The Oldsmar City Council chambers blended solemnity and celebration Dec. 16 as council member Andrew Knapp presided over his final meeting before relocating to south Florida for a new job.<\/p>\n
While the dais typically hosts rigid procedure and municipal debate, this meeting featured silk bow ties, tearful tributes and a communitywide goodbye to Knapp after years of service.<\/p>\n
Knapp’s resignation takes effect Dec. 31, and the city will move quickly to fill the vacant Seat 3. Applications are available through the city clerk’s office, and qualified residents must submit them by 4 p.m. Dec. 30, city attorney Tom Trask said. The council is expected to review candidates and appoint a successor at its Jan. 6 meeting.<\/p>\n
The Dec. 16 meeting began with a visual tribute as Mayor Katie Gannon and several staff members wore bow ties, a nod to Knapp\u2019s signature style.<\/p>\n
Gannon described Knapp as a “fantastic all-around human being,” adding that the council had just finished a celebration in his honor before the official gavel fell.<\/p>\n
The evening\u2019s public forum underscored Knapp\u2019s impact on residents.<\/p>\n
Former council member Linda Norris, who now goes by Kalynda, struggled to maintain her composure as she recalled meeting Knapp years ago while he campaigned with his mother.<\/p>\n
“I am on the verge of tears,” she said. “I can\u2019t say this about a lot of people in the world and in my life, but your character, your humility, your family values, and your restraint are just so nice in a public servant.”<\/p>\n
Norris praised Knapp as a “trailblazer” for young families in Oldsmar politics, saying his presence encouraged a demographic shift that mirrored the city\u2019s actual population.<\/p>\n
Resident Tom O\u2019Shea and church community representative Rhonda Coy also offered thanks. Coy spoke on behalf of the Methodist Church of Oldsmar, telling Knapp, “Your family has always meant so much to the church. We wish you the very best of luck.”<\/p>\n
In a lighter moment, Vice Mayor Steve Graber joked about filling the vacancy, saying, “Like the worst item ever. Andrew, thanks a lot.”<\/p>\n
The council also unanimously appointed Council member Valerie Tatarzewski to replace Knapp on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.<\/p>\n
During council reports, the tone shifted from business to roast and back. Council member Sean Swauger, also sporting a bow tie, praised Knapp\u2019s “depth of knowledge” and “expertise.” Swauger said he tried to grow facial hair to match Knapp\u2019s look, but realized he “couldn\u2019t pull it off.”<\/p>\n
Swauger\u2019s comments deepened as he thanked Knapp for his dedication.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019d imagine you probably would have taken this opportunity sooner if you didn\u2019t have such strong conviction for the city,” Swauger said. “I commend you for holding out for everyone in Oldsmar for as long as you did.”<\/p>\n
Gannon grew emotional highlighting Knapp\u2019s legacy. She said he was responsible for the “community engagement outline” now integrated into every city agenda and budget item.<\/p>\n
“It creates transparency. It creates accountability. It gives us goals,” Gannon said. \u201cThank you for making me compromise when I didn’t want to compromise. Thank you for encouraging me to have courage to vote yes. Thank you for encouraging me to have courage to vote no. Everything will be okay with the city because of the decisions that you\u2019ve helped make. Your manner of reasoning and decision-making impacted me profoundly and encouraged me to slow down.”<\/p>\n
In his final address, Knapp looked forward rather than back, discussing his new role with a medical device startup focused on needle-free blood collection technology. Knapp, who previously worked as vice president of manufacturing at Oldsmar-based MicroLumen, said he never stops picking up something new to learn.<\/p>\n
He said that while South Florida is his next chapter, the decision wasn\u2019t easy for him and his wife, Nicole.<\/p>\n
“South Florida seemed like the most tolerable distance,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s only a 30-something minute flight if you come back and visit.”<\/p>\n
Knapp concluded with a promise to return to Oldsmar, specifically requesting to be present with a shovel when the city breaks ground on the “vision across the street,” referring to downtown development projects he championed.<\/p>\n
“I know the phrase goodbye has been said many times tonight, but I\u2019m not going to say it,” Knapp said. “I\u2019m just going to say, see you again soon.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Oldsmar City Council chambers blended solemnity and celebration Dec. 16 as council member Andrew Knapp presided over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49511,12223,12224,596,135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-92424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-andrew-knapp","9":"tag-oldsmar","10":"tag-oldsmar-city-council","11":"tag-pinellas-county","12":"tag-tampa","13":"tag-tampa-headlines","14":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}