St. Petersburg council proclaims EMS Week, Drowning Awareness Month, honors seniors and approves agenda

The St. Petersburg City Council approved its meeting agenda and consent items unanimously and used its May session to honor local public-safety workers, induct senior volunteers into the Senior Hall of Fame and spotlight public-safety and community programs.

Council Chair Copley Gerdes called the meeting to order and, after roll call, the council voted to approve both the meeting agenda and the consent agenda; the chair announced both passed unanimously with one council member absent. The meeting then moved into a series of proclamations and presentations.

Council Member Deborah Figg(s) Sanders read a proclamation designating May 18–24, 2025, as Emergency Medical Services Week in St. Petersburg and invited Saint Petersburg Fire Rescue personnel forward for recognition. "Emergency medical services is a vital public service," the proclamation said. Rescue Chief Lindsay Judah, speaking on behalf of Chief Watts, detailed recent departmental activity: "SPFR was dispatched to over 57,000 EMS incidents throughout 2024," and the department recorded over 78,000 apparatus responses; Judah said the department currently has "over 370 sworn personnel." Judah thanked staff and community partners and encouraged residents to take CPR training.

The council also proclaimed May 2025 Drowning Awareness Month. Chair Gerdes recounted a personal family near-drowning and used that example to underscore urgency: "It's seconds. It's not minutes," he said, urging expanded swim lessons and more adult supervision. Parks & Recreation staff described the city's swim-safety work, including parent-child classes that begin at six months and preschool lessons for ages 4–5, and announced swim-lesson registration opens May 24 (information available at stpeteparksrec.org and at local pools).

Mayor Kenneth T. Welch and council members presented a Senior Hall of Fame recognition for 10 community volunteers (named during the meeting) who were honored with keys to the city. Elected leaders praised the inductees' volunteer service across education, faith and civic engagement.

Council Member Mike Harding presented a proclamation recognizing May 18–24 as National Public Works Week and invited public-works staff to stand. Council members highlighted the department's critical role in infrastructure and hurricane response, noting public-works crews' work to restore services and repair neighborhood infrastructure after storms.

Mayor Welch read a proclamation recognizing May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and promoted the "Happy Festival," a community event scheduled for May 31 at Albert Whitted Park to celebrate AAPI cultures, food and music.

In reports, Human Resources updated the council on the Employee Recognition Committee (ERC). Jennifer, ERC chair, and HR staff outlined changes to awards and communication tools, reported year-over‑year recognition totals, and previewed a new workplace-culture division ("Grow With Us") focused on training, informal mediation, care-team outreach and career-pathway programs for city employees.

The meeting closed after brief announcements and a short adjournment by the chair. The council held a second open forum during which no members of the public spoke.

What's next: votes on individual ordinances or agenda items were not recorded in detail at this meeting; the council’s next steps were the routine follow-up and program outreach described during proclamations (swim-lesson registration, community events and HR initiatives).