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St. Pete Beach staff report park repairs, FEMA work and Eagan field timeline
Summary
Operations manager Eileen Torres told the advisory committee that most dog-park mulch work is complete, Eagan restrooms were remodeled in-house, topsoil and trencher deliveries are set for early December, and FEMA coordination is under way for Sunset and Fisherman Park rehabilitation (budgeted FY2026).
Eileen Torres, operations manager for the public properties division, told the St. Pete Beach Parks & Recreation advisory committee on Nov. 18 that parks staff have completed several post-storm repairs and are moving remaining projects toward end-of-year completion. "We finished all of them except for the big, Vina Del Mar dog park," Torres said about dog-park mulch installations, adding the city secured a contractor and expects the Vina/Vino Del Mar site to be completed in December.
Torres said the Eagan concession and restroom remodels were completed in-house to stay within budget. "We took that in house to kind of stay within budget," she said. The Eagan Big Field project initially returned bids well above budget; staff decided to perform the work internally and set a goal of completing the project by the end of the year. Torres corrected a previously published date and said, "the topsoil will be delivered December 1, and the trencher will be delivered December 2, and then we will begin."
Reviewing routine operations, Torres presented the department's yearly and weekly maintenance schedules and reported that since July staff logged 16 park-related work orders, 13 of which have been completed; remaining items named included the Eagan Park Big Field, a Vina Del Mar playground fence and Vina Del Mar tennis-court work. She also said crews plan to trim back a Cypress oak near the tennis courts this week.
On larger park rehabilitation, Torres said the city has engaged an engineering design firm and is coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for public-assistance funding for Sunset and Fisherman Park. "This project is budgeted for fiscal year 2026, and the city is coordinating with FEMA for public assistance and is pending funding obligation," she said, adding that design and permitting must be completed before construction can begin.
Committee members raised questions about oversight, tree removals, and demolition of the Shuffleboard Court building. A committee member said three tall dead trees near Gulf Boulevard had not been removed; Torres confirmed the city has an arborist on staff and said she would investigate and report back. When asked about the Shuffleboard Court demolition, Torres said FEMA had approved demolition work and that the next steps include bringing the item to the commission for final approval. Staff did not have specifics about what FEMA will or will not pay at the meeting.
The presentation concluded with committee appreciation for the completed projects and a staff commitment to follow up on outstanding items and provide additional details to the advisory committee.
