St. Pete Votes: Changes To City Elections, Dali Museum Lease Possible

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — In addition to casting a ballot in statewide and county races on Tuesday, St. Petersburg voters will also have a say on four local issues.

Voters will determine the future of two charter amendments and two referendums, deciding whether they pass. They’ll be asked to vote “yes” or “no” — whether they support or not — each proposed amendment and referendum question.

Here’s a breakdown of the charter amendments and referendum questions on this year’s ballot.

No. 1 Charter Amendment: Rescheduling Municipal Elections to Occur in Conjunction with National and State Elections in Even Years

The City Charter currently requires elections for Mayor and Council Members to occur in odd-numbered years. Shall the Charter be amended to hold those elections in conjunction with national and state elections in even-numbered years beginning in 2024? That change will extend the term of current City elected officials by approximately one year and is intended to increase voter turnout, add early voting at no additional cost, and reduce cost to the City.

Currently, the city charter requires that mayoral and city council elections take place on odd-numbered years, according to the city website.

A “yes” vote supports changing these municipal elections to even-numbered years in conjunction with state and national elections starting in 2024.

A “no” vote opposes moving these elections to even-numbered years, which means they’d continue on their current schedule of odd-numbered years.

The city said the potential move is intended to increase voter turning. It would also reduce costs for the city, as early voting would be provided at no additional costs.

If this charter amendment passes, the term of current city elected officials would be extended by about one year to accommodate the schedule changes without affecting term limits, the city added.

No. 2 Charter Amendment: Changing City Council Residency Requirements to Accommodate Redrawing District Boundaries Through the Redistricting Process

The City Charter establishes residency requirements for City Council candidates and members. Shall those requirements be amended to accommodate redrawing Council district boundaries through the redistricting process and clarify related provisions? That amendment would allow candidates to satisfy the existing residency requirement through a combination of residency within new and previous district boundaries and allow affected members to complete their terms following redistricting as long as they maintain residency within previous or new district boundaries.

The city is currently redrawing its city council districts through the redistricting process. To represent a specific district, city council members and candidates must live in that district.

A “yes” vote for this amendment supports amending the city council residency requirements to allow current council members to complete their term following redistricting as long as they remain residents of the previous or new district.

A “no” vote opposes amending the city council residency requirements allowing current council members to complete their term following redistricting as long as they remain residents of the previous or new district.

This only affects sitting city council members. All candidates, including incumbents, would be required to establish residency within the new boundaries when qualifying to run for office.

No. 1 Referendum Question: Approving Amendment of City’s 99-year Lease for Dalí Museum to Allow Construction of Expansion

May City Council approve amendment of the 99-year lease of City-owned property used by the Dalí Museum to allow construction of a Museum expansion, subject to conditions in ordinance 512-H? Such conditions address insurance, indemnity, and coordination; operation of the Mahaffey Theater and the Grand Prix; and future development of the surrounding Center for the Arts. Such amendment would not extend the duration of the lease or require City funding for the expansion.

An amendment of The Dalí Museum's lease with the city, which will determine its future expansion along the waterfront, will go before St. Petersburg voters in this election.

The museum has a 99-year lease on city-owned property that it’s hoping to amend to allow its expansion onto another 40-foot-wide strip owned by the city to its west. This new addition would include space for conferences, education and galleries.

An amendment of its lease requires voter approval, the city said.

A “yes” vote on this item supports amending the museum’s lease, allowing the construction of its planned expansion to move forward.

A “no” vote opposes amending the museum’s lease and its expansion project.

The amendment wouldn’t extend the duration of the lease or require any city funding for the museum’s expansion plans.

According to the city website, “Amendment conditions would address insurance, indemnity and coordination; operation of the Mahaffey Theater and the Grand Prix; and future development of the surrounding Center for the Arts.”

The city has long considered an update to the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, home of The Mahaffey.

Leaders with the Big3 Entertainment Group, which runs The Mahaffey, have expressed some concerns about the referendum, though.

“We understand their expansion needs, and we sympathize with it,” Bill Edwards, Big3’s chairman and CEO, told Bay News 9. “We don’t want to get blown up in the process.”

Their concerns include an impact on programming and the potential loss of parking spaces with the museum’s expansion.

“When we have a show here, we bring in thousands of people, and they’re backed up down the freeway. There’s only two exits and entrances that are main entrances, and for us to be able to operate, we need that parking garage,” Edwards said.

In a statement, the Dalí told St. Pete Catalyst this summer, “We are excited about the opportunities the museum expansion will bring to our city and county, and we continue to work closely with our neighbors and governmental partners to move the project forward — starting with this referendum. The referendum will not require the city to contribute financially to the project. We are hopeful voting residents will embrace this project as enthusiastically as they did in 2004, when voters approved the referendum that granted The Dalí its current home for multiple generations.”

The museum’s executive director, Hank Hine, recently told ABC Action News that the additional space is necessary for its future.

"We’re really cramped. We bring in 15,000 students a year for free tours and they get out of their bus and there’s nowhere to stand. We have to weave them throughout the exhibits," he said.

Hine added, “We’ve just asked the city for a small bit of land here, this small little roadway that goes into the garage.”

No. 2 Referendum Question: Providing City Council with the Authority to Grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions

Shall the City Council of St. Petersburg be authorized to grant, pursuant to s. 3, Art. VII of the State Constitution, property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses that are expected to create new, full-time jobs in the City of St. Petersburg?

If passed, this would allow the city council to grant property tax exemptions to new businesses and existing businesses that are expanding if they create a specified number of new full-time jobs in St. Petersburg.

A “yes” vote supports offering property tax exemptions to businesses creating new full-time jobs in the city.

A “no” vote opposes offering property tax exemptions to businesses creating new full-time jobs in the city.

If this referendum passes, to receive the exemption, the city must submit a written application that includes a description of its proposed improvements and the number of jobs it expects to create, as well as the average wage of these positions, the city said.

Exemptions would be granted on a case-by-case basis. The city council will adopt an ordinance creating a process for granting exemptions. This ordinance would need to be read at two separate meetings and be subject to a public hearing.

The exemptions, which can only be approved for the assessed value of improvements and increase in value in tangible property, will only be granted for a maximum of 10 years.

Where and how to vote

In order to cast your ballot in the 2022 general election, you’ll need to bring a valid and current photo and signature ID to your polling station. Without proper identification, you may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

If you’re not sure where to vote, you can look up your polling station on the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections website. Sample ballots are also available at that link.

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, but if you arrive at the polling place after 7 p.m., you will not be allowed to vote.