Attend and speak at public meetings regarding this project
A great way to support this neighborhood is to speak at the upcoming DNC or City Council meetings/hearings on this subject. Please try to make every meeting. Even if you don't plan on speaking, please come to show support. If you need a ride, please contact one of your neighborhood representatives by following this link:
The first meeting is a DNC meeting on April 6 at 10am. This meeting will take place in the City Council Chamber in City Hall. The address is 175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Give yourself plenty of time and please get there early! There is a parking lot to the north of City Hall. It is possible it can only be operated with a credit card or linked to a parking phone app but thbere may be other pay methods. We'll try to have someone there to help our neighbors with parking. You should plan on arriving by 9am so we can meet on the steps outside city hall.
When you enter City Hall, please be respectful and quiet. After going though security (like the airport or baseball game), you will be directed upstairs to the Council Chamber. Again, please be quiet and speak softly. People work in these halls and there is no need to aggravate anyone. If you plan on speaking, you will be required to fill out a card with your name and address. PLEASE CHECK THE BOX INDICATING THAT YOU OPPOSE THE VACATION OF DAVENPORT AVENUE! Everyone filling out a carb will be provided with exactly three minutes to speak. You will be on a timer so practice what you want to say and time it. You will be cut off if you run long. Keep in mind, if we present enough opposition and good reasons, the council likely will not approve the vacation (removal) of Davenport until changes are made. That will be a temporary win for us, but it will not be easy.
Please give accurate information. No "Bart Simpson's, Daffy Duck's or Richard Nixon's unless that happens to be your legal name. Please provide an accurate address. No "Bubbles Lane, Marianas Trenches" or "One Crater Way, Dark Side of the Moon." People have done this in the past and what they have to say is immediately discounted. It's important we are taken seriously. Please leave your personal politics at home. THIS IS NOT PARTY RELATED! This is about saving our way of life in this neighborhood. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND SERIOUS.
To see a sample of a speech, please follow this link:
The first meeting is a DNC meeting on April 6 at 10am. This meeting will take place in the City Council Chamber in City Hall. The address is 175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Give yourself plenty of time and please get there early! There is a parking lot to the north of City Hall. It is possible it can only be operated with a credit card or linked to a parking phone app but thbere may be other pay methods. We'll try to have someone there to help our neighbors with parking. You should plan on arriving by 9am so we can meet on the steps outside city hall.
When you enter City Hall, please be respectful and quiet. After going though security (like the airport or baseball game), you will be directed upstairs to the Council Chamber. Again, please be quiet and speak softly. People work in these halls and there is no need to aggravate anyone. If you plan on speaking, you will be required to fill out a card with your name and address. PLEASE CHECK THE BOX INDICATING THAT YOU OPPOSE THE VACATION OF DAVENPORT AVENUE! Everyone filling out a carb will be provided with exactly three minutes to speak. You will be on a timer so practice what you want to say and time it. You will be cut off if you run long. Keep in mind, if we present enough opposition and good reasons, the council likely will not approve the vacation (removal) of Davenport until changes are made. That will be a temporary win for us, but it will not be easy.
Please give accurate information. No "Bart Simpson's, Daffy Duck's or Richard Nixon's unless that happens to be your legal name. Please provide an accurate address. No "Bubbles Lane, Marianas Trenches" or "One Crater Way, Dark Side of the Moon." People have done this in the past and what they have to say is immediately discounted. It's important we are taken seriously. Please leave your personal politics at home. THIS IS NOT PARTY RELATED! This is about saving our way of life in this neighborhood. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND SERIOUS.
To see a sample of a speech, please follow this link:
Sample letters for individuals involved with construction
Letters sent by your neighbors
Listed below are a series of letters written by neighborhood resident, Mike Barnette, pleading with public officials to provide transparency, fairness and records related to this project. Mike is excellent writer. He quickly gets to the point and then follows up in a very timely fashion. Please follow the links to read his various emails and responses by city officials. If you're writing your own letter, you too can call out some of the same issues Mike has. It helps if city officials are hearing about the same issue from the many people affected by them.
Feb. 16, 2022 - From Mike to Pinellas County School Board and School Board Construction Coordinator, Jason Novisk,
Note: Letter was replied to by Scot Bolyard, Deputy Zoning Official, City of St. Petersburg, there were several follow up emails with have also been added to this link. Note: this is a series of emails beginning with a request for records and evolving into publishing a concern that state and city transparency laws had not be satisfied by a lack of notification to Mangrove Bay Neighborhood residents.
March 15, 2020 From Mike to Scot Bolyard and copied to many others at City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County School Board and other interested parties - NOTE: this is a very powerful letter that spells out a wide array of issues regarding problems with this construction project and the apparent lack of transparency by the city and School Board.
March 16, 2020 From Mike to City Council Chair Gina Driscoll and City Council Member, Ed Montanari - This email expresses concern for an error in the record of the DRC. This page also includes a response by Elizabeth Abernethy, Director, Planning & Development Services, City of St. Petersburg
Feb. 16, 2022 - From Mike to Pinellas County School Board and School Board Construction Coordinator, Jason Novisk,
Note: Letter was replied to by Scot Bolyard, Deputy Zoning Official, City of St. Petersburg, there were several follow up emails with have also been added to this link. Note: this is a series of emails beginning with a request for records and evolving into publishing a concern that state and city transparency laws had not be satisfied by a lack of notification to Mangrove Bay Neighborhood residents.
March 15, 2020 From Mike to Scot Bolyard and copied to many others at City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County School Board and other interested parties - NOTE: this is a very powerful letter that spells out a wide array of issues regarding problems with this construction project and the apparent lack of transparency by the city and School Board.
March 16, 2020 From Mike to City Council Chair Gina Driscoll and City Council Member, Ed Montanari - This email expresses concern for an error in the record of the DRC. This page also includes a response by Elizabeth Abernethy, Director, Planning & Development Services, City of St. Petersburg