City Commission Regular Meeting

1 MINUTES City of Holmes Beach City Commission Regular Meeting October 28, 2025, 2:00 p.m. Patricia A. Geyer Commission Chambers 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach FL 34217 Present: Commissioner Oelfke, Commissioner Schaefer, Commissioner Soustek, Commissioner Whitmore, Chair Diggins Staff Present: Mayor Titsworth, City Attorney Augello, City Clerk Johnston, Chief Tokajer, Director of Development Services Minor Also Present: City Treasurer Marcotte, Code Compliance Chief Thomas, and Senior Project Manager Benitez _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order; Pledge of Allegiance; Moment of Silence Chair Diggins called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Minutes Moved by Commissioner Soustek Seconded by Commissioner Oelfke The October 16, 2025, Regular Meeting and Work Session Minutes were approved as written. Motion Approved 3.a Regular Meeting - October 16, 2025 3.b Work Session - October 16, 2025 4. Commission Reports Commissioner Whitmore Commissioner Whitmore reported on the AMI Elementary and pre-school. Commissioner Oelfke Commissioner Oelfke said he was happy to see the new sod being placed on the City Field. Commissioner Soustek Commissioner Soustek stated Chief Tokajer had included an item to be bid on at the recent Turtle Watch Fundraiser.

2 Chief Tokajer explained that $2,750 was raised for a Police Department swag bag and a 4-hr ride along with the Police Chief. A second 4-hr ride-along was provided for another bidder who paid the same amount. A swag bag that included a Police Department logoed thermos, towel, challenge coin, etc. was also provided. Chair Diggins Chair Diggins and Commissioner Whitmore attended the October 27 Manatee County Legislative Delegation meeting. Representative Robinson served as chair. Manatee County Commissioner Kruse spoke in opposition to SB180 and was informed by Senator Boyd, if necessary, they will probably review that bill. Chair Diggins presented on behalf of Holmes Beach relating to the Mangrove legislation and asked that Manatee County be considered when the appropriations are distributed. Commissioner Whitmore further stated comments were made about tourists and property taxes. She informed that both the tourists and the property taxes are how Holmes Beach supports its government. If the property taxes are eliminated, they will have to think of creative ways to fund the government. 5. Mayor's Report Population Commissioner Whitmore commented on the City's population decrease. Mayor Titsworth stated that the population started increasing the first year she served as Mayor. Since that time, the population has decreased by 10 people, and the City may lose additional residents due to the 2024 hurricanes. The City is currently being promoted as a "Great Place to Live" on Social Media. Director of Public Works/City Engineer Mayor Titsworth announced that she made an offer to Addie Javed for the position of Director of Public Works/City Engineer to replace Sage Kamiya who took another position. Mr. Javed will begin employment on Monday, November 10. Parks & Beautification Committee Meeting - November The November Parks & Beautification Committee meeting has been cancelled since the Director of Public Works/City Engineers serves as Chair. Their next meeting will be on December 3. The Dog Park was scheduled as an Agenda Item but currently maintenance is being performed on it by the Public Works. They have been speaking to Dog Park users. Any recommended improvements need to be presented to Parks & Beautification Committee. The irrigation is being fixed on the City Field, there are areas that need painted, the Dog Park is being repaired, and the exercise area is being repaired and painted. The Skate Park and soccer field work has been completed. Sod versus seed is being considered for the baseball field. Chair Diggins asked when the street signs would be replaced. Manatee County Legislative Delegation Mayor Titsworth thanked Commissioner Whitmore for presenting at the Manatee County Legislative Delegation.

3 5.a Proclamation - National 1st Responder's Day Mayor Titsworth read the Proclamation. 5.b Proclamation - Farm City Week Mayor Titsworth read the Proclamation. There was no one in attendance representing Farm City Week. 6. Comments by the Public Carolyn Orshak, 226 81st Street, thanked the Mayor and City Commission for their support and donation to the AMI Historical Society. Ms. Orshak also stated that while volunteering the previous Saturday at the thrift shop, a Holmes Beach City employee donated food for the food pantry, which was greatly appreciated. Discussion continued about how critical it was this year for providing food to those in need. She said they provide requesters with other food pantry locations. Commissioner Whitmore announced that Daily Bread, Turning Point, and the Food Pantry are additional locations. 7. Unfinished Business None. 8. New Business 8.a First Reading - Ordinance 25-06 - Dock Ordinance Director of Development Services Minor acknowledged he had not received any comments or suggestions since the Ordinance's last review. He noted that a lot of the existing Dock Ordinance was retained it was just rewritten and reorganized in the new Ordinance. Several recommendations were received from the residents of Seaside Gardens. Residents on the canal will be treated differently than those on the bayous. A boat in any canal less than 70-ft in width cannot extend out more than 20-feet into the canal. Director of Development Services Minor felt with the new Ordinance rather than creating additional non-conformities, some of the current ones would be resolved. Moved by Commissioner Soustek Seconded by Commissioner Oelfke Approved Ordinance 25-06 for First Reading. Discussion: Director of Development Services read the Ordinance title. Motion Approved 8.b First Reading - Ordinance 25-13 - Administrative Approval of Plats and Replats Director of Development Services Minor read the Ordinance title drafted by City Attorney Augello pursuant to SB784. City Attorney Augello stated that the City must adopt the proposed Ordinance. While the Ordinance is not necessarily needed for the city it will not be harmful to adopt it. In addition, the language is required by Statute.

4 Commissioner Whitmore explained how the Legislation was introduced resulting from development action taken by Manatee County. Moved by Commissioner Soustek Seconded by Commissioner Whitmore Motion Approved 8.c Maintenance Agreement - BEJ43 w/FDOT Mayor Titsworth stated that the Agreement was before the City Commission at the request of Commissioner Schaefer. She voiced her concerns stating she was not in favor of it. The Public Works crew were also not in favor. In her opinion, City staff should reach out to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) more frequently requesting they do a better job of cleaning up their property. City Attorney Augello stated the agreement was a stock FDOT agreement and she and they went back and forth a few times. She stated she could not support the contract and that it puts a lot of liability on the City if anything happened. In her opinion, it was not legally sufficient. Commissioner Soustek stated she also was not comfortable with the agreement. Commissioner Oelfke felt the proposed agreement holds has the City doing a lot of work the State should be doing. In addition, it was difficult to determine exactly what locations were being addressed in the agreement and what they would pay the City was extremely low. The agreement also includes the bridge. He felt the City would be outreaching its legal authority. Plus, there are not sufficient staff. He recommended utilizing volunteers for cleanup purposes. Moved by Commissioner Whitmore Seconded by Commissioner Soustek Approved not moving forward with the Maintenance Agreement - BEJ43 as discussed. Discussion: Mayor Titsworth agreed that FDOT should be contacted more often to ensure the areas in question are continually cleaned up. She feels there will be more improvement with the new bridge. Commissioner Oelfke felt the City should move forward and contact FDOT then discuss the situation at a future Work Session. In addition, there are a lot of volunteer groups that the City could assist. Motion Approved 9. Announcements  Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - 9:00 a.m. - 11;00 a.m. - Canvassing Board - Chair Diggins, Commissioner Whitmore, and City Clerk Johnston - Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office  Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Election Day - Island Branch Library - 5701 Marina Drive

5  Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. - Election Canvassing Board - Chair Diggins, Commissioner Whitmore, and City Clerk Johnston - Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office  Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - 10:00 a.m. - Parks & Beautification Committee Meeting - Cancelled  Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - 3:30 p.m. - Planning Commission Meeting  Thursday, November 6, 2025 - 1:00 p.m. - Code Compliance Special Magistrate Hearings - Cancelled  Friday, November 7, 2025 - 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Election Canvassing Board - Chair Diggins, Commissioner Whitmore, and City Clerk Johnston - Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office  Tuesday, November 11, 2025 - Offices Closed - Veteran's Day  Wednesday, November 12, 2025 - 9:00 a.m. - Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee Meeting  Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - New Commission Swearing-In Ceremony, Organizational Meeting w/Regular Meeting and Work Session to Follow  Wednesday, November 19, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. - ManaSota League of Cities Meeting - Town of Longboat Key - 501 Bay Isles Rd, Longboat Key  Thursday & Friday, November 27 & 28, 2025 - Offices Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday 10. Questions and Comments 10.a Questions and Comments from Mayor and City Commission Commissioner Whitmore Commissioner Whitmore thanked Chair Diggins and Commissioner Oelfke for attending Senator Boyd's reception. Commissioner Whitmore expressed the importance of requesting funding with the Legislators in person. Commissioner Oelfke Commissioner Oelfke will be touring the recycling center on Monday, October 29 between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. Mayor Titsworth Mayor Titsworth spoke about the annual Commission elections and that issues including public safety have become political. She was surprised that the recent hurricanes became a political issue this year. Discussion continued relating to the Key Royale Drive speed tables. Chief Tokajer provided a handout and explained that he has access to the average number of vehicles and vehicle speed for every road in Holmes Beach. The information is based on GPS and Satellites. He had information from the last eight months on Key Royale Drive, between Marina Drive and the Key Royale Bridge, for vehicles traveling over 50 MPH in a 25 MPH speed zone. A review of the report followed. Additional reports will be provided once the speed tables go in.

6 With the program available, Chief Tokajer can now retrieve information about speeding for any street. He will provide the City Commission with vehicle speed information relating to 6th Avenue at 43rd Street. Speed tables were requested for that street. Commissioner Whitmore Speed Tables - Commissioner Whitmore stated she does not support speed tables but does support issuing tickets for speeding. She asked where on Key Royale Drive the speed tables were being placed. She stated that there were 400 homes on the other side of the Key Royale Bridge that had no say about the speed tables. Mayor Titsworth confirmed that staff spoke to all neighbors and got permission from the property owners who authorized the speed tables to be placed in front of their homes. Water Taxi - Waterline - Joe Lacy at the Waterline Resort informed Commissioner Whitmore that they have agreed to sell two slips for future use by the Water Taxi. A meeting was held with Director of Development Services Minor to see where the two slips will be located and to determine compliance with Waterline's Site Plan. Halloween Mayor Titsworth announced that staff dress up for Halloween. Any Commissioner wishing to dress up is welcome to attend the potluck luncheon that day. 10.b Questions and Comments from City Attorney None. 10.c Questions and Comments from Staff Chief Tokajer The Police Department had lunch at the Anna Maria Elementary School on National 1st Responders Day. The artwork for the Resource Officer's vehicle was awarded that day. Director of Development Services Minor  As of September 27, 2025, 75 demo permits have been issued.  There have been no issues with cabanas on the beach.  There are a lot of new Vacation Rental owners.  Director of Development Services Minor will present at the October 30, 2025, TDC meeting.  A Safety Class for all Code Compliance Officers will be held at Holmes Beach on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Code Compliance Officers from Manatee County, Town of Longboat Key, and the Cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, and Holmes Beach will be in attendance. City Treasurer Marcotte Announced that the auditors were in the office the previous week for their 2025 preliminary audit review. City Clerk Johnston Congratulated Commissioner Oelfke on his attendance and graduation from the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO 1) two-day program. 10.d Questions and Comments from the Public and Press

7 AMI Sun Reporter Hendricks confirmed the spelling of Addie Javed. 11. Adjournment Chair Diggins adjourned the meeting at 3:05 p.m. _________________________ Stacey Johnston, MMC, City Clerk _________________________ Minutes Approved