Part 1 of 3
Tampa City Council
Thursday, June 10, 2004
9:00 a.m.
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[Sounding gavel]
>>GWEN MILLER: Tampa City Council is called to order.
This morning Mr. John Dingfelder will not be here this morning.
I would like to introduce our guest this morning.
I am very pleased to have with us the Reverend Earl Rabb, a native of Arcadia, Florida.
He has served the Palma Ceia United Methodist Church.
We would like to welcome Mr. Rabb this morning but I would like to let you know that he is a devoted fan of the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Will you please stand and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance?
>> Reverend Rabb: Let us pray: Almighty God, we are so very grateful for the many blessings of life that come our way.
We are especially grateful, and happy this week, for the joy we experienced here in Tampa.
And we are so thankful that you have blessed us and watched over us.
We ask you to be with President Reagan's family and friends and all those who mourn his loss.
Be with our City Council.
Guide them in their deliberations and decisions this day.
And may we always be faithful to you as you lead us on into the future you have in store for us.
In your name we pray.
Amen.
>>GWEN MILLER: Roll call.
>>JOHN DINGFELDER: (No response.).
>>LINDA SAUL-SENA: (No response.).
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Here.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Here.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Here.
>>KEVIN WHITE: Here.
>>GWEN MILLER: Here.
The chair will yield to Rose Ferlita.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to share something with you and make a couple of comments.
I request your indulgence.
I would like to read a letter that was sent to me July 26 of 1998.
From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for your message and your kind words.
I can't tell you how much I relied on people like you who have cheered me in times of victory and stood by me in tougher times.
That support has never meant more to me than it does now in my final four years in office.
Let me say, though, that I don't regard our work as done.
Peace with freedom and prosperity, America's project is a growing concern.
That's why I'm convinced, and I think you will agree, we can't let 1988 be the last year of anything.
Counting on your continued friendship in the days to come, I send you my appreciation and best wishes.
God bless you.
Ronald Reagan.
Fellow citizens of the City of Tampa, as we finalize some local celebration busy the Stanley cup victory here in our city, and as we sit as a united country in the midst of a war, as we celebrate a particular victory and share in our own sorrows, we have one very important thing in common, that is being proud Americans.
President Reagan, with no ego, and more humanity than most can imagine, with that sense of Americanism during his tenure as our president of the United States.
He was correct as he said in his letter to me we cannot let 1988 be the last year of anything.
We are still fighting the fights for America and defending freedom as we should for our country and for the sake of world peace.
Tomorrow many governments will be closed to honor the life and death of president Ronald Reagan.
That is but a small tribute to honor this great president.
And I thank those government agencies, including the City of Tampa, for dedicating Friday as a date to contemplate and appreciate the many great things this man did for our country.
Our prayers and respect go out to the first lady, Nancy Reagan, for all she did, and for the love she showed for this great American president.
Please join me in a moment of silence over the great loss of president Ronald Reagan.
(moment of silence)
Thank you, Madam Chair.
>>GWEN MILLER: I would like to put on the record that Mr. John Dingfelder will not be at the meeting today because of a conflict.
Mrs. Linda Saul-Sena will not be attending the morning or evening meeting today.
At this time, we are going to have accommodation presented by Mrs. Mary Alvarez to the Hillsborough River task force.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Thank you, Madam Chairman.
On behalf of councilman Dingfelder, who could not be with us today, I would like to present this commendation to the Hillsborough River technical advisory council.
And this is Mr. Peter Owens.
He's the chairman.
June is American Rivers Month.
The Hillsborough River is part of the regional water supply which is a significant recreational asset for our city.
The Hillsborough River technical advisory council staffed by the Planning Commission continues to educate our citizens as to the rich history and interesting sights located along the Hillsborough River.
It therefore gives me great pleasure to present this commendation on behalf of the Tampa City Council for the fine work this group does in helping to protect the Hillsborough River and educate our citizens.
This commendation reads: In recognition of your hard work and dedication in keeping the Hillsborough River cleaner, safer and more attractive.
Your efforts to obtain improved water quality and quantity, protect the wildlife and it's habitat and maintain its natural shorelines and restorations have made the river desirable in all aspects.
In honor of American rivers month, the Tampa City Council hereby commends you for this effort.
And this is signed by all of us.
Thank you so much.
(Applause)
>>> Peter Owens: Thank you.
Madam Chair, City Council members.
I'm Peter Owens.
I'm a wetlands engineer with EPC as well as the technical advisory council chairman.
We advise the river board.
And timely enough today, in the St. Pete Times is an article that came out about the Hillsborough River and how it originates in the green swamp 54 miles north of here and runs all the way through the middle of the city.
We on the council have spent many years working to protect this resource with litter clean-ups, have Manatee habitat down at Sulphur Springs, and protecting the habitat for fisheries, for water supply, for recreation.
As you know, everyone uses this river.
It's a very important asset.
We consider it the jewel of the city.
Also, our council has come up -- and I have copies for you all of this -- it's a brochure that we have come up with kind of to educate citizens about the river, about litter and trash, things of that nature.
Inside is something about the cycle and what cause it is river to flow.
And there's some fun things for school children and things to do.
But also, when you open it up, there is a map of the river that indicates a lot of the public access, starting way up -- and there are other ones but starting at the county line, and all the way down to where the river empties into Tampa Bay.
And these are points, and also numbers of important regulatory and other places.
So I want to give these copies to your clerk to distribute to you all.
Again, we thank you for supporting us in doing this job.
And we're very dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring the river.
And this is wonderful.
And I will bring it back to the advisory council and we will -- they are going to be very happy about this.
So thank you very much.
(Applause)
>>GWEN MILLER: At this time we are going to go to our department heads and city employees.
First we have Mr. Steve Daignault.
>> Steve Daignault: Good morning.
We're bringing a walk-on item for your consideration today.
We have a developer who is working in the south part of the city down in Port Tampa.
The contractor working for him, in the process of clearing the site, deposited all of the rubbish from their site as they cleared it on the adjacent site to the south which happened to be a former city landfill.
And we discovered this.
We put a stop work order on him.
And we have been negotiating with him for about the last two months or so, to come up with an agreement for the restoration of the landfill.
We believe we finally reached an agreement that works to our advantage and gives us what we need.
We have the appropriate documents that assure that he will get the work done.
And we provided that for you for your consideration.
If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them.
Again we're looking for your approval because we would very much like to get him back in there cleaning that up as quick as possible.
>>GWEN MILLER: Any questions from council members?
Can I get a motion?
>> So moved.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
>>GWEN MILLER: Next we have Morris Massey.
>>MORRIS MASSEY: Legal department.
I'm here on item number 45 which is a resolution setting a public hearing on a proposed change relative to the old Tampa Bay center DRI.
To convert the mall into a training facility for the Bucs.
We originally drafted the resolution when we thought you all had an evening meeting.
Since there's not going to be an evening meeting on July 15th, we have the resolution that the clerk already has that would set the public hearing at 10:00 in the morning on July 15th.
We move the substitute -- ask that you move the substitute resolution.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: So moved.
Do you want us to move that now?
>>MORRIS MASSEY: You can do it now if you like or wait till committee reports.
>>GWEN MILLER: Committee reports.
Do you want to do it now or later?
We'll do it in the committee reports.
Okay?
All right.
You have Cliff Morgan.
>> Cliff: Item number 19 has a scrivener's error.
I would like to put substitute page 1, the dollar amount on the resolution is correct.
The account number was incomplete.
>>GWEN MILLER: Number 19.
We'll move that during committee reports, also.
Thank you.
At this time we have some special guests with us this morning to see how government works, the New Hope Missionary Baptist church summer camp.
Would you please stand?
Would a spokesman like to say something?
>>MARY ALVAREZ: I love your T-shirt.
>>> Thank you.
I am Mary Lynn Mundin, director of New Hope Summer Camp.
We have a group of 40 and our staff.
We'd like to thank you for your invitation for inviting us.
We appreciate it.
Would you please stand?
We wear those colors proud.
Okay?
This is our summer camp group.
We -- wait, baby.
It ranges from age 5 to 12.
Okay.
The program consists of -- we do academics.
We do arts and crafts.
Outdoor activities.
And also come see people like you all that make our government work.
Once again, we'd like to thank you.
And feel free if you need us to come back we'd be more than happy to come back.
Thank you again.
(Applause)
At this time, is there anyone in the audience that would like to request reconsideration from any item that was not passed last week, you would like to reconsider it?
If not we will go to our audience portion.
Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak to any items on the agenda not heard for public hearing?
Okay, Mr. Knott, we are ready.
>>MOSES KNOTT, JR.: I reside at 2902 East Ellicott street.
I would like to thank God for one more opportunity to be here.
And God blessed me to come here a long time.
And, you know, it's been so much happiness week in the city, you know, with the hockey win.
I thought I'm going to go down today and speak my peace.
So this morning I want to say, now, I look at things a little differently than anybody else.
First thing I want to do, I want to thank God for blessing this hockey league, you know, for bringing this cup to Tampa.
I want to thank God for that.
We got a lot of celebration.
But like people don't ever give God the credit.
But it was something happened, I know they was going to win.
Let me tell awe little thing that I look at on television, you know.
How violent the other team was to them.
They beat up on these guys, I mean, crippled them, and they tried to get the get the coach to speak.
And the guy was nonviolent.
But I want to say, though, they went on to win.
And I just thank God that God blessed them to bring the cup to town.
Then I thank God for those businesses down there.
People always talk about that place down there, would never be a winner.
So those businessmen, they paid their bill for the month.
Then I want to switch to President Reagan.
My heart goes out for his family and his wife, you know.
And one thing I want to speak, I'm a member of the Baptist church, Reverend C.P. Epps, and serve, you know.
So I'm a real expert at that.
But the thing about looking at the TV, this man was the oldest president to ever live, but I looked at though how people are celebrating him now, and the Bible said celebrate while they are living.
And they talked about how his wife suffered along with him, you know.
But I was going to say to the world, the Bible said give people credit while they are living.
And people should do that, you know. But they don't do that.
They wait till somebody die and they want to jump in the casket and hug 'em and kiss 'em and everything.
And when they are living, I speak of everybody, including myself.
But I mean, for a cold drink of water, but when they die, and the man don't do nothing for them.
Do all the whooping and hollering, and want to jump in the casket and kiss on them and everything.
And another thing, we got Father's Day coming up.
I lost my father when I was a little boy.
But father day is another thing, you know, people don't give fathers no credit, you know.
I know some fathers, they say some fathers are no good, this and that.
We got an image on us.
But give fathers flowers while they are living.
And I was going to say I thank God for everything.
And then again, my heart goes out for the president.
He was a great president.
It's a shame some people just found out about it.
>>GWEN MILLER: Thank you, Mr. Knott.
Is there anybody else in the audience would like to speak on --.
>> Mentesmot.
I want to speak on the items in the parks and recreation, and also in this pledge, the invocation and other stuff, roll call and other stuff you all be doing, like instead of using time in that, you all need to use time to carefully listen to what the people have to say and respect the citizenry when they come down here to speak.
You all ran a lot of people up out of here that people take no interest in coming down here and speaking on issues.
You all try to bully people and intimidate them.
-o we are going to arrest you when you speak, we are going to -- you got to articulate a certain way, we are going to crowd you out like shut up, get out.
You all intimidate the citizenry.
But you can't bully me like that because I ain't no punk.
Ain't never been no punk.
I come down here with some serious issues and you all never listen when it's time for the people to speak.
You all talking to one another, you all taking you all's messages but when you all want the people's vote then you are all up in the neighborhood, oh --.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mr. Daniels, speak on something on the agenda.
This is not on the agenda what you are talking about now, sir.
>>> Ma'am, I'm speaking to the usage of time the things that's on the agenda.
>> But that's not a concerning council members.
Speak on what's on the agenda that's not going to be heard for public hearing.
That's it.
>>> Right.
And on item number 22, before any money goes to parks and recreation, it needs to be a careful study on what's going on over at Riverfront Park.
It need to be careful attention on what's going on over the Riverfront Park.
Why all of a sudden black people, why they came up with the law for African people to have to pay $107 a month to get a permit to operate for an hour and a half in the park and need liability insurance.
These are some of the concerns.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: This has nothing to do with parks and recreation, item number 22.
>>> Ma'am, I'm sorry.
My apologies.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: We have nothing on parks and recreation.
>>> Ma'am, on item 22, before that money is spent, that money needs to be taken.
Part of these resources right here need to be taken and see how businesses are being treated inside the African community.
The mayor was down here just recently, saying arrest is up a 4%.
Drug arrest is up 54%.
That means they are taking our kids, people out of our community, off the streets, trying to survive and whatnot, and in the meantime --.
>>ROSE FERLITA: In behalf of Mr. Dingfelder, who is the chairman of that committee, and I am the vice chair, again, the subject related, conversation that Mr. Daniels is talking about is not germane to 22.
So he's going to have to pick something else to kill the rest of his three minutes.
But it has nothing to do with that.
Let's talk about space utilization studies like elevators and those type of things.
Nothing to do with the African-American community.
Yes, sir.
>>> Ma'am, and what I'm saying is that part of this money for this space utilization study, part of this money for this space utilization study need to be taken and set aside -- $51,395.
If my time can be restored, please, I'd appreciate it.
>>> Your time is not being restored.
You're using it.
Stop his time for a second.
Madam Chairman, if you don't mind.
This study is looking at the utilization of needs, not related to the African-American community.
Simply usage.
Elevators and those type of things.
Different dollars come from different revenue sources.
And this one cannot be allocated for anything that you are referring to.
So again, sir, my comment to you is, if you are going to speak to 22, speak to 22 in the subject matter that is involved in 22.
End of story.
Start his time again, Gail.
>>> Right.
Yes, ma'am.
And what I'm saying specifically is that part of these resources, there's too much resources being used for that.
>> You just don't get it, Mr. Daniels.
It has nothing to do with other needs.
We are addressing community needs, white, African-American, everybody.
But it doesn't come out of this revenue source.
>>> And that's exactly what I'm saying.
(Bell sounds)
And that's what I'm saying.
How you all bully the people and use their time.
Is it possible some of my time can be restored?
>> No.
>>GWEN MILLER: No.
Going back and forth talking with Mrs. Ferlita.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: I make a motion --
>>> we'll have people vote you all out of there and see what happens then.
>>GWEN MILLER: Thank you, Mr. Daniel.
Next.
>>> Good morning.
Speaking in reference to item number 56, special event permit.
We tried to get a special event permit --.
>>GWEN MILLER: One second.
Would you give us your name and address?
>>> Huey Johnson with the West Dominican Republic Cultural Society, 1718 West Main Street.
And we have been in -- invited by the transportation office concerning the permit.
And I have a list of ordinances that you are supposed to follow.
If you go back to Monday's hockey celebration they violated every issue in the book.
Every last one was violated.
The crowd control.
The police there.
The clean-up was taken up by the city.
But we can't even get an answer on a permit, application that we already paid the city $5 for.
Like I say, we are asking you to draft some type of resolution to investigate the services of Tampa, why we don't get answers.
We have an event coming up July 3rd that honors the businesses on Main Street, that helps the businesses on Main Street.
And we can't get answers from the transportation department.
I have been down there two or three times, for 30 minutes, and nobody can find this person.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mr. Johnson, we will check into that and find out what is the holdup.
If you have already filed your papers and everything is in order there shouldn't be a problem.
So we'll check into it and make sure something is done about it.
Mrs. Alvarez?
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Would you contact my office?
And talk to Desiree.
And she'll try to find out for you.
>>> Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
>>GWEN MILLER: Is there anyone else in the audience that would like to speak on the agenda not heard for public hearing?
Then we will go to proposing for ordinance for second reading, number 4.
We have to open number 4.
We have a motion and second to open number 4.
(Motion carried)
Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak on item number 4?
>>KEVIN WHITE: Move to close.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Move to close.
(Motion carried)
>>KEVIN WHITE: Move an ordinance authorizing encroachment of an existing building over a portion of the public right-of-way a platted 20 foot alley, lying in the block 23 of suburb royal subdivision east of the intersection of Warren Avenue and poplar Avenue, more particularly described herein, subject to certain terms and conditions described herein, providing an effective date.
>> We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
(file E-2004-46).
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: We need to open items 5 through 13 but we'll read them later.
>>ROSE FERLITA: So moved.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
>>GWEN MILLER: Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak on items 5 through 13?
>> Good morning.
Alex, water department.
Item number 10.
We'd like to request a continuance till July 22nd.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: So moved.
>> Second.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>> I'd like to speak on item number 7.
I do need to be sworn in?
Because I want to enter something into the record as a result of our last hearing.
I'm John Larocca, agent for the petitioner.
>>GWEN MILLER: You need to be sworn in if you are going to speak.
Is there anyone else in the audience that is going to speak on items 5 through 13?
Would you raise your right hand, please, so you can be sworn in?
>>THE CLERK: Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, to swear or affirm, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
>> John Larocca: I do.
At the last hearing on item number 7, petition number V 04-32 we indicated that we were working in good faith with the Palma Ceia west neighborhood association to come to terms with a traffic count agreement.
We have come to terms with the neighborhood association.
We indicated we would do so before the second reading.
We have a signature from the vice-president of the Palma Ceia west association, Gayl Cochran.
I would like to submit that for the record to indicate that agreement.
>>GWEN MILLER: Give it to the clerk, please.
>>> The only thing missing from the agreement submitted to the clerk is a signature from our party but they were out of town and we will get that signed an documented with the neighborhood association.
But for the record as late as last evening we are on agreement on the traffic count matter related to that accessway on church street, and we respectfully request your approval.
>>GWEN MILLER: Thank you.
Would anyone else like to speak?
>>KEVIN WHITE: Move to close.
>> Second.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second to close.
We'll read those later.
Let's go to item number 14.
We have a continue public hearing.
That's 10:00.
Unfinished business A.
We go to A.
>>ROSE FERLITA: As recently as 8:30 I spoke with mange castor.
They had done their review and inspection of the property on Kirby.
And as well spoke with the complainant.
There were some issues and they have addressed those problems.
I again have committed to meeting with that property owner as you recall.
So everything seems to be okay at this point.
There were some concerns about noise, et cetera.
And major castor assured me if there were any other problems ongoing that they will address them again.
Code has gone out there.
But code did not find any violations.
So I will meet with the constituent.
And if there's anything else further to report, I will bring it back to council.
>>GWEN MILLER: Thank you, Mrs. Ferlita.
Item B.
>>SAM HAMILTON: Madam Chair, I would like to request a one-week continuance, if I could.
Mrs. Ferlita wanted to discuss this matter with me.
We have not had an opportunity to meet.
>> So moved.
>> Second.
>>GWEN MILLER: Motion and second to continue item B for one week.
(Motion carried)
Since it is not 10:00 we will go back and read our ordinances for second reading.
Mr. White, number 5, please.
>>KEVIN WHITE: Move an ordinance vacating, closing, discontinuing, and abandoning a certain right-of-way all that 5000 block west end of San Gable Court located entirely within Waterford on the Bay, in the Waterford on the Bay subdivision, a subdivision located in the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County Florida, the same being more fully described in section 2 hereof subject to the reservation of certain permanent easements as set forth herein subject to certain covenants, conditions and restrictions as more particularly described herein, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
(file C-04-07).
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and a second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mrs. Ferlita, would you read number 6, please.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Move an ordinance approving a special use permit S-2 approving a church in an RS-50 zoning district in the general vicinity of 4816 north 43rd street in the city of Tampa, Florida and as more particularly described in section 1 hereof reducing the setback along the northern property line from 40 feet to 12.1 feet waiving the required buffer and screening to allow vehicle maneuvering area the 10-foot buffer waiving the required access to an arterial or collector street allowing access to a local street, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
(file V-04-30).
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Would you read number 7, please.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Move an ordinance approving a special use permit S-2 approving a drive-in window, bank in a CG and RS-75 zoning district in the general vicinity of 1501 south Dale Mabry Highway in the city of Tampa, Florida and as more particularly described in section 1 hereof, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
>>THE CLERK: Alvarez, no.
(file V-04-32)
>>GWEN MILLER: I have a motion and second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried with Alvarez voting no.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mr. Harrison, would you read number 8, please.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Move an ordinance approving a special use permit S-2 approving a church-school in an RS-50 zoning district in the general vicinity of 2911 north 33rd street in the city of Tampa, Florida and as more particularly described in section 1 hereof allowing a 6-foot wooden fence in lieu of the required 10-food landscape buffer along the southern property line reducing the required church-school yard along the eastern property line from 40 feet to 20 feet, wavering the required access to an arterial or collector street allowing access to a local street, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
(File V-04-33)
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mr. Harrison, would you read number 9, please.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Move an ordinance in the general vicinity of 800 south Harbor Island Boulevard, in the city of Tampa, Florida, and more particularly described in section 1 from zoning district classifications PD-A mixed use commercial residential, to PD, drive-in window, bank, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
(file Z-04-23)
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Number 10, continued.
Item number 10 has been continued to July 27th.
Okay.
22nd.
Mrs. Alvarez, would you take number 11?
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Move an ordinance rezoning property in the general vicinity of 4410 west Boy Scout Boulevard in the city of Tampa, Florida and more particularly described in section 1 from zoning district classifications OP-1 to PD, restaurant, bank with drive-through, furniture store, retail strip, or office, providing an effective date.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
(file Z-04-54)
>>GWEN MILLER: I have a motion and a second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mrs. Alvarez, would you take number 12.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Move an ordinance rezoning property in the general vicinity of 711 south Dale Mabry Highway in the city of Tampa, Florida and more particularly described in section 1 from zoning district classifications CG to PD, drive-through bank, providing an effective date.
>> We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
(file Z-04-64)
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call vote.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: Mr. White, would you take 13, please.
>>KEVIN WHITE: Move an ordinance rezoning property in the general vicinity of 1906 north Rome Avenue in the city of Tampa, Florida and more particularly described in section 1 from zoning district classifications IG to CI, providing an effective date.
>> We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
(file Z-04-65)
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
Roll call.
Vote and record.
>>THE CLERK: Motion carried.
>>GWEN MILLER: We now go to our committee reports.
Public Safety Committee, Ms. Rose Ferlita.
>>ROSE FERLITA: I would like to move resolutions 17 through 21, please.
With the substitute of 19.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
Public Works Committee, Rose Ferlita, vice chair.
>>ROSE FERLITA: I would like to move resolutions 22 through 29.
Not holding anything.
(Laughter)
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
Finance Committee, Mr. Kevin White.
>>KEVIN WHITE: I would like to move 30 through 32.
>> We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
Building, zoning, preservation committee, Shawn Harrison, vice chair.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Before we do 33 through 36, I just want to make sure that we all realize we are setting four public hearings at the same time on blight.
We have to, Sam?
>>SAM HAMILTON: This actually is not setting public hearings on blight.
That occurred on May 20th.
It does set four public hearings for each of the proposed new areas.
It's just to improve the respective redevelopment plans.
Given time and concerns and some pre-notice requirements that are rather peculiar to this process, it would be a little problematic.
If it's a real concern we could probably renotice but it would create a wrinkle.
I certainly can't say with certainty.
But I do not anticipate from the length of time at least from the staff standpoint, presentation, I think it would be very brief.
Certainly wouldn't be as lengthy as with the hearings back on the 20th.
It would just be a matter of comments from the public.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Then I move items 33 through 44, the amended resolution for 45.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Alvarez second.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Then 46 through 51.
Pull 50?
>>GWEN MILLER: I have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>ROSE FERLITA: I did get that request as well.
Do we know why it was pulled?
If not maybe somebody could tell me later.
I'm just interested in knowing that.
It would be brought back?
My concern is that it be brought back soon because of the housing issue that sometimes we get into.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Item 52.
Move an ordinance of the city of Tampa, Florida establishing a redevelopment trust fund for the East Tampa community redevelopment area, providing for the funding of said fund for community redevelopment within the East Tampa community redevelopment area, providing for the administration of said fund, determining the tax increment to be deposited into said fund, establishing the base year for determining assessed values of property in the East Tampa community redevelopment area for tax increment purposes, providing for the annual appropriation of the tax increment by all taxing authorities, levying ad valorem taxes in the East Tampa community redevelopment area, pointing the governing body of the Community Redevelopment Agency as the trustee of said fund, repealing owl all ordinances in conflict herewith, providing for severability, providing an effective date.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Do I have to read that twice?
>>GWEN MILLER: No.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Item 53.
An ordinance of the city of Tampa, Florida establishing a redevelopment trust fund for the Channel District community redevelopment area providing for the funding of said fund for community redevelopment within the Channel District community redevelopment area, providing for the administration of said fund, determine the tax increment to be deposited into said fund, establishing the base year for determining assessed values of property in the Channel District community redevelopment area for tax increment purposes, providing for the annual appropriation of the tax increment by all taxing authorities, levying ad valorem taxes in the Channel District community redevelopment area, pointing the governing body of the Community Redevelopment Agency as the trustee of said fund, repealing all ordinances in conflict herewith, providing for severability, providing an effective date.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
All in favor of the motion say Aye.
Opposed, Nay.
(Motion carried)
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Item 54.
An ordinance of the city of Tampa, Florida establishing a redevelopment trust fund for the Drew Park community redevelopment area, providing for the funding of said fund for community redevelopment within the Drew Park community redevelopment area, providing for the administration of said fund, determine the tax increment to be deposited into said fund, establishing the base year for determining assessed values of property in the Drew Park community redevelopment area for tax increment purposes, providing for the annual appropriation of the tax increment by all taxing authorities levying ad valorem taxes in the Drew Park community redevelopment area, appointing a governing body of the Community Redevelopment Agency as the trustee of said fund, repealing all ordinances in conflict herewith, providing for severability, providing an effective date.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Item 55.
An ordinance of the city of Tampa, Florida establishing a redevelopment trust fund for the Ybor City 2 community redevelopment area providing for the funding of said fund for community redevelopment within the Ybor City 2 community redevelopment area providing for the administration of said fund, determining the tax increment to be deposited into said fund, establishing the base year for determining assessed values of property in the Ybor City 2 community redevelopment area for tax increment purposes, providing for the annual appropriation of the tax increment by all taxing authorities levying ad valorem taxes in the Ybor City 2 community redevelopment area, appointing the governing body of the Community Redevelopment Agency as the trustee for said fund, repealing all ordinances in conflict herewith providing for severability, providing an effective date.
(Motion carried)
>>GWEN MILLER: Transportation Committee.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Move items item 56.
(Motion carried)
>> Move to set the wet zoning petitions 57 and 58.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
>>GWEN MILLER: We are going to go to information from council members.
Mr. White, do you have anything?
>>KEVIN WHITE: Yes, Madam Chair.
I want to pass out the schedule, give to the clerk, need a motion to accept the dates for the budget hearing for the public hearings on Monday, June 14th, Wednesday, June 16th, Monday, June 21st, and Wednesday, June 23rd.
All of these will be from 9:00 till 11:00 a.m.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Monday the 14th I have Tampa Bay regional planning council so I won't be there.
But it's okay.
Continue on.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>ROSE FERLITA: Madam chairman, each of us is not going to be able to come sometime.
Which is fine.
But Mrs. Alvarez, I might make a recommendation for you and for us.
And I guess it's appropriate.
If one of us, Mr. Hamilton, can't be there, that we can submit our concerns or our requests in writing so another colleague can pick up those issues and have them discussed.
I'm just saying that generally.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have to wait until we have our public hearings.
We will have them again when we are doing our workshops.
Anything else, Mr. White?
Ms. Ferlita?
>>ROSE FERLITA: One quick thing.
I think this gentleman called everyone.
And I don't know who had the opportunity to speak to him.
But I had a very constructive conversation with a gentleman by the name of Sam hutcher.
And he evidently is an avid golfer and plays often in our golf courses.
Last week, I guess it was, we had some conversation specifically from Mr. Harrison and from Mr. Dingfelder about being -- about doing audits to keep informed about what's going on on the golf courses.
I'm throwing this up for conversation here.
But when we do those types of audits and constructive criticism type dialogue, that we include some input from the patrons of the golf course.
I don't know exactly how we would orchestrate that.
But I think given the history of some of the courses, that the would be a good idea for us to ask the citizens to submit recommendations and criticisms, you know, constructive criticisms, to help us better improve the golf courses and that type of thing.
So I don't know.
What do you all think?
Do I need to make it in the form of a motion?
I don't guess so.
Simply we would like to encourage people to give us letters and perhaps send it to the chairman.
And then you, Mrs. Miller, can let us know what their concerns are, with the recommendations.
And that went down to not necessarily even the accommodations of the golf course but he said lots of times he sees opportunities for revenue generating situations where they can see it and we can't.
He complained about issues, lighting, sometimes businessmen like to play but they don't have the opportunity to do it during the day.
So I invite Mr. Hunter to take the initiative to do that.
And I have offered to meet with him if he would like.
Again report back to council with any constructive criticism.
That's all I have.
Thank you.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Two items.
June 17th, next Thursday, I would like to set as the time we will make commendation to Lowry Park Zoo, their award.
>>GWEN MILLER: I have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>SHAWN HARRISON: And then -- at 9:00.
And then on July 29th at 6:00 p.m., the group turn-around Tampa Bay of Tampa would like to present Tampa Police Department with the extra mile award.
And I don't anticipate that will take more than a couple minutes as well.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Second.
>>GWEN MILLER: We have a motion and second.
(Motion carried)
>>GWEN MILLER: Mrs. Alvarez?
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Well, a couple of things.
First, I wanted to congratulate Shawn Harrison for being the chairman of the MPO.
It was well deserved.
And I think you will do a great job just like you do here.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: I appreciate that.
>>ROSE FERLITA: I think Mrs. Saul-Sena would add her congratulations.
She obviously has recognized your work on the MPO.
Congratulations as well.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: The other thing.
I was forwarded from the Florida aquarium there was an issue in the Miami Herald about the Florida aquarium.
They were able to do the unbelievable.
They called two fish particularly invasive species living in the Keys.
So they brought them to -- they are called cat -- what do you call those things?
Batfish.
And they were caught -- it took about nine months to finally isolate these two fish in this area, which they come from India, and other places.
They were completely out of their range.
And they were able to isolate these fishes and bring them to Tampa.
So they are now here in Tampa.
And they will be in isolation for about 40 days before they will be put out so the public can view them.
So I just wanted to congratulate the Florida aquarium for another great job that they are doing over there.
>>GWEN MILLER: Clerk, do you have anything?
>>THE CLERK: I have a resolution approving Gina Grimes for the Barrio Latino commission.
>>MARY ALVAREZ: So moved.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
>>ROSE FERLITA: I think that's going to be a wonderful addition to the barrio.
Congratulations to Ms. Grimes.
>>GWEN MILLER: That's it?
>>ROSE FERLITA: We're all looking at you.
>>GWEN MILLER: We are going to recess until 10:00.
Oh, hold it.
We are not going into recess.
We found another.
>>THE CLERK: Petitioner paid the amendment fee, and he wanted to reschedule for the July 15th hearing.
It was scheduled for June 17 but it was noticed.
The 15th at ten.
>>GWEN MILLER: The morning is fine.
The morning is fine.
We'll have it in the morning.
>> So moved.
>> Second.
(Motion carried)
Anything else?
We are going to recess again until 10:00.
(City Council recess)
[Sounding gavel]
>>GWEN MILLER: Tampa City Council is called back to order.
Roll call.
>>JOHN DINGFELDER: (No response.).
>>LINDA SAUL-SENA: (No response.).
>>MARY ALVAREZ: Here.
>>SHAWN HARRISON: Here.
>>ROSE FERLITA: Here.
>>KEVIN WHITE: Here.
>>GWEN MILLER: Here.
We go to item number 3.
Discussion on renaming streets.
Mr. Thom Snelling.
>>THOM SNELLING: Land Development Coordination.
This is the continuing discussion about street naming, street renaming, honorariums, et cetera, that have come to council's attention, you know, many times over the past year or so.
I went back and I looked at the transcripts to see exactly where the issues that council had with this.
And really, what it ended up focusing on was street renamings when they took place led to some confusion, and also without having any specific criteria to go ahead and hang your hats on to be able to review a request to rename a street or to change something like that.
So from there is basically what I tried to focus on, the handout that I gave you, you can read the background, and it talks about that.
What it really comes down to is, like I said, the two issues about how do you go about using what kind of criteria to rename streets.
The packet that I gave you along with the discussion on the recommendations, the background on some recommendations of how we are doing, what we are doing now, what I hope council will consider when we get to the point of drafting a code, is the last two pages is what shows you how the east, west, north, south identifiers are assigned in the City of Tampa.
Quickly going through the handout that I have given you, when we have new street names, typically what we do, they come through the subdivision code, and they follow the kind of criteria that we outlined here.
Specifically when we evaluate a street name with some things presented to us, item number A on the second page, it talks about street name being related to the scale and location of the project.
For example, if you're doing a five or six or eight-unit subdivision home, you know, you don't want to put -- discourage people using Dwight D. Eisenhower parkway.
It's a grandiose kind of name and you try to reserve Boulevards and Parkways, those things that are more appropriate in scale.
It's kind of an inexact science but that's generally what that means.
They also talk about pleasant sounding names.
But the real issue behind item number B, for emergency services, in particular when a child has to call 911 so they can say the name of the street.
You don't want to have things that could lead to problems.
And a lot of it is just a discussion as to how we decide on street names and identifiers and things like that. You are going to hear referred back to 911 and police and fire, and it sounds like I'm being chicken little.
The sky is falling.
But it's one of those things that it's never a problem until it's a problem.
And then it's a very serious problem when it happens.
I don't want to be the one to approve some street name that ends up being a problem because the police-fire couldn't find it.
It's easier to do it right and to do it safe.
And sometimes people think that you are being a little too paranoid or overly cautious.
You want to err on the side of caution.
Other unacceptable street names -- okay, I'm sorry.
The other thing when we are naming streets when you have a larger development, you try to keep it all within the same thing.
An older example of that, if you go into Sulphur Springs, a lot of the streets there are Yukon and Sitka, and Juneau, it starts to act as an identifier.
Tampa has a very similar identifier.
Parts of up and down Dale Mabry.
San Obispo, St. Louis, Chestnut, Cherry, Maple, Spruce, blah-blah-blah.
All that stuff, you get to look at that. And you can identify quickly what part of town they are.
Again the purpose of the street is an identifier.
Where are you?
And it helps to do that.
You can help encourage that kind of approach when you pay attention to that.
One of the other things they look at in street names has to do with how many characters you actually put on the plate.
And that's a matter of finite -- when people are driving by at 30 some miles an hour, 40 miles an hour, that letters have to be so big so you can see it and you have to make the letters smart smaller, and whether that number is 21 or 25 characters is again not exact, but that's something that I would consult with transportation and see exactly, you know, what is the real number that they need to have, driving by 35 miles per hour.
But that's a legitimate consideration.
Obviously, duplicate street names, we talked about that many times.
I won't go over all of that.
But it also has to do with similar sounding names.
It's not just, you know, having one letter be different, calling it Fat Street, F-A-T, or Phat Street, P-H-A-T.
Technically, they are different street names but is the same name, same word.
You don't want to have Main and Maine.
So that we consider those to be duplicate names because they are synonyms?
Is that what they are?
Homonyms.
One of those.
Also, we don't want duplication, because annexation, urbanization of the City of Tampa is a reality.
Frankly, that's why some of the problems exist, because we used to have Ybor City, Port Tampa city, west Tampa, and Tampa.
And everybody kind of named their own streets, and came up with their own addressing schemes.
When we started bringing it all together we had lots of duplication and lots of confusion.
So we are kind of getting out from under that, so for the future, things like that, we want to pay attention to that.
Continuity.
Basically what that has to do with is making sure that street names follow, as the street is moving up and traveling a route that it doesn't change from block to block to block.
Again, that really is primarily the ability to locate where you are, and for emergency vehicles to familiarize yourself with how things are traversed in the city.
We talk about cul-de-sacs, which are really small little bumpouts.
It's kind of following the logical pattern.
And item 4 of the standardization of street types, not just basically the direction of southeast, west.
If it's a long, very lengthy street, it's called a street, Avenue or road.
If it's short, a place or court.
It depends on how long and how wide -- how long the direction the street goes.
The street affects, you typically have east, north, south, east, west, identifying the front end, the name of the street, and the sufficient physician being street, parkway, Boulevard, road, court, whatever.
Those are the types of things that are used and how streets get their names.
Getting to what I think is the gut of the real discussion here, and changing existing street names.
Basically, what we are recommending is that certainly if you are going to change a street name, it meets all of the criteria that we just briefly, very quickly went through, I admit.
But it meets all of those criteria.
That's one of the templates of criteria that you use to do that.
And then it goes down, and some of the other criteria that we listed is making sure the least number of properties are affected.
Street name changes and address changes are expensive for businesses, and they are expensive for residences, because they have to change checkbooks, magazines, letter head, et cetera.
If you're a business, and you usually have a substantial amount of money built into your client base, if they can't find you because you have changed your address, that becomes a disruption, a disrupting thing for them.
Very quickly.
We have talked many times about the cost.
These proposals is that if there's a person requesting the street name change, it's to have them bear some of the costs of that street name change.
There is a cost to changing out the blades that are on the street, you know, from first street to Main Street.
There's a cost associated with that.
I think it's like $65 for one blade, ends up being -- I may be quoting a number way off but there is a significant cost as you start to change the blades of the names.
Then there's also times where the city staff has to go update its database and there's another cost there with the staff it takes to do that.
We would like to be able to identify.
This is what it actually costs to do a physical change to a street.
And have the applicant bear the cost of that.
Much like they bear the cost of a rezoning or street vacating or virtually any other petition-type process we go through at the city.
The other thing is trying to get people who live on the street to sign off on it.
You know, we picked the number 75% of the people being in agreement to changing it off.
That number could go off.
Cot go down based on further discussions and how things come out in the wash.
Then the last little section was really an addition that we had talked about.
When we talk about honorariums.
Honorariums, and right now the position is, if you want to honor an individual, an event, a person, place or thing, change the street name, you know.
Changing the street name to JFK Boulevard or Martin Luther King Boulevard, that's an honorarium.
You are changing the street.
Those individuals had significant effect on this country and this city, of course.
And if it worthy of that, then go the whole way.
Make it be a significant honorarium.
An off-shoot of that, to put a paragraph on the bottom, there are many ways to honor local heroes or individuals, organizations.
There's parks.
There's other public lands.
There's public buildings.
There's memorial gardens, not in the sense of cemetery memorial gardens, but memorial gardens where you are honoring different kinds of things.
Cancer Survivors Park near the stadium.
Stuff like that.
That's my quick report.