St. Petersburg City Council approved four notable items during its Sept. 25 meeting after short presentations and targeted discussion: a study and initial funding for tidal gates and wet‑weather storage in the city’s northeast quadrant; continuation of a state child‑nutrition grant for after‑school snacks; a license renewal with conditions for the historic St. Pete Lawn Bowling Club; and an amendment to an accelerated pavement contract.

Quick summaries and results

1) Floodgates and Northwest plant equalization feasibility (Agenda item F2)
- What passed: Council approved staff’s recommendation to move forward with a feasibility and design planning process focused on installing tidal gates and EQ/wet‑weather storage in the area that discharges to Tampa Bay (the Shore Acres vicinity and connected stormwater basins). The item was pulled for discussion and then approved unanimously.
- Why it matters: Public Works staff and consultants told council that some portions of the stormwater/wastewater system are tidally impacted. The Wade Trim study evaluated nine candidate sites, ranked them for storage volume and construction complexity, and highlighted site tradeoffs. Staff emphasized that detailed hydraulic modeling and federal/state permitting (including Army Corps, Florida Fish & Wildlife and NEPA processes) are required before construction can proceed.
- Key technical note from staff: consultants used a planning goal of at least 5 million gallons of EQ storage and noted that an additional 6 inches of a downstream water body could equate to tens of millions of gallons of storage in the system model.

2) Childcare snack program grant (Agenda item F3)
- What passed: Council approved acceptance and continuing participation in a $262,000 grant awarded through the Florida Department of Health to provide nutritionally approved after‑school snacks across city recreation centers, prioritizing food‑insecure neighborhoods.
- What staff said: Mike Jeffries, Community Enrichment, said the program has permanent funding status due to prior strong performance and that last year more than 181,000 snacks were served through city programs.

3) License renewal for St. Petersburg Lawn Bowling Club (Agenda item F4)
- What passed: Council approved a license renewal with the existing longtime club that operates the historic facility (club presence at the site dates to 1916; city relationship since 1933). Council asked staff and the club to make the facility more accessible to the public, pursue a member lockbox option and return with an update in roughly one year.
- Public input: Residents and neighbors were sharply divided. Some speakers asked council to withhold renewal and insist on greater public access and ADA upgrades; others and the club’s attorney urged preservation of the historical use and continuity. Staff said engineering CIP work (notably electrical rewiring) has required temporary de‑energizing and that the city will pursue needed capital repairs.
- Outcome: Motion to renew license passed unanimously; councilset a one‑year follow‑up check‑in.

4) Pavement restoration contract amendment (Agenda item F5)
- What passed: Council approved a contract amendment intended to accelerate roadway resurfacing and to attract contractors willing to commit to a larger volume of local work. The measure passed unanimously.
- Why staff argued for it: Public Works said packaging projects to increase contractor throughput reduced mobilization churn and produced better pricing and faster delivery for many roads across the city.

Why these votes matter together
Several of the approved items affect basic services or quality‑of‑life in neighborhoods: the tidal gates feasibility work could change where and how stormwater is managed across dozens of neighborhoods; the after‑school snack grant continues a long‑running nutrition program that serves youth in food‑insecure areas; the lawn‑bowling license touches a historic city asset and community access to a public parks facility; and the pavement package affects near‑term road repairs across districts.

Speakers and who to watch
- Brijesh (Rajesh) Freeman, Capital Improvements / Public Works, led the presentation on the floodgate/EQ storage analysis and modelling.
- Mike Jeffries, Community Enrichment Administrator, presented the childcare snack grant details.
- Mike (Parks & Rec) and public speakers (Beth Eshenfelder, Robert Cascia, Sheila Lake) led the public conversation on the lawn bowling license.

Actions recorded (summary)
- F2: Motion to approve moving forward with feasibility and planning for tidal gates and equalization storage; outcome: approved unanimously.
- F3: Motion to accept and appropriate Florida Department of Health childcare snack grant ($262,000); outcome: approved unanimously.
- F4: Motion to renew the license agreement with the St. Petersburg Lawn Bowling Club and to require staff/board to increase public access and return with a one‑year update; outcome: approved unanimously.
- F5: Motion to approve contract amendment to accelerate pavement resurfacing projects; outcome: approved unanimously (Councilmember Floyd was recorded absent for F5 vote earlier in the meeting notes but the item passed on its roll call).

What to expect next
- Public Works will continue modelling and permitting work and will engage regulatory agencies where necessary for F2; additional community engagement will be scheduled during design phases.
- Parks and Recreation staff will work with the lawn bowling board to expand availability and will return to council with a one‑year update on access and facility improvements.
- Grants and finance staff will post the appropriation for the childcare snack grant and schedule any vendor or operating approvals required to deliver services in after‑school programs.

Short quotes
"We find that all of our snacks that we order for each rec center are being utilized and they're being utilized appropriately." — Mike Jeffries, Community Enrichment Administrator
"This is not to say we are moving forward with design and construction; this is to investigate whether it can be done and what the permitting implications are." — Public Works staff (presentation summary)

Where to read more: Council backup materials, staff feasibility reports (Wade Trim) and the committee agendas for the Capital Improvements and Parks & Rec teams provide the technical backup to these votes.