Mr. Even the room.
Okay, gentlemen. I now call to order the regular session. Meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon springs on Tuesday, March
11th, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Miss Jacobs, roll call, please. Mayor here. Vice Mayor Giuliani's here. Commissioner Eisner here. Commissioner DiDonato. Here. Commissioner Banther. Here.
Tonight's invocation will be given by Pastor Cody Bracy, chaplain at the New Spring Church. Let us pray. God, thank
you for this city. Thank you for the neighbors, the businesses, the churches, the first responders and the city workers that make this city so great. We give you thanks and give you the
glory. Tonight we offer ourselves to you, to build with us and to do with us as you will relieve us of our allure of self, that we may better do your will. Take away our
difficulties. That victory over them may bear witness to those that we would help in your power, your love, your way of life. May we do your will
always. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Chaplain. And now we have one announcement, and that's item
25, resolution 2025-1. Three conditional use for a tourist home located at 1529 Riverside Drive. Application 2488 has been
deferred. It's. I believe there is no future date on the item as of right now. So if anyone is here for that item, I would just wanted to let you know that we will save you some time. Now
we're going to go to the Pledge of Allegiance. That's going to be presented by the Girl Scout troop 716. And after they will do the Girl Scout promise and
the Girl Scout Law and I will
read the proclamation. Ladies. And.
Southgate. The flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Any change to help people at all times, and to
live by the Girl Scout without fear of. I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring,
courageous, strong, responsible for what I say and do. Respect myself and others. Please use resources wisely and make the
world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout. That
was amazing. Hello. I apologize, there's one. Go ahead ma'am.
If I can have a scoutmaster or one of the young ladies or all the young ladies come forward while we read the read the proclamation, we're going to give it give it to you all and honor you in Girl Scout week.
Yeah. Thank you dad. I appreciate. A couple. Was moving around. We'll let him eat his candy tonight. I think one of
them tonight. No. I'm sorry. Come up half. Come on this side and we'll just face. Did you. Awesome. Now, someone's going to have to say something afterwards. I'm just. I'm just
kidding. I'm just kidding. The city of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Proclamation. Whereas Girl Scouts birthday, March 12th, commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low
officially registered the organization's first 18 members in Savannah, Georgia. And Whereas throughout its long and distinguished history, Girl Scouting has inspired millions
of girls and women with the highest ideals of character, conduct, and patriotism. And Whereas Girl Scouts, Girl Scouting connects girls to a world of possibilities and a
positive and inclusive girl led environment where girls are inspired to discover their passion and empowered to reach their full potential. And whereas through Girl Scouting,
girls gain courage, confidence and character to make their communities and world a better place. And whereas Girl Scouts Service Unit Beautiful Waters of Tarpon Springs through its
programing allows each girl the opportunity to thrive and ensure girls in our community know they can do anything they put their minds to doing, and encourages them to feel empowered and
embrace their unique strengths. Now, therefore, I, Panagiotis Kollias, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, do hereby proclaim the
week of March 9th through 15th, 2025 as Girl Scout Week. There you go, young man. And we got
these special pins that each of the girls in the Scout Masters can have. They have a picture of the state of Florida with a sponge helmet on the bottom of
it. So each each young lady will be able to take one of them home and obviously put it on your pins. And so I just want to congratulate you young ladies. I was the Boy Scouts came when
they we did a proclamation proclamation for them a couple weeks ago. And I said if we were in survival mode, I would need your help. I can't build a fire. You can't really hunt, can't
really do a lot of those things. So, you know, the tools and knowledge and everything that you all learned through this program is just like the proclamation said, help to give you the confidence and the
abilities you need to be successful in this world. So congratulations to you all and to the Scout Masters. Thank you all for these programs. Would
you would you like to say a few words? And take a picture with them or just. Finish? But we are
looking forward to an amazing year with next season when okay, older get involved in more things around the community. So we'll be seeing a lot more of this. Just, you know, that's
great. I bought four boxes this this season and I ate them all in two days so that, you know, that was my limit. So I want to thank you girls. I'm going to give the pins over to Miss Lucy.
And thank you all for coming up. Okay. It was an honor to have
you. That's cute. And. Next we have Irish, Irish, American Heritage
Month. And I got Mr. Stanford to. Please come on down, sir. Yeah. Johnny. Mr. Stamper, I
mean, this guy. Sir, I got a couple of great things to say about him, sir. How long have you been in the community? For ten years. And remember when you first moved in the area? I had an office downtown all to well,
and he first moved into his his his restaurant. And this man, he came in the town and he's one of the people I tell all the time. He came into the town, didn't
know anybody, worked so hard to put himself in the community, understood some tarpon values, brought a place where people come together and hang out all the time at his restaurant. And
it has been amazing to this town. So when this proclamation came up, he was the first and only person I thought of, of the moment. So I just want to thank you first, sir, for investing in the community. And you do have
another place that's going to open up at some time off of 19, right? We have a couple projects in the works. Thank you. Thank you sir. So City of Tarpon Springs, Florida proclamation.
Whereas since our nation's founding, millions of Irish men and women have immigrated to America with a spirit of determination and optimism that has strengthened our country's character and enriched our
history. And whereas the friendship between Ireland and the United States has deep roots, and Irish Americans have played an integral role in making our country a place of
hope and opportunity. And whereas Irish Americans since America's inception have provided and continue to provide leadership and service to this nation's political, business and
religious establishments. And Whereas during Irish American Heritage Month, we recognize the vital contributions of Irish Americans to our community and owe a debt of gratitude to the
generations who have sacrificed and contributed to a better America. And Whereas March has been designated Irish American Heritage Month throughout the United States to coincide with
the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day on the 17th. Now, therefore, I. Panagiotis Kollias, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Tarpon Springs,
Florida, do hereby proclaim March 2025 as Irish American Heritage Month. Here you go, Mr. Stamper. Thank you. You have to
say a couple words. Well, I want to say thank you to Tarpon Springs. We love it here. And come to the pub crawl on Saturday. It's going to be fabulous. Thank you guys very
much. It's an honor. Thank you, thank you. He's got a lot of different IPAs there too, so go make sure you check it out. And
the last proclamation for the night, but definitely not the least is Flood Awareness Month. And we have Mr. Arroyo, who's going to be receiving it on our
behalf. And this lady has done a great job with everything going on and what we experienced last year with the back to back hurricanes. This lady was on top
of everything, and she's a true blessing to have her working for the city and looking out for the well-being during our hardest times. City of Tarpon Springs,
Florida proclamation. And this is a long one, so it is. Whereas the city of Tarpon Springs has experienced severe weather in the past in the form of extreme rainfall or tropical system
events resulting in flooding in low lying coastal and riverine areas. And this flooding has caused damage and flood losses to homes and buildings in all
areas, whether they are high risk special flood hazard areas or low to moderate risk flood zones, and it is important for residents to know their flood hazard. And whereas Tarpon
Springs is a voluntary participant in the National Flood Insurance Program that provides residents with the opportunity to protect themselves against flood loss through the purchase of flood
insurance at reduced insurance premium rates, as well as setting higher regulatory standards to reduce the flood risk and potential flood damage to their property. And Whereas,
the reduction of loss of life and property damage can be achieved when appropriate, flood preparedness, control and mitigation measures are taken before a flood and whereas when
residents and businesses obtain proper permits prior to building, including in special flood hazard areas, and build in compliance with regulatory requirements, they reduce their
risk of flood damage. And Whereas, protecting the natural floodplain in the city of Tarpon Springs is vital to maintaining wildlife and endangered species habitat, providing water quality
benefits and allowing for flood water storage. And Whereas, public education and awareness of potential weather hazards and methods of protection are critical to the health, safety
and welfare of residents. And Whereas, the City of Tarpon Springs has declared in the month of March 2025 as Flood Awareness Month and the Florida Floodplain Managers Association
and the Florida Division of Emergency Management have declared the week of March 3rd through ninth, 2025 as Flood Awareness Week to promote awareness and increase knowledge
of flood risk. The availability of flood insurance, flood protection methods, building permit requirements, the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains, and how to prepare
for emergencies. Now, therefore, I. Panagiotis Kollias, by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, do hereby proclaim the month of March 2025
as Flood Awareness Month. Here you go, Miss Mariah. I just want to commend our residents really,
for their strength and resilience over the last year. They went you guys went through a lot. So and also, thank you for your patience with me and the building department. It
means a lot and we just appreciate it. Thank you, thank you. And in that proclamation, as you heard, it really talks about the sensitive things that
we're dealing with, with allowing permits with the new FEMA standards and protecting the city that way. We do have the best floodplain ratings in the future, and staff's going to
done a great job. So we just want to acknowledge and thank
you. We will now go to public comments on items that will not be discussed on tonight's agenda. Please state your name
and address. For the record. You will be given four minutes to speak and two minutes to speak. If you are on zoom. Hi, my name is Irene Christoforous and my
address is 1941 Woodhaven Street. Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, council members and fellow residents. I am a student at Saint Petersburg College and
I'm here on behalf of my public policy capstone class to share my research on a feasibility study for a cultural cookbook to unite the community of Tarpon Springs. This project is
designed to preserve our town's rich culinary heritage, strengthen community bonds, and celebrate our shared traditions. As a proud member of Tarpon Springs, I've always been
inspired by how food brings people together. This cookbook will document diverse recipes alongside personal stories that make them special. So why does this project matter? Well,
Tarpon Springs is a melting pot of cultures, and this cookbook will help capture the unique recipes and traditions passed through generations. My goal is to authentically represent the
voices and experiences of all our residents by collecting recipes and narratives from diverse backgrounds. This cookbook will also shine a light on local restaurants, bakeries,
and markets that contribute to our town's unique food culture. With the right support, this cookbook can also become a cherished resource that not only preserves our history but
showcases the diversity that makes tarpon so special. I truly believe that this project can unite our community and celebrate the traditions that connect us all. I appreciate
your time and consideration, and I welcome any suggestions or support that you can offer. Thank you. Thank you, Miss
Christoforous. Okay. So. Good evening everyone. I'm Robin Sanger, 1630 Lonesome Pine Lane, Tarpon Springs. We're here to
talk about a new partnership between Al-fayyumi and Peace for Tarpon. So to begin, I'll share a little bit about our background of peace for tarpon, and then we'll share about what's coming up. Peace for
Tarpon was founded in 2010. In the early days, our focus was mainly on education, about trauma and understanding how unaddressed trauma can play out
over a lifetime, leaving our community to overcome the many challenges that brings. Over the past 15 years, peace for Tarpon has initiated, coordinated,
sponsored, and delivered dozens of trainings, community events and programs. All training and community offerings are given free of charge through our many
community connections and partners. Peace for Tarpon responds quickly to community needs as they arise and is an incubator for emerging community
leaders. But over the years, as we grew and evolved, the powerful element of resilience was added to the picture. In the words of the peace for Tarpon Board of directors, true peace
cannot coexist with trauma that remains unaddressed and unresolved. First, our own trauma must be addressed. Only then can we heal, nurture,
resilience, and bring peace to ourselves, our families and communities. We know that building resilience is key to becoming a healthy and vibrant
community. Peace for Tarpon championed adopting the red mangrove as our city tree. It is a physical symbol of true resilience. We can see along our many miles of shoreline.
Recently, Doctor Carrie Root and I connected to explore how we might create a more vital and resilient community by joining our energies and creating a partnership combining the shared
mission and vision of peace for Tarpon and Al-fayyumi. And Carrie Root is here to share
more about that. Thank you, Miss Singer. Oops. Hello to the
board. Thank you for having us here today and giving us an opportunity to share what we're doing. My name is Carrie Root and my address is 1061 South
Queen Alexis Drive here in Tarpon Springs. I love this city. I've been talking with
Robin for probably 6 or 7 years about how we could partner together, and it didn't really come clear to me until we as a
community suffered the losses we did with our flooding due to our hurricanes. That affected me personally. My house was flooded, but it also affected me
deeply because I never really had an experience where my home was threatened, and it put a very different spin on my outlook to my home, but also to
my community. The community that came together and helped. We helped each other. However, I
saw signs of significant stress. I felt that stress for months anyway. It helped focus me in our conversations with Robin and
the peace for Tarpon crew. I look at peace for Tarpon as providing the context for. For
training and outreach to the community. We are offering our content. We're offering workshops addressing interpersonal skills,
resilience, things like setting boundaries, dealing with annoying people, vice mayor and more. I did you pass those out?
Yes. Okay. Anyway, you can see a small subset of the workshops we develop and give regularly. What we're doing now is. Looking to
identify organizations who have an interest in need in having their members engaged in workshops with us. We'll work
with them to identify which workshops fit their specific needs, and then customize the discussion according to what is
needed. One of the reasons that. Doing community wide engagement is very powerful is because as you engage the community in
activities like this, you have the opportunity to build peer mentorships as well as accountability partners among us all. One of the things that we
are going to be working on is establishing some key performance parameters, so we can gauge the effectiveness of the training as it spreads to the community. I mean,
everything from, you know, do people smile more? Do we have less altercations? You know,
that's I'm asking the Board of Peace for tarpon to come up with measurable parameters so we can determine whether or not what we're doing is effective and if
it is spreading it. Well, thank you very much. Our contact information is on the back of the sheets. You can see what we're trying to do. And I hope we have the support of the city
as we do this. Thank you. Thank you doctor Rude and Miss and just let us know how this program looks forward. It looks like something I think we should be there and helping implement. So we appreciate the presentation. Thank you. Thank
you very much. And this is not just for organizations and nonprofits. So this is for community groups like the Union Academy, neighborhood groups for maybe a church organization or something like that. We really
want to infuse this into the community. So thanks everybody. Thank you ma'am. Thank you. I'm
Debbie McKinney, 1021 Rose Tree Lane. I just wanted to say thank you for allowing the Girl Scouts to come and participate tonight. It really that they're going to go they're going to remember
that forever. I've been a Girl Scout since I was six years old. I just recently retired actively, but it really means a
lot. Tomorrow the Girl Scouts are going to be 113 years old. 55 years ago I got my gold award. I didn't want Mr. Panther
to help me with his eagle. It wasn't called the Gold award back then. It was called first class. But about ten years ago, they allowed anybody with their first class. If you could prove
you got your first class, which it was a lot of digging, then you could send that in to Girl Scouts USA. And so I have my
gold award. Tarpon Springs has a very successful service unit. It's called Beautiful Waters, which is very appropriate. They have over 16 troops and over 100
girls active in scouting. And Girl Scouts is not just about selling cookies. It it teaches girls the skills to be self-sufficient. And where else
do they learn flag ceremonies, building of fire and through their journeys. There's one journey in particular that talks about learning about yourself,
learning about your inner circle, your family, and then community. So I would hope that maybe if one of the girls reaches out to any of you to
discuss that community part, that you would be willing to talk with them, that would be great. That's all I have to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you ma'am, I noticed a few women in
the back had their hands up with the oath while the young ladies were saying it. So that was good to see. Good evening, Katie Taylor, 1991 Douglas Lane,
Tarpon Springs, Florida. I wanted to first just say send an email a couple of weeks ago telling the city, thank you for allowing us, Mr. Duncan and Mr. Marco from the Director of
Public Works, to put the garbage cans in Rose Cemetery. They are very big help and thank you for emptying those in periodically. So we really appreciate that. And also to the mayor for thank
you for recognizing Tory Folly last week. I missed that. So thank you for that. Thank you. And Mr. Cookie run just now it's Mr. Girl Scout. So thank you for recognizing them as well. Thank
you. Thank you ma'am. Next speaker please.
Good evening. Peter Lack is 514 Ashland Avenue. It's a great day. We're having an election today, a sad day. There's only
one race. That I'm wanting to see. The election results afterwards, to see how many mail ballots we didn't get where we normally do. Because the
legislature passed a law that after the November election, if you didn't go back on and sign up for a ballot, you weren't going to get one. So probably a lot of people didn't get them.
So again, so being that it was Election day and elections have consequences, I don't do social
media, but it came to my attention. A lot of ska to. Ska to crap. So I've read to you
before and just to give you an idea, I go to this site knowing Jesus. Com I'm not a scholar. I put in a word that I'm wanting to emphasize and it brings me
something up. And today's word I searched under was treachery. So this is Isaiah 59. In the Bible here in this version says sin,
confession and redemption. So I'm going to read 1 to 16. A surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his
ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your
hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice. No one
pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers
and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. Their cobwebs are useless for clothing. They
cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet
rush into sin. They are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts. Ruin and destruction mark their ways. The way of peace. They do not
know. There is no no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads. No one who walks in them will know peace. So justice is far from
us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness for brightness. But we walk in deep shadows like the blind. We grope along the wall, feeling our way like men
without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight among the strong. We are like the dead. We all grow like beers. We moan mournfully like
doves. We look for justice but find none for deliverance. But it is far away. For our offenses are many in your sight. And our sins testify against us. Our
offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities. Rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression
and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back and righteousness stands at a distance. Truth has not. Truth
has stumbled in the streets. Honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found. And whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and he was appalled that there was
no one to intercede. Next speaker, please. Stand. Good
evening. My name is Andrea Weaver, and I'm at 1766 Woodbrook Street here in Tarpon Springs. I am one of the two service unit managers of the
Girl Scouts of Beautiful Waters, and my troop started as daisies in 2008, and they graduated from high school in 2022. So I've been a longtime Girl Scout
leader and a member of the community, and now I've retired from that, and I do more administrative work and leadership in our Beautiful Waters community. And I wanted
to mention that one of the big components of Girl Scouts is service and service to our community. And in the past 16 years that I've been involved with Girl Scouting here in Tarpon Springs, we have done a
number of service projects and give back to our community, including annual Halloween parades at the Brookdale Assisted Living Facility. We've done work at Saint Ignatius
Church. Beautification projects, food drives, sock drives, peanut butter drives, you name it. There was a drive. We did it. We
have also done the. If you are familiar with the two drain sewer drains that are painted that say only rain down the
drain, there's one at the dog park and there is one over by. The other, Craig Park. Those were my Girl Scout troop, and we worked with the city manager at the time to have that initiative
about watershed education. Also, our little free libraries around town, many of those are sponsored by Girl Scout troops. So I would encourage the city and local businesses that if there is ever a need in the
community that they reach out. We do have a beautiful waters. Tarpon Springs Girl Scout social media page. We're easy to find, and if there's a need in the community, then called the Girl
Scouts because we have many willing hands and a lot of willing hearts to give back to the community that has given so
much to us. Thank you. Thank you ma'am. Next speaker please.
Hello. My name is John Saxer. I live at 1919 Patriot Lane and Holiday, but I work in Tarpon.
What I do is archeology. I managed to make it into this book. It's called American Archeology. In 2006. That wasn't
the first article, but it has a question mark. Florida's prehistoric anchors. When it comes to the title of my article, the question mark has
been removed over the last 25 years. Scientists all over the world are figuring out when they want to look at ancient civilizations. They have to find
the stone anchors of those civilizations. A lot of times when a new idea comes to mankind, Schopenhauer said, mankind goes through three
stages. The first stage is ridicule and criticism. The second stage is violent opposition, and I hope this commission will reach the third
stage, which is acceptance of the idea as though they knew it all along, all the time. Open House was a great philosopher. I
was going to read the whole thing, but somebody wrote an article about me as John Sacks, or indeed has found telling
evidence of a maritime culture which pervaded in our distant past. I support him 100%. Just look. Just look at what he is
trying to convey and teach to so many sightless, misguided, uninformed, oblivious souls. Somebody wrote that about me.
I'm here to request that we either put a stone circle where the last mayor, Costa and I agreed to put it, or please
return the captive stone to my location in holiday, Florida. There's a few other stones with that stone, and they might as well be put on the same truck.
Mayor Costa is one of the greatest mayors I have ever seen in my life, because he was able to see, see and think outside the box. Time for all of you to
think outside the box. Because if we put a stone circle, an ancient old stone arc anchor circle of peace and truth here at Tarpon Springs, you won't
need to figure out a way to have tourists come to town. They'll be making pilgrimages to this place from all over the world, because Greek mythology turned
out to be Greek history. And this is the place where it started, at the garden of the Three Hesperides. Thank you for your time. I hope you put that
on a agenda to vote on it at some point. I'd appreciate it if we could get this done sometime before I die. I've been working
on it with the city for the last seven mayors. So I'd like to get this done sometime in the next decade. Thank you very much.
Thank you sir. Next speaker please. Would you like to speak
for public comments? Yeah, please.
But. I saw you walking last minute, so I didn't want to make sure you guys were able to speak tonight. Thank you guys. Good
evening. Good evening. My name is Pete and I'm a third generation Greek American. My family owns mom's Greek cuisine at the sponge Docks, where we've been proudly serving authentic Greek food since 1998. The
Sponge Docks is registered with the state as a historic district, and is considered the Sponge Capital of the world. Sorry, guys. Not too good at
public speaking. So allowing food trucks down here would be unfair to have with the restaurants and build the community. We pay high rent, contribute taxes, and we've
sustained the sponge docks for generations. Bringing in trucks would undermine them. If the goal is to attract more visitors, I urge the council to host Second Saturday Market at the Sponge Docks or alternate
First Friday events between downtown and the Sponge Docks. These events would boost tourism without harming local businesses. If food trucks are considered, they should be placed in downtown Tarpon Springs and the open lot next to
the Acropolis Meat Market, where they can contribute to. They can contribute without threatening established restaurants. Please protect the integrity of the sponge docks and the businesses
that have made it what it is today. Thank you guys. Thank you, Miss Moustakas. Thank you. Nico, would you like to say
something? Well, sorry. Jessica. No problem. If it's a translation, I'm not the best at
translating. But Nico, Nico and Sotiri, their owners of the new restaurant right off Athens Street, where it merges right into Nico's Grill house. So
you're also in support of what? Yes. Is saying, Mr. Matsakis only missed a in a. Yes. Okay,
sir. I will say that at some point these next few meetings, the city manager is going to have that item presented to us
for him to. Magazine. The magazine. He's also worried about the other stores. What's your name? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Dina Beatrice. 124 Athens
Street, Tarpon Springs, Florida. Okay, I'm going to translate for him. Yeah. You have 3.5 minutes. Okay. Just let him talk and then
translate. No, no, no. Taxes. Okay. He also wants to speak about the other restaurants and the other stores. He has high
rent and also on the taxes. Their taxes are very high. And that's one point, you know, that he wants to make with the food
truck. Llorona. Llorona? Llorona. He wants to know what the food trucks pay. Is there a fee compared? You know, he pretty much the same compared to
his. Of course I knew that. Of course. Is this true? Can. Is this really happening? I want him to get all of his comments out, and I'll answer to the
brief to the best that I can. And I'm writing these down.
Okay. To get the license. Yes I will. What I will say is this item city manager, can you can you step in and give a general
idea? It's going to come to the commission, I believe. Next meeting for first reading. So for the first reading it will be at the March 25th meeting. There are there are codes and
conditions that that are in there where it's not like you can just put a food truck anywhere. So we'll talk about it. But yes, at the it's going to be at the next regular session meeting at March 25th.
Mr. Masaki's, email me. I'll get you all the information you need. That way you guys are well prepared to look at everything and come in support or against. Absolutely. Thank you. Thank
you. Okay. Feel that it undermines us. Who? You know, we pay rent. We have established brick and mortar buildings. We pay rent. We've been down there for years. We have so much to lose. Thank you, thank you. But right now, we're. We got to end
it right now because we've had. But we'll get there. Okay. Please reach out. Okay. Thank
you. Okay. Next speaker, please. This is John. Are there any zoom
comments? Hearing none. There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you.
Hearing none. We will go to consent agenda. First, we have item for special events, that is
for a and for a date change. Sunset Hills school, PTA color run item for B Saint Nicholas Holy Friday Procession 2025.
Item five attorney fees. Dickman law Firm invoices 7374 327389. Item six increase. File number
240079. Dash n a S Myers. Pumps and repairs. Item seven Award file number 250131. Dash n a s lift station Scata system.
Equipment and services. Item eight increase file number 240096-N. A s a WCA-782
corrosion inhibitor. Item nine increase file number 210092. Dash c dash j l. Work uniforms.
Item ten increase file number 250101. Dash c dash p h. Traffic control products and related products and solutions. Item 11
ratify contract file number 250062. Dash c Dash j l comprehensive disaster recovery management consulting services.
Item 12 approve Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant agreement. Amendment two to plan. Nine
three item 13 increase. File number 200087-C-AM maintenance, Repair, and Operations MRO supplies. Item 14 Award File
number 250099 dash. B dash a s sludge hauling and treatment services. Item 15 Award file number 250117C-H. Security guard
services. Commissioners, are there any items that you would like to pull? Are there any
public comments on consent agenda items for a. Through 15?
Okay, before we get started, Miss Marcus has agreed to donate her time to me and I will be speaking to you about item 15.
So let's look remember back a little bit. February 18th there was a meeting. It was unanimously voted to go with
hiring the security guard full time. Mr. Banther said if the numbers work out. So let me just
remind y'all what the numbers were at that meeting. So at that meeting at the end of the scroll, it shows Allied was at
$61,695. And the contract we were looking at, I guess, for Tom, came out at 55. So right off the bat, it's $6,000 less.
Yet you look on the agenda tonight, the quote from Allied is 70,889. And you're asking up to 80,000. So why are you
looking to renew a contract at more money when you all agreed to hire Tom? Now let's get a little bit more into the weeds, because I know a lot of people here don't know some of this
stuff, but, you know, and I kno. So on that figure of 55,000, $12,163 is health, dental and
life. And I know you all know Tom is on Medicare. He said he doesn't need that. So you take 12,000 out of that 55, you're down to 43. So there's room to
give him more money and you'll be paying less to the contract company. Secondly. As far as the
overtime, we don't pay overtime. Okay. So you increase his salary enough. Where? Whatever hours he gets at 40 a week for 52 weeks. Meets up to what would cover the
overtime. And then, as I mentioned, and as we mentioned before, even by the mayor, there's people that can cover the door for maybe a couple hours each day or however you
want to do it, give them Friday off. I don't know, y'all can figure it out, but to me, this backtracking does does not make
sense, doesn't make economic sense, doesn't make goodwill sense. And let me give you the other side of the coin I see on
this. In government and in other companies corporate. Sometimes if you go to the senior person
and bypass the middle person. Ruffle some feathers. So let me give you an example here. You get this new contract you really
have control of who's there at that desk. Someone from the city complains to Allied. They'll move Tom and they'll put you in somebody. Maybe once a new guy
every two days or every other day, you won't get your consistency you talked about. You won't get that friendly smile. So I don't know why y'all
backtracked on what y'all decided to do. It's costing you more money, and it doesn't create goodwill because what you
do in this regard also shows an example to the potential for how other people may see how the city treats them in their
employment. So I'll leave it at that. But basically, at this point, either you put a defer this to get new numbers and work
out some other arrangement. As I mentioned, the security guard, the school crossing guards are under the police department. Security is basically a police
type activity. So you put that position in the police department and I know the police department pays overtime. So maybe there's a difference in
that regard as to how you can handle this. But approving this contract for more money than what we paid last year, which,
you know, 25, 30% of that's going to allied to shuffle paperwork. We already have computers and systems that can do that for him as an employee.
And you give him sick leave and vacation time. Be gracious. Thank you, sir, to speak on it.
Yes. Okay. I really like Tom. He's a very nice guy. The gentleman that works at the front desk. But if you if you decide to hire him as a
permanent employee, does he have to go through all the procedures as you hiring, hiring a new employee? Although he might not want the benefits, but I'm
thinking, how can you protect him? Because right now he does have a job if the company can. Yeah, if somebody complain, they can replace him, but they won't replace him unless the city says
something, something's wrong with him. But if you decide to make him a permanent employee, it does that position have to go up as an open position? Anybody?
Everybody has to be interviewed. Some discretion in that part. I'm all for keeping keeping the gentleman. So I like him. You know, it is what it is. But that's my concern. If you if you
don't have the contract and you put him into the city position, does it go a different route? Once you get to be a permanent employee, you just can't hire him because you like him. You have to open that position up to
everybody to be interviewed. It's a question. Thank you ma'am. Are there any other
public comments? Do we have the election results? No. Okay. All right. And then, Commissioner Branton, you wanted to say
something? Yes. I just wanted to see if City manager could respond to those comments as as it relates to the amount. Sure. So initially, the offer that we
showed you, Tom actually declined the offer as he realized that with the amount of overtime he had at time and a half, his take home would be less. So we did negotiate. And
ultimately what we came to with Tom was agreeable to that. He gets an increase through the agency, becomes a level two. That's why there's a slight increase in the contract. So he does be able to take home more
pay, and we believe he'll be retained by the agency. And this was something he he finally agreed to, that this is the best way to go. Can I say something?
Yes. But wasn't it correct? If he were to work for us, he would have received less pay. His take home would have been less. That's what I wanted to say.
Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Are there any zoome comments on the consent agenda items? There are no hands up at
this time. The chair will entertain a motion to approve consent agenda items for a through 15. So moved. There are
no further comments. Roll call please. Mr. Panther. Yes, Commissioner. Vigevano. Yes, Commissioner. Eisner. Yes. Vice
mayor. Yes. Mayor Giuliani. Yes. All right. We are now going to the business items. Item 16, local Bayou dredge hydrographic
survey options. And we have Mr. Bob Robertson, project administration department director. Thank you. Mayor. Yes, I'm Bob Robertson, project administration department director. Good evening for this
item. We're bringing back alternate proposals to complete the local Bayou dredging survey analysis and the survey and data analysis work for the targeted dredging of the bayous and
channels in the city. There are four options that were presented in your backup, each with varying dredge locations and cost estimates. In summary, the four options range in total
linear survey lengths from between 4.2 and 17.5 miles. And just for reference, the previous survey work cover just over three miles. So each of these four options is an increase over what we previously did. A quick
reminder of a couple things. First, the proposed cost for each each option all include the hydrographic survey, dredge volume calculations, a feasibility memo with dredge
cost estimates, a navigation chart update, and a presentation to the board. But these numbers don't include the actual dredging itself. I want to make sure no one was confused about that. So we'll come back to the
board after we've completed the next round of survey work to present dredge options costs for and for consideration for the board's consideration. And then one final note, based on the
direction of the board tonight, we can vary these options if needed. Option four is the everything option. So the cost of any hybrid option that the board would like us to pursue would likely not exceed the cost
of that option. So I just want to give you that information for your consideration. Mr. Mayor, that concludes my staff report. Thank you. Mr. Robinson. Are there any public comments on
this item? Util acts 514 be short. There was, from what I saw, four options. The last one was like what about 400,000 or
something to do everything. So as long as we're going to be doing all this work, I would recommend we go ahead full bore,
do it. And then also, if you look in the Sunday Times, there was an article in the local section about how they had a conference this weekend about how to improve our water quality
and such of that nature. And one of the things is the loss of sea beds. So I'm not sure if it would be through this study, or it could be cross coordinated. But while they're doing this, if
they could find areas where seagrass could be replanted and possibly we could work with the Tampa Bay Estuary Society or Tampa Bay watch to do some kind
of seeding program to restore some of the seagrass that's been lost along the bayous that, you know, would normally be there
with all this silt on it. Thank you. Susan Swenson, 327 Manatee Lane. I have a question. I'm sorry I haven't read the
information. I live on Manatee Lane, which is off of the canal from Whitcomb Bayou between MLK and Manatee. Is that one covered at all? At least at the number
four. Because we presently have that low bridge, and I believe we probably have not been dredged in many, many, many
years. And so I'm wondering what the consideration is for that location right in my backyard.
Any answers? Of if, Miss Swanson, if you just try to get all your comments out and then we'll have staff try to address what we can, that was it. Okay. I wanted to know if that
particular canal was covered, Miss Robinson. Yeah, I can answer that. All four of the options presented in the backup include survey that come up to include that channel by Manatee
Lane. Okay. Thank you very much. Are there any other public comments? Are there any zoom comments? There are no hands
raised at this time. Thank you, Commissioner Eisner. Thank you. Mayor. Excuse me. I've lost my voice from speaking. Not here.
I've had a conversation with Mr. Robertson, so I did want to just share with you what it was. I know there was a comment made
about $400,000. The difference between option. The least option is 164,000, and the most option is 221. It is not a major
difference when you're doing fact finding, especially in a project of this manner. I looked at all four of the opinions and
I, as I explained to Mr. Robertson, that it was a combination of two different options that I preferred to at
least try to do. So it wasn't any of these four. It was option four without the center cuts, because we would not get that
passed. Anyway, as we spoke at that last meeting, there's most probably eelgrass. And, you know, manatees that would eat
that. So we would never get it passed. So what's the sense of actually having it surveyed. So what I'd like to see is a perimeter of the creamer and a
perimeter of the Whitcomb with the number four, which gives you the openings to all the cuts. And it also gives you the dredging around everything,
including Harbor Watch, which hasn't been done in at least 60 years, from what I understand. So that is what I'm recommending, and that is what I
would do a motion to, because just to give you an idea, number three only gives you an opening to come out of the canals. But all of the people that have properties that are paying taxes
are not going to have their, you know, boat launches dredged, which I don't think is fair. And number two is pretty much the
same thing. And number one is a perimeter of both bayous, but doesn't give everything from the bayou around to Harbor Watch. It
doesn't do anything except open up the inlets. So I think that if we get that number for everything with with not the
center removed would be our best bet. Thank you. Commissioner, any other commissioners on this
item? Do you do you want to make a motion to the extent of what you were saying? And. Yes. So my motion excuse me again, my
motion is to take option four without the center cut and do just the perimeters of the Cromer and Whitcomb. Do you
understand what I'm saying? Right. Understood? Yes. Yes. I'll second. Okay. Thank you.
Are there any further comments or discussion? If no roll call, please, sir. Yes, Commissioner
DiDonato. Yes. Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Yes, mayor. Yes, yes. Thank you. Item
17 reconsider reconsideration of April 8th, 2025 for oath of office ceremony. Vice mayor. Yeah. At the last meeting, we
discussed and voted on having the swearing in ceremony on April 1st. The regular meeting was scheduled for April 1st, and
then we had the change of city attorneys. And then the first meeting of April would turn out to be the April 8th. You know, I, I had discussed having some
family members. I have a niece and a nephew coming down from new Jersey, but they can make other arrangements to come down at that time. So I'm okay with
moving. Having the swearing in ceremony on April 8th instead of the first. So that's it. Thank you. Vice Mayor, are there any
public comments on this item? I t are there any zoom comments? There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you. The chair
will entertain a motion to have the oath of office ceremony moved to the April 8th, 2025 date, so moved second, I just
want to say thank you, Vice Mayor. It was very appreciate you bringing it up. You know, I was just thank you for the consideration and we appreciate
it, sir. All right. Roll call, please. Mr. Banther. Yes, Mr. DiNardo? Yes. Commissioner Eisner. Yes. And thank you. Yes,
mayor Coolio's. Yes. Business item 18. Consideration of modifying vacant research and information. Officer. Job title and job description to public
information officer. Marketing specialist, city manager. Thank you. Mayor. This item is to take a vacant position that's been vacant since the retirement of the previous row and converting
that into a public information officer and a marketing specialist, which this would. Right now, those the Pio duties have been handed to our economic development manager, which takes up much of her time. And this
person would also be skilled in marketing the city and all its aspects and would sort of consolidate our marketing efforts. Okay. Thank you. Are there any public comments on
this item? The relax, 514 Ashland Avenue. Thank you for bringing this item forward. I think it's been needed for a long time. We need to start
having more outreach with the local stations that are in the area. You got Bay news nine, channel eight, channel ten, channel 13. You've got radio
stations. So we need to start pumping up our. Visibility there. One thing I would like to see possibly done is when you go
to our website, there's a link that says press releases and you go there and nothing's ever
being updated. So road closures event things because to jump to connect tarpon and connect tarpon doesn't always have, you know, things that you may be
looking for. So you can always put press releases in there with links to connect tarpon if there's a certain thing. But I just feel that part of our reach
out to residents and others who may have interest in our community don't get a full picture when stuff's there. That's been over a year old.
Thank you, thank you. Any other public comments on this item? Zoom or it? Are there any zoom comments? There are no hands at
this time. Thank you. The chair will will entertain a motion to approve business item 18. Consideration of modifying vacant Research and Information
Officer. Job and title. Don't move. Second, there are no further comments or discussion. Roll call please. Commissioner Banther. Yes, Commissioner
DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner. Yes. Mayor Giuliani's. Yes. Smithsonianus. I'm sorry. It's coming soon. So it's. Yeah. Thank you. I have many screens
going. Right. Thank you. Yes, yes. We're moving on to item 19, consideration to authorize the mayor to sign a letter from Pinellas County cities to FEMA
city Manager Charles Rudd. Thank you. Mayor. This is a request we received from some of our sister cities to sign and show support for their request to the
president, actually. So I talked to the staff about the impact. And actually some parts would make our job a little easier. But we do understand FEMA stand
a 50% rule is to try to stop paying for rebuilding the same houses over and over again. So but the for the mayor to sign the commission would need to
authorize that. Are there any public comments on this item? Here to lack is 514 Ashland
Avenue. I read through some of it, and one of part of the backup is supposedly Miss Luna is in support of this, and I find this so hypocritical,
ironic that she says she's going to help us, yet she's spoken about how FEMA needs to be dismantled. And you're writing a letter to President Trump, who,
through his Doge are chopping FEMA and all these things. So, yeah, it's nice to write a letter, but here again, it falls down to elections matter and
your vote count. So in regards to that, it gave me an idea with regards to this. So we get a letter from Madeira Beach and we sign on. I'm going to give you a
proposition where you can take the lead and have other cities sign on. Noah. They've cut 1000
people out. Are they going to end up cutting the hurricane planes that fly out of Lakeland? The scientists who give us all that data when we're watching
Bay news nine or Dennis Phillips at 9:00 at night, we're getting those updates. So you guys take
the lead and take the initiative to fight back to protect Noah, because it's nice to have FEMA afterwards. But if you got Noah ahead of the time, you can
prepare yourself so you don't need FEMA as much at the end. So quit looking at the back end of the cart and look at the front. Thank you. Thank you sir. Are
there any other public comments? I see? Are there any zoom comments? There are no hands raised at this time.
Commissioner Eisner thank you. Excuse me again. I'm going to try to speak on this. I'm the only commissioner up here that had my house flooded. I'm also the only commissioner here
that's been dealing with FEMA. So I need to explain some things of what was just said. FEMA does need to be completely redone.
FEMA has sent me letters stating that my house is uninhabitable. When they only went to my first floor and not my second floor.
FEMA has lost documentation that I've sent them, not once, but twice. They put my documentation into the storm. Milton. When I had no damage from Milton, I had
damage from Helene. So anybody that could sit there and say that FEMA is in great shape or they're helping, or I would say you need to be nose to the
grindstone and be following up with every single thing that they do. It's only people that are putting the information in and they're putting it in incorrectly. If you only heard
the woman that I was on the phone with just two days ago laughing, but not at me, but laughing, how silly the people that put in the information. We
uploaded it. They lost it. We sent it through snail mail. They lost it. Today I got a letter stating that if I don't put
whatever silly thing they want me to enter in, they're going to throw the whole thing out. This was just two days ago. They couldn't even find any of my documentation. So anybody that
says it's running smoothly, it's not. And it does need to be reevaluated, not by dismantling, but by redoing. Most of the
people in this town are selling their homes as is. It's being sold to corporations. If that's what we want. That's what's happening right now, because they're not getting money. You
have to have money in order to fix your house. And that's the bottom line. Thank you. Thank
you, Commissioner Eisner. Do we hear? Here we go. The chair will entertain a motion to for business item 19 to authorize the mayor to sign a letter from
Pinellas County cities to FEMA. So moved second. So I received this letter. It looked great to me with all the coastal mayors signing it. And so I just forwarded it to all the department heads and say, staff,
what do you think of this? And said, hey, we had to bring it up in front of the commission to sign. So it looks great for the commission and for our staff. So roll call please. Commissioner
Banther. Yes, Commissioner DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Yes, yes. Item 20. Approved. Change
order number two to bid number 230200. Dash b, Dash j l Pine Street and Gross Avenue. Drainage and roadway improvements. Part two Bob Robertson, project
administration department director. Thank you. Mayor. With this item, excuse me. This item. We're requesting board approval of a change order. As you said from the for the stormwater
improvement project, the amount of the change order is $401,514.38, 72% of which will be funded by the stormwater fund and 27% will be funded by the
Water Sewer fund. This change order, I can summarize, is basically got three primary components. The first address is various repairs and adjustments to correct items from the previous failed contractor. We
believe this to be the last of those types of repairs. The second component of this change order reconciles bid quantity discrepancies regarding our pre bid estimates versus field verified quantities, we have
better information. And the final component is what I'm characterizing as an upgrade opportunity. Keystone, our contractor recognized that while constructible as designed the
install the. Sorry I lost my place. The installation of the remaining stormwater pipe on Gross Avenue would be challenging with respect to maintaining the integrity of the existing clay, very old clay,
sanitary sewer pipe, and the existing historic decorative block walls that line many residents along Gross Avenue. So instead, Keystone is proposing
to install the new storm pipe in the center of the street rather than along the edge as originally proposed. To avoid these issues and to replace the existing sanitary pipe with new
PVC pipe, as well as replacing old brick sanitary sewer manholes with precast concrete manholes, Keystone is offering to pay for all the additional costs associated with the design
and construction of the storm pipe relocation, so they're collaborative during this, and they are asking the city to fund only the costs associated with relocating and rebuilding the new sanitary sewer line. So we
get a new sanitary sewer line, we get new manholes out of this. And I believe this is a significant upgrade, providing not only all new utility lines. The water lines have already been replaced in this corridor.
So everything's going to be new under this road. But we also have a new street that won't need to be cut open for utility repairs, likely for the rest of its useful life. I also believe that this demonstrates
Keystone's commitment to a successful project partnership, with our offer to cover the additional cost for relocating the storm pipe. So that is my staff report, Mr. Mayor, I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Mr. Robertson, are
there any public comments on this item? It are there any zoom comments? There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you.
Commissioner Eisner, you have some questions? Yes. I just wanted to share with the audience and the residents. I did have the conversation with Mr. Robertson, and I did want to
share also that it is a plus. You know, when a contractor starts a job and then disappears, walks off the job, whatever it is, and then we get
another contractor to try to finish up the job. It's you never know how the first part of the job went until they opened it back up. And here this
keystone went and opened it back up. Found issues that the first contractor did and is not only straightening it out, but he's found other things that were not
on the markings and is also willing to go after that. I just think this is a plus plus. And I take my hat off to you, Bob, because it's great to have a
contractor like Keystone who's willing to work with us and do the right thing after we kind of displaced the people on gross for quite some time. And that
was my question to Mr. Robertson, is the people have been really, really patient beyond what I would classify as normal. And, you know, at least
we can finally get this put to bed and make the people happy that that things are not going to have to be opened again. So I do want to thank you again, and I appreciate what your hard work
is to get this done. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Commissioner, there are no commissioner comments. The chair will entertain a motion to approve Business item 20.
Approve change order number two to bid number 230200. Dash b dash j l. So moved second. No further comments. Roll call
please, Mr. Bamford. Yes, Commissioner. DiNardo. Yes, Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Kelly. Yes. Mayor Kelly. Yes. We're now going to
ordinances and resolutions, item 21, resolution 2025-21 ratification of Executive Orders
202516202518 and 2025 dash 20 extending a declaration of state of emergency for Tarpon Springs due to Hurricane Helene. City
attorney, can you please read the title resolution 20 2521? A resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, ratifying Executive Order 20
2516, extending the declaration of local state of Emergency to March 4th, 2025. Ratifying Executive Order 20 2518. Extending the declaration of
local state of emergency to March 11th, 2025 and ratifying Executive Order 20 2520. Extending the declaration of local state of emergency to
March 18th, 2025, and providing for an effective date hereof. Thank you, City Attorney. Are there any public comments on this item? I t are there any
zoom comments? There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you. The chair will entertain a motion to approve resolution
202521. So moved. Second, there are no further comments or discussion. Roll call please. Commissioner. Panther. Yes, Commissioner. DiNardo. Yes.
Commissioner. Eisner. Yes, mayor. Yes. Yes. Item 22. Resolution 202522. Ratification
of Executive Orders 202517202519 and 202521. Extending a declaration of state of emergency for Tarpon Springs due to Hurricane Milton. City attorney, can you please read
the title? Yes, mayor. Resolution 20 2522 A resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, ratifying Executive Order 20 2517, extending the
declaration of local state of emergency to March 4th, 2025. Ratifying Executive Order 20 2519. Extending the declaration of local state of emergency to
March 11th, 2025 and ratifying Executive Order 20 2521. Extending the declaration of local state of emergency to March 18th, 2025, and providing for an effective date hereof.
Thank you, City Attorney. Are there any public comments on this item? I t are there any zoom comments? There are no
hands raised at this time. Thank you. The chair will entertain a motion to approve resolution 202522. So moved. Second, if there are no further comments.
Roll call please. Commissioner Banther. Yes, Commissioner DiDonato. Yes, Commissioner. Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor Calanus.
Yes. Yes. Item 23. Resolution 2025 dash ten designating Juneteenth Day as a paid city holiday. City attorney, can you please read the title? Yes,
mayor. Resolution 2025 ten a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, relating to paid city holidays. Designating Juneteenth Day as a
paid city holiday, providing for the observance of Juneteenth Day when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Providing for holiday compensation for shift employees and other city employees
required to work on the paid city holiday and providing an effective date. Thank you, city attorney. Are there any public
comments on this item? Debbie McKinney, 1021 Rose Tree Lane. I hope you guys approve this. It's been a long time coming. It's
actually the city manager who brought it up right away once he got in office, you know, got in. So we thank him for being able to bring that for the residents.
There are no further it. Do we have any zoom comments? There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you. The chair will entertain a motion to approve
resolution 2025 dash ten. So moved. Second, there are no further comments or discussion. Roll call please. Commissioner. Panther. Yes. Commissioner. DiDonato. Yes. Commissioner.
Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor Giuliani's. Yes. Mayor. Kelly. Yes, yes. We are now going to
item 24, ordinance 202505 establishing establishing section 12.51 through five through seven of the Code of Ordinances operating hours for
city parks. This is the first reading. City Attorney, can you please read the title? Yes, mayor. Ordinance 2020 505 an ordinance of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida,
establishing section 12 .5-7 of the Code of Ordinances. Operating hours for city parks. Providing for conflict. Providing for severability. Providing for codification. Providing for an effective date,
that is. Ordinance number 2020 505, read by title only on first reading. The second reading will be March 25th, 2025, and it was
published on March 12th, 2025, in the Tampa Bay times. Okay, the are there any public
comments on this item? All right. Good evening everyone. My name is Martin Estrada. I reside in Clearwater, but I'm a student
of Saint Pete College here in Tarpon, and I just wanted to basically say a couple of notes about this. So I think that this
is a very important ordinance. I think it's a crucial step to ensuring safety in the city, especially for the maintenance crews that need to get into
parks and do meaningful work there. I think these parks are a vital asset to our community. They provide spaces for citizens to relax, to recreate and to
interact socially. I think right now, the lack of codified operating hours leaves a lot of confusion for citizens. So this is a great idea for people to
know when not to and when to go to the park. I think the fact that citizens can go and choose any time between sunset and
sunrise, it helps a lot. I think closing the illuminated fields and courts after 10 p.m. The clarity for this is very
important. I know from my experience in Clearwater working a non-sworn position at Clearwater Police Department, a lot of transients would hide in
the park after hours, especially when the sun sets. So I think that this is going to be a great addition to your city as well. I
think ordinance 2020 505, I think it's going to make it a lot easier after storm damage, especially just the hurricanes that you guys experienced to close the park. Whenever the
city manager sees fit to do any needed repairs. So I think you guys should all vote yes on it. And I thank you guys for your
public service. Thank you sir. Are there any other public comments? It are there any zoom
comments? There is one hand raised. I will allow them to
speak. Attendee please state your name and address. Hi Zeb Atkinson, 621 East Orange
Street. I'm also in favor with it. We were actually able to sit with Parks and Rec to kind of go over some very crude initial
outlines of. What the what it would look like to have parks close, what should be done, what shouldn't be done. And I think it's a good thing so that
citizens more so are aware of when they can and when they cannot do certain things in the park. So I hope, hopefully everyone will agree and can put
up the signs and everything, and it'll just be good to have that clarity for the citizens. Thank you. Thank you sir. Are there
any other comments? There are no other hands raised at this time. Thank you. The chair will entertain a motion to approve
ordinance 202505. So moved. Second, there are no further comments or discussion. Roll
call please. Our. If there are no further comments or discussion. Roll call please.
Commissioner. Banther. Yes, Commissioner. Yes. Yes yes yes. Item 25. Resolution 2025-13. The
conditional use for a tourist home located at 1529 Riverside Drive has been withdrawn by the applicant. So we are now going
to the final item of the night, which is resolution 2025-15. Conditional use for an gaming arcade in the HB highway
Business Zoning district for 0114 US highway 19 North. Application two four Dash 80. This is a quasi judicial procedure. City attorney, can
you please go over the process? Yes, ma'am. This is a quasi judicial proceeding where the Board of Commissioners acts in a quasi judicial rather than a
legislative capacity at a quasi judicial hearing. It is not the board's function to make law, but rather to apply law that has already been established in a quasi judicial hearing. The
board is required by law to make findings of fact based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, and apply those findings of fact to previously established criteria contained
in the Code of Ordinances, in order to make a legal decision regarding the application before it. The board may only consider evidence at this hearing that the law considers competent,
substantial, and relevant to the issues. If the competent, substantial, and relevant evidence at the hearing demonstrates that the applicant has met the criteria established in the Code of Ordinances, then
the board is required by law to find in favor of the applicant. By the same token, if the competent, substantial and relevant evidence at the hearing demonstrates that the applicant has failed to meet the criteria
established in the Code of Ordinances, then the board is required by law to find against the applicant. Want me to read the resolution by title? Yes,
please. Resolution 20 2515 a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, approving Application number 2480, requesting conditional use
approval to allow the operation of an arcade at 40114 US highway 19 North in the HB highway Business zoning district, providing for findings,
providing for conditions, and providing for an effective date. Thank you. City attorney. Now we're going to have everyone be sworn in who will be speaking on this item. If you could all
please stand and be ready to be sworn in. You please raise your raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that your testimony before the Board of
Commissioners will be the truth, so help you? I do. Okay. Thank you. And first, we have a city staff presentation before. Yes. Let me just make sure that there's. Is there any ex parte
communication by the commissioners? Thank you. Mayor. Thank you. First we have city staff presentation. That is by Miss Rene Vincent, planning and
zoning director, ma'am. Thank you. This is application 24 Dash 80, a conditional use application for property at
40114 US highway 19 North. The specific use is a gaming arcade for, I'll say, for adults. It's not an adult use. It's just for
18 and older. The space is located inside an existing shopping center at the southwest corner of mango and US 19. There's just some context maps
with the surrounding zoning. This is highway business. You have mobile home parks to the west and to the north, and highway business on the other
adjoining property lines. The future land use on this is retail and services. Just a aerial photograph showing the site location. Again you have
the mobile home parks. Again this is an existing operating, you know, commercial shopping center. A little closer up. This is the approximate location of
the retail space, the associated parking. And so essentially it's just a reuse of existing retail space. Just a shot of the store
frontage. The proposed floor plan provided by the applicant. Again these will be like, you know, their arcade games and computer games. They have you know they give prizes, you know
with when you win, the applicant can explain more about it. If you have questions about the actual operations. We did review this through our Technical Review committee with the
including our police review. This does fall under specific portion of the state statute. So they do have to comply with the like skilled game or skilled
arcade game section of the Florida Statutes. The conditional review criteria. We find it does conform with the Land Development Code. It is an
existing use. It's appropriate to the location. It's consistent with the comprehensive plan. No adverse impacts upon historical or environmental resources. There are a set of conditions on
this that if they go into place with the conditional use, we don't expect any adverse effects to property values or any impacts on upon the city's
ability to serve public facilities. The, you know, the biggest impact that we would have would be, you know, police, you know, patrolling the area and just making sure that the
facility is operating in accordance with all local and state laws. There are the preliminary staff recommendation
does contain, let's see, six conditions of approval. I'll just quickly read these into the record. These are recommended if the board does decide to approve the application, the applicant
shall obtain a local business tax receipt and keep it active. Operating hours are limited from 1 p.m. To 10 p.m. Those are the hours that were provided by the applicant. Opaque or blackout window treatments or covering
shall be prohibited on all windows. All window surface treatments shall be clear and transparent to ensure full visibility into the business space. That particular condition was requested by our police department. This use is
prohibited from serving alcoholic beverages. The owner shall restrict the use of the business to patrons of at least 18 years or age or higher, if required by state law, and shall clearly post such restriction at
the customer entrance. The applicant shall obtain and submit proof of all required state and local licenses with the applicable with the application for local business tax receipt. Planning and Zoning Board did review this on
February 24th with the full board present. They did recommend approval of the application with staff conditions, with one board member dissenting, and there were no public comments and at the meeting, and we have
received no written public comments on the application. With that, or turn this back to the board for your review and action. Thank you. Thank you. Planning Director. Are there any
questions for Miss Renee Vincent from our board? Does the applicant have any questions to ask? Miss Renee Vincent okay.
Would you like to submit your report into the record? Yeah, the report, all the attachments and presentation. Yes. Thank you, thank you. We are now going
to go to the applicant presentation. Would you like to say anything? Please come forward. If you could. Yes. Please come to the. Thank you.
Good evening everybody. My friend Habib is the owner. He asked me to speak on his behalf if that's okay. Okay, okay. There's nothing that needs to be added. You really summed up
everything that we spoke at the with the with the council. If you guys have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Any board questions? Vice Mayor
Giuliani's yeah, I do I apologize. I have a question for Renee. The on the summary. It
has Agent Michael G. Excuse now not to be mistaken for the Michael Cuscuna who's the chair of the. That's correct. I just I don't want anybody to see that
to think that he is the agent, because obviously he would have had to recuse himself and such. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I have a couple questions. I know this is a gaming thing, gaming facility.
And, you know, these adults are coming in. What are they what are they playing? Slot machines. And I mean, it's different. Different games. They're like fighting games. Just all sorts
of arcade games. Mortal Kombat I mean different okay, similar. There's not winning. They're not winning any battles. There's no cash prizes. There's no money being exchanged. It's all on a
card. It's loaded on a card. They can accumulate credits and cash out if they, you know, for prizes of certain values. All right, well, you might see me. They're playing Mortal Kombat
and Tekken, so. Thank you. Vice mayor. Was your light back on again? All right. Thank you sir. There's no more comments for
you. Does the public have any comments or on this item? We're now it. Are there any public comments on this item they will
have to be sworn in to if they speak. There are no hands raised at this time. Thank you. No one, no one replied. So there is no
rebuttal from the applicant. We're now going to close the presentation and we're going to BOC deliberations with a motion second and potential roll call.
So now the chair will entertain a motion to approve resolution 2025-15 conditional use for a gaming arcade in the HB highway business zoning district. So
moved. Second, there are no further comments or discussion. Roll call please. Can I. Panther. Yes. Commissioner. Donato. Yes. Commissioner.
Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor Collins. Yes, mayor. Yes. That concludes the regular session. Meeting. We
are now we are now going to board and staff comments. Major, do you have any comments? No. Thank you for letting me be here, though. We got you out
fast tonight. Yeah. City attorney. No mayor other than. It's a pleasure being here. Thank you. Sir. We're happy to have you back. City manager.
Just want to acknowledge we did go to Tallahassee yesterday and in search of funds, we did submit three stormwater projects this year. Our we picked the top ones that are not currently
under construction. We had met last fall with our local senator and Representative Hooper and Anderson. And then actually the major was with us and Scott and
Bob and PJ and then so in Tallahassee, Scott and Jeff Young went with us and PJ, we met and they stayed. I came back last night. They stayed today
and met with a total of altogether. We met with six senators and one representative, and we're optimistic. We got a good response. They all commented that it was good that
we were there in person, and so our senator was very positive about our chances. So now we have to we'll watch the budget process in week five and just keep an eye on it. We told them,
let us know if there's anything we can do to keep it in front of them. But they they're just overwhelmed with projects, as you can imagine. So we just have to we're asking for about $1.1
million. So we think it's a it's a nice ask and easy for them to, to help us out. And we're optimistic. Thank you, City Manager for the update. We appreciate it. City clerk I
apologize for earlier. I'm trying to work out some election things. I just want to advise everyone that there is a one of the precincts that was at the
community center, which is precinct 703, ten and 11. If you see the results, you'll see it at 88.89%. The reason is because
they they had some trouble uploading the cartridge. So the elections office is awaiting the arrival of the cartridge to complete that last portion so it
can get to 100%. Okay. So from what I understand, it's close. It's close. So we can't say anything yet. Right. So any anything else? City clerk.
That's all. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to go to board comments. Commissioner Banther. Yes. Thank you. I know it's not official yet with the election, but it is in Commissioner Eisner's favor thus far. And so
if that if that continues, I do I do I do congratulate you, sir. I know it's a hard race. I think the bigger issue, as Commissioner Velasquez has pointed out here before, is the very low turnout. This is some
of the worst I've seen since, I mean, probably the 80s. I think you might have to go back further. I don't think that the results would change. I'm not I'm not implying that. But it's just it's just pitiful. And I
think some of that I think it's a two fold problem. I think first is how they and I was ignorant of this fact too, because I voted absentee since college in Michigan, I had to vote in person for like the
first time in forever. Today, I didn't know we weren't getting our ballots. And I think we need to help educate people not just in city races, but to make sure you have your mail in ballots. It's so easy. You don't have to
mess with the day of or anything like that. And then, you know, second off, I think it goes more towards what I have been preaching and prayer that we need to continue. And I say continue in a positive way, continue to make a positive
culture up here where people want to run for office, people want to be on city boards. And that's why, you know, we only had one challenged election. And, you know, so I think, you know, we need to be we need to
be mindful of that moving forward. But regardless, Commissioner Eisner, if you're successful tonight, we will we will we will work well together. Of course, I want to thank the city manager for going to
Tallahassee. We don't have what we don't ask for. So I appreciate that very much. And I also want to wish Meijer well. And his two month training is going to be doing. We're going,
we're going, we're going to miss you here in Tarpon. But I'm sure you'll come back with lots of stories. So thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Eisner. Thank
you. Thank you mayor. Tomorrow I'll be representing Tarpon Springs in forward Pinellas. And I believe there's one case that
is was deferred from last month. So I will be there for this one. As far as the election, I'll not say anything right now. I just want to thank all of the people
who came out to help, and also all the people that came out to vote. And, you know, give me the confidence that we could really help this city be better than we
started. So now I'll just thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Eisner. Commissioner DiDonato, I would like to also thank the city manager for lobbying us in
your party in Tallahassee. That's something we should be on top of all the time. If we're going to ask. I think it's good to see a face or faces with that
request. So I thank you and your and your group. I also want to. Our fearless leader down at the end. I want to wish you much success. In his two months
training. I'm with you there. As far as election goes, I would agree with Commissioner Arthur's comments about, you know, being
above self and being straightforward and keeping things on a positive note and we shall see and continue to work together for the people of
Tarpon. Thank you, Commissioner. Vice mayor Glenis. Again, if to reiterate, if this lead holds, I
want to congratulate you, Mike. But again, I didn't congratulate you. It's a qualified congratulations that if it holds because I don't want to put any
kind of, you know, bad juju on this for you. But but seriously though, I assume that you're going to be sitting here for the
next three years and we'll be working together, and I look forward to it. I, you know, we're going to have this same group. We're just going to
shuffle some seats around. And I think this has been a good functioning board. I think when we look at the big items, you
know, we can we can argue about, you know, technicalities of things and even minor things. But I think when we look at the big items, I, I think that we
have a general agreement about, you know, what, we want to see our city be maintain. It's, you know, hometown feel obviously have some progress but then
preserve what we got. And I think we all agree on that. You know, it was a little disappointing. You know, we don't have any control. We put our name in the hat and we don't
have any control about who runs against us. You know, one of my one of my things on my, you know, bucket list of life was to
run for office. I participated in a lot of campaigns. I participated in three with my brother I participated with actively with Tony San Marcos.
I've participated with guys up here and, and several other campaigns. And you know, it's
exciting. Election night is exciting. So, you know, again, you're going to I also want to commend Miss Francis. You know, she put her hat in the ring and
again if this holds, she, she got a, you know a nice showing and it's not easy to lose but there's really no loser. Everyone you participate, you
say you want to help your community. You know, she's a young lady. She could she's got plenty of opportunities to do other things for Tarpon Springs.
Mike, you and I are probably going to be our last hurrah. So, and I agree with you. We want to leave it better than we found it. Right? So again, again, if
it holds, congratulations to. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I just want to thank the city manager and staff for going up to Tallahassee. I'm interested in trying to look at ordinances for
the city that really. Don't bring out the best in Tarpon Springs. Maybe some stuff we could look at, you know, just people fishing or being in certain areas. So stuff like that. I want to try to bring out
as far as the election, I know the election was tough. I'm not congratulating anybody yet, but I want to thank Commissioner Eisner for running again. You know, being there also for Miss
Francis for running, because it takes a lot of guts to run. And yes, I was very critical of her, but it is an election. And we want, you know, we want people
to be able to rise above the tough criticisms, especially, you know, when, when it it's a two way street. And so I am proud of her. She did put her name in the hat. She did very
well. What we're looking at everything. So I'm not saying anything as of yet. And so whoever the outcome is, I'm looking forward to working with them and whatever the outcome is
for anyone qualifying as an eight months. So, you know, until we get some more people involved and hopefully raise the salaries to get some younger people involved, we'll see what
happens. But appreciate everybody getting involved, staying involved. And that's my next. The next meeting will be
the March 25th regular session meeting. That will be, in fact, my last meeting as a as the mayor for a regular session meeting. The next one will be the oath of office change, but
the blessing in disguise for March 25th, it will be my birthday. So it's I couldn't write it any any better and I it's just a blessing for how things happen and just want to
thank everyone in this board and we will work together, we will move forward, and we're going to focus on great ways to get this community more involved than ever. So thank you all so much.
This commission staff and everyone out who voted. Meeting
adjourned at 8:17 p.m. And.