St. Petersburg residents have more to vote on this November than two City Council seats and a runoff for mayor.
There are five city-specific questions at the end of a long Nov. 3 ballot.
There’s one big question on whether to create an additional property tax to accelerate upgrades to the city’s drainage and water treatment systems. A yes vote would authorize using that money to pay off bonds that would finance the investments.
St. Petersburg’s forefathers sought to protect the city’s waterfront and parks. Residents must hold a vote every time that land is relinquished or a longer-term lease is created or modified, according to the city’s charter, which serves as a constitution of sorts.
The charter itself is similarly protected. A separate question seeks to clean up language related to the city’s new voting schedule, which is spelled out in the charter and now conforms with other state and national elections.
Here’s what each ballot question asks of voters.
Enhancing drainage and water treatment
Sea levels are rising, and storms are getting more intense. The city shut down sewage plants in 2024’s back-to-back hurricanes to protect equipment from surge. Those storms laid bare the consequences of deferred maintenance.
The city is working on a priority list of $2.7 billion in drainage and water projects, funded by monthly utility bills, that would take 24 years to finish. To get that work done in 19 years, the city wants to create an additional property tax that would pay for $600 million in bonds to finance that work.
Property owners are expected to pay around $96 on the high end for every $100,000 of taxable property value. Payments would likely be lower initially as the city would take on debt incrementally over time. Bonds would have a 30-year lifespan.
If 60% of voters statewide approve raising the homestead exemption, then owners of high-end properties with more value that can be taxed may see a larger bill.
Examples of potential projects include expanding capacity in canals, creeks and ditches and increasing capacity at stormwater pump stations to reduce flood risk. Replacing pipes and aging storage tanks could prevent drinking water flow disruptions during severe storms. The city also wants to elevate equipment and add buildings capable of withstanding Category 5 hurricane winds to keep sewage treatment functioning and avoid backups into homes.
Representatives from the Suncoast Sierra Club and the Council of Neighborhood Associations voiced support for the referendum. However, they said the city could do more to increase transparency about how the money will be spent and clearly communicate what the referendum would and would not do. A speaker from the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area shared similar sentiments.
A yes vote would approve issuing the bonds and creating a new property tax to make debt payments. A no vote would reject the measure.
Using vacant city-owned land for affordable housing
The city wants to remove nine city-owned lots on the northern and southern boundaries of the Jamestown Apartments and Townhomes, located at 1035 Burlington Ave. N., from the city charter’s map of parkland.
Those properties are designated in the charter as parkland, though the lots do not function as parks but rather as a buffer around the complex. They also attract illegal dumping and other unwanted behavior.
If voters approve taking that land off the park map, the city would like to sell the lots for affordable or workforce housing. The four smaller lots could be used to build four affordable single-family homes. The five larger lots could be used for multi-family development totaling 37 residences.
Residents of the Methodist Town Neighborhood Association told the City Council in July that they had no say in the proposed change. They proposed using that land for a neighborhood garden, more green space or another use.
Authorizing Harborage Marina lease extension
Longer-term leases along the city’s waterfront are also subject to voter approval under the charter.
The Harborage Marina in Bayboro Harbor would like to extend its current lease, which has 22 years left, to 30 years. Representatives from the Harborage said banks want the longer lease before agreeing to finance $2.15 million in upgrades at no cost to the city.
They include 200 linear feet of docks, boat lifts and expanded restrooms. Those parts of the marina would be owned by the city at the end of the lease.
The Harborage estimates that the enhancements would increase the rent paid to the city by $3.5 million over a 30-year period.
Allowing longer leases at Port of St. Petersburg
This ballot question concerns a rule change.
The city charter limits leases at the Port of St. Petersburg to 10 years without approval by citywide referendum. The city is asking voters whether to increase that limit to 25 years.
The change would make leases at the port consistent with those at Albert Whitted Airport next door. It would provide the city additional flexibility to enter into agreements with private users for redevelopment of the port. The amendment would not change the permitted use of the port.
City officials discussed a master plan for the port earlier this year. They say longer leases would help attract private companies and create long-term economic and social opportunities.
Clarifying changes to hold municipal elections in even-numbered years
This vote is technical and says so in this ballot question’s title.
St. Petersburg voters in 2022 approved rescheduling city elections to even-numbered years so, beginning in 2024, they would align with national and state elections.
This ballot question would clean up loose ends in the charter from that change, including aligning the city’s charter-review process with the current election schedule.
