Weekly Agenda Review

April 17, 2025

4/17/25

  1. Commendation for Drinking Water Week--- didn’t they just get one in the last couple of weeks. (April 3rd!) I am all for the Water Department but isn’t there a better way to spend staff and council’s time. Honestly once a year is grand! Make a REEL about it to publicize the occasion instead….why doesn’t TCC have a communications person? (NOT to discount the Water Department in any way!)
  2. Feeding Tampa Bay 10 minute presentation
  3. The Equal Business Opportunity Advisory Council- WOW! 29 applications for 16 seats! Where did they advertise these positions? We can’t seem to get applications for other boards but this one is busting at the seams! With that being said, it seems a bit short sited to make each term the same length and expiring at the same time because you can lose continuity on the board. It would make more sense to stagger the Mayor’s appointees and council’s appointees to have slightly different terms. 2 vs 3 years for one or the other. Something to consider. (I am NOT looking at resumes as I don’t have time this week.) I do really like John Zemina from Kimmins. He’s a class act. He’s the only name I recognize.
  4. Donation of a Horse named Henry to TPD valued at $13k. Thank you to Martin and Tammy Werner for the 6 year old Clydesdale.
  5. Accepting a donation of $5k from the Frank Mangano Foundation for TFR- there is no designation as to what it should be utilized for? Interesting.
  6. See #5
  7. Addendum to contract with Versaterm from 1998, for TPD for Criminal Justice Information Services. It doesn’t show any funds changing hands? It seems like a very long contract for a technology services type of contract.
  8. Social Action & Arts Fund with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the COT for $24k for financial services for victims of crimes. It seems this was the second year of this contract. How many victims were supported with the funding for last year. Examples of what kind of support was given. Just curious?
  9. Nelson’s Tree Farm and Nursery—I recalled seeing there name recently. I looked back on my rolling agenda and found these. I don’t recall EVER seeing where any of these trees are actually planted? Are they part of the tree give aways? We are spending a lot of funds and there are a LOT of increases? I may have missed some but it’s an interesting history. I am ALL about planting more trees—but where are these trees being planted?? Well, by golly, they were on: a. 4/3/25 agenda for $287k with 2.7% CPI increase. b. 9/19/24 Winning bid for trees because top bidder wasn’t certified. The lowest bid was 20% lower than their bid.
    c. 6/20/24 $415k with 3.2% CPI increase d. 2/15/24- 5% CPI increase that is backdated to August 2023? e. 4/6/23 – 6.5% CPI increase for NORTH parks to $337k.
  10. Code enforcement cleaning up properties that the owners neglect. (1) 1507 E Fowler Ave, (2) 2205 E 17th Ave, (3) 3421 N 9th St, (4) 11323 N Rome Ave, and (5) 7406 S Obrien St
  11. Special Event Permit- Best Buddies Friendship walk
  12. Special Event Permit- Juneteenth Summer Block Party
  13. Memorandum of Understanding for access to Driver And Vehicle Information Database system (DAVID) with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) with the COT
  14. Purchase Battle Motors Let2 Chassis with Heil 40yd Front Loader Body Vehicle from Container Systems & Equipment Co for $542k for solid waste
  15. Purchase (1) Ford F-550 Extended Cab with Valve Turner Body Vehicle, from Duval Ford $272k
  16. Purchase (1) Ford F-550 with Cues CCTV Body Truck from Cues, Inc for $456k for Wastewater department
  17. Purchase (1) Ford F-550 Extended Cab with Stahl Utility Body Vehicle, from Duval Ford, LLC $210k
  18. Purchase 5) Ford F-150 Crew Cab Trucks from Duval Ford, LLC in the amount of $265,975.
  19. $911 contract for Rehab Design for University Pumping station with AECOM technical services, this pump station was built in 1978, they designing a new station in this contract. The address of the project is 920 East 131st Avenue, Tampa, FL 33612
  20. Solid waste with Pro Serve for services at the McKay Bay WTE plant. This is the 3rd year renewal at $275k
  21. Correction of a scrivener’s error for a contract with Solid waste for boilermaker services.
  22. Solid waste contract with Blue Monkey disposing for Class III waste in the amount of $584k with 2.5% CPI increase.
  23. Quest Corporation of America for furnishing Communications services for the water department for 3 years for $200k. Lets connect this to item #1!!!
  24. Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Project award to HNTP corporation. I assume that because of the sign off that this is for the mobility department, but I am not sure what it does or proposes to do? In the coversheet it says assess the pending projects across Tampa Bay region. Interesting…so are they prioritizing them? For $1.7 million?
  25. Final payment of $5k to Kiewit Infrastructure with a final decrease of $1.8 million. Good job coming in UNDER cost!
  26. Set a public hearing to have the water department replace the water main between Himes and Macdill on Empedrado themselves. Rory introduced us to the head of this crew! AMAZING!
  27. SIDEWALKS- SIDEWALKS—SIDEWALKS! We MUST increase the fee to what it costs the City of Tampa to install the sidewalks. The City costs are higher because they have to have new surveys done, they have different sets of benefits for their employees and materials than a developer does. IF a developer can do it cheaper, by ALL MEANS…let them install the sidewalks! Harry Cohen said that many of the fees in the county are INDEXED--meaning they increase automatically. Why doesn't the COT index?
  28. Contract with Smith Fencing without increase for supplying fences for different departments. $750k
  29. The renewal of subscription for the City Attorney’s office of Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH LLC and West Publishing for legal research for $100k
  30. Receive and File the COT Comprehensive Financial Report for FY2024…I guess I know what I am reading this week!
  31. So the COT settled with OE about Paris St, SMH…the icing on the COT signing off cake…they are letting them pay into the sidewalk fund for all four homes instead of putting in the sidewalks…talk about insult to injury. SMH…. Another day another fleecing of the Citizens of Tampa’s tax dollars. This is sending the kid to the principal's office and they come back with a sucker if I have EVER seen it!
  32. Internal audit report on Mobility Customer Service. My experience is there are some kinks in that system especially when it comes to stormwater. Overall I find the mobility department to be quite responsive but there are some front line lower level employees that might need additional guidance to get to the same Level of service as other departments I deal with on a regular basis.
  33. The city is conveying 1903 N Taliaferro to Jaywen Properties LLC for affordable housing, I am sorry but this property should be servicing folks BELOW the 140% of AMI if you are going to GIVE them the dirt. If you did attached townhomes or missing middle smartly they could easily be below that AMI. Why is the developer being given the option to do single family detached? Just sayin… when I offered one of my former rentals to the folks in the DARE program, all three services only had 1-2 Total in that price range. The rest couldn’t afford that much! WHERE ARE THE APPRAISALS OF THESE PROPERTIES? I thought AC asked for them for each property transaction for the COT?
  34. Same as above for 3207 Holmes Street BUT the City is also going to loan them $5k towards infrastructure. See comments above. We’re giving away city property…it needs to be for those MOST in need! If they can’t afford the $5k, why are we giving them the property?
  35. Same as 33-34 1807 N Mitchell Ave with a $14k loan.
  36. See 33-35—for 4805 35th Circle, Tampa, Fl with a $26k loan
  37. Seawall agreement between the COT and and Herring Trust for 7505 E Veve Lane
  38. Mobility department purchasing property near Bermuda Blvd for $80k with $3k in closing costs.
  39. Grant of non-exclusive easement for Wastewater from the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority for 5020 W Tampa Bay Blvd
  40. Release of easement at 5038 W Dickens Ave
  41. Allow encroachment of easement to 107 S Franklin St for three awnings.
  42. Joint easement resolution between the COT utilities and FDOT for 5405 Cypress Center Dr.
  43. Vacation of a plat in Hanan Estates at the Corner of N Hubert and W North B St.
  44. $272k for a replacement home from the SHIP program for 5104 N 22nd St I am confused, why is the city/CRA paying for this house to be replaced? I am sure there is a good story but there is no explanation.
  45. Purchase (1) Ford F-550 Extended Cab with Stellar Utility Body Vehicle for Logistics department
  46. Purchase (1) John Deere 210P Excavator from Dobbs Equipment for $248k for Mobility/stormwater
  47. $282k movement from Utilities Services Tax to Logistics & Asset Management for transportation
  48. Moving $10k from the general fund to Parking Operations Fund for the e-Bike Voucher program.
  49. Vacation- 2nd reading- a portion of W. Chelsea Street right-of-way located North of Alva Street, South of Cayuga Street, East of Manhattan Avenue, and West of Hubert Avenue, within the re-plat of Drew Park in the City of Tampa
  50. Replacement of the Parking Ordinance for the COT, 2nd reading.
  51. DE1 petition for review that is withdrawn.
  52. Administrative Update
  53. JVS Contract with the city of Tampa Wastewater collection systems repairs FY2025. $5.5million
  54. See #53
  55. Energy Value update from Sustainability Office- we don’t need an energy manager. (slide 4) Those numbers look very similar to what Hagar produced when discussing the solar for the Port Tampa Rec center. Did the COT pay for the solar on top of the GTE building? If so do the other tenants there benefit from the solar savings?
  56. 3 questions about the West Riverwalk project answered--- the answers are interesting. The 1st question—IS NOT ANSWERED….If the BUILD grant is cancelled - What other funding sources could be pursued to continue with the project as designed---the answer is NOTHING… SMH, you can look at the answers to the other two questions yourself.
  57. Legal staff to give a report on apprenticeships for contractors in our community. (nothing in ON BASE, but it says verbal report)
  58. It doesn’t say a presentation or report but it says that Chief Bennett will work with the council on the previous employment issues and how to address them. Not sure what is expected here?
  59. Report on expansion of the convention center, CONTINUED to June 5th
  60. TCC to have discussion about having a night meeting on July 31st for AB and Comp Plan changes
  61. The monthly report about Station 24, I’d love to see the consultant that was hired to advise TFR about the project.
  62. Ms. Kopesky will create a monthly update list for TCC of purchases under $100k. I thought that the R&F department does this already?
  63. The thought of “Large scale” only is nice, but just this week I’ve seen folks bullied by construction folks who want to park in front of their homes. SMALL scale to be considered too.
  64. Who owns the property behind 9419 Forest Hills Dr. Not sure what this is about. Agenda Review 4/24/25 April 24, 2025
  65. Planning Commission present By 2050 81% of Tampa’s Population outside of the Coastal Hazard Area. Wow, this was put on the agenda 8/1/24. Workshops are getting backed up. Maybe they should be done monthly.
  66. Presentation about the Julian B Lane Catering Contract.
  67. Sulphur Springs Pool and Stepping stones—update on the pool….and the neighborhood plan is continued. It’s really sad that they don’t have answers for this community for yet ANOTHER SUMMER!
  68. A list of priorities presented by Dennis Rogero (CFO) of how to spend the remaining FY24 budget funding of $25.8million. I recommend you spend it how the CITIZENS of TAMPA want it spent. If you ask what the primary issues are in any neighborhood. They all say the same thing: a. Roads need paving b. Sidewalks around schools c. Speeding d. Parks repairs- improvements- replacements from neglect e. Stormwater (this one is new) but it’s REAL
  69. Hagar Kopesky to come up with parameters for Social Action and Arts Funding. I think this is important. It seems that some folks get money every year on time and others get a lick and a promise only receiving funds after a lot of asking. If TCC or the Mayor promises funding to an organization, they shouldn’t have to beg for it for months on end.