Charter Review Advisory Commission 06/23/2026

The City of Tampa's Charter Review Advisory Commission met on June 23, 2026, to discuss several governance and procedural issues, with a significant focus on zoning processes and potential charter amendments. A key topic was the consideration of introducing an interim review step, such as a zoning hearing master or hearing officer, to improve the efficiency and legal defensibility of zoning decisions. The commission heard from Julia Mandel, a former city attorney with extensive experience in land use law, who explained the benefits and challenges of such a system, citing Hillsborough County's model as a reference. The commission debated whether to recommend a charter amendment mandating an interim review step or to suggest a more flexible approach allowing the city council discretion to implement such a process by ordinance. They agreed to have staff draft two versions of potential language for further discussion. Additionally, the commission reviewed the possibility of establishing an independent inspector general office to oversee ethics and investigations, prompted by public comments and concerns about the current HR and ethics commission processes. While some members supported the idea as a nonpolitical oversight mechanism, others questioned its necessity given existing structures. The commission decided to gather more information on how such offices function in other jurisdictions and their interaction with current city roles before making a formal recommendation. The meeting also included approval of minor charter language updates and scheduling of future meetings to continue their work.