean what the majority wants okay council member muhammad okay i wasn't ready for that thought before i give any remarks what i'd like to do is um bring sister um mirella back to the podium and and and i know i and i want to not have her say anything but i want to honor her request to give the balance of her time to those who lost their lives okay but she had about 12 seconds left in her time and the clock was ticking and then she was interrupted in the end of her time and when she was interrupted it was about seven seconds left on the clock as well so the balance of the time that she gave had not expired her time hadn't expired once you the rules also provide that once you've left the podium you cannot come back up even if you had extra time left and if to the extent that there was any issue related to this at the time it should have been brought up at the time okay once she's left the podium her comment time is over but what i would like to do is use 12 seconds of my time to give a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives during this war thank you and also uh when i'm introduced and when i talk to people in the community i introduce myself as brother john and that's how most people know me and when i say brother john people ask me what does that mean or as am i a part of a church or am i a pastor and what it is is this is an acknowledgement of my membership in the human family and my role in the human family and it is our humanity that is the foundation of all our identity so i applaud councilmember floyd's remarks your consideration and the courage that you that it was required to to bring this forward i unite with the sentiment and intent that you expressed when you introduced this resolution i think it is an active demonstration of you imploring this body to truly listen to the voices that are different from our own i also unite with the call to support peace and security for all and i was prepared to make a motion to second your motion um to pass and approve this resolution but hearing that we have an another resolution on the floor that we are discussing i will hold off on making the second to decide to hear from my colleagues on the way that you like to go hearing what you how you responded to councilman big sanders that's it madam chair thank you councilmember hanowitz thank you uh sharing and to your request i would um be happy to support it if you would uh consider in the last whereas pause i think it's just cleaner safe for a diplomatic approach has a crucial step towards peace anywhere there is unrest and if if you would do that for a diplomatic approach um take out to support ceasefires because that would be included anyhow and legally i think this diploma diplomacy includes every option so for a diplomatic approach as a crucial step towards peace anywhere there is unrest i think i would be happy to support that if you would do that and i would make a motion a motion to substitute um your resolution if you would do that you actually don't i'm sorry to interrupt you don't need a uh substitute motion at this point okay that's right on the floor that's right that's right so so it would just be a new motion yes so i would be happy to make a new motion if you would say if you would consider that madam chair you would with that change i would be happy to support um the resolution brought forward by uh sheriff fig sanders uh supporting global peace and security for all second okay council i'm sorry you finish yes i am okay thank you council member driscoll thank you so just to level set um we had the original resolution that had a motion then this entirely new resolution seems to have been offered as a friendly amendment no since there was no second to the original motion that motion is not on the floor it's not pending before you so there can be a new motion now it's not truly in the nature of a substitute that there would be a substitute motion if there was a original motion in second since there's not a so without this second then this is a new motion on council member nothing needs to be done to no there's nothing needed to disclose of the initial motion because it didn't get a second uh so the motion on the floor now would be a new motion related to council member fig sanders resolution with the amendment um indicated by council member hannowitz okay so um with that phrase being deleted as far as um supporting ceasefires and it will now read for a diplomatic approach as a crucial step toward peace anywhere there is unrest is that correct okay um that was really the only part that i had a problem with so i'll support this thank you council member montaneri thank you i'd like to start by thanking everybody that came out and spoke tonight and also everybody that sent an email in uh as uh council member floyd mentioned at the at the outset we received a lot of emails uh i haven't been able to keep up and respond to all of them but i plan on doing that tomorrow i appreciate the thought in offering this substitute resolution but i can't support it i don't want to see any daylight between my staunch support of the people of israel after the october 7th attack and i want to make clear that this city council has have has taken decisive and clear action in support of the state of israel after they were attacked by the hamas terrorist organization um i'm also thankful that we we took the action that we did on september the 14th in in defining what anti-semitism is and the resolution that council member floyd put forward uh in my opinion went into the definition of that of anti-semitism and that can't be tolerated i'm also proud that we took the action that we did on october the 12th to stand firmly with israel and against hamas and the city council took the lead on that our county partners did the same thing the state level at the state level they did the same thing and at the federal level they did they they uh took action in the back material uh and there was some reference today on uh house uh resolution 786 which didn't go anywhere in the house it was referred to the committee of on foreign foreign affairs there was a resolution uh house resolution 771 that was the most co-sponsored legislation to ever be be foot be put in front of the house of representatives it had over 425 bipartisan co-sponsors the united states congress took a very strong view and strong support of the state of israel and condemned the attacks on october the 7th by hamas so i'm i'm proud of where the city council is and i don't want to muddy the waters with with this resolution and i can it will continue to be a strong supporter for the state of israel as long as i'm in office thank you councilmember floyd thank you um i'm just going to say without the inclusion of the words ceasefire i can't support your resolution um it i uh am here to explicitly call for an end to violence and that's why i did it and without that i but i i do appreciate it and what you wrote before i was all ready for thank you also moved to school so it's no wonder that our discussion is is complicated because this issue is complicated what do you expect you know um and council chair fig sanders i do appreciate the time that you put in um to offer an alternative that um with that change really allows us to embrace everyone and this goes beyond um the specific situation that we've been talking about i'm i'm i'm i have read this so many times that is the only phrase that i uh felt i had a challenge with the rest of it really um supports supports peace and supports the the things that i think we stand for and as strong as my support is for the jewish community and for israel in their fight against hamas i read this and i don't see anything that goes against that and so i am confident that i can do both and so i will um just restate that i i support this and i appreciate the work that's been done here thank you council member muhammad thank you madam chair i too have heard the the calls and you know seen the emails and i appreciate the effort with this resolution that's been proposed but without the explicit call to stop the violence and using ceasefires as a crucial step towards peace uh without that i would not be able to support it thank you councilmember hanowitz thank you chair and i'm gonna repeat what's already been said i think you um what you did was try to bring an issue where we can all stand behind it because how could you not stand for global peace and take out all the other issues that were causing problems in this room and i i appreciate what you did and um the fact that you take out the words to support ceasefire does not change the meaning of that sentence it just does not and you know that language is the issue we're here for so implicitly if we're here for this issue which is the war right now that's going on and you put that in there even though it doesn't say israel and hamas in here that's exactly what you're talking about and that's what we're that's what she's not trying to do we're trying to make it broader so i think this shows that we stand for all the values that we've talked about in a broader sense and putting that language there i think implicitly talks about what we've been talking about here and so i think that um it's a good proposition i stand behind it i've obviously shown my support for israel but i want us to come to an agreement and i'm willing to do this and i think this is a good compromise so thank you so much thank you vice chair girders thank you madam chair um council member montaneri i agree with most of what you said other than there is daylight between this and support for israel um i have family that lives in israel i've shown them both of these resolutions one they were for one they weren't and so when when there is when the one phrase that could be that is now taken out that could that you could reflect to the to uh the all of the heinous things that have happened i i just don't see the daylight on the other side um council council member floyd council member muhammad you know i i am trying to see your point of view and i am struggling what you you're now uh against a resolution that everything in the resolution you agree with and because it doesn't add one more thing you're not going to vote for it that's disappointing to me and so i i would much rather see us come together on this that was the point of this which i very much appreciate from chair and i'm disappointed we can't get there because we we don't have something that we want in but i agree with everything else that's in there or or there's what i don't consider to be a sliver of daylight between uh what you what you could support and and and who you support so um i i wish we could get together because i think that's what this community needs is for us to get together that's all i had chair thank you thank you chair council member gabbert thank you chair um first of all i want to thank everybody who came out this evening and spent the time with us and shared your concerns everyone that has reached out to us over the course of the last several months um because this has been quite the ongoing saga in our community um one that quite frankly breaks my heart and i think that if we don't leave here today on a united front we do nothing but continue to sow division within our community that is not our role our role is to bring our community together our role is to stand with all residents of the city of st petersburg and i believe we can do both we can stand up for innocent lives around the world we can stand against terrorism we can stand with israelis and palestinians those ideals are not mutually exclusive i'm struggling to understand and maybe it's my own ignorance but how the words cease fire are anti-semitic aren't supportive of palestinians those words to me are just words but that's because that's my lived experience i've never had to endure war and the kind of hatred and vitriol and atrocities that are going on but i can tell you at my core i'm a pacifist by nature councilmember floyd you shared with us in a conversation that we had during the resolution that we passed before about how you were you know against the iraq war and things like that i did those same things i was against the iraq war too i protested against the iraq war i am not a warmonger by any means but i also want people to have the ability to protect themselves and to defend themselves i think that is important i don't regret my vote on the resolution that you brought forward but i believe that we need to tell other members of our community that we support them too we have to support everyone it's not easy and if we do not walk away with a unanimous vote today there will be members of our community that will not feel represented period and i don't believe that's anyone's intention i don't believe there was ill will on your resolution i don't believe there was ill will on your resolution you pulled it and brought it back hoping that it was better i know who you are and i know that that is not what you mean to do all of this has to stop thank you for bringing this forward if it gets us to a yes i support the language change i would have voted for this either way because at the end of the day i support our residents and the resolution that you have brought forward chair i believe does that so thank you for that thank you for attempting to bring peace to our dais because that has proven to be incredibly difficult over the course of the last year or so so i support this thank you again and thank you to everyone who came out this evening thank you thank you so we are at um we do have a motion in a second but i'm going to um share with you just a couple of words okay so you know i've already started getting the you know the text and and i knew that it wasn't going to make everyone happy um but where i sit i am a black woman the mother of three men black and i i used the term black men and that in itself tells its own story that in itself tells its own story so my perspective is not like everybody else sitting on this diet but my my perspective of wanting to provide as as i heard life dignity peace and security and demonstrate that for all you know we were asked to to walk the walk not just talk the talk and if we could not come to a consensus in these chambers what type of collection active action would make enough difference outside of these walls if we could not bring ourselves together here today with something as generic as this resolution to support global peace and security for all where are we going i'm not thinking about y'all i'm not considering you i'm thinking about my children my grandchildren your grandchildren your children we have to set an example people there has to be someone that is willing to step out of the norm out of the box and get past our own personal agendas to warrant peace for everyone and if i have to be there suffer those unintended consequences then so be it i will rest very well tonight i will i will rest well so when i think about ceasefire i think about gunshots i think about all the things that impact us right here on fifth street how many homicides that we had in st petersburg today better yet when we were talking about numbers over the past what 400 years we've had over what 15 million african americans and how ironic that we're in in in the one month we get for black history to celebrate contributions of black history and we are falling out over somebody let me let me share something with you before we go into this vote sergeant william jerome rivers heard of him 46 sergeant kennedy landon sanders 24 sergeant brianna moffett 23 three black u.s soldiers died protecting a land that they didn't start that war and their deaths by no means will end it you know who they are the three u.s african american soldiers that lost their lives on january 28th i haven't heard not one person mention their names because we're caught up in what we're caught up in and i have to to share with you council member martinieri everything is not not an all or none so i didn't agree with all you said and i i think me personally it was inappropriate for you to say it with the other um audience in the room because you made it seem as though it was a strong stance of all of the council members no it wasn't we people are yet we have a yes and no vote we can't abstain we can't think about it a lot of the things that we approve and that we sign we don't agree with everything in totality we do not that's why i'm having a hard time understanding why this is any different when it impacts us in such a deep way why this impacts so many different people in such a deep way but again this is my offer i stand on it i'm going to sleep well behind it the threats can continue to come in doesn't matter because i'm who i am and i stand for what i stand for and us living in peace amongst all of us here if we can't start it in these chambers then all of us shouldn't be ashamed of ourselves we should all be ashamed so no we're not going to get everything we want all the time we never do so let's not get on this dais in front like we do like everything we've asked where we've gotten that's just not how that is so i thank my colleagues for your support i thank you for understanding what the point was and what the mission was and what the purpose is um because i think it's really unfair for people to say if you vote no you're you're pro-genocide really really blanket statements like that i don't think warrants um it just doesn't warrant that you know so this is the resolution has been properly motioned and second i see councilmember muhammad also has a comment and i'll yield the floor to you thank you madam chair um a lot to consider i think when we look at the term ceasefire we look at the context that this resolution is being introduced let me start there when we look at the context that this is being introduced this is in place of a resolution that has not caused division in our community but highlighted the division i don't think that resolution was the cause of any division i think it highlighted the division that already exists starting there so your introduction of a substitute or an alternate and the attempt to quell that and bring us together and unite us is absolutely admirable and appreciated but again the context was we were explicitly talking about the situation in gaza and so when you see cease fire the fact that we associate that with gaza says a lot in itself because somebody mentioned chicago we need to cease fire in chicago we marched and we did enough is enough and we did stop the violence campaigns here in st pete we need cease fires in st pete we have neighborhood conflicts we have neighborhood beefs and so the fact that we would remove cease fire because it's implicit that is gaza without considering the plight of the black man in america who is disproportionately affected by gun violence and not using a cease fire as a crucial step towards peace i think again says a lot about the mindset and the approach i'm all for unity and i'm all for uniting and i'm all for compromising and and i've demonstrated that to without end but i think and i've said this before too this is a democratic process that we're in and if we agree on every single thing then we're not being honest and so again not to get hung up on the word cease fire i want to support it but i also want to acknowledge that this is a crucial step towards peace and without that right now i'm still not willing to support it thank you good thank you so much we have a motion on the floor and again i appreciate everyone we have a motion that has been properly seconded so can you please open the machine for voting now that all present council members have voted can you please tally and announce the votes madam chair motion to approve agenda item g5 passes five to three with council members floyd montaneri and muhammad voting no council members driscoll fick sanders gabbert girdus and hanowitz voting yes thank you thank you thank you again this was this this was a difficult one it was a difficult one but um as you say we um this is a democratic process so now i i thank those that were here for the public hearing i thank you for um staying around that was supposed to start at 501 and we're going to go ahead and open our public hearing with j1 okay can you please um do we have any cards i'm looking at some all speakers must be sworn in prior to presenting testimony j1 to three okay j1 through three okay but they still need to be sworn in no no oh i don't oh i'm just going by this i'm so sorry i'm so sorry i'm so sorry i'm going by this okay so preliminary assessments okay thank you mr why can i approval j1 through three exactly i'm trying to get you there yeah thank you so much thank you so much so now we have j4 is our interim chief financial officer director oh dang y'all i'm just all turned around right now they have me all flat okay so i need the motion motion and second okay now we have a motion in second we have the machine open council members please ask your votes now that our council members have voted please tally and announce the votes madam chair motion to approve agenda items j1 through three passes unanimously with council members okay thank you y'all kick me straight so now we're on j4 ordinance amending city codes and we have i don't have who who's supposed to be here so go ahead and read the audience for me clerk please ordinance number 572-h an ordinance amending section 2-78 of the petersburg city code related to authorization for certain travel expenses providing for definitions establishing revised methods for calculating the payment and reimbursement of certain travel expenses for executive branch personnel and legislative branch personnel that may be included in written per diem and travel expense policies and providing for an effective date and madam chair we do not have any cards on this move approval now that we have a motion that's been properly seconded can you please open the machine for voting for j4 now that all have voted can you please tell and announce the votes madam chair motion to approve a gen item j4 passes unanimously thank you now we have items these are quadrad judicial items uh j5 and six presenting those we have urban planning and historical preservation planner britain wilson did i say that correctly please don't you have to read the title read the title ordinance number 757-8 l in order in submitting 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-nu providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date madam chair did you want me to read the second one on that one are we going to do j5 or can we do both of them at the same time okay ordinance number 789-z and 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 ordinance and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date and madam chair we do not have any cards on this no cards on this one okay staff good evening good evening britain wilson city planner for the record presenting amendments to the future land use map and official zoning atlas for a 1.35 acre site located at the southeast corner of hartford street north and 32nd avenue north initiated by the saint pete housing authority and the purpose of this amendment as stated by the applicant is to allow for multi-family housing that is in keeping with the stated mission of the saint pete housing authority which is to provide housing that is safe sanitary accessible decent and affordable to eligible citizens of saint pete this is the area of the subject 1.3 acre parcel which is located near the intersection of 30th avenue north and 34th street north or us19 to the north are two single-family homes and a vacant lot owned by the applicant to the east is commercial property fronting us19 such as a smoking 19 restaurant and bar and motel directly south is a lutheran church followed by a shopping center with a grocery store and other services to the west are multi-family condos and to the northwest is a multi-family apartment building owned by the applicant as identified in the conference of plans future major streets map the subject site is adjacent to two major roadways of 30th avenue north and 34th street north that are served by high frequency transit this is a future land use map showing the subject site currently designated residential medium or rm which is proposed for amendment to the corridor commercial suburban or ccs1 to be consistent with abutting property to the northeast east and adjacent property to the south and southwest the change in zoning from nsm1 to ccs1 will provide for a little increase in development potential as a residential density remains the same at 15 units per acre and the workforce housing bonus remains the same at eight units per acre with allowed development intensity and impervious surface increases slightly the main difference in the change in zoning is allowance for mixed-use development and the ability to take advantage of senate bill 102 passed last year that allows multi-family to be built on commercial zone property at a density of up to 82 units per acre if at least 40 of the units are at or below 120 of the area's median income as noted in the staff report the proposed amendments are consistent with many policies of the comprehensive plan and to highlight a few the proposal furthers these policies as it will facilitate the construction of safe and sanitary affordable housing it provides for compatible and logical land use transition and is consistent with established character of the u.s 19 corridor the proposed amendments also further the goals of the city's housing opportunities for all plan and the advantage pinellas housing compact by increasing the availability of housing that links the workforce to jobs with high frequency transportation staff has received one comment in support of the from the excuse me from the budding neighbor to the east stating that it will be good for local business and with that staff recommends a finding of consistency with a comprehensive plan and recommends approval to the proposed future land use change from to prmu and zoning change to ccs1 because it furthers provisions of the comprehensive plan as it is consistent with the neighborhood's established land use and zoning pattern and it furthers local and regional housing goals that concludes my presentation uh staff and the applicant are available to answer any questions you may have and applicant may have a presentation does the applicant have this is less controversial than earlier today thank you and i'm going to shorten it for you too but this is before you start my time this is one of the best deals the city is going to have presented to it i'm serious well how you can be against it uh my name is don mastery my address is 200 central avenue and i have and i'm representing the saint petersburg housing authority who's the owner of the property and blue sky communities who is the developer of the property and that we are requesting an amendment from of land use from rm to prmu and the zoning from nsm1 to ccs1 i had planned initially to go through all the relevant considerations you were to consider uh and but unless there's a problem i'm going to avoid that i can tell you our the staff report and our application shows that all relevant considerations are satisfied and met and that's going to get rid of about three pages and the in addition to satisfying the relevant considerations this request satisfies the ldrs and there's the ordinances and actions that are designed to implement the comp plan and the staff report i think showed 19 comp plan policies goals or objectives that are satisfied this request and you might ask why are we making this requested change to the land use and zoning uh when both permit multi-family well be perfectly straightforward we want to be able to use house bill 1339 or senate bill 102 and in order to meet use that the property has to be zoned either commercial um institutional or mixed use and or industrial rather and uh it they're not presently zoned that and there's no doubt in our opinion there's a housing shortage in st pete and especially a shortage of affordable housing and one way to solve that problem is to create more density and this site is appropriate for several reasons six in fact and the first is the site is served by public facilities and with excess capacity available there's excess roadway capacity as well as water and sewer capacity to accommodate the proposed increase in potential density and intensity and the potential mixed use multi-family development will provide for compatible land use transition from 34th street westward to hartford and the site is buffered by hartford street to the west and 32nd avenue to the north and the church to the south and is consistent with the existing zoning to the east the amendment is in close proximity to two major roadways and two existing high frequency transit stops and this site is in close proximity to commercial uses which ensures the future residents will have safe and convenient access to needed goods and services resulting in reduced automobile trip lengths though the plans have not been finalized the plan is to build approximately 80 mixed use multi-family units of one two and three bedrooms they'll be typically blue skies projects have been four stories and they typically include a pool fitness center community room and after school all of the units will be provided to residents in the 80 ami or less 60 percent will be uh over half will be in the 60 percent ami we're not utilizing just i'm telling you 100 of the units will be affordable units and over half of those will be at 60 percent and all of them will be below 80 percent ami and that's why i think this is such a good deal thank you thank you um we don't have any opponents do we oh i'm sorry pardon i thought you were done i i i was only going to say tell you i think you're you know st pete housing authority and you certainly i believe you know blue sky who's done four or five projects in st pete and all have been successful thank you i didn't mean to cut you off you didn't cut me off it's getting late yeah it's already late okay so we didn't have an opponent right no opponent okay no public comment no public comments so we're good we're doing cross okay because y'all i'm trying to go by the script that should be it okay across staff would you like to cross-examine opponent applicant would you like to cross okay thank you so now we can move to rebuttal for closing remarks each party will have five minutes everybody's gonna wave okay um thank you quasi-judicial proceedings now closed move approval second thank you second hopefully j5 a and b okay move approval y'all i'm so tired right now i know what to do i am i am and this is my first quasi-judicial so be patient with me okay so where are we um jackie you're ready to to a motion and then you have one one okay thank you council member floyd all right real quick i'm uh excited for this project it's uh not too far from my house excellent project housing authority blue sky you can ask for better partners really um so i'm just wanted to say that publicly thanks thank you okay a motion and probably second okay can you go ahead and open the machine for voting please council members please cast your vote please tally and announce your votes madam chair motion to approve agenda item j5 a and b passes unanimously thank you and before we go to j6 i want to ask come your indulgence for us to move to j7 because they they need to leave to get to the airport and we know what that traffic looks like so can we now have j7 please historic preservations cindy kochanik say it again kohannik kohannik okay let me make sure i write that down thank you yes yes yes yes go ahead okay now we'll read the title ordinance number 134-hl in ordinance of the city of saint petersburg florida designating the will the will cressy and blanche danes cressy house located at 625 20th avenue northeast as a local historic 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 and madam chair we do have some speakers on this one thank you presentation administration first chair okay because it has some new staff good evening cindy kohannik for the city of st petersburg this project is for the review of a local landmark designation for 625 20th avenue northeast the will cressy and blanche dane cressy house the landmark designation application was owner initiated and approved unanimously by the community planning and preservation commission at their january 9th 2024 meeting one public comment was received in favor of this designation and was included in the meeting packet this property is located in the north shore neighborhood and is listed as a contributing resource to the north shore national register historic district will cressy and blanche dane cressy well-known vaudeville actors during the late 19th and early 20th century purchased two adjoining lots in the north shore in late 1920 those lots are indicated here on the 1952 sanborn map the eastern lot contains the house built for the cressys along with the original garage which are visible on the right side of this 1924 panoramic image of coffee pot bayou the cressy house was a fairly early addition to this part of north shore the main structure and garage at the left side rear of the property were constructed in 1922 by hennessy and taylor in the craftsman style the house was designed by architect edgar ferdin the house is a subtype of the craftsman style known as an airplane bungalow which is a one-story bungalow topped by a much smaller second story usually only a single room or two the original garage at the left side rear of the property is now being used for additional living space prior to its conversion a carriage or garage door along with an additional entry door or window would have been present on the back wall the site also includes a flat roof carport on the right side rear of the property built in 1953 which has since been modified and a more recent addition of a pergola between the carport and the garage local landmark designation requires that proposed landmark meet one or more criteria each under a two-part test the first part of that test being criteria for eligibility staff evaluation yields that the cressy house meets five of the criteria for eligibility as indicated here the areas of significance for the cressy house are architecture and association the subject property is a high style craftsman airplane bungalow while craftsman style bungalows are somewhat common the airplane bungalow sun subset excuse me was less so the house is associated with architect edgar ferdin a pioneering local architect whose residential and commercial designs are found throughout the city and beyond the house is further associated with its original owners will and blanche dane cressy while residing here will cressy would entertain the public with performances speaking engagements and writing much of will's writing and speeches would boast of his adoptive hometown of saint petersburg blanche was active in many organizations including the florida west coast branch of the women's overseas service league composed of women who served overseas during world war one both branch and will traveled to europe to entertain the troops during the war the second part of the two-part test for designation is factors of integrity this property meets six of the seven factors the major character defining features on the property are listed here and in the report and will guide future reviews for the property except for a few minor changes the main structure and garage appear much as the same as they did in 1922 i would like to thank the owners michael and sandra taradash who are present here today for their interest in designation and help throughout this process staff is here for any questions thank you for your time okay applicant you can wave if you like thank you to all of you for doing such a yeoman job and these tough times and hearing all these things that are much more important than ours but thank you for hearing us out and thank you to the support we've gotten from our local neighbors and and your council members thank you thank you i assume no opponents no opponent okay public comment do we have any cards we do madam chair we met maddie leto and sharon waters please go to either podium state your name and address and city you'll have three minutes to address council good evening manny leto representing preserve the burg i'm at 233 north third avenue thank you for the opportunity i know it's late we just wanted to take the opportunity as preserve the burg to uh show up uh for our neighbors and for um uh these folks who have volunteered to designate their property uh sharon may mention it but we just hosted a an event at uh sharon winters home in this neighborhood which is a identical or duplicate of this home and uh there was such interest we had over 100 people and people on a waiting list and i think that just speaks uh to the value and the interest uh in these historic properties and what they bring uh to a neighborhood so again we just want to commend the uh tear dashes for recognizing uh the economic impact the value and the historic value uh of their home and homes like it uh to our community and uh that's it for me thanks everyone sharon winters um 806 18th avenue northeast i'm speaking in support of the nomination of the 1922 cressy house to the saint petersburg register of historic places my husband kendall reed and i own the twin to the cressy home ours was constructed in 1923 and placed on the register in 2016. will and blanche cressy were veteran vaudevillians who traveled the world and were on the side always looking for the perfect place to spend their final days in his 1924 memoir will cressy noted um that when they arrived in saint petersburg there was a different feel here a real honest welcome everywhere he referenced the shores of coffee pod bayou the shade trees the music of the mockingbirds and perry snell's lawnmower as part of the allure a hundred years later many continue to be captivated by saint petersburg and its long string of public parks along the bayou and bay i'd like to place the cressy house in the larger context of conservation of the city's resources at the turn of the 20th century men like william straub spent years protecting the waterfront from the loud and powerful development interests preserving it for future generations today no one questions that hard-fought decision just as they embrace the rehabilitation of the iconic venoy hotel in 1972 the city rejected a proposal to tear down the unique shuffleboard club and replace it with a parking lot in the early 2000s preservationists artists and realtors worked to save and adaptively reuse the 1925 chryslip arcade rejecting its proposed demolition and replacement with a condo building once a waterfront is developed a building is torn down a thriving neighborhood destroyed it cannot be resurrected it falls to each generation and to each of us to be thoughtful and wise stewards for the next today high land values demand and pressure from development interests place at risk the desires of many to keep saint pete's special saint pete's special because of the waterfront the shuffleboard club their surviving downtown arcades deuces live and the cressy house this city council has the opportunity to preserve another threatened and special place the original heart of our city mirror lake loud and powerful voices stand in opposition but i hope you'll each take the long view of william straub 100 years ago and preserve the massing scale historic resources and natural beauty of the lake for future generations by establishing it as a historic district after traveling the world the creative cressys settled in saint pete because it differentiated itself from other world-renowned cities in a special way we have to keep working on that thanks for your time and your service thank you and that's the only public comment okay well this concludes public comment and now we'll move into cross-examination each party will have five minutes to cross-examination staff would you like to cross anyways there was no opponent applicant would you like to cross okay thank you now we'll move to rebuttal or closing remarks each party will have five minutes to provide closing remarks or rebuttal anyways okay none applicant no any closing remarks thank you all right so we have uh council member hanowitz thank you chair and sure first of all michael and sandra you're in my district it makes me happy thank you so much i will tell you to me this is a good news item you have taken it upon yourself and i didn't and i didn't miss the nomination was prepared by sandra and you did all the work um i don't want to take anything from you michael but i've written one of these local landmark designations and it takes a lot of work and you you did a fantastic job and it just makes me so proud to see someone who has taken the time to look at the history of their home and research it and bring this forward this is a part of our history in the city and it just i'm sure has not only made you proud of your home but your neighbors proud and your neighborhood and the city so i really appreciate that you've done this thank you so much and i look forward to voting yes on this thank you vice chair girdus thank you madam chair um i would echo uh councilman rohanowitz comments my cousin lives just around the corner from here and uh so we drive by often it's frankly one of my wife's favorite homes in st petersburg and i uh accidentally drove by today because i was going around traffic and so just thank you so much for for preserving a beautiful place a beautiful spot in st pete's history and then uh and and second this was one of my favorite things to do when i was on c cppc was to see these types of properties and and thank you miss winters for your service to cp cppc uh this this these were the fun things to do and so thank you so much really looking forward to this and i'll move approval second thank you councilmember gabbard thank you and i will be brief but i also just wanted to say um you stole my thunder a little bit councilmember girdus because i actually sold the house across the street at one point in time and i remember sitting looking at your front porch and your home it is one of my favorites as well just such a beautiful design thank you for loving it so much and for putting it in the historic uh list we are very very happy this is what historic preservation is all about so thank you um thank you very much madam chair thank you seeing no further request to speak can you please open the machine for voting council members please tally your vote okay now that all council members have voted can you please tally and announce the votes madam chair motion to approve the gen item j7 passes unanimously thank you so thank you for allowing us now we're going to go back to j6 hopefully you catch your flight okay and joining us back for um j6 again is our urban planning and historic preservation of planning 2 britain wilson you read the title or this number 758-l and 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 70 7045 burlington avenue north from institutional i to residential medium rm to residential medium rm providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date 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 dash 2 nt dash 2 to neighborhood suburban multi-suburban multi-family dash 1 nsm-1 providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances and provisions thereof and providing for an effective date and madam chair we do not have any cards on this one okay there are no cards all right staff yes good evening again britain wilson city planner for the record presenting amendments to the future land use map and official zoning atlas for a 5.24 acre site located at 7045 burlington avenue north initiated by the city of st petersburg and the city is under contract to purchase the site for the purpose of constructing 105 workforce housing units where 30 of units are to be made available to st pete college staff and students this is an aerial the subject property which is located on burlington avenue north just east of the pinellas trail since 1989 the site has been owned and operated by st pete college as a wellness center for the gibbs college campus located just a block a couple blocks to the north on fifth avenue north the wellness center consisted of a 20 000 square foot indoor center and an outdoor track and athletic field the site itself is not within a neighborhood association what however to the west is is the historic park street neighborhood to the north are multi-family apartments to the south are various industrial uses and the westwood terrace townhomes to the southwest is the pasadena elementary school and to the southeast is a utility substation this is a future land use map showing the subject site designated institutional which is proposed for amendment to residential medium or rm in keeping with the rm designations to the north and south and also to the south is the higher intensity industrial general or ig category and the single family residential land use categories to the east and west are buffered by roadways in the pinellas trail this is a zoning map showing the site is currently zoned neighborhood traditional or nt2 which is proposed for amendment to the neighborhood suburban multi-family or nsm1 to be consistent with the nsm to the north and south creating a linear strip of nsm zoning that follows the trail so the change in development potential from neighborhood traditional 2 to neighborhood suburban multi-family 1 changes mostly the form of the allowed development as the density and intensity stays the same but the multi-family building form allows for higher roof peak and a potential workforce housing density bonus as noted in the staff report the proposed amendments are consistent with many policies of the comprehensive plan and to highlight a few the proposal furthers these policies as it will facilitate the construction of safe and sanitary affordable housing it provides for a compatible and logical land use transition and is in keeping with the character in the established zoning pattern of the area the proposed amendments also further the goals of the city's housing opportunities for all plan and the advantage pinellas housing compact that aim to address housing affordability by increasing the availability of workforce housing throughout the community staff has received two public comments in opposition of the proposed density and the potential for increased traffic and with that staff recommends a finding of consistency with the comprehensive plan and recommends approval of the proposed future land use change to rm and zoning change to nsm-1 because it furthers provisions of the comp plan as it is consistent with the neighborhood's established land use and zoning pattern and it furthers local and regional housing goals and that concludes my presentation happy to answer any questions you may have thank you we didn't have an applicant for this did we the city is out we are the applicant okay so therefore we don't have when you didn't announce that we did have two opponents um that opposed this um now what do we have any cards for public comment we do not we did not have any okay good um that will end public comments since we have none now we'll just do five minutes for cross-examination oh wait i forgot the city is never mind y'all work with me it's like 8 25 but yeah just just work with me okay so that's what we are do we have a motion i do see you uh vice chair girders yes you're good vice chair girders thank you madam chair i just wanted to say i'm very excited about this project appreciate the administration taking advantage of this and uh excited to continue to see this move forward and i'll move approval second okay so now we have a motion and a second can you please open the machine for voting now that all council members have voted can you please tally and announce the votes madam chairman to approve agenda item j6 a and b passes unanimously okay now we will officially close proceedings and next we'll have open forum madam chair we have two speakers we have two speakers okay thank you darla ostenson and mr poll polly toll go to either podium state your name and address and your the city you'll have three minutes to address council hi um darla ostenson 2920 15th avenue south st petersburg's 33712 um so basically i'm here to talk about um the chapter 16 of the code and this deals with um development and and uh land maintenance yard maintenance things of that nature in the purpose section it says that the intention of this section is to encourage the design and use of plant materials that that reduce watering requirements for example with less st augustine sod and with more planting beds of drought tolerant plant materials to that end this section provides incentives for increasing the use of drought tolerant sod or planting beds and decreasing the use of st augustine sod however in 16 four zero zero zero six zero three one d um originally you know a few months ago i believe that the only portion of this that was here was the sod or other herbaceous herbaceous growth being maintained at a height of 10 inches or less um it has been apparently recently amended to say that property owners who employ florida friendly landscaping or wildlife habitat management principles such that their private property or adjacent right of way does not meet the criteria shall of a management plan and demonstrate active ongoing maintenance as well as management plans shall be designed by a landscape architect plans which employ accepted florida friendly management practices and plans approved by the university of florida institute of food and agricultural science this feels like a direct conflict with the purpose a landscape architect having a landscape architect come out to write a management plan for you is a financial barrier we're probably looking at 1500 maybe three thousand dollars before you can even put the first plant in the ground it also doesn't explain what happens to people who have had florida friendly yards or wildlife habitat for years maybe even decades we actually have people in the community that have been hit with code violations with this new code and basically they're just being told that yes they must have a management plan written by a landscape architect however ifis does not do enforcement uh people have been calling ifis and ifis is saying we don't do this we don't we don't know what to tell you and nobody seems to be able to tell anybody where the plan is supposed to go anyways so um i'm kind of hoping that this is a mistake that this portion of the code um can be amended and perhaps just completely stricken i would be happy to be uh you know involved in any kind of meetings uh you know a committee maybe even to uh really talk about maybe what this section should say but i think that uh i hope that we can agree that this is this is not reasonable one of the people that i know that is facing a code violation right now she's a single mother she's underemployed she's had wildlife habitat on her property for probably at least a decade she's got a screech owl she's she's nearly in tears at the idea that she's going to have to rip every plant out of her yard thank you thank you ma'am if you can hold on a minute i want to give you my business card i'll be right over all right yes sir hi my name is polidor jilari i'm a student of uh st petersburg college uh don't try to pronounce my name a lot of people butcher it it's okay uh it's fascinating to be in front of you guys it's one of my favorite city when i moved from albania i started learning by politics i'm almost graduating now so it's very interesting learning the american system according to the albanian system that is completely different uh i'm in front of you to speak uh for ordinance 1164 i'm sorry yeah 1164 dash v uh st petersburg is becoming bigger faster and to develop a building combine them together create a parking garage but what it got more fascinating when i was trying to read the map and i couldn't understand it i had to drive there to see what's going on i support it because a lot of the other cities such as uh clearwater or largo or a little bit further than the area when they develop bigger uh buildings or when they combine them together they don't look at the pedestrians they don't see stuff to make it more easier for people they ride bicycle or they walk with a dog or anything st peter is beautiful on that it's like my favorite city i moved from there to clearwater do it to the job issue with my family but uh to see that you guys took the time to create a pedestrian alley between a development is thank you and i really do appreciate it because where i live in largo they created a and in clearwater they created a big hotel now you have to walk two blocks around it just to go to the your guard to your car or to the coffee shop this will help everybody and again thank you for opportunity thank you for being so late and i appreciate everything you do thank you for sticking around with us so i do appreciate that for you thank you thank you so much thank you so much so we'll now close open forum and we are at announcements anyone has any announcements now family please nobody well i will tell everyone um thank you so much today was a long one and um even with everything that um we experienced today we are still we are still st pete and i appreciate each and every one of you and with that meeting is adjourned thank you chair thank you