City Commission Regular Meeting

1 MINUTES City of Holmes Beach City Commission Regular Meeting March 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. Patricia A. Geyer Commission Chambers 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach FL 34217 Present: Commissioner Diggins, Commissioner Oelfke, Commissioner Patel, Commissioner Schaefer, Chair Whitmore Staff Present: Mayor Titsworth, City Attorney Mora, City Clerk Hovious, Chief Tokajer, Director of Development Services Minor, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Raybourn, Building Official Schwartz _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order; Pledge of Allegiance; Moment of Silence Chair Whitmore called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Minutes 3.a Regular Meeting - February 24, 2026 3.b Work Session - February 24, 2026 Moved by Commissioner Diggins Seconded by Commissioner Schaefer Approved the February 24, 2026 minutes. Motion Approved 4. Commission Reports Commissioner Schaefer Commissioner Schaefer noted that the thank you card was sent to Andrew Kalel to deliver to Senator Boyd, but he hasn't received it in the mail yet. Commissioner Oelfke Commissioner Oelfke stated that he spoke with Code Compliance Chief Thomas who indicated that there was an issue with Waste Pro converting and billing some of the rental companies for curbside service when they hadn't elected it. It was done by mistake and has been corrected. He also stated that Waste Pro is planning a Spring cleanup event and people will be able to bring large items to throw away, like TVs and furniture. They are looking for potential dates for April.

2 Commissioner Patel Commissioner Patel provided an update from The Center of Anna Maria Island. They held a Murder Mystery this weekend that more than 600 people attended. She announced that on March 15, the St. Patrick's Day Parade will start at the Holmes Beach City Hall and go up to Pine Avenue and will take place from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. She said that if individuals are interested in participating in the parade, they should contact The Center. Commissioner Diggins Commissioner Diggins said that he attended the FDOT public input for the Barrier Island PD&E study for the multimodal pass with Chief Tokajer and Director of Public Works/City Engineer Raybourn. If this project gets to the development phase, it's going to be a multimodal path from the end of the Longboat Key Pass all the way up to 85th Street. There are many different options that could include a bicycle lane, pedestrian path, and/or a combination of both with different variances. They don't plan on widening the roads. He said that FDOT is open-minded and he was impressed with how they handle these public input events. Chair Whitmore asked why they are stopping at 85th Street. Mayor Titsworth said that it's already a PD&E and Former Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy didn't want it because they already did their multi-use path for part of it. She added that some small communities might not want to implement multi-use paths with FDOT standards. She said that the focus will probably be more on preventing vehicle and pedestrian accidents. Chair Whitmore Chair Whitmore noted that Anna Maria and Holmes Beach own all their streets, except for Manatee Avenue, SR 64, right to the public beach, and East Bay, which is a State road and goes to Longboat Key. She said she also went to the Murder Mystery, which had a wedding theme and lasted for two and a half hours. She said it was a lot of fun and congratulated Commissioner Patel on her performance as a bride. 5. Mayor's Report Mayor Titsworth shared she attended the Career Day at Anna Maria Elementary with Treasurer Marcotte, Public Works Director/City Engineer Raybourn, and Digital & Media Strategist McDonough. She said it was Marcotte's and McDonough's first time and they did a great job. 5.a Proclamation - Government Financial Professionals’ Week Mayor Titsworth read the proclamation. She said she will share the proclamation with Treasurer Marcotte. 6. Comments by the Public None. 7. Unfinished Business None. 8. New Business 8.a First Reading - Ordinance 26-03 - Seaside Gardens - Non-Conforming Structures Director of Development Services Minor read the Ordinance by title.

3 An Ordinance approved by the City Commission in September 2023 allowed non- conforming townhomes to be rebuilt on an involuntary basis. The current request is to amend that Ordinance to allow for voluntary reconstruction. City staff attended the Seaside Gardens Civic Association meeting in February and reported that it had great turnout. They reported that a majority of the homeowners in attendance were supportive of the ability to reconstruct on a voluntary basis. Commission Diggins said that he drove past that area prior to the meeting and he saw that two units are elevated and they looked good. He asked about the walls between the units. Director of Development Services Minor said that those are fire rated walls and serve as a common wall between two units. The difference in the shape is an architectural design choice and wasn't dictated by code. The goal is that, at some point, their neighbors will also build up and then they will be able to share that common wall. Chair Whitmore said she's glad the City is allowing Seaside Garden to make these changes. She asked Director of Development Services Minor if it's cost prohibitive. Director of Development Services Minor responded that it's not based on conversations he’s had with owners. Commissioner Schaefer asked Building Official Schwartz whether projects like this benefit our FEMA rating for future fee-based premium-based benefits. Building Official Schwartz responded that it would if we weren't rated so highly already. He noted that this Ordinance is taking properties out of the floodplain, which is beneficial because it decreases storm damage. Upon approval of First Reading, the Ordinance will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and, if approved, will return to the City Commission for Second Reading and final adoption. Moved by Commissioner Diggins Seconded by Commissioner Schaefer Approved Ordinance 26-03 for First Reading. Motion Approved 9. Announcements  Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - 9:00 a.m. - Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee Meeting  Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 9:30 a.m. - ManaSota League of Cities Meeting - Town of Longboat Key  Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 10:00 a.m. - Code Compliance Special Magistrate Hearing  Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. - City Commission Regular Meeting w/Work Session to Follow 10. Questions and Comments 10.a Questions and Comments from Mayor and City Commission Commissioner Diggins shared that he attended the Anna Maria Commission meeting and noted that he liked their meeting format. He asked whether our charter would allow for a similar format.

4 Chair Whitmore offered that the meeting format is a policy decision the Commission can make. City Attorney Mora said it depends on our rules and procedures. He discussed moving the rules and procedures from the City’s code into a resolution, noting that this format is more versatile. He spoke of the benefits and disadvantages of various forms of meeting formats and suggested a future work session on rules and procedures to further discuss this issue. Discussion was had about the direction and current usage of the City's social media pages and the benefits and disadvantages of using it to post various information such as public meetings, events, public safety, and general outreach to the community. Mayor Titsworth offered Digital & Media Strategist McDonough to provide an update of the social media pages and their usage to the Commissioners after the meeting. Chair Whitmore asked Director of Development Services Minor to address a concern received from former Commissioner Rash regarding a fence that may have been issued erroneously for a property. He provided a brief overview and responded that staff have been made aware of it and Code Compliance is looking into it as well. Chair Whitmore provided an update regarding the vacancy left by the late County Commissioner Felts. The Governor is expected to appoint an interim replacement prior to the general election scheduled for November. Chair Whitmore also requested that the Commissioners all sign a thank you card for former Deputy City Clerk Lowe. Commissioner Schaefer said that he was surprised that other than the City of Bradenton and unincorporated Manatee County, Holmes Beach is the largest generator of tax revenue to Manatee County. Mayor Titsworth said that this report isn't done yet and should hopefully come out this week. The Commission discussed how despite Holmes Beach being a leading tax generator, County and State policies create a barrier in receiving these revenues for essential tourism-related strains like lifeguards, law enforcement, and sanitation. 10.b Questions and Comments from City Attorney City Attorney Mora shared that the legislative session started January 13. It is a 60 day session and is supposed to end on Friday, March 13. For the second year in a row, the House and Senate are poised to not pass a budget. There is about a $2 billion difference between the House and Senate version. They will likely extend the session or have a special session to pass the budget. He noted that when the session was extended in the past, additional riders were added. His office will be closely monitoring and providing updates. 10.c Questions and Comments from Staff Chief Tokajer Chief Tokajer shared that the Police Department submitted a grant through WCIND for $250,000 for Marine Unit gas and overtime. He said that if received, he will bring it back to the Commission to authorize. The Commission discussed attendance for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, noting the event date of Sunday, March 16.

5 Development Services Director of Development Services Minor shared that Holmes Beach currently has 1,661 active vacation rental certificates. Since Hurricane Helene, 4,160 total permits were issued. This fiscal year, 776 permits were issued. Plan reviews since the Hurricane are just over 15,269. He noted 87 demolition permits and 30 applications for new home permits. Two homes are in the Elevate Florida program. A Turtle Talk will be presented to stakeholders on April 15 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. He encouraged the Commissioners to attend. Public Works Director of Public Works/City Engineer Raybourn said that the Resilient Florida project was on hold while staff looked for a resolution to the various utility conflicts. The conflict has been minimized, but a few still need to be resolved. A temporary construction easement was received, so construction is starting officially this week. That work will take place in the Keyes Marina area and will take approximately three weeks. He said that a meeting is scheduled on March 19 at 8:30 a.m. with the neighborhood along 56th Street and Holmes, which are the areas directly impacted by the project. Director of Public Works/City Engineer Raybourn said that the Trolley Stop on East Bay received one bid. It was almost four times the budgeted amount, so the bid will be cancelled. They will reevaluate the scope and examine other advertising mechanisms to get the word out to more contractors to stay within the budget. Commissioner Patel asked what the number for the bid was. Director of Public Works/City Engineer Raybourn responded that it was around $105,000, which is much higher than similar projects cost in the past. He noted that it's not a job Public Works can do in-house and have to go out to bid. He said the City can usually get more bidders the second time around. 10.d Questions and Comments from the Public and Press Dennis Groh, 3704 4th Ave, shared that he prints the City Commission agenda off the Holmes Beach website and that it should be the City's focus over social media, which he doesn't like using. Chair Whitmore assured him that doing away with the website was never intended. Tom Potter, 24 Seaside Ct, shared that he is the president of the Seaside Gardens Civic Association, which is responsible for the common areas on the property. They also own Seaside Court and the guest parking area. He inquired whether language could be incorporated into Ordinance 26-03 that would say something to the effect of: if the demolition and/or reconstruction requires the applicant to access or needs to use private property to facilitate their reconstruction, the applicant shall provide a written agreement with the owner of the private property as part of any demolition and/or building permit that specifies the terms of use. He said that construction vehicles and equipment can impede access for owners, renters, and emergency vehicles, and parking is difficult to find. Director of Development Services Minor noted that this was an issue he brought up with City Attorney Mora and there were some concerns about permitting being contingent on approval from a Civic Association. City Attorney Mora said he will look at the language as proposed and see if that can be accommodated. He noted that his initial read is that there may be a better process for addressing the matter than an Ordinance. Director of Development Services Minor asked Mr. Potter to provide staff with specific language to be considered.

6 11. Adjournment Chair Whitmore adjourned the meeting at 3:34 p.m. _________________________ Marina Hovious, CMC, City Clerk March 24, 2026 _________________________ Minutes Approved