CRA VIRTUAL SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020
9:00 A.M.
DISCLAIMER:
THIS FILE REPRESENTS AN UNEDITED VERSION OF REALTIME
CAPTIONING WHICH SHOULD NEITHER BE RELIED UPON FOR COMPLETE
ACCURACY NOR USED AS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT.
ANY PERSON WHO NEEDS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT OF THE
PROCEEDINGS MAY NEED TO HIRE A COURT REPORTER.
09:00:52 >>JOSEPH CITRO: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:00:54 MY NAME IS JOSEPH CITRO.
09:00:56 I AM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY OF TAMPA CRA BOARD.
09:00:59 AND THIS IS A SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING OF THE CITY OF TAMPA
09:01:03 CRA BOARD.
09:01:04 LET'S OPEN OUR MEETING WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY
09:01:08 THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
09:01:09 LET'S START OUR MOMENT OF SILENCE NOW.
09:01:12 [MOMENT OF SILENCE]
09:01:18 I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
09:01:19 IF YOU CAN, STAND, PLEASE DO AND LET'S RECITE THE PLEDGE OF
09:01:24 ALLEGIANCE.
09:01:25 [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]
09:01:40 THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
09:01:42 WOULD THE CRA SECRETARY TAKE ROLL CALL OF THE CRA BOARD?
09:01:50 >>THE CLERK: YES, CHAIRMAN.
09:01:51 CARLSON.
09:01:53 >>BILL CARLSON: HERE.
09:01:56 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: HERE.
09:01:59 >>ORLANDO GUDES: HERE.
09:02:01 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: HERE.
09:02:04 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: HERE.
09:02:08 >>LUIS VIERA: HERE.
09:02:12 >>JOSEPH CITRO: I AM HERE AS WELL.
09:02:13 I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WITHIN THE CITY CLERK'S
09:02:18 OFFICE, THE ADMINISTRATION, THE STAFF AND ALL THE COUNCIL
09:02:21 MEMBERS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
09:02:23 TODAY'S SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CRA WAS CALLED BY MYSELF,
09:02:26 JOSEPH CITRO, AT THE END OF APRIL 2nd SPECIAL-CALLED CRA
09:02:32 MEETING PURSUANT TO ARTICLE II, SECTION 3 OF THE BYLAWS OF
09:02:37 THE CRA.
09:02:38 THERE ARE ONLY TWO ITEMS ON TODAY'S CRA AGENDA.
09:02:44 THE FIRST ITEM IS THE COVID-19 UPDATE FROM THE CITY
09:02:48 ADMINISTRATION.
09:02:49 I WOULD LIKE TO NOW INTRODUCE CHIEF JOHN BENNETT, THE
09:02:53 MAYOR'S CHIEF OF STAFF, WHO, TOGETHER WITH OTHER FROM THE
09:02:57 CITY ADMINISTRATION, WILL PROVIDE THE CRA BOARD WITH AN
09:03:00 UPDATE TO THE LOCAL COVID-19 STATE OF EMERGENCY.
09:03:05 AFTER CHIEF BENNETT'S PRESENTATION, I WILL ALLOW EACH OF THE
09:03:09 BOARD MEMBERS APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES TO ASK ANY
09:03:12 QUESTIONS OR MAKE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE
09:03:18 REGARDING THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY AND THE ADMINISTRATION'S
09:03:21 UPDATE.
09:03:22 CHIEF, WOULD YOU PLEASE PROCEED?
09:03:26 >>JOHN BENNETT: GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN, GOOD MORNING, BOARD.
09:03:29 GOOD MORNING, PUBLIC.
09:03:29 WE WILL DO A SIMILAR BRIEFING THAT WE DID A WEEK AGO
09:03:36 TUESDAY.
09:03:36 AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR INVITING OUR STAFF TO SHARE WITH YOU
09:03:40 OUR SITUATION REPORT UNDER THE CRA AGENDA.
09:03:46 CHAIRMAN AND BOARD, AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE STILL UNDER A STATE
09:03:49 OF LOCAL EMERGENCY AND WE'RE STILL OPERATING UNDER THE
09:03:52 CONCEPT OF THIS REAL-TIME SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY OF
09:03:56 SHOCKS AND STRESSORS RELATING TO SAVING LIVES UNDER COVID
09:03:59 AND, OF COURSE, TRYING TO SUSTAIN AND RECOVER THE ECONOMIC
09:04:04 IMPACTS.
09:04:07 WE CONTINUE WITH THE MAYOR'S STRATEGY OF CONTINUING TO
09:04:10 SANITIZE OBVIOUSLY OUR FACILITIES, OUR VEHICLES, MAKING SURE
09:04:19 OUR PERSONNEL AND OUR PUBLIC ARE FULL OF EDUCATION AROUND
09:04:22 SANITIZING.
09:04:24 OF COURSE, YOU'VE WATCHED THE EVOLUTION OF THE SOCIAL
09:04:27 DISTANCING TO THE SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:04:29 WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE TRIAGE COLLECTION QUARANTINED
09:04:34 TESTED TREAT MODEL WITH OUR MEDICAL PARTNERS AND, OF COURSE,
09:04:37 OUR MESSAGE OF STAY CALM, BE KIND, AND STAY SAFE STILL
09:04:41 EXISTS THROUGHOUT THIS EMERGENCY.
09:04:43 WE ASK ALL OF US TO WORK OFF CREDIBLE INFORMATION.
09:04:48 OUR TAMPA GOV HAS 55 UPDATES RELATED TO COVID-19.
09:04:54 AND MS. BAUMAN CAN EXPLAIN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO STAY
09:04:57 INFORMED.
09:04:58 AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN SENDING YOU DAILY SITUATION REPORTS
09:05:01 FROM OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GROUP THROUGH CHIEF
09:05:04 LoCICERO'S DEPARTMENT.
09:05:07 AS WE FOCUS ON OUR PUBLIC, OUR PERSONNEL, OUR PARTNERS AND,
09:05:11 OF COURSE, THE POLICY MAKERS FOR THOSE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS,
09:05:14 TAKE CARE OF OUR PERSONNEL, OUR FACILITIES, OUR ROLLING
09:05:17 STOCK AND OUR LEVELS OF SERVICE, WE WILL GIVE YOU THIS
09:05:20 BRIEFING AGAIN AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
09:05:22 AND I WILL KICK IT OFF WITH OUR FIRE CHIEF AND EMERGENCY
09:05:25 MANAGER, CHIEF NICK LoCICERO.
09:05:28 CHIEF?
09:05:30 >>NICK LOCICERO: THANK YOU, CHIEF OF STAFF BENNETT.
09:05:33 THANK YOU TO THE CHAIR, CRA MEMBERS AND PUBLIC.
09:05:37 I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE YOU A SITUATIONAL
09:05:42 REPORT ON OUR ACTIONS RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
09:05:46 OUR SECTION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROVIDES A COORDINATED
09:05:51 PLATFORM FOR PLANNING, RESPONSE AND MITIGATION FOR THE
09:05:56 EVENTS WE ARE FACING TODAY, EVENTS OF CONSEQUENCE ARE BEFORE
09:06:05 US TODAY.
09:06:06 THROUGH THE OFFICES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORTING
09:06:09 EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS CITYWIDE FOR OPERATIONAL
09:06:12 COORDINATION, WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
09:06:15 I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE YOU A BIT OF A TIMELINE WITH RESPECT
09:06:20 TO INFORMATION RELATED TO COVID-19 AS WE CONTINUE THE
09:06:26 SUPPORT OF A CITYWIDE EFFORT.
09:06:28 WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AFTER THE MARCH 12th EXECUTIVE
09:06:32 ORDER SIGNED BY THE MAYOR, IDENTIFYING A LOCAL STATE OF
09:06:36 EMERGENCY.
09:06:39 SINCE THAT POINT, WE HAVE CONTINUED DAILY ADMINISTRATOR AND
09:06:43 DIRECTORS' CALLS IN WHICH WE'VE DISCUSSED ISSUES OF
09:06:46 IMPORTANCE WITH THE CITY AND A RAMP-UP AS THE VIRUS AND
09:06:52 CIRCUMSTANCES PREVAIL.
09:06:54 WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS THE CITIZEN
09:06:58 INFORMATION CENTER, AS WAS STOOD UP ON MARCH 17.
09:07:03 THE CITY OF TAMPA EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ACTIVATED AT
09:07:08 LEVEL TWO ON MARCH 19th, AND WE CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN THAT
09:07:11 LEVEL OF SERVICE ABILITY TO THIS DAY.
09:07:13 WE PROVIDE SITUATIONAL BRIEFS PUBLISHED DAILY.
09:07:19 WE PROVIDE STATE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLATE DAILY AS WELL.
09:07:25 AND AS OF THIS MORNING, STATE CASES FOR COVID-19 SETTLE AT
09:07:30 15,698 WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CASES SETTLING AT 631.
09:07:36 THE PRIMARY CITY OF TAMPA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GOALS ARE
09:07:42 THESE.
09:07:43 TO ALIGN OUR PRIORITIES WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN RESPONSE
09:07:45 TO COVID-19, TO ENSURE RESPONSE RESOURCE REQUESTS ARE MET
09:07:52 WHILE COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND
09:07:55 STAKEHOLDERS.
09:07:57 WE ARE CONTINUING TO PROACTIVELY ENGAGE UNIFIED
09:08:01 RELATIONSHIPS WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
09:08:03 THROUGH AN INTEGRATED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
09:08:07 WE CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HEALTH
09:08:09 DEPARTMENT.
09:08:12 AND OUR MAIN TAKEAWAY IS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND
09:08:15 DISCIPLINE WITH RESPECT TO SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE
09:08:20 STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS.
09:08:21 AND THAT CONCLUDES MY EM SUMMARY.
09:08:24 THANK YOU.
09:08:27 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHIEF.
09:08:28 CHAIRMAN AND BOARD, NEXT UP IS OUR CITY ATTORNEY GINA
09:08:34 GRIMES.
09:08:34 GINA.
09:08:36 >>GINA GRIMES: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:08:37 SINCE OUR LAST COVID UPDATE ON TUESDAY, THE 30th, THE
09:08:43 GOVERNOR HAS ISSUED FIVE MORE EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
09:08:47 THE MOST SIGNIFICANT LEGAL DEVELOPMENT SINCE OUR LAST COVID
09:08:51 UPDATE WAS THE GOVERNOR'S SAFER AT HOME ORDER THAT WAS
09:08:55 ISSUED ON APRIL 1st OF LAST WEEK.
09:08:59 FORTUNATELY, THE GOVERNOR'S STAY-AT-HOME ORDER OR SAFER AT
09:09:03 HOME ORDER WAS SIMILAR TO THE EPG SAFER AT HOME ORDER THAT
09:09:08 WAS ALREADY IN EFFECT.
09:09:10 THAT DIMINISHED THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED
09:09:17 AFTER THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER WENT INTO EFFECT.
09:09:19 SO HIS SAFER AT HOME ORDER IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE EXISTING
09:09:25 COUNTY EPG SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:09:29 IT URGES, MANDATES PEOPLE TO STAY AT HOME UNLESS THEY NEED
09:09:34 TO LEAVE FOR TWO REASONS: TO CONDUCT ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES,
09:09:39 SUCH THINGS AS GOING TO THE DOCTOR, THE GROCERY STORE,
09:09:43 CONDUCTING RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
09:09:45 THE GOVERNOR ALSO ADDED TO ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES SOMETHING
09:09:47 DIFFERENT THAN WE HAD IN OUR LOCAL ORDER, AND THAT WAS
09:09:51 CHURCH GATHERINGS WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS AN ESSENTIAL
09:09:55 ACTIVITY.
09:09:55 THE OTHER REASON THAT YOU'RE FREE TO LEAVE YOUR HOME IS IF
09:09:59 YOU CONDUCT ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND LIST OF CERTAIN JOBS AND
09:10:07 JOB SECTORS IN THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER WAS VERY SIMILAR IN MOST
09:10:13 RESPECTS TO THE LIST OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT WE HAD IN
09:10:17 THE EPG SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:10:20 TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTOOD THE EFFECT OF THE
09:10:25 GOVERNOR'S ORDER, THE CITY DID UPDATE ITS WEBSITE AND COVID
09:10:32 PAGE TO ADDRESS THE MINOR DISTINCTIONS AND SOME OF THE
09:10:36 DIFFERENT TERMS THAT WERE USED IN THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER, BUT
09:10:39 WE DID NOT HAVE AN INFLUX OF QUESTIONS.
09:10:42 OBVIOUSLY, THE PUBLIC IS BECOMING QUITE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT'S
09:10:45 ALLOWED AND WHAT'S NOT ALLOWED UNDER A SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:10:48 SO HIS ORDER DID NOT GENERATE AS MANY QUESTIONS AS THE
09:10:52 INITIAL EPG SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:10:55 THE GOVERNOR ALSO ISSUED HIS OWN FAQs, FREQUENTLY ASKED
09:11:01 QUESTIONS, THAT CONCISELY ADDRESSED SOME ISSUES THAT WERE
09:11:06 RAISED IN HIS ORDER.
09:11:08 AND THERE IS A LINK TO THAT FAQ ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
09:11:12 THE OTHER UPDATE I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU IS WITH RESPECT TO, AS
09:11:17 FAR AS COVID IS CONCERNED, FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT, WE HAVE
09:11:21 SHIFTED IN THE LAST WEEK A LOT OF OUR RESOURCES TOWARDS TWO
09:11:26 THINGS IN SERVICE TO THIS CITY COUNCIL.
09:11:30 THE FIRST ITEM IS WORKING ON COORDINATING THE CITY COUNCIL
09:11:35 REGULAR AND CRA MEETINGS, AND THEN THE SECOND THING IS A
09:11:39 PROPOSAL FOR RESCHEDULING OR RESUMING YOUR QUASI-JUDICIAL
09:11:42 HEARINGS.
09:11:42 WE DID THAT BASED ON THE DISCUSSION YOU HAD LAST WEEK
09:11:48 INDICATING THAT YOU WANTED TO GET BACK TO WORK.
09:11:51 SO MORRIS MASSEY, WHO HAS DONE THE LION'S SHARE OF WORK IN
09:11:56 OUR OFFICE, HAS BEEN WORKING NONSTOP THE LAST WEEK IN TRYING
09:11:59 TO IDENTIFY A SCHEDULE -- AND THIS IS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR
09:12:04 REGULAR AND CRA MEETINGS.
09:12:06 HE'S WORKED ON THE SCHEDULE.
09:12:07 HE'S DRAFTED RULES OF PROCEDURE.
09:12:09 HE'S EVALUATED WITH T & I STAFF AND THE COUNCIL ATTORNEY,
09:12:17 COMMUNICATION MEDIA TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS, EVALUATED THE
09:12:21 VENUES.
09:12:24 HE HAS ALSO EXTENSIVELY WORKED ON THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS
09:12:28 AVAILABLE SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE REGULAR
09:12:32 MEETINGS AND THE CRA MEETINGS.
09:12:34 THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT.
09:12:37 HE'S ALSO WORKED ON THE AGENDA AND ALSO ALL THE CHANGES IN
09:12:40 THE NOTICES FOR THESE MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE TO ISSUE, THE
09:12:45 CHANGES RELATED TO THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF ADVISING THE
09:12:47 PUBLIC OF THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF PARTICIPATION.
09:12:50 AND, OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS WAS DONE IN COORDINATION WITH
09:12:54 MARTY SHELBY, THE COUNCIL ATTORNEY, WHO I'M SURE HAS KEPT
09:12:59 YOU UPDATED ON ALL OF THIS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
09:13:02 LAST NIGHT, LATE LAST NIGHT OR WE -- I ISSUED TO YOU A MEMO
09:13:08 ABOUT THE SECOND ITEM, AND THAT IS RESCHEDULING OR RESUMING
09:13:12 YOUR QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARINGS.
09:13:14 IT'S JUST A PROPOSAL.
09:13:16 IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SET IN STONE.
09:13:19 THE DIFFICULTY WITH DEVELOPING A PROPOSAL WAS TRYING TO
09:13:26 DECIDE OR DETERMINE WHEN IT WOULD BE SAFE TO RESUME
09:13:30 QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARINGS BECAUSE THOSE ARE HEARINGS IN WHICH
09:13:33 ALL THE PARTICIPANTS NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN ORDER
09:13:36 FOR US TO CONDUCT THOSE KINDS OF HEARINGS.
09:13:38 SO WE EVALUATED THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FROM ALL THE
09:13:43 CANCELED PUBLIC HEARINGS IN MARCH, APRIL, AND MAY, AND THEN
09:13:49 EVALUATED THE NEW APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED AND THE
09:13:53 PUBLIC HAS BEEN ABLE TO FILE A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF
09:13:56 ADDITIONAL NEW REZONING APPLICATIONS.
09:14:00 SO IN THAT MEMO, I'M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER SCHEDULING
09:14:05 VARIOUS DIFFERENT HEARINGS WITH VARIOUS DIFFERENT
09:14:08 APPLICATIONS IN A MANNER THAT IS AN ACCELERATED PACE, BUT IT
09:14:14 WOULD ALLOW YOU THEN TO CATCH UP WITH ALL OF THE CANCELED
09:14:17 HEARINGS.
09:14:18 YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO CATCH UP BY THE END OF JUNE.
09:14:21 SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DISCUSS OR DECIDE UPON
09:14:24 TODAY.
09:14:24 IT'S SOMETHING FOR YOU TO EVALUATE, AND THEN CONSIDER FOR
09:14:28 PURPOSES OF DISCUSSION AT MAYBE ONE OF THE SUBSEQUENT
09:14:31 MEETINGS.
09:14:31 BUT AGAIN, I WENT WITH THE DIRECTION YOU GAVE ME, WHICH WAS
09:14:35 YOU WERE READY TO GET BACK TO WORK.
09:14:37 YOU WANTED TO GET THE ECONOMY GOING.
09:14:39 TO DO SO, WILL REQUIRE YOU TO PUT IN SOME EXTRA, AT LEAST
09:14:43 ONE EXTRA NIGHT AND MAYBE ONE EXTRA AFTERNOON.
09:14:46 IF YOU DO, AND IF WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE PHYSICALLY CONDUCTED
09:14:52 HEARINGS IN JUNE, THEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE CAUGHT UP WITH
09:14:55 EVERYTHING BY THE END OF JUNE.
09:14:57 WITH THAT, I AM DONE WITH MY WEEKLY COVID UPDATE.
09:15:04 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, MS. GRIMES.
09:15:06 NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR POLICE CHIEF, BRIAN DUGAN, FOR
09:15:09 A TPD UPDATE.
09:15:12 >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:15:13 WE CURRENTLY ARE MONITORING 21 OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
09:15:17 10 OF THOSE 21 ARE ON QUARANTINE.
09:15:19 WE'RE DOING PRETTY GOOD.
09:15:21 WE'VE HAD OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE OUT.
09:15:24 THOSE NUMBERS RANDOMLY CHANGE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, DEPENDING
09:15:29 UPON WHAT'S GOING ON.
09:15:30 I THINK WE'VE TAKEN A VERY CONSERVATIVE APPROACH IN
09:15:35 QUARANTINING AND MONITORING OUR EMPLOYEES, WHICH IS -- I
09:15:38 DON'T WANT TO JINX MYSELF, BUT I THINK WE'VE BEEN FAIRLY
09:15:41 SUCCESSFUL WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW LARGE OF A DEPARTMENT WE ARE
09:15:45 AND WHERE WE STAND WITH MONITORING AND QUARANTINE.
09:15:48 OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE ARE DOWN ABOUT 20%, WHICH IS HUGE FOR
09:15:53 US.
09:15:53 I THINK THE BIG THING IS PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO STAY
09:15:58 HOME AND FOLLOW THE SAFER AT HOME ORDER.
09:16:00 AND WE STILL JUGGLE ENFORCING AND EDUCATING THE SAFER AT
09:16:06 HOME ORDER WITH TRADITIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
09:16:09 I ALWAYS SAY, TPD IS STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS, AND WE ARE
09:16:13 ENFORCING THE LAW, BUT I THINK THE CITIZENS ARE DOING VERY
09:16:17 GOOD IN COOPERATING WITH US.
09:16:18 THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
09:16:22 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHIEF DUGAN.
09:16:23 JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF.
09:16:25 I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A NOTE AND COMMEND TPD FOR THE WORK
09:16:30 THEY'VE BEEN DOING AROUND THE EMERGENCY SHELTER IN THE NORTH
09:16:32 END OF THE COMMUNITY.
09:16:34 I'VE BEEN SPEAKING CONSISTENTLY WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE
09:16:40 HOMELESS EMERGENCY SHELTER, AND THEY ARE VERY COMPLIMENTARY
09:16:45 OF TPD SUPPORT IN SHARING THE TIME UP THERE TO FACILITATE
09:16:50 THAT OPERATION.
09:16:51 WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT BACK TO CHIEF LoCICERO OF OUR
09:16:55 FIRE DEPARTMENT TO SPEAK ABOUT TAMPA FIRE RESCUE.
09:17:03 >>NICK LOCICERO: GOOD MORNING AGAIN.
09:17:04 AT TAMPA FIRE RESCUE, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE DAILY SUMMARY AND
09:17:09 MEETING WITH ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE
09:17:13 OUR CORE SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT IN MAKING SURE THAT THE
09:17:18 CITIZENS' NEEDS ARE MET.
09:17:19 WE CONTINUE TO PRESCREEN 911 CALLS TO FURTHER ENHANCE
09:17:23 PROTECTION OF FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR
09:17:26 COVID-19 PATIENTS.
09:17:28 WE HAVE MAINTAINED CEASING ALL PUBLIC EDUCATION EVENTS AND
09:17:35 RESTRICTING AS BEST AS POSSIBLE INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE
09:17:40 OUTSIDE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
09:17:42 WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE DIRECTION ON ENHANCED PERSONAL
09:17:47 PROTECTIVE MEASURES FOR OUR PERSONNEL AND ALSO CONSTANTLY
09:17:53 REMINDING ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING, FACILITY AND APPARATUS
09:17:57 CLEANLINESS AND DECONTAMINATION IN THE FACE OF THIS COVID-19
09:18:02 EMERGENCY.
09:18:02 WE ARE CRITICALLY MONITORING CALLS FOR SERVICE, WHICH REMAIN
09:18:06 STEADY, LIKE TPD, OUR MONTH-TO-MONTH COMPARISON, WE'RE DOWN
09:18:11 ABOUT 40 TO 45 CALLS IN MARCH AS WE WERE IN FEBRUARY.
09:18:17 WE'RE MONITORING THAT.
09:18:19 WE DO RESPOND TO ANYWHERE FROM 25, 27 CALLS A DAY TO JUST
09:18:26 OVER 30 CALLS A DAY THAT ARE COVID RELATED OR POTENTIALLY
09:18:31 COVID RELATED BASED ON THE 911 SCREENING PROCESS.
09:18:35 SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY FOR
09:18:40 SICK, FLU-LIKE ILLNESSES THAT WE DO RESPOND TO.
09:18:43 WE CONSTANTLY ARE MONITORING THE REQUESTS FOR PPE, AND WE
09:18:48 CONTINUE TO SUPPORT EXPOSURE CONTROL MEASURES FOR OUR FIRST
09:18:52 RESPONDERS.
09:18:56 AND TO THIS POINT, WE HAVE HAD TWO UNIFORM PERSONNEL TEST
09:19:01 POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
09:19:02 THEY ARE DOING WELL, AND WE EXPECT A FULL RECOVERY.
09:19:06 THANK YOU, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY SUMMARY ON FIRE RESCUE.
09:19:12 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHIEF LoCICERO.
09:19:14 NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MS. ASHLEY BAUMAN, OUR MARKETING
09:19:18 COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, FOR HER UPDATE.
09:19:20 >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.
09:19:22 I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LAYOUT.
09:19:25 SINCE FEBRUARY 27, THE CITY OF TAMPA'S MEDIA COVERAGE OF
09:19:30 COVID-19 OR CORONAVIRUS HAS REACHED OVER 1.2 BILLION PEOPLE
09:19:34 ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH A TOTAL PUBLICITY VALUE OF
09:19:37 $3.9 MILLION.
09:19:38 THESE PLATFORMS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TV, PRINT AND
09:19:42 RADIO.
09:19:43 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS HAS BEEN IN CONSTANT
09:19:45 COMMUNICATION WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS TO ENSURE NOT ONLY
09:19:48 A STREAMLINED COMMUNICATION WITH OUR RESIDENTS BUT THE MOST
09:19:52 UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION AS WE RECEIVING INCOMING QUESTIONS ON
09:19:55 ALL OF OUR PLATFORMS.
09:19:56 PLATFORMS INCLUDE OUR WEBSITE, OUR Facebook, WHICH REACHES
09:19:59 75,000 PEOPLE.
09:20:00 TWITTER AT 189,000, INSTAGRAM AT 51,000 AND NEXTDOOR AT JUST
09:20:06 OVER 68,000.
09:20:07 WE ARE ALSO COMMUNICATING ON TIKTOK, WHICH IS A NEW RESOURCE
09:20:14 USED TO REACH OUT TO OUR YOUNGER RESIDENTS.
09:20:16 OUR WEBSITE ON COVID-RELATED PAGE VIEWS HAS REACHED OVER
09:20:16 651,000 VIEWS.
09:20:23 OUR TOTAL NEW FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS OVER 19,000.
09:20:26 THAT IS A TOTAL OF 315,902 PEOPLE WE COMMUNICATE WITH ON OUR
09:20:32 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WITH A REACH OF 7.8 MILLION PEOPLE.
09:20:39 WE HAVE PUT OUT OVER 60 INFORMATIVE VIDEOS AND SENT OVER 42
09:20:44 RELATED PRESS RELEASES.
09:20:46 WE HAVE SENT 64 BILINGUAL MESSAGES AND 11 BUSINESS RELIEF
09:20:50 MESSAGES.
09:20:51 MORE TO COME AS MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
09:20:53 OUR TAMPA READY HAS OVER 81,000 SUBSCRIBERS.
09:20:59 BEYOND OUR TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATIONS EFFORTS, WE'VE BEEN
09:21:01 HOSTING Facebook LIVE UPDATES EVERY DAY.
09:21:03 PSAs ON ALL iHeartRadio STATIONS FEATURING A MYRIAD OF
09:21:08 CELEBRITY DEEJAYS.
09:21:09 WE EVEN STARTED A REGIONWIDE DANCE PARTY EVERY NIGHT AT
09:21:13 6 P.M. WHICH I'M SURE A LOT OF YOU KNOW ABOUT.
09:21:15 DIGITAL BILLBOARDS AND OTHER PAID MEDIA COMMUNICATION ARE
09:21:18 GOING UP AROUND THE CITY AND COUNTY IN COLLABORATION WITH
09:21:20 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
09:21:21 THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
09:21:26 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, MS. BAUMAN.
09:21:29 JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF.
09:21:31 I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT A LOT OF TIMES MS. BAUMAN'S
09:21:37 WORK IS IN COOPERATION WITH THE JOINT INFORMATION CENTER OF
09:21:37 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY'S EOC.
09:21:39 JUST A REMINDER TO THE BOARD AND TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE ARE
09:21:41 WORKING UNDER EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS, WHICH INCLUDES
09:21:44 THE INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE, AND THERE'S A SENSE OF LOCAL
09:21:48 AND REGIONAL SUPPORT, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR TAMPA BAY
09:21:52 REGIONAL PARTNERS ON A DAILY BASIS.
09:21:54 SO EVERYTHING THAT ASHLEY DOES AND DISCUSSES IS IN
09:21:57 CONJUNCTION WITH THAT JOINT INFORMATION CENTER TO MAKE SURE
09:22:00 THAT OUR MESSAGES HAVE A FOCUS OF ONE VOICE THROUGHOUT THE
09:22:04 REGION.
09:22:04 WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
09:22:08 AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATOR, OCEA WYNN, FOR HER
09:22:13 UPDATE.
09:22:16 >>OCEA WYNN: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:22:18 WE ARE STILL OVERSEEING THE RECOVERY CALL CENTER IN THE EOC.
09:22:23 THE RECOVERY TIME, THE CALLS OF THE TIME FROM 8 A.M. TO
09:22:28 8 P.M. WITH WEEKEND SHIFTS.
09:22:30 SUNDAY, EASTER SUNDAY, WE WILL NOT BE LIVE WITH ANY CALLS.
09:22:37 BUT WE WILL START AGAIN ON MONDAY AT 8 P.M.
09:22:40 8 A.M.
09:22:43 SORRY ABOUT THAT.
09:22:44 THE CALLS ARE -- THE NATURE OF THE CALLS HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY
09:22:49 RELATED TO THE MAYOR AND THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND WE
09:22:54 HAVE HAD LEGAL STAFF PRESENT IN THE CALL CENTER TO ANSWER
09:22:59 THOSE CALLS, AS WELL AS CALLS REGARDING SOCIAL SERVICES AND
09:23:05 BUSINESS RESOURCES.
09:23:06 IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE BEEN DOING A VERY INTENSE
09:23:10 OUTREACH THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO FAITH-BASED
09:23:15 ORGANIZATIONS AS WE KNOW THAT THIS WEEK IS HOLY WEEK.
09:23:21 YESTERDAY STARTED PASSOVER.
09:23:22 IN TWO WEEKS, WE'LL HAVE RAMADAN.
09:23:25 EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SENSITIVE AND RESPECT OTHER BELIEFS AND
09:23:29 MEANS OF WORSHIP, WE CANNOT RELAX ON THE MESSAGE OF SOCIAL
09:23:34 DISTANCING.
09:23:36 SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO FLATTEN THE CURVE WITH THE NUMBER
09:23:40 OF CASES WITHIN THE CITY OF TAMPA AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
09:23:44 SO WITH THAT, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE
09:23:50 RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
09:23:52 WE CREATED AN INTERFAITH PSA MESSAGE OF LOVE AND UNITY AND
09:24:02 THAT SHOULD BE COMING LIVE TODAY OR TOMORROW.
09:24:04 WE ALSO HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING WITH OTHER COMMUNITY
09:24:12 PARTNERSHIPS IN TERMS OF GETTING THE WORD OUT, PARTICULARLY
09:24:16 IN OUR BLACK AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES.
09:24:18 OUR PARKS AND RECREATION AREA, WE HAVE OUR STAFF PROVIDING
09:24:26 SECURITY IN OUR PARKS THAT ARE CLOSED AS WELL AS MONITORING
09:24:30 THE TRAILS AND THE BOAT RAMPS THAT REMAIN OPEN.
09:24:35 WE STARTED A STAFF SUPPORTIVE SENIOR PROGRAM WHERE WE HAVE
09:24:40 PARKS AND RECREATION EMPLOYEES WHO CALL OUR SENIOR CITIZENS
09:24:46 WHO ARE REGISTERED IN OUR PROGRAM AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK TO
09:24:50 ENSURE THAT THEY ARE WELL, ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ALL THE
09:24:54 NEEDS AND SERVICES THEY EVENTUALLY NEED TO MAINTAIN THEIR
09:24:59 DAILY LIVES.
09:24:59 ONE THING OF NOTE IS THAT WE ARE EXPECTING A NUMBER OF FACE
09:25:06 MASKS TO ASSIST WHERE NEEDED BY USING THE CDC GUIDELINES,
09:25:11 EVEN THOUGH WE'RE GETTING MASKS INTERNALLY FOR STAFF, THIS
09:25:16 EFFORT WILL HELP AUGMENT IF THERE ARE EXTRA MASKS THAT ARE
09:25:20 NEEDED.
09:25:22 THAT WILL PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF OUR INPUT AND REPORT FOR THIS
09:25:29 MORNING.
09:25:33 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, OCEA.
09:25:34 WITH THAT, NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR ADMINISTRATOR OF
09:25:38 DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, MS. CAROLE POST.
09:25:42 >> HELLO.
09:25:43 GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:25:44 I WANT TO JUST GIVE A BRIEF REPORT ON THE PORTFOLIO FOR
09:25:49 DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
09:25:52 AT THIS JUNCTURE, WE ARE FULLY FUNCTIONING ACROSS ALL OUR
09:25:55 DEPARTMENTS IN TELEWORK MODE.
09:25:57 THAT INCLUDES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HISTORIC
09:26:00 PRESERVATION AND OUR REAL ESTATE GROUP.
09:26:03 ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES SIDE, AS WAS
09:26:07 PREVIOUSLY REPORTED, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN FULLY
09:26:11 FUNCTIONING REMOTELY FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS, INCLUDING
09:26:15 ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS, REVIEWING PLANS, ISSUING PERMITS AND
09:26:18 THE LIKE.
09:26:19 STANDARD INSPECTIONS ARE BEING DONE DIGITALLY OR VIA
09:26:25 AFFIDAVIT OR, WHEN NECESSARY, WE HANDLE SITUATIONS ON AN
09:26:29 AS-NEEDED BASIS TO ENSURE THAT WE AVOID OR COMPLY WITH THE
09:26:35 SIX-FOOT SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER SAFETY STANDARDS.
09:26:38 I WANT TO SPEAK FOR JUST ONE MOMENT ABOUT OUR LARGE
09:26:40 CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY INITIATIVE THAT LAUNCHED THIS WEEK
09:26:45 AS IT WAS DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, AND YOU MAY HAVE READ
09:26:49 ABOUT, WE WANTED TO TAKE AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PROTECTION
09:26:52 TO APPLY TO OUR LARGEST CONSTRUCTION SITES DEFINED AS
09:26:59 THRESHOLD SITES.
09:27:00 WE HAVE 52 OF THEM OPERATING ACROSS THE CITY.
09:27:03 AS SUCH, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE IMPLEMENTED AN
09:27:06 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY SPOT CHECK INSPECTION PLAN.
09:27:11 THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMPONENTS TO IT.
09:27:13 BUT AT ITS MOST BASIC, WE HAVE 22 MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO
09:27:20 HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY ENGAGED.
09:27:24 THEY ARE NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND OTHER MEDICAL FACULTY FROM
09:27:29 AROUND THE CITY.
09:27:31 THEY ARE OPERATING UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A TEMPORARY
09:27:33 MEDICAL DIRECTOR, AND THEY'VE BEEN TRAINED OVER THE PAST FEW
09:27:37 DAYS.
09:27:38 THEY ARE DEPLOYING, STARTING TODAY.
09:27:42 THEY ARE VISITING THE 50 SITES ON AVERAGE OF ABOUT TWO TO
09:27:45 THREE TIMES A WEEK TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH A SET OF CDC
09:27:50 STANDARDS FOR SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS, SANITIZING
09:27:54 REQUIREMENTS, HAND WASHING REQUIREMENTS, AND SOME
09:27:58 PRESCREENING ADVISORIES THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED.
09:28:03 SO WE ARE, AGAIN, TRYING TO INCREASE AND ADD AN ADDITIONAL
09:28:11 LAYER OF PROTECTION ACROSS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND
09:28:15 CONSTRUCTION SITES AS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE.
09:28:19 WITH THAT, I WILL CONCLUDE MY REPORT.
09:28:21 THANKS.
09:28:23 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CAROLE.
09:28:26 WE WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MS. JEAN DUNCAN, ADMINISTRATOR
09:28:31 OVER OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY GROUP.
09:28:33 JEAN?
09:28:34 >>JEAN DUNCAN: YES.
09:28:36 GOOD MORNING, CRA CHAIR AND CRA MEMBERS AND OUR PUBLIC.
09:28:39 THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY GROUP CONSISTS OF THE WATER,
09:28:44 WASTEWATER, SOLID WASTE, MOBILITY, CAD, WHICH IS
09:28:50 CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, AND FACILITY MANAGEMENT TEAMS.
09:28:55 AND WE HAVE INTRODUCED SOCIAL DISTANCING AND OTHER SAFE
09:29:00 PROTOCOLS TO ALL OF OUR TEAMS TO ENSURE THAT AS THEY
09:29:03 CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THESE CORE SERVICES, THEY ARE WORKING IN
09:29:07 A VERY SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
09:29:09 SO WE HAVE OUR TEAMS OUT THERE, AGAIN, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE
09:29:12 THE CORE SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO HAVE FOR OUR CITY TO KEEP
09:29:16 FUNCTIONING.
09:29:16 WE'RE DOING THAT IN A VERY SAFE MANNER.
09:29:19 SOME SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS SUPPORTING THE
09:29:22 RAYMOND JAMES COVID TESTING.
09:29:25 WE WILL BE TESTING AGAIN TOMORROW MORNING.
09:29:29 THAT PROCESS IS WORKING VERY WELL IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR
09:29:32 TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.
09:29:35 WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT AS LONG AS THE TEST KITS BECOME
09:29:39 AVAILABLE, AND THEY GET AVAILABLE TO OUR PUBLIC.
09:29:42 ANOTHER INITIATIVE THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IS TO BE PLACING
09:29:46 SOCIAL DISTANCING MESSAGES OUT ON OUR ROADWAYS WITH OUR
09:29:51 MESSAGE BOARDS TO REMIND FOLKS ABOUT THE PRACTICES THAT WE
09:29:55 NEED TO KEEP IN PLACE.
09:29:56 WE'RE ALSO PLACING STENCILS ON SIDEWALKS AS WE HAVE
09:29:59 PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS OUT WANTING TO GET FRESH AIR AND
09:30:04 GET OUT OF THEIR HOMES.
09:30:06 WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY CONTINUE TO PRACTICE THOSE
09:30:08 PROTOCOLS TO STAY SAFE.
09:30:10 SO WE'RE PUTTING THOSE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY IN ALL
09:30:13 NEIGHBORHOODS, REMINDERS TO KEEP THE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE SO
09:30:17 WE CAN GET PAST THE CURVE.
09:30:18 AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE THIS MORNING TO REPORT.
09:30:20 THANK YOU.
09:30:24 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, JEAN.
09:30:25 NOW WE HAVE OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER TO DISCUSS FISCAL
09:30:31 RESPONSIBILITY, MR. DENNIS ROGERO.
09:30:36 >>DENNIS ROGERO: GOOD MORNING, CHAIR.
09:30:38 GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
09:30:39 I'LL BEGIN BY AGAIN REMINDING EVERYONE OF THE CITY'S HISTORY
09:30:43 OF CONSERVATIVE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND IT BEING THE
09:30:46 CORNERSTONE OF OUR FINANCIAL PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING.
09:30:50 AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALWAYS EMPHASIZED OUR FUND BALANCE AND
09:30:54 RESERVE ACROSS ALL OUR FUNDS, WHETHER, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
09:30:56 GENERAL FUND OR OUR ENTERPRISE FUND.
09:30:59 SO USING THAT AS OUR JUMPING-OFF POINT, OUR BROAD-BASED
09:31:04 EMPHASIS, OF COURSE, WILL REMAIN OUR CRITICAL SERVICES.
09:31:07 PARKS AND RECREATION, PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC WORKS.
09:31:10 TO THAT END, WE'RE LOOKING TO ADAPT THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR
09:31:14 IN ALTERING OUR PLANNING FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
09:31:16 OF COURSE, WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THIS FISCAL YEAR,
09:31:21 SCRUTINIZING OUR CURRENT AND PLANNED EXPENDITURES FOR
09:31:24 POTENTIAL DEFERRAL AND ALTERATION.
09:31:27 EITHER DEFERRAL TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR OR TO A TIME WHEN
09:31:30 WE'VE RECOVERED.
09:31:31 REGARDING OUR FINANCIAL RISK FACTORS, OF COURSE, THEY WILL
09:31:35 REMAIN BOTH OUR REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES.
09:31:38 OUR PRIMARY FINANCIAL RISK FACTOR AT THIS TIME, OF COURSE,
09:31:41 IS OUR REVENUES.
09:31:43 NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO GO DOWN, AND THEY
09:31:46 WILL, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE DATA LAGS SIGNIFICANTLY FOR SO
09:31:50 MANY OF THEM.
09:31:51 SO TO THAT END, WE'RE TALKING WITH THE STATE, WE'RE TALKING
09:31:57 WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL FINANCE ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER
09:32:00 LOCALITIES.
09:32:01 THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE'RE ALL PART OF THE SAME BIG CLUB, AND
09:32:04 THERE'S THE SAME LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY OUT THERE WITH MANY OF
09:32:07 OUR MAJOR REVENUES.
09:32:09 REGARDING EXPENSES, AS I'VE SAID, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALTERING
09:32:13 OUR EXPENSES TO MEET HERE'S HEADWINDS, BUT ALSO, OF COURSE,
09:32:17 LOOKING AT CLOSELY WHAT'S OCCURRING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL FOR
09:32:20 THEIR CURRENT AND WHAT LOOKS TO BE THEIR FUTURE LOCAL
09:32:23 GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
09:32:26 THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IN THE THIRD PHASE
09:32:30 STIMULUS AND IT APPEARS THAT A FOURTH PHASE IS IMMINENT.
09:32:34 AS WE GET THROUGH THE DETAIL AND FIGURE OUT WHAT AND WHEN
09:32:38 THE FUNDING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, ESPECIALLY THE CITY OF TAMPA,
09:32:42 WILL BE GETTING, THAT COULD SAND THE EDGES OFF SOME OF THE
09:32:47 REVENUE RISKS.
09:32:47 ON A POSITIVE RELATED NOTE, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE CITY HAS A
09:32:53 VERY SUCCESSFUL STATE AND FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT ISSUE.
09:32:55 IT WAS TESTED AND HONED DURING AND AFTER HURRICANE IRMA.
09:33:00 YOU HAD THE IRMA EVENT, AND THEN YOU HAD THE MONTHS AND
09:33:03 MONTHS OF SCRUTINY AND DOCUMENTATION AND COMMUNICATION
09:33:07 REQUIRED TO GET REIMBURSEMENT.
09:33:09 AND FROM THAT, WE HAVE A TRIED AND TRUE PROCESS INTERNALLY,
09:33:14 AND WE COMBINE THAT WITH CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH BOTH
09:33:17 THE STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES.
09:33:21 TO THEIR CREDIT, OUR CONTACT WITH THE FEDERAL AND STATE
09:33:25 LEVEL HAVE BEEN VERY ACCURATE AND VERY RESPONSIVE.
09:33:28 AS SUCH, WE HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE MAJORITY OF
09:33:32 THE EXPENDITURES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EMERGENCY WILL BE
09:33:36 REIMBURSED BY THE STATE AND U.S. GOVERNMENT.
09:33:39 SO WE'LL TRACK THAT AND WE'LL KEEP EVERYBODY ABREAST, BUT
09:33:42 OUR PRIMARY FINANCIAL RISK RIGHT NOW IS THE UNCERTAINTY
09:33:47 ASSOCIATED WITH OUR MAJOR REVENUES.
09:33:49 THANK YOU.
09:33:54 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, DENNIS.
09:33:55 JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF FOR A QUICK WRAP-UP AND THEN
09:33:58 I'LL TURN IT BACK TO THE CHAIRMAN.
09:34:00 SO HOPEFULLY THAT CONCLUDES THE BRIEFING FROM STAFF, AND IT
09:34:06 SHARES THE IDEA THAT IN THIS UNPRECEDENTED TYPE OF AN
09:34:09 EMERGENCY THAT OUR FOCUS IS CONTINUING ON SAVING LIVES AND
09:34:14 DEFENDING THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM ECONOMIC SITUATION,
09:34:17 BOTH INSIDE GOVERNMENT AND WITHIN OUR PUBLIC REALM.
09:34:20 JUST A QUICK FOCUS AS IT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE'S
09:34:25 EMERGENCY POLICY GROUP MEETING TODAY AT 1:30 AND THE MAYOR
09:34:30 CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON EQUITABLE TESTING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN
09:34:33 THE COMMUNITY BY WORKING WITH OUR COUNTY AND HOSPITAL AND
09:34:36 MEDICAL PARTNERS.
09:34:40 THOSE OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE TO EXIST ON OUR TAMPA GOV SITE
09:34:44 WITH PHONE NUMBERS THAT REACH OUR CALL CENTER, PHONE NUMBERS
09:34:48 THAT REACH THE COUNTY'S TESTING, REGISTRATION CALL CENTER,
09:34:52 AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH LINE, IN ADDITION TO
09:34:56 OTHER CONTACTS ON THE WEB THAT RELATE TO PRICE GOUGING, ALL
09:35:01 CAN BE FOUND ON OUR TAMPA GOV WEBSITE.
09:35:03 AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE'S BEEN 55 UPDATES ON THAT
09:35:06 WEBSITE RELATING TO THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY THAT WE CONTINUE
09:35:10 TO EXIST IN.
09:35:11 SO WITH THAT, CHAIRMAN AND BOARD, I WILL TURN IT BACK FOR
09:35:14 ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE STAFF BEFORE I RELEASE THEM BACK TO
09:35:18 THEIR DUTIES.
09:35:21 >>JOSEPH CITRO: CHIEF, THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
09:35:24 REPORTS AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION,
09:35:26 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
09:35:26 I WILL NOW CALL ON EACH CRA BOARD MEMBER IN REVERSE
09:35:32 ALPHABETICAL ORDER FOR THEIR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS REGARDING
09:35:35 THE COVID-19 UPDATE.
09:35:38 LET'S PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT WE'LL PUT A FIVE-MINUTE LIMIT
09:35:43 ON YOUR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
09:35:44 LET'S START WITH MR. VIERA.
09:35:46 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
09:35:47 I APPRECIATE THAT.
09:35:49 JUST CONTINUE TO SALUTE THE ADMINISTRATION ON THEIR WORK,
09:35:54 ITS CALM MEASURE RESOLUTE.
09:35:57 THAT'S HOW I LIKE IT.
09:35:58 THAT'S HOW WE ALL LIKE IT.
09:35:59 I WOULD TELL THE ADMINISTRATION JUST KEEP ON DOING THE GOOD
09:36:02 THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING.
09:36:04 I WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT CALLS FOR SERVICE FROM POLICE ARE
09:36:07 DOWN 20%.
09:36:08 I THINK THAT MANY OF US WERE WORRIED THAT THE OPPOSITE WOULD
09:36:12 HAPPEN WITH THIS KIND OF AN EMERGENCY.
09:36:14 OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD,
09:36:18 AND I KNOW OBVIOUSLY OUR FRIENDS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE
09:36:20 HEARD THIS BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN VERY, VERY VOCAL ABOUT THIS,
09:36:23 IS THAT DURING TIMES WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THEIR HOMES ALL DAY,
09:36:30 THERE'S POTENTIALLY A RISE IN CRIMES INVOLVING THINGS LIKE
09:36:33 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
09:36:35 AND I KNOW THAT CHIEF DUGAN AND OUR FRIENDS IN LAW
09:36:38 ENFORCEMENT KNOW THAT BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN ON THE FOREFRONT
09:36:41 OF THAT.
09:36:41 THAT MEANS THAT GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH BOOTS ON THE
09:36:45 GROUND, WITH OUR FAMILIES, CHURCHES, CHARITIES, HOUSES OF
09:36:48 WORSHIP, OUTREACH ORGANIZATIONS FOR BATTERED INDIVIDUALS
09:36:52 HAVE GOT TO BE GIVEN MORE SUPPORT FROM ALL OF US AT THE
09:36:55 COMMUNITY.
09:36:56 EVERY PERSON LISTENING.
09:36:57 AND THAT ESPECIALLY GOES TO RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT
09:37:01 OFTEN PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THIS ENDEAVOR.
09:37:04 WE ALL KNOW THAT OUR CHURCHES AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP,
09:37:07 YESTERDAY, PASSOVER, I BELIEVE.
09:37:10 HAPPY PASSOVER TO ALL MY JEWISH FRIENDS, THEY ARE DOING A
09:37:13 LOT MORE WITH A LOT LESS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE ABSENCE OF
09:37:18 LIVE SERVICES AND WHATNOT MEANS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE
09:37:21 GETTING LESS REVENUE.
09:37:22 I DID HAVE A QUESTION, IF I MAY, TO CHIEF LoCICERO.
09:37:29 YOU MENTIONED, SIR, AND THROUGH CHIEF BENNETT, OF COURSE,
09:37:31 THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF FIREFIGHTERS WHO GOT COVID-19.
09:37:37 I WOULD ASSUME, IS THERE A PRESUMPTION OR ASSUMPTION WITH
09:37:41 TAMPA FIRE THAT ANY FIRST RESPONDER WHO GETS COVID-19 THAT
09:37:46 IS WORK RELATED, HOW ARE WE DEALING WITH THOSE FOLKS
09:37:49 WHENEVER IT COMES TO WORKERS COMPENSATION?
09:37:52 JUST A QUESTION OF CURIOSITY?
09:37:56 >>NICK LOCICERO: THANK YOU, SIR.
09:37:58 AS I WOULD LIKE TO START TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I WILL
09:38:02 LOOK TO HAND OFF TO CHIEF BENNETT BECAUSE JUST TODAY HE
09:38:06 ELABORATED ON SOME THINGS ON THE HR SIDE.
09:38:09 BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS, WE ARE VERY, VERY DELIBERATE ON
09:38:13 THOSE EXPOSURES THAT OUR PERSONNEL, AND WE WORK VERY, VERY
09:38:17 CLOSELY WITH TPD, AND WE WANT THE BEST FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES
09:38:20 AS WELL.
09:38:20 IT'S A VERY DELIBERATE PROCESS ON HOW WE TRACK EXPOSURES.
09:38:26 QUITE HONESTLY, THIS IS PRECISE ACTIONS THAT WE ARE TAKING
09:38:30 BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT WRONG, BUT WITH IMPRECISE
09:38:35 DATA ON THE UPTAKE.
09:38:36 SO WE'RE VERY MEASURED IN OUR RESPONSE ON HOW WE PARSE THOSE
09:38:41 OUT.
09:38:42 AND ON THE FRONT END, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SOME OF THOSE
09:38:45 COULD HAVE BEEN TRAVEL RELATED.
09:38:46 WE LOOK VERY, VERY CLOSELY.
09:38:50 IN MANY CASES ABOUT FIRE RESCUE, IN MANY CASES IT'S PRETTY
09:38:54 EVIDENT THAT IT IS AN ON-THE-JOB EXPOSURE JUST BASED ON THE
09:39:00 CIRCUMSTANCES THAT PREVAIL WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE REVIEW
09:39:04 IMMEDIATELY AFTER INFORMATION COMES TO OUR SIDE.
09:39:08 SO WE LOOK AT IT VERY, VERY CLOSELY.
09:39:11 AGAIN, IT'S REQUIRED PRECISE ACTION ON OUR PART WITH NOT A
09:39:15 WHOLE LOT OF DATA ON THE FRONT END BECAUSE THERE ARE
09:39:19 DISPARATE PARTS THAT COME IN.
09:39:20 BUT WE DO LOOK AT IT VERY, VERY CLOSELY AND IT CAN BE BOTH.
09:39:23 BUT WITH THAT, IF CHIEF BENNETT IS ON THE LINE, HE MAY WANT
09:39:27 TO EXPOUND ON THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION PIECE.
09:39:31 CHIEF BENNETT.
09:39:33 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU, CHIEF.
09:39:34 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHIEF LoCICERO.
09:39:37 GREAT QUESTION, BOARD MEMBER VIERA.
09:39:38 SO AS IT RELATES TO HUMAN RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL, THE MAYOR
09:39:45 AUTHORIZED, WHICH ACTUALLY STARTED AT THE STATE LEVEL WITH
09:39:48 STATE EMPLOYEES OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND OTHERS IN THE PUBLIC
09:39:51 SAFETY DOMAIN, THAT THERE IS A PRESUMPTION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
09:39:56 WORKERS THAT ANY TEST POSITIVE COVID CASES WOULD BE RELATED
09:40:01 TO THEIR WORK ASSIGNMENTS; THEREFORE, THE PRESUMPTION OF
09:40:05 WORKERS COMP EXISTS FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE.
09:40:08 IN ADDITION TO THAT, MANY JURISDICTIONS, AND THE MAYOR HAS
09:40:12 ALSO ADOPTED THAT ANY CITY EMPLOYEE WHO TESTS POSITIVE FOR
09:40:21 COVID WOULD ALSO HAVE THEIR COPAYS AND DEDUCTIBLES WAIVED
09:40:26 THROUGHOUT THE TREATMENT OF THAT AND THAT WILL EXTEND 30
09:40:29 DAYS PAST THE LAST DAY OF OUR STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY TO
09:40:33 THE EMPLOYEE AND THE --
09:40:34 AS WE KNOW THIS TYPE OF VIRUS OR DISEASE OF LIFE CAN BE
09:40:39 BROUGHT HOME TO THE FAMILIES FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE
09:40:43 DOING THE ESSENTIAL WORK.
09:40:44 SO BOTH OUR SWORN AND OUR NON-SWORN ARE COMPLETELY COVERED
09:40:48 AS IT RELATES TO COVID-19.
09:40:51 THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION ABOUT OUR PERSONNEL.
09:40:55 >>LUIS VIERA: YES, SIR, CHIEF.
09:40:56 I APPRECIATE THAT, SIR.
09:40:57 I KNOW JIMMY PATRONIS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS, FROM
09:41:01 WHAT I READ, IS LOOKING AT DOING A PRESUMPTION, I BELIEVE IT
09:41:04 IS, WITH FLORIDA STATE WORKERS.
09:41:06 I BELIEVE IN MEDICAL FIELD AND IN FIRST RESPONDERS.
09:41:09 YOU KNOW, DOWN THE LINE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE OUR LEGISLATURE
09:41:12 LOOK AT OUR WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAWS, ESPECIALLY AS THEY
09:41:15 APPLY TO MEDICAL WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINE AND FIRST
09:41:19 RESPONDERS WITH A PRESUMPTION OF SORTS OR SOMETHING NEARING
09:41:24 THAT, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO GET COVID-19 BECAUSE THIS IS
09:41:27 OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A VERY ACUTE ISSUE.
09:41:29 I THINK DOWN THE LINE FOR OUR WORKERS.
09:41:30 I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
09:41:31 MR. CHAIR, I WANT TO MAKE SURE, MAY I ASK ONE QUESTION, SIR?
09:41:38 >>JOSEPH CITRO: YES.
09:41:39 PLEASE, GO AHEAD.
09:41:41 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU.
09:41:41 JUST MAKING SURE.
09:41:42 JUST REAL QUICK, TO CHIEF LoCICERO, IF I MAY, I FORGOT TO
09:41:47 ASK, WITH REGARDS TO TIMING BEING APPROPRIATE, AS WE
09:41:51 EVALUATE PLANS TO RETURN TO MEETINGS WHEN THIS CRISIS HAS
09:41:53 PASSED OR WHEN THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IS LIFTED, HOW LONG
09:41:58 AFTER THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IS LIFTED WOULD YOU RECOMMEND
09:42:04 OUR GOING BACK TO BUSINESS, SO TO SPEAK?
09:42:07 TIMEWISE, ET CETERA, JUST WITHIN YOUR CAPACITY AS CHIEF, AS
09:42:14 A FIRST RESPONDER, AS A MEDICAL, AS A SAFETY PROFESSIONAL,
09:42:18 IF YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, SIR.
09:42:23 >>NICK LOCICERO: I DON'T KNOW AT THIS CURRENT TIME, SIR, IF
09:42:27 THERE'S AN APPROPRIATE TIME.
09:42:29 I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE MAYOR, THE CHIEF OF STAFF, THE CITY
09:42:32 ADMINISTRATION IS ACUTELY AWARE OF MEETING THE CITY IN ALL
09:42:39 SERVICES TO TOTALLY GET BACK ON THEIR FEET.
09:42:41 AS YOU PICKED UP IN THE NEWS, THE MODELING HAS CHANGED.
09:42:45 WE'RE LEANING INTO THE ISSUE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO PAY VERY,
09:42:48 VERY PRECISE ATTENTION TO THE RIGHT TIME.
09:42:50 BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU
09:42:54 AT THIS POINT IN TIME OF WHEN THAT DATE MIGHT BE.
09:42:58 >>LUIS VIERA: OKAY.
09:42:59 THANK YOU, CHIEF.
09:42:59 I APPRECIATE AT THAT.
09:43:01 MR. CHAIR, NOTHING ELSE.
09:43:04 I'LL BE ASKING QUESTIONS, IF I MAY, ON THE SECOND ISSUE,
09:43:07 LATER ON, IF I MAY.
09:43:08 BUT THAT SHOULD BE IT FOR NOW.
09:43:11 THANK YOU, SIR.
09:43:12 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. VIERA.
09:43:15 NOW MR. MIRANDA.
09:43:18 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
09:43:19 I WILL ADHERE TO THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE, I PROMISE.
09:43:22 I JUST WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR CASTOR FOR DOING AN
09:43:27 OUTSTANDING JOB, BEING BOLD IN DOING WHAT SHE DID AT THE
09:43:31 OUTSET OF THIS HORRIBLE COVID-19.
09:43:34 IT TAKES GUTS TO DO THAT.
09:43:35 IT TAKES A LEADER TO BE A LEADER WHEN YOU HAVE TO LEAD.
09:43:38 BUT YOU CAN'T BE A GREAT LEADER UNLESS YOU HAVE A GREAT
09:43:42 CHIEF OF STAFF.
09:43:43 AND THEN I CAN TELL YOU WE HAVE.
09:43:45 I'LL GO DOWN THE LIST.
09:43:46 CAN'T BE A GREAT CHIEF OF STAFF UNLESS YOU HAVE GREAT
09:43:49 DEPARTMENT HEADS.
09:43:50 YOU CAN'T BE A DEPARTMENT HEAD, GREAT ONE, UNLESS YOU HAVE
09:43:53 GREAT PEOPLE WORKING FOR YOU.
09:43:55 AND AT THE END OF THIS, IT IS THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF
09:43:57 TAMPA, WE CAN PASS ALL THE LAWS WE WANT, YOU CAN CHANGE
09:44:01 ANYTHING YOU WANT, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT YOU GOVERN DO NOT
09:44:05 FOLLOW, YOU WILL BE A COMPLETE FAILURE.
09:44:08 AND I WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC FOR ADHERING TO ALL THE RULES
09:44:11 AND REGULATIONS THAT WERE NOT NORMAL BECAUSE THE QUALITY OF
09:44:18 LIFE HAS CHANGED DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME FOR DOING THE
09:44:21 RIGHT THING, FOR TRYING TO WORK OUT THEIR FAMILIES' PROBLEMS
09:44:25 WITH THIS COVID-19, FOR STAYING HOME, FOR BEING -- THAT,
09:44:34 YES, POSSIBLY SOME OF THEM WERE LAID OFF, IT WILL BE A
09:44:36 STRUGGLE, BUT WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.
09:44:38 LIKE I SAID EARLIER, WE CAN ALWAYS SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT WE
09:44:42 CANNOT SOLVE SOMEBODY PASSING AWAY BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS.
09:44:45 SO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF TAMPA ARE THE ONES THAT ARE TO
09:44:49 SAY THANK YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE.
09:44:51 THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND ALWAYS CONTINUE BEING
09:44:55 YOURSELF.
09:44:55 WHAT I'M SAYING IS, THIS IS AN ERA OF LIFE THAT WE WILL SOON
09:45:01 WANT TO FORGET, BUT WE'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER WHAT THIS COUNTRY
09:45:06 HAS HAD TO GO THROUGH, WHAT THIS WORLD HAS HAD TO GO THROUGH
09:45:09 TO CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS OF BEING
09:45:13 BETTER.
09:45:14 BUT WHEN YOU DO THESE THINGS, LIKE DENNIS ROGERO SAID, WE
09:45:20 BETTER START LOOKING AT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND HOW WE'RE
09:45:22 GOING TO GET BACK ON OUR FEET.
09:45:23 AND THAT'S GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US,
09:45:27 NOT ONLY IN THE CITY AND COUNTY, NOT ONLY IN THE STATE, BUT
09:45:30 IN THIS COUNTRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE STEPS THAT WE CAN
09:45:35 ALL, NOT JUST THE ONES ON TOP, NOT THE ONES IN THE MIDDLE,
09:45:38 BUT ALL OF US FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AND FROM BOTTOM TO UP.
09:45:43 WHEN THE BOTTOM FALLS, THE TOP WILL ALWAYS TUMBLE DOWN.
09:45:47 WE'VE GOT TO BE COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT THE LITTLE PEOPLE
09:45:50 ARE THE ONES, AND I MEAN, LITTLE IN FINANCIAL ABILITIES
09:45:55 TODAY THAT WERE LAID OFF, THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING
09:45:58 THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT BECAUSE OF A SYSTEM THAT NEVER WORKED FOR
09:46:00 THE LAST 20 YEARS, THAT ARE DOING THESE THINGS TO GET A
09:46:05 FOOTHOLD BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO CONTROL
09:46:08 THE ECONOMY.
09:46:09 IF THEY DON'T SPEND, NOTHING IS BOUGHT, NOTHING TURNS.
09:46:14 THIS STATE IS BASED ON SALES TAX.
09:46:18 WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE ONE MAIN REVENUE, IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE
09:46:22 TO GET BACK ON YOUR FEET.
09:46:24 I'M SURE THE STATE AND I'M SURE THE GOVERNOR WILL DO THE
09:46:27 RIGHT THING AND GET THE STATE MOVING AGAIN.
09:46:29 WITH THAT, I SAY THANK YOU ALL.
09:46:31 ESPECIALLY TO THOSE IN THE FRONT LINES, TO THE HEALTH CARE
09:46:34 WORKERS OF THIS CITY AND THIS COUNTRY AND THIS COUNTY,
09:46:37 EVERYWHERE, WHO HAVE TAKEN RISK WAY ABOVE THEIR DESIGNATED
09:46:40 DUTY AS AN MD, AS A REGISTERED NURSE, AS A NURSE
09:46:45 PRACTITIONER, ANESTHESIOLOGIST, ANYONE IN THE HOSPITAL WHO
09:46:49 HAS TO DO ANYTHING ARE PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE FRONT LINE
09:46:54 FOR US TO HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
09:46:57 I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THEM, FIRE, POLICE, EVERY ONE
09:47:01 OF THEM.
09:47:02 MY FIVE MINUTES ARE UP.
09:47:03 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
09:47:04 >>JOSEPH CITRO: WELL SAID, MR. MIRANDA.
09:47:07 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
09:47:08 MR. MANISCALCO.
09:47:10 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
09:47:11 ALWAYS A VERY THOROUGH PRESENTATION FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL WHO
09:47:15 SPOKE.
09:47:15 YOU WORK TIRELESSLY AND ENDLESSLY BECAUSE IT DOES SEEM LIKE
09:47:19 THIS IS AN ENDLESS THING.
09:47:20 WE HOPE TO GET TO THE END OF THIS MONTH WITH MORE POSITIVE
09:47:25 NUMBERS FOR FLATTENING THAT CURVE, AND DOING THE BEST WE CAN
09:47:29 AS A PEOPLE AND AS A COMMUNITY FOLLOWING THE REQUESTS AND
09:47:34 THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE GOVERNOR ALL THE WAY DOWN.
09:47:38 I THINK THAT THE SOCIAL DISTANCING IS WORKING.
09:47:41 I DO COME TO CITY HALL.
09:47:43 I'M HERE AT CITY HALL ISOLATED FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.
09:47:46 EVERYBODY IS IN OTHER PLACES.
09:47:48 AND I SEE THAT THE TRAFFIC IS LIGHT.
09:47:50 I DON'T SEE PEOPLE OUT.
09:47:51 I SEE PEOPLE FOLLOWING THE RULES.
09:47:53 THE GROCERY STORES MIGHT BE BUSY, AND THAT'S NORMAL.
09:47:57 FOLKS HAVE TO EAT AND WHATNOT, BUT PEOPLE ARE STAYING HOME
09:48:01 AND THEY ARE ADHERING TO THE GUIDELINES.
09:48:03 AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK OUR MAYOR FOR HER LEADERSHIP AND
09:48:06 BEING AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS BEFORE THE STATE STEPPED IN,
09:48:12 AND IT'S TRUE.
09:48:12 WE SAW HOW SHE'S BEEN FIGHTING TO KEEP THIS COMMUNITY SAFE,
09:48:16 THIS CITY SAFE, THIS COUNTY SAFE IN THAT MANNER, AND I
09:48:21 REALLY CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE OTHER THAN THANK YOU TO
09:48:25 EVERYBODY FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING
09:48:29 THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED AND HERE IT IS, YOU KNOW,
09:48:33 FROM JANUARY 1st, THE START OF THE NEW YEAR, TO A COUPLE
09:48:37 OF MONTHS LATER TO SEE WHERE WE'RE AT, EVERYTHING IS
09:48:40 ESSENTIALLY FROZEN AND AT A STAND-STILL.
09:48:43 AS COUNCILMAN MIRANDA SAID, IT WILL TAKE A WHILE FOR PEOPLE
09:48:45 TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, RESTAURANTS, SMALL BUSINESS
09:48:48 OWNERS, PEOPLE WHO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, PEOPLE WHO
09:48:51 HAVE BEEN LAID OFF AND PEOPLE WHO ARE IN FEAR OF GETTING
09:48:53 LAID OFF.
09:48:54 I TALK TO PEOPLE EVERY DAY BY PHONE AND WHATNOT, AND FOLKS
09:48:57 HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE JUST WAITING.
09:49:01 MAYBE ANOTHER WEEK, MAYBE ANOTHER TWO WEEKS, WE DON'T KNOW
09:49:04 WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
09:49:05 PEOPLE ARE SCARED, BUT AS A COMMUNITY WE'RE IN THIS
09:49:08 TOGETHER.
09:49:09 WE LIFT EACH OTHER UP.
09:49:10 A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS, AS THE SAYING GOES.
09:49:14 THAT'S BEEN USED TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
09:49:16 WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL
09:49:19 REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
09:49:22 THIS IS OUR MOMENT OF UNCERTAINTY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
09:49:27 WE'RE RESILIENT AS PEOPLE.
09:49:29 WE ALWAYS COME TOGETHER AND WE'RE STRONG AND JUST THE UNITED
09:49:33 STATES IN GENERAL, BEYOND THE CITY OF TAMPA, WE ARE A PEOPLE
09:49:38 THAT ALWAYS FIGHTS AND ALWAYS MOVES FORWARD IN THE FACE OF
09:49:42 WHATEVER DANGER OR WHATEVER UNCERTAINTY WE HAVE.
09:49:47 AS A MILLENNIAL, I REMEMBER GRADUATING COLLEGE AND IT WAS
09:49:50 RIGHT AS THE GREAT RECESSION WAS BEGINNING.
09:49:53 IT WAS AT THE END OF 2007, AND IT WAS VERY TOUGH.
09:49:57 SO MY GENERATION IS SEEING THIS TWO TIMES BEFORE THE AGE OF
09:50:02 40 WHERE THERE ARE NO JOBS, IT IS A STRUGGLE.
09:50:06 IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT WAS BEFORE.
09:50:07 WE SEE THE ECONOMY AS IT IS FROM THE STOCK MARKET ALL THE
09:50:11 WAY DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL.
09:50:13 EVERYBODY IS FEELING THIS.
09:50:14 NO MATTER WHAT CLASS, WHAT AMOUNT OF WEALTH, YOU KNOW, FROM
09:50:18 THE VERY POOR TO THE VERY WEALTHY, THIS IS AFFECTING
09:50:23 EVERYONE BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY EVERYTHING IS AT A STAND-STILL.
09:50:26 HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, I KNOW EVERYONE IS DOING THEIR
09:50:28 BEST.
09:50:29 COUNCIL MEMBERS, CRA BOARD MEMBERS, ALL ONE AND THE SAME,
09:50:33 BUT ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, ALL THE POLICE AND FIRE, ALL
09:50:36 THE NURSES, ALL THE DOCTORS, PEOPLE THAT ARE -- I MEAN,
09:50:40 THESE ARE THE SOLDIERS, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE AT THE FRONT
09:50:42 LINES THAT ARE PUTTING THEMSELVES AT RISK AND MAKING SURE
09:50:46 THAT WE'RE SAFE.
09:50:47 SO I THANK ALL OF YOU.
09:50:51 I APPRECIATE THE REPORTS AND THE DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE I KNOW
09:50:54 YOU ALL ARE WORKING VERY, VERY, VERY HARD.
09:50:56 I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
09:50:59 AND THAT'S IT.
09:50:59 THANKS.
09:51:01 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. MANISCALCO.
09:51:02 AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HEAR FROM MR. GUDES.
09:51:06 >>ORLANDO GUDES: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, FOR BEING RECOGNIZED.
09:51:08 I'D LIKE TO SAY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE.
09:51:10 CHIEF OF STAFF, I DEFINITELY WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU FOR BEING
09:51:13 OUT THERE ON THE FRONT LINES, BEING ABLE TO GIVE INFORMATION
09:51:16 WHEN I CALL, THE CONSTITUENTS IN MY COMMUNITIES AND ALSO TO
09:51:19 ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS WHO ARE WORKING VERY HARD.
09:51:22 I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT FOR
09:51:25 MAKING THE MASKS FOR OUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND ALSO THE
09:51:27 CITY WORKERS.
09:51:28 WIFE BEEN AROUND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE'S HOUSES THAT ARE MAKING
09:51:30 THE MASKS AND THEY ARE WORKING VERY HARD.
09:51:33 I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO THEM.
09:51:35 A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
09:51:39 COMMUNITY AND LATINO COMMUNITY.
09:51:41 I DID BRIEFLY SPEAK WITH CHIEF BENNETT ABOUT IT YESTERDAY.
09:51:44 I HAD CALLS AND CONCERNS AS IT RELATES TO TESTING.
09:51:49 WE HAVE SEVERAL HEALTH CARE CENTERS WITHIN THESE MINORITY
09:51:52 COMMUNITIES.
09:51:55 A LOT OF CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITIES DO NOT HAVE HEALTH CARE
09:52:00 INSURANCE.
09:52:01 THE POLICY HAS BEEN YOU NEED A HEALTH CARE DOCTOR TO SIGN
09:52:04 OFF FOR YOU TO GET TESTED.
09:52:06 THIS IS NOT WORKING IN SOME OF THE LOW SOCIOECONOMIC
09:52:10 COMMUNITIES.
09:52:10 WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
09:52:11 WHAT IS THE PLAN TO GET WITH THE EPG TO MAKE SURE WE CAN GET
09:52:15 THIS DONE?
09:52:16 BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM COMING
09:52:18 UP SHORTLY IF WE DON'T START TRYING TO TEST IN SOME OF THESE
09:52:21 COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF THE LOWER ECONOMIC ZIP
09:52:23 CODES, 33610, 33604, WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT THAT NOW.
09:52:30 I'M JUST WONDERING, IF ANY OTHER PLANS COME ABOUT RIGHT NOW,
09:52:36 CHIEF BENNETT, HAVE THE CONVERSATION WITH EPG AS IT RELATES
09:52:40 TO THIS SITUATION.
09:52:42 >>JOHN BENNETT: JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF.
09:52:45 THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBER GUDES, FOR THAT QUESTION.
09:52:48 IT'S VERY TIMELY AND VERY CRITICAL, AS YOU MENTIONED.
09:52:50 I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE MAYOR AND STAFF HAVE BEEN TRACKING
09:52:56 THE TRENDS OF ALL OF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS AS IT RELATES TO
09:53:01 TESTING AND EVERYTHING STARTS WITH DATA.
09:53:03 WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE HOSPITALS AND THE EMERGENCY
09:53:06 MEDICAL SIDE OF THE EQUATION TO TRY TO GIVE US ADDITIONAL
09:53:11 DATA POINTS SO WE CAN HAVE A BETTER DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM
09:53:15 WELL AHEAD OF THE TESTING OUTCOMES.
09:53:17 AS YOU KNOW, QUITE OFTEN, IT COULD TAKE FIVE TO 14 DAYS
09:53:23 BETWEEN SOMEBODY WHO HAS A SYMPTOM OR SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T
09:53:25 HAVE A SYMPTOM TO GET TESTED AND GET THAT RESULT BACK AS
09:53:29 POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
09:53:30 AND BY THAT POINT, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO INFECT
09:53:34 FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES, OR ANYBODY ELSE YOU'RE
09:53:37 IN CONTACT WITH.
09:53:38 SO WE HAVE STARTED COLLECTING DATA AT ALL THE POSSIBLE DATA
09:53:43 POINTS THAT WE CAN GET, AND OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION,
09:53:49 GIS GROUP, ARE MAPPING THAT DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN
09:53:52 SEE THE RESERVATION, NOT SO MUCH THE TESTING OUTCOME, BUT
09:53:56 HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE REGISTERING AND MAKING A REGISTRATION
09:54:00 FOR THOSE TESTING SITES AND MAKING SURE THAT IT LOOKS
09:54:03 EQUITABLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY.
09:54:05 ANYTIME WE SEE A GAP, THEN WE BRING THAT THROUGH THE MAYOR
09:54:12 TO THE EMERGENCY POLICY GROUP TO TRY AND TALK ABOUT
09:54:15 OPPORTUNITIES.
09:54:17 AS, AGAIN, YOU POINTED OUT, THE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS AND
09:54:20 OTHER FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS WHO HAVE THE
09:54:23 ABILITY TO TEST, WE NEED TO LOOK TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET OUR
09:54:28 TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGE COMMUNITY TO THOSE LOCATIONS AS
09:54:31 WELL AS ASKING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ABOUT THE
09:54:34 OPPORTUNITY FOR MOBILIZED TESTING WHERE THEY COULD GO TO AN
09:54:38 INDIVIDUAL AS OPPOSED TO RELYING SOLELY ON DRIVE-THROUGH OR
09:54:43 BRICK-AND-MORTAR SITE.
09:54:45 THOSE EFFORTS CONTINUE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT CERTAIN
09:54:48 COMMUNITIES AND DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS WELL
09:54:52 BEYOND JUST THE TRAVEL CONCERNS FROM THE EARLIER TRIAGING
09:54:55 THAT WE HEARD WHEN COVID-19 HIT THE UNITED STATES.
09:54:59 AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THIS COMMENT TO BE
09:55:02 AUGMENTED BY OCEA WYNN WHO HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE
09:55:06 NEIGHBORHOODS IN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THERE IS EQUITY IN
09:55:09 TESTING AWARENESS AND OPPORTUNITY.
09:55:10 OCEA, DO YOU WANT TO AUGMENT THIS?
09:55:14 >>OCEA WYNN: ABSOLUTELY.
09:55:15 SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS WE'VE REACHED
09:55:18 OUT TO THE TAMPA FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS TO SEE WHAT ARE THOSE
09:55:23 THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO GET TESTING AS WAS ALREADY
09:55:28 MENTIONED INTO THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
09:55:31 AS CHIEF BENNETT HAS ALREADY MENTIONED AS WELL IN TERMS OF A
09:55:37 MOBILE TEST SITE, THROUGH OUR PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, WE ARE
09:55:41 ACTUALLY REACHING OUT TO THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO CAN
09:55:47 PROVIDE THOSE TYPE OF SERVICES.
09:55:48 SO THAT WE COULD HAVE MORE OF A DYNAMIC APPROACH FOR THE
09:55:55 PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO CANNOT GET TO THE SITE.
09:55:58 THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO OVERCOME WITHIN
09:56:02 THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
09:56:04 ONE OF THEM IS AS WE KNOW IS THE AWARENESS AS WELL AS THOSE
09:56:11 RISK FACTORS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IMPACTING THOSE IN THE
09:56:17 COMMUNITY.
09:56:17 WE'VE HEARD OF DIABETES.
09:56:19 WE KNOW OF HYPERTENSION, PULMONARY ISSUES, ASTHMA, LUNG
09:56:25 DISEASE.
09:56:26 OFTENTIMES, IN THE COMMUNITY, AS WE MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THE
09:56:31 MIND-SET HAS BEEN THAT'S FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
09:56:34 IT DOESN'T IMPACT US UNTIL IT STARTS IMPACTING US.
09:56:37 SO OVERCOMING THE MIND-SET THAT, YEAH, WE ARE ALL A PART OF
09:56:42 THIS TOGETHER AND IT CAN IMPACT US AND KNOWING THAT THERE
09:56:47 ARE TIMES WHEN WE MAY HAVE THREE OR FOUR GENERATIONS IN ONE
09:56:52 HOUSEHOLD IS EVEN MORE PROBLEMATIC.
09:56:56 SO, AGAIN, WITH REACHING OUT TO COMMUNITIES, LEADERS AND
09:56:59 PARTNERSHIPS AND MAKING THOSE CONTACTS, LIKE THE TAMPA
09:57:05 HEALTH CENTER, WE ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD
09:57:09 POSSIBLY DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY ENGAGED IN THOSE
09:57:14 AREAS, IMPOVERISHED AREAS IN THE COMMUNITY.
09:57:18 >>ORLANDO GUDES: I DO APPRECIATE THE CHIEF AND YOUR
09:57:23 COMMENTS.
09:57:23 I WANT TO SAY THIS AS A PERSON WHO HAD ASTHMA VERY, VERY
09:57:27 BADLY.
09:57:28 MOST AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE ASTHMA OR BRONCHIAL PROBLEMS.
09:57:32 AS I LOOK ACROSS THE NATION AND THE OTHER COMMUNITIES
09:57:34 ABROAD, THERE'S A PROBLEM.
09:57:36 I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THIS MESSAGE TO THE EPG,
09:57:40 THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A DRIVE-THROUGH.
09:57:42 WE NEED TO HAVE A LOCATION POINT SOMEWHERE THAT PEOPLE CAN
09:57:45 GO TO WHO DON'T HAVE HEALTH CARE AND MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAVE
09:57:49 A SERIOUS PROBLEM ON THE HORIZON.
09:57:51 THAT'S MY REQUEST TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT
09:57:53 THE MAYOR UNDERSTANDS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE AND STRESS
09:57:56 THIS TO EPG THAT WE'VE GOT TO HAVE TESTING GOING ON.
09:58:00 WE CAN'T DEPEND ON TRYING TO GET OVER TO THE STADIUM.
09:58:01 A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE CARS, IT'S INCONVENIENT, BUT
09:58:04 SOMEWHERE CLOSE, WE NEED TO TRY TO MAKE THAT AVAILABLE.
09:58:09 THAT'S MY REQUEST TODAY IN REFERENCE TO THE COVID-19 -- AND
09:58:14 THE LATINO COMMUNITY.
09:58:19 I DON'T KNOW IF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE GONE OUT TO
09:58:21 THE HOMELESS TENT CITY THAT WE HAVE.
09:58:23 I DID GO OUT THERE.
09:58:25 I THINK IT'S A GREAT, GREAT THING THAT THE MAYOR AND THE
09:58:29 CHIEF CAME UP WITH TO COMBAT SOME OF OUR HOMELESS
09:58:33 SITUATIONS.
09:58:34 I HAD SEVERAL PHONE CALLS AND E-MAILS ABOUT THE HOMELESS.
09:58:36 I WENT OUT THERE AND SAW SOMETHING THAT WAS AMAZING.
09:58:39 I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY DOES FOUND THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES.
09:58:43 THE CITY GAVE FUNDS.
09:58:45 WHERE DO WE GET THE FUNDS OR ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
09:58:48 GIVE FUNDS FOR THE PROJECT OR ASK THE COUNTY FOR SOME HELP
09:58:50 WITH THAT?
09:58:56 >>JOHN BENNETT: JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF.
09:58:58 WELL, FIRST, THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN GUDES FOR RECOGNIZING THE
09:59:04 EFFORTS THAT WENT INTO THE EMERGENCY SHELTER FOR OUR
09:59:07 HOMELESS AS IT RELATED TO SAFER AT HOME AND COMING UP WITH
09:59:11 THIS EMERGENCY HOME, IF YOU WILL, THAT PROVIDES FOOD,
09:59:14 CLOTHING, SHELTER, AND MEDICAL OPPORTUNITIES.
09:59:19 THE REAL SHOUT-OUT HERE GOES TO VANESSA McCLEARY OF OUR
09:59:24 HOUSING GROUP WHO WITHIN SEVEN DAYS WORKING WITH CATHOLIC
09:59:27 CHARITIES AND HER STAFF BROUGHT TO THE ADMINISTRATION AN
09:59:30 OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THIS THROUGH AN EMERGENCY SERVICES
09:59:35 GRANT OR EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT.
09:59:38 AND THAT FUNDING WAS DIRECTED TO SET UP THIS EMERGENCY
09:59:42 SHELTER WITH A CONTINUUM OF CARE ATTACHED TO IT THAT'S BEEN
09:59:47 LONG PROVEN FOR RAPID REHOUSING.
09:59:49 SO THEY CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES STAFF
09:59:52 AND THE TAMPA/HILLSBOROUGH HOMELESS INITIATIVE, OF COURSE,
09:59:56 JOINTLY FUNDED IN CONCERT WITH THE ENTIRE COUNTY, TO MAKE
10:00:01 SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE BEST THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN FOR OUR
10:00:04 HOMELESS.
10:00:04 AND TRYING TO USE A PROVEN MODEL THAT HAS EXISTED IN
10:00:08 PINELLAS FOR WELL OVER A DECADE WHERE A VAST MAJORITY OF
10:00:12 FOLKS THAT ENTER THIS CONTINUUM OF CARE END UP IN SOME RAPID
10:00:16 AND SUSTAINABLE HOUSING MODEL.
10:00:18 SO THE FUNDING DID COME FROM A GRANT.
10:00:21 IT'S BEING SUSTAINED BY A GRANT, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT WE
10:00:24 CAN USE SOME OF THAT GRANT TO CONTINUE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND
10:00:27 BUILD UPON THIS PROGRAM WELL BEYOND THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY.
10:00:31 I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
10:00:33 IF NOT, WE'RE HAPPY TO SEND A MEMO TO ALL OF THE BOARD OR
10:00:38 COUNCIL ON THE TOPIC.
10:00:40 >>ORLANDO GUDES: THANK YOU, CHIEF.
10:00:41 THAT ANSWERED MY QUESTION.
10:00:42 GREAT JOB, VANESSA McCLEARY.
10:00:45 I KNOW SHE'S WORKED HARD ON THE PROJECT AND FOR THE
10:00:48 ADMINISTRATION WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY.
10:00:51 I YIELD BACK TO THE CHAIR.
10:00:54 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. GUDES.
10:00:55 NOW MR. DINGFELDER.
10:00:57 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: GOOD MORNING, ALL.
10:00:59 THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
10:01:00 I'VE GOT THREE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
10:01:05 THE FIRST ONE IS FAIRLY SIMPLE TO MS. POST.
10:01:10 I'M CURIOUS IN REGARD TO REZONING APPLICATIONS AND OTHER
10:01:15 SIMILAR TYPE OF APPLICATIONS THAT HAVE COME IN OVER THE LAST
10:01:19 COUPLE OF WEEKS, I WOULD ASSUME THAT THE NUMBERS WOULD BE
10:01:22 DOWN, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS OF HOW MUCH ARE THEY DOWN.
10:01:35 >> HI.
10:01:36 THIS IS CAROLE POST.
10:01:37 GREAT QUESTION.
10:01:38 WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE DOWN.
10:01:39 WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE EXPERIENCING DECLINES AS WELL, BUT,
10:01:44 IN FACT, WE ARE NOT.
10:01:48 THE FILINGS HAVE REMAINED FAIRLY CONSISTENT, PARTICULARLY
10:01:52 REZONINGS ARE HOLDING PACE.
10:01:56 SO I ACTUALLY THINK THAT'S A POSITIVE THING, THIS ESSENTIAL
10:02:03 INDUSTRY IS CONTINUING AND KEEPING A PACE.
10:02:05 AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE CHALLENGED ON THE HORIZON TO ENSURE THAT
10:02:09 WE KEEP PACE WITH THESE.
10:02:13 I KNOW THE COUNCIL'S OFFICE IS WORKING STEADFASTLY TO WORK
10:02:19 ON HOW TO ADDRESS OUR QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARING AND THE LIKE SO
10:02:23 WE CAN CATCH UP AND THEN GET BACK ON PACE.
10:02:27 BUT WE ARE NOT SEEING A DOWNTURN IN THE FILING REQUESTS.
10:02:30 NOT YET ANYWAY.
10:02:33 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU, MS. POST.
10:02:34 THAT'S GOOD.
10:02:37 THAT SOUNDS LIKE OUR COMMUNITY REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ON THE
10:02:40 ECONOMIC.
10:02:41 HAND IN HAND WITH THAT, MS. GRIMES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
10:02:45 LENGTHY MEMO IN REGARD TO CITY COUNCIL'S QUASI-JUDICIAL
10:02:51 PROCESS.
10:02:52 ARE WE ALSO WORKING ON GETTING THE VARIANCE BOARD AND THE
10:02:56 ARC, ET CETERA, THE OTHER QUASI-BOARDS UP AND RUNNING,
10:03:01 PERHAPS IN JUNE OR JULY?
10:03:05 >>GINA GRIMES: GINA GRIMES.
10:03:06 YES, MR. DINGFELDER.
10:03:08 WE'RE WORKING ON THAT SAME ISSUE.
10:03:12 CATE WELLS FROM OUR OFFICE HAS ALREADY PUT TOGETHER A
10:03:16 PROPOSED SCHEDULE THAT SHE SENT YESTERDAY TO THE DEVELOPMENT
10:03:19 SERVICES STAFF.
10:03:19 AND SHE, TOO, HAS A PROPOSED SCHEDULE THAT, IF FOLLOWED,
10:03:24 WILL ALLOW ALL THOSE CANCELED HEARINGS TO BE CAUGHT UP BY
10:03:28 THE END OF JUNE.
10:03:29 WE'RE HOPING JUNE IS A MONTH THAT WE CAN ALL GET BACK TO
10:03:34 WORK PHYSICALLY.
10:03:37 WE HAVE ESTABLISHED SCHEDULES THAT IF EVERYBODY IS WILLING
10:03:39 TO PUT FORTH A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFORT, THAT WE COULD GET
10:03:45 CAUGHT UP.
10:03:46 AND REMEMBER, TOO, THIS REQUIRES A LOT OF EFFORT ON THE PART
10:03:49 OF ALL OF OUR VOLUNTARY BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE ARC, THE BLC,
10:03:55 THE HPC.
10:03:57 THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF COORDINATION THAT OCCURS
10:04:01 WITH ALL THIS, BUT THE STAFF IS SUPPORTIVE OF HAVING THESE
10:04:05 EXTRA HEARINGS, PUTTING EXTRA CASES ON EACH OF THE AGENDAS,
10:04:11 I THINK THEY'VE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM THE VARIOUS BOARD
10:04:14 MEMBERS THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GET
10:04:17 EVERYBODY CAUGHT BACK UP BY THE END OF JUNE.
10:04:20 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU, MS. GRIMES.
10:04:21 I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL.
10:04:24 WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK AND AS CHAIRMAN
10:04:29 CITRO SAID, GETTING BACK TO WORK PHYSICALLY.
10:04:33 WE'RE ALL WORKING FROM HOME BUT ALSO I'M SURE OUR COMMUNITY
10:04:37 BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKEWISE BE JUMPING IN TO HELP AND TO
10:04:42 GET BACK TO SCHEDULE.
10:04:45 MY LAST QUESTION, PROBABLY A LITTLE MORE CONTROVERSIAL, I
10:04:52 TOTALLY AND I'M SURE EVERYBODY ON THE PHONE DISAGREES WITH
10:04:55 THE GOVERNOR'S REVISED MEMORANDUM OR ORDER WHERE HE INCLUDED
10:05:03 CHURCH ATTENDANCE AS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE, BUT THAT'S
10:05:07 NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.
10:05:08 HE IS THE GOVERNOR, AND HE HAS THE POWER TO DO THAT.
10:05:11 ON A LOCAL LEVEL, I WOULD ASSUME THAT THE MAYOR HAS THE
10:05:17 ABILITY, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT SHE IS STILL ARTICULATING AND
10:05:22 URGING PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, MOSQUE OR WHAT
10:05:26 HAVE YOU.
10:05:28 I'M CURIOUS ALONG THOSE LINES, MS. WYNN AND ALSO MS. BAUMAN,
10:05:35 WHAT IS OUR MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY IN REGARD TO OBVIOUSLY,
10:05:41 WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF PASSOVER.
10:05:43 LAST NIGHT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, IN MY FAMILY WE HAD A
10:05:47 PASSOVER VIA ZOOM, WHICH WAS A LOT OF FUN AND VERY EFFECTIVE
10:05:51 AND VERY SAFE FOR OUR FAMILY.
10:05:54 I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY AND HOLD
10:05:59 THEIR RELIGIOUS SERVICES LONG DISTANCE AND KEEP THAT SOCIAL
10:06:05 DISTANCING GOING.
10:06:06 BUT IN REGARD TO A QUESTION, MS. WYNN AND MS. BAUMAN, WHAT
10:06:10 IS OUR MESSAGE AND HOW ARE WE GETTING THAT MESSAGE OUT TO
10:06:13 THE COMMUNITY, BUT EVEN THE GOVERNOR MAY ALLOW THE CHURCH
10:06:17 ACTIVITIES THAT AS A LOCAL COMMUNITY, WE DISCOURAGE IT?
10:06:24 >>OCEA WYNN: THIS IS OCEA WYNN.
10:06:27 >> I'M SORRY.
10:06:28 GO AHEAD, OCEA.
10:06:29 >>OCEA WYNN: I'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT MESSAGE WE'RE SENDING AND
10:06:33 I'LL LET ASHLEY TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GETTING IT OUT.
10:06:35 SO WE'VE REACHED OUT VIA E-MAIL TO OUR FAITH-BASED LEADERS
10:06:39 WITHIN THE CITY OF TAMPA, ENCOURAGING THEM TO PRACTICE
10:06:45 SOCIAL DISTANCING, BY FOLLOWING THE CDC GUIDELINES, BY
10:06:50 STAYING -- IF THEY HAD TO GATHER, GATHER LESS THAN TEN WHILE
10:06:57 REMAINING SIX FEET APART.
10:07:00 BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANT THEM TO DO IS TO EMBRACE THE USE OF
10:07:03 DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THEIR WORSHIP SERVICES.
10:07:07 SO DID GET E-MAIL MESSAGES, TEXT MESSAGES, BUT ASHLEY AND
10:07:14 HER TEAM HAVE REALLY BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING THIS OUT
10:07:18 TO THE PUBLIC.
10:07:20 I'LL LET ASHLEY TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
10:07:27 >> THANK YOU, OCEA.
10:07:28 COUNCILMAN DINGFELDER AS WELL AS ALL CRA BOARD MEMBERS.
10:07:34 AS OF MIDDAY YESTERDAY, IF YOU GO TO TAMPAGOV.NET/COVID-19,
10:07:39 THERE IS NOW A BUTTON FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND OUR
10:07:45 MESSAGING.
10:07:46 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, AHEAD OF SUNDOWN, THE MAYOR PUT OUT A
10:07:52 PASSOVER MESSAGE.
10:07:54 WE FULLY INTEND TO DO THAT AS WE MOVE INTO THE EASTER
10:07:58 WEEKEND.
10:07:59 WE ARE ALSO PUTTING A MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL FAITH LEADERS
10:08:04 MESSAGE OUT TODAY.
10:08:05 WE ARE FINALIZING IT RIGHT NOW.
10:08:08 THIS WILL GO OUT BOTH ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BUT ALSO
10:08:12 IN A MEDIA CAPACITY.
10:08:13 THAT BEING SAID, IN MY REPORT, I ALSO TALK ABOUT THE
10:08:17 DIFFERENT PSAs AND THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS THAT WE ARE
10:08:20 MESSAGING ON.
10:08:22 ALL OF THIS INCLUDES THE DRUM BEAT OF A SOCIAL DISTANCE
10:08:27 MESSAGE.
10:08:27 WE ALSO HAVE PSAs RUNNING ON SPIRIT RADIO, AND THOSE MIMIC
10:08:32 THAT MESSAGE.
10:08:36 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
10:08:38 >>OCEA WYNN: ONE FINAL THING THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE DIRECT
10:08:42 MESSAGING VIA E-MAIL TO THE FAITH-BASED LEADERS, WE DID
10:08:45 INCLUDE IN THAT MESSAGE THAT IF THEY NEEDED ANY TECHNICAL
10:08:49 SUPPORT FOR STREAMING, FOR ONLINE SERVICES, THAT WE COULD
10:08:54 PROVIDE THAT.
10:08:55 WE'RE NOT PROVIDING THE HARDWARE OR THE SOFTWARE, BUT WE
10:08:58 WILL PROVIDE THE DIRECTION THAT THEY NEED AND THE STEPS THEY
10:09:01 NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO HAVE A DIGITAL SERVICE.
10:09:07 >> AND OCEA AND COUNCILMAN DINGFELDER, JUST TO FOLLOW-UP ON
10:09:12 THAT, THIS MORNING, MAYOR CASTOR DID A ZOOM MEETING WITH
10:09:17 FAITH-BASED LEADERS ACROSS THE CITY WITH SENATOR JANET CRUZ
10:09:22 AND REITERATED THAT MESSAGE.
10:09:24 THEY ARE LOOKING TO POSSIBLY DO SERVICES VIA CAR, BUT WHILE
10:09:32 SOCIAL DISTANCING IN GROUPS FEWER THAN TEN.
10:09:38 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: WELL, THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
10:09:39 THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU FOR THAT.
10:09:42 I MEAN, I HOPE THAT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY -- I WAS THINKING
10:09:48 OF A JINGLE.
10:09:49 WE ALL LIKE JINGLES.
10:09:51 STAY-AT-HOME AND PRAY AT HOME.
10:09:55 I HOPE THAT WORKS.
10:09:56 YOU CAN USE THAT WITH MY PERMISSION.
10:10:00 ANYWAY, ON A SERIOUS NOTE, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING EVERYBODY
10:10:05 IS DOING.
10:10:06 THANK YOU.
10:10:06 BYE-BYE.
10:10:07 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. DINGFELDER.
10:10:09 MR. CARLSON.
10:10:10 >>BILL CARLSON: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
10:10:11 MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO
10:10:14 SAY.
10:10:15 I'LL SAY TWO QUICK COMMENTS AND THEN I HAVE A QUICK
10:10:19 QUESTION.
10:10:19 FIRST, JUST TO ECHO THANK YOU TO CHIEF BENNETT AND ALL THE
10:10:23 STAFF WHO ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY THROUGH THIS AND RESPONDING
10:10:27 TO US AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS OFF-LINE.
10:10:29 AND WORKING TO GET THE JOB DONE FOR OUR CITIZENS AND
10:10:33 ESPECIALLY THANK YOU TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ARE PUTTING
10:10:36 THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY DAY FOR US.
10:10:38 ONE OF MY BIG CONCERNS OTHER THAN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF
10:10:43 THE PUBLIC IS, OF COURSE, THE FISCAL SITUATION AND -- I'VE
10:10:51 SPOKEN MANY TIMES ABOUT MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE FISCAL
10:10:54 RECKLESSNESS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
10:10:57 PAM IORIO -- I WON'T GET THE NUMBERS EXACTLY RIGHT -- SAVED
10:11:01 SOMEWHERE AROUND $150 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE
10:11:04 DURING THE GREAT RECESSION.
10:11:05 THE GREAT RECESSION WAS OVER FOR TWO YEARS BY THE TIME THE
10:11:09 NEXT ADMINISTRATION TOOK OVER, AND THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION
10:11:12 LEFT US WITH ABOUT HALF THAT AMOUNT.
10:11:14 IN ADDITION, WE KNOW THAT THE BOND -- THE OTHER BOND RATINGS
10:11:19 ARE HIGH BUT THAT'S ON THE HEELS OF FOUR TAX INCREASES.
10:11:24 DURING THAT TIME THERE WERE A LOT OF FRIVOLOUS EXPENDITURES,
10:11:27 LIKE A PLUS OR MINUS $12 MILLION BOATHOUSE WHEN EAST TAMPA'S
10:11:33 MAIN COMMUNITY CENTER HAD RATS RUNNING IN IT AND KIDS
10:11:36 COULDN'T PLAY THERE.
10:11:37 MY CONCERN REGARDING THE FISCAL SITUATION, WE CAN TALK ABOUT
10:11:42 IT MORE, AND I HOPE TO HAVE MR. ROGERO IN A LONGER
10:11:49 CONVERSATION IN A MONTH OR TWO.
10:11:50 BECAUSE SO MANY TAXES INCREASED, WE PROBABLY CAN'T RAISE
10:11:53 TAXES.
10:11:53 SOUNDS LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL REIMBURSE US SOME.
10:11:56 I KNOW THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN PHYSICALLY CONSERVATIVE.
10:11:59 ONE OF THE THINGS I ASKED FOR EARLIER ON IN THE BUDGET
10:12:02 PROCESS, PLEASE ADD IN THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE AND THE
10:12:05 MAYOR AND ALL OF YOU DID THAT.
10:12:07 UNFORTUNATELY A SMALL DENT IN A BIG PROBLEM.
10:12:09 IF WE SUDDENLY RUN SHORT, WE HAVE VERY FEW RESERVES.
10:12:13 IN THE GENERAL FUND RESERVE.
10:12:16 THE REST OF THEM ARE ALL TIED TO BOND RATINGS.
10:12:20 WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW.
10:12:23 I JUST HAVE CONCERNS.
10:12:24 LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS CUT BASIC SERVICES AS WE COME
10:12:28 OUT OF THIS BECAUSE MONEY WAS SPENT AND ACCOUNTS WERE
10:12:32 DRAINED DOWN OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
10:12:35 TO MY QUICK QUESTION, AND MAYBE YOU ALL ANSWERED THIS A
10:12:39 LITTLE BIT BEFORE, TO MR. VIERA, BUT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
10:12:44 REALLY WOULD LIKE SOME PREDICTABILITY.
10:12:47 I WOULD ON -- I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH A BUNCH OF BUSINESS
10:12:51 LEADERS YESTERDAY.
10:12:51 THEY WOULD LIKE PREDICTABILITY ABOUT WHEN THEY CAN GET BACK
10:12:54 TO WORK.
10:12:54 I KNOW THIS IS A NATIONAL AND INTERNAL ISSUES AND
10:12:57 EXTERNALITIES OF PEOPLE TRAVELING AND MOVING AROUND.
10:13:00 IT SEEMS TO ME IF THE PEAK, IT WAS MAY 3rd, I THINK NOW
10:13:04 IT'S THE END OF APRIL.
10:13:05 IF THE PEAK IS AROUND THAT TIME, IT SEEMS THAT WE WOULD
10:13:07 STILL BE UNDER QUARANTINE OR SAFER AT HOME FOR AT LEAST
10:13:11 ANOTHER MONTH AFTER THAT, RIGHT?
10:13:12 IT SEEMS LIKE THE EARLIEST WE COULD POTENTIALLY GET BACK
10:13:17 WOULD BE JUNE.
10:13:18 DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY -- WITHOUT HOLDING YOU TO A DATE,
10:13:22 DOESN'T IT SEEM -- I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOLDING
10:13:25 QUASI-JUDICIAL MEETINGS IN JUNE, DOESN'T THAT ALSO MEAN THAT
10:13:28 THE PUBLIC PROBABLY COULD NOT GET BACK TO NORMAL BUSINESS
10:13:31 UNTIL AT LEAST JUNE?
10:13:34 >>JOHN BENNETT: JOHN BENNETT, CHIEF OF STAFF.
10:13:36 THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN CARLSON, FOR THAT QUESTION.
10:13:39 IT'S ON THE MINDS OF EVERYBODY, BOTH IN THE PUBLIC SPACE,
10:13:43 OUR GOVERNMENT SPACE AND OUR PARTNER SPACE.
10:13:45 AS CHIEF LoCICERO, AND I WON'T SPEAK FOR HIM IF HE WANTS
10:13:49 TO AUGMENT, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS DATA AND HOPE.
10:13:54 YOU COULD SEE FROM MS. GRIMES' WORK WITH HER STAFF THAT THEY
10:13:58 FEVERISHLY PUT TOGETHER A PLAN TO BRING BACK GOVERNMENT TO
10:14:02 ITS FULLEST CAPACITY STARTING IN JUNE, KNOWING THAT IF THOSE
10:14:06 DATES HAD TO ROLL FOR SOME REASON THAT WE WERE PREPARED TO
10:14:11 ROLL THE CALENDAR AND GET CAUGHT UP.
10:14:13 I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S GOOD SCIENCE AROUND THIS YET OTHER
10:14:17 THAN THE FACT THAT THE PEAK HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED IN THE STATE
10:14:21 OF FLORIDA.
10:14:23 I THINK AS AN URBANIZED COUNTY THE SIZE THAT TAMPA,
10:14:28 HILLSBOROUGH, AND OUR MSA IS, I THINK WE'RE DOING EXTREMELY
10:14:33 WELL THROUGH ALL OF THE LEADERSHIP THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED AND
10:14:35 ALL THE HARD WORK OF THE FRONT LINE AND THE MESSAGING AND
10:14:38 OUR MEDICAL COMMUNITY OF FLATTENING THE CURVE BELOW THE REAL
10:14:42 RISK FACTOR, WHICH RELATES TO OUR HOSPITALIZATION CAPACITY.
10:14:47 I AM BROADENING THE ANSWER BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT
10:14:51 THAT WE STAY ON FOCUS WITH THE STRATEGY TO DO THAT VERY
10:14:55 THING IS GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK AND GET OUR ECONOMY MOVING
10:14:58 TOGETHER.
10:14:58 AS FAR AS TIMING GOES, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IF WE GET PAST AND
10:15:03 WE KEEP THAT CURVE FLAT BY THE DESIGNATED STATE PEAK OF A
10:15:09 LITTLE AFTER MID APRIL, THAT THINGS WILL GET BACK ONLINE.
10:15:13 BUT USING THAT RELAXATION OF THE STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY TO
10:15:18 ME IS GOING TO BE THE FLAG THAT STARTS THAT COUNTDOWN TO GET
10:15:22 BACK TO NORMALCY BECAUSE, AS WE KNOW, THERE IS THAT 14-DAY
10:15:26 QUARANTINE PERIOD IF YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO A KNOWN SOURCE
10:15:29 PATIENT OR KNOWN RISK FACTOR.
10:15:31 SO I'VE BEEN USING KIND OF A MODELING CONCEPT OF WHEN THE
10:15:36 STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY IS LIFTED AND ALL OF THE THINGS
10:15:40 WITH THAT, THAT THERE WOULD STILL BE A 14-DAY WINDOW OF
10:15:44 DECLINING RISK, IF YOU WILL, TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.
10:15:47 I WOULD SAY ARGUABLY, IF WE LOOK AT PEAK AND WE CONTINUE TO
10:15:52 DO ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT THE LEADERSHIP AT THE STATE AND
10:15:55 LOCAL LEVEL ARE TELLING US TO DO, THAT WE CAN GET BACK
10:15:59 ONLINE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
10:16:01 I'M GOING TO LIVE OFF OF MS. GRIMES' MEMO THAT HOPE WE'LL BE
10:16:05 FULL SPEED, FULL SWING BY JUNE OR SOONER.
10:16:08 THAT'S THE BEST GUIDANCE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND I HOPE
10:16:12 THAT REASONABLY ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
10:16:15 CHIEF LoCICERO --
10:16:21 >> A QUICK ADD-ON.
10:16:23 CHARLIE LOCKWOOD FROM USF, EITHER IN THE MAYOR'S TALK SHOW
10:16:26 OR ANOTHER INTERVIEW, SAID THAT HE THOUGHT PEOPLE WHO HAD
10:16:29 THE ANTIBODY, MEANING PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO
10:16:32 IT OR GONE THROUGH COVID, COULD MAYBE GO BACK TO WORK FIRST.
10:16:36 IS THAT ANY PART OF YOUR POLICY AND IS THERE TESTING COMING
10:16:40 FOR THAT, DO YOU KNOW?
10:16:42 >>JOHN BENNETT: THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
10:16:44 SO WE HAD WORKED WITH THE COUNTY.
10:16:46 OUR PROCUREMENT TEAM DID SOME RESEARCH, WORKED WITH THE
10:16:49 COUNTY'S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GROUP AND EMERGENCY
10:16:51 PROCUREMENT GROUP AND RESEARCHED THE ANTIBODY TESTING, AND
10:16:57 WE HAD A FACE TO FACE WITH DR. LOCKWOOD IN A SOCIAL
10:17:00 DISTANCING SETUP TO VALIDATE THE CONCEPT OF THE FACT THAT
10:17:05 IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET THE TRADITIONAL TESTING GOING.
10:17:08 SO OUR THOUGHT EXACTLY WAS THAT.
10:17:10 AGAIN, THROUGH THE MAYOR'S LEADERSHIP AND WORKING WITH OUR
10:17:13 PARTNERS TO ACCELERATE OUR CRITICAL AND ESSENTIAL SERVICE
10:17:18 FOLKS TO SEE ABOUT THE ANTIBODY TESTING.
10:17:21 THE COUNTY HAS ORDERED OVER 44,000 KITS THAT HOPEFULLY WILL
10:17:25 GO TOWARDS THE FIRST RESPONDER GROUPS AND THOSE CRITICAL AND
10:17:31 HIGH-RISK AREAS.
10:17:32 IN ADDITION TO THAT, AS A REGION, BECAUSE I HAD WORKED WITH
10:17:35 PINELLAS COUNTY ALL OF LAST WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND, THAT WERE
10:17:38 ORDERING ADDITIONAL KITS, AND WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND FOCUS
10:17:43 ON GETTING ACCESS TO GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK, BECAUSE THE
10:17:46 CONCEPT IS WITH THIS TEST, THIS RAPID TEST KIT FOR THE
10:17:51 ANTIBODIES, IS THE FOUR DIFFERENT OUTCOMES, WHICH IS YOU'RE
10:17:55 EITHER NEGATIVE, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN EXPOSED
10:17:58 YET AND YOU'RE STILL AT RISK, AND THEN THERE ARE THREE
10:18:01 LEVELS OF POSITIVE.
10:18:01 AND WE WALKED THROUGH THIS WITH DR. LOCKWOOD, SO I
10:18:06 APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT UP BECAUSE HE'S BEEN A GREAT
10:18:08 PARTNER TO THE CITY THROUGHOUT THIS.
10:18:10 YES, THERE IS A CONCEPT THAT IF YOU SHOW THAT YOU HAVE THE
10:18:14 ANTIBODIES, THAT YOU WOULD BE MORE RESILIENT TO BE BACK IN
10:18:16 THE WORKFORCE AND ALSO POSSIBLY DONATE PLASMA TO THE
10:18:20 COMMUNITY TO HELP OTHERS WHO HAVE COVID-19 RECOVER QUICKER.
10:18:25 AGAIN, CHIEF LoCICERO, ANY OTHER COMMENTS TO THAT?
10:18:33 >> I THINK A COUPLE OF PARTS SUMMARIZED WELL.
10:18:35 THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL THE DATA
10:18:38 AND ALL THE SCIENTIFIC REPORTS THAT ARE COMING OUT AND JUST
10:18:41 KNOW THAT THE MAYOR AND THIS ADMINISTRATION AS SOON AS WE
10:18:44 CAN STAND THIS UP, KNOW THAT WE ABSOLUTELY WILL.
10:18:47 WE JUST WANT TO MAKE THE BEST ABSOLUTE DECISION WHEN THE
10:18:51 TIME WARRANTS.
10:18:53 THANK YOU.
10:18:55 >> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.
10:18:56 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU.
10:18:57 ONE MORE POINT ON THAT BEFORE IT GOES BACK TO THE CHAIRMAN
10:19:00 IS THAT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING THAT STOCK HERE IS
10:19:03 WAITING ON FDA APPROVAL, AND THERE WAS SOME GUIDANCE ISSUED
10:19:07 IN THE MIDDLE OF MARCH ABOUT THE FDA APPROVAL AND THE KITS
10:19:12 THAT WERE ORDERED BY THE CITY HAD JUST RECEIVED THE FDA
10:19:15 APPROVAL, WHICH ARE THE SAME ONES THAT PINELLAS COUNTY JUST
10:19:17 ORDERED.
10:19:18 SO JUST A FOOTNOTE TO THAT.
10:19:20 BACK TO YOU, CHAIRMAN.
10:19:22 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CARLSON.
10:19:24 I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION, GOING BACK TO MR. GUDES' POINT.
10:19:30 THE EMERGENCY SHELTER ON THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN IS WORKING
10:19:33 OUT VERY, VERY WELL.
10:19:34 MY QUESTION IS, HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN STAYING
10:19:38 THERE, HAVE THEY BEEN TESTED FOR THIS?
10:19:41 AND THEN SECONDLY, TO GO A LITTLE FURTHER, WE HAVE A
10:19:46 POPULATION OF HOMELESS HERE IN THE CITY OF TAMPA.
10:19:49 HOW ARE THEY GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE TESTED?
10:19:52 AND ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET HELP FROM EITHER THE
10:19:56 COUNTY OR THE STATE TO PROVIDE TESTING FOR THOSE PEOPLE?
10:20:00 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
10:20:01 GREAT QUESTION.
10:20:02 ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS DESIGNED IN THE SETUP OF THE
10:20:07 EMERGENCY SHELTER WAS THE FACT THAT CATHOLIC CHARITIES HAS A
10:20:10 TREMENDOUS AND LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH BAY CARE.
10:20:14 AND BAY CARE IS THERE PROVIDING THE TRIAGE, THE TESTING
10:20:17 THAT'S NEEDED AND, OF COURSE, IF SO, ANY TREATMENT.
10:20:19 THEY ALSO HAVE AREAS ON CAMPUS THAT OFFER THE QUARANTINE
10:20:24 NECESSARY SHOULD SOMEBODY HAVE AN EXPOSURE OR HAVE BEEN
10:20:27 TRIAGED AND TESTED AWAITING FOR THOSE RESULTS.
10:20:31 I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
10:20:34 >>JOSEPH CITRO: YES.
10:20:35 THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, CHIEF.
10:20:37 CHIEF, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU, ALL OF YOUR STAFF, ALL THE
10:20:43 ADMINISTRATION FOR HELPING ORGANIZING THIS AND GIVING US
10:20:46 YOUR COVID UPDATE.
10:20:48 I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE IN THE FUTURE FROM YOU AND
10:20:51 THE STAFF.
10:20:52 SO I THANK ALL OF YOU WHO ARE ON THE CALL TODAY GIVING US
10:20:56 THE INFORMATION.
10:20:57 THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHIEF.
10:21:00 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
10:21:01 AT THIS POINT, I AM GOING TO RELEASE THE STAFF MEMBERS OTHER
10:21:05 THAN THE ONES THAT ARE REMAINING FOR THE SECOND AGENDA ITEM,
10:21:10 WHICH, MORRIS MASSEY, CAROLE POST AND MICHELLE VAN LOAN.
10:21:14 I WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS AND THEIR TEAMS FOR
10:21:18 SUPPORTING THE MESSAGE THIS MORNING TO THE CRA BOARD AND THE
10:21:21 PUBLIC.
10:21:22 SO, CHAIRMAN.
10:21:23 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHIEF.
10:21:25 EVERYONE, PLEASE STAY SAFE.
10:21:27 I WILL NOW ASK THE CRA SECRETARY TO PLAY ANY VOICE MAIL
10:21:33 MESSAGES RECEIVED REGARDING THE SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING AND
10:21:36 ADVISE US IF ANY E-MAILS OR DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN
10:21:41 CONNECTION WITH THIS SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING AND WHETHER
10:21:44 THERE ARE DOCUMENTS OR E-MAILS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO ALL
10:21:49 CRA MEMBERS.
10:21:51 >>THE CLERK: MR. CHAIRMAN, AT THIS POINT WE HAVE NONE.
10:21:55 GIVE ME ONE MOMENT.
10:22:23 >> GOOD MORNING, CHAIR CITRO.
10:22:26 THIS IS SULING LUCAS, DEPUTY CITY CLERK.
10:22:26 WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS VIA E-MAIL NOR
10:22:29 VOICE MAIL MESSAGES TO BE PLAYED THIS MORNING.
10:22:32 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU.
10:22:33 AND THESE E-MAILS OR VOICE MAIL MESSAGES WERE TO BE RECEIVED
10:22:38 AS OF YESTERDAY, APRIL 8th AT 9 A.M.?
10:22:41 >>THE CLERK: THAT IS CORRECT.
10:22:44 >>JOSEPH CITRO: OKAY.
10:22:46 I THANK YOU, MS. SULING VERY, VERY MUCH.
10:22:49 >>THE CLERK: YOU'RE WELCOME.
10:22:51 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THE SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION
10:22:53 OF A POSSIBLE LOAN OR GRANT PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN
10:22:57 THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19
10:23:03 EMERGENCY.
10:23:03 NO FORMAL ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ON THIS MATTER TODAY BY THE
10:23:08 CRA BOARD.
10:23:10 BUT AFTER THE PRESENTATION OF THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM, EACH
10:23:13 BOARD MEMBER WILL BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS
10:23:17 AND TO MAKE STATEMENTS REGARDING THIS ITEM.
10:23:28 [NO AUDIO]
10:23:46 >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
10:23:47 IT'S NICE TO SPEAK WITH YOU ALL AGAIN.
10:23:50 THE ESSENTIALS THAT WE HAVE HERE, AND I CAN ADD A BIT MORE
10:23:57 DETAIL AFTER MICHELLE AND MORRIS PROVIDE THEIR
10:24:00 PRESENTATIONS, BUT LIKE MANY JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE
10:24:03 COUNTRY, THE CITY OF TAMPA IS VERY INTERESTED TO PROVIDE
10:24:09 SUPPORT FOR ITS COMMUNITY, THE INDIVIDUALS, AND THE
10:24:11 BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE SUFFERING FROM THE
10:24:14 RESULTS OF COVID AND THE SHUTDOWN AND STAY-AT-HOME.
10:24:18 THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS ARE FAR SPREAD, AS YOU HAVE ALREADY
10:24:21 BEEN DISCUSSING.
10:24:23 AND WE FEEL THAT IT IS PART OF THE MISSION OF GOVERNMENT TO
10:24:27 BE A BACKSTOP, TO BE A SUPPORT, AND TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE
10:24:31 SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE, PARTICULARLY TO ITS NEEDIEST
10:24:36 CONSTITUENTS WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER CHALLENGES SUCH AS WE'RE
10:24:39 FACING.
10:24:40 WE'D LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH THE CRA BOARD HOW THEY COULD
10:24:45 PARTICIPATE IN THIS EFFORT, BUT LET ME FIRST TURN OVER TO
10:24:49 BEGIN WITH TO MICHELLE, WHO CAN PROVIDE A KIND OF MACRO VIEW
10:24:55 OF WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF THE DISCUSSION WITH
10:24:59 THIS GROUP.
10:24:59 THANK YOU.
10:25:02 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MS. POST.
10:25:04 MS. MICHELLE.
10:25:05 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: GOOD MORNING CHAIR CITRO, CRA BOARD
10:25:08 MEMBERS AND CRA COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC LISTENING IN.
10:25:10 MICHELLE VAN LOAN, COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
10:25:14 AS WE REFERENCED LAST WEEK AT SOME OF THE COVID MEETINGS AND
10:25:19 IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF OUR CRA BOARD COMMENTS, A FEW WEEKS
10:25:25 AGO, OUR CRA STAFF AND MYSELF STARTED RECEIVING INQUIRIES
10:25:28 REGARDING HOW THE CRAs CAN ASSIST OUR BUSINESSES IN
10:25:33 DISTRESS.
10:25:33 SO OUR CRA TEAM HAD STARTED LOOKING AND EVALUATING WHAT OUR
10:25:39 OPTIONS ARE TO ASSIST OUR BUSINESSES DURING THIS CRISIS.
10:25:43 OUR CRA STAFF THEN HAD BEEN WORKING WITH OUR CRA ATTORNEY,
10:25:47 MORRIS MASSEY, SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND OUR OPTIONS UNDER
10:25:52 STATE STATUTE 163.
10:25:54 WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT WHAT THE OTHER COMMUNITIES AROUND THE
10:25:57 STATE HAVE BEEN DOING AND TALKING TO THE FRA LEGAL TEAM TO
10:26:02 MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL UNDERSTOOD TO WHAT DEGREE WE WOULD BE
10:26:06 ABLE TO ASSIST OUR BUSINESSES.
10:26:08 AT THAT TIME, OUR CRA STAFF STARTED TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK
10:26:12 FOR A POTENTIAL GRANT PROGRAM TO BRING TO THE CRA BOARD ONCE
10:26:16 WE STARTED HAVING CRA BOARD MEETINGS AGAIN.
10:26:20 ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES WAS HOW DO WE AID OUR BUSINESSES AT
10:26:24 MOST RISK?
10:26:26 HOW DO WE IDENTIFY THOSE BUSINESSES?
10:26:27 HOW DO WE HANDLE COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH TO MAKE SURE WE ARE
10:26:32 MEETING AND REACHING ALL THOSE BUSINESSES?
10:26:35 AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW DO WE MAKE IT EQUITABLE SO THAT
10:26:39 AGAIN, WE ARE REACHING OUT TO OUR BUSINESSES THAT ARE AT
10:26:42 MOST RISK OF NOT SURVIVING THIS CRISIS?
10:26:46 WE ALSO NEEDED REASONABLE CRITERIA, AS HAS BEEN PUBLICLY
10:26:50 SAID MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS AT CRA
10:26:54 BOARD, MAKING THE CRITERIA AND THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
10:26:58 SOMETHING STRAIGHTFORWARD THAT DO NOT ACT AS BARRIERS TO OUR
10:27:03 BUSINESSES APPLYING, HAVE TO BE A CRITERIA OF OUR PROGRAM.
10:27:07 SO SOME OF THE GOALS THAT WE INCLUDED AS WE TRIED TO DEVELOP
10:27:12 A FRAMEWORK AND TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS WERE HOW TO
10:27:15 MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE CRA FUNDS AND BALANCES, HOW DO
10:27:19 WE REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR BUSINESSES SHUTTERING THEIR
10:27:24 DOORS PERMANENTLY AND THEN RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN OUR
10:27:26 VACANT STOREFRONTS AND AGAIN CREATING BACK-TO STEPS IN THE
10:27:33 EFFORTS AND IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE MADE FOR OUR CRA COMMUNITIES.
10:27:38 LASTLY, HOW DO WE ESTABLISH A PROGRAM THAT IS EVEN
10:27:41 MANAGEABLE BY OUR CRA STAFF OF EIGHT AND SERVE OUR
10:27:45 POTENTIALLY LARGE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN ALL OF
10:27:49 OUR EIGHT CRA COMMUNITIES?
10:27:51 LAST WEEK, WHILE OUR CRA STAFF WAS ON THIS TRACK, WE WERE
10:27:57 BROUGHT INTO THE DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY TRACK THAT CAROLE
10:28:05 POST AND OCEA WYNN ALONG WITH THE MAYOR'S STAFF HAVE BEEN
10:28:09 WORKING ON.
10:28:10 AS WE STARTED TALKING TOGETHER ABOUT THE CITY'S EFFORTS AND
10:28:13 THE CRA EFFORTS, WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE MOSTLY IN
10:28:16 ALIGNMENT, THAT WE WERE FACING SOME OF THE SAME CHALLENGES
10:28:20 THAT I JUST OUTLINED, AND OUR STAFF GREATLY APPRECIATED THE
10:28:26 POTENTIAL FOR TRYING TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF THE CITY PROGRAM
10:28:29 THAT AGAIN WOULD MOVE THE IMPLEMENTATION FROM EIGHT CRA
10:28:33 STAFF MEMBERS TO THE ENTIRE CITY EMPLOYEE BASE AND ALSO
10:28:37 THEIR NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIPS.
10:28:38 WE ALSO ARE IN ALIGNMENT TO TRY AND ADDRESS THE CRA BUSINESS
10:28:43 NEEDS WITHOUT UNDULY BURDENSOME PAPERWORK REQUIREMENTS, AS I
10:28:47 MENTIONED, AND ALSO HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OUR BUSINESSES
10:28:52 WITHIN OUR CRAs ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM AND CAN
10:28:55 APPLY?
10:28:57 SO THAT'S BASICALLY THE APPROACH, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO,
10:29:00 WHY WE ARE NOW IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY'S EFFORTS AND TO
10:29:05 THE LAST POINT THAT I HAD MADE ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE
10:29:09 CRA FUNDS.
10:29:10 OUR CRA POLICY FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS HAS BEEN TO IGNORE
10:29:15 OUR INTEREST MONEY THAT DEVELOPS IN OUR FUNDS.
10:29:19 THE INTEREST COLLECT AS A RESULT OF USUALLY OUR CAPITAL
10:29:24 IMPROVEMENT DOLLARS THAT HAVE TO BE SET ASIDE AS SOON AS WE
10:29:29 ENTER A CONTRACT.
10:29:30 BUT WHEN THESE PROJECTS MAY BE SEVERAL YEARS, WHILE THE
10:29:35 MONEY IS STILL BEING SPENT DOWN, IT IS COLLECTING INTEREST.
10:29:38 ONE EXAMPLE IN EAST TAMPA IS WHEN WE BUILT THE 22nd STREET
10:29:44 IMPROVEMENTS AND THE ROUNDABOUT, THAT WAS A THREE-PHASE
10:29:47 PROGRAM, BUT ALL THE MONEY HAD TO BE WHAT WE CALL ENCUMBERED
10:29:51 RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT PROGRAM AND SO 5 MILLION
10:29:55 DOLLARS' WORTH OF FUNDING SAT IN FUNDS OVER FOUR YEARS AND
10:30:00 DEVELOPED INTEREST.
10:30:01 THAT INTEREST, AGAIN, WE HAVE TRIED TO AS A POLICY IGNORE
10:30:05 THAT THAT INTEREST HAS SAT THERE BECAUSE WE CONSIDER THAT
10:30:10 MONEY OUR RAINY DAY FUND FOR OUR MOST DIRE SITUATIONS, ONLY
10:30:15 TO BE USED AS A LAST RESORT.
10:30:17 I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE NOW COME TO A POINT THAT WE HAVE
10:30:23 REACHED A DIRE SITUATION THAT MAY CALL FOR USING THIS
10:30:26 INTEREST.
10:30:27 AS I'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE WITH OUR STAFF AND THE
10:30:31 CRA MANAGERS, I HAVE BEEN LIKENING THIS CRISIS TO IF WE HAD
10:30:38 A HURRICANE.
10:30:38 IF WE COULD VISIBLY SEE DAMAGE TO ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES THAT
10:30:43 WOULD PHYSICALLY PREVENT THEM FROM DOING THEIR BUSINESS AND
10:30:46 CONDUCTING BUSINESS AND PAYING THEIR EMPLOYEES, THEN ALL OF
10:30:50 US WOULD BE INSTANTLY SCRAMBLING TO DO WHATEVER WE COULD TO
10:30:53 HELP OUR BUSINESSES.
10:30:56 THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURES HAVE NOT BEEN PHYSICALLY WIPED OUT
10:31:00 OR DAMAGED, THE RESULT OF WHAT THE CORONAVIRUS AND SAFER AT
10:31:04 HOME AND OUR BUSINESS INTERACTIONS AND THAT LACK OF SOCIAL
10:31:09 INTERACTIONS TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS HAS HAD
10:31:13 BASICALLY THE SAME EFFECT.
10:31:14 OUR BUSINESSES ARE NOT PHYSICALLY ABLE TO CONDUCT THEIR
10:31:19 BUSINESS ANYMORE EVEN IF THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURES ARE INTACT.
10:31:22 SO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT AND WHAT I WOULD BE
10:31:27 PROPOSING IS THAT IF THE CRA BOARD AT A FUTURE MEETING DID
10:31:31 DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME SORT OF BUSINESS GRANTS WITHIN
10:31:37 OUR CRA BOUNDARIES, THAT WE WOULD USE ONLY THE CRA INTEREST
10:31:42 THAT'S SITTING IN ACCOUNTS TO HELP FUND THAT.
10:31:45 BY USING THE INTEREST, WE CAN ENSURE THAT NO PROJECTS OR
10:31:50 INITIATIVES THAT ARE EITHER ALREADY IN PLAY, OR BEING
10:31:54 DISCUSSED OR WORKED ON AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL AND OUR CRAs
10:31:56 AND SUBCOMMITTEES, NONE OF THOSE INITIATIVES WOULD BE
10:31:59 ADVERSELY AFFECTED.
10:32:01 ALL CURRENT PROJECTS COULD MOVE FORWARD AS PLANNED, AND AT
10:32:05 OUR MARCH 12, CRA BOARD MEETING, I GAVE YOU THE BALANCES OF
10:32:10 OUR CURRENT ROLLOVERS AND ALL OF OUR FUNDS THAT WE TALKED
10:32:13 ABOUT COULD BE USED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND OTHER
10:32:16 INITIATIVES.
10:32:17 NONE OF THAT MONEY WOULD BE TOUCHED AND AGAIN WOULD CONTINUE
10:32:20 TO BE AVAILABLE IF WE ONLY USE THE INTEREST TOWARDS ANY
10:32:25 POTENTIAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE.
10:32:28 WE DO HAVE AS NOTED IN THE QUARTERLY REPORTS AND BROUGHT UP
10:32:33 BY CRA BOARD IN THE PAST, WE DO HAVE ENOUGH INTEREST I
10:32:39 BELIEVE COULD HELP OUR BUSINESSES AND MAKE A DENT AND WOULD
10:32:43 WORK WELL IN CONJUNCTION WITH WHAT THE CITY WOULD DO AS
10:32:47 OPPOSED TO TRYING TO HAVE TWO STAND-ALONE PROGRAMS.
10:32:53 WITH THAT, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE CRA
10:32:56 STAFF HAVE BEEN WORKING ON, WHAT OUR GOALS WERE, WHAT WE'RE
10:32:59 TRYING TO ACHIEVE TO CREATE SOME SORT OF CONTEXT FOR WHEN
10:33:04 CAROLE TALKS ABOUT THE CITY SIDE.
10:33:08 WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO MORRIS, IF HE HAS
10:33:12 ANY COMMENTS, AND THEN TO CAROLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE
10:33:15 MAYOR'S STAFF, MS. POST, AND MS. WYNN AND ALL OF THEIR STAFF
10:33:20 HAVE BEEN WORKING ON TO HELP ADDRESS THE LARGER COMMUNITY
10:33:25 AND WHERE OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO ALIGN OURSELVES TOGETHER
10:33:30 BETWEEN THE TWO PROGRAMS ARE.
10:33:32 THANK YOU.
10:33:33 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MICHELLE.
10:33:35 MR. MASSEY.
10:33:36 >>MORRIS MASSEY: MORRIS MASSEY, CRA COUNSEL.
10:33:39 THANK YOU, MICHELLE, FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
10:33:42 I DID WANT TO GIVE THE CRA BOARD A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HOW WE
10:33:49 THINK IT FITS LEGALLY INTO THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CRA.
10:33:52 TYPICALLY, AS YOU KNOW, BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAMS ARE
10:33:57 SOMETHING THAT THE CRA TYPICALLY DOES NOT DO.
10:34:00 BUT IN THIS CASE, WE DO THINK THAT IT IS CONSISTENT WITH
10:34:04 CHAPTER 163.
10:34:06 LET ME WALK THROUGH KIND OF THE GENERAL LEGAL LIMITATIONS ON
10:34:09 THE USE OF CRA FUNDS.
10:34:12 TYPICALLY, THE FOUR LIMITATIONS ARE REALLY THE USE MUST BE
10:34:15 CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE CRA STATUTE.
10:34:17 IT MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH THE APPROVED CRA PLAN.
10:34:21 IT MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH THE APPROVED CRA BUDGET.
10:34:26 FINALLY, IT MUST BE USED WITHIN THE CRA CR AREA, COMMUNITY
10:34:30 REDEVELOPMENT AREA, THAT GENERATED THOSE FUNDS.
10:34:32 THE STATE CRA STATUTE ALLOWS THE USE OF CRA FUNDS ON THE
10:34:37 UNDERTAKING OF COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AND RELATED
10:34:40 ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT
10:34:44 AREA OR AREAS.
10:34:45 COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT INCLUDES ACTIVITIES OR PROJECTS TO
10:34:48 ELIMINATE OR PREVENT SLUM AND BLIGHT.
10:34:51 THE STATUTE DEFINES SLUM AREAS AS AREAS THAT HAVE CONDITIONS
10:34:56 CONDUCIVE TO DISEASE, POVERTY, OR CRIME.
10:34:59 IT ALSO DEFINES BLIGHTED AREAS AS AREAS WITH UNSAFE
10:35:04 CONDITIONS AND/OR FALLING LEASE RATES OR HIGHER VACANCY
10:35:08 RATES.
10:35:08 WHILE THE CRA STATUTE FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE CONSTRUCTION
10:35:13 OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ACQUISITION, DISPOSITION OF REAL
10:35:17 ESTATE AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDER TO
10:35:20 -- SLUM AND BLIGHT CONDITIONS, IT ALSO RECOGNIZES SPECIAL
10:35:23 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES CAN ALSO BE UTILIZED TO ADDRESS SLUM
10:35:26 AND BLIGHT CONDITIONS LIKE COMMUNITY POLICING WITHIN THE
10:35:29 CRA.
10:35:29 IN THIS CASE, COVID-19 IS A DISEASE-RELATED EVENT.
10:35:35 AND IT'S LEADING TO AT LEAST A TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MANY
10:35:38 SMALL BUSINESSES BECAUSE OF THE SAFER AT HOME ORDER TO
10:35:41 ADDRESS THE EVENT.
10:35:43 THIS COULD LEAD TO THE FAILURE OF MANY OF THESE SMALL
10:35:47 BUSINESSES WHICH WILL LEAD TO INCREASED VACANCIES AND WOULD
10:35:51 LEAD TO INCREASED SLUM AND BLIGHT CONDITIONS.
10:35:54 THEREFORE, I THINK IN THIS INSTANCE, THE USE OF A BUSINESS
10:35:58 GRANT PROGRAM AS OUTLINED BY MICHELLE VAN LOAN IS LEGALLY
10:36:04 APPROPRIATE UNDER THE STATUTE.
10:36:05 AT THIS TIME, I CAN TURN THIS BACK OVER TO MS. POST TO GIVE
10:36:10 YOU A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE CITY PLANS, BUT AT THIS
10:36:14 POINT IN TIME, WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THOSE PLANS.
10:36:17 THIS IS NOT A TIME WHERE WE'RE ASKING FOR THE CRA BOARD TO
10:36:21 ACT.
10:36:21 WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE DETAILS OF HOW THE CITY PLAN WILL
10:36:26 WORK AND THE CRA PLAN AND HOW THEY'LL INTERRELATE.
10:36:29 WE WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK AND PERHAPS HAVE A SPECIAL-CALLED
10:36:33 CRA MEETING LATER THIS MONTH WHEN ALL THOSE DETAILS HAVE
10:36:37 BEEN WORKED OUT FOR YOU ALL TO FORMALLY CONSIDER THIS.
10:36:40 ALSO, WHILE WE ARE PROVIDING A VEHICLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
10:36:43 THROUGH E-MAILS OR THROUGH THE WEB OR THROUGH VOICE MAILS,
10:36:47 BY THE TIME YOU MEET NEXT, WE SHOULD HAVE A WEBINAR-TYPE OF
10:36:51 SETUP SO THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY CALL IN AND MAKE PUBLIC
10:36:55 COMMENT, WHICH WE THINK IS IMPORTANT BEFORE YOU ALL MAKE A
10:36:58 FORMAL DECISION.
10:36:59 WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
10:37:01 I DON'T THINK MS. POST HAS ANYTHING TO ADD, BUT IF YOU DO --
10:37:06 >> I WOULD JUST REITERATE WHAT I THINK YOU'VE HEARD.
10:37:10 IT IS OUR DESIRE, AS I KNOW IT IS YOURS AS A BOARD AND AS
10:37:14 INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, TO CREATE A PROGRAM
10:37:20 THAT CAN SUPPORT THOSE THAT ARE IN MOST NEED.
10:37:23 WAS THIS OUR PROGRAM, WHAT WE ARE DESIRING TO DO, AND WE ARE
10:37:29 WORKING THROUGH THE DETAILS OF WHAT THAT PLAN WOULD LOOK
10:37:33 LIKE.
10:37:34 WHAT I CAN TELL YOU AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS IS THAT IT IS
10:37:36 SOMETHING THAT WOULD FOCUS ON PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE
10:37:40 NEEDIEST OF THE COMMUNITY, THOSE THAT ARE MOST VULNERABLE
10:37:44 AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS, AND THAT WE
10:37:49 ARE LOOKING TO TARGET THE MOST BASIC NEEDS FOR BUSINESSES,
10:37:54 LIKE YOU'RE SEEING IN OTHER COMMUNITIES AND JURISDICTIONS,
10:37:59 THINGS LIKE RENT, MORTGAGE AND UTILITIES.
10:38:01 AND THAT IT WOULD BE FOR A SHORT DEFINED PERIOD.
10:38:04 WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE A TARGETED BRIDGE THAT
10:38:09 HELPS THESE BUSINESSES GET THROUGH THE IMMEDIATE FORESEEABLE
10:38:13 -- THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE BEFORE SOME OF THOSE STATE AND
10:38:16 FEDERAL FUNDS THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON START HITTING THEIR
10:38:20 MAIL BOXES.
10:38:21 SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PLUG A GAP WITH VERY SHORT-TERM
10:38:27 TARGETED PROGRAM OF ASSISTANCE.
10:38:28 I'LL TURN OVER TO QUESTIONS.
10:38:40 >>MORRIS MASSEY: CHAIRMAN CITRO, I BELIEVE WE'RE TURNING IT
10:38:43 BACK TO YOU.
10:38:43 THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
10:38:49 >>JOSEPH CITRO: YES.
10:38:50 THANK YOU.
10:38:50 I'M SORRY.
10:38:50 THE PHONE WENT ON THE FRITZ FOR A SECOND.
10:38:55 VERY, VERY WELL DONE.
10:38:57 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
10:38:57 I WILL NOW CALL ON EACH CRA BOARD MEMBER IN ALPHABETICAL
10:39:02 ORDER FOR HIS COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PROPOSED
10:39:06 PROGRAM.
10:39:07 AGAIN, LET'S TRY TO KEEP QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS LIMITED TO
10:39:12 ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND LET'S KEEP THEM LIMITED TO THIS
10:39:15 DISCUSSION WE HAVE JUST HAD.
10:39:16 LET'S TART WITH COUNCILMAN CARLSON.
10:39:21 >>BILL CARLSON: GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY, AND THANK YOU.
10:39:23 I THINK WE ALL GOT BRIEFINGS INDIVIDUALLY, AND I SPOKE AT
10:39:28 LENGTH WITH MS. POST.
10:39:29 I KNOW SHE HAS A BIG VISION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND I
10:39:33 THINK SHE'LL COME BACK WITH A GREAT PLAN.
10:39:36 I THINK IT'S PROBABLY ONE THAT WE'LL -- I WANT TO HEAR THE
10:39:40 DETAILS ABOUT IT AGAIN NEXT WEEK OR WHENEVER WE COME BACK,
10:39:43 BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE ONE WE WANT TO SUPPORT AND ONE
10:39:46 NEEDED, ESPECIALLY IN THIS BRIDGE TIME.
10:39:50 I HAVE A COUPLE OF CONCERNS.
10:39:51 ONE IS ABOUT THE LEGAL INTERPRETATION.
10:39:55 YOU ALL MAY REMEMBER SIX OR EIGHT MONTHS AGO I SUGGESTED THE
10:39:59 IDEA, INSTEAD OF FACADE GRANTS, SPENDING MONEY ON SOMETHING
10:40:03 LIKE THIS.
10:40:03 THE LEGAL OPINION WE GOT AT THE TIME WAS WE COULDN'T DO IT.
10:40:07 ST. PETE HAS -- ST. PETE'S LEGAL INTERPRETATION HAS BEEN A
10:40:10 LITTLE BIT MORE LIBERAL THAN OURS ON THE ABILITY TO OFFER
10:40:14 SERVICES AND HELP BUSINESSES.
10:40:15 I SPOKE AT LENGTH WITH MS. ZELMAN AND MR. MORRIS ABOUT THIS.
10:40:21 SO WE DON'T HAVE TO COVER IT AGAIN HERE, BUT I JUST HAVE
10:40:24 SOME CONCERNS.
10:40:26 IF IT NOW MEETS THE LEGAL DEFINITION, THEN IT SHOULD HAVE
10:40:29 BACK THEN.
10:40:30 IF WE THINK IT DOES, THEN I THINK WE OUGHT TO READDRESS THAT
10:40:34 ISSUE IN A FEW MONTHS TO SEE IF WE CAN LOOK AT HELPING
10:40:37 BUSINESSES.
10:40:37 IF IT DOESN'T, THEN THERE COULD BE SOME KIND OF LEGAL
10:40:40 CHALLENGE TO IT.
10:40:41 I THINK WE AS A CITY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BACKUP PLAN
10:40:45 WOULD BE IF IT IS LEGALLY CHALLENGED.
10:40:47 THEN THE OTHER THING, WHICH I MENTIONED TO MS. VAN LOAN,
10:40:53 WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DOING STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR OUR CRA.
10:41:00 I THINK THAT THIS ALSO BRINGS UP ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE NEED
10:41:03 TO FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR SPECIFIC GOALS ARE.
10:41:08 I THINK OUR GOALS NEED TO TIE UP TO WHATEVER MS. POST COMES
10:41:11 UP WITH FOR THE CITY OVERALL.
10:41:13 YOU ALL KNOW I PRESENTED THE TAMPA SCORECARD WHICH SHOWS
10:41:16 THAT TAMPA DIDN'T DO VERY WELL ECONOMICALLY COMPARED TO OUR
10:41:19 PEERS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A BOON
10:41:24 TIME AND WE DID OKAY, WE DIDN'T DO AS WELL AS OUR PEERS DID
10:41:28 OR THE CITIES THAT WE WANT TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO.
10:41:32 SO THERE ARE SOME UNDERLYING ECONOMIC ISSUES THAT WE HAVE TO
10:41:35 ADDRESS.
10:41:36 THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, I DON'T THINK IS AN IDEA THAT CAME FROM
10:41:40 THE CAC.
10:41:41 CACs ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ADVISORY.
10:41:43 I THINK THEY'LL GET FEEDBACK FROM THE CAC, BUT SOMEHOW WE AS
10:41:47 A BOARD NEED TO COME UP WITH WHAT OUR GUIDELINES ARE, WHAT
10:41:50 OUR GUARDRAILS ARE, WHAT OUR AREAS THAT WE THINK IN WHICH
10:41:55 THE MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT THAT WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE.
10:41:58 I THINK MS. VAN LOAN AND MS. POST'S VOICE ON HOW DOES IT
10:42:02 BUILD UP TO A LARGER GOAL.
10:42:04 I'M ON THE BOARD OF AN EDUCATION FOUNDATION.
10:42:06 ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SPONSOR IS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR
10:42:09 AT-RISK KIDS, BUT THE INTERIM GOAL IS HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS
10:42:13 DO WE GET.
10:42:13 BUT THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS WHAT'S OUR GRADUATION RATE AND ARE
10:42:17 WE ABLE TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL?
10:42:19 I THINK WHATEVER WE DO NEEDS TO BUILD UP TO SOME KIND OF
10:42:22 ECONOMIC MEASURES, AND WE CAN WORK WITH -- AND USF ON THOSE
10:42:28 MEASURES AND I HOPE PREDICTED ANALYTICS.
10:42:31 BUT IF HELPING BUSINESSES IS A PART OF IT AND ITS LEGAL THEN
10:42:34 WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT.
10:42:35 WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE OTHER KIND OF SERVICES THAT A CRA CAN
10:42:38 AND SHOULD DO AND NOT NECESSARILY LOOKING AT WHAT OTHER
10:42:40 CITIES IN FLORIDA ARE DOING BECAUSE THEY MIGHT NOT BE DOING
10:42:43 IT WELL.
10:42:45 SOME INVESTIGATED FOR WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING.
10:42:47 WE SHOULD LOOK AT WHAT IS LEGAL, WHAT IS THE CREATIVE IDEA.
10:42:50 WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT TEAM AT THE CITY NOW IN ECONOMIC
10:42:53 DEVELOPMENT AND CRA.
10:42:53 I THINK WE CAN COME UP WITH GREAT IDEAS TO TRY TO DRIVE THE
10:42:56 ECONOMY FORWARD, NOT JUST TO FIX THIS TEMPORARY PROBLEM, BUT
10:42:59 WE HAVE A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM, POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, 50,000
10:43:04 UNIT HOUSING SHORTAGE EVEN BEFORE WE HIT THIS TIME.
10:43:08 SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS ALL THAT.
10:43:10 FINALLY, IF THERE IS A RAINY DAY FUND USING INTEREST MONEY,
10:43:16 I THINK WE OUGHT TO MAKE THAT EXPLICIT IN THE BUDGET AND
10:43:19 TALK ABOUT IT AND AS A BOARD AGREE TO DEFER IT EVERY YEAR AS
10:43:22 A RAINY DAY FUND.
10:43:23 I'M NOT AWARE OR DON'T REMEMBER WE DID THAT.
10:43:25 ANYWAY, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.
10:43:27 THANK YOU ALL.
10:43:32 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. CARLSON.
10:43:33 LET'S GO TO MR. DINGFELDER.
10:43:35 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:43:37 MICHELLE AND MS. POST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
10:43:44 MICHELLE, I KNOW YOU'VE GIVEN THIS TO US IN THE PAST.
10:43:49 I DON'T HAVE IT HANDY.
10:43:50 JUST CURIOUS, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, BUT JUST TO START WITH,
10:43:55 JUST CURIOUS HOW MUCH INTEREST WE HAVE IN THE VARIOUS FUNDS,
10:44:01 SPECIFICALLY THE LARGER, MORE ACTIVE CRAs DOWNTOWN, EAST
10:44:05 TAMPA, WEST TAMPA, ET CETERA.
10:44:09 COULD YOU GIVE ME THAT?
10:44:11 THEN I HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER QUESTIONS, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:44:13 THANK YOU.
10:44:15 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: GOOD MORNING.
10:44:16 MICHELLE VAN LOAN AGAIN.
10:44:17 TO GIVE YOU SOME OF THE LARGER NUMBERS, EAST TAMPA HAS JUST
10:44:20 OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.
10:44:22 DOWNTOWN HAS JUST OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.
10:44:25 THE CHANNEL DISTRICT HAS A LITTLE OVER 700,000.
10:44:30 DREW PARK HAS A LITTLE OVER 500,000.
10:44:36 WEST TAMPA JUST PASSED A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
10:44:39 YBOR ONE IS ABOUT 130,000, AND THEY GET SMALLER FROM THERE.
10:44:49 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THAT'S NOT INSIGNIFICANT.
10:44:51 I DIDN'T RECALL THEY WERE THAT LARGE.
10:44:54 I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THEY ARE, SO WE HAVE SOME REAL MONEY
10:44:58 TO WORK WITH.
10:44:59 I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A MORE DETAILED PRESENTATION
10:45:04 DOWN THE ROAD, BUT IS THERE A DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT YOU'RE
10:45:10 THINKING ABOUT FOR A SMALL BUSINESS, BE ABLE TO MAKE THE
10:45:16 MONEY SPREAD AROUND BUT HAVE SOME IMPACT FOR SMALL BUSINESS,
10:45:20 LIKE $10,000?
10:45:22 $20,000?
10:45:25 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: CAROLE, DID YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT
10:45:28 ANSWER?
10:45:32 >> WE DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS FOR THAT YET, AND I THINK, YOU
10:45:37 KNOW, IN THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO, WE WANT TO PROVIDE AS MUCH
10:45:40 BENEFIT AS WE CAN, BUT GIVEN A LIMITED POT OF RESOURCES, WE
10:45:46 ALSO WANT TO SPREAD IT ACROSS AS WIDE A SWATH OF
10:45:50 PARTICIPANTS AND RECIPIENTS AS POSSIBLE.
10:45:51 THAT'S KIND OF THE TRICKY PART OF THE EQUATION IS HOW CAN WE
10:45:55 GET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO AS MANY QUALIFIED RECIPIENTS AS
10:45:59 POSSIBLE.
10:45:59 AND WE DON'T HAVE A FINAL DATA SET ON THAT YET.
10:46:05 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF VOLUME, JUST IN
10:46:08 THE CRA, NOW, THESE ARE ALL TOTAL BUSINESS.
10:46:11 THIS WOULD NOT BE ALL AT-RISK BUSINESSES, WE HAVE OVER 8,000
10:46:15 BUSINESS LICENSES ISSUED WITHIN JUST OUR CRAs.
10:46:19 AND EVEN IF WE ELIMINATE SOME OF THE BUSINESS LICENSES THAT
10:46:24 ARE ISSUED FOR ALL THE EXTRA, CERTAIN BUSINESSES, IT'S BY
10:46:29 PERSON.
10:46:30 EVERY ATTORNEY, EVERY ACCOUNTANT, EVERY P. E.
10:46:32 SO EVEN IN REDUCING IT, WE WOULD STILL BE LOOKING AT A TOTAL
10:46:37 POOL OF AT LEAST FOUR TO SIX THOUSAND BUSINESSES AND THEN
10:46:41 DEFINING WHAT IS AT RISK.
10:46:44 AT SOME POINT, HOW DO WE HELP THE TRULY NEEDY WHO WOULD NOT
10:46:47 MAKE IT THROUGH THIS CRISIS WITHOUT SOME ASSISTANCE?
10:46:50 SO LOOKING AT VOLUME IS ALSO SOMETHING WE HAVE TO BALANCE.
10:46:56 ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE BUT NOT SO MUCH MONEY THAT
10:46:59 WE CAN'T HELP ENOUGH BUSINESSES TO MAKE THAT KIND OF
10:47:04 COMMUNITY IMPACT.
10:47:08 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: YEAH, THAT'S WHERE MY HEAD HAS BEEN AT IN
10:47:13 REGARDS TO, A MILLION DOLLARS IS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT GIVE
10:47:15 OUT $20,000 PER SMALL BUSINESS, THAT'S 50 SMALL BUSINESSES.
10:47:19 AND THEN YOU CAN GO FROM THERE.
10:47:24 I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T GET THE COMMUNITY'S
10:47:32 HOPES UP TOO MUCH BECAUSE WE DO HAVE LIMITED ABILITY TO HELP
10:47:37 IN TERMS OF NUMBER HAD OF BUSINESSES AND/OR DOLLAR AMOUNTS.
10:47:42 SOMEBODY WAS TRYING TO CHIME IN.
10:47:44 WAS THAT CAROLE?
10:47:46 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. DINGFELDER.
10:47:48 WAS THAT MS. POST OR MS. VAN LOAN?
10:47:52 >> HI.
10:47:52 IT IS CAROLE POST AGAIN.
10:47:54 I THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS.
10:47:55 WE FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AROUND THE DESIRE TO MAKE THIS
10:47:59 AS BENEFICIAL AS POSSIBLE BUT MANAGING THE REALITY AND
10:48:03 MANAGING EXPECTATIONS AROUND THAT.
10:48:05 AND ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT, AND I BELIEVE MS. VAN LOAN
10:48:10 REFERENCED THAT, THE DESIRE TO PARTNER WITH THE CRA, WITH
10:48:14 THE CRAs IS AS A SUPPLEMENT TO OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDS.
10:48:22 SO WE WOULD BE LOOKING TO THAT AS A BACKSTOP AND NOT FOR THE
10:48:26 ENTIRETY OF THE SOURCE OF POT OF MONEY FOR THIS PURPOSE.
10:48:35 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: AND THEN MY LAST COMMENT, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:48:39 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:48:39 MY LAST COMMENT, MORE THAN A QUESTION, IS -- AND I'M SURE
10:48:45 IT'S OBVIOUS, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY IT ANYWAY, OBVIOUSLY,
10:48:50 WE CARE FOR THE SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT WE ALSO CARE FOR THEIR
10:48:56 EMPLOYEES.
10:48:57 I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT AS PART OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE
10:49:02 WOULD MANDATE THAT SOME PART OF THAT MONEY NEEDS TO FLOW
10:49:08 THROUGH TO THEIR EMPLOYEES, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE WORKING
10:49:11 OR NOT.
10:49:12 I'M NOT LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER ON THAT, BUT I'M GOING TO
10:49:17 ASSUME THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF IT.
10:49:18 THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:49:21 THANK YOU.
10:49:21 THANK YOU, CAROLE.
10:49:22 THANK YOU, MICHELLE.
10:49:26 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. DINGFELDER.
10:49:27 MR. GUDES.
10:49:28 >>ORLANDO GUDES: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, FOR BEING RECOGNIZED.
10:49:31 I'VE BEEN TALKING TO MS. VAN LOAN IN REFERENCE TO MY
10:49:36 POSITION ON THE SMALL BUSINESS COMPONENT HERE.
10:49:38 I'M ADAMANT THAT I WOULDN'T SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT DEALT WITH
10:49:42 A LOAN.
10:49:42 A LOT OF THE MOM AND POPS CAN'T PAY BACK A BIG-TIME LOAN.
10:49:46 I LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
10:49:49 ROLLED OUT, READ A LOT OF THEM AND I DON'T SEE A LOT OF
10:49:52 SMALL MOM AND POPS BEING ABLE TO GET THE MONEY.
10:49:55 FINANCIAL RECORDS, NOT UP TO DATE.
10:49:58 WON'T QUALIFY AT ALL AND STILL IN THE SAME FINANCIAL
10:50:01 SITUATION.
10:50:01 BUT I DO THINK THE CRA CAN HELP.
10:50:03 I'LL SEND MS. VAN LOAN AND MS. POST SOME IDEAS I'VE WRITTEN
10:50:08 DOWN BUT SHARE WITH COUNCIL AS IT RELATES RIGHT NOW.
10:50:11 NUMBER ONE, BUSINESSES SHOULD MAKE AT LEAST -- MAKE LESS
10:50:14 THAN IN TIER A BETWEEN 125,000 OR LESS A YEAR AND TIER B,
10:50:21 250,000 OR LESS, THAT WAY YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT TIERS.
10:50:26 WITH THOSE TIERS, THOSE BUSINESSES BETWEEN 10 AND 20
10:50:30 THOUSAND DOLLARS WITHIN THE SEPARATE TIERS BECAUSE YOU MAY
10:50:33 HAVE MORE EMPLOYEES IN TIER B BECAUSE THEY HAVE A BIGGER
10:50:36 VALUE VERSUS TIER A.
10:50:39 MRS. JONES MAKING $70,000 A YEAR AT HER SANDWICH SHOP, SHE
10:50:45 NEEDS THAT REVENUE.
10:50:46 A LOAN, SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO PAY THAT LOAN BACK.
10:50:48 ALSO, I LOOK AT IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO CREATE AN ONLINE
10:50:54 PORTAL TO APPLY.
10:50:56 WE SHOULD CREATE A PAPER APPLICATION THAT CAN BE DISTRIBUTED
10:50:58 ASAP AND PASSED OUT ASAP.
10:51:00 I SEE ALL THESE ONLINE SERVICES, THEY GET JAMMED UP AND
10:51:04 PEOPLE CAN'T GET THROUGH.
10:51:06 THEY GET DISCOURAGED AND WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.
10:51:09 ALSO, I LOOK AT SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS.
10:51:11 THE ONLY REQUIREMENTS WE SHOULD HAVE IS THAT BUSINESSES MUST
10:51:14 HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO JANUARY 31st, 2020, WHICH
10:51:18 IS THE DATE OF THE DISASTER.
10:51:21 ALSO BUSINESSES MUST BE INCORPORATED AND FUNDS MUST BE
10:51:23 DEPOSITED INTO A BUSINESS ACCOUNT.
10:51:24 IF THE BUSINESS DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A SEPARATE BUSINESS
10:51:27 ACCOUNT, THEY MUST OPEN ONE PRIOR TO APPLYING.
10:51:31 SEVERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY OFFER FREE
10:51:34 CHECKING ACCOUNTS.
10:51:35 AGAIN, I DON'T SUPPORT ANY TYPE OF LOAN.
10:51:37 IT HAS TO BE GRANT BASED.
10:51:38 I DO AGREE WITH FUNDS FROM CRA SHOULD COME FROM INTERESTS
10:51:40 CRAS ALREADY HAVE.
10:51:41 THIS WAY WE DO NOT DISRUPT THE CURRENT BUDGET FOR ANY OTHER
10:51:44 CRAs.
10:51:44 INCLUDES SOLE PROPRIETORS, SELF-EMPLOYED, INDEPENDENT
10:51:49 CONTRACTORS, PARTNERSHIPS, CORPORATION S, LLCs AND HAVING
10:51:53 EMPLOYEES NOT NECESSARY TO GET THE GRANT FUNDING.
10:51:58 BOTTOM LINE, GENTLEMEN, A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES WILL NOT
10:52:01 COME BACK WITHOUT HELP.
10:52:02 A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS THAT
10:52:04 BARELY MAKE IT ARE CLOSED.
10:52:07 THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPITAL TO REOPEN.
10:52:09 I THINK A JUMP-START TO HELP SOME OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES,
10:52:12 WHAT I CALL THE LITTLE PEOPLE THAT MR. MIRANDA ALWAYS REFERS
10:52:15 TO, THE LITTLE PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO HELP THE LITTLE PEOPLE.
10:52:18 SOME OF THE BIGGER BUSINESSES THEY'LL BE ABLE TO RECOVER AND
10:52:21 GET LOANS, THEY HAVE THE ACCOUNTANTS AND PEOPLE WHO CAN FILL
10:52:24 OUT THE FORMS FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
10:52:26 MOST OF THE MOM AND POPS ARE ELDERLY PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO
10:52:29 DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THESE TYPE OF APPLICATION PROCESSES.
10:52:33 GEAR UP TO GIVE THEM THE MONEY.
10:52:37 I YIELD BACK TO THE CHAIRMAN.
10:52:39 THAT'S MY SPIEL ON IT.
10:52:41 MY THING IS NO LOANS BUT GRANTS.
10:52:46 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. GUDES.
10:52:47 NOW TO MR. MANISCALCO.
10:52:49 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN.
10:52:51 I APPRECIATE THIS DISCUSSION IN HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES
10:52:55 BECAUSE WITH THIS 30-DAY SHUTDOWN, I KNOW A LOT OF
10:52:59 BUSINESSES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A CASH-RICH SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
10:53:05 THEY BARELY MAKE IT TO PAY THE RENT, PAY THE UTILITIES, PAY
10:53:11 THE EMPLOYEES, IF THEY HAVE EMPLOYEES.
10:53:12 SOME PEOPLE ARE SELF-EMPLOYED.
10:53:14 SOME ARE FAMILIES.
10:53:15 SOME ARE SPOUSES, PARTNERS, WHATEVER IT IS.
10:53:18 YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT DOING WHAT WE CAN TO HELP THESE
10:53:24 INDIVIDUALS.
10:53:25 BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE, AS WE ARE IN THIS SHUTDOWN, WHEN WE
10:53:27 HAVE 30 DAYS OF NO ACTIVITY, NOT EVERYBODY SELLS ON THE
10:53:30 INTERNET.
10:53:31 NOT EVERYBODY HAS A RESTAURANT THAT HAS CURBSIDE SERVICE OR
10:53:35 DELIVERY.
10:53:36 PEOPLE ARE HURTING.
10:53:38 PEOPLE ARE WORRIED.
10:53:39 I ALREADY HEARD OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE CLOSED NOW PER THE
10:53:44 ORDER AND WILL NOT BE REOPENING, BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN
10:53:47 IN BUSINESS FOR A WHILE.
10:53:51 AND THE TERM THAT'S USED IS BUSINESSES HAVING TO PIVOT.
10:53:54 THE WORD IS PIVOT.
10:53:56 BECAUSE THIS IS NOW BUSINESSES ARE IN A SURVIVAL MODE AND
10:54:01 NOT KNOWING WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO.
10:54:04 ONE THING THAT DOES BOTHER ME THAT I'VE HEARD IS WITH THE
10:54:07 LANDLORDS.
10:54:07 IT'S NOT ABOUT THE LANDLORDS, THEY HAVE TO COLLECT THEIR
10:54:11 RENT BECAUSE MANY OF THEM HAVE MORTGAGES TO THE BANK AND
10:54:14 THEY HAVE OBLIGATIONS, TOO, BUT HEARING STORIES OF, WELL, MY
10:54:18 LANDLORD SAYS, ALTHOUGH EVICTIONS HAVE BEEN HALTED, IF YOU
10:54:23 DON'T PAY ON TIME OR WITHIN THE GRACE PERIOD, IF THERE IS A
10:54:26 GRACE PERIOD WITHIN THE LEASE, THEY START TACKING ON THE
10:54:29 LATE FEES.
10:54:30 IT'S NOT ABOUT -- I UNDERSTAND THAT THE LANDLORDS COLLECT
10:54:35 THE RENT TO PAY THE BANK OR THE MORTGAGE OR WHATEVER THEY DO
10:54:39 WITH THAT INCOME.
10:54:40 BUT THE LACK OF COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING THAT -- AND THE
10:54:45 STORIES THAT I'VE HEARD WHEREAS IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL,
10:54:48 REMEMBER, RENT IS DUE ON THE FIRST.
10:54:50 IF NOT, LATE FEES START RACKING UP.
10:54:54 SEEING THE LACK OF CONCERN AND NOT CARING ABOUT THE
10:55:02 SITUATION.
10:55:03 PEOPLE ARE HURTING.
10:55:04 PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING ALREADY TO MAKE THAT RENT PAYMENT,
10:55:06 WHICH MANY ARE MAKING THAT RENT PAYMENT BUT TO SAY LATE FEES
10:55:12 WILL CONTINUE TO RACK UP SHOULD YOU BE LATE OR PER DAY, YOU
10:55:15 KNOW, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL FEE.
10:55:18 I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OFF TOPIC, BUT BEING THAT THIS
10:55:21 IS RECORDED AND THIS IS PUBLIC AND BROADCAST, YOU KNOW, I
10:55:26 URGE LANDLORDS TO -- AND NOT ALL OF THEM, BECAUSE THERE ARE
10:55:30 A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE, BUT SOME OF THE STORIES I'VE HEARD IS
10:55:32 TO SHOW A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPASSION, CONSIDERING THE
10:55:34 SITUATION.
10:55:35 THIS ISN'T, WELL, THIS BUSINESS IS STRUGGLING OR THIS TENANT
10:55:38 IS STRUGGLING.
10:55:38 THE WHOLE WORLD IS STRUGGLING.
10:55:40 THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS STRUGGLING ON SO MANY LEVELS.
10:55:45 A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH SOME LANDLORDS, IT SAYS AMIDST COVID-19
10:55:52 AND THE DIFFICULTIES, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY FOR A SMALL
10:55:56 BUSINESS LOAN FROM THE SBA, FROM THE DISASTER FUND THROUGH
10:55:59 THE STATE, WHATEVER, BUT AGAIN, AS IT HAS BEEN MENTIONED,
10:56:03 NOT EVERYBODY QUALIFIES.
10:56:05 NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE -- YOU HAVE SELF EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.
10:56:09 IT MIGHT BE A ONE-PERSON OPERATION, WHATEVER IT IS, THEY MAY
10:56:12 NOT HAVE THE EMPLOYEES AND THE PAYROLL BUT THEY HAVE THE
10:56:15 UTILITIES AND RENTS DUE.
10:56:18 AGAIN, WE HAVE TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN IN ORDER TO HELP KEEP
10:56:23 THESE BUSINESSES OPEN IN WHATEVER CAPACITY LEGALLY WE CAN DO
10:56:26 AND WHATEVER WAY, WHETHER IT BE A $500 GRANT, WHATEVER IT
10:56:30 IS.
10:56:30 YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
10:56:31 A LITTLE BIT GOES TO PAY THE ELECTRIC BILL.
10:56:34 A LITTLE BIT GOES TO PAY LICENSES AND FEES OR THE INSURANCE
10:56:36 THAT THEY HAVE OR TOWARDS THEIR RENT.
10:56:38 BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE HAVE -- THEY HAVE THE RENT OF THEIR
10:56:41 BUSINESS.
10:56:42 THEY HAVE A MORTGAGE ON THEIR HOME, THEY HAVE CAR PAYMENTS,
10:56:45 WHATEVER IT IS.
10:56:45 I COME FROM A FAMILY OF SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE.
10:56:49 GOING BACK MANY YEARS, AND I'VE SEEN IT.
10:56:53 I UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLES.
10:56:56 THEY ARE NOT BIG CORPORATIONS.
10:57:01 PEOPLE SACRIFICE A LOT AND DO WHAT THEY CAN AND WORK SO HARD
10:57:05 TO MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN AS SOLE PROPRIETORS, AS BUSINESS
10:57:09 OWNERS, BUT I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE TAKING UP THIS DISCUSSION.
10:57:13 I KNOW ST. PETERSBURG HAS BROUGHT THIS UP IN SPEAKING TO
10:57:19 COUNCIL MEMBERS OVER THERE, I THINK IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO
10:57:21 DO BECAUSE AS I'VE MENTIONED EARLIER IN MY PREVIOUS
10:57:24 COMMENTS, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
10:57:26 IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THE GREAT DEPRESSION UNDER THE ROOSEVELT
10:57:32 ADMINISTRATION IN 1930s, WPA PROJECTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
10:57:35 JCC, JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, FORT HOMER ARMORY, THAT IS A
10:57:40 WTA PROJECT.
10:57:41 YOU SEE THAT IN BRIDGES AND BUILDINGS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
10:57:45 THE GOVERNMENT PUT PEOPLE TO WORK IN ORDER FOR THEM TO EARN
10:57:49 A LIVING AND PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR
10:57:52 FAMILIES AND THEMSELVES AND WHATNOT.
10:57:54 IF YOU LOOK AT THIS HISTORICALLY GOING BACK LESS THAN A
10:57:57 HUNDRED YEARS, IN A TIME OF CRISIS, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL
10:58:00 AVENUES.
10:58:00 I UNDERSTAND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS THE SURPLUS CHECKS
10:58:03 FOR THOSE THAT QUALIFY.
10:58:05 IT HELPS A LITTLE BIT.
10:58:06 IT'S A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.
10:58:09 IT MIGHT HELP SOME PEOPLE STAY AFLOAT, BUT AS A LOCAL
10:58:13 MUNICIPALITY IN THE CITY OF TAMPA, WITH THE CRAs AND HOW
10:58:17 THEY ARE BROKEN DOWN BY DIFFERENT CRAs THROUGHOUT THE CITY
10:58:21 AND THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT WE
10:58:23 CAN DO TO HELP BECAUSE I THINK IT'S OUR DUTY AS PUBLIC
10:58:28 SERVANTS, AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHEN WE CAMPAIGN, WE SAY
10:58:34 WE'LL BE THE VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS.
10:58:35 WE'LL STAND UP FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE.
10:58:38 THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
10:58:40 WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OPTIONS AND AVENUES, LOOK INTO OUR
10:58:44 HEARTS, BE COMPASSIONATE.
10:58:46 I UNDERSTAND THE WORLD IS TOUGH AND LIFE IS TOUGH AND THIS
10:58:50 IS AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT SITUATION.
10:58:52 SOME WILL SAY, WELL, BUSINESS IS BUSINESS.
10:58:54 SOME LANDLORDS WILL SAY, WELL, YOU SIGNED A LEASE.
10:58:57 YOU KNOW THAT LATE FEES WILL HAPPEN.
10:58:59 YOU KNOW THERE IS AN EVICTION.
10:59:00 YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A GRACE PERIOD.
10:59:02 BUT SET THAT ASIDE.
10:59:03 THIS IS NOT -- YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
10:59:07 WE'RE IN FLORIDA.
10:59:07 WHEN A HURRICANE STRIKES IT AFFECTS ONE PART OF THE STATE.
10:59:10 A HURRICANE HITS MIAMI OR A HURRICANE HITS THE PANHANDLE AND
10:59:15 THEY FEEL IT.
10:59:16 THIS IS A HURRICANE THAT IS HITTING THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, IF
10:59:20 YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT LIKE THAT, IF THAT'S EVEN
10:59:23 APPROPRIATE.
10:59:23 EVERYBODY IS STRUGGLING AND THEREFORE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL
10:59:25 OF OUR OPTIONS.
10:59:26 I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION, AND I KNOW THIS IS A
10:59:30 COMPASSIONATE CITY COUNCIL.
10:59:31 THIS IS A COMPASSIONATE CRA BOARD.
10:59:33 THIS IS A COMPASSIONATE ADMINISTRATION.
10:59:35 THESE ARE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES.
10:59:39 WE HAVE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AS HUMAN BEINGS AND LOOK OUT FOR
10:59:44 ONE ANOTHER AND TRY TO LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND WEATHER THIS
10:59:47 STORM TOGETHER.
10:59:50 THAT'S IT FOR MY COMMENTS.
10:59:51 AGAIN, I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, YOUR WORDS.
10:59:56 I KNOW WE ARE OPEN-MINDED INDIVIDUALS LOOKING AT DIFFERENT
10:59:59 IDEAS TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
11:00:02 WE HAVE TO HELP THE PEOPLE.
11:00:03 WE HAVE TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING THE MOST.
11:00:06 WE HAVE TO KEEP FOLKS AFLOAT.
11:00:08 WE HAVE TO KEEP THE ECONOMY GOING.
11:00:10 IT'S NOT JUST GOOD FOR THEM.
11:00:12 IT'S GOOD FOR OUR CITY.
11:00:13 IT'S GOOD FOR THIS COMMUNITY WHERE WE'RE ALL LOOKING OUT FOR
11:00:17 EACH OTHER, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AS WE'RE A BIG FAMILY AND
11:00:20 A FAMILY CARE FOR ONE OTHER.
11:00:26 THIS SITUATION IS TEMPORARY.
11:00:28 THAT'S HOW I LOOK AT IT, IF WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND
11:00:31 WISE DECISIONS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALL THE WAY DOWN
11:00:33 TO US WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THIS AND MOVE PAST THIS
11:00:37 AND BECOME STRONGER IN THE END.
11:00:38 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:00:39 THAT'S IT.
11:00:41 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. MANISCALCO.
11:00:42 MR. MIRANDA.
11:00:44 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
11:00:45 I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND THANK ALL WHO HAVE SPOKEN
11:00:49 BEFORE.
11:00:49 VERY LOGICAL, VERY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
11:00:53 HOWEVER, MR. MASSEY PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE
11:00:56 STATUTE, 163, TALKED ABOUT WHAT PLAN DO WE HAVE?
11:01:02 HOW MUCH BUDGET DO WE HAVE?
11:01:03 AND WHAT IS THE CRA AREA?
11:01:05 SO I WOULD IMAGINE THEN THAT THE BUDGET WOULD BE WITHIN THE
11:01:08 CONFINES OF EACH OF THE CRA AREAS, AM I CORRECT?
11:01:12 NOT A TOTAL.
11:01:13 IT'S EACH CRA AREA HAS GOT A BUDGET AND THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE
11:01:16 TO GIVE, AM I RIGHT, MICHELLE?
11:01:19 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR.
11:01:22 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: WHAT CREATES BLIGHT?
11:01:24 WAY BEFORE THERE WAS THE CORONA 19 VIRUS, BLIGHT -- BLIGHT
11:01:33 DOESN'T HAPPEN OVER A DAY, OVERNIGHT, OR OVER A MONTH OR A
11:01:36 YEAR.
11:01:37 IT TAKES TIME.
11:01:38 YOU DON'T HARDLY NOTICE IT, UNTIL ONE, THEN TWO, THEN THREE,
11:01:41 FOUR, FIVE.
11:01:41 IN THE PAST, WHETHER SOME OF US LIKE IT OR NOT, IT'S BEEN AN
11:01:45 EFFECTIVE TOOL THAT THE CRAs HAVE USED WHEN YOU PUT A
11:01:48 CERTAIN PORTION AND THE PROPERTY OWNER PUTS MUCH MORE THAN
11:01:51 THAT PORTION TO FIX THE FACADE.
11:01:54 FACADE CHANGES THE EYESIGHT OF A PERSON TO SOMETHING THAT'S
11:01:58 NOT TOO PLACID TO LOOK AT TO SOMETHING THAT BECOMES MUCH
11:02:02 MORE PLEASANT TO LOOK AT AND THEREFORE THE AREA GETS A
11:02:05 EUPHORIC FEELING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
11:02:07 WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET BLIGHT TAKE OVER US.
11:02:10 WE'RE NOT -- WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE BLIGHT.
11:02:14 THAT'S I DIDN'T ALWAYS SUPPORTED THAT FACADE GRANT PROGRAM
11:02:17 AND I ALWAYS WILL.
11:02:18 I'M NOT HERE TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING I'VE DONE.
11:02:21 LET ME GO ABOUT THE LOANS WHICH IS A DISCUSSION WE BASICALLY
11:02:24 TALKED ABOUT HERE OR THE GRANTS, WHICHEVER IT IS GOING TO
11:02:26 BE.
11:02:27 DO WE HAVE A PLAN, WE'RE WORKING ON ONE, I'M SURE, THE
11:02:32 BUDGET WAS JUST DISCUSSED VERY QUICKLY BY MICHELLE AND
11:02:36 EXCELLENT QUESTION BY MR. DINGFELDER, AND I THINK THAT THERE
11:02:40 WERE TWO OR THREE CRA AREAS THAT HAD A MILLION DOLLARS.
11:02:43 SOME HAD 700,000.
11:02:44 SOME HAD 500,000.
11:02:46 SOME HAD 100,000 AND SOME HAD VERY LITTLE.
11:02:50 WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT SOUNDS LIKE A BIG AGGREGATE
11:02:53 NUMBER.
11:02:53 WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ON WHAT'S COMING, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY
11:02:56 OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES OR ANY BUSINESS IS GOING TO APPLY
11:02:59 FOR THIS.
11:03:01 I DON'T THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A SMALL BUSINESS THAT
11:03:03 YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN DIRE NEED AND THE BIG BUSINESSES ARE
11:03:06 NOT.
11:03:07 I'M LOOKING AT EVERYBODY.
11:03:09 LET'S TAKE THAT IN PERSPECTIVE.
11:03:10 LOOK AT THE OUTBACK CHAIN.
11:03:12 DO YOU THINK THEY ARE HAPPY?
11:03:13 NO.
11:03:14 LOOK AT THE COLUMBIA RESTAURANT WITH 1400 EMPLOYEES AND
11:03:17 THEIR CHAIN OPERATION, YOU THINK THEY ARE HAPPY?
11:03:19 OF COURSE, NOT.
11:03:20 THEY ARE IN THE SAME BOAT AS I, AS YOU, AS EVERYBODY WHO
11:03:24 MAYBE HAS A BUSINESS AND HE OR SHE IS THE ONLY ONE DOING
11:03:29 THAT BUSINESS AT WORK, EITHER THE EMPLOYEE, EITHER THE
11:03:33 EMPLOYEE, AND HE'S GOT TO HANDLE ALL OF IT.
11:03:35 THOSE THINGS ALL HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION TO
11:03:40 THOSE WHO WILL DRAW THE PLAN WE TALK ABOUT.
11:03:42 THE BUDGET IS SET.
11:03:43 IT'S ONLY ON THE INTEREST THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED ON THAT
11:03:46 MONEY THAT MICHELLE SPOKE ABOUT.
11:03:47 AND THEN YOU LOOK AT THE CRA AREA, ALL OF THEM, JUST GIVE
11:03:52 YOU AN EXAMPLE WHAT DREW PARK LOOKED LIKE 15 YEARS AGO, LOOK
11:03:57 AT IT NOW.
11:03:58 LOOK AT THE AREA AND AREAS OF WEST TAMPA THAT ARE COMING
11:04:01 THROUGH.
11:04:02 LOOK AT THE AREAS OF DOWNTOWN.
11:04:03 LOOK AT THE AREAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED, LITTLE BY LITTLE
11:04:07 IN EAST TAMPA.
11:04:08 LOOK AT THE AREAS THAT THE CRAs ARE THERE.
11:04:11 HOWEVER, THOSE CRAs ARE ACTUALLY DOLLARS THAT BELONG IN
11:04:14 THE GENERAL FUND.
11:04:16 I ALWAYS QUESTION MYSELF ABOUT THE PREPONDERANCE
11:04:18 OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CRA AND INDIRECTLY ARE PAYING
11:04:23 TAXES FOR THE CRA BECAUSE THE MONEY IS NOT IN THE GENERAL
11:04:27 FUND FOR ALL TO USE.
11:04:28 I UNDERSTAND THAT.
11:04:29 WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS LET'S GET TOGETHER, LET'S MAKE
11:04:34 THIS THING WORK.
11:04:35 I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE GOING TO APPLY,
11:04:38 WHETHER YOU'RE A SINGLE OPERATOR OF ONE BUSINESS OR MANY
11:04:41 BUSINESSES, WHAT THE AMOUNT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE OUT.
11:04:45 IS THERE GOING TO BE A CAP ON THE GRANT PROGRAM OR THE LOAN
11:04:48 PROGRAM, WHATEVER IT IS?
11:04:49 ONE OR THE OTHER.
11:04:50 SOME PEOPLE, POSSIBLE LOAN OR GRANT PROGRAM.
11:04:54 IT DOESN'T SAY WHICH ONE.
11:04:56 I HAVE A LIBERAL HEART BUT I HAVE A CONSERVATIVE MIND.
11:04:59 I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE PLAN IS.
11:05:02 IF IT'S A LOAN, HOW WILL IT BE PAID BACK?
11:05:06 IF IT'S A GRANT, I UNDERSTAND THAT PART ALSO.
11:05:08 I'M HERE TO SAY I'M HERE TO HELP, BUT LIKE I SAID I HAVE A
11:05:11 LIBERAL HEART AND I HAVE A CONSERVATIVE MIND.
11:05:13 AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE DIFFERENT.
11:05:15 I'M TRYING TO SAY I WANT TO HELP BUT ALL OF US ARE IN THIS
11:05:19 BOAT.
11:05:20 IF WE DON'T MOVE THE BOAT OUT OF THE DOCK, IT'S GOING TO
11:05:24 DROWN BECAUSE THE WEIGHT OF THE PREPONDERANCE OF PROBLEMS WE
11:05:28 HAVE COMING ARE GOING TO OUTWEIGH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE
11:05:30 HAVE, NO MATTER IF IT'S THREE, FOUR, FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.
11:05:33 IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT BUT IT'S REALLY A DROP IN THE BUCKET ON
11:05:36 WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
11:05:38 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:05:39 I'LL BE WORKING WITH ALL MY COLLEAGUES TO TRY TO SOLVE THIS
11:05:41 PROBLEM.
11:05:42 THANK YOU.
11:05:44 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MIRANDA.
11:05:47 NOW MR. VIERA.
11:05:49 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
11:05:51 I WANTED TO THANK ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND
11:05:54 QUESTIONS.
11:05:54 ALL HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT.
11:05:55 THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.
11:05:57 THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF GOOD POINTS MADE.
11:06:00 I WANTED TO HONE IN ON SOME OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
11:06:03 WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW -- I'M COUGHING OVER HERE --
11:06:10 A -- I THINK IT WAS FDR THAT SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF
11:06:16 TRY SOMETHING, IF IT FAILS, TRY SOMETHING ELSE BUT ABOVE
11:06:19 ALL, TRY SOMETHING.
11:06:20 YOU KNOW, THE CRA USING ALL TOOLS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND
11:06:24 AS A CITY FOR AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE CRA, LIKE COUNCILMAN
11:06:27 MIRANDA, IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT IS WORTHY.
11:06:33 FOR A LOT OF OUR CRA BUSINESSES, IT'S A MATTER OF ALSO
11:06:36 FINISHING WHAT WE STARTED.
11:06:37 WE HAVE A LOT OF CRA AREA BUSINESSES THAT HAVE GOTTEN
11:06:42 GRANTS, FACADE GRANTS, ET CETERA, THAT ARE RIGHT NOW AT RISK
11:06:45 OF GOING DOWN.
11:06:46 A PERFECT EXAMPLE IS THE GENTLEMAN I WAS JUST IN DIALOGUE
11:06:50 WITH -- BAY CANNON BEER.
11:06:56 THEY OPENED I THINK IT WAS IN LATE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR.
11:06:59 BAY CANNON BEER GOT A FACADE GRANT FOR ABOUT 17,000 DOLLARS.
11:07:02 IT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IN TERMS OF
11:07:05 THE BUSINESSES THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO AIM FOR, NOT JUST FOR
11:07:09 THE MORAL SOLIDARITY WITH THE BUSINESSES BUT ALSO THE CRA
11:07:12 FINISHING WHAT WE STARTED.
11:07:14 THAT OPENED UP BAY CANNON BEER IN THE WEST TAMPA AREA.
11:07:18 HE WAS REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO BE PART OF THAT ECONOMIC
11:07:21 REVIVAL IN WEST TAMPA.
11:07:23 WANTED TO BE A STAKEHOLDER THERE.
11:07:25 AS A PARTNER HE FOUND OUR CRA BOARD WITH A FACADE GRANT.
11:07:30 HE AND HIS WIFE POURED THEIR HEART AND SOUL INTO THE
11:07:32 BUSINESS WITH THE HELP OF THE CRA AND THEY WERE DOING WELL
11:07:35 UNTIL COVID-19 COMES AND GIVES THEM A CATEGORY 5 BUNCH TO
11:07:39 THE GUT AND OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES NOW.
11:07:41 BAY CANNON BEER HAD TO CLOSE DOWN THEIR KITCHEN.
11:07:47 JUST HIS DAD SENDING OUT BEER ORDERS.
11:07:50 THEY ARE TRYING TO STAY ALIVE.
11:07:52 THEY ARE DROWNING RIGHT NOW AND THEY HAVE A STRAW THAT
11:07:55 REALLY HELPS THEM STAY ALIVE RIGHT NOW.
11:07:57 BUT I THINK BUSINESSES LIKE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING
11:08:00 MORE THAN A STRAW.
11:08:01 WHEN I TALK TO FOLKS LIKE MATT AND OTHERS LIKE HIM, THEY
11:08:05 TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT THINGS THEY NEED, THINGS THIS
11:08:07 PROGRAM COULD REALLY, REALLY HELP PUT A DENT IN.
11:08:10 THINGS LIKE UTILITIES.
11:08:11 THINGS LIKE ACCESS TO CAPITAL, SOMETHING THAT MY FRIENDS AND
11:08:15 COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN GUDES TALKED ABOUT ARE DIFFERENCES
11:08:17 BETWEEN GRANTS AND LOANS.
11:08:19 GRANTS ARE PIVOTAL AS BUSINESSES DON'T NECESSARILY NEED MORE
11:08:23 DEBT, BUT STAY AFLOAT AND KEEP FOLKS HERE IN THE CITY OF
11:08:28 TAMPA ON BOARD AND EMPLOYED.
11:08:31 WHILE THERE ARE CERTAIN BUSINESSES THAT CAN TAKE PART OF
11:08:33 LOANS WE ALSO NEED PART OF THE PROGRAM TO HAVE A ROBUST
11:08:37 GRANT COMPONENT.
11:08:39 IN TALKING WITH MATT, HE TALKED ABOUT CRA MAYBE TYING LIENS
11:08:43 TO THE ONES LIKE THEY DID WITH THE FACADE GRANTS TO ENSURE
11:08:47 COMPLIANCE SO THAT IF WE DO GRANT, WE CAN MAKE SURE WE HAVE
11:08:50 COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THAT REGARD.
11:08:53 I BRING UP THAT BAY CANNON BEER BECAUSE WE POURED MONEY,
11:09:01 ALMOST $18,000 AS A CRA, AND IF BAY CANNON BEER GOES DOWN,
11:09:06 WHICH I'M USING AS AN EXAMPLE, WE'LL WASTE THAT MONEY.
11:09:10 THAT MAKES NO SENSE.
11:09:12 WE MADE AN INVESTMENT.
11:09:13 LET'S FINISH IT.
11:09:13 THE CRA IS ALSO A STAKEHOLDER.
11:09:16 NOT JUST THE MORAL ARGUMENT OF BEING BROTHER AND SISTER'S
11:09:20 KEEPER AS CRA BUT A FINANCIAL INTEREST REALLY IN TERMS OF
11:09:22 FINISHING WHAT WE STARTED.
11:09:24 LASTLY, TO BUILD ON SOMETHING THAT MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE
11:09:27 COUNCILMAN MIRANDA SAID, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ROLE IN THE
11:09:32 CITY AND CITY COUNCIL, TAKE A LOOK AT AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE
11:09:35 CRA THAT MAY NOT GET THE BENEFIT OF THIS, AREAS LIKE SULPHUR
11:09:38 SPRINGS, BUSCH BOULEVARD, FOWLER.
11:09:44 NEED HELP JUST LIKE AREAS IN WEST TAMPA AND Ybor and East
11:09:47 Tampa who are subject to CRAs.
11:09:50 SO OBVIOUSLY I BELIEVE HAVE A CITYWIDE APPROACH, BUT AS IT
11:09:55 PERTAINS TO OUR ROLE HERE TODAY AS THE CRA, WHEN IT COMES TO
11:09:58 MANY OF THE BUSINESSES, WE HAVE TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED.
11:10:02 I CERTAINLY HOPE WE DO.
11:10:03 THIS IS AN ENDEAVOR THAT I LOOK FORWARD CERTAINLY TO HEARING
11:10:06 MORE ABOUT.
11:10:07 I'M SURE THAT I'LL BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT.
11:10:09 I'M SURE.
11:10:10 THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR.
11:10:14 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. VIERA.
11:10:15 AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER MYSELF, I CAN ATTEST TO THE
11:10:24 ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT THIS CRISIS HAS HAD.
11:10:29 MY SMALL BUSINESS IS CLOSED DOWN, AND ALL THE SMALL
11:10:34 BUSINESSES IN THIS TOWN ARE SUFFERING.
11:10:37 BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE CRAs WERE CREATED.
11:10:42 THEY WERE CREATED TO HELP THE ECONOMY IN BLIGHTED AREA.
11:10:47 WHILE I AGREE WITH ALL MY COLLEAGUES ON THIS, I THINK THAT
11:10:52 MS. POST AND MS. VAN LOAN, I'M GETTING THE CONSENSUS THAT WE
11:10:58 NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING, AND I AM HOPING THAT
11:11:03 APRIL 30th WILL GIVE YOU ENOUGH TIME SO THAT YOU CAN COME
11:11:09 BACK FOR EVEN MORE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CRA BOARD.
11:11:13 IS THAT GIVING YOU BOTH ENOUGH TIME?
11:11:18 >> YES.
11:11:20 IT ACTUALLY MAY BE TOO MUCH.
11:11:21 I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WINDOW IS IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY
11:11:23 TO CONNECT WITH THIS GROUP BEFORE THAT TIME.
11:11:26 ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF THIS IS TO HAVE A REAL SENSE OF
11:11:30 URGENCY.
11:11:31 WE'RE LOOKING TO MOVE SWIFTLY.
11:11:35 WITH YOUR PERMISSION AND IF THE AGENDA CAN ACCOMMODATE, WE
11:11:39 WOULD COME TO YOU AT THE NEXT POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY.
11:11:44 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: MR. CHAIRMAN, JOHN DINGFELDER HERE.
11:11:47 I KNOW THERE'S A MOVEMENT TO GET US TOGETHER ON THE 16th
11:11:54 AS A REGULAR CITY COUNCIL.
11:11:56 MAYBE WE COULD HAVE A QUICK PIGGYBACK AS A CRA MEETING, JUST
11:12:04 A SUGGESTION.
11:12:05 >> THANK YOU, MR. DINGFELDER.
11:12:07 DULY NOTED.
11:12:08 HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ITEMS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION.
11:12:11 MS. POST, HOW ABOUT THE 23rd?
11:12:15 >> CAROLE POST: I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT, THANK YOU.
11:12:19 YES, THE 23rd WOULD BE PERFECT.
11:12:22 APPRECIATE THE ACCOMMODATION.
11:12:24 >>JOSEPH CITRO: MS. POST, THAT'S NO PROBLEM.
11:12:29 MAY I ASK MR. VIERA?
11:12:30 >>LUIS VIERA: YES, SIR, I'M HERE.
11:12:31 >>JOSEPH CITRO: I BELIEVE WE MIGHT BE HAVING SOME SORT OF
11:12:34 MEETING WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE 23rd.
11:12:37 WOULD YOU MIND IF WE HAD A CRA MEETING IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
11:12:42 OR GIVING US A HALF HOUR TIME IN BETWEEN?
11:12:46 >>LUIS VIERA: I BELIEVE IT WAS THE 16th, IF MEMORY SERVES
11:12:50 ME RIGHT.
11:12:52 BUT NEVERTHELESS, YEAH, YEAH, WITHOUT A DOUBT.
11:12:55 YOU'RE THE CHAIR.
11:12:58 I WOULD SUGGEST IT BE OVER THE PHONE.
11:13:01 IN PERSON IS UNNECESSARY, I THINK, SO LONG AS THERE ARE NO
11:13:05 VOTES.
11:13:05 MY THOUGHTS.
11:13:06 YEAH, I HAVE NO OBJECTION.
11:13:10 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LUIS.
11:13:13 BEFORE I END THIS MEETING, I WILL GO IN REVERSE ORDER AND
11:13:15 ASK EACH BOARD MEMBER IF THEY HAVE ANY OTHER CRA ISSUES THAT
11:13:23 HE WOULD LIKE TO RAISE BEFORE WE CLOSE THIS MEETING AND IF
11:13:27 THE 23rd AT 9 A.M., UNLESS MR. MASSEY HAS ANY PROBLEMS
11:13:34 WITH THAT, IF THEY ARE ABLE TO HAVE THE MEETING AT THAT
11:13:40 TIME, BE ABLE TO BE WITH US FOR THE MEETING AT THAT TIME.
11:13:46 >>MORRIS MASSEY: THIS IS MORRIS MASSEY, CRA ATTORNEY.
11:13:48 THE 23rd IS FINE AT 9 A.M.
11:13:52 I WOULD NOTE I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL CALENDAR HAS A
11:13:56 WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR THAT SAME TIME.
11:13:57 WE COULD DO THE CRA FIRST AND THEN FLOW INTO THE WORKSHOP,
11:14:02 IF WE'RE STILL DOING IT.
11:14:03 WE CAN DO BOTH VIRTUALLY I THINK AT THAT POINT IN TIME, IF
11:14:06 THAT IS THE PLEASURE OF THE CRA BOARD AND OBVIOUSLY THE CITY
11:14:10 COUNCIL.
11:14:11 THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.
11:14:15 >>JOSEPH CITRO: OKAY.
11:14:16 THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MASSEY.
11:14:17 AGAIN, WE WILL GO IN REVERSE ORDER FOR ANY KIND OF CLOSING
11:14:21 COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
11:14:22 LET ME KNOW IF 9 A.M. WILL BE FINE FOR EACH BOARD MEMBER.
11:14:26 LET'S START WITH MR. VIERA.
11:14:29 >>LUIS VIERA: NONE, SIR.
11:14:31 THAT APPEARS TO BE GOOD ON MY CALENDAR.
11:14:35 >>JOSEPH CITRO: ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS,
11:14:37 MR. VIERA?
11:14:38 >>LUIS VIERA: NO, SIR, MR. CHAIR.
11:14:39 THANK YOU FOR TODAY.
11:14:41 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:14:42 MR. MIRANDA?
11:14:44 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: I'M FINE WITH ANY DAY THE MEMBERS CHOOSE.
11:14:48 I'M FINE.
11:14:49 THANK YOU ALL FOR COOPERATING AND WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY
11:14:52 FOR THE PUBLIC.
11:14:54 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. MIRANDA.
11:14:55 MR. MANISCALCO?
11:14:56 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: NO.
11:14:57 THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:14:58 THE DATE YOU MENTIONED, TIME, EVERYTHING IS FINE.
11:15:02 AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS TODAY.
11:15:08 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MANISCALCO.
11:15:10 MR. GUDES?
11:15:12 >>ORLANDO GUDES: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, FOR YOUR
11:15:14 LEADERSHIP.
11:15:14 CAN YOU HEAR ME?
11:15:20 CAN YOU HEAR ME?
11:15:30 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: I THINK SOMEBODY WALKED INTO HIS OFFICE.
11:15:34 >>ORLANDO GUDES: LET'S CONTINUE.
11:15:35 MR. MANISCALCO, YOU'RE CORRECT, AND I WANT MS. VAN LOAN AND
11:15:38 MS. POST TO ALSO HEAR THIS AS WELL.
11:15:40 WE TALKED ABOUT THE BUSINESS BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
11:15:44 GOING TO BE DISPLACED WHO HAVE BEEN LAID OFF.
11:15:46 MY DAUGHTER IS ONE.
11:15:48 I HAVE TO HELP HER WITH HER RENT.
11:15:50 WE NEED TO LOOK AT GETTING HOUSING AS WELL AS PART OF THE
11:15:53 PLAN FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NEED RENTAL ASSISTANCE AS WELL.
11:15:56 THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
11:15:57 SEVERAL PEOPLE CALLED AND TALKED TO LANDLORDS OVER THE PAST
11:16:01 COUPLE OF WEEKS.
11:16:02 BUNCH OF PEOPLE SENT NOTICES TO MY OFFICE, A LOT OF
11:16:06 APARTMENT COMPLEXES ARE SENDING OUT EVICTION NOTICES
11:16:09 ALREADY.
11:16:09 WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THAT, TOO.
11:16:11 I HOPE WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS IT RELATES TO HOUSING AS A
11:16:14 COMPONENT.
11:16:15 PROBABLY WITH MS. McCLEARY'S OFFICE BUT WE NEED TO LOOK AT
11:16:18 THAT AS WELL.
11:16:19 I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A ROBUST POLICY IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS
11:16:23 SO WE CAN HEAR ON BOTH ASPECTS OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND
11:16:26 HOUSING.
11:16:26 IT'S GOING TO BE CRITICAL.
11:16:27 THANK YOU.
11:16:31 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. GUDES.
11:16:32 LET'S GO TO MR. DINGFELDER.
11:16:34 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
11:16:35 GREAT MEETING.
11:16:36 APPRECIATE IT.
11:16:37 I'M FREE ANY DAY THAT YOU SET THIS FOR.
11:16:43 I THINK THE SOONER THE BETTER IN REGARD TO GETTING THE SMALL
11:16:49 BUSINESS PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
11:16:53 IF WE COULD HAVE ANY KIND OF TELEPHONIC MEETING ON THE
11:16:56 16th AND THEN PERHAPS SOMETHING MORE FORMAL ON THE 23rd
11:17:00 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
11:17:02 I'LL LET YOU HANDLE THAT.
11:17:04 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
11:17:05 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. DINGFELDER.
11:17:07 MR. CARLSON?
11:17:09 >>BILL CARLSON: HI, THANKS.
11:17:10 I WOULD LEAVE IT UP TO THE CHAIR TO PICK THE BEST DATE.
11:17:13 BACK TO THE STRATEGIC PLANNING THING, I THINK JUST ABOUT
11:17:16 WHATEVER MONEY WE GAVE WITHIN A CRA DISTRICT WOULD
11:17:18 ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING IN THE COMMUNITY.
11:17:20 WHAT WE SHOULD DO AS A BOARD IS SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT WHAT
11:17:23 IS THE HIGHEST BEST USE OF THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE?
11:17:26 WE'RE CUSTODIANS OF THE PUBLIC'S MONEY.
11:17:28 THIS MONEY IS REALLY THE REST OF THE CITY SUBSIDIZING THE
11:17:32 CRA AREAS AND THERE ARE AT LEAST A COUPLE WHERE THEY REALLY
11:17:34 NEED IT.
11:17:35 AND WE NEED TO EVALUATE THE REST OF THEM.
11:17:38 DO WE STILL NEED THE CRAs?
11:17:40 CAN WE PUT A CAP ON THEM?
11:17:41 IF WE HAD A CAP ON SOME OF THE CRAs LIKE THE DOWNTOWN
11:17:44 ONES, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.
11:17:46 MS. POST COULD REDIRECT THE MONEY TO THE PLACES THAT ARE
11:17:49 NEEDED.
11:17:49 ON A REGULAR BASIS WE COULD REDIRECT THE MONEY TO EAST TAMPA
11:17:52 AND NORTH TAMPA, SUITCASE CITY AREA THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS
11:17:56 MONEY.
11:17:57 JUST ONE LAST THING TO THE PUBLIC, YOU ALL REMEMBER THAT WE
11:18:02 FACED HURRICANE CHARLEY AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER HURRICANE
11:18:06 THAT THREATENED TO WIPE OUT ALL OF TAMPA.
11:18:08 AND WE SAT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THE MORNING THINKING THAT
11:18:10 TAMPA WOULD BE COMPLETELY GONE LIKE KATRINA HIT NEW ORLEANS.
11:18:15 DESPITE GETTING HIT IN ONE YEAR BY FOUR HURRICANES, WE
11:18:19 SURVIVED.
11:18:19 BUT THE ONE THING WE LEARNED IS WE ALL HAVE PLYWOOD IN OUR
11:18:22 GARAGES.
11:18:23 HOPEFULLY YOU ALL HAVE PLYWOOD IN YOUR GARAGES FROM THOSE
11:18:26 TIMES.
11:18:26 I HOPE THAT --
11:18:30 THESE PANDEMICS MAY COME SOON.
11:18:32 IT MAY NOT BE SOON OR IT MAY BE.
11:18:34 WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THIS, CONTINUE TO BE RESILIENT,
11:18:36 INNOVATIVE AS WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.
11:18:38 I THINK THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT ONCE WE GET PAST THIS.
11:18:41 WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM IT, MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO GROW THE
11:18:45 CITY FROM THE BOTTOM UP AS WE'VE ALWAYS DONE AND DO IT IN AN
11:18:48 INNOVATIVE WAY AND IN A COLLABORATIVE AND FRIENDLY WAY AS
11:18:52 THE MAYOR WOULD SAY ALSO.
11:18:53 THANK YOU ALL.
11:18:59 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU, MR. CARLSON.
11:19:01 AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MS. POST AND MS. VAN LOAN, IF I
11:19:05 WERE TO CALL AN EMERGENCY MEETING ON THE 23rd AT 9 A.M.,
11:19:09 WOULD THAT BE -- WOULD THAT SUFFICE AND BE FINE WITH YOU?
11:19:13 >>MICHELLE VAN LOAN: MICHELLE VAN LOAN, YES, SIR.
11:19:17 >>CAROLE POST: YES, SIR, THIS IS CAROLE.
11:19:19 THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
11:19:20 THANK YOU.
11:19:22 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH BOTH.
11:19:24 IN THE POWER IN ME VESTED, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL FOR ANOTHER
11:19:27 EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE CRA BOARD ON APRIL 23rd AT 9 A.M.
11:19:31 I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR MAKING THIS TELECONFERENCING
11:19:37 MEETING VERY EASY.
11:19:41 THE COOPERATION BY THE CRA BOARD MEMBERS, THANKS TO THE
11:19:47 ADMINISTRATION, CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, LEGAL STAFF FOR THEIR
11:19:52 HELP IN THIS MEETING.
11:19:54 IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, AND I COULD NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH.
11:19:58 THANK YOU TO MAYOR CASTOR FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND TO ALL THE
11:20:03 FIRST RESPONDERS THAT ARE OUT THERE, POLICE, FIRE, E.M.S.
11:20:09 I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK ALL THE DOCTORS AND NURSES ON THE
11:20:11 FRONT LINE THAT ARE HELPING EVERYONE, NOT ONLY THE CITY OF
11:20:14 TAMPA, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, STATE OF FLORIDA, BUT ACROSS THE
11:20:17 UNITED STATES.
11:20:19 THANK YOU FOR BEING DEDICATED.
11:20:21 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A TIME FOR FAMILY, AND I WISH
11:20:28 EVERYONE A HAPPY AND SAFE PASSOVER AND A HAPPY AND SAFE
11:20:34 EASTER.
11:20:35 IF THERE IS NOTHING FURTHERMORE --
11:20:41 >>LUIS VIERA: MR. CHAIR, IF I MAY, I WAS GOING TO MAKE A
11:20:45 QUICK COMMENT.
11:20:46 >>JOSEPH CITRO: I WAS GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
11:20:49 IF THERE'S NOTHING MORE, I TURN IT OVER TO CHAIRMAN VIERA.
11:20:52 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, I APPRECIATE THAT.
11:20:54 JUST VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, AND I THINK EVERYBODY HAS BEEN
11:20:57 BRIEFED ON THIS BUT FOR THE PUBLIC AND EVERYBODY LISTENING.
11:21:00 THE ADMINISTRATION HAS CALLED A SPECIAL-CALLED MEETING TO
11:21:02 ADDRESS TWO ISSUES, UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA BONDS TOTALING ABOUT
11:21:05 $150 MILLION, CDBG OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT
11:21:10 FUNDS, WHICH RECEIVED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM HOUSING AND
11:21:15 DEVELOPMENT, HUD.
11:21:16 BOTH ARE TIME-SENSITIVE MATTERS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WILL
11:21:19 NEED TO TAKE UP IN PERSON ON THURSDAY, APRIL 16th.
11:21:22 I AM TOLD BY CITY LEGAL THAT ONLY IN PERSON WILL SUFFICE FOR
11:21:26 THESE TIME-SENSITIVE MATTERS.
11:21:28 I WANT TO STRESS THESE ARE NOT QUASI-JUDICIAL AND DO NOT
11:21:33 REQUIRE LIVE APPEARANCES BY MANY PEOPLE.
11:21:35 A QUORUM, STAFF AND THAT'S IT.
11:21:38 A MEMO WILL BE FORTHCOMING ON THE VENUE.
11:21:42 I ANTICIPATE THAT EACH OF THESE HEARINGS WILL TAKE A VERY
11:21:45 SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME AND WOULD REQUEST EVERYBODY'S
11:21:49 COOPERATION IN THAT REGARD.
11:21:50 WE ARE WORKING ON USING THE SAFEST METHOD POSSIBLE, AND WHEN
11:21:54 IT COMES TO PUBLIC COMMENT, IT WILL BE INCORPORATED AS MUCH
11:21:57 AS IT'S BEEN INCORPORATED HERE TODAY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON
11:21:59 VIRTUAL FEEDBACK.
11:22:00 SO A FORMAL MEMO WILL BE FORTHCOMING ON THESE ISSUES.
11:22:04 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
11:22:05 >>JOSEPH CITRO: YOU ARE VERY, VERY WELCOME.
11:22:08 ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANYTHING IN CLOSING?
11:22:10 SEEING NONE -- YES, CHIEF BENNETT, PLEASE.
11:22:18 >>JOHN BENNETT: THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, AND ALSO TO CHAIR
11:22:21 VIERA, I JUST WANT TO MAKE ONE COMMENT AS COUNCIL WORKS
11:22:26 PROBABLY THROUGH MR. SHELBY'S OFFICE TO DECIDE THE QUORUM.
11:22:29 THE VENUE WILL BE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH IS BEING
11:22:32 PROFESSIONALLY STERILIZED AHEAD OF THE 16th EVENT FOR THE
11:22:36 PHYSICAL QUORUM.
11:22:37 BUT I'M ASKING COUNCIL FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY AND, OF COURSE,
11:22:42 THE SAFETY OF MANAGING THE COVID CRISIS, THAT ONLY FOUR
11:22:45 MEMBERS ELECT TO BE IN PERSON BECAUSE THE ROOM WILL BE
11:22:49 CONFIGURED FOR THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING WORKPLACE DISTANCING.
11:22:55 DESPITE THE DESIRE TO BE BEYOND A QUORUM, IT WILL BE SET UP
11:23:00 TO ACCOMMODATE ONLY FOUR FOLKS WITH THE PROPER DISTANCING.
11:23:07 I'LL LET YOU DECIDE WHO THE FOUR WILL BE.
11:23:11 >>JOSEPH CITRO: FIRST, LET'S GO WITH COUNCILMAN VIERA AND
11:23:13 THEN I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN MIRANDA WILL BE NEXT.
11:23:17 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU, SIR.
11:23:18 JUST VERY BRIEFLY.
11:23:20 WHEN IT COMES TO THE FOUR WHO ARE THERE, I WOULD, OF COURSE,
11:23:24 WISH TO BE THERE AS THE CHAIR, AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO
11:23:28 THIS, I OBVIOUSLY HAVE NO PREFERENCE ON WHO IS THERE, WHO IS
11:23:34 NOT THERE.
11:23:34 WE SHOULD ONLY HAVE FOUR.
11:23:36 IF I NEED TO DRAW STRAWS, I WILL.
11:23:38 BUT LET'S TRY TO WORK THAT OUT WITH THE OFFICES, OTHERWISE
11:23:43 WE'LL HAVE A LOTTERY SYSTEM.
11:23:44 THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS.
11:23:48 THANK YOU, SIR.
11:23:48 >>JOSEPH CITRO: COUNCILMAN, MIRANDA.
11:23:49 >>CHARLIE MIRANDA: I WAS GOING TO SAY MR. CHAIR THAT I WOULD
11:23:52 VOLUNTEER TO BE ONE OF THE FOUR.
11:23:54 I APPRECIATE IT.
11:23:57 >>GUIDO MANISCALCO: MANISCALCO.
11:23:58 I'LL BE THERE.
11:24:05 >>BILL CARLSON: I THINK WE SHOULD DRAW STRAWS.
11:24:11 >>JOSEPH CITRO: I'M SORRY.
11:24:12 COUNCILMAN CARLSON.
11:24:13 >>BILL CARLSON: I THINK PROBABLY ALL OF US WOULD WANT TO GO.
11:24:16 I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO WOULD BE FOR CHAIRMAN VIERA TO
11:24:20 DRAW STRAWS.
11:24:26 >>JOSEPH CITRO: COUNCILMAN DINGFELDER.
11:24:27 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU.
11:24:28 YEAH, I THINK THAT'S FINE.
11:24:31 CHIEF BENNETT, I WOULD SUGGEST BECAUSE IT SOUNDING LIKE ALL
11:24:38 SEVEN COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD BE THERE, IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE
11:24:41 TELEVISED.
11:24:43 YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CLERK THERE.
11:24:46 YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE THE TELEVISION.
11:24:47 I WOULD SUGGEST WE FIND A LARGER PRESENCE, A LARGER PLACE,
11:24:52 WHETHER OR NOT IT'S OUT IN THE COURTYARD OR AT THE
11:24:55 CONVENTION CENTER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
11:24:58 JUST TO HAVE A LARGER SPACE, NOT ONLY FOR COUNCIL BUT FOR
11:25:04 STAFF AND FOR EVERYBODY.
11:25:05 I THINK ALL SEVEN COUNCIL MEMBERS PROBABLY WANT TO BE THERE,
11:25:09 BUT REGARDLESS, I THINK WE CAN DO IT.
11:25:12 WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT IN OUR CHAMBERS.
11:25:14 MS. GRIMES AND I DISCUSSED THIS THE OTHER DAY.
11:25:19 IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE TELEVISED.
11:25:21 ALL WE NEED IS A CLERK AND PERHAPS A TAPE RECORDER.
11:25:23 THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.
11:25:25 AGAIN, CHAIRMAN VIERA, THIS WILL BE ON YOU, BUT I WOULD
11:25:29 SUGGEST A LARGER SPACE AND PERHAPS IF THE WEATHER IS GOOD,
11:25:34 WHICH IS HARD TO PREDICT, AN OUTDOOR SPACE.
11:25:38 >>LUIS VIERA: MAY I, MR. CHAIR, SPEAK?
11:25:40 THIS IS LUIS VIERA.
11:25:42 >>JOSEPH CITRO: MR. DINGFELDER, ARE YOU FINISHED?
11:25:44 >>JOHN DINGFELDER: YES, SIR, THANK YOU.
11:25:46 >>JOSEPH CITRO: YES, MR. VIERA.
11:25:49 >>LUIS VIERA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:25:50 MY STATEMENT INDICATED THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT
11:25:54 VENUES, AND I WAS HAVING SOME PRIVATE DISCUSSIONS WITH STAFF
11:26:01 YESTERDAY, ADMINISTRATION YESTERDAY, INDICATING, BECAUSE MY
11:26:04 IDEA WAS ACTUALLY TO HAVE IT OUTSIDE, QUITE FRANKLY, IN THE
11:26:08 LARGEST VENUE POSSIBLE, THAT THAT COULD NOT BE DONE, THAT IT
11:26:12 HAS TO BE TELEVISED.
11:26:14 WE MAY BE GETTING WHAT APPEARS TO BE CONFLICTING
11:26:16 INFORMATION.
11:26:17 I WOULD SUGGEST THAT I WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION
11:26:19 OFF-LINE.
11:26:20 COUNCILMAN DINGFELDER, I SHARE YOUR SENTIMENTS 100%, SIR.
11:26:25 AND IF WE CAN HAVE IT IN ANOTHER PLACE, TRUST ME, I WILL.
11:26:29 SO I SHARE YOUR SENTIMENTS, SIR, AND APPRECIATE YOUR
11:26:32 REMARKS.
11:26:32 BUT WE MAY BE GETTING CONFLICTING INFORMATION.
11:26:35 SO I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, LIKE I INDICATED IN MY
11:26:41 STATEMENT.
11:26:45 >>JOSEPH CITRO: IS THAT IT, MR. CHAIR VIERA?
11:26:48 >>LUIS VIERA: YES, SIR, FOR NOW.
11:26:49 YES, SIR.
11:26:50 >>JOSEPH CITRO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
11:26:51 CHAIRMAN, AS THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF OUR GOVERNMENT IS
11:26:58 ESSENTIAL, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I WOULD BE MORE
11:27:01 THAN WELCOME TO BE THERE IN PERSON ALSO.
11:27:03 AGAIN, ANY FURTHER COMMENTS FROM ANY CRA BOARD MEMBER?
11:27:06 SEEING NONE, WE ARE ADJOURNED.
11:27:14 THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
11:27:16 [MEETING ADJOURNED]
DISCLAIMER:
THIS FILE REPRESENTS AN UNEDITED VERSION OF REALTIME
CAPTIONING WHICH SHOULD NEITHER BE RELIED UPON FOR COMPLETE
ACCURACY NOR USED AS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT.
ANY PERSON WHO NEEDS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT OF THE
PROCEEDINGS MAY NEED TO HIRE A COURT REPORTER.