Tampa City Council approves multimodal impact fee increase over four years starting June 1st, 2026, and passes bicycle safety ordinance with tiered fines and 90-day education period.

Key People

Alan Clendenin (Council Chairman) — Tampa City Council
- Led meeting and key decision-making on impact fees and bicycle ordinance
Lynn Hurtak (Council Member) — Tampa City Council
- Advocated for amendments to bicycle ordinance including reduced fines and 90-day education period
Bill Carlson (Council Member) — Tampa City Council
- Raised concerns about biking while black precedent and questioned stormwater studies
Naya Young (Council Member) — Tampa City Council
- Newly elected member expressing concerns about criminalizing kids on bikes
Guido Maniscalco (Council Member) — Tampa City Council
- Supported bicycle ordinance based on firsthand complaints about safety issues
Luis Viera (Council Member) — Tampa City Council
- Honored Valerie Soberon and questioned stormwater flooding issues
Valerie Soberon (Vision Zero Advocate) — Community
- Honored for overcoming trafficking and addiction to become traffic safety advocate after daughter’s death
Matthew Sienk (Planning Commission Appointee) — Tampa Heights
- Selected unanimously for Planning Commission position over strong field of candidates
Jon Dinges (Regional Water Resources Lead) — Black & Veatch
- Presented post-hurricane stormwater assessment findings showing record 2024 rainfall and infrastructure needs
Adam Purcell (Interim Transportation Services Director) — City of Tampa
- Presented multimodal impact fee study and recommendations for phased implementation
Kathrin Tellez (Transportation Consultant) — Fehr & Peers
- Technical expert who explained impact fee calculations and justifications

Public Comments

Carroll Ann Bennett — demanding action

Directed at: Development community and city policy Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/economic-policy/impact-fees-and-development-costs|Impact Fees and Development Costs]] Topic: Impact fees and development subsidies

Argued that current low impact fees subsidize development profits and that people creating impacts should pay for infrastructure costs, not existing residents

“We should not be subsidizing profits. We should not be subsidizing people moving here.” “Santa Claus is not going to deliver paving and sidewalks” “The people who are creating the impact should be paying for their impact”

Stephanie Poynor — critical

Directed at: City spending priorities and contractor performance Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/parks/infrastructure-neglect|Parks Infrastructure and Funding]] Topic: Budget transparency and spending priorities

Questioned specific spending items including $325,000 for Gadsden Park deck, $800,000 building inventory, and generator maintenance contracts

“Three-quarters of a million dollars is a lot of money” “These guys have been doing the generator support for four years, and they do a satisfactory job, again, three-quarters of a million dollars spending on generators that did not work last year”

Tarah Bluma — concerned

Directed at: Parks and Recreation budget allocation Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/parks/infrastructure-neglect|Parks Infrastructure and Funding]] Topic: Parks funding and budget process

Criticized moving money from small neighborhood parks to larger projects and lack of transparency in budget documents

“You all want walkable neighborhoods, and you want people to be able to walk to parks, yet you only have $2 million in these small neighborhood park budgets”

Marybeth Williams — supportive

Directed at: Bicycle safety ordinance Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/other/bicycle-safety-and-public-space-conflicts|Bicycle Safety and Public Space Conflicts]] Topic: Bicycle safety ordinance support

Representing Friends of the Riverwalk, strongly supported bicycle ordinance citing safety concerns from large organized bicycle groups and stunt activity

“We’ve seen a significant increase in high speed and unsafe riding behaviors, large organized bicycle groups with stunt activity that has created real conflict in close-call incidents with pedestrians”

Kella McCaskill — demanding action

Directed at: City Council response to community violence Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/police/accountability|Police Accountability and Racial Profiling]] Topic: Racial issues and recent violence

Criticized city’s handling of racial issues and demanded council respond publicly to recent shooting of artist in Ybor

“Don’t do this. Just being a decent human being to find a way to communicate to the people that have to vote for you” “You don’t need nobody approval to be human”

Metesnot (Tony Daniels) — angry

Directed at: Police department and District 5 representative Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/police/accountability|Police Accountability and Racial Profiling]] Topic: Police violence and racial justice

Listed names of Black victims and demanded transparency about recent Ybor shooting, criticized police violence against Black community

“Why isn’t our district 5 representative publicly calling for the name and arrest of the murderer of this black man?” “Black people aren’t even safe at Tampa city council meetings”

Steve Michelini — concerned

Directed at: Bicycle gang behavior and traffic enforcement Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/other/bicycle-safety-and-public-space-conflicts|Bicycle Safety and Public Space Conflicts]] Topic: Bicycle gang safety concerns

Described personal experience with large groups of cyclists blocking traffic and intimidating drivers on Davis Island and other areas

“They intimidated the drivers. They forced them to pull over” “It is distracting and it’s destructive”

Robin Lockett — concerned

Directed at: Bicycle ordinance enforcement Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/police/accountability|Police Accountability and Racial Profiling]] Topic: Bicycle ordinance racial profiling concerns

Warned about potential for racial profiling in bicycle ordinance enforcement, especially in Black communities

“Ticketing, profiling, all of that ends up being harmful for the Black community. And they won’t do it at Riverwalk. But they are coming to the Black community and do it”

David Cornell — concerned

Directed at: Police department staffing and equity Related Issues: [[Tampa/Issues/police/accountability|Police Accountability and Racial Profiling]] Topic: Police representation in Highland Pines

Requested review of underrepresentation of Black police officers in Highland Pines district which is 81% Black

“Very, very few Black officers and this concerns me gravely”

Nadia Askar — demanding action

Directed at: City Council international advocacy Topic: Detained American child in Israel

Urged council to speak out about 16-year-old American from Tampa community detained by Israel since February

“A simple public statement from the council sends a powerful message, and that is that Tampa protects its people even beyond our borders”

Projects & Initiatives

Multimodal Impact Fee Update

Comprehensive update to transportation impact fees that haven’t been raised since 1989, to fund multimodal transportation infrastructure

Owner: Transportation Services Department
Status: approved for first reading December 4
Timeline: Implementation June 1, 2026, phased in over 4 years
Budget: Maximum fees ranging from hundreds to thousands per unit depending on development type
Funding Justification: Current fees are 36 years old and inadequate to fund needed transportation infrastructure
Concerns: Development community worried about shock to development activity
Will fund traffic signals, bike lanes, pedestrian improvements, and other multimodal infrastructure

Bicycle Safety Ordinance

New regulations for bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters on multimodal trails including speed limits, group size restrictions, and stunt prohibitions

Owner: Legal Department and Tampa Police
Status: approved on first reading
Timeline: 90-day education period before enforcement begins
Budget: Tiered fines: $25 first offense, $50 second, $75 third
Funding Justification: Address safety complaints and dangerous behavior on Riverwalk and Bayshore
Concerns: Worries about racial profiling and criminalizing youth bicycle activity
Applies only to multimodal trails, not city streets

Citywide Stormwater Master Planning

Comprehensive stormwater system analysis of all 46 city basins following hurricane flooding

Owner: Applied Sciences
Status: in progress, 50%+ complete on Group 1 basins
Timeline: Group 1 complete February 2026, entire program complete December 2026
Budget: $5 million allocated, 47% expected to be spent by February 2026
Funding Justification: Address flooding issues identified after back-to-back hurricanes
Concerns: Funding gaps for actual infrastructure improvements
Will enable improved flood insurance ratings for residents

South Howard Flood Relief Project

Major stormwater infrastructure project to address flooding in South Tampa neighborhoods

Owner: Utilities Department
Status: design phase funded
Timeline: Design phase ongoing, construction funding not secured
Budget: $65-100+ million total project cost
Funding Justification: Address severe flooding that affected 300+ properties during Hurricane Helene
Concerns: No confirmed funding source for construction phase, may require stormwater fee increases
Controversial among some residents who prefer neighborhood-specific solutions

Charter Review Commission

Citizen commission to review and potentially recommend changes to Tampa’s city charter

Owner: City Council
Status: resolution adopted to establish commission
Timeline: Applications due December 11, appointments December 18, recommendations September 2026
Budget: Legal counsel and facilitation costs
Funding Justification: Regular review of governing document for city operations
Concerns: Need to ensure diverse representation and avoid conflicts of interest
Will have 15 members appointed by council with facilitator and legal counsel

Money & Spending

Varies by development type - up to $31,000+ per 1,000 sq ft for retail — Multimodal transportation infrastructure funded by new impact fees
- Project: Multimodal Impact Fee Update
- Type: new revenue stream
- Payer: Developers of new construction
- Recipient: City Transportation Department
- First increase in 36 years, phased implementation starting June 2026
$774,000 — Gadsden Park improvements including ADA compliance
- Project: Parks infrastructure improvements
- Type: reallocation from small parks budget
- Payer: City of Tampa
- Recipient: Parks and Recreation Department
- Debate: Concerns about taking money from small neighborhood parks fund
- Continued to January 2026 for more details on specific improvements
$350,000 — Julian B. Lane Park dock repairs
- Project: Park maintenance
- Type: reallocation from small parks budget
- Payer: City of Tampa
- Recipient: Parks and Recreation Department
- Debate: Questions about whether large park should use small parks funding
- Part of item continued to January for review
$732,000 — Generator maintenance and support services
- Type: recurring contract
- Payer: City of Tampa
- Recipient: Generator service contractor
- Debate: Concerns about contractor performance after generators failed during hurricane
- Same contractor with only ‘satisfactory’ rating continuing service
$32 million federal grant — HART bus fleet replacement with low-emission CNG buses
- Type: new grant funding
- Payer: Federal government via Congresswoman Kathy Castor
- Recipient: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
- Will replace 33 aging diesel buses, making Tampa first Florida transit agency with 100% low-emission fixed route fleet
$5 million for studies, $300+ million needed for county improvements — Stormwater system studies and improvements
- Project: Stormwater infrastructure
- Type: ongoing capital program
- Payer: City of Tampa and Hillsborough County
- Recipient: Engineering consultants and contractors
- Significant funding gap between needs and available resources

Decisions

Approved multimodal impact fee increase phased in over 4 years starting June 1, 2026
Adopted bicycle safety ordinance with $25/$50/$75 tiered fines and 90-day education period
Appointed Matthew Sienk to Planning Commission unanimously
Continued Gadsden Park and Julian B. Lane funding items to January 2026 for more details
Established Charter Review Commission with 15 members and December 11 application deadline
Approved extensive public outreach for bicycle ordinance education campaign
Continued Davis Boulevard alcohol license to December 4 as first reading with amended hours and no outdoor furniture
Moved Fire Station 24 report to first item on December 18 agenda

Action Items

Legal Department: Draft impact fee ordinance for first reading with 4-year phase-in starting June 2026 (due: December 4, 2025)
Parks and Recreation and Tampa Police: Implement comprehensive public education campaign for bicycle ordinance (due: 90 days after ordinance adoption)
Parks and Recreation Department: Provide detailed breakdown of Gadsden Park improvement plans (due: January 8, 2026)
City Clerk: Launch online application system for Charter Review Commission (due: Early December 2025)
Development Coordination: Revise Davis Boulevard alcohol license site plan with corrected hours and no outdoor furniture requirement (due: December 4, 2025)
City Attorney: Schedule charter review commission attorney meet-and-greet with council (due: Next regular council meeting)
Staff: Provide written updates on construction fees and land development fee studies (due: December 18, 2025)
Transportation Department: Schedule downtown traffic management presentation (due: January 8, 2026)

Risks & Open Questions

Impact fee increases may shock development market and reduce construction activity
Bicycle ordinance enforcement could lead to racial profiling similar to past ‘biking while black’ issues
Stormwater infrastructure needs far exceed available funding, requiring difficult decisions about tax increases
South Howard flood project lacks confirmed construction funding despite $65-100+ million cost
Generator maintenance contractor with only satisfactory performance rating continuing despite hurricane failures
Convention center financial performance concerns with unclear revenue/expense tracking
Downtown traffic management problems creating severe congestion during events
Police staffing shortages affecting ability to enforce new ordinances properly