Tampa meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Tampa Council approves $80 million bond series and $21.9 million in contracts

Tampa City Council on Oct. 15 approved an $80,000,000 non-ad valorem revenue bond series on a 4-3 vote, the largest single item in a meeting that also produced approvals for more than $21.9 million in contracts and program funding, according to official minutes.

Council: bond series and contracts (Oct. 15)

The $80,000,000 non-ad valorem revenue bond series passed 4-3. Council members also approved the following items, each listed as unanimous in the minutes:

• $7,000,000 for Parks Site Furnishings
• $3,000,000 each to Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson, Inc.; Alan Plummer and Associates, Inc.; and Wade Trim, Inc. for consultant services
• $2,753,683 for the School Resource Officer Program
• $1,650,000 for Stormwater Pond Dredging and Restoration
• $1,155,000 subrecipient agreement for the Fire Station Improvements Project
• $250,000 FDLE Drone Detection System Project award
• $120,909.09 Firefighters Grant award

Council also approved the Tree Trust Fund ordinance 5-0 and approved first reading of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 22.

Charter language votes

Council accepted language for a Mayor term limit 5-2 and rejected language for City Council power to remove appointed officers 5-2. A motion to amend Section 6.03 language failed 2-5. The minutes summary records the votes and titles of these items but does not describe their substance further.

Land use and zoning

On Oct. 15, Council adopted a R-10 to R-35 land use amendment for 4707 East Henry Avenue (5-0) and a UMU-60 amendment for 1605 North Waters Court (6-0). It approved five special use permits for alcohol sales, each 6-0, at 6203 North Florida Avenue, 5804 East Columbus Drive, 1601 North Franklin Street, 6207 South Dale Mabry Highway and 210 East Fowler Avenue.

Council denied a vacating petition for Church Avenue and an adjacent alley (unanimous) and approved first reading for vacating an alley remainder near Bayshore Blvd (unanimous). It upheld the denial of zoning petitions for 2025 West Ross Avenue (6-0) and 1905 W. Kathleen Street (4-1).

On Oct. 8, Council approved first readings for six rezoning requests, each unanimous: 1605 Waters Ct to YC-9, 4911 E 10th Avenue to CI, 2009 N Armenia Avenue to CG, 3209 N 22nd St to PD, 620 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd to CG, and 5510 & 5400 S West Shore Blvd to PD. Two drive-in restaurant petitions were denied: 2202 W Kennedy Blvd (4-3) and 202 S Dale Mabry Highway (unanimous). One rezoning hearing was continued to January 2027 and another was removed from the agenda due to improper notice; the summary does not identify which applications.

CRA: housing spending limit and East Tampa pilot

The CRA Board on Oct. 8 authorized the CRA Director to approve Housing and Rehabilitation and Renovation Program projects up to $200,000 in extreme circumstances (unanimous). The board requested a pilot program for affordable accessory dwelling units in the East Tampa CRA (unanimous) and approved a West Tampa CRA program change for the Walter Smith Library and Museum (unanimous). Valerie Bullock was approved to the East Tampa Community Advisory Committee 5-1. The board also requested a feasibility report on a Hillsborough County NAACP seat on CRA districts, a report on ADA accessible playground equipment in the Channelside district, and monthly written updates from Jackson House Foundation INC., each unanimous.

Code Enforcement (Oct. 7)

The Municipal Code Enforcement Special Magistrate ordered compliance by Jan. 6, 2027, and a flat $1,000.00 fine in case COD-26-0001911 at 4304 N River View Ave. In case COD-26-0002022 at 2111 W Powhatan Ave, the magistrate ordered compliance by Nov. 4, 2026, or a $200.00 per day fine thereafter. Property at 5024 N 30th St / 5010 N 30th St was found in compliance.

Other orders included Hernan C Salas (2117 W Virginia Ave) to comply by Oct. 22, 2026, or pay $75/day, with abatement authorized; 217 N Lois Ave LLC and the Estate of Tekleberhan Gebru (1306 N MacDill Ave) to comply by Dec. 9, 2026, or pay $100/day and $200/day respectively; and Serg Claud Properties LLC (4020 Deleuil Ave) to comply by Nov. 4, 2026, or pay $25/day, with abatement authorized. North Rome Ta Mhp LLC (6700 N Rome Ave) was found not in violation.

Coming up

• **Oct. 22, Council Evening:** public hearings on updates to the Future Land Use, Housing and Coastal Management sections of the Tampa Comprehensive Plan; replacement of the 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Section with a 2027-2031 schedule; special use permits for alcohol sales at 1601 North Franklin Street Suite 1607 and for alcohol and package sales at 1018 East Cass Street; ratification of Veterans Committee appointments.
• **Oct. 22, Council Workshop:** discussion of the city ethics code and Ethics Commission structure (File Nos. CM25-18644 and CM25-18645), a proposed Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee and multi-modal safety (CM25-20246), and standard rules and procedures for committees and boards (CM26-25343).

A written report by Tom DeGeorge on assisting small concert venues in and around Ybor City (File No. CM26-26582) was listed on the Oct. 15 agenda; minutes for that item were not published in the materials reviewed.

Tampa council approves $19.9M watermain agreement; rezonings, code fines also decided

Tampa City Council approved a $19,890,062.55 design-build agreement with Westra Construction Corp. for citywide watermain improvements at its Oct. 1 regular meeting, the largest dollar item among city decisions in the past two weeks. The vote was unanimous, according to the official minutes. The same meeting approved the naming of the Activity Center at Williams Park to honor Frank A. Reddick, on a 7-0 vote.

Water, parks and rezonings

Council approved six rezoning ordinances on Oct. 1:

• 4706-4710 W McElroy Ave from RS-75 to PD (6-0)
• 104 S Tampania Ave and 2522 W Kennedy Blvd to PD (7-0)
• 4400-4488 W Boy Scout Blvd to PD (7-0)
• 205 S Fremont Ave from RM-16 to PD (7-0)
• 6200-6207 Interbay Blvd/S 6th St/S Martindale Ave to PD (7-0)
• 2910 E Clark St from RM-16 to PD (6-0)

At an evening meeting on Oct. 8, council approved first readings for six more rezoning requests, each on unanimous votes: 1605 Waters Ct to YC-9; 4911 E 10th Avenue to CI; 2009 N Armenia Avenue to CG; 3209 N 22nd St to PD; 620 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd to CG; and 5510 & 5400 S West Shore Blvd to PD.

Council denied two rezoning petitions for drive-in restaurants: 2202 W Kennedy Blvd, on a 4-3 vote, and 202 S Dale Mabry Highway, unanimously. One rezoning hearing was continued to January 2027 and another was removed from the agenda because of improper notice; the minutes summary does not identify which applications those were.

Code enforcement fines

The Municipal Code Enforcement Special Magistrate heard cases on Oct. 7. In one set of rulings, the property at 5024 N 30th St / 5010 N 30th St was found in compliance with no order needed. For 4304 N River View Ave, the magistrate ordered compliance by Jan. 6, 2027, and imposed a flat fine of $1,000.00 for a tree removal violation. For 2111 W Powhatan Ave, the order requires compliance by Nov. 4, 2026, or a fine of $200.00 per day afterward.

In other cases heard the same day, the magistrate ordered:

• Ana Cecilia Ordonez (9001 Westchester Cir): comply by Nov. 4, 2026, or $200/day
• 217 N Lois Ave LLC: comply by Dec. 9, 2026, or $100/day
• Estate of Tekleberhan Gebru (1306 N MacDill Ave): comply by Dec. 9, 2026, or $200/day
• 802 E Columbus Dr LLC: comply by Nov. 4, 2026, or $100/day
• Rebecca Rachel Todd (911 W Warren Ave): comply by Nov. 4, 2026, or $100/day
• Hernan C Salas (2117 W Virginia Ave): comply by Oct. 22, 2026, or $75/day; abatement authorized
• Serg Claud Properties LLC (4020 Deleuil Ave): comply by Nov. 4, 2026, or $25/day; abatement authorized

North Rome Ta Mhp LLC (6700 N Rome Ave) was found not in violation.

CRA board actions

The Community Redevelopment Agency Board on Oct. 8 authorized the CRA Director to approve Housing and Rehabilitation and Renovation Program projects up to $200,000 in extreme circumstances, unanimously. The board also requested a pilot program for affordable accessory dwelling units in the East Tampa CRA and approved a West Tampa CRA program change for the Walter Smith Library and Museum, both unanimously. Valerie Bullock was approved for the East Tampa Community Advisory Committee on a 5-1 vote. The board also requested options to memorialize Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a feasibility report on a Hillsborough County NAACP seat on CRA districts, a report on ADA accessible playground equipment in the Channelside district, and monthly written updates from Jackson House Foundation INC.

Charter amendments and annexations

An addendum to the Oct. 1 council agenda listed a 1:30 p.m. review of charter amendments for voters, with a direction to CRC legal counsel to bring an ordinance for first reading to place charter questions on the March 2, 2027 ballot. It also listed resolutions setting public hearings on Nov. 5, 2026, and Dec. 3, 2026, for two voluntary annexations: about .63 acres near 1860 East Fowler Avenue, and about .23 acres near 11516 North Armenia Avenue. The addendum is an agenda document; minutes for those items were not published in the material reviewed, and the published Oct. 1 minutes summary does not list them.

Coming up

The council meets Oct. 15 and is scheduled to consider a stormwater pond dredging and restoration contract with Bayside Dredging LLC for $1,650,000; a Forest Hills Park pump station replacement contract with C & T Contracting Services, LLC for $1,565,000; a 2026-2027 School Resource Officer Program agreement with the School Board of Hillsborough County for $2,753,683; an increase in the tree trust fund contribution fee from $300 to $475; and a $250,000 FDLE grant for a Tampa Police Department drone detection system project.

Tampa Council Continues Budget Talks, No Final Votes; Upcoming Meetings Include Rays Agreement and $2.4M Contract

The Tampa City Council made no final decisions on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget during two workshops last week, but voted unanimously to continue its transportation budget discussion to an Aug. 17 workshop. The only substantive decision came Aug. 10, when the council agreed to hear the transportation presentation first at the next workshop. A second workshop on Aug. 17 produced no votes on spending.

Budget workshops

At the Aug. 10 special meeting, the council voted unanimously to waive rules to allow public comment after each budget segment, and to continue the transportation budget presentation to the Aug. 17 workshop, to be heard first. The votes were unanimous, with Maniscalco and Carlson absent at the time of the vote and Viera absent. The council also received and filed presentation documents from Campbell, Kopesky, and Rogero, and the public comment sign-in sheet.

The Aug. 17 workshop covered the Recommended FY2027 Budget for Mobility Funds and the General Fund (Police, Fire, Parks & Recreation, Convention Center). The council approved the agenda and received and filed documents from the Chief of Staff, PowerPoint presentations, and public comment sign-in sheets. No substantive budget decisions were made.

Other recent meetings

Several other meetings took place in the past two weeks, but minutes are not yet published, so no decisions are available.

• **Code Enforcement hearings (Aug. 12 and Aug. 19):** The Special Magistrate heard cases involving tree removal, zoning violations, building permits, and other issues. The Aug. 12 agenda included a $3,250 fine reduction for building without a permit at 3711 N 39th St. The Aug. 19 agendas listed 10 and 13 new building permit cases, respectively, plus an appeal by XSC Tampa Investment LLC at 412 E Zack St.
• **CRA Regular meeting (Aug. 20):** The Community Redevelopment Agency considered a grant agreement for the Jackson House Museum renovation, a $254,476.60 fund reallocation for East Whiting St. Improvements Phase D, and other items.
• **City Council evening session (Aug. 20):** The council held public hearings on one alley vacation and nine rezoning applications, including a continued case at 1701 N. Florida Ave. No decisions are available.

Coming up

Two meetings are scheduled for Aug. 27:

• **CRA Special Meeting (Aug. 27):** The board will consider an agreement involving the Tampa Bay Rays (File No. CRA26-26570). Public comment is limited to that item.
• **City Council Regular Meeting (Aug. 27):** The consent agenda includes 50 items, notably a $2,433,825 change order with Engineered Spray Solutions, LLC for wastewater manhole rehabilitation; a $1,910,000 renewal with Republic Services for landfill disposal of ash residue; a $306,046 grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Tampa Police Department; a $638,000 contract with Granger Maintenance & Construction for sedimentation tank inlet baffle replacement; and a $227,145 annual agreement with Life Extension Clinics for police wellness physicals.

Both meetings are open to the public. Details are available on the city's official meeting calendar.

Tampa City Council approves $1.99M Picnic Island Park consultant, $1.6M plumbing renewal

The Tampa City Council on Aug. 6 approved a $1,999,541.13 consultant agreement with HDR Engineering for Picnic Island Park and a $1.6 million renewal of the citywide plumbing services contract with Muska Plumbing. The council also appointed seven members and two alternates to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee and continued a stormwater service assessment public hearing to Aug. 27. All votes were unanimous except one, with Council member Carlson voting no on a $999,800 amendment to an HNTB Regional Infrastructure Accelerator contract.

City Council

At the Aug. 6 regular meeting, the council unanimously approved seven members to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, plus Laura Lawson and Veandrea Jackson as alternates. It also adopted six resolutions confirming mayoral appointments to the same committee. The council approved the $1.6 million plumbing contract renewal and the Picnic Island Park consultant agreement without dissent. The HNTB contract amendment passed 6-1, with Carlson opposed. Council member Viera was absent.

The council also approved on first reading an ordinance for a historic preservation tax exemption at 905 N. Florida Ave. (unanimous, Viera absent). The stormwater service assessment public hearing was continued to Aug. 27.

Two budget workshops were held earlier in the week. On Aug. 3, the council discussed the FY 2027 Enterprise Funds budget (Solid Waste, Water, Wastewater, Parking) but made no substantive decisions. On Aug. 10, the council voted unanimously to continue the transportation budget presentation to the Aug. 17 workshop, where it will be heard first. No final budget decisions were made at either workshop.

Code Enforcement

The special magistrate held two hearings on Aug. 5. In the first, the magistrate continued one case, found two violations, remanded nine cases to inspectors, and closed ten as complied. A $500 flat fine was imposed for protected tree removal at 4023 W Santiago St. (COD-26-0001321), with compliance due by Nov. 4, 2026. A $200-per-day fine was set for Hiraku Corporation at 1210 W Waters Ave. (COD-26-0001375), with a compliance deadline of Oct. 7, 2026.

In the second Aug. 5 hearing, the magistrate set compliance deadlines and daily fines for multiple properties. Examples include a $100-per-day fine for a paint violation at 2007 E Skagway Ave. (COD-25-0003366), a $200-per-day fine for window/roof violations at 911 W Virginia Ave. (COD-25-0004713), and a $225-per-day fine for paint/maintenance at 8705 El Portal Dr. (COD-26-0001307). Two cases were continued to Nov. 4, 2026, and one property at 904 W Orient St. was found in compliance.

On Aug. 12, the magistrate heard two additional dockets, but minutes have not yet been published. The agendas list new cases involving rental violations, tree removal, and zoning issues. No decisions were made at those hearings; testimony and evidence were taken.

Coming up

• **Aug. 17 (today):** City Council special budget workshop on FY 2027 Enterprise Funds, General Fund, and Mobility Funds. Public comment limited to 3 minutes per speaker.
• **Aug. 20:** Community Redevelopment Agency meeting to consider a $254,476.60 fund reallocation for East Whiting St. improvements and a grant agreement for the Jackson House Museum renovation.
• **Aug. 20:** City Council evening session with public hearings on nine rezoning requests and one alley vacation, plus first-reading ordinances for two rezoning items.

Tampa adopts FY 2027 housing plan, approves land purchases and infrastructure contracts

Tampa City Council and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) advanced housing, land acquisition, and infrastructure decisions over the past two weeks, including adoption of the Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Action Plan and a $4.25 million CRA budget realignment.

City Council: FY 2027 Action Plan adopted, map amendment denied

On July 23, Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2026-571 for the FY 2027 Annual Action Plan, which covers housing and community development programs. Council denied transmittal of a proposed map amendment for properties at 4002 N. Dale Mabry Hwy and 4014/4100 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd on a 4-3 vote.

Council approved first reading for five rezoning ordinances, all by unanimous vote: 2111 E. Busch Blvd from CG to CI; 1704 W. North B St and others from IG to CI; 1732 W. Saint Louis St from RS-50 to PD; 106-112 N. Albany Ave and others from PD to PD; and 5024 N. 30th St from RS-50 to IG. A rezoning for 104 S. Tampania Ave and 2522 W. Kennedy Blvd was continued to Sept. 10, 2026, unanimously.

CRA: FY2027 budget adopted, housing grants and property purchase approved

The CRA Board unanimously adopted the FY2027 budget and approved an FY26 budget realignment of $4,254,558.00. The board approved grant funding for two affordable housing projects: Domo Cass Square and Heritage Heights. Both passed unanimously.

The board also unanimously approved a $700,000 purchase of 1947 W. Main Street, renovations for the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park event lawn, the East Tampa Master Corridor Redevelopment Project RFP, and a Florida Aquarium funding agreement extension request.

Council Regular: Land purchases and infrastructure contracts

On July 30, Council unanimously approved several real estate transactions, including the $700,000 purchase of 1947 W. Main Street for community redevelopment and a $600,000 purchase of 2810 West Pearl Avenue for stormwater purposes. Council also approved a land disposition agreement for 5.6 acres at the Army Navy site.

Infrastructure items approved unanimously included a $6.4M contract renewal with RTD Construction, Inc., a $2.1M budget transfer for West Riverside Heights Improvements, and $585,000 in additional funding for Tampa Hope Shelter. Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to vacate a portion of 43rd Street and appointed Monika Alesnik to the Architectural Review Commission, both unanimously.

Code Enforcement: Deadlines extended, fines reduced

On July 22, the Special Magistrate granted several compliance deadline extensions and reduced two fines. Case COD-25-0004773 had its fine reduced from $500 to $250, and Case COD-25-0004096 had its fine reduced from $3,600.00 to $1,500.00.

Compliance deadlines were extended for cases COD-25-0001810 and COD-25-0001827 to October 21, 2026; COD-25-0003724 and COD-26-0000037 to August 19, 2026; and COD-26-0000533 to November 18, 2026. Case COD-26-0000314 was continued to August 19, 2026. A request to modify the compliance deadline for Case COD-26-0000877 was denied.

Coming up

• **Aug. 3 — Council Special:** Budget workshop on FY 2027 enterprise funds, covering Solid Waste, Water, Wastewater, and Parking.
• **Aug. 5 — Code Enforcement:** Special Magistrate hearings on zoning, tree removal, and property maintenance cases, including 9 remanded cases and 11 compliance confirmations.
• **Aug. 6 — Council Regular:** Consideration of six Natural Resources Advisory Committee appointments, a $350,000 police helicopter engine contract, a $1,999,541.13 Picnic Island Park agreement, arts fund agreements, and a $1,113,494 budget reallocation for the Technology and Innovation department's Accela system.

Tampa Council approves $1.27M sewer cleaners; code enforcement cases fill July docket

Tampa City Council approved a $1,273,993.14 cooperative purchase of two Vactor 2100i sewer cleaners for the Wastewater Department on July 16, part of a slate of unanimous votes that also funded a brush truck and restroom facilities and filled several board seats.

City Council actions (July 16)

According to official minutes, Council accepted the June 18 minutes and approved the agenda, both unanimously. Appointments and reappointments were also unanimous:

• Jerry Hosey appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission (Young absent).
• Kimberly Fruit reappointed to the Human Rights Board (Young absent).
• Ana Wallrapp reappointed to the Variance Review Board.

Purchases approved unanimously:

• 4x4 brush truck: $208,368.
• Two Vactor 2100i sewer cleaners: $1,273,993.14.
• Restroom and shower facilities for Parks & Recreation: $268,672.35.

Station 24 presentation

A separate July 16 agenda item called for a staff presentation on the status of the new Station 24, including monthly and quarterly reports, updates from Fire Chief Barbara Tripp, Director of Contract Administration Richard Mutterback, and the Project Manager, and a GMP contract overview with a proposed groundbreaking date. Councilmember Viera filed a memorandum requesting that the item be removed. Minutes for this item were not yet published, so no outcome is available.

Code Enforcement hearings (July 8 and July 15)

The Special Magistrate heard multiple code enforcement cases across four sessions. All four were agenda-only; minutes have not been published.

July 8 cases included a continued zoning matter regarding off-street parking requirements for 337 East Davis Partners LLC; a new tree removal case involving Homes By West Bay LLC; a dangerous tree at 10008 N Hyaleah Rd; accumulations and recreational vehicles at 1412 E Seneca Ave; and prohibited signs for JCA Property Management. Additional property maintenance cases covered 5124 E 14th Ave, 2103 N 34th St, 2104 N 34th St, 3208 E 5th Ave, 901 W Busch Blvd, 1115 E Linebaugh Ave, and 4616 E Seneca Ave.

July 15 cases focused on required building permits, including 902 W Columbus Dr (Andreas and Iryna Brexon), 2417 W Gray St (Robert James Evans), 4512 S Lois Ave (Sjy Holdings LLC), 2424 W Tampa Bay Blvd (Marina Club Homeowners Association), and 106 W Jean St (C and S Family Land Co and Kimberly Canavan). Additional permit cases were filed at 3706 E Lambright St, 6205 River Ter, 3913 W Tyson Ave, 802 E Columbus Dr, and 2318 W Columbus Dr.

Coming up

• **July 22 — Code Enforcement:** The Special Magistrate will hear appeals and modification requests, including a fine reduction request for paint and accumulation violations at 8518 N Tampa St with a total fine of $3,600.00.
• **July 23 — Council Evening:** Second public hearing for the Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Action Plan (File No. AAP26-23734), plus multiple rezoning applications, including REZ-25-116 at 3101 N. Florida Avenue, REZ-26-04 at 3401 & 3407 W. Kennedy Blvd and related parcels, and REZ-26-47 at 1701 North Florida Avenue and 207 East 7th Avenue.
• **July 23 — CRA Regular:** The Community Redevelopment Agency will vote on the 2027 fiscal year budget, housing development grants for 1110 E Cass Street and the Heritage Heights property, a $700,000 purchase of 1947 W. Main Street plus approximately $12,000 in closing costs, and authorization to issue a Request for Proposals for the East Tampa Corridor Master Plan.