St. Pete Beach is governed by a City Commission. This recap covers the regular meeting of Tue., June 9, 2026, 6:00 PM. All five members present. Source: official minutes (approved June 23, 2026).
NBCA area: St. Pete Beach from 75th Ave north to the Treasure Island line (Blind Pass). Citywide items are still covered.
⏱️ At A Glance (The 60-Second Version)
Comprehensive beach ordinance (Ord. 2025-02) pulled until after more community engagement — 5-0.
Turtle & coastal wildlife lighting update (Ord. 2025-16) continued 5-0 to be heard with the beach ordinance.
PSTA beach trolley contract approved 5-0 at the city’s budgeted amount ($308,279.51 originally listed; PSTA agreed to honor the lower budgeted figure).
📌 Key Decisions & Impact on North Beach
1. Beach Ordinance (Ord. 2025-02) & Marine Turtle/Coastal Wildlife Lighting (Ord. 2025-16)
What happened: Citing significant public feedback, the Commission moved the comprehensive beach ordinance (behavior, conduct, permitting, maintenance on beaches) to a date TBD or after a community engagement meeting. The City Attorney announced a seminar on the Customary Use Doctrine on July 23, 2026. Staff then presented the turtle-lighting update (aligning 2007 standards with the state’s 2020 model ordinance): long-wavelength lighting, shielding, window-tint/visible light transmittance standards, pool and special-event lighting, and enforcement. Sea Turtle Conservancy, St. Pete Audubon and Sea Turtle Trackers spoke in support; others asked for delay and more workshops.
The Vote: Ord. 2025-02 moved to TBD — 5-0 (Causey moved, Robinson seconded). Ord. 2025-16 continued to TBD with 2025-02 — 5-0 (Robinson moved, Causey seconded).
North Beach Impact: Both apply to all Gulf-front properties, including North Beach condos, hotels and homes (lighting, window tint, beach items).
2. PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley — Eighth Addendum (FY2026)
What happened: PSTA (Darden Rice) acknowledged renewal-process communication issues and agreed to honor the city’s budgeted FY2026 amount. Discussion covered ridership (trolley strong, Route 90 declining), the city’s non-member status, paratransit, and a resident’s safety concerns about SunRunner vehicle width on Gulf Blvd; PSTA will review lane positioning.
The Vote: Passed 5-0 (Marriott moved, Robinson seconded) at the amended amount.
North Beach Impact: Trolley/SunRunner service along Gulf Blvd; high-use stops include the 75th Ave transfer, at the NBCA’s southern edge, and the Tradewinds area (south of the boundary).
3. FY2027 Budget Workshop (continued from 3 PM work session; no votes)
CIP rankings reviewed; Merry Pier bait shack: demolition estimated at $68–70K if not rebuilt. 86 FEMA-related projects reported.
Revenue ideas discussed: bed tax for eligible capital, fire assessment fee (Commission supported budgeting ~$85,000 for a nexus study; would require referendum), resiliency fee, parking-based street repair assessment, bonds, short-term rental registration fees. Pausing further CRA action pending a statewide property tax ballot measure was discussed.
Meeting extension to 10:10 PM passed 4-1 (Marriott no).
💬 Public Comment & Open Discussion
Residents discussed Don CeSar-area stormwater, customary use, beach photographers’ needs, a private property used for parking/storage, and an update on a mothball investigation.
Reports: Commissioner Maldonado thanked outgoing and new Vina Del Mar Island Association board members; Vice Mayor Robinson thanked planning staff for the historic designation workshop.
📅 Upcoming Community Events & NBCA Meetups
Note: these dates were upcoming at the time of this meeting and are now past. - Customary Use Doctrine seminar (City Attorney Brookes): July 23, 2026 (time/location [unverified - check]). - Mayor Tate dunk tank at a community celebration the same evening (event name [unverified - check]). - [NBCA: North Beach Civic Association meetup, date/location TBD]
🏗️ Around North Beach
Items inside or on the edge of the NBCA area (75th Ave north to the Treasure Island line at Blind Pass), dated on or before this meeting. - Army Corps funding returns for future renourishment: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Pinellas County ended a decade-long standoff, so Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach will again get federally supported sand. The next renourishment is planned for 2030, and 100% of beachfront owners in project areas still need to sign construction easements. (WUSF, June 1, 2026)
🗳️ What’s Next & How to Get Involved
Note: dates below are past. - Next City Commission meeting: Tue., June 23, 2026, 6:00 PM (final reading of the beach sign ordinance, Ord. 2026-11). - [NBCA: next North Beach Civic Association gathering, date/location TBD] - 📬 Subscribe to the North Beachcomber on Substack.
Sources: Meeting video · Official minutes (CivicClerk file 7923) via Agendas & Minutes.
🎙️ From the Meeting Video (unofficial)
Source: City YouTube video, auto-generated captions via YouTube’s public transcript. Captions are machine-made and may mis-hear words. Official minutes remain the authority for votes and motions.**
Audience comments start around 107 min. See the video for full remarks.
24 min: “…scheduling. So, as far as our top uh stop locations here on St. Pete Beach. Uh that is the uh 75th and Boca Drive. So the stop that is right outside uh this building here on Bokea. Um and then our second highest stop location is the…”
27 min: “…The width of our lanes is not the regular width of a lane. If you even go north from 75th, G Boulevard is much wider in that area. It’s and so what’s happening is here’s your here’s your trolley…”
118 min: “…was identified as one area that that was deficient, needed to be replaced. Um, so this is in blind pass um um near where where like the secret garden is there on that and there’s a um very deteriorated like metal seaw wall where you can see…”