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Residents press city on ditch erosion, transit ‘freebie’ and downtown sidewalk conduct
Summary
During citizen input, residents raised an unresolved ditch erosion claim denied by the city’s insurer, criticized a locally run 'freebie' transit pilot for poor outreach and on-demand confusion, and flagged sidewalk harassment by a Main Street storefront; staff said it would investigate and that criminal harassment should be reported to law enforcement.
Several Dunedin residents used the public-comment period Dec. 18 to highlight separate neighborhood concerns.
Jim Cowger (2092 Valley Drive) reported ongoing erosion from a ditch behind his property and said a claim investigated by the Davies Group was denied. "All available evidence...is not sufficient to conclude the loss you reported was caused by the negligence on the part of our client," Cowger read from a denial letter and asked staff to continue reviewing the site; deputy manager Jorge Quintas said staff had inspected the location and would follow up on potential gutter or roof runoff and mitigation options.
Nancy Ellen Hale, speaking for the chamber board, criticized the local "freebie" transit provider’s marketing and on-demand features and suggested the Jolly Trolley seasonal looper as an alternative. She said the provider reported higher ridership but that better comparative data is needed for evaluation.
Hale also raised complaints about a Main Street skin-care storefront that she said hawked customers on the sidewalk, making visitors uncomfortable. City Attorney advised that public sidewalks are a public forum and that enforcement is appropriate when conduct becomes obstructive or threatening; otherwise, speech on sidewalks is generally allowed.
The commission closed public input after staff committed to continue reviewing the ditch issue and to monitor the other concerns.
