Copley Gerdes
No biography on file yet.
Voice
- Meetings spoken in
- 28
- Total speaking time
- 3:27:59
- Avg per meeting
- 7:26
- Segments
- 3021
Want every word Gerdes has said?
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Top issues during term (20)
287(g) ICE Cooperation Agreement
Flock Safety Camera Contract Review
Speakers cited roughly $730,000 in public spending on the camera program.
SunRunner Corridor Development Intensity
No cost yet — this is just a referral for study; any overlay could later influence property values and development along the trail.
Enhanced Street Outreach Services (Project Firefly)
Up to $650,000 annually plus $78,000 start-up, paid by new parking meter revenue rather than the general fund.
Parking Fee and Penalty Increases
Increased revenue for the parking system; specific amounts not stated.
76th Avenue North sidewalk and traffic safety
Roughly $22,500 for installation plus $20,000–$25,000 labor, if funded.
GO Bond Accountability and Resilience Committees
A GO bond could mean new city borrowing — and potentially voter approval — for major capital projects.
2026 Municipal Primary Election Setup
The order could influence the fate of the $600 million GoBond question and other referenda.
Port of St. Petersburg Master Plan
Concepts are unfunded; estimates range from ~$93M to $163M in today's dollars, excluding soft costs.
Duke Energy rates and municipalization study
Up to $590,000 from the general fund contingency for the study; a future municipalization could cost billions and add roughly $60 or more to monthly bills, though supporters project 20-30% savings.
Rental assistance for tenants facing eviction
$500,000 from city funds.
Albert Whitted Airport Hangar Replacement
Replacement hangars are privately funded at no cost to the city, per the speaker.
Youth gun violence prevention funding
The group requested ~$176,688, a tiny fraction of the ~$1B public safety budget.
School zone speed cameras
Advocates say it's revenue-neutral for taxpayers, but startup costs aren't detailed.
FY2027 Budget and Millage Rate
Your property tax rate ticks up about 1%, adding $14.8 million in revenue largely for public safety pay.
Sidewalk Payment in Lieu of Program costs
The fees developers pay could change, affecting sidewalk funding citywide.
Complete Streets and Pedestrian Safety Funding
Funding roughly doubled to about $1.5 million, but no general fund dollars are currently allocated.
$40.85M in storm-recovery affordable housing awards
$2,328,301 in new federal funds with no local match.
FY27 Utility Rate Increases
A typical monthly utility bill rises about 6.7–7.5% in FY27, with projections calling for similar increases every year through 2031.
Historic Gas Plant cemetery archaeology
Up to $379,896.88 added; task order total now $463,514.27.
Decisions during term (469)
Recorded while Gerdes was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.
Approval of Agenda with Additions and Deletions
Consent Agenda (all items)
Ordinance 653-H — Year-End Budget Adjustments
Ordinance 655-H — Coastal High Hazard Area Density and Height Amendments
Downtown Enhanced Services Agreement with Williams Park Partnership (F.3)
Intergovernmental Agreement with FDOT — 3rd and 4th Streets Two-Way Conversion (F.4)
Trails Crossing Master Plan Acceptance (F.5)
Greenwood Cemetery Historic Landmark Application (G.1)
Enoch Davis Center Auditorium Naming for Rev. Watson L. Haynes II (G.2)
Ortiz Vargas v. City of St. Petersburg Settlement (I.1)
Jones Walker LLP Special Legal Counsel (I.2)
Ordinance 654-H — Coquina Key Park Lagoon Vessel Exclusion Zone (J.1)
Chick-fil-A Appeal — 4201 4th Street North Land Use and Zoning (J.2)
Consent Agenda (see attached)
Ordinance 768-L, amending the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan for the City of St. Petersburg, Florida by changing the Future Land Use Map designation for a 0.26-acre MOL portion of a parcel located at 4201 4th Street North,…
A Resolution approving the Fifth Amendment to the Architect/Engineering Agreement dated October 5, 2023, as amended, between the City of St. Petersburg, Florida and Sweet Sparkman Architects, Inc. (A/E) for A/E to provide additional design…
A Resolution authorizing the Mayor or his designee to execute the updated Local Agency Program Agreement (“Agreement”) between the State of Florida Department of Transportation (“FDOT”) and the City of St. Petersburg, Florida (“City”) for…
A resolution approving a transfer in the amount of $649,000 from the unappropriated balance of the General Fund (0001) to the General Capital Improvement Fund (3001); approving a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $649,000 from…
A Resolution authorizing the Mayor or his designee to execute Task Order No. 25-01-AG/W(A) to the architect/engineering agreement dated October 24, 2025 between the City of St. Petersburg, Florida and Ardurra Group, Inc. (“A/E”) for A/E to…
Accepting a bid and approving award of agreements with W.B. Mason, Co., Inc., Mac Papers & Packaging, LLC, and Inversion Global Servicios LLC for Office Paper Products for the Procurement and Supply Management Department, in the amount of…
Voting record (112)
Oldest to newest — hover a bar for the item.
Downtown Enhanced Services Agreement with Williams Park Partnership (F.3)
Saw downtown investment as the best return for building ad valorem revenue to offset Amendment 3.
Chick-fil-A Appeal — 4201 4th Street North Land Use and Zoning (J.2)
Saw it as different from the earlier denial case because it touches the corridor rather than interior single-family blocks.
Denial — St. Vincent de Paul Affordable Housing Rezone (J.9)
Worried opening commercial zoning interior to the corridor sets a pattern that erodes the neighborhood, amplified by Live Local density.
Approval of Agenda
G.1. Referral of Sidewalk Payment-in-Lieu Program costs to Budget, Finance and Taxation Committee
G.2. Referral of Voluntary Rental Registry discussion to Housing, Land Use and Transportation Committee
I.1. Settlement of Greg Lanning v. City of St. Petersburg workers' compensation claim
Ordinance 143-HL — Meinke House historic landmark (hearing set)
Ordinances 766-L and 801-Z — 2nd Ave N/35th St N rezoning (hearings set)
F.1 — FY2027 Intown/Downtown TIF budget plan
F.2 — FY2027 South St. Pete TIF budget plan
G.1 — Referral: autonomous food delivery services
H.1(a) — Remove two items from HLUT referral list
H.2(a) — Housing Authority reappointment of Meiko Seymour
J.1(a) — Final millage rate 6.4525
J.1(b) — Ordinance 647-H, FY2027 budget appropriations
J.1(c) — Multi-year Capital Improvement Program
CRA.2 — Intown TIF plan recommendation to Council
CRA.3 — South St. Pete TIF plan recommendation to Council
J.1(a) — Adopt proposed FY2027 millage rate of 6.4525 mills
J.1(b) — Ordinance 647-H, FY2027 appropriations ordinance (first reading)
J.1(c) — Adopt FY2027 tentative budget resolution
J.2(a) Ordinance 644-H — FY27 sanitation rates (6% increase)
J.2(b) Ordinance 646-H — FY27 stormwater fee (8.5% increase)
J.2(c) Ordinance 645-H — FY27 water/wastewater rates (7.5% water, 6.5% wastewater, 9.75% reclaimed)
Baker Tilly management evaluation of Billing and Collections (I.1)
Ballot order resolution — option B (J.1)
YIGBY Act resolution of support (H.1)
Referral: citywide AI adoption strategy (H.2)
Referral: Trails Crossing Master Plan update (H.3)
Approval of Agenda
Consent Agenda
FY 2026-2031 Consolidated Plan and FY 2026/27 Annual Action Plan (E.1)
Employer's client relationship with CASA Pinellas, which receives plan funding
Sky Isle (518 3rd Avenue South) loan assignment to Preservation 518, Ltd. (F.2)
Azalea Cay Multifamily Housing Agreement (F.3)
Special events shuttle agreements renewal (F.4)
PRI Enterprises office paper products contract (F.5)
Stormwater and drainage contractor capacity increase (F.6)
Ordinance 1179-V first reading (G.1)
Ordinances 765-L and 800-Z first reading — 3010 58th Avenue South rezone (G.2)
Ordinance 643-H first reading — arts funding FAR bonus (G.3)
J.5 — Ordinance 639-H, Methodist Town lots charter referendum
Years of work went into this plan; changing the language now opens the door too wide.
Approval of Agenda with Additions and Deletions
Consent Agenda (Resolutions 2026-280 through 2026-290)
Referral of Trail-Oriented Development Overlay to HLUT Committee
Municipal Electric Utility (MEU) Feasibility Study — NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC ($590,000)
The study outcome would still cost billions to stand up a utility and $60 million could vanish from next year's budget.