Council are back after a much needed 2 week holiday break sitting for a regular session Thursday morning with a 61 item agenda, 48 requiring a vote. None being more contentious than another vote related to the South Howard Flood Relief project. This time accepting modifications to the previously approved grant agreement with the state.

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Additionally council will be voting on items ranging from accepting a donation of a $9,604.50 bike trailer (item 4) for the police department to a $16 million contract for landfill disposal (item 49.) Included in the items on this week’s agenda are several that were continued from December—improvements at Gadsen Park and Julian B Lane dock, Lowry Park shoreline improvements, and use of tree trust fund for PIPES projects.

Nothing will be voted on but the discussion is scheduled to start on the closeout of the FY25 budget and identifying appropriated but unspent funds. Last year that number was $25.5 million with a majority used to replenish the hurricane fund and the remainder appropriated for paving, stormwater, and flood assistance grants.

Which gets to the reminder at the end of the last preview in December. The calendar on your desk may say the first month of the year, but the fiscal year calendar started October 1, 2025. The city is entering the second quarter of the fiscal year. And while the Charter allows for the mayor to present their budget no later than August 15th, the past two were presented in mid-July. 6 months from now. After council approved the FY26 budget, they discussed holding at least one workshop dedicated to addressing what they’ve learned and to prepare for their final budget. Clear direction and expectations for their budget analyst. That workshop hasn’t been discussed yet, not to mention scheduled. Agendas, especially workshops, are already filing up into March and April. There are several high profile land use cases scheduled towards the end of January and early February. The future land use map portion of the comprehensive plan update still looms. The debates about the Charter Review will start as more speculation and politics play out over who is or isn’t running for mayor in 2027. And that’s not taking the rest of the chaos in the world into account. How this council spends their time the next 6 months will determine the success of the FY27 budget and the incoming council more than anything that’s said to the cameras next September.

Before getting into the details and highlighting a few additional items, the Tampa Monitor would like to highlight item 3 on the agenda—recognizing Deputy City Clerk Suling Lucas-Harris and City Clerk Shirley Foxx-Knowles for officially earning the designation of Master Municipal Clerk. They and their staff are the glue that keeps the city together. Managing the agenda and council calendar with all of the associated documents is no small feat. Without their work, this preview wouldn’t be possible.

Consent Agenda

As noted, unless pulled these items are approved without discussion.

• Item 22, $2.5 million for New Tampa Blvd resurfacing.
• Item 23, Ballast Point Pier and Ye Mystic Krewe. In September the city announced restoration to the pier after damage from Hurricane Helene was commencing. It seems that works won’t be complete in time for Gasparilla so the city is proposing a hold-harmless agreement to allow the Krewe to build a “temporary retrofit” for the pier so it can be used for the event. There is no fiscal impact in this agreement.
• Item 25, Ethics Commission report. These might some of the most opaque “reports” to come across council’s desk.

Homeless Services – Tampa HOPE Shelters

Item 26, $1 million funding agreement with Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg, Inc for services in support of homeless persons.

This item is also on the consent agenda, and much like when a related item appeared last May, expect it to be approved without discussion. There was a presentation at a workshop in the fall that was light on details but full of wishful thinking. Ultimately it comes down to funding and at some point the question needs to be asked if this is the best way to address the need. How much more funding do they need to be fully functional? Does the city need to take over this project?

This $1 million funding agreement covers:

• Provide Emergency Shelter Services to at least 225 unduplicated persons – 25 general shelter beds and 10 cottage beds at Tampa Hope Shelter for the City of Tampa Homeless Outreach Team
• At least 190 persons served will be provided with resources and referrals for housing, employment, medical services, mental health services, education, and/or transportation.
• At least 75 persons served will receive application assistance for public benefits including SSI/SSDI and SNAP.

The timeline of how we got here:

• Catholic Charities, Diocese of St Petersburg Inc announced a $7.4 million investment to include “the rehab of the existing building, construction of new facilities (kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, laundry, showers, etc.).”
• In December of 2021 the city announced the first 50 residents would be moving in to the cottages with the city providing $750,000 for 75 of the first 100 cottages.
• December 2022 Creative Loafing reported the cottages had yet to be built.
• April 2023 the city announced another 100 more had been added for a total of 225 cottages at a roughly $10,000 per cottage.
• September 2023 a $350,000 contract for Rapid Rehousing Services for 15 households was approved.
• April 2024 Tampa Bay Times reported the new cottages sat empty for a year and the first “residents” were finally moved in.
• August 2024 the contract was amended to add $1.2 million and included 100 new cottages. (Are those the same 100 the city announced in April 2023 or 100 more for a total of 325? Catholic Charities originally said capacity was 300)
• December 2024 the contract was amended a second time to extend the terms until March 31, 2025.
• March 2025 the contract was amended a third time to extend the terms until September 30, 2025.
• May 1 2025 a request for an additional $630,000 with an increase to 125 new cottages (25 more, 350 then?) and extend the terms until September 30, 2026.

Staff Reports/Unfinished Business

Items continued from 2025:

• Item 45 – $1.1 million for Julian B Lane dock repairs and improvements to Gadsen Park. There were questions about these items when they first appeared. It’s unclear why 2 different parks, one in south Tampa, one downtown, with different funding sources are on the same item.
• Item 46 – Lowry Park shoreline improvements. There were also concerns about this item. Staff haven’t provided details at the time of review but note they will appear in person.
• Item 47 – Tampa Free Library lease with county. Tampa Heights Civic Association are asking for only a 1 year extension instead of the 3 years requested and for the city to return the building back to public use.
• Item 48 – tree trust fund & PIPES. There was confusion over how these funds came to be expended for PIPES (the city’s long term water utility improvements project) that’s turned into a broader discussion about the tree fund and its use. The reality is this was a pilot program looking for ways to incorporate tree planting into existing city projects. Had the trees not been funded through the program, they wouldn’t have been planted. They were not in the scope of work for the water department.
• Item 59 – FY25 year end closeout. This is the first step in the process, if it even makes it into the discussion this week. Ultimately it will lead to determining what funds were appropriated but not spent and how they will be used in FY26.

New items:

• Items 51 & 52 – $6 million each water utility relocation PIPES. Speaking of PIPES, a reminder this is a decades long project that is not fully funded. The work goes on but future mayors and councils are going to face difficult decisions to see it through.
• Item 60 – LDC update. The Land Development Code update has all but been put on hold as the city tries to navigate the unexpected side effects of SB 180. The outgoing City Attorney is banking on a proposed change that would sunset all provisions in that bill July 1, 2026. That’s why the approved changes to the multi-modal impact fee were pushed back another month from the originally proposed June 1st start date. It’s probably safe to assume the same strategy will be used for the LDC and the comprehensive plan updates.
• Item 61 Manatee Protection Zone Hillsborough River – The question was raised at the last meeting about protection zones on the river, particularly around Sulphur Springs. A written report notes preliminary work with FWC has started to establish a zone north of Lowry Park at River Shore Linear Park to Druid Park (past the springs).