Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves FDOT airport grant, affordable-housing code updates, property actions and mitigation plan
Summary
At the May meeting the council unanimously accepted an FDOT grant for Albert Whitted Airport infrastructure, adopted updates to the city's affordable-housing site-plan code to conform with recent state law, approved an alley vacation and a Salt Creek property acquisition, and adopted the county hazard mitigation strategy.
The City Council approved several items by unanimous vote (noting Councilmember Richie Floyd was absent for some votes): a Florida Department of Transportation grant agreement to support the rehab of the Albert Whitted Airport electrical vault; changes to City Code Chapter 17.5 to align affordable housing site-plan approval with state statute updates; an alley vacation abutting lots at 1833 1st Avenue South and 1850 Central Avenue; acquisition of the Salt Creek property for park development and flood mitigation; and adoption of the 2025 Pinellas County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Mitigation Strategy.
FDOT airport grant (E1) Clerk read an ordinance authorizing execution of a Public Transportation Grant Agreement (PTGA) and related assurances for the Rehab Airfield Vault FY23 project (project 19235) with FDOT funds not to exceed $134,800. Barbara Hedge, a member of the Albert Whitted Airport advisory committee and a flight instructor, urged acceptance; she said project cost exceeds $1.6 million and FAA funding will cover roughly 90% of eligible costs, reducing the city’s share to about $33,700. Council voted to accept the grant.
Affordable-housing code update (E2) Planner Derek Kilborn presented recommended amendments to Chapter 17.5, article 6, to conform the city’s affordable- and workforce-housing site-plan procedures to recent state changes (noted references to HB 139, SB 102 and Senate Bill 328, commonly associated with the Live Local Act). Changes include synchronization of floor-area-ratio (FAR) language, exclusion of airport-impacted areas, transit-oriented-development (TOD) parking references (SunRunner 22nd Street South overlay), updated height adjacency rules near single-family zones, and clarifications on conforming/nonconforming provisions. Kilborn listed four projects previously approved under the local procedure (Fairfield Apartments, Palm Lake Christian Church, Raytheon site, and the Hanover project). Council adopted the code amendments; the chair announced the motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Floyd absent.
Other votes - An ordinance vacating the western 120 feet of a 20-foot alley in Block 16 of Fuller Subdivision (addresses at 1833 1st Ave S and 1850 Central Ave) was presented; applicant representative Craig Taraske spoke and council approved the vacation. - The council approved a resolution to acquire a vacant parcel at the northwest corner of 4th Street South and 18th Avenue South (the Salt Creek Property Project). Councilmember Gina Driscoll said acquisition will allow creek maintenance, a pump-station project to reduce flooding at Lake McGorry, a restored historic footbridge, and park beautification. - The council adopted the 2025 Pinellas County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Mitigation Strategy, a five-year update required for FEMA grant eligibility that consolidates countywide hazard mitigation activities and public-information efforts.
Quotations
"This grant is for the construction phase of the rehab airfield vault project...the project's total cost is over $1,600,000 of which the FAA is going to provide 90%." — Barbara Hedge.
"We are incorporating changes into our local code to get compliant with the changes that were adopted in the state language last year." — Derek Kilborn.
Ending
All agenda votes listed above were announced as passing unanimously (the record notes Councilmember Floyd absent for several votes). The council also approved several committee referrals under new business and adjourned after member announcements.
