I failed to look at council’s calendar last week and missed that they are off this week in observance of Yom Kippur. They will return for a regular meeting October 9 with the October CRA meeting scheduled for the 16th canceled due to the Florida Redevelopment Association conference happening that week. There are land use hearings scheduled for the evening agenda however. Their schedule returns to normal for the remainder of the year minus workshops in November (Thanksgiving) and December (Christmas).

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify/correct how I’ve characterized the role the workshop agenda plays in council’s decision making process. During last Thursday’s workshop the issue came up and there was a question from Council Chair Clendenin to Council Attorney Martin Shelby that made me realize I’d been mistaken. I have characterized workshops as informational in nature and not the final word on the subject. That no formal action could be taken during a workshop. That has proven to been a poor choice of words. I have always indicated council may make motions directing staff to take action related to the topic such as to bring the item back on a future agenda but that there would be another opportunity for the public to weigh in. And while that has been the how they have been treated the past couple of years, it doesn’t mean they can’t take more formal action in some circumstances. The intent is that they don’t take final action.

Stepping back, it helps to understand the push and pull between council and staff over the past several years. Prior to the mayor sending a letter to the council chair complaining about the number of staff reports on the agenda this year, council recognized they didn’t want to meet more than one day a week with evening meetings scheduled twice a month. In order to do that, they needed to manage their time better and updated their rules (adopted June 6, 2024) to begin to limit the number of ceremonial items and staff reports that could appear on an agenda. They began relying on more written reports. It should be noted “staff reports” on the regular agenda are meant to be 5 minute presentations, not in-depth policy discussions. That’s where workshops come into play. According to their rules workshops are “for the purpose of Council being informed on and discussing matters of special concern that require time in excess of that usually afforded for staff reports at a regular meeting.”

The key is the public comment portion of the item. Also from their rules – “No official action on the matter which is the subject of the workshop shall be taken during or after a workshop unless the public is afforded the opportunity to comment prior to action.” Council doesn’t provide for an open general public comment period during workshops, rather they allow for on-topic comment for each agenda item. State law (286.0114) requires for “reasonable opportunity to be heard”. By allowing public comment on the workshop agenda item, council is free to take action. That doesn’t preclude other state requirements about publicly noticed first/second readings and quasi-judicial matters. I do believe however they could move a spending item to a workshop and vote on it for final action provided they allowed for public comment. It’s also worth mentioning in some cases, no action is a formal action. Not motioning to bring something back can have as much of an effect as a change in policy.

And all of that is to say the rules are important and understanding them is important to effective advocacy. I believe this council respects the intent of the public regarding public comment and weighing in; future councils may not. While rules and norms are routinely set on fire at the federal level by those currently in power, I’m going to hang onto the last shreds of democracy back here at home. I’ve said before I naively believe we fix this by starting at the local level.

Finally, once again I would like to thank those that have supported me and Tampa Monitor this past year. Your donations and kind words of encouragement have fueled my commitment to continuing this experiment I started a couple of years ago. This week’s newsletter marks the 46 consecutive week of posting a preview with countless wrap-ups in-between. I’m still figuring this out but without you—the readers, the advocates—none of it would matter. Thank you for caring about your community, your neighbors and the future of Tampa. I humbly ask for your continued support and feedback as we near the end of another year.

One last post script—I have a long planned camping trip this upcoming weekend so while I brag about hitting 46 weeks in a row, week 47 will be delayed a day. Look for it in your inbox Tuesday morning. Have a good week.