ST. PETERSBURG — Next week City Council will hold its first meeting in more than a month, since before much of the city and state nearly shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

But with concerns about spreading the coronavirus still high, the meeting will be conducted virtually through Zoom videoconferencing. It will still be broadcast as normal on St. Pete TV and at stpete.org/tv. Alternatively, people can watch through Zoom or call in.

The virtual meeting method is possible because Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last month suspending state laws that require a quorum to be present in person for local government bodies to hold meetings. The executive order also granted explicit permission to municipalities to hold meetings virtually.

The executive order did not, however, waive local governments’ responsibility to allow for public comment.

To accommodate that, those who wish to speak at next week’s St. Petersburg City Council meeting must email the city clerk ahead of time at city.clerk@stpete.org.

Tampa and Clearwater are also planning to hold council meetings virtually.

Not surprisingly, the agenda for next week’s St. Petersburg City Council meeting features several items related to the coronavirus. The first item calls for an update on COVID-19 from Dr. Ulyee Choe, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, and Amber Boulding, the city’s emergency manager.

Council members will also vote to advance ordinances that will allow money collected through the city’s three redevelopment areas to be used to help businesses, employees, property owners and residents affected by the pandemic.

• • •

Tampa Bay Times coronavirus coverage

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 and Tampa Bay, six days a week

UNEMPLOYMENT Q&A: We answer your questions about Florida unemployment benefits

CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCRAPBOOK: Help us tell the story of life under coronavirus

MEET THE HELPERS: Highlighting Tampa Bay’s everyday heroes in this crisis

FOLLOW OUR COVERAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Reddit.

LISTEN TO THE CORONAVIRUS PODCAST: New episodes every week, including interviews with experts and reporters

HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips

We’re working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you haven’t already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.