William Barrs

The Board of Commissioners conducted a regular meeting covering several critical administrative and operational items. Key discussion topics included the swearing-in of two commissioners, the nomination and election of a Vice-Mayor, and a performance review of the City Manager. The Board authorized on-call disaster recovery services agreements with multiple vendors and approved a shade structure purchase for a local park. Legislative actions included public hearings on budget amendments regarding insurance proceeds for flood damages, repair expenses for dune walkovers, and funding for public safety design and construction. The Board also reviewed fee schedule amendments, summer camp revenue projections, proposed updates to the City Commission rules of procedure, and discussed establishing regulations for future public hearings.

The City of Treasure Island's Comprehensive Plan is being amended to encourage redevelopment through Planned Development and Development Agreements. The plan focuses on facilitating economically viable hotel and mixed-use redevelopment by updating height and density standards in specific land use categories. Key pillars include ensuring infrastructure adequacy, public benefit, compatibility, and compliance with existing Comprehensive Plan policies to support economic development, tourism, and reinvestment in the city.

The primary focus of the meeting was the evaluation process for RFQ 26-009 regarding the Treasure Island Commercial Redevelopment Master Plan. The agenda included conducting interviews with the top three selected firms: Cotleur & Hearing, Raftelis Financial Consultants, and Calvin, Giordano & Associates. Each presentation was allocated 20 minutes, followed by a question period.

The agenda included a proclamation and recognition for Employees of the Year 2025 and a pinning ceremony for a promotion to Fire Lieutenant. The consent agenda covered authorizing window refurbishment, stucco repair, and exterior painting for the Treasure Bay Clubhouse, and awarding contracts for General Consulting Services. Items of Business involved the second and final reading and public hearing for Ordinances 2025-38 through 2025-42 to replace the Terrain Modification Manual with the City of Treasure Island Drainage Manual and update Land Development Regulations. Other actions included the first reading of ordinances related to the FY2026 Fee Schedule and Dune Walkover repair expenses, and a resolution appointing election workers. Discussions also covered reviewing Commission priorities, authorizing the purchase of camera equipment for pipeline infrastructure video inspection, authorizing the construction contract for Dune Walkover Phase 2 Repair Project, approving a proposed settlement for Anand v. City of Treasure Island, and deciding not to devote staff time to recent Local Planning Agency (LPA) requests pending the completion of a Master Plan. The City Manager and City Attorney reports included a request for notice of an executive session regarding pending litigation strategy.

The meeting focused on variance requests related to an existing structure's elevation to comply with current minimum flood elevation requirements. The applicant sought two variances to section 68-541 of the land development code to reduce the minimum side and front yard setbacks to allow for the construction of external staircases. The requested variances were for an 11.8-foot encroachment into the front yard setback (requesting 13.2 feet where 25 feet is required) and a 3.2-foot encroachment into the side yard setback (requesting 6.8 feet where 10 feet is required). The board discussed ensuring that the variance only applies to the staircase and not future new construction, and staff recommended approval, noting unique circumstances justify the variance as strict application of regulations would prevent required exterior egress.