February 10, 2022 TBBCOC Candidate Forum

( Website: https://www.tampabaybeaches.com )

Below are some of the questions that our residents asked at the time of the candidate forum.

Do you believe it’s good to sell-off city assets like land and buildings? If yes, under what circumstances would you sell?

Ray Kerr: If the property is not suitable to generate revenue for the city or have any other benefit for the city such as a park, then yes, the property should be sold.

Before enacting any new regulations, how much will you review and work to revise all city regulations, codes, etc.?

Ray Kerr: The city regulations have been going through a lot of updates in the past few years. The key is to keep them consistent. Shrubs along backyard fences were recently changed from a maximum height to a natural height which can provide privacy but restrict water views. This change is not consistent with the regulation to restrict backyard structures that restrict water views.

Are any candidates familiar with ordinance No: 2021-06 passed 8/21? If so, could you please expound on the thought process in establishing the ordinance.

Ray Kerr: Ordinance No. 2021-06 basically adopts FEMA standards based on the updated FIRM maps. This leads into a much bigger discussion of whether Madeira Beach should remain part of the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) program. Basically, as a member Madeira Beach residents qualify for FEMA insurance discounts based on the city’s rating. Non-member cities are restricted from receiving federal grants and residents from home mortgage loans. On the other hand, FEMA is heavy handed with building restrictions which impact city building codes. I look forward to this discussion.

Kitty Stuart was the President of the Garden Club. She donated land now called Tom and Kitty Stuart Park. Kitty wanted to beautify Madeira Beach. The land she donated is now a paved parking lot. What would you do in the future to avoid paving paradise?

Ray Kerr: The Tom and Kitty Stuart Park was lost in the negotiations with Caddy’s. It was mostly paved before, but it was a convenient location for resident parking. Hopefully future negotiations will restore the resident parking and acknowledge the history. I can’t imagine the paving of the remaining city-owned properties, but we could research this and create an ordinance if deemed necessary.

Any news about how we are going to drive out of our homes with this traffic continuously being added?

Ray Kerr: Traffic patterns and use must be continually monitored. I would like to see more designs for pedestrian, bike, and golf cart routes within our city. This is a challenge connecting traffic north of 140th Avenue to the southern locations.

What are you going to do to make crossing the streets safer? They are always closing down sidewalks or crossing signals so it’s not safe to cross where you could be safe to cross.

Ray Kerr: My major concern is the crossing signals after dark. This seems to be when most accidents occur. We need major lighting improvements when the crossing signal is activated. I have brought this to the attention of the board as a resident, but plan to revisit this issue if elected.

Do you believe the new hotel project is a benefit to: Madeira Beach? Please provide data to support your position.

Ray Kerr: New hotel projects increase the property tax base, but also increases the cost of the city’s services. I have asked for a fiscal analysis of this as a resident but have never received an answer. I don’t believe that these studies have ever been done. As a commissioner, I would work to make a fiscal analysis part of any Planned Development project or major commercial redevelopment project.

What is the line between:  Private Property Rights?    City’s right to regulate?

Ray Kerr: I don’t believe that the residents have any issue with private property rights. They are written in zoning and building codes and are undisputable. It’s when the redevelopment exceeds the private property rights that we have an issue. Reasonable minds must work with the residents to determine if additional benefits to the community outweigh additional property rights. That said, I am in favor of restricting the architectural characteristics of redevelopment to meet the city’s view of what Madeira Beach will look like in the future.

How do you plan on repairing the deteriorating infrastructure without raising taxes?

Ray Kerr: The city must maximize the benefits it receives from tourism. The City of Madeira Beach benefits indirectly from sales tax and property taxes, but most of the tourism revenue comes from city-owned parking. I endorse more city-owned parking and would like to explore new ideas such as advertising local businesses through the city’s website. The advertising fee could be added as a fee to tourists when they visit our city. Hotels and/or restaurants could add a 3% fee that is designed to improve our city. Websites such as VRBO allow for additional fees and could be advertised in a way that improves the area. I’m not sure if this is allowable or not but is just one idea to explore. There are also multiple ideas to increase revenue at the city marina that need to be explored.

Do you support a Hi/Dry storage facility at the Marina? Explain your position.

Ray Kerr: I haven’t seen enough data yet to either support or reject a Hi/Dry storage facility. I would like to see more data on this, but also explore restaurant(s) and increase retail at the marina. There is a need for local boat services including the ability to remove and service twin hull boats. We should explore all of these ideas before a decision is made.