[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6188473,"mediaKeyId","5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb","parentId",5062271,"title","Commission approves FDOT landscaping MOA; staff to seek county bed-tax help for beach maintenance","audioSeconds",323,"startMs",7974000,"endMs",8297000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb&start=7974&end=8297","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb/thumbnail_7974000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6188473/St-Pete-Beach/Pinellas-County/Florida/Commission-approves-FDOT-landscaping-MOA-staff-to-seek-county-bed-tax-help-for-beach-maintenance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188473-bd297500fa11fa66080419c0ae7f276a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213611&Signature=J802vVv-~XbokKGRscx~4p2xgNuKu1~vpcoesV2QFMvSrr5AbNXhDI9ESSajXeNJqXcQKxqWh00~8PDFqlYpt0ZOO-ZM771ha2JoTJBSUEwjhZCLFpjx49dgshLDV~5Bsze2H31ZqZ4qPDbm780QbH3LQGlaLSca73TB-MMKEAIu2oc-UHIITYw563sffL4Dgd~BwN2iSlSEonDHQrGAtBZwIQAloL796zjxP1NiyOqgmeD622uSNJjUembEoIUoz3FMUDWMrTMHAXRxajYFvByvKxxEtUsvo8u2LP~kbwkNkOTTGeUv-a8aLt9sJC8RRZjTfls6MQaPSOpNXC33kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of St. Pete Beach, FL","date","2025-06-25T14:19:22Z","article","The St. Pete Beach City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve Resolution 2025-17, authorizing a memorandum of agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for landscape improvements along a stretch of Gulf Boulevard.

Public Services Director Camden Mills said the District 7 FDOT award — not to exceed $186,340 — will fund landscape improvements in medians between 70 Fifth Street and the Bayway; the blind-pass project was not awarded this year because of FDOT resurfacing plans. The city will contract and complete the work, then invoice FDOT for reimbursement up to the award amount.

Why it matters: The program improves Gulf Boulevard’s medians and reduces local maintenance costs for the city’s public-facing corridors. The award covers construction of landscaped islands; the city remains responsible for maintenance of other FDOT-owned medians outside the awarded stretch.

Motion and vote: The commission adopted Resolution 2025-17 by roll-call vote (unanimous). The city clerk recorded the public resolution and staff will proceed to contract for the work.

Related discussion — beach maintenance funding: Separately, city manager and mayor discussed taking a regional approach with other beach-city mayors (the “big c” group) to request assistance from Pinellas County’s tourist development tax (bed tax) for ongoing beach maintenance. Staff said the city currently spends nearly $1.0 million in ad valorem funds on public beach maintenance and will ask the big-c mayors whether the county or the bed-tax board could provide recurring support because maintenance directly supports tourism.

Ending: The commission approved the FDOT agreement and directed staff to pursue coordination with neighboring beach cities on a potential county/bed-tax request for beach maintenance support.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Commission Meeting - June 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved a $186,340 Florida Department of Transportation memorandum of agreement for Gulf Boulevard landscaping and discussed pursuing county bed-tax funds with neighboring beach cities to help pay for ongoing beach maintenance.","taxTitle","St. Pete Beach, Pinellas County, Florida","taxId",48406,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6188478,"Fire chief outlines emergency operations improvements after storms; staffing and training gaps addressed",252,1615000,1867000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb&start=1615&end=1867","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb/thumbnail_1615000.jpg","/articles/6188478/St-Pete-Beach/Pinellas-County/Florida/Fire-chief-outlines-emergency-operations-improvements-after-storms-staffing-and-training-gaps-addressed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188478-3a2a5a36a3692610ee3036491bcb437d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213611&Signature=J7EISm7D8NuXRg0csZenY67C2VRiEdPD228Fj5a8j5J6tMrCnw17eEu-Mi5CbkZprjPwbabPnIBLxH2Hc1yKNbmfFNZ1cbydbkYniAhcctU10B6LG8vmiHbTWut-BxzboBXQhFXLqeipwC6Xjn~002hIgInzMJSRc1e2kCMyK0wvdp9YaNLpop4cpqIH9OW3FZ6yHIdyfh12iq-95ZJ84aupGmuaUia0G6jvZZXqanhl6gxi-r-PY57irs8e6naNCVF41Q2UZV~RofD8P2PZ2u7V~DivQWMg9~wDXTZ7ZIHuSOgQ1ZVRHsnkDwJZot8djp5r335gxnTOLsXSUQiNWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick told the St. Pete Beach City Commission on Tuesday that the city has revised its emergency operations planning after Hurricanes Helene and Milton to address staffing shortages, communications and logistics identified during the response.

Kilpatrick described a broad after-action process that included feedback from the community recovery task force, departmental meetings, county emergency management partners and neighboring municipalities. The review found staffing gaps and communication breakdowns as top weaknesses and recommended specific steps to increase preparedness.

Actions underway: Kilpatrick said the city has conducted multiple trainings (including ICS 300/400 and position-appropriate courses), convened a tabletop exercise for department directors, and established pre-storm contracting and secondary/tertiary emergency operations center (EOC) locations. The city has also created an employee-support position in the EOC roster, clarified emergency-pay policy, and instituted AB shifts to manage deployments more sustainably.

The chief said the improvements include clearer incident-action-plan objectives issued daily during activations, new SOPs and checklists for transitions from “blue-sky” to “gray-sky” operations, and greater bench depth in the fire department for span-of-control issues. Kilpatrick noted that during Helene the city received about 150 National Guard personnel that required EOC access planning and staging.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want more direct briefings and suggested ways to allow elected officials to receive operational updates without entering the tactical chain of command. Kilpatrick and the city manager said elected officials are welcome in a designated EOC space during activations but should coordinate through the city manager or PIO to avoid interrupting tactical operations.

Next steps: Kilpatrick and staff will continue delivering training, refine the ICS 203 position roster and finalize SOP templates for commission review. The city manager said staff will consider training for commissioners to make their situational awareness more effective in future storm responses.

Ending: Commissioners expressed frustration with earlier information gaps; staff said a more robust briefing cadence and prebuilt messaging templates with county partners will reduce lag time during future events.","Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick briefed commissioners on a post-storm review of the city’s Emergency Operations Plan, citing staffing gaps, new employee-support roles, extra training and clearer EOC procedures.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6188482,"St. Pete Beach staff: insurers estimate $3.3M so far for storm repairs; total approved work ~ $5M",329,1152000,1481000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb&start=1152&end=1481","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb/thumbnail_1152000.jpg","/articles/6188482/St-Pete-Beach/Pinellas-County/Florida/St-Pete-Beach-staff-insurers-estimate-33M-so-far-for-storm-repairs-total-approved-work-5M","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188482-886687937ec684511c4701aa896ab6c5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213611&Signature=D1hQUrc6e4p2K44sciqxdc3EBilF~pJPf~vtGUG2NgFQIfNiUwxhb0Tmog4Kje0kw0on2tEQP0bSojn2uY6tdFsAwokl-pC-~eBJe~gQmg4eRZt4HiUsnvKBKUGLzFA6ZHY2XQVaE9NDMNb-kbwGSvhlWq8qQbLWU1cG1xVxRYQ8llL-Z93F9wT6BoiduhvZE-ALBvdVi28BE-mrQ5jb51gu-uHXOMADFI8wJ5Gp-2IXpshxtU8pIxE8dLWO-tZi4OwzR4XeGz2xNmaci2dd4RF9SzmchtPBi4rQImOfEvR65L13FhbO5mRWP2~gBizcFfcZsDy4~ufwtc3c2T-YlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff told the St. Pete Beach City Commission Tuesday that insurance carriers have identified roughly $3.3 million in recoverable valuations for storm-related damage so far while the city’s contractor has prepared about $5.0 million of approved repair work.

Public Services Director Camden Mills said the city’s Public Risk Management (PRM) valuation lists about $3.1 million for Hurricane Helene and about $300,000 for Hurricane Milton after deductibles. Separately, flood-insurance payouts processed by World Risk Management total “just over $1.1 million” for content damage, he said.

Mills said the $5.0 million figure reflects construction work approved to date (building, roofs, elevators, HVAC and related items) and that insurance has already provided different accounting for replacement cost value versus actual cash value; recoverable depreciation would be reimbursed after repairs and invoicing. He said elevators (about $600,000) and HVAC (about $100,000) are reimbursable on an invoice basis and are not included in some insurer estimates until invoiced.

Why it matters: The gap between contractor estimates and insurer valuations — driven largely by roof, HVAC and elevator work — is the city’s immediate negotiation point. Staff said insurers’ engineers are onsite working with the contractor to reconcile pricing differences.

Details from the briefing: Mills identified the principal differences as roof replacement pricing and items insurers treat differently (invoices vs. replacement-value estimates). The city has an existing CIP allocation of $450,000 for the Public Services Building; that and other carryover funds are being combined with insurance recoveries to fund repairs.

Questions from commissioners focused on the rec center timeline and whether storm repairs are replacing work the city had planned anyway. Mills said contractor Cotton has contracts executed and material orders placed; materials are expected in two to four weeks, after which a firm contractor schedule will be produced.

Staff direction and next steps: Staff will continue negotiating valuations with insurers, prioritize mitigation measures where the city is “building back better,” and provide contractor schedules to the public when available.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff for regular updates; staff emphasized valuations remain ongoing and final reimbursements will depend on completed invoiced repairs.","Public services staff briefed the commission on insurance valuations for damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and flood claims, outlining a gap between contractor estimates and insurer valuations the city is negotiating.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6188487,"St. Pete Beach commission appoints John Maldonado to District 4 seat after Mulholland resignation",7636,359000,7995000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb&start=359&end=7995","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5062271-31e828247811c27b3ae3a6c1bcc3d6eb/thumbnail_359000.jpg","/articles/6188487/St-Pete-Beach/Pinellas-County/Florida/St-Pete-Beach-commission-appoints-John-Maldonado-to-District-4-seat-after-Mulholland-resignation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188487-0f0954b6b78dc8ab52912bc5618b61f9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213611&Signature=XYEs2atSMgTSAW1keGngFwt1jDUTi00GJudEh9j9pmq~U-~tfdQYYmE9MemSV6zFeMBFJC87JoWrNHFaR1yezqiYduq3PgGNtfOyDSdbTsRoc~MXPtqUtfjf53l2L~ZHYndcAkzmTnk3r0u4ErOWvw4E3U9rR2ytIIDsVmL2w1P8GT9IPDLEg2BdvkyXNINv9-gXjhKV3P3Xx5z~Xxa3dD5KC4E0hl4P9zcfyBYDl7U3vGes6yJsSQuJNuyDBDTKQGVelBxkUDCfuuD2WChSDLlCgh7yvzmNF3BVeVr3DoY5ut1hKSPpWg3B3T~RSM7WcnbiqhM6irORccxaQesAPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Pete Beach City Commission voted 3–1 Tuesday to appoint John Maldonado to fill the District 4 vacancy after Commissioner Drew Mulholland resigned effective immediately.

Mulholland announced his resignation at the start of the June 24 meeting and agreed to make it effective after the commission completed interviews with the three applicants. The commission then interviewed John Maldonado, Bob Schiros and Mike Gregor, questioned each about priorities for District 4 and weighed public comment before voting. Mayor Petrillo cast the sole vote against Maldonado; Commissioners Robinson, Reznicki and Vice Mayor Marriott voted in favor.

Why it matters: The appointment fills a seat that represents two distinct shorefront neighborhoods — Pass-a-Grille and Vina del Mar — at a time when post-hurricane recovery, beach nourishment and infrastructure remain top concerns for residents. The interim appointment also affects the city’s ability to meet quorum needs for upcoming budget meetings.

Most important facts: Maldonado, introduced as the first applicant, told commissioners he has volunteered at city hall and cited infrastructure, storm preparedness and protecting the city’s historic character as top priorities for District 4. Mulholland said he would step down after the interviews to let the commission decide the appointment.

The commission amended the agenda early in the meeting to add public comment and the appointment vote after the interviews. After presentations and public testimony, including spoken endorsements for multiple applicants, the commission first considered but failed motions to appoint other candidates. A final motion to appoint Maldonado passed by roll call: Commissioner Robinson — yes; Commissioner Reznicki — yes; Vice Mayor Marriott — yes; Mayor Petrillo — no (motion carries 3–1). Maldonado was sworn prior to the close of the meeting and will take his seat at the next regular meeting.

What commissioners said: Mulholland said he would “step down at that point” after interviews were complete to allow the commission to proceed. Vice Mayor Marriott and others said they wanted the vacancy filled promptly so the commission would have a full membership for budget and other upcoming work.

Next steps and implementation: The city clerk will arrange the formal swearing-in and the commission directed staff to treat the seat as filled for scheduling quorum-critical items. Several commissioners said they want applicants who plan to run for the seat in the November election to use the coming months to learn the city’s comprehensive plan and land-development rules.

Public comment and community reaction: Members of the public spoke from the dais supporting different candidates; two residents specifically urged the commission to appoint Bob Schiros and Mike Gregor, while others encouraged appointing the candidate who was most connected to district residents. Several speakers emphasized neighborhood infrastructure and beach recovery needs.

Ending: Maldonado will serve as District 4’s interim commissioner until the seat is filled by election or until a subsequent action of the commission. The commission took the resignation and appointment to avoid scheduling an additional meeting and to preserve quorum for imminent budget work.","After interviewing three applicants to replace Commissioner Drew Mulholland, the St. Pete Beach City Commission voted 3–1 to appoint John Maldonado to the District 4 seat; Mulholland’s resignation took effect immediately.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission approves FDOT landscaping MOA; staff to seek county bed-tax help for beach maintenance

Fire chief outlines emergency operations improvements after storms; staffing and training gaps addressed

St. Pete Beach staff: insurers estimate $3.3M so far for storm repairs; total approved work ~ $5M

St. Pete Beach commission appoints John Maldonado to District 4 seat after Mulholland resignation