Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee

1 MINUTES City of Holmes Beach Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee February 12, 2025, 9:00 a.m. Patricia A. Geyer Commission Chambers 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach FL 34217 Present: Marty Hicks, John Kolojeski, Jennifer Miller, Mike Pritchett, Ron Huibers Absent: Jeff Drinkard, William Romberger Also Present: PW Superintendent Kamiya, Commissioner Schaefer _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Review and Approval of Minutes Moved by Ron Huibers Seconded by Marty Hicks Motion Approved 3.a June 12, 2024 3.b January 8, 2025 4. Review 2025 Priorities to Develop Action Plan Education & Advocacy Chair Miller discussed her meeting with the Mayor to discuss her new role and responsibilities as chairperson of the committee. One of the take aways was to build on the priority of Advocacy & Partnering to maintain the focus on key items and develop additional things we can do for a more local and immediate impact. She suggested starting with the Islanders for Clean Water activity calendar and doing what we can to educate and partner with the various activities be it Tampa Bay Estuary programs, Suncoast Water Keepers, etc. Marty mentioned the idea of using the calendar was good way for us to stay connected and keep the various clean water related activities on our radar screen. Chair Miller stated she would like the committee members to provide monthly updates of activities of some of our partners, such as Tampa Bay Estuary, Suncoast Waterkeepers, The Anna Maria Center, MOTE, and Captains for Clean Water. Marty volunteered to check committee files for the list of partner organizations used to assign a partner organization to each member so that we can revisit/refresh partnering assignments. At this point Ron pointed out these discussions probably qualify as ex-parte meetings and asked Commissioner Schaefer to give a quick overview of how the commission handles these.

2 And, under awareness, Ron mentioned messaging in the local papers (at least once a month) and social media. Tie the ads in with the ICW calendar. Chair Miller mentioned she would be attending a MOTE function within the next few days. Said she was asked questions about the possible Red Tide solutions they have in the works. Legislation The next discussion centered on Legislative activities and the need for the committee to be aware of any bills to determine if we can advocate for them. Chair Miller mentioned she found two bills related to clean water and costal resilience, however, there is no need for immediate action needed at this time. Also, said she would take the lead in drafting a “committee letter” to Local County and State Representatives regarding the wastewater discharges by the City of Bradenton that occurred during the recent storms. Basically, the question is, “What is their plan to correct these issues?” Commissioner Schaefer mentioned there is another issue involving the City of Bradenton proposing to increase building density and more deployment in coastal areas. Drinking Water Quality Next topic centered on PFAS. Chair Miller suggested distributing information to the city regarding filter recommendations. John took it a step further and suggested we recommend to the commission that no vendor be allowed to sell bottle water in the city that has not undergone Reverse Osmosis. It’s the only process that eliminates PFAS as well as micro plastic, which no one knows very much about. Basically the micro plastic issue is PFAS 30 to 40 years ago. John went on to say retailers have the right to sell what they want. At least if we make recommendations re what’s safe water, people can ask informed questions and make their purchases accordingly. Commissioner Schaefer to discuss possible next steps with the commission. Ron mentioned item on April calendar re Plastics and that this would be good time to revisit/distribute/publish PFAS information. Local Business Support Chair Miller asked if there is a way to work with local businesses to get sponsorship to provide/sell reusable bags instead of plastics. Also need to work with rental companies to include reusable bags in rental packages. Terry Schafer will set up an introductory meeting between Chair Miller and Terri Kinder President of the AMI Chamber of Commerce.  Use themes to promote  Put information about water and how it is affected  Use Chamber business card exchange for marketing ideas  Terry Kinder/Carol Whitmore would be helpful for ideas to promote  Waste Pro has been involved, could possibly sponsor  Islanders for Clean Water John mentioned White House now taken position to reverse trends for reducing use of plastics. E. Mitigation Superintendent Kamiya reported that aerators are on tap and have been given go ahead for 2 canals, with a third in progress. Stuck on permitting. SWFWMD asking for study, delaying. There is no action for the CWC at this time. The CWC briefly discussed building awareness around the “HAB Thermometer developed by Superintendent Kamiya and promoting through the website the number for residents to call should there be a significant buildup of Sea grass algae blooms or fish kills!

3 City of Bradenton water issues City reports to FDEP, CityofBradenton.com/report of events? Why isn’t Bradenton being held accountable? Water affects all surrounding cities. Need to build community awareness to push city to do something. Infrastructure in poor shape, very expensive, not an easy fix. Ron mentioned that there are requirements, but the time frame is too long. At annual Manatee County Delegation meeting, Bradenton made request for significant funding for improvement of their clean water responsibilities. Keep after county as well! Recommendations Ron suggested to ask Matt, when creating ads, to recommend aquatic thrusters to residents. They should be aware that this is something they could do. Then, nature can do the work! Chair Miller recommends enlisting assistance on Harvester. Consider working with county and giving recommendations on work that’s been done to make it work. Commissioner Dan Diggins is now our rep on TDC. He is supportive of Holmes Beach looking at harvester and using as multi-jurisdictional tool. Recommend attending TDC meeting to see what can be done to go forward and support: Mayor to speak up? Improving local water quality Chair Miller spoke with Mayor Titsworth about “Drug Drop Off” program: Bin to dispose of pharmaceuticals. Unused pharmaceuticals are often flushed, go into water, treatment plants are unable to take out. Disruptive to water. A study showed that redfish in Tampa Bay are most affected by pharmaceuticals. J.T. reported collection of hazardous waste after hurricanes. Need to build on programs already in place: Hazardous Waste collection at Coquina Beach – more convenient than County collection on Lena Rd. Need to promote, make it easier to dispose of waste. J.T. will speak to liaison of Waste Pro to make efforts for cleanup, list of concerns. Need to publicize clean ups. City Clerk Johnston is putting things on calendar. Should also use social media, get schools involved. Ron suggested putting a QR code on Welcome To sign, that would include information on how to help Joe mentioned the city and police department both have FB pages: could have “Message of the Month”, visuals (go through Matt) Questions for Chief Drug Drop Off bin. Is picked up twice a year, must be locked up. People put things in that shouldn’t be in, make it dangerous. Has to be boxed/bagged before pick up. May have to be inventoried – overwhelming. Suggestions: should involve medical profession such as CVS, Walgreens, Publix. Off island stores do have drop offs. Follow up with stores on island to seek permission. 5. Additional Business

4 Irrigation/Fertilizer Marty will be cross reference Best Management Practices handbook. Irrigation element, focus on fertilizers, rain sensors. Landscapers have stickers for fertilization certificate. Irrigation should be regulated as well. Marty sent an email to Chad asking what is said during training. 6. Questions and Comments 6.a Questions and Comments from Clean Water Committee Members None. 6.b Questions and Comments from Mayor and City Commission Commissioner Schaefer mentioned the draft of the Mangrove Bill which addresses concerns of city and permitting. Affects all 3 island cities and Longboat Key. Focus on education of mangroves. Need full support: Write letters to local delegations. George Kruse holding Town Hall Meeting 2/19, at Island Library 6-8pm. His meetings have been very informative. Would be good time to have Harvester mentioned. Pat Morton has resigned and is moving to West Virginia to be near family. Nominations and replacement to be discussed at next commission meeting. Look at previous candidates. Ron brough up the “Elevate Florida” program. Individuals can apply for resiliency for water. Grant program 75/25% price sharing. Just opened up. Quazi State/Federal program. 6.c Questions and Comments from Staff None. 6.d Questions and Comments from The Public and Press AMI Sun reporter Joe Hendricks mentioned the Elevate Florida program had been discussed at the Anna Maria City Commission meeting recently. Also there are at least a dozen home Anna Maria home owners that have applied to the program. 7. Confirm Next Meeting Date, March 12, 2025 - 9:00 AM 8. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 a.m. Minutes Prepared by: Mike Pritchett Minutes Approved: March 12, 2025