March 26th 2026 from the coast of Belize!

March 23, 2026

I am on a cruise this week!! I have slow internet so some digging may need to be done to get to the nitty gritty this week!

Commendation- USF Master of Urban Planning program
Commendation- Tampa Water Conservation month
Appointment of Ansley Blackwell (Historic Preservationist) to the Barrio Latio Commission
Donation from TPD 1- k9 named Odus to Newton County Sherriff’s office.
$1.8million for 9mm 45 GLOCKs- I assume these are the replacements for the weapons that need to be replaced. The Sig Sauer P320 replacements?
See #5
Powerload lifts for loading patients for TFR $400k – for parts and maintenance of these lifts for 3 years.
Purchase a Remotely operated Robot, Camera and Accessories from Unmanned Vehicle technologies.
Contract with the EEOC for $11k for handling human rights issues in our community as needed.
See #9
CE Mendez Corporation providing Too Good for Drugs and Violence program at various community Centers. $68k for 3 years.
Contract with Hawkins water treatment group without escalation for $240k for parks and rec pools.
West Tampa Parks maintenance bid $256k for the mowing and upkeep of 34 parks. I am glad to see the list of parks serviced—for FY202627 with a CPI of 2.7% there was a lower bid but they weren’t insured properly for the contract.

Renewal of contract with Smith Fence co for Citywide Fencing projects/repairs etc. $1.5 million

Mowing and clean up of properties at (1) 1017 E 25th Ave, (2) 1105 E Chilkoot Ave, and (3) 4619 W North A St
Contract with Pepin Academy for the internship administration services for folks with intellectual disabilities intern program with the COT.
$28k for Arts and Cultural Affairs department r the purchase of software for records management, that sounds like a LOT of money for records management. But, what do I know?
Special events Permit— Tampa Breakthrough T1D Walk
Special events Permit-- African Arts in the Park Cultural Festival
Special events Permit-- Summer Vibes
Special events Permit-- Taste of Water Street-
Special events Permit-- 21st Annual Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival-
Special events Permit-- Tampa Police Memorial Ceremony-
Contract renewal for SAT industrial supplies for $600k with 2.7%CPI increase for the Water department
$1.2 million for consultant for Curren Water treatment plant for odor control replacement system. I am sure my friends who live on DI will be happy about this!! They better cure the issue for $1.2 million for CONSULTING…
Adding $550k x2 = 1.1 million to the contract with Precision Paving AND Turtle Paving for milling concrete roads. That already exist. Interesting that BOTH companies original bid contract were for LESS money. One for $351k and one for $409k. Who’s per foot or whatever the unit price is for this service did they use?
John Mader Enterprises wo price increase for electric motors and pumps for Wastewater facilities for $350k and for TAW Orlando for $150k for total of $500k.
Core & Main and Empire Pipe, Ferguson Enterprises and Staline Waterworks for funishing fire hydrants. $350k for the water department. – NOT impressed with this one or 26 because it is very confusing. Did you give all the bidders $350k each or total of $350k across the four bidders? Clear as mud.
$2.25 million from Odyssey Manufacturing for sodium Hypochlorite with a 2.6% CPI increase for the Wastewater department
Sourcing dumpster enclosures for Solid Waste, saving 45% through the bid process. I am wondering why the COT needs these enclosures, if the cost for them will be paid for by the customers?
Contract with Polydyne Inc for Sludge conditioning for $270k for water department
Proposal for Harris-McBurney Co for the Sherwood Heights Pump station Force Main Relocation for $589k (That can’t be all it costs to relocate…not sure what this is for?
Wow!! Wastewater department is being fined---does this come from their funds or from the general fund????????? That’s a BIG deal to be fined $584k or a project that costs $877k.WHAAATTT?? The proposed project for $877k is to get generators for 2 of the pumping stations that were down during the hurricanes. (I think they dumped some wastewater into the bay during hurricane, Debby, Milton and Helene) BUT this should NOT be coming from the general fund!
$1.8 million for design services for Wastwater department pumping stations with Dewberry Engineers
The last payment to Kimmins for the Harbor Island Forcemain project for $10k with a reduction in cost of $617k
$200k for a LEASE for the water department, it doesn’t say WHERE the lease is for, it doesn’t INCLUDE the lease or the terms? I am guessing it is the GTE building. Ya’ll know that the COT gives them $68k per month for the space we lease there while HANNA is an empty CAVE!
A contract with Gallagher services for HIPPA services with HR, it says there is NO cost.
The COT is doing reissuance of bonds for Trinity School for children, which is some weird thing that is required that isn’t the City paying money for the school. I don’t recall the details but someone explained it to me a long time ago.
Purchase OPEN GOV software for $2.7 million but the nit says to transfer the funds internally of $731k from the Utilities services Tax Capital Project fund--- OPEN GOV is a capital project? Really?? for that kind of money they should offer classes for the citizens of Tampa to learn how to use it.
See#39
$483k for construction services management software, will this help with the issues of processing permits?
A reciprocal agreement with GASWORX for easements.
Easement agreement for 702 N Ashley Dr for placement of underground gas facilities.
Private dock agreement for 1510 E Park Circle Dr
An access agreement for the COT and Universal Solutions to evaluate the property where Fire station #17 is located to see if there are environmental hazards.
Private Dock agreement for 1204 W charter St
Grant of Stormwater Drainage easement for 4610 Lowell Ave
Ground lease agreement for COT owned property to build a playground for Headstart program at Encore
YET another contract that should be RENEGOTIATED…NOT renewed at the same price. What else can you buy for the same price you paid for it in 2001??? Unless you’re the COT who gives away all our tax dollars??? This is contract for Cell towers around the city for $30k lease annually SINCE 2001!
Submerged easement agreement with THEA for the Hillsborough River, it says no $$ changes hands, what’s in it for the Citizens of Tampa?
Movement in the budget of the CRA funding for Downtown CRA and Non-Core CRA f $3 million, it really doesn’t say for what? I didn’t kno that the CRAs were actually doing much of anything to spend that kind of money. All the folks complaining about nothing getting done? Just sayin….
Assignment of leases between COT and Rivergate Tower owners LLC for the sale of 400 N Ashley Dr. Not really sure what this is about? Maybe the Army surplus property?
DR Horton is building a subdivision in the COT there are NO surveys or plats for the item in the agenda. I’ve asked for those to be included in any re-platts so that folks can see where they are located??
The CRA service agreement so that CRA staff can continue to get little to nothing done for the CRAs of the City. Why??? Obstructionists at best….I am sure this isn’t a staff issue but an issue created by the TOP. Why? Because TCC is the boss of the CRAs.
Renewal w/o price escalation between COT and Flowbird America for Parking System management for $600k
$558k for 3 freightlineer M2 20 yard asphalt trucks for mobility department
$291k for 2 freightliner m2 14’ low side dump trucks for mobility department
$292k Freightliner Asphalt patcher body vehicle for the mobility department.
$959k for the Manhattan Ave Stormwater project from the EPA via GRANT. Thanks to Kathy Castor for securing these funds!!
See #59
Receipt of agreement between FD of Emergency Management for two water level sensors- what they measure, where they will be located isn’t mentioned.
Ordinance to allow the defense of elected officials (AKA TCC) when they are acting as the CRA board to be defended by the COT.
Ordinance cutting YET another Sidewalk loophole!
2nd reading for 1301 E Columbus Ave Comp Plan amendment
2nd reading for 4205 & 4230 S Macdill Ave AB license
Vacation of 2111 N Blvd portion of Ross Ave lying N of Palm,South of Park and E of N Blvd and W of Massachusetts Ave
1st reading to name a street after Tony Garcia Jr.
Administrative Update
$300k for house in East Tampa, if they are only paying for the lot, that makes it worse? Seriously, who is doing these deals? This is EXACTLY what Andy Scaglione has been complaining about, the COT does their homework BEFORE they put something under contract so they are MISSING all the deals and only get CRAP deals like this one!
Contract agreement with COT and Causeway partners LLC for $4million! For the water department facilities.
Contract with Vogel Brothers Building for the Sulphur Springs pumping station rehabilitation Design-Build contract $6million
Citywide resurfacing project with Ajax paving for $16.9million. Won’t that be nice, hopefully they won’t do ALL of South Tampa at the same time!!
Reimbursement Resolution for the West Riverwalk…don’t get me started on BONDING for this project. WEARS me out!!
See #73
Stormwater grant money from the state for Manhattan Ave project for $2.7 million
See #76
Renewal of contract with General Facility Care LLC with a 4.5% increase in pricing---is there evidence of how much of this increase will go to the folks CLEANING THE CONVENTION CENTER???? $3.3 million
Mandating an annual public safety master plan—1st- the Planning Commission staff should be involved in this process. 2nd doing one every year is OVERKILL…you’ll get poop! All this time and no one has ever actually DONE this plan. I sent the Public Safety Master Plan presentation to TCC in July of 2023. Yall should spend some time and find out the details of how they do their plans…BUT you’ll never get it for TFR because they are the red headed step children of the Mayor’s office. Don’t believe me, let me take you on a tour of station 24….just sayin…
Street naming for Officer Morris Lopez
TCC have a discussion of BIG BLUE--- I hope someone asks WHY it was put out for RFP in the first place? Who had that bright idea?? Then NO ONE bid on it??
Why are we talking about the electric rates in Tampa at TCC? We can’t do anything about it, that’s a Tally issue?
Ms Kopesky bringing back a list of details on the surplus spending from the FY25 budget.
Natural Resources advisory committee discussion of the resolution and staggering terms for participants.
WHAT? This makes no sense to me? Obviously, not to anyone else either because there are NO supporting documents. I have NO IDEA what this item is asking??
Public Records fees for TCC, NO, TCC should NOT be paying to pull public records!! WTH is that? I mean, they are working for the Citizens of Tampa.
Culbreath Bayou exemption from the sidewalk issue earlier in the agenda.
Staff report for a light at Highwood Preserve and New Tampa Blvd, It looks like they can get on the wait list behind Tyson and Westshore which was warranted in 2006 and they’ve build THOUSANDS of apartments there since then but we still don’t have it installed permanently
TPD substation inn New Tampa, can we get two in South Tampa because we have more people? Just sayin…