Committee pushes for public CIP mapping, parks inventory and clearer lease process

At its Nov. 5 meeting the St. Pete Beach Budget & Finance Committee pressed staff to increase transparency on capital projects and to publish capital‑project data online.

"We could certainly produce that," Devin (staff member) told the committee when asked to post an Excel spreadsheet of capital items and to develop a mapping tool. Staff described work on an ArcGIS application that would place each capital project on a map showing budget and status, and said it aligns with the committee's earlier requests for a CIP mapping feature.

Members also requested a current list of city parks and their addresses. One member asked whether underused parks could be sold as a potential revenue source; staff said a number of parks appear little used and that the city maintains a list which will be provided to the committee.

Leasing and procurement were also discussed. Staff said the Mary Pier contract contains a 5‑year extension clause but that requested amendments could trigger an RFP if the changes are "significant." For broker services or representation on property leasing the city would follow procurement thresholds; purchases exceeding the staff spending authority would require a formal RFP process.

Why it matters: Publishing capital spreadsheets and a CIP map is intended to clarify how projects were prioritized across neighborhoods and to reduce disputes about geographic distribution of projects. The committee asked staff to draft a capital project prioritization statement the committee can use to explain decision criteria to the public and to present an initial draft at the Feb. 4 workshop. No lease awards or sales decisions were made at the meeting.