Council chair to enforce time limits, encourage consensus

The St. Petersburg City Council’s latest chairperson plans to increase enforcement of time limits for official comments. He would also like to mitigate the frequency of split votes.

Council Chair Copley Gerdes advocated for the personal initiatives Jan. 9, his first full meeting at the helm. Most colleagues agreed that seven minutes is enough time for individual comments before taking a vote.

However, several council members noted the need for occasional exceptions. Gerdes also received a more tepid response regarding the council’s ability to regularly reach unanimity.

“I think all of you have seen this from me in the past, and being chair, I probably will push harder for us to come to consensus,” Gerdes said. “I’m not a large fan of seven to one votes, six to two votes, and I think we’re a lot closer than sometimes we feel.”

His announcement intertwines with recent discussions regarding the Historic Gas Plant District’s redevelopment and the Tampa Bay Rays. The council often spoke longer than seven minutes and typically reached 5-3 votes.

Former Councilmember John Muhammad elicited laughter Jan. 2 when he noted Gerdes issued a rare “call to question” amid one of his stadium-related monologues late last year. “It means shut up so we can vote,” said Muhammad, who opposed the city’s deal with the Rays.

Gerdes, a stadium deal proponent, said Thursday that he didn’t want to broach the changes during the Jan. 2 swearing-in ceremony. He said his colleagues could use their seven-minute allotment “all at once,” but he would then ask for a pause if someone else was waiting to speak.

“I’ll probably have some leeway there,” Gerdes added. “It’s not always going to be equal, but I want to be as fair as possible.”

Former Chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders said adhering to the tenuously established time limits would hinge on the topic and council members’ motives.

She also believes everyone deserves an opportunity to offer complete thoughts despite some failed attempts to hasten comments.

“I am a team player and acknowledged our colleagues wanting to take 20 minutes,” Figgs-Sanders said.

The council often has multiple rounds of discussions regarding consequential matters. Gerdes clarified that someone who reaches their seven-minute allotment could receive additional time after waiting for colleagues to speak.

Councilmember Brandi Gabbard noted it is the chairperson’s discretion to enforce time limits or strive for consensus. “I think seven minutes is perfectly reasonable,” she said. “It is our policy and procedure, and I think, for the most part, most of us abide by that.”

Newly elected Councilmembers Corey Givens Jr. and Mike Harting did not offer their thoughts on either initiative. Vice Chair Lisset Hanewicz said the issues typically arose when discussing the Rays or Gas Plant, which was “probably the biggest vote in our history.”

However, those debates will continue throughout the foreseeable future. Council members must soon decide if they will acquiesce to the team’s most recent request and repair a storm-damaged Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 baseball season.

The city will sell bonds in March to finance its contribution to a new ballpark. The Gas Plant’s $6.5 billion redevelopment is a 30-year project.

“My point of bringing this up now was just to get out in front of it,” Gerdes said. “I didn’t want to surprise anybody.”

St. Petersburg City Councilmember Copley Gerdes takes his oath as the incoming chairperson while surrounded by family. Photos by Mark Parker.

While Gerdes realizes he will not “bat 1,000 (%)” on reaching a consensus, he wants the council – at least on most matters – to collectively discern an agreeable path forward. That would mean compromising on many issues.

Hanewicz said she joined Gerdes in the minority on several votes that “would have been very difficult to change.” She noted unanimity is more difficult when issues disproportionately affect a specific district.

“Chair, one of the things I love most about you is the fact you would love to see us gather together and kumbaya around everything we do,” Gabbard said. “But we are elected to represent eight different points of view.

“I’m a realist, and … I don’t want to set up this expectation that we’re going to be able to do that throughout this year.”

Figgs-Sanders said attempting to reach a consensus could prolong official comments. She believes a chairperson “can’t have that much input” and must allow votes to unfold organically.

“But I think we have a good group this year,” Figgs-Sanders continued. “And I pray this year is not like last year – because last year was a doozy. But I think we’ll be fine.”