On the agenda

1. 1Call to Order - Roll Call▶ 0:00
2. 2

   ↳You arrived here from a search for “Virginia Avenue” — transcript expanded below

   Discussion on Medical Marijuana

   discussed

   Council held a second work session on how to accommodate medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Staff presented options on definition, location, number, design, and operation of dispensaries, noting current code already allows them as restricted personal service uses in C2 and highway commercial districts with a 500-foot buffer. Public comment was heard; staff will draft an ordinance for the Land Development Review Board on June 22, with first reading July 18 and second reading in early August.

   • direction:Staff directed to prepare a draft ordinance for review by the Land Development Review Board on June 22, with first reading July 18 and second reading in early August. (none)

   📍Dale Mabry, Carolwood area📍Fowler Avenue📍State Route 580📍Virginia Avenue🏢Kind for Cures🏢So Local Pasco podcast👤Debbie Manz👤Denise Houston👤Deputy Mayor Starkey👤Dr. Mark Hasham👤Greg Smithwick👤Lisa Spears👤Rob Marlowe#500-foot buffer#Amendment 2#Dunedin draft ordinance#Florida Department of Health regulations#Hillsborough County ordinance#Land Development Code restricted personal service uses#Pasco County ordinance#Pinellas County ordinance#Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015)#Tarpon Springs ordinance#six-month moratorium ending August 21

   ▶ Jump to 0:47 in the video

   ▸Show transcriptHide transcript

   Auto-transcript · machine-generated, may contain errors

   [00:00:49] Ms. Manz, do we have any starting presentation [00:00:52] on this? [00:00:53] A little bit, Mr. Mayor. [00:00:55] I wanted to indicate to you, as I did in my May 31st communication to you, [00:01:01] that this is the second work session that we are conducting [00:01:05] in relationship to this matter. [00:01:08] And the purpose of the discussion is to decide [00:01:12] how to accommodate medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. [00:01:19] The staff had anticipated presenting the state regulations [00:01:24] implementing Amendment 2. [00:01:27] However, the legislature failed to approve a bill regulating medical [00:01:33] marijuana during the last legislative session. [00:01:37] As of the writing of this report, it seems unlikely [00:01:44] that a special session of any type will be conducted in order [00:01:48] to determine the disposition of this matter. [00:01:52] This will leave the implementation of the voter-approved amendment [00:01:56] to state health officials. [00:01:58] And the Department of Health has until July 3rd [00:02:04] to establish the regulations. [00:02:07] Based on some of the discussion that we had at our first session, [00:02:12] Mrs. Spears and her staff have gone forward [00:02:16] with some of the requested information from you. [00:02:20] And she's prepared to make a presentation on such at this time. [00:02:26] Thank you, Mrs. Spears. [00:02:32] So the key difference between the House and the Senate [00:02:36] in terms of the Florida legislature was on the restriction [00:02:40] of the number of dispensaries that they were going to allow per the grower. [00:02:46] So as Ms. Manns indicated, they left the session on May 5th [00:02:50] without any bill passed. [00:02:53] And there is talk of a special session, but we have not heard of one being scheduled. [00:02:57] So the Department of Health is left with creating the implementation rules. [00:03:02] And the rules must include procedures for the registration of dispensaries, [00:03:08] for the issuance, renewal, and suspension and revocation of registration. [00:03:12] And they must ensure and have proper security, record keeping, [00:03:17] testing, labeling, inspection, and safety. [00:03:23] Last time we talked, we told you that we were looking at [00:03:26] what some of our neighboring jurisdictions were doing [00:03:28] in terms of medical marijuana. [00:03:31] The update tonight is that the city of Dunedin has a draft ordinance [00:03:37] that is to allow dispensaries on State Route 580, [00:03:41] which is one of their main corridors, and they would allow it as a conditional use. [00:03:47] Pinellas County, interestingly enough, went to a second reading of its ordinance [00:03:52] where they had drafted language that would have allowed medical marijuana [00:03:57] as special exceptions in the commercial districts, [00:03:59] but after the, or during the second public hearing, [00:04:04] they decided they were going to rewrite the regulations. [00:04:08] City Harbor is going to discuss extending its moratorium at the next meeting [00:04:13] because, again, they have nothing to follow from the state. [00:04:17] We did provide to you in your packet copies of the adopted ordinances [00:04:22] from the city of Tarpon Springs, as well as Hillsborough County and Pasco County. [00:04:34] We wanted you to have those so you have some reference for comparison [00:04:38] and consideration. [00:04:42] We wanted to remind everyone about what the current Land Development Code [00:04:48] has in terms of regulations. [00:04:49] At the last work session, I think some folks were under the assumption [00:04:53] that we don't currently have regulations, and we do. [00:04:58] Currently marijuana is defined as part of a restricted personal service use. [00:05:03] They are currently allowed as a right in the general commercial [00:05:09] and the highway commercial zoning districts. [00:05:12] There are development standards associated with those uses relative to setbacks [00:05:19] and lot area, lot width, building height, parking spaces, color scheme, [00:05:25] and there's a prohibition on having security bars on the exterior windows and doors. [00:05:32] There's also a 500-foot separation from other such restricted personal service uses [00:05:45] as well as buffered uses, which we would include as daycare centers, [00:05:49] places of worship, parks, libraries, recreation centers, schools, and adult uses. [00:05:57] The current code also requires that all business tax receipts be actively maintained. [00:06:04] Council could decide that following tonight's discussion that you find that the current [00:06:10] regulations are satisfactory and you could maintain the standards we have, [00:06:16] or you could consider the code amendment that we are prepared to craft. [00:06:23] We wanted to concentrate tonight's discussion on the issues relative to the definition of dispensaries, [00:06:33] the location of dispensaries, the number of allowable dispensaries in the city, [00:06:39] and the design and the operation of those dispensaries. [00:06:43] So we're going to start with the definition. [00:06:45] Again, I mentioned that the current definition of restricted personal service uses [00:06:49] includes the dispensing, processing, and cultivation enterprises for cannabis or marijuana. [00:06:57] This definition can be maintained or you can create a whole new definition in the case [00:07:03] where you may want to treat it like a commercial use like some other cities do. [00:07:07] We do want to clarify, however, that we do need to insert the term medical in this definition [00:07:13] regardless of which way we go. [00:07:18] In terms of location and where they should be located in the city, [00:07:24] the decision also relates to the process by which marijuana would be permitted. [00:07:29] And you have options in terms of, again, maintaining the current regulations, [00:07:34] which are allowed by right in the C2 and the highway commercial districts. [00:07:39] You could expand the areas where dispensaries are permitted by right, [00:07:44] and you may want to consider including the office zoning district and the C1 zoning district. [00:07:50] You could also consider an expansion of where they would be permitted as a conditional use [00:07:56] and not by right, which would require a public hearing through the city council. [00:08:02] You also may want to consider separating the uses from alcohol-related businesses. [00:08:10] We had shown you at the last meeting this map, which shows the existing restricted personal service uses [00:08:20] with the required 500-foot boundary, which is the black circle. [00:08:25] The red represents the restricted personal service uses, the use location itself, [00:08:35] and again, the circle represents the buffer around it. [00:08:38] I would tell you the only correction to this map is at the top, [00:08:43] where we have a tattoo establishment that is no longer in business, [00:08:49] so that represents the only change to this map. [00:08:53] We added to that this map, which shows the commercial zoning, [00:09:00] in addition to those restricted personal service uses and the 500-foot buffer, [00:09:08] and you can see where there are still possible locations for marijuana dispensaries. [00:09:14] The Xs on this map are there because our computer system would not let us remove those circles, [00:09:23] and those circles, we were unable to delete those in time for the meeting, [00:09:29] so the Xs are things that you don't need to consider. [00:09:32] There really is no buffer use there or restricted personal service use, [00:09:37] but you can see that there are some locations where, in the red area, for example, [00:09:43] that's highway commercial zoning, where there is available space to operate a marijuana dispensary [00:09:50] that would not be within the buffered zone. [00:09:55] In terms of number of dispensaries, the other regulation you can consider is, [00:10:02] how many do you want to have in the city overall? [00:10:05] Do you want to limit the number to a maximum number citywide, or do you want to limit the number [00:10:13] by the separation of uses by buffer zone, like we saw on the map? [00:10:21] Design, and I left this blank on purpose, we want to talk a lot about design tonight. [00:10:28] We found examples of medical marijuana facilities in our research that we wanted you to consider, [00:10:35] and they come in all forms, and some are more attractive than others. [00:10:40] This is a location in California. [00:10:44] This is what they consider their shabby chic medical marijuana facility. [00:10:50] This is another California location. [00:10:52] This is the western motif in San Francisco. [00:10:57] There's this establishment. [00:11:01] This is also in California. [00:11:04] This is in San Diego. [00:11:07] So this one's an interesting one, and this is one where we see that there are bars on the windows, [00:11:14] and so you can see it offers a different representation of what you would get with the standard. [00:11:20] This is a converted Kentucky Fried Chicken, and they used, of course, a play on the letters KFC, [00:11:27] and this business is called Kind for Cures. [00:11:31] This is a reuse of a gas station in Denver. [00:11:38] As we know, Colorado has adopted medical marijuana as well. [00:11:43] This is in the city of Detroit. [00:11:49] This is also in Detroit, and I found it interesting that they were allowed to locate next to a [00:11:53] check-cashing establishment. [00:11:57] Another Detroit gas station with a kind of a play on words. [00:12:04] This is a conversion of a residential structure, also in Detroit, [00:12:12] and this is an older residential structure that was converted in Denver. [00:12:19] Again, this one has the bars on the windows. [00:12:24] This is a new construction. [00:12:26] This is also in Colorado. [00:12:31] This is a new construction in Minnesota, and we know from the last workshop what some of [00:12:41] the ones look like in the Tampa area. [00:12:43] This is the one that's in the strip center on Fowler Avenue in unincorporated Hillsborough County, [00:12:51] and this is a freestanding facility on Dale Mabry in the Carolwood area, also unincorporated Hillsborough County. [00:13:02] This one we found in Miami. [00:13:07] We also looked at some examples of how medical marijuana is being advertised. [00:13:14] This is in California. [00:13:18] This is another ad in California. [00:13:22] This one is in Pinellas County. [00:13:24] I think it's important to point out that we do have limited oversight in terms of the [00:13:30] content of signs. [00:13:34] You may recall that a year and a half ago or so, we brought to a code amendment regulating [00:13:40] signs as the result of the Supreme Court decision in 2015 from Reed versus the town of Gilbert, [00:13:49] Arizona, which said that content-based restriction on free speech is subject to strict scrutiny review. [00:13:57] That means that the court would likely consider it unconstitutional if we were to regulate the content. [00:14:06] In this case, we would not regulate the term medical or the use of the leaf, but we could [00:14:13] regulate the color, the use of neon, and the bars on the windows. [00:14:20] Back to the design. [00:14:24] We put this list together based on what we saw from some of the other regulations from [00:14:29] the other communities that we looked at. [00:14:34] You can certainly consider regulating the colors and prohibition on windows and doors, [00:14:39] as we currently do in the current regulations. [00:14:43] You can consider not having neon lighting or neon signs. [00:14:48] You can regulate outdoor displays and sales, as is done in the city of Tarpon Springs. [00:14:53] You can require a separate type of buffer when this use would be adjacent. [00:15:00] to residential uses. [00:15:02] You could require that there be an interior lobby waiting area [00:15:07] so that folks are not congregating [00:15:10] outside of the business. [00:15:12] You could make sure there is a required separation [00:15:15] of the dispensing area and the storage of the product. [00:15:19] You can require a security plan. [00:15:21] And you could require signs that prohibit [00:15:24] loitering on the premises. [00:15:26] So those are some of the things to consider [00:15:28] when it comes to the design. [00:15:31] You also can regulate the operational characteristics [00:15:35] of the business in terms of delivery, hours, delivery [00:15:40] vehicles, hours of operation, and ensuring [00:15:44] that these are being placed in secure locations. [00:15:50] Following tonight's meeting, the staff [00:15:52] will be prepared to prepare an ordinance for review [00:15:57] by the Land Development Review Board. [00:16:00] And we are expecting to have that at the June 22 [00:16:04] meeting of that board. [00:16:06] Then we would have that to city council [00:16:09] for a first reading on July 18 and a second reading [00:16:14] in the first meeting in August. [00:16:18] The six-month moratorium ends on August 21. [00:16:22] And you could certainly consider extending that as well. [00:16:26] We would like to evaluate any impacts [00:16:29] that any ordinance might have following [00:16:34] the first dispensary opening. [00:16:35] We would do that within the six months [00:16:37] following any dispensary opening. [00:16:40] And with that, that's the presentation for this evening. [00:16:43] Thank you very much. [00:16:45] Deputy Mayor Starkey, you had a few words you wanted to say. [00:16:47] Yeah, if I could just make a comment. [00:16:49] It doesn't seem to be quite as many people in the audience [00:16:51] as there was the last work session. [00:16:53] But I watched the meeting back and something [00:16:55] caught my attention during the meeting. [00:16:57] Words were spoken and actions taken towards our police chief [00:17:00] that I felt were very disrespectful. [00:17:02] He's an asset to our city, and he should be treated as such. [00:17:05] He doesn't deserve to have someone walk up and flash [00:17:08] her medical marijuana card in front of his face. [00:17:10] It's very disrespectful, and I hope we don't [00:17:12] see anything like that tonight. [00:17:13] But for the most part, everyone that spoke was very respectful, [00:17:16] and I appreciate that. [00:17:18] And given that the crowd is a little bit smaller, [00:17:20] we do have a time limit of three minutes. [00:17:26] If somebody wants to run a little over, [00:17:27] we'll be flexible on that. [00:17:29] But please, whatever you're going to tell us, [00:17:33] get to your point and let the next person get up. [00:17:37] There is also a sign-in sheet on the podium. [00:17:41] That's for the benefit primarily of our city clerk, [00:17:44] who is taking minutes, and would like [00:17:46] to be able to spell your names correctly. [00:17:49] So that being said, we'll open it up for public comment. [00:18:09] Good evening. [00:18:10] Denise Houston, Virginia Avenue. [00:18:12] Thank you, Lisa. [00:18:13] That's a lot of information to absorb. [00:18:17] Could you pull that mic down just a little, Denise? [00:18:19] Thank you. [00:18:21] One of the things that I'd like to establish [00:18:23] is that we're looking at medical. [00:18:27] We're not looking at recreational. [00:18:29] And a lot of the information I see [00:18:32] is that, are we preparing for total legalization, [00:18:37] or are we doing this for medical reasons, [00:18:41] as far as the zoning and the signage [00:18:45] and the other things that you're [00:18:47] going to have to think about? [00:18:49] So is it medical, or is it recreational? [00:18:51] And I think we're talking about medical tonight. [00:18:55] The other thing that I'd like it to be called [00:18:57] is cannabis, because if you know anything [00:19:00] about the history of marijuana, it's just kind of, [00:19:04] I would suggest looking it up. [00:19:05] But that's its name, is cannabis. [00:19:10] And I wish you all the best of luck in what we're going to do. [00:19:15] Thank you, Denise. [00:19:28] Good evening, how are you? [00:19:31] My name is Dr. Mark Hasham. [00:19:32] I'm a board-certified anesthesiologist. [00:19:34] I've been practicing in the state of Florida since 1998. [00:19:38] I'm primarily doing interventional pain management. [00:19:41] And for the past year, I have taken up [00:19:45] the cause of ordering medical cannabis for my patients. [00:19:50] I have well over 400 patients in the registry. [00:19:52] I'm one of the leaders in the field. [00:19:54] And I speak at numerous conventions [00:19:57] and give discussions in the local areas [00:20:00] to help with the business and help the patients understand, [00:20:05] or people understand, that this is not really a drug. [00:20:09] It is something that works. [00:20:10] And you are designed for. [00:20:13] You make cannabinoids in your body. [00:20:15] You have two different kinds, anandamide and 2-AG. [00:20:19] They work in your body. [00:20:21] And they regulate your nervous system. [00:20:23] So we are talking about something [00:20:25] that is helpful to patients. [00:20:26] And I'm very happy that you guys are taking the steps forward [00:20:29] to have this. [00:20:30] My office is in Hudson. [00:20:32] I think you need to have dispensaries here. [00:20:34] And you need to understand that it is a worthwhile adventure [00:20:38] for your city. [00:20:39] And you want to be the spearhead for the state. [00:20:42] You want to set the standard. [00:20:44] You want to have a cannabis industry here [00:20:46] that can grow and further help your city in numerous levels. [00:20:51] If you look at the state of Colorado and you study them, [00:20:56] what has happened to them over time is tremendous. [00:21:00] Colorado has raised, benefited $389 million [00:21:05] in tax revenue, of which 32% of that number [00:21:08] went to schools and teachers. [00:21:10] And the rest went to municipalities. [00:21:11] I'm sure you would enjoy that. [00:21:14] In addition, the crime rate has dropped dramatically. [00:21:19] Unemployment has dropped. [00:21:20] The average unemployment in the United States is 4.7%. [00:21:25] It's 2.3% in Denver and in the state of Colorado. [00:21:30] So there's numerous things that happen [00:21:33] when you have cannabis as far as for a business [00:21:37] or for an industry or for a city. [00:21:41] What happens in my practice is I use it as an exit drug. [00:21:45] You need to understand, it is not a gateway drug. [00:21:48] That's alcohol. [00:21:51] Cannabis is an exit drug and allows [00:21:53] me to get my patients off of opioids and benzodiazepines, [00:21:56] which kills 91 people a day in the US. [00:22:00] That's a fact. [00:22:02] You know how many people a day die or a year [00:22:04] die from Tylenol? [00:22:06] 100. [00:22:07] How many in the history of the world [00:22:08] have died from cannabis? [00:22:10] Zero. [00:22:11] And the reason no one dies from cannabis [00:22:13] is there are no receptors in the breathing [00:22:15] center of the brain. [00:22:16] Therefore, it cannot stop you from breathing like opioids [00:22:18] or benzodiazepines. [00:22:20] So I hope that you approach this from the medical perspective [00:22:24] and understand that this is something that we can use [00:22:27] and we do use to help our chronic pain [00:22:30] patients, our patients with numerous neurologic conditions [00:22:33] and other autoimmune disorders. [00:22:35] So it's just something that can benefit people. [00:22:38] Keep on spearheading. [00:22:39] Keep on using your capabilities to create a system [00:22:44] or be a city that everyone else looks at. [00:22:48] Don't you want them to say, look at what New Port Richey did. [00:22:50] They developed a great design. [00:22:52] They have a great system. [00:22:53] They encouraged the business. [00:22:55] And as a result, they're benefiting. [00:22:57] And so are the people. [00:22:58] Good luck. [00:22:59] Thank you. [00:23:00] Thank you. [00:23:05] You got cards? [00:23:06] Can I get a new card, please? [00:23:09] Me. [00:23:18] Surely somebody else wants to come down here. [00:23:27] I was going to say, I couldn't imagine us only having [00:23:29] two people. [00:23:30] You can leave it up there. [00:23:47] Good evening. [00:23:48] My name is Greg Smithwick. [00:23:49] I'm from the So Local, Pasco podcast. [00:23:51] So I guess we'd have to tonight call me an advocacy journalist. [00:23:54] I wanted to first say, I'm from Hudson, Florida. [00:23:57] I want to first say good evening and thank [00:23:59] council members and staff for taking [00:24:04] an honest, open-hearted, open-minded look at this issue. [00:24:06] That's something that those of us that advocate for and speak [00:24:09] on behalf of medical marijuana patients haven't seen a lot of. [00:24:11] And it was refreshing to see you all take this very seriously. [00:24:14] And I think I was unfair to some of you [00:24:16] in my understanding of your position on medical cannabis [00:24:19] as something that the city of New Port Richey should consider. [00:24:23] So thank you. [00:24:24] I want to make sure that we're talking about medical cannabis [00:24:27] dispensaries. [00:24:28] I would like to ask the staff member, [00:24:30] I don't know if that's appropriate or not, [00:24:31] in the slideshow, how many of those [00:24:32] were medical dispensaries? [00:24:34] How many of those were recreational dispensaries, [00:24:35] or do we know? [00:24:37] Because medical dispensaries often have different rules [00:24:39] for signage and how they look than medical dispensaries do. [00:24:42] And it's important to know that you can shape that directly [00:24:45] and much more restrictively than the photos you were shown. [00:24:48] I was wondering the same thing. [00:24:50] Ms. Fierce, do you have any information on that? [00:24:51] Sure. [00:24:52] So I looked up medical in particular. [00:24:54] So I mean, if it was factual, I only looked for medical. [00:24:58] I didn't look for any recreational in purpose. [00:25:00] So there are clearly some things that medical dispensaries [00:25:01] could do better to improve their own image, and that's clear. [00:25:04] But the dispensaries that you're likely to see here [00:25:06] in the Florida counties look significantly different [00:25:09] than old frame houses with bars on the window [00:25:11] and pot leaf signs hanging out the windows. [00:25:13] It's unfortunate that that's how dispensaries look, [00:25:15] but it is something that you can address. [00:25:17] And that was good to see that that [00:25:18] was part of the presentation, that you guys know [00:25:20] you're going to have some options for how this is going [00:25:22] to look and how it's going to behave in your city. [00:25:24] That medical marijuana patients, medical cannabis patients [00:25:27] are exactly that. [00:25:28] They're medical patients. [00:25:29] They are not party kids looking to get over on the system. [00:25:32] They are not Che Guevara t-shirt wearing [00:25:34] mid-20s people with skinny jeans and a latte. [00:25:37] They are people who are sick with AIDS, [00:25:39] with cancer, with a broad range of ailments. [00:25:41] As you've heard all the personal stories for the folks [00:25:43] that have come and talked to you about their own lives, [00:25:46] it's not easy. [00:25:47] It's not fun. [00:25:48] It's not a pleasure-seeking behavior. [00:25:51] That's why it's unfortunate sometimes to hear it parsed [00:25:53] into places like tattoo parlors [00:25:55] and other limited adult use facilities. [00:25:58] And even though that may not be the intent of the discussion, [00:26:00] we tend to be painted as people that advocate for that. [00:26:03] And that's not at all what's happening here. [00:26:05] I would remind the council that my aunt, [00:26:07] who is in her mid-50s, is a medical cannabis patient. [00:26:10] She has a card in the state of Florida. [00:26:12] And wherever she has to go to get her medicine, [00:26:15] that's part of what you're going to be determining for her [00:26:17] because she is going to be using facilities here [00:26:20] in the city of New Portagee. [00:26:21] The last thing that I want to say is you have [00:26:22] an opportunity here and I don't want to talk [00:26:24] about industry or economic opportunity. [00:26:26] I want to talk about your opportunity to lead [00:26:29] in the state of Florida. [00:26:31] As a city, you have no control over the boondoggle mess [00:26:33] they've made of this at the state level. [00:26:35] But what you can do is you can inform the mood [00:26:37] and the direction of our state legislators [00:26:39] who are listening very closely to what people [00:26:41] at the local level are saying. [00:26:42] 71% of voters in the state of Florida [00:26:44] approve medical cannabis. [00:26:45] They wanted whole plant cannabis and they wanted it [00:26:47] available to patients in the least invasive way [00:26:50] for those patients' comfort and well-being. [00:26:52] That's what the people have asked for. [00:26:54] You have been leaders in the city of New Portagee [00:26:57] in urban agriculture, in parks and recreation, [00:27:00] in public spaces, in creative use of public spaces, [00:27:03] in creative engagement with industry [00:27:04] to improve our public spaces. [00:27:06] So you have an opportunity here to guide [00:27:08] this conversation moving forward. [00:27:10] The state cannot get out of its own way on this [00:27:12] and you have an opportunity to show them [00:27:13] this is how simple and how right this can be [00:27:16] for medical patients in our community. [00:27:18] Thank you for your time and your consideration. [00:27:20] Thank you. [00:27:21] Thank you. [00:27:40] Hello, I'm Jamie Howe, 3661 Trophy Boulevard, [00:27:44] New Portagee. [00:27:45] You guys know my story. [00:27:47] I told you it last time. [00:27:49] Really, honestly, I wanted to thank you guys [00:27:51] because I've spoken several times [00:27:54] before the Pasco County Commission. [00:27:56] I've spoken before Pinellas. [00:27:59] I've been all over Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsboro [00:28:03] advocating for this medicine since 2014. [00:28:07] I used to go out every weekend petitioning. [00:28:10] And I just want to say that the last time that I came [00:28:13] and spoke, it was amazing. [00:28:17] I finally felt like some government officials actually [00:28:19] heard me speak for once, rather than not listen to me [00:28:24] and turn their ears off or whatever. [00:28:28] And I wanted to thank you guys greatly for it [00:28:30] because after I left, I did cry. [00:28:32] It was very, very meaningful to me. [00:28:35] So I think we're on the right path. [00:28:36] And I just wanted to encourage you guys to keep going forward. [00:28:39] And Mr. Starkey, I know you had pulled me aside [00:28:43] after the last meeting. [00:28:44] And I thank me just for showing up, for coming. [00:28:47] And that meant everything to me. [00:28:48] So I just wanted to thank you. [00:28:51] So thank you guys very much. [00:28:52] Thank you. [00:28:53] Thank you. [00:28:54] Thank you. [00:29:07] Hi. [00:29:08] Good evening. [00:29:09] My name is Rachel Hagenbaugh. [00:29:10] And I live on 6026 Tennessee Avenue. [00:29:15] I had come here last time to speak. [00:29:17] But to be honest, I was more afraid. [00:29:20] And it's because of the term marijuana [00:29:23] and of where it's derived from. [00:29:25] It is a derogatory term. [00:29:28] And it's more because of the color of my skin. [00:29:33] So I would prefer cannabis as well. [00:29:37] And all I would like to say is that I own three businesses [00:29:41] here in the city. [00:29:43] I serve on one of the committee. [00:29:46] I'm a chair on one of your committees. [00:29:49] I'm also a patient. [00:29:52] And now I newly run Tasty Tuesdays. [00:29:55] And what I'm saying is that. [00:30:00] You have the opportunity to be a leader, like everyone else has said, and you're a lot of the people that live here. [00:30:08] This is what we're wanting, and this is basically what we're needing. [00:30:12] I, as a patient, I can't drive more than 5-10 minutes, and I do a lot of activism, and it's restricted me here to my city. [00:30:22] And the only places you can change are where you live. [00:30:26] So this has become a passion. [00:30:28] Everything here has become more beautiful because a lot of people like me, [00:30:32] we have put our hearts into creating everything to be more beautiful and to be more family-friendly. [00:30:39] As you see, I even brought my daughter, and a lot of us have even brought our children here. [00:30:43] We're not criminals. [00:30:45] And I also see it's also doing this dispensary thing. [00:30:49] You're also hindering other businesses on wanting to move, come here as well, [00:30:54] because there's bakeries, there's other things besides ingesting smokable flour that you can do with this. [00:31:01] There's hemp products. [00:31:02] There's other growth that we can do this, and by making this standard, you guys are totally hindering that. [00:31:08] So I just, I really hope that you try to sway and open your mind a lot more, [00:31:14] because it's not the bad thing that you really think it is. [00:31:19] It's really just a plant. [00:31:21] Thank you. [00:31:22] Thank you, and thank you for your volunteer service to the city. [00:31:25] Thank you. [00:31:31] I guess I'll talk. [00:31:33] Anthony Livio, 6316 Bandura Avenue, New Port Richey, Florida, 34653. [00:31:39] As you've heard my story in the past, let me tell another story about some people who can't make it here. [00:31:43] That would be the residents at my facility. [00:31:46] I work at an assisted living facility. [00:31:47] We have about 98 senior citizens there. [00:31:50] We actually recently just had Dr. Hashim come and talk to the residents there. [00:31:54] It was a funny mixed crowd. [00:31:55] We had some people that were for it. [00:31:57] We had some that were against it. [00:31:58] So you're going to get that anywhere you go. [00:32:00] But that diversity is really what we have to look at when we're going into these regulations, [00:32:03] because a lot of these people are not mobile. [00:32:05] They don't have licenses anymore. [00:32:07] The only way they get around is we go to Walmart sometimes for them. [00:32:10] So they're not able to get this medicine if you put it somewhere far in town or crazy away. [00:32:15] As far as liquor establishments go, [00:32:17] we need to work closely with that to see who really deserves the right to be there. [00:32:21] I know some places get grandfathered in, but what's more important, alcohol or medical marijuana? [00:32:26] I honestly think that's a no-brainer right there. [00:32:29] So we have Gary Stein that's supposed to show up. [00:32:34] I'm going to let Green Solutions talk. [00:32:37] Like I said, it's really hard for them to get around. [00:32:39] We really want to make sure that we put it in the right areas. [00:32:42] As far as the displaying outside, yeah, we can limit some of the neon signs and stuff like that to make it look more mature. [00:32:46] But let's give them the same opportunities as other businesses as far as advertisement goes. [00:32:51] Okay. [00:32:52] Thank you very much. [00:32:53] I appreciate it. [00:33:04] Hello. [00:33:05] My name is Jillian Latham. [00:33:06] I'm with the Latham Group, and we represent the Green Solution, [00:33:09] which is one of the seven state-approved growers of medical marijuana. [00:33:13] Tonight I just want to chat with you guys about the overarching strategy that we believe is best for introducing medical marijuana into local jurisdictions. [00:33:24] It's a three-pronged approach. [00:33:25] It's methodical, and it's incremental. [00:33:27] We believe that it's best to start here and then slowly grow it out here so that you're not risking overshooting the mark [00:33:35] and then trying to bring it back. [00:33:39] Okay. [00:33:40] So the first prong is with regard to location. [00:33:42] Where should these dispensaries go? [00:33:44] We believe that, you know, it's up to the community. [00:33:47] You know your own sensibilities. [00:33:49] I know there's a lot of discussion. [00:33:51] Should it be in the industrial zone? [00:33:52] Should it be in retail? [00:33:53] That's unfortunately we have no advice for you other than don't put us in the boondocks. [00:33:58] As to the number, the number of dispensaries, we have provided you with a study by the Marijuana Policy Group. [00:34:05] It is a leading economist in Colorado, and they have looked at all of the data throughout the states that have medical marijuana, [00:34:15] and they looked at Florida's regulatory system for Amendment 2, and they applied that, [00:34:20] and they have seen that it should be 1 to 67,222,000 people, so one dispensary per that base on population. [00:34:30] Can you repeat that? [00:34:31] 1 to 67,222. [00:34:36] And that is the optimal ratio. [00:34:38] Now I know New Port Richey only has about 15,000 to 16,000 people, so you should get a part of a dispensary. [00:34:45] So what I did, I did a little cocktail napkin math. [00:34:47] I looked at the entire West Pasco, and it came to about 200,000 population. [00:34:54] So we believe that you guys should have about two or three dispensaries based on that. [00:34:58] I'm, like, nervous for some reason. [00:34:59] Like, you guys are all staring at me. [00:35:01] I'm like, ugh. [00:35:03] Okay, so you have the location. [00:35:06] You have the number of dispensaries. [00:35:07] Now the reason why we think it's important to limit the number of dispensaries is because based on this study, you can, [00:35:14] if you don't hit a certain ratio, there just aren't enough patients to let the business survive. [00:35:20] And, of course, we want this industry to do well, and we want to make money. [00:35:26] We want to serve patients, and we don't want to have any blight in the community to where you wouldn't want us here anymore. [00:35:33] And then the third one is allocation. [00:35:36] How do you decide who gets to come in? [00:35:38] And we've seen, you know, various approaches throughout the state. [00:35:41] There's a first in. [00:35:42] Pasco did first in. [00:35:44] Hillsborough is currently redoing their ordinance, and they're doing a merit-based approach. [00:35:48] That, again, would be up to you guys. [00:35:52] How do you judge merit in the allowance instead of first come? [00:36:06] Merit. [00:36:07] I have no track record in Florida, so I have to go use Colorado and California and all that. [00:36:14] I don't want to use them. [00:36:16] I don't like their math. [00:36:19] They've had a totally different approach. [00:36:22] For a merit-based selection? [00:36:23] Yeah, for a merit-based, you know, I can use their math. [00:36:27] But, you know, I'm trying to understand why I would go through that heartache, that process, [00:36:39] because then what I believe my merits are don't match up to what somebody else's merits are. [00:36:47] So then we get into a personality or, you know, a contest there. [00:36:53] So I'm just trying to understand why we would even consider a basis of a merit element. [00:37:01] Obviously, it's a business, and you've got five or six approved vendors in the state. [00:37:11] They're pretty savvy business people. [00:37:14] They're going to decide what markets they want to be in, even beyond being able to, you know, deliver. [00:37:22] That's a whole other element to the equation. [00:37:25] I just was wondering where we would even want to go down a merit-based. [00:37:32] Because, you know, we've already taken enough criticism for what people thought we were thinking, [00:37:39] what we actually have in place, and kind of where we're going. [00:37:44] You know, I've got plenty of opportunities to step up and somebody tell me I'm crazy. [00:37:48] I mean, all I have to do is walk outside and talk about one or two of the other projects we've done in this city. [00:37:54] So I just want to, in my mind, I really am not anxious to want to even go through the dynamics of a merit-based approach, [00:38:02] especially in a 15,000 person community, as opposed to a county the size of Hillsborough or Pinellas or Pasco. [00:38:13] So, like I said, maybe I'm jumping on the horse too quick here, but I just am like, [00:38:19] why would I go through that in our locale? [00:38:23] Because we're fairly constrained at the moment. [00:38:26] I just wanted to understand your perception of what a merit-based would be as a benefit. [00:38:32] A few things with that. [00:38:33] I understand why you'd be hesitant in a smaller jurisdiction. [00:38:36] So, you know, to have a comprehensive merit-based selection process, I mean, it's not an easy process. [00:38:43] It would take some of your staff's time and it would be time consuming. [00:38:48] So with the merit-based selection process, you're not going to have subjective criteria. [00:38:53] You would use objective criteria. [00:38:55] And there are a couple floating around. [00:38:57] I can send different ordinances to you guys if you like. [00:39:00] But they look at various categories, like experience. [00:39:04] Yes, they would. [00:39:05] I mean, most of the businesses coming into Florida are going to have experience that's going to be out of state because it's a new industry. [00:39:12] But you can look at, you know, their backgrounds. [00:39:16] You can look at the kind of products they have and whether or not those have a good track record, [00:39:21] what kind of systems they have in place. [00:39:23] I mean, you can model it after how the state shows the current licensees. [00:39:28] And the state, they mainly focused on cultivation and processing, whereas you guys would be more focusing on dispensary. [00:39:36] But you can kind of use that as a way to model and gauge it. [00:39:40] So you would, I mean, it's less subjective. [00:39:42] It's not how I feel about it. [00:39:43] It would be like a point system. [00:39:47] And then, gosh, I know there was other things within there. [00:39:51] But, I mean, that was like the nutshell of it. [00:39:54] I'd like your information. [00:39:55] Pardon? [00:39:56] I would like your information on other ordinances. [00:39:57] Oh, yeah, yeah. [00:39:58] I'll definitely send it to you. [00:39:59] Like Hillsborough has one pending. [00:40:01] I can send that over to you guys. [00:40:02] I think Osceola and Sumter have merit-based selection processes. [00:40:05] So I'll just get them all together and send it to you. [00:40:08] Very good. [00:40:09] Thank you. [00:40:10] Thank you. [00:40:11] Just real quick, I'm going to agree with Councilman Phillips on that. [00:40:15] I appreciate you bringing your studies and your merit-based advice to us. [00:40:19] But the county has approved two, right, in industrial zoning. [00:40:25] Correct. [00:40:26] So, in my opinion, there's going to be a pretty good demand for dispensaries [00:40:30] on top of two that the county has approved. [00:40:32] We don't know if Dade City is going to approve it. [00:40:33] We don't know if Suffer Hills is going to approve it. [00:40:35] I'm pretty sure New Port Richey is going to approve it. [00:40:38] So it may be possible that two dispensaries could work in the city of New Port Richey, [00:40:43] but the demand may be there. [00:40:44] So we might have room for one more. [00:40:46] Just some food for thought to keep in mind. [00:40:48] I brought that up during our meeting. [00:40:49] But I agree with Councilman Phillips. [00:40:52] We don't want to jump in cannonball and not figure out, you know, [00:40:57] not know how deep the water is, by any means. [00:40:59] But we're going to do what's best for us and the people in our community. [00:41:03] But you always have to think, as you're saying, the cumulative impact of how many are everywhere. [00:41:08] Right. [00:41:09] Do you see my point of PASCO is only allowing two? [00:41:11] Correct. [00:41:12] We're the only one in the West. [00:41:13] We are. [00:41:14] We actually, in full disclosure, we are the one who got the license in the West. [00:41:16] Congratulations. [00:41:17] Yeah. [00:41:18] Thanks. [00:41:19] But, yeah, you'd have to look at it all together, [00:41:21] which is why I only did cocktail math when looking at it. [00:41:24] But, yeah, you have to take in the cumulative impact [00:41:26] and then look at the population based on that. [00:41:29] If there's one in New Port Richey and there's two in New Port Richey [00:41:32] and there's one down in West PASCO near the border with Pinellas, [00:41:39] that's probably sufficient. [00:41:40] Four on the West side is probably sufficient. [00:41:42] We think that three is probably where West PASCO entirely would need to be. [00:41:47] But you can always go back and reevaluate. [00:41:50] And you also have to take into context, when you're looking at patient access, [00:41:52] you can't just look at bricks and mortar. [00:41:54] You also have to keep in mind that there is a delivery system. [00:41:57] And the entire, I mean, nationally across all industries, retail is going to a home delivery model. [00:42:03] I mean, you see big businesses all the time closing their bricks and mortar [00:42:07] because places like Shift and Amazon is just taking over. [00:42:10] But at the same time, communities are going to want to have their bricks and mortar. [00:42:14] And so, I mean, it's just one of those balancing things, [00:42:17] balance patient access with how many dispensaries can actually survive in this market. [00:42:23] You can always circle back a year later, reevaluate. [00:42:26] How did your community respond to it? [00:42:28] Do they have more needs? [00:42:29] Do we need to increase the amount that we have now? [00:42:32] And as the population and patient bases grow, that would also need to be reevaluated. [00:42:36] But, again, I mean, it's a lot easier to start here and slowly and methodically grow it [00:42:43] than to start here, realize you overshot it, [00:42:46] and now you're trying to take something away from someone if they're already here. [00:42:49] So that's, I mean, it's a strategy, and we've seen it work. [00:42:55] All right, thank you very much. [00:42:56] I appreciate it. [00:43:04] We have one more speaker. [00:43:12] I just want to point out real quick that those numbers are laughable. [00:43:14] About two in the city. [00:43:15] We have 13 pharmacies in the city limits of New Port Richey. [00:43:20] That's medicine. [00:43:21] We want our medicine the same. [00:43:23] I'm a legal patient. [00:43:24] I should not have to go to Clearwater. [00:43:31] I'm kind of scrambled by the big guys coming in and trying to let us down so much. [00:43:45] I'm Doug Martin from Dade City, Florida. [00:43:48] It's nice to be here in New Port Richey this afternoon. [00:43:51] I heard about it on social media that New Port Richey was getting together to have a meeting [00:43:57] about maybe their first dispensaries in Florida. [00:44:00] So bravo, New Port Richey. [00:44:02] At least you're talking about it, thinking about it, thinking about the community, [00:44:05] who it's going to help, and thinking about it in ways that, you know, [00:44:09] it's not going to look like a tattoo parlor or someplace that's unregulated. [00:44:14] Mr. Phillips, I wasn't, and I came today to really, you know, [00:44:18] more to learn about what's going on in the city. [00:44:22] So when Mr. Phillips is talking about the merit-based system, [00:44:26] let me just ask, I'm not really sure. [00:44:28] Has anybody already approached one of the five families that are the growers, [00:44:32] New Port Richey, and picked someplace out? [00:44:35] Are you guys already, like, working on this idea? [00:44:38] I mean, to me it's great if at least one person, if not five of these people have come in. [00:44:43] Can I ask that question? [00:44:45] I'm just trying to weigh. [00:44:47] I don't think we're to that point yet. [00:44:49] Okay. [00:44:51] No, the point was, is if we have been this proactive up until now, [00:45:00] Why am I, why would I put a process into place that number one, [00:45:04] slows me down and looks like I'm, looks like I am stalling because I want [00:45:11] to do something from a merited base. [00:45:13] Plus, we have limited hours in a day, not only us, staff, and if, if you do your homework, [00:45:25] if we do our homework ahead of time, before the state does whatever they're going to do, [00:45:32] I feel like we're better prepared to institute what the public has voted on, number one. [00:45:41] Number two, I want to be received as a community that understands the issue, [00:45:48] understands the benefit, and is trying to give the access available to the patients that need [00:45:57] and qualify for this, and I want to do it in such a way that I don't throw a lot [00:46:02] of extra effort and elements onto staff and to the community to have [00:46:09] to decipher what we're trying to do with the implementation of, of cannabis, marijuana, [00:46:17] whatever you want to call it, because we're all going to be touched by it, [00:46:21] if not today, sometime in the future. [00:46:23] So, I didn't want to bring in and somebody throw out a concept of merits, and we, [00:46:30] I call it the squirrel or the shiny object, and all of a sudden you go running off down [00:46:35] that line, and then you come back. [00:46:37] So, I was just, I guess I was qualifying that I don't want to go down that road, [00:46:42] because I don't think it's beneficial for the entire process. [00:46:47] Of putting this the way it needs to be recognized by our community as part of West Pasco. [00:46:56] That's it, Mr. Salaccio. [00:46:59] I mean, I appreciate that you are so progressive thinking, because Tallahassee, [00:47:05] you know, amending the Amendment 2 isn't working out as everybody hoped to vote, [00:47:11] you know, as they voted for it. [00:47:12] I'll just be another second. [00:47:13] So. [00:47:14] Give me some time, because I took all of it. [00:47:16] I'll start you all over. [00:47:17] Just go ahead. [00:47:18] I appreciate you extending that one. [00:47:22] The way the Amendment 2, they're still fighting it out in Tallahassee. [00:47:25] So, at least you're saying it's coming. [00:47:26] We want to be ready for it as a community. [00:47:28] What's the best way to make it, you know, a safe Walmart or Walgreens kind of place [00:47:36] where respectable people can feel safe going in to get the medicine [00:47:40] that their, the doctors have recommended for them. [00:47:46] You've done a lot of research on this, and so I'm excited [00:47:49] that maybe New Port Richey will have one of the first dispensaries in Florida. [00:47:53] Because, as I said, as I've been reading on social media here in Florida, [00:47:56] you seem to really be the leaders on this. [00:47:58] So, I'm sure there's a lot of challenges, and it's great that you're having these meetings, [00:48:02] and thank you for your time, and good luck with everything. [00:48:04] Thank you. [00:48:05] Thank you. [00:48:24] Hi, I'm Faith Kropick, 6149 Illinois. [00:48:30] I'm here because I'm touched by this as well. [00:48:33] My son has autism. [00:48:35] He's disabled. [00:48:36] He has barely any independent language. [00:48:41] He's five years old, and he's a twin, and it breaks my heart [00:48:44] because his twin is very talkative and very smart. [00:48:49] I would like to have my son be able to get medicine that could help him [00:48:57] at the store down the street. [00:48:59] He can go at, right now, and go a mile from his house and get a medication [00:49:06] that could cause him liver damage and never speak again, and I don't approve of that, [00:49:14] that I'm not able to get a medication that could help him at a convenient location. [00:49:18] I don't want to have to go to a place that is next to a tattoo parlor, you know, [00:49:24] who they're not going to be able to handle my son who has conditions and issues, [00:49:29] and I don't want, you know, certain people having to stare at him while he goes [00:49:33] and get medication, or, you know, myself, or a friend, or my mother who's no longer with us [00:49:41] who could have benefited from medical cannabis. [00:49:44] So I would rather my son and anyone who is also touched by it to be able to go anywhere [00:49:54] and go to any place that offers medications and get their medicine. [00:50:00] I don't really have much else to say because I'm just a parent. [00:50:04] I wasn't able to bring my son so you could see him because he cannot sit still [00:50:11] and he can't be quiet and respectful enough to come and be present. [00:50:18] But one day he might be able to, but at this time it will be a while, [00:50:24] but I don't want to have to drive a long distance just to get something that could help him. [00:50:30] Right now he's five and it could help him very soon, and the people who aren't as severe as him, [00:50:39] I think they should also deserve to be able to go to an establishment that doesn't have bars [00:50:44] on the windows and look like some place that you wouldn't want to go or bring your kids. [00:50:51] So that's really all I have to say besides the fact that my family is very touched in other ways [00:50:58] by other dependency medications that were very, very available to them. [00:51:06] And this one at least could just mostly help. [00:51:09] So I appreciate you taking that into consideration and one day I hope my son can come [00:51:16] and be a member of society as well. [00:51:19] And it's really important to me being a member of New Port Richey [00:51:27] that I see it happen firsthand because other places see it, I would like to see it. [00:51:35] That's pretty much all I have to say. [00:51:38] Thank you. [00:51:39] Thank you very much. [00:51:39] Ma'am, did you sign in? [00:51:42] Did you sign in? [00:51:43] On this page? [00:51:44] Yeah. [00:51:46] Do we have anyone else? [00:51:51] If not, I'm going to bring it back to counsel who'd like to kick off the discussion. [00:51:57] Deputy Mayor? [00:51:58] I'll start. [00:51:58] Just because Mr. Lowery is here in the audience, that Lowery, and he's a neighbor of mine, [00:52:02] and he and I were at Rotary today, and I totally get where you're coming [00:52:07] from regarding the pharmacies and the opiate addiction [00:52:11] that we've dealt with all throughout Pasco County. [00:52:14] I think our police department and the sheriff's department has done a great job cracking [00:52:18] down on pill mills, but when she spoke today, she was a behavioral health specialist [00:52:24] from Baycare in a facility directly across the street from the hospital. [00:52:30] And as she got further and further into her presentation, there was more and more talk [00:52:34] about opiates and painkillers and people self-medicating. [00:52:38] And, you know, halfway through, I had to raise my hand, and I asked her, I said, [00:52:41] is this a behavioral health facility to help people with mental disorders, [00:52:46] or are you a rehab clinic for people that can't afford their own rehab? [00:52:50] And she basically said they have 26 beds with a year-long waiting list to get in there, [00:52:54] and the majority of the people they're treating are addicted to opioids. [00:52:58] So, I mean, I don't think there's any question that we've had [00:53:03] and are still battling a serious opioid addiction in Pasco County, [00:53:07] and people are now self-medicating through heroin. [00:53:10] And like we said, I'm fine to use the term cannabis. [00:53:14] I think I'm in favor of medical cannabis. [00:53:18] One of our very elder Rotary members raised his hand [00:53:25] and started asking questions about medical marijuana and medical cannabis. [00:53:29] And it surprised me that this behavioral health specialist started saying, well, you know what, [00:53:34] we really need to start preparing for that, because we might have patients coming in with the, [00:53:39] you know, same addiction to the medical cannabis. [00:53:41] And I'm thinking, you haven't done any research on this lady. [00:53:44] I appreciate you speaking to a Rotary club. [00:53:46] However, I mean, to compare medical cannabis to opioids, and she's a behavioral health specialist, [00:53:53] just proves to me that our entire community needs to be educated. [00:53:56] I commend my colleagues up here, because I think since this has come before us, [00:54:05] and you all know when you first came and spoke to us, you didn't know how we were going to react. [00:54:08] And some of you were a little, you know, a little aggressive, [00:54:11] because you thought we were just going to shoot you down, [00:54:13] because you've been shot down, you know, at other county commission meetings throughout the state [00:54:20] and other municipality meetings you've attended. [00:54:23] I commend my colleagues, because I think we've all done our research on this. [00:54:26] And we have to look at this, in my opinion, as medicine and as a medical facility. [00:54:31] Do we need to determine tonight exactly how many dispensaries we're going to allow? [00:54:37] Yeah, I don't know if we're that far yet. [00:54:39] But to me, these are the things that stick out. [00:54:42] It should be treated like any other medical facility. [00:54:45] I think, I agree with Councilman Phillips once again, that a professional looking [00:54:49] and maintained facility would fit in well near the proposed VA hospital location, [00:54:53] if we are fortunate and blessed enough to get approved for the VA, [00:54:57] moving to Newport Regional Community Hospital. [00:55:00] I didn't like the majority of the slides that Lisa showed us. [00:55:03] I really didn't. [00:55:04] To me, that looked like a place you just go buy recreational marijuana. [00:55:08] The attorney that presented and majority of your facilities, I thought, looked pretty good. [00:55:14] A couple looked a little bit better than the others, in my opinion. [00:55:17] The attorney that spoke from Knox, from Orlando, I loved their presentation [00:55:21] and projections of what their facility looked like. [00:55:25] To me, design is extremely important. [00:55:27] Security, because it's cash-based, is extremely important. [00:55:30] I don't want bars on the window. [00:55:31] I don't want these to look like a pawn shop. [00:55:33] But I think we need to take this out of the conversation [00:55:38] and stop having the same category with tattoo parlors, blood plasma donation centers, [00:55:43] liquor stores, adult entertainment centers. [00:55:46] It shouldn't be even in that category, in my opinion. [00:55:50] But like I said, I'm in favor of having at least one dispensary in Newport to start with. [00:55:54] But Lisa, is there any way that before we approve it, [00:55:56] like I know they're going to be courting you and speaking to you and Debbie [00:56:01] and reaching out to us, the representatives from these companies. [00:56:06] Let's say you feel one company and Debbie feels one company is better than another [00:56:10] and then it comes before us on counsel. [00:56:12] Is there any way that we can require them to show us preliminary computer graphics [00:56:19] of what they project and what they're planning, [00:56:21] just like Wrights Nutrition did, you know, like basic computer graphic. [00:56:25] This is what this facility is going to look like. [00:56:27] So we know ahead of approving just because the company may have a good track record. [00:56:32] I want to know, I mean, are we legally able to do that? [00:56:34] Because I want to know what it's going to look like before I approve it. [00:56:37] Is that possible? [00:56:38] Yes, you are. [00:56:39] I would tell you that if you're going to choose that route [00:56:42] and you want to be the one to approve it, [00:56:44] then you may want to consider approving these as conditional uses [00:56:47] so that you actually have the right to review them directly [00:56:51] as opposed to it just coming in through the building permit office. [00:56:55] If you want to actually have that dialogue with the company [00:56:57] and have it come to you so you can approve it with the design and the business model, [00:57:02] then I would have you consider it as a conditional use. [00:57:05] So I'll wait to hear my colleagues' thoughts on that. [00:57:10] I'll take one part of your presentation. [00:57:15] And I want medical cannabis to be its own category. [00:57:21] I want to take it out of restrictive personal service use. [00:57:24] I want it to be its own entity. [00:57:26] It's going to be its own entity, so let's give it a title of its own. [00:57:32] And whatever restrictions or whatever positive things [00:57:37] that we implement with it, it should all be under its own category. [00:57:41] Like you said, it's not a tattoo parlor. [00:57:43] It's not a head shop. [00:57:46] It's not anything like that. [00:57:47] It's medical. [00:57:48] And that's the number one word in this whole thing. [00:57:53] It's medical. [00:57:55] We don't see medical when we discuss Walgreens or Walmart or CVS. [00:58:03] This one has medical in the term. [00:58:05] And that's why I want to take it out of that. [00:58:08] I'd like to investigate at least it being available in the C1 areas. [00:58:13] And I'd like us to have a discussion a little bit more, [00:58:17] look at it being in the office sections of the commercial entities, [00:58:23] but not just C2 and HC areas, like at least C1 and possibly office. [00:58:31] Councilman, I tend to agree with you completely on this. [00:58:37] This strikes me as nothing so much as another medical office use. [00:58:44] And as Deputy Mayor Starkey pointed out, it would probably fit in real well [00:58:50] should we be fortunate enough to get the VA facility [00:58:53] to have something right down in that area. [00:58:57] I hadn't thought, quite frankly, about the conditional use as an option. [00:59:02] But thank you for bringing that to our attention, Ms. Fears. [00:59:07] Five years from now, this may be no big deal. [00:59:11] And just let the building department do it. [00:59:14] But as we get started, setting it up as a conditional use [00:59:19] probably isn't a bad idea. [00:59:21] That would give us the oversight that the Deputy Mayor has suggested [00:59:27] would be good. [00:59:28] I agree with that. [00:59:30] We do not need these looking sleazy. [00:59:34] If they look like a medical office, I'm happy. [00:59:39] Yeah, that's what I said. [00:59:40] I want to make that growth there. [00:59:43] I kind of like the two number for some reason. [00:59:48] If we end up one down by the VA and that happens to come there, [00:59:51] there's another whole side of town that you might want to have access. [00:59:57] People are talking about access. [01:00:00] that there's, you know, a lot of bus use in our town. [01:00:03] So to have one on the north side and one on the south side [01:00:05] of town, I could see that maybe in that if we come [01:00:09] with this conditional use and we can restrict [01:00:11] to where they go to some degree. [01:00:13] And I think that there's a good point [01:00:15] that we're not just a city of 15, 16,000 souls. [01:00:20] We're the downtown center for a quarter million people. [01:00:27] And if you look at the quarter million people and then divide [01:00:30] it by whatever number you want to use to come [01:00:34] up with a total number, there ultimately could be several. [01:00:38] I don't know that we necessarily want a dozen [01:00:41] of them moving in tomorrow. [01:00:42] But at the same point, getting started [01:00:47] and doing it slowly and carefully, [01:00:50] I just don't have a problem with it. [01:00:52] I agree completely with you. [01:00:54] This does not belong out next to the Pasco Pussycat [01:01:00] in an industrial area. [01:01:02] That makes no sense. [01:01:04] It's not a tattoo parlor. [01:01:06] It's not an adult movie place. [01:01:12] If we're going to regulate things, I personally would love [01:01:18] to see us regulate the alcohol sellers more than the marijuana. [01:01:28] Recognizing that apparently ABC Liquor went [01:01:34] out of business last month based on competition. [01:01:38] But I've got a much bigger problem with these huge liquor [01:01:42] stores that are the size of the old grocery stores than I do [01:01:47] with a small medical marijuana or medical cannabis facility. [01:01:53] Councilman Phillips, thoughts? [01:01:59] I've spoken a bit. [01:02:00] Mr. Bell-Thomas should have the floor and then I'd be happy to, [01:02:04] I don't think we all need to cover the same ground. [01:02:08] Yeah, in the studying that I've been doing, [01:02:10] I think that the one piece that, you know, is troubling to me is [01:02:15] if the optimum numbers are one per 67,000.222 [01:02:21] and the county is suggesting that two [01:02:24] in the county would be a good place for them to start. [01:02:28] I'm not sure, and especially not knowing what the city [01:02:33] of New Port Richey will be doing as to where they would be putting that. [01:02:36] We are a city of only five miles. [01:02:39] I don't think that we've seen enough of the studies [01:02:43] and the science that's behind what's happened in other states [01:02:48] that have permitted this. [01:02:51] Looking at the other ordinances that we were provided,

   This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.

3. 3Adjournment▶ 1:02:56