Call to order the regular session of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs. Tuesday, April 14th, 6:30 p.m. Roll call please. Mayor here. Vice Mayor
Eisner here. Commissioner. Cool. Yas here. Commissioner de Donato here. Commissioner Banther. Our reflection this evening will be by the Reverend
Father Athanasios Haros from Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. And it will be followed by the presentation of
the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. In
the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Christ is risen. Oh Lord, our Lord. Oh Lord our God, you created us and brought us into this life
and have said that apart from me, you can do nothing. In faith. We embrace these words as we gather this evening and entreat your blessing upon your servants. Look with mercy upon
the Board of Commissioners of Tarpon Springs. Grant unto them the grace to know and do your will. Let them serve all the citizens with truth and
righteousness. Inspire them with the courage to make and uphold the laws of this glorious city, and for the good of all who reside therein. Give to our city officials the
spirit of wisdom, patience, love, and understanding that they may discern the truth and impartially administer. Keep them safe and healthy in mind and body so that they may
fulfill their responsibility. Grant to all the civil authorities and residents of Tarpon Springs, as well as those who labor for the city. The power to make this government continue to work so
that all may prosper and live together in peace. For you are the King of peace, and to you we send up glory to the father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to
the ages of ages. Christ is risen indeed. He is risen.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Is our singer here tonight? Well, I'm not
doing this by myself, so we're going to collectively sing our national anthem. Oh, say, can
you see by the dawn's early light. What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the. Perilous fight for the brand
parts we watched were so gallantly streaming. And the rocket's red glare, the bombs
bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say, does
that star spangled banner. Yet wave for the land of the free
and the home of the brave. Hear
me sing. I need a workshop on that one. Yeah, yeah.
We're going to start this meeting off with public comments. So anyone that would like to get up and speak about anything or want to
say nice things about Frank, please come forward. Good afternoon. Good evening
whichever. My name is Deborah Hill Jones, 429 East Boyer Street. And I know I've been up here before about that water
bill and the deposit and trying to see if you all would put it back on the agenda and look into it. My deposit been up there for 23 years and I know
other states, other places where I've lived that after you get a report or showing that you've been paying the bill on time, they usually refund it to
you or take it off your whole take that whole whatever, $100, $120 off your bill. But I know that your policy is that you give it an interest in
September. But I think that's something that you all need to look into. That's it. Thank you. Yeah. Next, please state your
name and address. Good evening, board members. Anita. Pros 901 Bayshore Drive. Mayor, this is for Frank DiDonato. Thank you, Frank, for your service to the
years. To the city of Tarpon Springs. You are truly the favorite son of Tarpon. I've served with Frank many, many years. He's a wise man. His
heart was always in tarpon, a fair man and great knowledge of our community. Thank you for all that you have given us, for what you have supported for
tarpon and you will be missed. Good luck. Thank you mayor. Anyone else like to get up and say something? Okay. Hi. Good
evening, David Ballard Geddes junior. I live on Georgia Avenue down the street in Palm Harbor. Lately, I've noticed that our bird population has been collapsing. Whether we've
destroyed their food supply with excessive pesticides or fertilizers, or we've developed on our natural habitat, that's a concern. Also, I've had my
attention drawn to the exorbitant amount of fires that we've had in this country. Florida. Naples is on fire currently just on the edge of the Everglades, their habitats
being destroyed, they're not able to nest. And it calls into question, why would we want to reduce our bird population? Is there an objective behind it? I
attended the Forward Pinellas meeting last Wednesday. The forward Pinellas board last Wednesday had talked about on one of the agenda items there,
an emerging drone industry. They talked about the drone industry will soon be buzzing around over our heads carrying
cargo, medical transport, advanced air mobility for personal transportation was discussed at the meeting. Autonomous drones for
delivering packages to our front door and stuff was talked about as well. This artificial intelligence drone during the
discussion also was brought into a military application. This autonomous drone posturing is being used within the Middle
East currently for military conquests. That has my attention. And whatever your view is, on whatever side of the war that your viewpoint is
on, what's going on over in the Middle East, I feel as though now is being brought over into this country with the use of autonomous drones. I feel as
though we have an emerging fundamental security issue here in this country regarding the powers behind the use of drones
that needs to have some sort of military oversight. Thank you.
Next. Hey, Reverend Milton Smith. I don't see spelling in Dunedin, but you can't get rid
of me in Tarpon Springs. Mayor and commissioners, first to Commissioner Frank Donato. My gosh, we go back so many years, probably about 30 years or more. And when I was a pastor, I was
working together. So thank you so much for your many, many years of service to the city of Tarpon Springs. I want to address the commission and just tell the commission, thank you
so much for your support back in February. This is the first meeting I've been able to come to since February of the fitness for First responders
car show that we did downtown. It was well attended. Over 2000 folks showed up that day and I just thank you for your support and helping the organization,
nonprofit help our first responders. So thank you so much. And hopefully we can make it bigger and better next year.
Thank you. Next. Commissioner elect. How are you? I'm great this evening. Thank you. Lori Weaver, for five one East
Avenue. So I have only known Frank for the last year, and I don't know how well I'll be able to fill his shoes, but I will attempt to be that voice
of reason that you've been on the Commission all these years. I know you'll be immortalized forever because your names on a plaque on the public safety building. So I'm sure you've accomplished so much in your
time. The only good thing that will come from this is that you and I will be able to talk about city business again. So I appreciate that, and you'll
hear from me. Thanks. Thank you. Good evening. Katie Taylor, 657 Haven Place, Tarpon Springs. I wanted to thank Commissioner
Frank DiNardo for your time with us. I've only been knowing you maybe about two, two and a half years, but it's been a pleasure. Thank you for every time we met. I talked to you. You. I can talk to you. You
listen. Not only would you listen, you hear? And you take things to heart. So I appreciate you. And I look forward to working with Lori because, you know, we got girl power. So now we got more. So
thank you for your service, Commissioner DiNardo. Thank you. Hello, Maggie Miles, 433 East Boyer Street. I've been gone
for a minute, but I'm back. Hey, Maggie. How you doing? Good. And you? I'm here to talk about my same thing. The opening of Belcher Road in Distant Avenue.
If anyone has traveled us 19 as frequently as I do three times a week, going down to the county, it takes me an hour to get home. When I get to Klosterman Road, I have to turn
left or right when it would take me like three minutes to get to tarpon. It takes me an additional 10 to 15 minutes because I have to go around. And with the new Anclote Harbor
going to be opening here shortly, 400 and something new apartments, we can factor that in. The traffic on US 19 is
atrocious. We would be able to just jump on distant and take Belcher and go all the way to Saint Pete without even getting on an alternate or us another
thoroughfare in case there is a storm problems. We have another exit out of the city, so I would ask the Commission to again, diligently think about
opening up the Belcher Road, hooking it to distance. My other question is street parking. We just finally got
our new gross avenue. I come here every morning and there's cars parked on. The right side
or the west side. Now, is there anything being put together in the county ordinance to address street parking? I don't mind street parking when the road is wide, but when the road is only
two lane for one car and one car, then if you got a car parked there, then I just think it's too cumbersome. So that's another thing. On the corner of
spruce and Gross, they put in sidewalks, but they stopped at that last section between spruce and I'm not sure what
that little side street is, but. The the roofing company. Avery, you know, I'm talking about on the corner, they have made themselves a parking lot. Right.
And they're parked, their cars are parked right to the street edge. So when you're trying to make a right to go on spruce, you got city trucks coming out.
Their road access and you're trying to make a right is very hard to see around that curve. And plus there's a fire hydrant right there and they park between the fire hydrant. So I
don't know if those spots could be backed up a little bit. So you can be able to see around the curve here on spruce and gross. That's it for me for now.
Thank you and have a nice evening. Oh, I forgot my. Don't worry about anybody else's
focus on yourself. Okay, so here lack is 514 Ashland Avenue and. Last week I was up and I
watched the Easter ceremonies from Rome and listened to the Pope. And he mentioned some globalization of indifference. And I'm going to read something
from the Pope in the light of Easter, let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us. Let those who have weapons lay them down.
Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialog. Not with the desire to dominate others, but
to encounter them. We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent, indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people, indifferent to the
repercussions of hatred and division. That conflict, so indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel
there is an ever increasing globalization of indifference. To borrow an expression dear to Pope Francis, who one year ago, from this low, he addressed his final words to the world,
reminding us what a great thirst for death, for killing. We witness each day in many conflicts raging in different parts of the world. This was
from his urbi et Orbi April 5th, and referenced Pope Francis of April. Now, just to show you, it's not just the Catholics I have here from Archbishop
Bishop Bartholomew, Constantinople, the Church of Christ, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the city set on a hill, the lamp placed on the lampstand bears
witness in the world before the signs of the times about. About the grace that has come and the hope that is in us, the message of the cross and the resurrection resounds today as
a gospel of peace, reconciliation and justice, war, hatred, injustice, stand opposed to the fundamental Christian principles for whose
realization. Establishment the people of God pray and labor for each day. We beseech the Lord on behalf of the victims of wartime violence the orphans, the mothers who mourn their
children, and all who. Those who bear in body and soul, the effects of human cruelty and callousness. This is a denial and condemnation of violence
and fear and invitation to a life of peace. War only brings forth lamentation and death before the daily images of the cruelty of war, the church
raises her voice and proclaims the sacredness of the human person of every concrete human being anywhere on earth, and
the duty of absolute respect for that dignity. You know, we in America are kind of immune, and that pledge of allegiance.
Bombs bursting in air. Well, that's what they're experiencing. But we don't ever experience. So that's why we become immune. Thank you. It's all video game. Three minutes are up. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Anyone else like to get up and say anything? Okay.
Let's. We will now go to the resolution 2026 dash 17 to be read by the City Attorney Resolution 20 2617, a
resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Tarpon Springs, Florida, ratifying and confirming the results of the municipal General Election held on March
10th, 2026 and providing for an effective date hereof. Okay. City Clerk, do you want to read?
Is there anything that you need to read on this? Okay, can I have a motion to approve the resolution and for the ratification of the election
results? So moved. Second. Okay. If there's no comments, let's have roll call, please. Commissioner. Yes, Commissioner. Donato. Yes. Commissioner Coolio's. Yes. Vice mayor
Eisner. Yes. Mayor. Kuleana. Yes. Okay. So let's have we're going to have our presentation to our outgoing commissioner,
Frank de Donato. Let me. Before I begin, let me acknowledge the city officials that are in the
audience tonight. Mayor pro. Commissioner Kitka. Commissioner Sieber, Commissioner Hill is very nice
seeing you. Commissioner Dalakas and commissioner elect
Weaver. All right. Frank, are you going to come join me up
there? So, Frank, before I get into this long list of your
accomplishments, it's been a pleasure working with you. You know how this whole thing played out. I was having breakfast with somebody, and we were talking about an opening
on the commission, and they said, well, have you thought about Frank de Donato? And I'm like, Frank DiDonato, he's not going to come back and do this.
And he said, But I'll call him. And it was actually Mike that did it. And he gave you a call and and said, hey, do you want to come and help us out? And
you said, yes. And I was like, hell yes. If somebody of Frank's stature wants to come back and serve the community one more time, that was something that I couldn't pass
up and all of us couldn't pass up. So, you know, Frank's legacy of service stretches far beyond the city of Tarpon Springs. His dedication extended to Pinellas County
government state level chiropractic positions. He's always prioritizing the needs of others. Frank retired from his successful 46 year chiropractic career, defining
by his commitment to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay and providing free physical exams for students wanting to participate in sports. I always saw Frank on the sidelines at the high
school football games, always donating his time. And you'll see from this list. Do you get
it yet? So, you know, so I got this list of things that I didn't know all these things. First, he was in the US Navy
from 1966 to 1970. He served in Vietnam. And again, thank you for your service. He you know, it's kind of appropriate that
he served in Vietnam being the way that Frank. Is that Frank. It's a war that the veterans didn't get the full
appreciation of their service, because it wasn't a popular war. Frank has served this community and throughout. And and he
didn't get I don't think he's always gotten his just due. But most of us and we've had this conversation before, and I think I've had it with guys up
here as well. There's going to be a day that we're not here and we don't have these titles, and most people will not remember us. I remember Norman
Hill, and for all that he did years ago for the city of Tarpon Springs, but many of you do not. Right. You're he was a
time before, but. So you don't do it for. If you're doing this to get accolades, then you're in the wrong business. You do
this. So not only obviously your family. Debbie respects him, his, his, his son's respect him, but most importantly that he respects himself. He looks in the mirror
and he likes the person he sees. And that's what matters. And I know you do. So he was mayor of Tarpon Springs for two terms.
He was a Tarpon Springs City commissioner for three and a half terms. He was the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce
president for two terms. He was a Pinellas County adult education chairman for four years. I think you see a pattern here. He's he likes
being in charge. Yeah. So he was the Tarpon Springs Senior Services Advisory Council for two years. He was the Rotary Club board of directors and the
president Milton, you can appreciate that job, right? He is the Tarpon Springs Boys and Girls Club chairman. He was the Tarpon Springs Board of Boys
and Girls Club board of directors. He was a Tarpon Springs Recreation advisory board. Pinellas Planning Council executive committee
member and treasurer. He was on the mayor's council for six years and he was president for one term. He has a Bachelor of Science from University of
Central Florida. Was a Florida Tech. When you went to Florida Tech, that was my brother. My brother graduated from Florida Tech and he was, I, I, I just a
side story has nothing to do with Frank, but I, I he had his diploma and it said Florida Tech. So Florida Tech was central Florida. Now it's one of the biggest colleges in, in
the country. So he had this diploma that he thought was a collector's item and I lost it. I, I was, I was packing his stuff and I can't find it. Someday I'll find it. Now I'll
have to take it by his anyway. So he got it. He went and got a replacement, but they wouldn't give him a Florida Tech replacement. The game of Central Florida won, so that's a whole nother story. You know,
I can go off on tangents, don't you know Frank? Yeah. Okay. Frank was also he's a doctor of chiropractic, magna laude from the Palmer Palmer College of
Chiropractic. And any of you know, if you know, the science of chiropractic, it was founded in Iowa, in the Palmer School.
So Frank was educated where the best were educated. He was in the who's who of Chiropractics. He's one of the outstanding young men of America. That was
1984, you know. When I was young. Yeah. He was chiropractor of the year. He was chiropractic peer review committee for the state of
Florida. He was the chiropractic consultant examiner for the state of Florida. He was a chiropractor, expert witness for the state of Florida. And he's also on the
board of directors of the Florida Chiropractic Association. So you can see that, Frank. Is a man who
filled a position. He's not somebody who needed a position to fill him. So he's. So we're
we're again, we were fortunate to have a man of his caliber, of his background, come and serve this board at a time where we needed it. And I
needed it personally. And he's a reasonable man, a good man. And he should be proud of himself. And I think our community should be proud of
him and happy that he lives amongst us. So frank. Got a couple things for you. I've got this plaque. It's it's to you
as commissioner. I think you got one of these. Probably when you were mayor. I hope you did. In recognition and appreciation of dedicated and devoted service from February 21st,
2024 to April 14th, 2026, the city of Tarpon Springs. And it has all of our. As Mayor John Giuliani's Vice mayor, Mike Eisner, Commissioner Bonnie
Coolio's, Commissioner Frank Di Donato, and Commissioner David Banther. So I want you to have this to remember your time with us. And this is something
special. Frank didn't get one of these when he was left as mayor. For some reason, he got passed over. It's not the way
he wanted it. Anybody know what movie that's from? Godfather? Yeah, it's the way pops wanted it. It's not the way I wanted
it. No. And again, I digress. So, father, that's the way it goes. So. So anyway, he he
didn't get one of these when he was mayor. He was supposed to. And so we're making up for it now by giving him this diver helmet that is is pretty cool
that I hope you enjoy having on your mantle or wherever you're
going to put it. So you want. All right. Frank. So like, like Commissioner Weaver said, we can now we can go and hang out
and talk about all kinds of stuff. We can talk about all these guys now behind their back. And and we can also meet Frank and I go to the best eating establishment in town.
We eat at the hospital cafeteria. Yeah. So go ahead, Frank, please say something. I, I really don't have much to say. Just just to thank everybody,
those that were for me, those that are against me. Thank you. Anyway, I love tarpon. I was proud to serve tarpon. And I'll
stay in tarpon. And I just encourage all of you to Christmas talking to the choir here because you people understand. But voting is very important in who you vote for
and who you support. Do your research, stay involved and just thank you for the
opportunity. Commissioners wish to say some words about Frank. Oh, you want to start? You
start. Chief, you go first. Commissioner. I know you yell at me when I call you commissioner, but I'll call you commissioner one more time, and then I'll start calling you Frank again. But you know, I've been with Tarpon Springs for 32
years, and we've worked together for many of those years. You up here on the dais as a commissioner? Mayor played softball with you on the Elks team for many years. You were
my chiropractor. But most of all, you're a friend. And the one thing I could say about Frank is he's a damn good man. And that's what it takes to to lead a community. And thank you,
Frank, for the many, many years of leadership, but more importantly, for your friendship. Thank you. Anyone
else wish to say yes? Yes, Frank, I know you hate it when I say this, but you signed my my my Eagle Scout certificate. You did. Listen, that just shows your tenure in this town.
Because I'm not young. So you. You were a model statesman. I remember my dad introducing me to you before I could vote. I was in high school and I was volunteering on various
campaigns. And you were always an example of a good statesman, of a good city. Commissioner. I have admiration for you as you are a business owner in town, as I am, and still found time to serve and have a resume. I
have it right here. That's, you know, longer than mine will be, I'm sure. And I hope that when I'm in your situation that I'm at least half as accomplished as you. I think this town is indebted to you. And I think
your memory and your name will live on here long beyond all of us. So thank you very much, Frank, and I hope you enjoy your, your, your, your, your Tuesday night's free. So thank
you. Frank. Thank you for everything. Okay.
We have. Just kept you. Well, this will
conclude tonight's meeting. We will be adjourning. It's called Signi dei, which is Latin for without a day. It's when you
adjourn a meeting with no return scheduled. So this is a sine die. Adjournment at 704.
We will come back at 715 to conduct the next meeting. Why are we waiting? Oh, we got, we
got, we got it, we got it. Okay, hit it on this. You can't.
He's the oldest. You only take it.
Out. I see you. If I could have Commissioner Banther come
forward with his family. I know. If you could raise your right
hand and repeat after me, I. I say your name. David Banther. Do you solemnly swear or affirm, do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support, that I will support, protect and
uphold, protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States, and of the State of Florida and the State of Florida, and the charter and laws and the charter and laws of the City of Tarpon Springs.
The city of Tarpon Springs, that I am duly qualified. That I am duly qualified to hold the office, to hold the office of Commissioner, seat one, Commissioner seat one that I will faithfully perform. I will
faithfully perform the duties of that office, the duties of that office on which I am now about to enter, which I'm now
about to enter. Since. This is my fifth swearing in, it's my last one, which I'm sure some
are probably happy about that, but I'm looking forward to these final three years and helping this commission, you know, like, you know, like, you know, succeed and then transition into our new board in two years, which will be
vastly different because of all the terms. So that's why I'm here. Thank you. Now, if I
could have Commissioner elect Lori Weaver come forward with
her husband. For her family. You could raise your right hand and repeat after me. I. I say your name, Lori Weaver. Do you
solemnly swear or affirm, do solemnly swear and affirm that I will support, that I will support, protect and uphold, protect and uphold the Constitution, the Constitution of the United States, of the
United States, and of the State of Florida, and of the State of Florida, and the charter and laws and the charter and laws of the City of Tarpon Springs, the city of Tarpon Springs, that I am duly qualified. That
I'm duly qualified to hold the office. Hold the office of Commissioner, seat two of Commissioner seat two that I will faithfully perform, that I will faithfully perform the duties of that office, the
duties of that office on which I am now about to enter, on which I am now about to enter.
Congratulations. Thank you very much.
Oh, it's new bro. It's like, you know, it's a lot going on. This is the punishment that was the better
choice. I now call to order. I now call to order the regular session of the Board of
Commissioners. Tuesday, April 14th at 7:18 p.m. Roll call please. Mayor here. Vice Mayor Coolio's here. Commissioner
Eisner here. Commissioner Banther here. Commissioner Weaver here. Our reflection again this evening will be from the Reverend Father Athanasios
Harris of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Please stand. In the name of the
father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Christ is risen. Truly is risen. Oh Lord our God, you created us and brought us into this life and have said that apart from me, you can do
nothing. In faith. We embrace these words as we gather this evening and increase your blessing upon your servants. Look with mercy upon the Board of Commissioners of Tarpon
Springs. Grant unto them the grace to know and do your will. Let them serve all the citizens with truth and righteousness. Inspire them with the courage
to make and uphold the laws of. For this glorious city, and for the good of all who reside here in. Give to our city officials the spirit of wisdom, patience,
love, and understanding that they may discern the truth and impartially administer. Keep them safe and healthy in mind and body so that they may
fulfill their responsibility. Grant to all the civil authorities and residents of Tarpon Springs, as well as those who labor for the city. The power to make this
government continue to work so that all may prosper and live together in peace. For you are the King of peace, and to you we send up glory to the father and to the son, to the Holy
Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Christ is
risen. He is risen. Everybody can sit down, please. If they
don't do it a second time. Thank you father. Thank you. Glory. Would you. Commissioner
Weaver, I'm sorry. I can't keep calling her Lori anymore. So come on up here, please. I got
some things for you. David already got these. This all this swag. So now you it's your turn to get some of this stuff. But first, before we before I
give you all these things. I want to congratulate you on becoming our next commissioner. I don't think I've been as excited about somebody becoming
a commissioner as I am with you. I am looking forward, I know you, I know your your calm, you. You're a captain and I've seen
you be calm and I know you're steadfast, and I know that you are reasonable person that I think will come up here in the
in the spirit of, of compromise and, and a fellowship to work together for what's best for our community. So I, I really think she's going to do a great
job and I have immense hope in that and I'm confident of it. Thank you. So I've got first
this beautiful plaque, the key to the city on it that you get to hang in wherever you like.
God, there's. Some kind of pin, I think. What is that like a key with the city seal hanging from it. So I'm not sure what.
Yes, it goes on your jacket. I've never used one. I still haven't. Here's a the actual pin that could go on that
jacket. And you want it on there now or do you want. Okay.
I want to put a hole in that green jacket. So you want. It's all right. All right. Lori's
got the greatest collection of jackets. She must have, like a humongous closet. I've never seen their state wear the same jacket twice. Okay, so, Dan,
you have your your city seal that goes, like, in the pocket thing. I've got that. And then this is really important. I lost mine the second day that I
the day after I became a commissioner, I lost it and, and I was so scared to tell Irene that I had lost it. And I doubled back and found it. But
yeah, you hold on to this. This is a this is a it's a big deal. This one here. All right. So that's it. Go sit down. You
have. To sit down. You sit down. Yeah. Very proud of you. Happy to. Say thank you, ma'am. Okay, okay. We won't do any more of those because we're
professionals. Here, take the box. All right. You start in
trouble. Okay? Commissioner
Weaver, would you like to say a few words? I would. I don't know if you can imagine the feeling of sitting here and
looking out and seeing so many people that had faith in me and and worked hard to put me here. I would love to ad lib my
statement, but, you know, under the circumstances, I, I did prepare something, so I'm going to read it. Yeah, I'd like to
express my sincere gratitude to those of you that supported me, including many of you who came out tonight to stand with me, especially thank the people who stepped up to guide me during
my campaign to Lyndon and ladies of the Women's Club and the friends who believed in my calling and walked the streets, stood on the corners and spread
the word. You have a past with me that does not expire. God bless you all. You have a friend. To the city leaders and
statesmen who trusted me enough to lend their support. Your confidence and guidance has raised my bar. Each of you has demonstrated your commitment
and I am proud to join you. Thank you for your trust. I'd like to recognize my husband, Scott, who has and will continue to make many
sacrifices for me to serve in this role, and I am here due to your unwavering belief in me. My accomplishments are due to
your patience and strength, and I am thankful for everything you are. Mayor Giuliani's encouraged me tonight to tell
the story of how I came to be in Tarpon, so I'm going to start off with that story, and I promise from this day on, I won't be quite as wordy. Years
ago. I wanted to move to Florida's West coast. I was living on the East Coast, so I visited several cities south of here. And on the day of my
departure, a voice in my head said, go north. Instead of traveling south home. So I abandoned my route home and
started north on 19, and I soon found myself driving on alt 19, not knowing where I was going. I was approaching what I later came to learn was the sponge
docks. There on the west side of alt 19, I passed an old wooden fishing boat sitting on stanchions in dry dock. It's still there today. Upon seeing
that boat, I knew immediately that I needed to live here. That boat was old and not seaworthy, but I knew that someone was keeping that old boat with a dream of restoring
it. So we could feel the sea spray another day. Being a captain, I understood that feeling. For us, a boat is a
living thing. They have a soul. Sadly, old wooden boats are few and far between. Many towns have ordinances against them. Many see them as an eyesore, and many marinas would have
chopped up that boat years ago. But hear that old boat had value, as do all the old boats at the sponge docks, and I knew that this was where I belonged.
So before I reached Mr. Slovakia, I was on the phone with my husband and said, we have to move to Tarpon Springs. Being the wonderful man that he
is, he said, whatever you want. And three months later we were unpacking, not with a single regret. When you love a town this much, you have a deep
desire to see it remain healthy and vibrant. And that is where my voyage began. So to the people of Tarpon Springs, I'd
like to say this night, while it seems like it's about me, is more about you. While the title of commissioner may belong to me, the role of commissioner
belongs to the people who trusted me with it. The residents who spoke up voted and believed that their voice could shape their city, and that we are the conduit by
which they speak. So I don't take this moment as a victory lap. It's more like being at the starting line of a very long and difficult marathon. I
believe that progress rarely comes from conflict. It comes from respectful disagreement from people who care enough to challenge each other. When
leaders grow too comfortable, progress slows down. When leaders are too confrontational, progress comes to a halt. The character and strength of any
governing body is in their ability to bring different perspectives to the table and still shake hands. At the end of the evening. But regardless
of who you voted for, I work for all of you. And I'd like to be clear I am not here simply
to go along. In order to get along. That's not the job. My experience, good judgment and the will of the people will
dictate my decisions and direction. For the record, a few key notes that I ran on, and I say this because I want
everyone to hold me accountable, are preserving the history here, strengthening our economy by fortifying small business and increasing tourism to secure
the residents a sound infrastructure and great places to enjoy their time. Here. I look look forward to working on a centennial celebration I
initiated for the 100th year anniversary of the City of Tarpon Springs building of the Sunset Beach. So while I may occupy this seat for just a few
years, I'm not here to simply maintain the status quo. If everything were working, ideally, you wouldn't need us. I plan to leave the city in the best shape possible, and that
happens when you engage people and local business. So in closing, I'll thank the community for their support, for the responsibility you have
demanded of me and the opportunity to serve at this level. Please don't sit back. Now that the election is over, your job is to pay attention,
show up, ask questions, stay involved and hold all of us to the highest standard. Please know that for me, every resident's voice, regardless of
background or community, carries the same weight. I'll continue to listen and advocate for each of you because I am not here to play it safe. I'm
committed to making things better for us all. Thank you.
Okay. Are there any public comments tonight? Please come forward. Your lack is 514
Ashland Avenue. Congratulations, Lori, and very wise words. I appreciate hearing that from you and I hope the community
hears you that you are a fresh voice. We haven't had a woman on the board in a while, so we like that perspective sometimes. And it's not to be gender stuff,
it's just sometimes you can bring a different focus. Thank you. So some business. Back to
Maggie Disston. What was it 5 or 6 years ago? We had that meeting at what the church across from Annie's house. Craig Lunt was in his second
year. I think we went there. We we did all the discussions. We showed you what we wanted. We got it. I don't know where Renee is. Ask her. We got 100,000 grant from Forward Pinellas to do all this stuff.
There was things with either just the fire only or with the road. Again, it's sat on the shelf and as she said. Look, I
love going down Belcher. But the excuses will go through the neighborhood. Will we go through a neighborhood now? You go through all 19 till you get to curlew to get the distance. You're still going through
neighborhoods, and it still forces people to have to go around. And the beauty of Belcher, 45, it's not a lot of traffic. You set your cruise
control 45 and unless you hit the lights bad, it's a nice smooth ride and it's not going to impact what's coming into tarpon any more than the
residents who need to come into tarpon, because people who need to get out to 19 or to go out to Baywood village, they're still going to turn at Klosterman. Secondly, I hope
Marty gets up and speaks again because he spoke eloquently about it before. We've got a special session coming up. I've asked for you to come forward with the resolution against
what they're planning on property taxes. Yeah, we all don't like to have to pay more, but it's what provides for this.
Our water, our sewer, our fire, our parks, our libraries, our marinas. You want to support your local businesses. We give grants, right, Raya. We give
grants. All that's going to disappear because they're going to say, you have to fund all the all the public works. What
whatever the fire police. And now a couple meetings back, we now said public works people are first responders. So that takes up, what, 65% of our
budget. You'll see that. And if they cut out a lot of this stuff, what's left? Closing the library one day a week, limited
hours, parks, such. And lastly, seeing that there's a new board and seats have been moved around. And I happen to notice that Commissioner Eisner is
commissioner now, and Commissioner Gulyas is now the vice mayor. But I don't remember because usually the rules say in the first week of April you do the switch. But I think if I remember correctly,
the year before, y'all made an agreement where you're the first year and you're the second year. So I don't know if that's how this all played out. Maybe you can explain it to the people who aren't aware of the
history of some of our meetings, but congratulations on our new vice mayor. Thank you. Any
further comments? Okay. Oh, hey, Maggie, forgot to mention one thing. Maggie Miles, 433 East Boyer Street. The other thing I wanted to ask to the city
manager, was there any movement with the the unified trash cans for waste management for the city? I know a while back I talked about everybody in the
county. Right now only commercial businesses have the green receptacles. Everybody else has all kinds. Some areas in my neighborhood, they don't
have adequate trash cans. So you see a lot of trash on the ground. If everybody had the green receptacles, the whole city had the green receptacles, like in all the other cities in
the county, they have their designated cans. I think that would help a lot with the trash that's on the ground. Thank you,
thank you. Anyone else? Okay, let's move on to our agenda items. We have two appointments
to. One to the General Employees Pension Board and one to the Pinellas County Suncoast Transit Authority. Do I hear
any motions for an appointment to the General Employees Pension Board that was previously held by Commissioner De Donato? I'd like to do that
one, mayor. Okay, so a motion to appoint myself to the employee pension board. Second,
is there. Do we have any public comments on that? Okay. Is there any conversation on this item? No. With that said, roll
call please. Commissioner Weaver. Yes. Commissioner. Banther. Yes. Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Yes. Yes. Mayor Giuliani's. Yes.
Okay. Number two, the appointment to the Suncoast Transit Authority. Commissioner Banther, do you want to. Yes, I was appointed to that to to this board a month or two ago,
and I served on it previously in my in my first two terms or my second term, whatever. But their meeting schedule conflicts with, with, with my work schedule. It is a really good board to be on because I
think the majority of the county commissioners on the board and then the rest of it's made up of other city, you know, you know, you know, you know, like, you know, city commissioners. So I'm, I'm, I'm,
I'm, I'm unable to do it. I don't think we have to have somebody on that board. But it is wise to, especially with the upcoming possibility of a water taxi that might that might
benefit our residents. So I didn't know if somebody else. I know that, Commissioner Cooley sorry. Not now. You're not now your vice mayor Cooley. He also works full time as well as I do,
but I know we have others on the board who don't. If they wanted to fill that role. Commissioner Weaver, I was thinking of you. I know your brand new. And sometimes that might sound unorthodox, but you have a lot of board experience
about you, and I think it would be a great introduction for you. You know, as far as as far as down county politics go and, you know, meeting our county
commissioners. So if you're willing, I'll happily pass pass that torch off to you if you want to. You agree. You accept rather. Yeah, I can accept that. Okay. Well, I will motion to
appoint Lori Weaver to to to replace me on the state board. I'll second. Okay. If there's no discussion. Roll call please. Commissioner Weaver. Yes,
Commissioner. Yes. Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. That concludes our regular business. Now we're
going to go to board and staff comments. Chief, just looking forward to working with this new board and benefit to the city. City attorney. No comment.
Mayor. You know, thanks for everything you do for us. I appreciate it. You know, you help us navigate through a lot of things and and you're a great source of comfort to me.
So on a personal note, I want to tell you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Okay, city manager, just looking forward to working with the new board. And we got a lot to do. So
we'll get busy at our next meeting. And I can't wait a minute. Where do I go? Oh, Commissioner Weaver, I forgot the order. Now I just look
forward to working with everyone I have. I have great hopes that we can work together, and I want to thank all my friends and family for coming out. Thank you. And
Commissioner Banther. Yes. I just want to welcome Commissioner Weaver on. It's going to. I got to call you commissioner now and not Lori, but it's great to have you on here and looking forward to to
serving with you. Thank you. And Commissioner Heizer. Thank you mayor. I also want to you know, I'm proud to sit alongside you and work with you.
I have the greatest confidence in your decision making, your demeanor and all. So I'm, I'm, I am fully appreciative that
you won the election and that you will make those good decisions for the city. In addition, I did want to touch base. I didn't really get a chance to fully answer. There
was one more thing, mayor, that you left off on Frank de Donato. He on that long list of things. I don't know if everybody knows this, but Frank went over and
beyond the call of duty. When I was the Rotary Youth Exchange officer. I had a young lady who was here from Taiwan, and he took it upon himself to do the
physical for her, to make sure that she could stay here in this country. So, you know, not only did he do things for the city, but he did things thanklessly for anybody that
asked him to step up to the plate. So I did want to add that on to his, his, his, his accomplishments and just.
That's it. Thank you. Okay. Vice mayor, yes, I first I just wanted to get a chance to thank commissioner former Mayor Donato for his service. He was a staple figure in the
community, and I really never thought I'd even have a chance to serve with him. But, you know, obviously things played out the way they did. So he brought a lot of wisdom and we truly appreciate it. Commissioner Weaver, I want to
thank you for being on the board now. I really loved your speech. It was I just I loved the direction you gave and your thoughtful articulation. And I know you're going to do a great
job in providing and being a voice for the community. And last of all, I want to thank all the. I want to wish all the Orthodox friends of Christos. Honesty at Crisis Risen. It was
a beautiful Easter and Pascha holiday, so just everyone get to enjoy themselves. It was a beautiful weekend. Thank you, thank you. Okay, so let me
address a couple things. The. As far as the vice mayor situation is concerned, that was we did make that decision. There was a resolution passed
at the. And this is kind of what I. I wanted, and it's not necessarily my decision, but it's it's what makes me happy is that we we take the politics
out of this appointment and that it, it shifts down the line and everybody gets a chance to serve. So it would, you know, obviously be
Commissioner de Commissioner Banther after this. And then Lori Weaver would be next. And we flow down the the the thing. And that's how that's how it
should work. And, and again, this, this would, just I was, I was shaking my head and just he was laughing. Yeah. Well, you can pass on it if you want, but
it's, it gets, it gets offered to, you know, but I, I, again, this, you know, short of me, you know, dropping dead or getting hit by a car while I'm
running, but I'm very careful. The that's why I stay in the park because not that many cars, but you know, short of that or short or of me, if I have to miss a meeting the vice mayor
covers. Obviously our vice mayor has experience. So then I know that I can miss a meeting and I know things will flow. It's going to be good. But you know, again, this this thing got heated years ago. And, and,
and we and I want to, I think it's, we want to take the, the heat off of it. This is, this is a, an appointment by the board that is one that, you
know, again, should not be a popularity contest. So the what I am going to ask for is I'm going to ask for a motion because we got the next meeting
we have. We've got a lot of things going to get pushed on that meeting. We're going to also work on vote on the rules and procedure. We had the workshop, we kind of agreed on
items on the on the the new rules and procedure for coming up here. We, I believe that the
city clerk said that everybody will get a draft copy by Friday, and that way everyone can have a exchange with the city clerk
if they feel, you know, words are not appropriate or have any questions, then hopefully we can have it kind of tied down
amongst everyone. And so it can be put on the backup when the agenda is issued for the next meeting. And so what I'm going to ask is, can I get a motion?
Because in the in the rules procedure, we're going to start the meetings at 6:00. So we're going to move the meetings to 6:00. We're going to do proclamations and presentations
in that first half hour. Then if we will then begin the regular business of the commission. And if there's a gap, let's say, for example, we
have the meeting at 6:00 and we only have 15 minutes worth of proclamations. We will have a 15 minute break and we will start at 630. Okay. So no business will begin for the
city any earlier than 630. So any of you that can't make meetings or 630 is a good time for you, you won't miss anything. But we will get some of the proclamations and, and
presentations out of the way so that we can move and get out earlier. And it's not to get out so that we go home. It's more so that we're not
conducting business late in the evening when people have to get their kids ready for school the next day. Or sometimes you have meetings that go past 11:00, and it's difficult for people
to stay up that late and watch what we're doing. So I believe it's going to help us with transparency and communication with the community. So can I get a motion since we don't
have the the rules haven't been passed yet. Can I get a motion to begin the meeting on the 28th at 6 p.m. So. Okay, if we don't have any discussion, can
we have a roll call, please? Commissioner Weaver. Yes. Jesus Christ, go ahead. And you you have to stop talking in the
middle of a meeting. And you know better than that. But you haven't learned. Okay? So stop, stop, stop. Peter. Tonight. Yeah. No. Okay. Roll call
please. Commissioner Weaver. Yes. Commissioner. Banther. Yes. Commissioner Eisner. Yes. Vice mayor. Yes. Yes. Mayor. Yes. Okay. So again, I'm excited
about our new board. You know, it's it's for the same people and one new person, but it's like we're reshuffling. It's kind of feels fresh. It feels new. I think we've got a lot of
good things to do. We've got the budget coming up. We're going to you know, we may have a lot of tough choices to make. We don't know about. We're going to be waiting to see what
the valuations are going to come from the county on properties and and such. And then we still have that that those things that could go on a referendum for the state that could affect us. I don't think
it's going to affect this budget process, but I think it will. It'll definitely have some future ramifications. So everybody stay diligent. We're going to have a lot of
workshops on things and and public hearings on things like the, you know, Parks and recreation. What are some of the things we got coming up? So
downtown, the downtown master plan, our, our branding. So we got a lot of things and we're going to need input from the community. Please stay involved.
And we appreciate everything that you guys do to support us. And we also want to do the best for you. So we have to hear from you. And whether that's in
a setting like this or even out in the community, I think that you, you, you should see us all. We all kind of go in different places. So you, there's always one of us you can grab to
express your opinions. So with that said, the we will adjourn
the meeting at 749. Thank you.