St. Pete Beach is governed by a City Commission. This recap covers the regular meeting of Tue., July 28, 2026, 6:00 PM. Present: Mayor Tate, Commissioners Marriott, Causey, Maldonado. Absent: Vice Mayor Robinson (all votes 4-0). Source: official minutes (approved Aug. 19, 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)
Maximum FY2027 property tax rate set at 3.6715 mills for the TRIM notice (consensus). This is a ceiling — the final rate could only go lower at September hearings.
Wastewater rates: Consensus for Alternative 1, a three-year phase-in shifting more cost to commercial accounts, easing pressure on residential/multifamily.
Fire Station 22 construction GMP of $10,479,642 with Hennessy Construction — passed 4-0. Miramar valet-only parking lot (Res. 2026-22) approved 4-0.
📌 Key Decisions & Impact on North Beach
1. FY2027 Millage Rate — TRIM Maximum
What happened: Finance Director Devon Schmidt reviewed rolled-back, current and maximum rate options, the 2022 Resiliency Fund (50% of new property tax revenue for resiliency), and unfunded park/capital needs. A proposed state constitutional amendment, if approved, would not affect FY2027 but could reduce revenue from FY2028. Ten residents spoke. Some asked for Vina Del Mar and McKinney Park dog-park improvements (the McKinney Park request came from an 87th Ave resident, inside the NBCA area), several opposing an increase without savings first, one supporting an increase for infrastructure. Staff will build the operating budget at the current flat rate, with any increase considered only for capital projects, and hold district “budget roadshows” plus a survey.
The Vote: No formal vote recorded — consensus to advertise 3.6715 mills (current rate was 3.0913 mills, per Sept. 9 minutes).
North Beach Impact: Sets the ceiling on the city share of every North Beach property tax bill; final decision at September hearings.
2. Wastewater Rate Restructuring (Raftelis Study)
What happened: The utility faces a ~$58M five-year capital program and has relied on fund transfers and reserves. Both alternatives keep residential/multifamily structures, but scale commercial base charges by meter size and bill commercial customers for all flows. Commissioners voiced concern about impacts on small restaurants, bars and boutiques. Preliminary talks on transferring the wastewater system to Pinellas County continue.
The Vote: Consensus (no formal vote) for Alternative 1 (3-year phase-in); only year one will come forward by ordinance.
North Beach Impact: Gulf Blvd businesses and hotels would see higher wastewater charges; residential customers’ cumulative increases would be smaller than otherwise.
3. Fire Station 22 & Miramar Valet Lot
Fire Station 22 GMP — passed 4-0 (Maldonado moved, Causey seconded): $10,479,642 incl. ~$887K owner contingency; ~14½-month build starting mid/late September; funded by $6.5M state appropriations, insurance proceeds and budgeted capital.
Res. 2026-22 (CUP 26107, valet-only lot at 3815–3861 Gulf Blvd) — passed 4-0 (Marriott/Causey), with special-event parking removed, a 120-day transition, headlight screening for Belle Vista, and the lot locked or attended Saturdays 10 AM–4 PM during the first 120 days. Res. 2026-14 (4-0, Maldonado/Marriott) and 2026-16 (4-0, Marriott/Maldonado) rescinded the old 2021 parking CUPs.
North Beach Impact: Both are outside the NBCA area: Station 22 is at 1950 Pass-a-Grille Way and the valet lot is in the 3800 block of Gulf Blvd. They are citywide budget and parking items.
4. Other Actions
Ord. 2026-14 (recreation fees by resolution), second reading — 4-0 (Marriott/Maldonado). Res. 2026-24 recreation fee schedule (+~$49,550/yr, mostly non-resident increases) — 4-0 (Marriott/Maldonado).
AV system replacement, AVI-SPL $152,050.21 — 4-0 (Causey/Marriott) to keep livestreams.
Donated Belle Vista property (Mortenson Trust, $10) for flood mitigation/Florida-friendly landscaping demo — 4-0 (Causey/Marriott).
Consent 4-0 (Marriott/Causey): Belle Vista Halloween Block Party (Oct. 30), Surfers for Autism (Sept. 5), $125,000 FDEM Watershed Master Plan agreement, Brycer fire-code compliance tool.
Agenda 4-0 (Maldonado/Marriott); extension to 10:30 PM 4-0 (Marriott/Causey).
💬 Public Comment & Open Discussion
Audience comments favored larger commercial users paying more for utilities, protecting small businesses, and water conservation during the drought.
Beach maintenance/TDT (Maldonado): Support for a prioritized list of beach/tourism capital projects to seek County Tourist Development Tax funding.
HB 803 (Marriott): City Attorney has an 11-page memo; will return with which permitting provisions apply and optional streamlining.
STR registration fees and agenda timeline continued to Aug. 19. Clerk thanked Jack Samorajczyk for ~20 years on the Finance & Budget Review Committee. Commissioner Maldonado cautioned residents about free wood chips containing debris.
📅 Upcoming Community Events & NBCA Meetups
Note: these dates were upcoming at the time of this meeting and are now past. - District budget roadshows (community budget meetings) — dates announced later (see Aug. 19 recap). - Surfers for Autism: Sat., Sept. 5, 2026 (street closure approved; location [unverified - check]). - Belle Vista Halloween Block Party: Fri., Oct. 30, 2026. - [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. - The Helm moves into a larger space: The Helm Seafood Parlour relocated next door into the former Verducci’s at 7800 Blind Pass Rd. Its old space at 7736 Blind Pass Rd is planned to become The Scullery retail and event space. (St. Pete Rising; Bay News 9, July 22, 2026)
🗳️ What’s Next & How to Get Involved
Note: dates below are past. - Next City Commission meeting: Wed., Aug. 19, 2026 (moved from Aug. 18 on the schedule), 6:00 PM. - September budget & millage public hearings — final FY2027 rate decided there. - [NBCA: next North Beach Civic Association gathering, date/location TBD] - 📬 Subscribe to the North Beachcomber on Substack.
Sources: Meeting video · Official minutes (CivicClerk file 8048) via Agendas & Minutes.
📊 Presentations & Documents
Raftelis Wastewater Revenue Sufficiency & Rate Design Follow-Up — Jul 28 Commission agenda packet (packet p. 5-40) - Forecast wastewater revenue increases: 16% in each of FY2027-29, then 5% in FY2030, 63.89% cumulative (p. 9). - The current bi-monthly base charge is $95.34 for all meter sizes (p. 13). - By cost per 1,000 gallons, commercial accounts pay ~77% of system average cost, residential ~105% and multifamily ~138% (p. 15).
Fire Station #22 GMP (Hennessy Construction) — Jul 28 Commission agenda packet (packet p. 518-556) - The GMP is $10,479,642 for Fire Station #22 at 1950 Pass-a-Grille Way (pp. 518, 548). - It assumes a single-phase 14.5-month construction schedule (p. 548).
CIP pipeline (FY2028-32) — Jul 28 Commission agenda packet (packet p. 56) - 41 projects and $179.2M are programmed beyond FY2027; “programmed does not mean funded” (p. 56).
🎙️ 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 269 min. See the video for full remarks.
232 min: “…don’t think we can. We can certainly if we have an electric gate gate at the north end which will have a keypad which only our people know it and that we’ll have little openers. Um I I think we’ll really control it and everybody every…”
📍 North Beach Locations
7736 Blind Pass Rd — Image: Google Street View (© Google, captured Jan 2026) Open in Google Maps Street View (coordinates: OpenStreetMap Nominatim)
7800 Blind Pass Rd — Image: Google Street View (© Google, captured Jan 2026) Open in Google Maps Street View (coordinates: OpenStreetMap Nominatim)