C.O.N.A. of South Pinellas County

Board Veterans Tackle A Challenging New Year

Jan 11, 2003

At the January meeting, Mayor Rick Baker will be one of our guest speakers and will swear in our 2003 Board of Directors.

We will also discuss the Albert Whitted Airport proposals, the original Master Plan, the Mayor's alternate proposal and what the City Charter has to say about both.

Elected Officers for the 2003 Board are:

Brent Fisher, President
Karl Nurse, First Vice President
Theresa McEachern, Second Vice President
Conrad Weiser, Secretary
Libby Steele, Treasurer

The 2003 CONA meetings will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at The Sunshine Center, 330 5th St. North. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a social hour; the meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Mark your calendar for the 2003 CONA meeting dates:

January 15 February 19 March 19 April 16 May 21 June 18
July 16 August 20 September 17 October 15 November 19 December 17


President's Message

Dear Neighbors,

Happy New Year! We had a great turnout for our President's Reception in December and heard about all the accomplishments that you had done last year and some of what was planned for this year. Keep up the good work!

This year is starting to look fantastic for all the neighborhoods. To start off this year, the Mayor is coming to the January 15th meeting to give us the "State of the City" address. Mayor Baker is also one of three presenters for the Albert Whitted Airport proposals. The other two are the originator of the airport master plan proposal and an atttorney to talk about the City Charter. I encourage you to bring as many people to the meeting as possible as this is coming before the City Council later this month and may be an issue on the November ballot. Let's get in front of and on top of this discusssion before your members ask what's going on at the airport.

We also have some unfinished business that I hope eveyone has either reviewed from the November CONA newsletter or from attending the traffic calming workshop that was held on the 11th. Thanks again to Cathy Wilson, Greater Woodlawn Neighborhood Association, for spearheading this monumental task.

There are other issues that we, as neighborhood community leaders, need to address for the bettermnet of the entire City, and I look forward to you bringing those issues and concerns to the organization. You make it happen in your neighborhoods and in the City. We have many new leaders in the different neighborhoods and we have many "old" hands that are always available to help anyone that asks. Come to the meeting and meet them all.

On a separate note, I want to thank Dorothy Gilliam for her dedication to the 13th Street Neighborhoods Association. She has truly been a great leader in her community and a tremendous asset to this entire City. I know that even after 22 years of running the 13th Street Neighborhood Association that she will still be involved in her neighborhood and I hope to still have her involved in issues that affect the City.

Looking forward to seeing you a the meeting on Janauary 15th at the Sunshine Center.

Sincerely,

Brent

December Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

The December C.O.N.A. meeting was held on December 18th, 2002, at The Sunshine Center, 330 5th St. North, St. Petersburg, Florida.

President Brent Fisher called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the pledge to our flag.

?˜ Brent called for approval of our November Minutes as published. [Approved]
?˜ We then heard the Treasurer's Report indicating a balance of $2,885.00 with a Leadership Account of $287.00. Brent noted that our 2003 Leadership Class was fully enrolled.
?˜ Neighborhood Association representatives rose to present their annual progress reports. We heard from Mobel Americana Resident Owner?’s Association, North Kenwood N/A, Broadwater Civic Association, Fossil Park N/A, Causeway Isles N/A, Old Southeast N/A, Historic Kenwood N/A, Asian FACE, Historic Roser Park N/A, Jungle Terrace Civic Association, Central Oak Park N/A, Mel-Tan Heights N/A, Lakewood Estates Civic Association, North Downtown N/A, Crossroads Area Homeowner's Association, Meadowlawn N/A, Winston Park N/A, Greater Woodlawn N/A, Harbordale N/A, and Bartlett Park N/A.
?˜ Steve Plice, (Jungle Terrace), speaking as Chair of the Nominations Committee called for election of the slate of unopposed CONA candidates for 2003. [Approved]
?˜ Karl Nurse, (Old Southeast), briefly reported on Codes Enforcement.

Old Business
?¨ Cathy Wilson, (Greater Woodlawn), reminded us of a training workshop, focused on Traffic Calming, scheduled for Saturday, January 11th at 2 p.m.

New Business
?¨ Karl Nurse urged a special CONA meeting on the theme "Neighborhood Agenda", preceding the City Council Budget approval meeting. He further proposed such a meeting in the form of a Saturday Seminar to outline the important CONA agenda themes for 2003.
?¨ Brent Fisher announced that our 2003 meetings would be at the Sunshine Center.
?¨ Our January meeting will include swearing in our officers by Mayor Baker.
?¨ February 22nd will be CONA Night for the show Manhattan Casino.

Our meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Conrad Weiser, Secretary


Editor's Note and Corrections

I apologize in advance for any typographical errors or copy corrections in this issue. I was not able to proof-read it prior to publication.

Last month, I listed Jim Biggerstaff as President of Disston Heights Neighborhood Association. Most of you know that Paul Rivard is the President, not Jim. My apologies to Paul and Jim.

Paula Engel, Editor

Try Mentoring: It?’s Good for the Heart!
by Gail Eggeman, Manager, Grants Administration, City of St. Petersburg

Need a New Year's Resolution that you can keep? Try mentoring: it's good for the school system; it's good for our local economy; it's good for a very lucky student; and you are bound to get more out of it than you put into it. You can now get information and an application about mentoring from the City of St. Petersburg's website. For up-to-date training sessions contact information through a mentoring hotline -- either a phone number or the E-mail address; the school volunteer coordinator can answer questions about getting started and their school. It's easy and rewarding. The website is www.stpete.org/mentors.htm.


City Beautiful Commission Needs New Members
by Timothy Bryant, Treasurer, City Beautiful Commission

The ?“City Beautiful Commission?” is looking for a few new members. The ideal candidate is a St. Petersburg resident who is currently active in his or her neighborhood organization and is concerned with the appearance of the city. Interested candidates should send a brief, informal resume to Mary Campbell, Park Operations Manager, 1400 19th St. N., St. Petersburg, 33713. She will submit them to City Counsel for nomination to the Commission. Commission meetings are at 3:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month and last about an hour and a half. Commission members are expected to devote an additional 5 hours per year to commission activities.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to please everybody." ----- Bill Cosby, Actor & Comedian


A View From My Front Porch
by Chris Kelly, Roser Park

The greatest change in Pinellas electoral politics since single member
County Commission districts will come to pass on January 23, when Session 2 of the 108th Congress begins. In Washington D.C., Congressman Jim Davis will be sworn in as representative of District 11, which has been redrawn to include a large section of southern St. Petersburg and the majority of the neighborhoods that comprise Midtown.

In 2002, the Florida Legislature redrew voting districts in such a way that Representative C. W. Bill Young will retain much of central Pinellas, and almost the entire waterfront in St. Petersburg (in one of the more curious quirks of legislative action, Rep. Young's current office in downtown St. Petersburg will also be included in Davis' new district). We should all encourage and expect Rep. Jim Davis to strengthen his ties to District 11 voters in south St. Petersburg, perhaps by inviting him to tour our neighborhoods, speak with groups of interested voters and to open a satellite office on this side of the Bay.

Further, we should encourage the leaders who have emerged from south St. Petersburg to reach across the bay to Tampa, to build name recognition and alliances that will allow for a successful Congressional campaign. Frank Peterman, Ken Welch and Earnest Williams come to mind as only the most likely contenders should Rep. Davis consider a campaign for Senate or statewide office in the years to come. The biggest surprise for me would be if Davis remains in the House for a third as long as his predecessor, Sam Gibbons (34 years). Since Rep. Young's tenure (32 years) and position as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee seem secure for as long as he desires the seat, there was little opportunity for south St. Petersburg politicians to advance until redistricting.

Regardless of who fills the seat, the opportunities presented to an emerging leadership are suddenly real, and will certainly make for interesting watching.

Congressman Jim Davis's office can be reached at (813) 354-9217, or by writing: Congressman Jim Davis, 3315 Henderson Blvd., Suite 100, Tampa, FL, 33609.


Partnership Notes

Neighborhood Partnership Awards

Watch your mailbox for the Neighborhood Partnership award applications in the near future. We will be looking for nominations for Up and Coming Association, President of the Year, Association of the Year, Best Newsletter, Neighborly Neighbor, and Best Neighborhood Project. Awards will be presented at the Spring Neighborhood Summit social.

Neighborhood Partnership Grants to be Approved

Thirteen Neighborhood Partnership Grants are being recommended to City Council for award. City Council will vote on January 9, 2003. An approximate total of $141,000 will be awarded. Staff will work with the grant recipients in late January 2003 to sign the contracts.

Three Neighborhood Plans to go to Policy & Planning Committee

The Fruitland/Casler Heights, Mel-Tan Heights and Euclid-St. Paul's Neighborhood Plans are scheduled to be reviewed by the City Council Policy & Planning Committee on January 16, 2003. Following their review they will be scheduled for full City Council review, public hearing and final acceptance. After final acceptance, there will be 22 approved neighborhood plans.

For more information on these or other items, please contact the Neighborhood Partnership Department at 892-5141.

CODES COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE DEPARTMENT
by Sally A. Eichler, Director Codes Compliance Assistance Dept., City of St. Petersburg

The current codes compliance process is a result of goals and priorities established by three community based Codes' Task Forces which convened in 1993, 1995 and 1997. These Task Forces consisted of city residents, city staff, neighborhood and business leaders who were concerned with turning around declining neighborhoods, continued maintenance of stable neighborhoods and protection of property values and investments.

Every notice of violation sent out by the Codes Compliance Assistance Department (CCAD) states "The neighborhoods and structures in St. Petersburg require maintenance to stay in good condition. The condition and appearance of every building and surrounding landscaping help to make our neighborhoods nice places to live and are often important to the health and safety of residents. This is why we ask all property owners to comply with the property maintenance standards in St. Petersburg."

Unfortunately, not all property owners take the necessary steps to maintain their property without government involvement. That is why citizens have asked government to create and enforce minimum maintenance standards for structures, yards, residential lots and business sites. Enforcement of these minimum standards protect surrounding property owners and tenants who might otherwise suffer substandard conditions where they live and work. Effective code enforcement directly impacts the stability of property values and promotes public safety, security and comfort.

CCAD staff inspect a variety of code violations, send notices and conduct appropriate legal processes to achieve code compliance. Violations include property and yard maintenance and zoning compliance. The Department puts a high priority on voluntary compliance through person-to-person communication and education in the form of scheduled meetings at properties and in the office, telephone conversations, door hangers, attendance at City Team and neighborhood association meetings and televised Code Enforcement Board meetings.

Code Compliance Process

Code cases originate either by complaint or through field survey. At the initial inspection, the investigator determines whether or not a violation exists, and offers information about city codes and services to help the owner or tenant understand what is required to comply with the code. The investigator makes a report of the inspection to be entered into the computer database. The City must deliver notice of violations to the property owner of record and provide reasonable time to correct the violations. A specific time frame is established for reinspection of the property to evaluate progress toward compliance. Investigators receive a daily list of the reinspections which are due.

Investigators work with property owners to provide information, offer assistance from appropriate programs for those physically or financially unable to comply, and grant reasonable extensions for work in progress. When a case is referred to an assistance program, the property conditions are monitored, but enforcement is not pursued as long as the property is involved in the assistance process. When extensions are granted, a new reinspection date is established. When compliance is achieved, the case is closed. If a property is sold and the violations remain, a new case is opened and the process begins again with notification to the new owner.

Often, formal legal action progresses faster for properties which are vacant and not secure, inoperative motor vehicles, overgrown vegetation and any hazardous situation which poses an immediate threat to public safety. For these more urgent cases, the investigator initiates formal contact with the property owner to notify them that the conditions must be remedied. When there is no response from the owner and the violation is not resolved, the City will take action to secure the vacant property or cut the grass, with the costs of these actions assessed against the property.

Caseload

In 2001, the Codes Compliance Assistance Department opened 24,203 new cases. Of these, 10,789 (44.6%) were originated through citizen complaints, 12,324 (50.9%) were initiated by codes investigators and 1,090 (4.5%) originated from other sources. Overall, the department conducted a total of 82,835 inspections and sent 46,720 letters.

Commonly Observed Violation Types

Violation 1998 1999 2000 2001
Inoperative Motor Vehicle 2,836 3,019 3,009 2,871
Paint Main Structure 1,682 1,513 1,471 2,362
Overgrowth 5,708 6,648 5,320 6,635
Paint Accessory Structure 406 399 335 270
Roof Disrepair 432 404 496 490
Fence Disrepair 668 726 888 890
Fascia/Soffit Disrepair 486 522 655 622
Over Height Fence/Wall/Hedge 122 117 1,054 220
Junk/Rubbish/Prohibited Outdoor Storage 3,059 3,665 4,890 4,192
Structure Numbers 515 502 416 449
Domestic Equipment 1,442 1,541 1,378 1,601
Yard Parking 1,453 2,172 2,077 2,286
Permits Required 1,106 1,006 1,177 1,521


Code Enforcement Board

When a property owner fails to make progress to correct violations, the investigator notifies the owner that the case will be scheduled for the Code Enforcement Board (CEB). Pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 162.12, before a case may be heard, the owner(s) must be notified of the CEB's potential action. The CEB confirms the existence of violations, orders compliance time limits, and certifies penalty liens for failure to correct violations within the CEB ordered time frames. In 2001, 34.4% of cases scheduled for the CEB agenda were closed and 25.0% of the cases were removed from the agenda due to change of ownership, assistance programs, etc. This resulted in 40.6% of the cases actually being heard by the board.

Municipal Ordinance Violations

The municipal ordinance violation (MOV) process is an additional enforcement method used to obtain compliance with the city code. The MOV process is a more formal judicial process which can result in payment of fines and costs, ranging from $35 to $160 for the first offense (fine can increase for successive MOV's) or through a trial conducted in misdemeanor court where a judge may determine guilt and assess fines/costs. The MOV process may be used instead of, or in addition to, the Code Enforcement Board process. The MOV is particularly useful when a violation is not continuous but recurs (such as front yard parking), since a fine may be imposed for any day a violation exists. This differs from CEB where a violator might avoid a penalty if the violation is temporarily relocated just prior to CEB, which means for the purposes of CEB, the violation no longer exists. In 2002, 470 MOV's were issued.

Municipal Ordinance Violations

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001
# MOV's 382 595 482 470

Securing Vacant and Open Structures

Vacant and open structures pose a hazard to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of St. Petersburg. Should the property owner fail to secure the structure following the required notification, the City Code provides the authority for the City to secure these structures with the cost assessed to the property owner in the form of a special assessment. Because the securing process can result in substantial costs, the City code requires several steps to advise the property owner of the City's pending action. This includes notice to the owner, recording a notice of intent, and legal advertisement of the intended action. Once a structure is secured by the City, it is monitored as "vacant and boarded" and is reinspected approximately every 60 days. The following table illustrates the number of cases initiated for vacant and open structures. The second table below shows the decline in the number of vacant and boarded structures since the CCAD began tracking these structures in 1994.

Vacant and Open Structure Cases Initiated

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001
# Cases Initiated 839 763 742 594

Vacant & Boarded Structures

Report Date 8/3/94 2/22/95 10/4/96 11/19/97 12/16/98 11/1/99 12/1/00 12/3/01
# of Structures 803 720 622 582 523 481 376 314


Overgrowth

Property owners are required to maintain vegetation including mowing grass, and trimming hedges and trees, according to specific criteria outlined in the City Code. The property owner must be notified of violation conditions and given a reasonable time to comply. If the owner fails to bring the property into compliance, the property is referred to the Sanitation Department whose crews mow, trim, edge and clear rubbish from the property. The costs of these activities are charged as a special assessment to the property owner. The following table illustrates numbers of overgrowth cases.

Overgrowth Cases

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001
# of Cases 6,305 6,902 5,614 6231


Demolition of Unsafe Structures

The city ordinance provides authority to condemn and demolish structurally unfit and unsafe structures with the cost of such activities assessed against the property. For the year 2001, 72 structures were demolished by the City through this program. An additional 48 structures were demolished by property owners after notification by the City. Twenty eight structures were brought into compliance by the owner after notification. In twenty two cases, the Building Official's decision to condemn the structures was appealed.





Editor?’s Note: Sally Eichler is a native, life-long resident of St. Petersburg. She received a B.A. degree in Business Management form Eckerd College in 1978 and began working for the City of St. Petersburg in 1979. She has been responsible for many programs and special compliance efforts in city management and the Codes Compliance Assistance office during the past twenty years.

In 1999, Ms. Eichler was promoted to Director, Codes Compliance Assistance Department, where she is currently responsible for the implementation of code compliance strategies for municipal codes including environmental, building, zoning, property maintenance and city condemnation concerns. She directs a staff of 45 people, a $2.2 million budget and operation of the City?’s Code Enforcement Board.

Codes Compliance Brochures Available from the City of St. Petersburg

Here is a list of the brochures currently available from the Codes Compliance Assistance Department, City of St. Petersburg. For additional information, please call Codes Compliance Assistance at 893-7373.

Saint Petersburg Up to Code:
New Information for Responsible Property Owners
Building Permits:
City Code Chapter 8, Building & Building Regulations
Address Numbers:
City Code Chapter 8, Sections 8-3
Paint:
City Code Chapter 8, Section 8-303
Inoperative Motor Vehicles: City Code Chapter 8,
Sections 321 (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E)
Condition of Structures:
City Code Chapter 8, Sections 234, 297-303, 316-335, 366-380
Unsafe, Vacant & Boarded Structures:
City Code Chapter 8, Sections 8-366
Rodent & Insect Control:
City Code Chapter 8 & 9, Sections 8-303 (D) (6) & 19-2
Yard Maintenance Standards:
City Code Chapter 16, Section 1064-1074
Illegal & Abandoned Dwelling Units:
City Code Chapter 29, Sections 29-2, 29-50, 29-112 (A), (B), & 29-113
Where to Park:
City Code Chapter 29, Section 29-209
Visibility Triangle Regulations:
City Code Chapter 29, Section 192
Parking Commercial Equipment:
City Code Chapter 29, Sections 209 (C)
Prohibited Businesses:
City Code Chapter 29, Sections 218, 285, 305, 325, 425, 445, 505, 525, & 550
Outdoor Storage:
Junk & Rubbish:
City Code Chapter 29,
Residential Zones;
Chapter 8, Section 321; & Chapter 16, Section 1011-1013


Neighborhood Accomplishments: 2002-At-A-Glance

Mobel Americana Resident Owner?’s Association
In September 2001 we applied for a grant from the Forfeiture Fund of SPPD and were awarded monies to purchase new radios for our Crime Watch Park Patrol. We received the check for this purchase in February 2002.

In September 2002 we again applied for a grant from the Forfeiture Fund of SPPD and were recently informed that we had been awarded monies to purchase a used golf cart for our Crime Watch Park Patrol which is manned by our volunteers. We have completed this purchase and will be up and running very soon.

Conrad Weiser and I combined some great words together in our requests and the requests were approved!

Also, for the past year and one-half, all of our seawalls have been replaced because of the recent severe storms and high tides. Boats making wakes are also a factor in this kind of damage.

You can see we?’ve been busy running to the bank for more money and quite often, but it has been well worth all the efforts as we have one of the most beautiful mobile home parks in St. Petersburg.
..............submitted by Barbara Magada


Dear CONA, December 9, 2002

The LiveArts Peninsula Foundation is pleased to have you as a community partner. Following are the details regarding your group?’s benefit performance of THE MANHATTAN CASINO, the New 22nd Street South Musical.

On behalf of CONA, we have put on hold 32 seats (4 roundtables) at $35 per seat and 32 seats (4 rectangular tables) at $25 per seat for the Saturday, February 22, 8 p.m. performance at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg.

Please have your members and friends make their checks payable to: The LiveArts Peninsula Foundation. Also, be sure to tell them to come early and enjoy the featured Gospel Choirs who will sing 30 minutes before the performance.

Please mail the checks with a letter indicating how many seats at each price level are being purchased to: Bill Leavengood, LiveArts Peninsula Foundation, 10 Fifth Street North, Suite #240, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701.

We need to receive your checks and ticket requests by January 15, 2003. You may bring your checks to the January 15th CONA meeting. After this date, any tickets which we are holding for your group that have not been purchased will be released to LiveArts for public sale.

For your convenience and ours, we ask that your ticket order include the name, number, and price level of tickets for each order. In this way, we can have each person?’s ticket(s) waiting for them under their name at the WILL CALL window of The Coliseum Box Office to be picked up in advance or on the date of the performance.

Once we have received your checks and reservations, LiveArts will send you a check made payable to CONA equivalent to 20% of your group?’s total ticket purchase. In addition, your group will be recognized from the stage before our chosen performance during the pre-curtain speech.

We look forward to seeing you at THE MANHATTAN CASINO!

Sincerely,

Bill Leavengood
LiveArts Peninsula Foundation ?• 565-0196 ?• bill@liveartspen.com

Around Town

St. Petersburg 300/100 Anniversary Exhibit
The St. Petersburg Museum of History is hosting the exhibit ?“St. Petersburg, Russia, St. Petersburg, Florida: Namesake Cities?” starting on January 6th. St. Petersburg, Russia, is commemorating the 300th anniversary of its founding by Peter the Great in 1703, and St. Petersburg, Florida, is celebrating the centennial of its incorporation as a city in 1903.

From Russian dolls and a 5,000 ruble bank note with a picture of Peter the Great on it, to the inception of St. Petersburg, Florida, visitors can explore the rich heritage of both cities through panels, exhibit cases with artifacts from both Russia and Florida, and a video. Call 894-1052 or visit the website at www.stpete.org/100.htm.

Flock to the ?“Flamingo Fling?” on January 19th!
Forget your winter blues and visit the Sunken Gardens for everything pink and wild. Family activities, wildlife shows and more will take place at the Gardens on January 19th, 1825 4th St. N. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is free with park admission: $7 for adults, $5 for age 55-plus and $3 ages 3 to 11. Call 551-3100 or visit website www.stpete.org/gardens.htm.

Martin Luther King Commemorative Leadership Awards
On Monday, January 20th, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. you can attend the Martin Luther King Commemorative Leadership Awards Breakfast at The Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. North. A keynote speaker will be featured along with presentations of scholarships and awards. Advance reservations are required by calling 864-4191. Event venue details available at 892-5202 or www.stpete.org/coliseum.htm.


How to Post a Message on ?“Neighborhoodlink.com?”

It?’s really quite simple! There is no password requirement. Anyone can post any schedule or announcement on of for any neighborhood.

The ?“password feature?” is only used by the appointed "Coordinator" for
each neighborhood. [Typically, simply the first person who volunteers to
serve!] Only the coordinator has authority to delete an item from the
schedule, and they cannot be "edited" once posted.

This is the sequence:
1. Go to the homepage of the neighborhood you want to post on.
[If you don't know the address, enter the ZIP code and scan the list
for neighborhoods there.]
2. Click the mouse arrow on the ?“COMMUNITY CALENDAR?” icon.
3. Click on the word link ?“Add an Event?”.
4. Click on the word link ?“Add a Notice?” which appears above any calendar events already posted.
5. Scroll down page and select date and time in small windows.
6. Tab down to "Notice" box, type in description of event.
7. Fill in windows for Address and Contact (your name or program
chairman).
8. Fill in Details text box. [This text is displayed with the calendar
only if the viewer mouse clicks on the blue word link in the Events
column of the calendar].
9. Last but NOT Least.....Mouse click on the SAVE button. Wait for task
to complete (see "thermometer" at bottom window).


Free Info for Editors!
NeighborhoodLink has several frequently updated texts that are free to copy. Both appear on the ?“Your Neighborhoodlink.com?” home pages, (opening screen), near the bottom on the lower left under "Neighborhood Link Resources".

One link is titled "Online Press Room", with a variety of late information. The other link is called "Neighborhood Link Update" which is a PR (Press Release) that is updated monthly and is provided specifically to yield "Fresh" filler for newsletter editors.