BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA
February 27, 2018
The following is a non-verbatim transcript
of the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
MEETING OF SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA, held at 9:30 a.m., on Tuesday, February
27, 2018, in Room 1028 of the SEMINOLE
COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING at SANFORD,
FLORIDA, the usual place of meeting of said Board.
Present:
Chairman
John Horan (District 2)
Vice
Chairman Lee Constantine (District 3)
Commissioner
Robert Dallari (District 1)
Commissioner Carlton Henley (District 4)
Commissioner Brenda Carey (District 5)
Clerk
of Court & Comptroller Grant Maloy
County
Manager Nicole Guillet
County
Attorney Bryant Applegate
Deputy
Clerk Kyla Farrell
Pastor Jim Lynch, East Coast Believers
Church, Oviedo, gave the Invocation; and Commissioner Carey led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS
Agenda Item #1 – 2018-0585
Amanda Day, Executive Director
of Bike/Walk Central Florida, addressed the Board
to talk about
the Best Foot Forward
for _%_Pedestrian Safety Program
that_!b1_ Bike/Walk
Central Florida manages and operates on behalf of its
coalition partners. Ms. Day presented a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Stepping
Up for Safety” (received
and filed). She stated the goal of the
program is to get 60% of drivers to stop for people when they cross the street. She advised enforcement is really the most
critical piece and displayed a video from WESH 2 News showing a police officer legally crossing a
crosswalk where drivers did not stop. Ms. Day discussed Orange
County & City of Orlando Progress to Date (2012-2017) and showed a before
and after picture of a crosswalk that had been restriped. By restriping the crosswalk, the yield rate went
from 13% to 58%.
Commissioner Carey stated looking at the
County’s crosswalks is an important part of the program, and Ms. Day stated
enforcement is a big part of it but enhanced crosswalks will provide an even
bigger jump because they are a lot more visible. Commissioner Dallari asked about the
reduction in numbers from 2015 to 2017 because he would like to understand what
the catalyst is for those numbers. Ms.
Day explained there is no one easy answer; it is a whole host of reasons
including distracted and dangerous driving.
Commissioner Dallari asked if there is a way to look at the numbers to
see if it’s a particular corridor, and Ms. Day answered yes. She stated if you look at the crash reports,
they will tell you more information like why, how and where. Commissioner Carey requested that information
so they can see if there are particular areas that are consistently on the
list, and Ms. Day responded she will get them that information. She explained putting together a map of the
injuries and the fatalities, looking at the closest crosswalk to what enhances
may be made, and whether or not it is a corridor that is slated to undergo a
study is information she can get to the Board that will help them to make decisions.
Commissioner Constantine confirmed with Ms.
Day that on the Crashes + Fatalities chart, they are not one and the same. He assumed that there are numbers that would
indicate the actual fatalities. Ms. Day
explained last year for Orange County, there were about 65 fatalities; and for
Seminole County, the fatalities were probably closer to about 31 or 35. Commissioner Constantine asked to see the
combined total but broken down with the number of crashes and the number of
fatalities. Chairman Horan asked if the
data that they are looking for (the corridors where there are problems) is something
they can break down for the Board.
Charlie Wetzel, Traffic Engineering, addressed the Board and answered he
could graph that data as long as it is in a crash report.
Commissioner Carey asked if Ms. Day gets
her information from Mr. Wetzel, and Ms. Day responded yes. Commissioner Dallari asked how quickly Mr.
Wetzel could get that information and Mr. Wetzel answered probably within a
week. Commissioner Dallari asked if he
could also tell the Board if there are any future design plans of those
corridors so they can anticipate any corrections or any other projects or
problems in the area, and Mr. Wetzel answered yes. Mr. Wetzel added if they identify a high
pedestrian-crash corridor, they could check with Engineering to see if there
are any projects in the works that could possibly address some of that.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
The
Business Spotlight video for Minter Family Farm and Pesticide was presented.
After
Mr. Minter discussed the troubled state that farming is in in Seminole County,
Commissioner Dallari confirmed with Barbara Hughes, Leisure Services, that
staff is going to help Mr. Minter however they can. Commissioner Dallari asked for an update as
they move forward in that process.
Chairman Horan stated he believes staff has some statistics on the
economic impact farm business has on the County, and Ms. Hughes responded she
can get that information to the Board today.
AWARDS
AND PRESENTATIONS CONTINUED
Agenda Item
#2 – 2018-0584
Edward Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Lynx, addressed the
Board to present the Lynx Annual Update. He reviewed a PowerPoint presentation entitled
“Review of CY2017 Goals/Accomplishments and Proposed CY2018 Goals” (copy
received and filed). Mr. Johnson
discussed Enhance Communications, Improve Service Efficiency, Establish More
Partnerships, Improve Customer Confidence in System, and Increase Brand
Recognition and Community Involvement. He
talked about all of the ways that Lynx gets involved with the community. Mr. Johnson reviewed 2018 Major Emphasis
Areas which include establishing a CyberSecurity Program and oversight position,
creating an Innovation and Sustainability Program, seeking funding for Vision
2030 Corridors and purchasing off-board payment systems for key areas.
Mr. Johnson stated Lynx has identified a
couple of methods on how they can move some major projects that they’ve had on
the table for a long time that need to be moved forward. Two of the projects that they have in mind are
to place BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) along HWY 50 from the Winter Garden area all
the way over to UCF as well as a BRT project along SR 436 from the Altamonte
Springs area down to the Orlando International Airport. These two projects have already gone through
the FTA approval process.
Mr. Johnson indicated Lynx will continue to
do their Economic Impact Analysis and purchase more vehicles. They need to start looking at more electric
vehicles and articulated vehicles. Commissioner
Dallari asked if Mr. Johnson is aware of the Volkswagen settlement mitigation
fund and if they are capitalizing that at all.
Mr. Johnson answered yes and explained they are partnering with the
Regional Planning Commission to submit an application to go after those
dollars. Commissioner Dallari asked how
many buses Mr. Johnson thinks Lynx will be able to mitigate with that. Mr. Johnson answered not a lot. He added they are trying to spread the money
throughout the entire state; and not only is it going to public agencies, it is
going to go to some private entities as well.
Lynx knows that they have a need of replacing at least 75 buses at a
minimum and need to purchase an additional 35 articulated buses which are
roughly $1 million apiece. Commissioner
Dallari indicated the school system is qualifying for a number of buses and he
thinks Lynx should be able to qualify as well.
Chairman Horan asked Mr. Johnson to
describe what he is doing with OEP (Orlando Economic Partnership). Mr. Johnson stated they had their initial
kickoff meeting with an OEP representative, and one of the things they are
talking about with their team is really being more of an advocate for the
expansion of transit as well as the funding of transit. Lynx’s biggest thing with OEP is really
giving them good information on what the cost of services will look like and
what should be placed out there and how it actually benefits the community. Most times they only think about transit
services getting people from their home to their jobs, but they also need to
think about the environmental impact that they have by a reduction of CO2. They also need to think about the improvement
of quality of life for people who choose not to drive or who may not be able to
drive. They are really helping with the
education of why transit is so important for the community. Chairman Horan commented it is absolutely
vital that the business community gets behind all of the transportation issues.
Mr. Johnson shared that the Seminole Area
Chamber of Commerce has reached out to Lynx, and they want Lynx to become much
more involved with their program and go through their leadership program.
Commissioner Henley asked how close Lynx is
to closing on the Nopetro property that has been a desire for quite some
time. Mr. Edwards answered the property
has been purchased and Lynx has asked the state legislature for some money to
help build it out. There is a bill that
includes $2 million for a portion of the build-out. Lynx is going to release an RFP (Request for
Proposal) for the clearing of the land, asphalt and concrete. The RFP should be going out in a couple of
months.
COUNTY
MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA
Ms. Guillet announced the only addition is Item #13A which is a
request to pursue a grant to monitor the impacts of the fertilizer
ordinance.
Motion by Commissioner Carey,
seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to authorize and approve the following:
Community Services
Community Development Division
3. Approve
and accept the Neighborhood Stabilization Program Snapshot/Report for the month
of January, 2018 pursuant to Seminole County Resolution #2013-R-61. (2018-0576)
Development
Services
Planning
& Development Division
4. Authorize the release of Maintenance
Bond (Public Road Maintenance Agreement) #58725889 in the amount of $2,603.50,
and Maintenance Bond (Private Road Maintenance Agreement) #58728440 in the
amount of $80,563.70 for the Aloma Trails subdivision. (2018-0556)
5. Approve the plat for the Lake Florence
Preserve single-family residential subdivision containing twenty-eight (28)
lots on 14.64 acres zoned PD (Planned Development), located on the north side
of Howell Branch Road, 1/2 mile west of Dodd Road. (2018-0560)
Leisure
Services
Greenways
and Natural Lands Division
6. Approve and execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-25
for the official transfer of specific parcels currently identified as part of
Soldiers Creek Park into the Natural Lands Program to be managed as part of the
Spring Hammock Preserve. (2018-0553)
Public Works
Engineering Division
7. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement to Acquire between Jackie
Craig Cox and Melissa Diane Cox, his wife, and Seminole
County for property necessary for the Osceola Road Drainage Project. (2018-0564)
8. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute the First Amendment to Florida Department
of Health, Seminole County Lease Agreement.
(2018-0482)
Resource
Management
Budget
& Fiscal Management
9. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-26 implementing
Budget Amendment Request (BAR) #18-029 through the 2001 Infrastructure Sales
Tax Fund to re-appropriate budget of $302,434 from Reserves for
construction funding for the Dike Road Sidewalk and Safety Project. (2018-0565)
10. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute
appropriate Resolution #2018-R-27 implementing the Budget Amendment Request
(BAR) #18-030 through the Public Safety Grant Fund in the amount of $1,000,000
to recognize revenue received from the Florida Department of Management
Services towards the funding of the Seminole County Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD) System. (2018-0563)
11. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-28 implementing
Budget Amendment Request (BAR) #18-031 through the EMS Trust Fund in the amount
of $207,427 to establish budget for the approved EMS Trust Grant for the
purchase of portable ventilators and training manikins. (2018-0569)
12. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute a Grant Award Agreement with the State of
Florida Department of Environmental Protection in acceptance of $100,000
for the Seminole County Waterway Protection-Fertilizer Education Project; and
to execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-29 implementing Budget Amendment Request
(BAR) #18-032 through the Public Works Grant Fund in the amount of $100,000 to
establish funding. (2018-0580)
13. Approve and
authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-30
implementing Budget Amendment Request (BAR) #18-033 in the amount of
$110,356 through the Fire Protection Fund from Reserves for the
purchase of furnishings to be installed at Fire Station #29. (2018-0571)
13A. Approve and authorize staff to submit an application
to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) through its FY 2019
Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source (NPSM) Grant requesting up to $72,000 in grant
funding to conduct a nutrient study to quantify fertilizer ordinance impacts to
nutrients in the surface and groundwater; and authorize the County Manager to
execute any documents associated with the grant application. (2018-0591)
MSBU
Division
14. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute a Satisfaction of Lien for parcel #06-21-29-521-0000-0370
for which the Wekiva Green – Churchill Drive Road Improvement MSBU non-ad
valorem assessment has been paid in full. (2018-0586)
15. Approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute the Satisfaction of Liens for 19 parcels
for which the Lake Myrtle Restoration MSBU non-ad valorem assessment has been
paid in full. (2018-0587)
16. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute
the Satisfaction of Liens for 32 parcels for which the Charter Oaks/Tamarak
MSBU non-ad valorem assessment has been paid in full. (2018-0588)
Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER’S CONSENT
AGENDA
Clerk
& Comptroller’s Office
Motion by Commissioner
Carey, seconded by Commissioner Henley, to approve the following:
17. Approve Expenditure
Approval Lists dated January 29 and February 5, 2018; and the BCC Official
Minutes dated January 23, 2018. (2018-0574)
Districts 1, 2,
3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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The
Board noted, for information only, the following Clerk & Comptroller’s
“Received and Filed”:
1. Florida Public Service Commission
Consummating Order #PSC-2018-0058-CO-GU re: petition approval of transportation
service agreement with Florida Public Utilities Company by Peninsula Pipeline
Company, Docket #20170193-GU, issued January 23, 2018.
2. Florida Public Service Commission Consummating
Order #PSC-2018-0059-CO-EI re: petition for one-year extension of voluntary
solar partnership rider and program by Florida Power & Light Company,
Docket #20170212-EI, issued January 23, 2018.
3. Florida Public Service Commission Order
#PSC-2018-0049-TRF-EI approving Florida Power & Light Company’s Curtailable
Service Tariff Modifications, Docket #20170216-EI, issued January 22, 2018.
4. Florida Public Service Commission Order
#PSC-2018-0049A-TRF-EI approving Florida Power & Light Company’s
Curtailable Service Tariff Modifications, Docket #20170216-EI, issued January
30, 2018.
5. Florida Public Service Commission Order
#PSC-2018-0050-TRF-EI approving Florida Power & Light Company’s Revised
Tariff Sheet No. 6.300, Docket #20170148-EI, issued January 22, 2018.
6. Contract Amendment to State Financial
Assistance Recipient Grant Agreement FDACS #24756 with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for
the Arthropod (Mosquito) Control
Program.
7. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
Participation Agreement with Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, Inc.
for Program Year 2017-2018, as approved by the BCC on July 28, 2015.
8. Addendum #1 to Evergreen PD Development Order
#17-20500022; William H. Schaub
9. Cash Maintenance Bond in the amount of $788.35
for the project known as Oviedo Retail; Dimension Oviedo Venture, LLC (David
Blass).
10. Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with University
Athletic Association for the UAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships.
11. Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with Florida
Half Century Amateur Softball Association, Inc. for the February 50s Senior
Softball Tournament.
12. Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with USA
Softball of Florida, Inc. for the 2018 UCF Friends of Jaclyn Invitational
College Softball Tournament.
13. Tourist Tax Funding Agreements (2) with
Perfect Game Youth Florida, Inc. for the Frozen Ropes event and the Winter
Classic event.
14. Parks Contracts for Services with Eric N.
Pedrosa Quinones, Jacob Borton, Corinne Ballard, and Jason Hernandez.
15. Tennis Developmental Instructor Agreement with
Deborah Greene Coreil.
16. Conditional Utility Agreement for water,
wastewater or reclaimed water services with Richard Gauss, for the project
known as Terra Bona Estates.
17. Pet Rescue Cooperative Service Agreement with
BARC – Boxer Aid Rescue Coalition.
18. SS-603066-18, Agreement for Services with Step
Up on Second Street, Inc.
19. Change Order #1 to CC-1099-16 with Wharton
Smith.
20. Change Order #2 to CC-1313-17 with SanPik,
Inc.
21. Change Order #2 to CC-1342-17 with Corinthian
Builders, Inc.
22. Work Order #1 to CC-1391-17 with Schuller
Contractors, Incorporated.
23. Change Order #1 to CC-1442-17 with Blackstreet
Enterprises.
24. Eighth Amendment to IFB-601852-13 with Clarke
Mosquito Control Products, Inc.
25. Sixth Amendment to IFB-601934-14 with Siteone
Landscape Supply, LLC.
26. Fourth Amendment to IFB-602286-15 with
Precision Power Services, Inc.
27. Third Amendment to IFB-602367-15 with Ten-8
Fire Equipment, Inc.
28. Work Orders #1 and #2 to PS-1473-17 with S2L,
Inc.
29. Work Order #1 to PS-1474-17 with S2L, Inc.
30. Amendment #10 to Work Order #1 to PS-5738-10
with URS Corporation Southern.
31. Amendment #1 to Work Order #32 to PS-7643-12
with Southeastern Surveying and Mapping Corp.
32. Work Order #60 to PS-8047-12 with Tierra, Inc.
33. Work Order #83 to PS-8148-12 with CDM Smith,
Inc.
34. Amendment #2 to Work Order #57 to PS-8148-12
with Keith & Schnars, PA.
35. Work Order #42 to PS-8186-13 with CPH, Inc.
36. First Amendment to RFP-602742-16 with Spay N
Save, Inc.
37. Bids as follows:
IFB-603035-18
from Core and Main, LP; Ferguson Waterworks;
IFB-603017-17
from Lamphier Company d/b/a Lamphier & Company;
BID-602917-17
from Clifton Tower Service, Inc.; Betacom Incorporated; Sky Climber Telecom;
KBR Managed Services, LLC; Tower Systems South, Inc.; Expert Construction
Managers, Inc.; and
PS-1709-18
from E Sciences, Incorporated; Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.; DeLoach
Engineering Science, PLLC; Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.; CDM Smith, Inc.; Amec
Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure, Inc.; Applied Sciences
Consulting, Inc.
REGULAR
AGENDA
Agenda Item
#18 – 2018-0535
Patt
Hughes, Planning and Development, addressed the Board and presented the item as
outlined in the Agenda Memorandum. Ms.
Hughes pointed out the property is now in compliance and advised staff
recommends a total waiver of the Code Enforcement Board liens of $1,352,000 for
Case #01-41-CEB and $983,750 for Case #07-13-CEB on the property located at
3427 Gleaves Court.
Commissioner Carey opined they may need to
rethink how the County does Code Enforcement.
The surrounding residents had to live with this situation for over 17
years, and these fines (over $2 million) continued to collect on a property
that isn’t worth a fraction of those fines.
She suggested maybe they have a process if somebody doesn’t have the
ability to clean up their own mess, the County assists them with that and then
liens the property so that the residents don’t have to continue to deal with
it. The violations devalue the property
around them, and then the owners come and want the Board to totally waive the
fines. The County has over $1,000 worth
of staff time just in monitoring the property.
Commissioner Carey indicated the Board gets this type of request once a
month. She asked if there was a way they
could be more proactive so they could better serve the community on the code
violations that don’t get cleaned up.
Ms. Guillet explained they can do that, and
it is a very similar process to what they use on the abandoned homes that the
County cleans up. There is a cost
associated with that, and they can absolutely do that, but they will have to be
prepared to budget money to pay for the up-front cleanup costs. Commissioner Carey stated she would like to
look at the past year of people that asked for a forgiveness of their
fines. The fines are usually a lot more
than the value of the property so there is no hope in recovering the
money. She opined it is a process the
County is going through for no particular reason. She would like to see what it would have cost
the County to be more proactive and how many of the homes have sold because a
lot of times people are trying to get a waiver on their fees because they have
decided to sell their home.
Chairman Horan asked if there was an
inventory of Code Enforcement violations that can be easily accessed and
identified as to how long they’ve been pending and do some kind of analysis as
to where they might be. Ms. Guillet
answered they do and added they will work with the Sheriff’s Office on that
because the County does the administrative end of Code Enforcement but the
Sheriff’s Office is who monitors the progress of compliance with many of the
cases. The County can work with the
Sheriff’s Office to see if there is a system and how much capacity they have to
not only continue to enforce existing cases but do the regular code enforcement
activities that they do. Chairman Horan
stated he thinks Commissioner Carey’s suggestion is a good one because they
wouldn’t have to wait until there’s a sale or it gets so bad that they are
talking about a public nuisance condemnation.
Bryant Applegate, County Attorney, stated
the money they collect from lien holders is put into a fund for those kinds of
situations. Commissioner Carey advised that
Clerk Maloy informed her that they passed a lot-clearing ordinance years ago
for this very reason, so there may be an ordinance already on the books that
would allow something like her suggestion.
Ms. Guillet responded there is a mechanism to do it. Commissioner Carey suggested they go back and
look at a year’s experience so they can make a financial decision. Chairman Horan stated if there is some
cost-effective way that they can ameliorate those situations before they get to
$2 million or however much the lien may be, that would be great because they
know they aren’t going to collect $2 million.
It would be a good service to try; and if they can fit it into the
budget, it would be fantastic. He asked the County Manager to get some
information to the Board in three to four weeks. Commissioner Constantine confirmed with Ms.
Hughes that the property owners are actively trying to sell the property.
With regard to public participation, no one
in the audience spoke in support or in opposition to Item #18, and public input
was closed.
Commissioner Constantine stated he concurs
with the sentiment that was made by the other commissioners because 17 years is
far too long. He respects hardship and
is always very thankful to the service of veterans, but there are many ways
over a period of 17 years that they could have fixed it. He indicated he doesn’t want to set a
precedent in the sense that they are just waiving everything, and it is
important that they at least recoup the administrative costs.
Motion by Commissioner Constantine,
seconded by Commissioner Carey, to approve a reduction to the Code Enforcement
Board liens of $1,352,000, for Case #01-41-CEB and $983,750 for Case #07-13-CEB
to the total administrative costs of $1,089.87 on the property located at 3427
Gleaves Court, Apopka, Tax Parcel #18-21-29502-0D00-0050, owned by Terry G.
& Rose E. Morley; and authorize the Chairman to execute the Release of
Liens upon payment in full.
Discussion ensued regarding a timeframe for
the property owner to pay the administrative costs. Ms. Guillet indicated they typically allow for
30 days.
Motion by
Commissioner Constantine, seconded by Commissioner Carey, to approve a
reduction to the Code Enforcement Board liens of $1,352,000, for Case
#01-41-CEB, and $983,750 for Case #07-13-CEB, to the total administrative costs
of $1,089.87 on the property located at 3427 Gleaves Court, Apopka, Tax Parcel
#18-21-29502-0D00-0050, owned by Terry G. & Rose E. Morley, require this
reduced amount to be paid within 30 days or the liens will revert to the
original amounts of $1,352,000 for Case #01-41-CEB, and $983,750 for Case
#07-13-CEB; and authorize the Chairman to execute the Release of Liens upon
payment in full.
Discussion ensued regarding the language of
the motion. Ms. Guillet confirmed they
are simply reducing the lien to the administrative costs and the property owner
has 30 days to pay it.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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Agenda Item
#19 – 2018-0562
Mr. Wetzel
presented a request to adopt a Resolution for a 35 mph speed limit on North
Street from Raymond Avenue to County Road 427 for a 2.4 mile length. He stated the roadway has been posted at 35
mph for at least the last 33 years; however, it was brought to staff’s
attention that according to Florida Statute 316.189, the County cannot post any
roadway within a business or residence district above 30 mph without Board
approval. A search through the Board
archives turned up no such approval. The 85th percentile speed data that staff
collected, which is the common measure used in traffic engineering to set speed
limits, supports the 35 mph posting. Mr.
Wetzel advised staff also conducted a speed limit analysis using FHWA’s
USLIMITS2 which takes into account other factors besides 85th percentile speed
such as volume, crashes, number of driveways, and pedestrian and bicycle
activity. This analysis also supported a
35 mph speed limit. Mr. Wetzel stated
staff recommends approval and Mark Bevis, Traffic Studies Manager, is also present
for any of the Board’s questions. Chairman
Horan confirmed with Mr. Wetzel that a study has been done regarding the speed
limit. Ms. Guillet stated they will put
it into the record and noted the information was sent to all of the commission
offices on both the speed analysis for different segments of the road as well
as the historical crash analysis. Chairman
Horan indicated by unanimous consent, those studies shall be determined to be
part of the record (copy not received and filed).
Dr. Chari, 1911 North Street, addressed the
Board and read his comments into the record (received and filed). He requested that the Board consider a safer
speed limit of 30 mph on the essentially residential street to be more
consistent with the speed limits on Raymond Avenue and Palm Springs Drive.
Debbie Alvine, 1871 North Street, addressed
the Board and read her statement (received and filed) into the record. Her comments included concerns about noise
pollution and traffic. She asked the
Board to reduce the speed to 30 mph. Ms.
Alvine read a statement (received and filed) from John Edwards Jones, 450
Andrews Drive, who was unable to attend the meeting. In his statement, Mr. Jones asked for the
speed limit to be consistent with Raymond Avenue and Palm Springs Drive and
voiced his concerns regarding motor vehicle accidents.
Cheryl Adamkiewicz, 1655 Oak Valley Drive, addressed
the Board and described an accident involving a bicyclist on North Street. She explained if you are coming east on North
Street in the morning, you are blinded by the sun; in the afternoon going west,
it is the same thing. Ms. Adamkiewicz
stated the reason there are not a lot of bicyclists and children on that street
is because as a parent, you aren’t going to put your child in that
situation. She expressed her concerns regarding
cut-through traffic and asked that the Board reduce the speed limit.
Mike Boyanton, 468 Raymond Avenue,
addressed the Board and stated his concern is the number of 18-wheelers and
large trucks that are going down Raymond Avenue. He explained there is a wonderful park across
the street that he could take his grandchildren to; but because of the traffic,
there is no safe way of getting there.
Mr. Boyanton told the Commissioners the traffic got very quiet one day,
so he walked around to the front of the house and saw a police cruiser parked
in the center turn lane. As long as the
police cruiser was there, everything was peaceful; but as soon as he left, the
noise level resumed.
Speaker Request forms for Dr. Chari, Ms.
Alvine, and Ms. Adamkiewicz were received and filed.
A Written Comment form from Don Epps, 144
Peacock Drive, was received and filed.
Commissioner Carey stated this is an
enforcement issue. She explained many
times it is bringing awareness to the traveling public by either having the
flashing speed limit signs that say how fast you are going or having the
Sheriff’s Office writing tickets. She
noted pretty much every time they do that, they find that many of the residents
that live in the area are the offenders.
Commissioner Carey stated sections of roads can be posted for local
deliveries only and suggested such postings from Palm Springs Drive heading
west down to Raymond Avenue. Ms. Guillet
responded that there is some signage out there, and Commissioner Henley noted
they could be more prominent than they are.
Ms. Guillet reminded that the item on the
Agenda is just regarding speed, but she thinks Mr. Wetzel is prepared to
address the issue of the truck traffic as well.
Mr. Wetzel explained there are local-delivery-only signs posted in that
area, and there are also some signs with a posted weight limit of 10 tons; those
signs were posted in the late ‘90s. The
problem is that it is very time consuming to enforce this type of thing because
you basically have to follow a truck the entire route to make sure that it
isn’t cutting through an area that it shouldn’t be. Ms. Guillet asked if Mr. Wetzel could review
the placement of those signs, and Mr. Wetzel answered they can definitely do
that. Commissioner Henley pointed out they
are not very large signs.
Commissioner Dallari asked Mr. Wetzel if
any of the noise issues have been looked at or if they just looked at
speed. Mr. Wetzel answered they
primarily looked at the road speed. He
is not a noise engineer; but as to safety, they did do a crash analysis. In Ms. Alvine’s section there were 19 crashes
over six years which is relatively pretty low.
As far as traffic calming, people drive based on the characteristics of
the road; signs don’t really do anything.
There are other things that could be done to affect speed. If the County moves forward and develops the
golf course into a park, that may give them an opportunity to redo North Street
to add in bike lanes, make it complete streets, and do other things to control
the speed of the traffic. He reiterated that
people drive the way the road looks and the way it operates. That is the whole theory of the 85th
percentile speed; it assumes 85% of the people drive a reasonable speed based
on the road conditions. Signs really do
not have a great impact on drivers unless law enforcement is out there 24/7,
which they can’t be. Raymond Avenue is a perfect example. That speed limit was lowered artificially
from 35 mph to 30 mph back in 1999, and it had no effect on vehicle speeds; the
85th percentile on Raymond is well over 40 mph.
Mr. Wetzel advised changing the sign to 30 mph will not affect the way
people drive.
Commissioner Carey stated when North Street
was expanded, there was a design speed.
She asked if the design speed was 35 mph. Mr. Wetzel answered staff could not find the
plans, but they found it for the eastern portion; and east of Palm Springs Drive
was 40 mph. Commissioner Carey confirmed
with Mr. Wetzel the design speed for east of Palm Springs Drive was 40 mph but
they have it posted at 35 mph.
Commissioner Dallari stated there is no
doubt they can adhere to what staff is talking about and post it legally at 35
mph. He asked if there is a way to look
at the corridor and make it something more enhanced. Chairman Horan opined one type of sign that
does affect traffic is the kind that flashes what speed you are going. He thinks there are some traffic calming
things they could do in addition to the speed.
He stated he agrees with Mr. Wetzel that when you change the nature of
the street to more of a complete streets concept, you change the nature of the
way people address the road. Chairman
Horan noted in his own experience on North Street, it is difficult to even get
to 35 mph with cars coming in off of the side streets.
Commissioner Constantine stated they are
dealing with something in a vacuum. What
is concerning to him is the long term, the big picture. There is no question the area is going through
a potential transition, so there are circumstances now that may not exist in
perhaps 2021. He discussed the increase
in truck traffic that Mr. Boyanton brought up.
Commissioner Constantine stated he likes the idea of complete streets
and thinks they should look at that when the park goes in, but right now they
have to take a more holistic view of what’s happening in that area short of
just the traffic engineer saying 35 mph is a good speed limit to post. He asked the County Manager if there is
something the County can do to look at it with a more holistic approach. Ms. Guillet answered they can and they
frequently do safety studies and other types of studies. They are installing some safety improvements
on SR 46 which also experiences a lot of pass-through traffic. She added they will take a closer look at it;
but before staff engages in that, she would like to have an understanding from
the Board of exactly what it is they want staff to address. Mr. Wetzel and his group are responsible for
moving traffic, so they’ve looked at it from a moving traffic standpoint. If there are other quality of life issues
that the Board wants staff to look at, they can do that; but she needs to be
clear on what that is so they can accomplish what the Board would like for them
to accomplish in doing a more in-depth study.
Ms. Guillet stated based on what they’ve
heard today, whatever the Board decides to do on the speed limit probably isn’t
going to have that much of an impact on changing things out there. She isn’t suggesting they don’t lower the
speed limit, but she is trying to manage expectations. So if they do lower it, it probably isn’t
going to have that much of an impact on the issues that were raised today. She noted you take an action to fix something
and it impacts something somewhere else.
She wants to make sure if they have staff take a closer look at the
issue, they are looking at exactly what it is the Board wants them to look at.
Commissioner Dallari stated if you look at
the area, it’s really the box of SR 434, SR 436, I-4 to Ronald Reagan. He agreed that when you make a change it will
have a ripple effect and that they have to manage expectations. Ms. Guillet commented they may have some
limitations on what they can do and changing behaviors is sometimes a difficult
thing to tackle. Chairman Horan stated the
thing that struck him about North Street was that it was a collector road but
it had a lot of curb cuts and a lot of points of entry. He likened it to Winter Springs Boulevard in
his district. It is about 4 miles long,
has a lot of curb cuts, and the speed limit is 30 mph. Chairman Horan explained North Street is
operating as a municipal collector road.
He asked if they can look at the connecting roads and reduce the danger
by doing a right-only out of a subdivision.
Ms. Guillet answered they can look at that but reiterated if you push
one side of the balloon, it pokes out on the other side.
Commissioner Henley stated he has driven
that road daily, sometimes numerous times, since 1963. The traffic on North Street and Palm Springs Drive
is as busy as any road in the county and busier than most, but there are
situations there you are not going to change.
He pointed out that that road serves two large schools and you can’t
change the traffic for that. The road
also has Waste Pro’s operation. There is
a FedEx, UPS, and numerous industrial businesses on Bennett Drive that provide jobs
for that community. Several years ago,
those operations were directed to turn left to Ronald Reagan and then go to SR
434, except for those making neighborhood deliveries. Commissioner Henley opined the road noise is
going to be hard to change because of the amount of traffic. He doesn’t think slowing down the traffic by
5 mph is going to solve any problem there.
He stated he doesn’t know what the solution is; but as much traffic as
they have, if they slow it down, they are going to make a much longer wait for
those trying to get out of all of the side roads which is already a challenge
at times.
Commissioner Henley reminded the Board that
the only thing before them today is the speed, and they can leave it as is or
they have the choice of changing it. He
stated if changing solved the problems, then that is the way they should go;
but he is not convinced that they wouldn’t have other unintended
consequences. Chairman Horan
agreed. Commissioner Carey stated whether
the speed limit is 30 mph or 35 mph, enforcement is going to be a major part of
what needs to happen and the County needs to make a request for some
enforcement either by having signs flashing or other things. The intersection of Palm Springs Drive and
North Street needs to be looked at because it is a very tight
intersection. She expressed she could go
either way with the speed limit, but enforcement has got to be a part of what
they look at. Commissioner Carey asked
the County Manager to look at the intersection and make sure that the County
requests enforcement. She pointed out
that traffic patterns are going to change once all of the construction is
complete around there, so right now they need to focus on enforcement.
Commissioner Constantine stated he hears
that there’s probably a consensus from a majority of the commission that they
want to keep the speed limit at 35 mph; but he truly believes that in addition
to enforcement, they need to look at the nearby intersections. He discussed enforcement in Altamonte Springs
and how it has calmed traffic. He
suggested a flashing light on North Street and making the signs more
prominent. Commissioner Constantine advised
in looking at what might occur in the Rolling Hills area with the potential
park, they should also look at what they can do for that road as they are doing
the park because that will be a prominent road that will have ingress and
egress to the people that are going to use that park facility.
Ms. Alvine stated she has studied this
issue for nine months, read extensively about the subjects, and can answer the
Board’s concerns. She explained that reducing
the speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph and making people adhere to it is a 35%
reduction in noise. Ms. Alvine pointed
out the residents are not complaining about the number of cars. Those roads can handle the volume of cars and
they can do it in conjunction with compatibility with homes. She advised 30 mph is a start and it needs
enforcement. The National Transportation
Safety Board says enforcement is important.
She explained there are simple things that can be done like narrowing
the wide areas of North Street with bike lanes; it only requires a stripe and
bike symbols. The road is wide enough to
handle bike lanes. Ms. Alvine discussed
crosswalks and suggested striping and signage.
Chairman Horan reminded the only issue
before the Board is the speed limit. He
stated they have identified that the whole area needs to be looked at for not
only what is there today but what will be there in the future when the Ultimate
I-4 is finished, and the County will be working with the neighborhood on that. He advised they can make a commitment to the
entire area that they are going to take a very close look at the entire region
in terms of improving the traffic flow.
Commissioner Dallari stated in regard to
expectations, they should be looking at restriping the area and crosswalks
because safety is the Board’s primary concern.
Commissioner Carey asked what the speed is on Palm Springs Drive, and
Ms. Alvine answered 30 mph. She added
Raymond Avenue is 30 mph and Seminole Avenue is 25 mph. Ms. Alvine noted by having roads
inconsistently marked, you are signaling to drivers who are speeding down North
Street that once they get on Raymond Avenue, it’s okay to speed. Commissioner Dallari reiterated the only
issue regarding this item is the speed limit.
Commissioner Constantine asked what would
it harm to make it 30 mph as they are doing the potential studies and looking
at it and considering alternatives.
Motion by Commissioner Constantine,
seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to approve and authorize the Chairman to adopt
a Resolution for 30 mph speed limit on North Street from Raymond Avenue to CR
427 for a 2.4 mile length.
Under discussion, Commissioner Dallari
clarified he seconded the motion only for discussion. He asked staff what the effects are of
lowering the speed limit to 30 mph. Mr.
Wetzel answered unless law enforcement is out there 24/7, just changing the
signs will probably not do anything. As
to law enforcement, he doesn’t know their willingness to enforce something that
they don’t think is right. Chairman
Horan asked if a flashing light that said 30 mph would help. Commissioner Carey stated if they are going
to drop the speed limit, it is difficult to start enforcing it immediately
because people are used to going 35 mph.
If they lower it, she suggested they ask the Sheriff to put out warning
signs that flash the speed limit and flags on the signs that bring attention to
them. Ms. Guillet pointed out the
Sheriff’s Office is the expert in enforcement, so the County will coordinate
with them if the Board decides to make the change.
Ms. Alvine submitted a traffic study done on
Raymond Avenue when the speed was reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph (copy received
and filed). She pointed out that study
was before it was restriped. When
restriping happened, it changed the nature of the road. At 35 mph, the average speed was 39.5 mph. After it was reduced to 30 mph, the average
speed went down to 33.5 mph; and that is significant for the people that live
on that street.
Commissioner Henley advised he will not be
supporting the motion because it has been 35 mph for years, and to try to
change it all at once when you can’t change any of the conditions is not a
solution and it could very well have some unintended consequences. Commissioner Carey agreed with Commissioner
Henley. She added maybe it gets split
zoned where it’s 35 mph from CR 427 to Bennett Road and 30 mph as you go into
the residential neighborhood. She noted
she doesn’t know the answer; so until she has more information from staff about
what could be done and how that would impact the speed limit, she doesn’t see a
point in changing it.
Commissioner Dallari suggested they
continue the item. Chairman Horan
reminded there is a motion and a second to lower the speed limit to 30 mph and asked
if they would like to withdraw the motion.
Commissioner Dallari withdrew the
second causing the motion to die. Commissioner Constantine opined continuing it
may be the answer. He added the fact of
the matter is, they are asking staff to look at some things. Discussion ensued regarding the previously
mentioned surrounding speed limits.
Commissioner Carey agreed they should continue it until they have staff
look at the options and talk to law enforcement.
Chairman Horan stated the County Attorney
has advised him that in order to continue the item, they have to approve the
resolution to continue it at 35 mph; otherwise, it is still illegal. Commissioner Constantine stated he does not
have any problems with what the engineer has done on pure numbers. He would like to make a motion with the understanding
that staff is going to take a clear and defined interest in it.
Motion
by Commissioner Constantine, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to approve
and authorize the Chairman to adopt appropriate Resolution #2018-R-31 for 35
mph speed limit on North Street from Raymond Avenue to CR 427 for a 2.4 mile
length.
Under discussion, Commissioner Dallari
asked when they should expect to have a recommendation from staff. Ms. Guillet answered she will have to talk
with staff and see what all would be involved with that. Chairman Horan asked if it is safe to say a
couple of months. Ms. Guillet replied
they can shoot for a couple of months.
She stated she wants to manage expectations and she will need to sit
down with Mr. Wetzel and his group to see everything that is going to be
involved in the study that the Board has requested. Commissioner Dallari asked
when they can report back to the Board, and Ms. Guillet answered she can give a
status report in two months.
Ms. Alvine asked if she can be a part of
those meetings, and Ms. Guillet answered they will certainly engage the
community.
With regard to public participation, no one
else in the audience spoke in support or in opposition to Item #19, and public
input was closed.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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Chairman
Horan announced the work session regarding the Stormwater Master Plan that was
scheduled to follow today’s morning session will be postponed until after the
afternoon session.
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Chairman Horan recessed the meeting at 11:58 a.m., reconvening at 1:30 p.m., with all
Commissioners and all other Officials with the exception of Deputy Clerk Kyla
Farrell, who was replaced by Deputy Clerk Jane Spencer, who were present at the
Opening Session.
PROOFS
OF PUBLICATION
Motion by
Commissioner Henley, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to authorize the filing
of the proofs of publication for this meeting's scheduled public hearings into
the Official Record.
Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
PUBLIC
HEARINGS
ENGLISH ESTATES
LAKE RESTORATION AND
AQUATIC
VEGETATION AND LAKE MANAGEMENT
MSBU NON-AD
VALOREM CAPITAL ASSESSMENT
Agenda Item #20 – 2018-0589
Proof of publication
calling for a public hearing to consider adoption of a Resolution confirming
the non-ad valorem capital assessment of $1,820 per unit for the English
Estates Lake Restoration and Aquatic Vegetation and Lake Management MSBU as per
completion of Phase I: Restoration, received and filed.
Joseph
Saucer, MSBU Project Coordinator, addressed the Board to present the request as
outlined in the Agenda Memorandum. Mr.
Saucer stated the purpose of today’s public hearing is to confirm completion of
Phase I Restoration at English Estates Lake and to finalize the capital
assessment assigned to the benefiting properties for the restoration work
completed in December of 2017. He noted
that the MSBU Program has confirmed with the Watershed Management Division that
the project has been completed with no outstanding issues. Based on the final project cost of $40,920,
the cost allocation to be funded by non-ad valorem assessment is $10,920. The capital improvement assessment assigned
to each property within the assessment boundary is $1,820. The owners of the assessed property have the
option of paying the assessment in full without financial charges within 30
days following the filing of the authorizing resolution or participating in a
County-sponsored installment payment plan.
With
regard to public participation, no one in the audience spoke in support or in
opposition and public input was closed.
Motion by Commissioner Carey, seconded
by Commissioner Henley, to approve
and authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2018-R-32
confirming the non-ad valorem capital assessment of $1,820 per unit for the
English Estates Lake Restoration and Aquatic Vegetation and Lake Management
MSBU as per completion of Phase I: Restoration, as described in the proof of
publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
2018 CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS
PROJECT SCHEDULE
ANNUAL UPDATE
Agenda Item #21 – 2018-0542
Proof of publication
calling for a public hearing to consider adoption of an Ordinance containing
the annual update of the Capital Improvements Schedule for the Seminole County
Comprehensive Plan, received and filed.
Jeff
Hopper, Planning and Development Division, addressed the Board to present the
request as outlined in the Agenda Memorandum.
Mr. Hopper stated the Capital Improvements Element Comprehensive Plan is
required by Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes and enables the County to
implement the Plan's goals, objectives, and policies. Each year, the adopted Schedule of Capital
Improvements is updated to ensure that it matches the County's newly adopted
fiscal year budget and the adopted five-year Capital Improvements Program. The proposed updated Schedule of Capital
Improvements only includes items previously reviewed and adopted by the Board
of County Commissioners through the annual budget process. Mr. Hopper stated that staff is recommending
adoption of the ordinance.
With
regard to public participation, no one in the audience spoke in support or in
opposition and public input was closed.
Motion by Commissioner Henley, seconded
by Commissioner Carey, to adopt
Ordinance #2018-5 containing the 2018 Capital Improvements Project Schedule
Annual Update for the Seminole County Comprehensive Plan, as described in the
proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
HIDEAWAY COVE PD
REZONE/Madden, Moorhead & Stokes
Agenda Item #22 – 2018-0006
Proof of publication
calling for a public hearing to consider a Rezone from A-1 (Agriculture) and
R-1AA (Single Family Dwelling) to PD (Planned Development) for a 92-lot
single-family residential subdivision on approximately 45 acres, located on the
east side of Simmons Road, one-half mile east of Lockwood Boulevard, Madden,
Moorhead & Stokes, received and filed.
Joy
Giles, Planning and Development Division, addressed the Board to present the
request as outlined in the Agenda Memorandum.
Ms. Giles explained that the Applicant proposes to develop a
single-family residential subdivision of 92 lots with a minimum lot size of
7,800 square feet and a maximum density of 2.59 dwelling units per net
buildable acre. She then discussed the
future land use designation for the site and for the adjacent properties. Ms. Giles stated the site will be accessed
from Simmons Road, which is classified as a private road and will have to be
improved to County standards. Utilities
will be provided by Seminole County. Ms.
Giles stated the site contains wetlands and lies within the Econ River
Protection Area. She discussed the
required buffers. The proposed
development is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development
Code. The Planning and Zoning Commission
recommended approval and staff also recommends approval.
Chad
Moorhead, Madden, Moorhead & Stokes, addressed the Board and stated he
agrees with staff’s recommendation.
With
regard to public participation, no one in the audience spoke in support or in
opposition and public input was closed.
Motion by Commissioner Dallari,
seconded by Commissioner Henley, to
adopt Ordinance #2018-6 enacting a Rezone from A-1 (Agriculture) and R-1AA
(Single Family Dwelling) to PD (Planned Development); and approve the
associated Development Order and Master Development Plan for approximately 45
acres, located on the east side of Simmons Road, one-half mile east of Lockwood
Boulevard, as described in the proof of publication, Madden, Moorhead &
Stokes.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
EAST LAKE DRIVE PD
REZONE/Jim Mehta
Agenda Item #23 – 2018-0005
Proof of
publication calling for a public hearing to consider a Rezone from R-1AA
(Single-Family Dwelling) to PD (Planned Development) for a 16-lot single-family
residential subdivision on approximately 9.47 acres, located on the south side
of East Lake Drive, approximately 500 feet south of Center Drive, Jim Mehta,
received and filed.
Matt
Davidson, Planning and Development Division, addressed the Board to present the
request as outlined in the Agenda Memorandum.
Mr. Davidson stated that the Applicant is requesting a rezone in order
to develop the subject property as a single-family residential subdivision with
a maximum of 16 lots. The proposed lots
will have a minimum lot size of 8,400 square feet and a minimum width at the
building line of 70 feet. The subject
property has a Low Density Residential Future Land Use designation, which
allows a maximum density of four dwelling units per net buildable acre and the
Applicant is proposing a maximum density of 2.12 dwelling units per net
buildable acre.
Mr.
Davidson explained that the adjacent subdivisions along the western perimeter
both have stormwater drainage tracts that are at minimum 50 feet wide abutting
the subject property and pointed out that the proposed development will not
significantly impact the existing wetland that is located in the middle of the
site. He added that the Applicant is
proposing to place a stormwater pond on the southern portion of the property
that is adjacent to the Deer Run subdivision.
Mr. Davidson stated the project is compatible with the trend of
development in the area. He informed the
Board that the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend
approval and staff is also recommending approval.
Chad
Moorhead, Madden, Moorhead & Stokes, stated he has no presentation but did
want the Board to know that he has been talking with Jim Luetzow, from the Deer
Run subdivision, about some drainage concerns; and he has also been working
with staff on it. He offered to answer
any questions that the Board might have.
Commissioner
Carey stated that she understands there is a drainage easement across this
property for the benefit of Deer Run.
She wondered if Mr. Moorhead is talking to them about how he will be
addressing that issue as this develops.
Mr. Moorhead reported there is no drainage easement across this property
that he is aware of. The outfall from the
pond to the west from Deer Run discharges into the wetland and they are not taking
the wetland away. The drainage will
continue to go as it has been. Mr.
Moorhead stated he is working with the County to try and improve the situation
where some drainage might be blocked right now.
Commissioner Carey confirmed with Mr. Moorhead that the drainage is
impacting the site, but they don’t have a drainage easement. The Commissioner stated she knew there was
some drainage that was coming from Deer Run, and she wanted to make sure it was
being accommodated. Mr. Moorhead
answered that it was.
Commissioner
Dallari requested that Mr. Moorhead talk about, in general terms, the
discussions he has had with Deer Run about the drainage; he asked what Mr.
Moorhead is doing. Mr. Moorhead advised
that he has met with staff on options for the outfall for the site. He noted there are two County ponds to the
east of the property. When those ponds
were constructed, they hindered the outfall from their wetland. They are working with staff to try to put the
historical outfall back in place or close to it. Commissioner Dallari asked Mr. Moorhead if he
is committing to addressing the issues in Deer Run; and Mr. Moorhead responded
that for this particular area, he was.
With regard
to public participation, no one in the audience spoke in support or in opposition
and public input was closed.
Chairman
Horan reported that there were two updates for this item; the master
development plan and the minutes from the February 7, 2017, P&Z meeting
were added to the record for this agenda item.
Motion by Commissioner Dallari, seconded
by Commissioner Henley, to adopt Ordinance #2018-7 enacting a Rezone from R-1AA
(Single-Family Dwelling) to PD (Planned Development); and to approve the
associated Development Order and Master Development Plan for a 16-lot
single-family residential subdivision on approximately 9.47 acres, located on
the south side of East Lake Drive, approximately 500 feet south of Center
Drive, as described in the proof of publication, along with all comments that
Mr. Moorhead made addressing the property regarding the drainage for Deer Run
and associated only with this property, Jim Mehta.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
AMENDING
CHAPTER 20, ANIMALS AND FOWL, OF
SEMINOLE
COUNTY CODE/Retail sale of cats and dogs
Agenda Item #24 – 2018-0590
Proof of publication calling for a public hearing to consider an Ordinance amending Chapter 20, Animals and Fowl, of the
Seminole County Code, received and filed.
Chairman Horan advised that there has been a late update on this
item. He stated that on page 11 of the
proposed ordinance, the words “hobby breeder” have been deleted from lines 256
and 263 and also on page 12, line 274.
Commissioner Dallari stated he wants to submit his ex parte
communication (received and filed) for any and all public portions of today’s
meeting.
Meloney Lung, Assistant County Manager, addressed the Board to
present the request as outlined in the Agenda Memorandum. Ms. Lung stated this ordinance requires an
adoption-based model for the sale of cats and dogs and will encourage pet
consumers to obtain dogs and cats from shelters and/or animal rescue
organizations. Ms. Lung explained that
last February, staff received direction from the Board to move forward with
this ordinance. Staff reviewed multiple
ordinances from across the state and throughout the United States. They spoke with concerned citizens as well as
with animal rescue organizations to develop their recommended changes to
Chapter 20 in this ordinance. Ms. Lung
noted, as the Chairman mentioned, there were a couple of late changes made
yesterday and the Board should have the new pages.
Chairman Horan noticed the signs in the audience and advised
that one of the things they wanted to clarify in the original iteration of the
ordinance was that a hobby breeder could not sell to a pet store or something
else like that. He added that has been
clarified. Ms. Lung stated it was a
little confusing; so they removed it.
The Chairman stated he did not know whether it was confusing but noted
that it might have been a loophole. Ms.
Guillet explained that the term was removed because it was not consistent with
the adoption-based approach. She stated
having the hobby breeder sell in a retail store was not consistent with the
adoption-based approach. Chairman Horan
explained that the bottom line is that a hobby breeder can give but cannot
sell. Commissioner Carey stated they can
sell directly. She stated the term was
only struck in retail sales. Ms. Guillet
stated they can sell their one litter a year per household; they can transfer
however they need to transfer.
Carla Wilson, 702 Heather Lane, addressed the Board and
explained that it was a year ago when she and Bryan brought this to their
attention. Ms. Wilson thanked all of the
Commissioners, the County Attorney, and the County Manager’s Office for their
great work on this ordinance and for a clean ordinance with no loopholes. As a resident of Seminole County for 20
years, she is proud that the Board is being proactive to stop a problem before
it happens.
Barbara Emrys, 1322 Forest Drive, addressed the Board and stated
she lives in Sanford and has been very aware of how knee-deep they are in
homeless cats. Everywhere she has lived
in Sanford, cats have been at the door begging for homes. Ms. Emrys praised her heroic friends who have
trapped and neutered dozens of strays and praised organizations like some of
the ones here today. Where shelters are
overflowing, it is wonderful to see this ordinance; and she urged the Board to
pass it.
Rebecca Lynch, 801 Stonehenge, addressed the Board and stated
she is a volunteer with Poodle and Pooch Rescue. Ms. Lynch noted that rescue organizations in
Central Florida and specifically Seminole County are inundated with pets that
they are taking regularly from people who buy from pet stores and strays on the
street. If there is any way to stop
adding to the pet overpopulation problem, she is certainly for that. She stated she is so grateful for the Board considering
this ordinance.
With regard to the Poodle and Pooch Rescue, Commissioner Carey
asked Ms. Lynch if she takes dogs from Seminole County’s shelters; and Ms.
Lynch responded that they do. She added
that they take dogs from other shelters as well and that they take poodles to
pit bulls to Chihuahuas. Commissioner
Carey asked what the adoption fee was; and Ms. Lynch replied the adoption
donation varies depending on the dog’s age, their health, and their
adoptability. The range is anywhere from
$100 up to $500. Commissioner Dallari
asked what type of animal the more expensive fee is for. Ms. Lynch responded a more expensive adoption
fee would be for a young, healthy puppy.
She noted they are 100 percent a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based
organization; so the money they raise on puppies and highly adoptable dogs goes
towards the vetting of dogs that are special needs and need surgeries and
additional medical care. Commissioner
Carey confirmed with Ms. Lynch there are no salaried personnel at all.
Maria Bolton-Joubert, 524 Meridale Avenue, addressed the Board
and stated that she used to be a resident of Oviedo. Ms. Bolton-Joubert advised that she has
helped with rescue on and off for probably eight or nine years, and this is
really important to her. She advised
that she has spent thousands of dollars of her own money over the years for
rescue. Ms. Bolton-Joubert stated that
she helps in Orange County and then talked about the huge overpopulation
problem in Orange County. Nationwide
there are over 4,000,000 homeless cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies killed with
taxpayer money; it is an ugly truth. Ms.
Bolton-Joubert stated the ordinance is really important because it is out of
sight, out of mind. It is senseless
killing that they don’t need; they need to stop it.
Katrina Shadix, 995 Oklahoma Street, addressed the Board and
thanked Carla and Bryan Wilson for doing this for the dogs.
Melanie Marsh, 4126 Forest Island Drive, addressed the Board to
thank them for addressing this topic.
Ms. Marsh stated she is against having any types of dogs or cats from
any mills being sold in stores. There
are quite enough homeless dogs and cats now.
Ms. Marsh talked about her two dogs and how one came from a puppy mill
in Tennessee and one came from the Seminole County Animal Services (but
probably originally came from a puppy mill).
She emphasized that dogs are just commodities for these people and that
they have no empathy at all; the dogs are objects to them.
Bryan Wilson, 702 Heather Lane, addressed the Board to thank
them. Mr. Wilson also thanked County
staff for taking so much time to try and research and really understand the
issue. They have done a tremendous job
in understanding the issue and writing a very strong ordinance. Mr. Wilson thanked Commissioner Constantine
who included the puppy mill language in addition to just the retail sale of the
dogs and cats that is ordinarily presented in these issues. He pointed out that the reason there are so
many people present today is because this is a very popular issue and a very
concerning issue for the residents, not just of Seminole County but also for
residents of the state of Florida. He
noted that nearly 60 communities have passed similar bans, and there are more
than 200 across the country. This is a
growing trend, and he is glad that Seminole County is on the humane side of
this issue.
Mr. Wilson stated beyond this ordinance today, they really want
to talk to everyone in the room as well as to their elected officials. While they are talking about this today and
passing laws to ensure cruelty does not happen here in Seminole County, in
Tallahassee the Legislature is trying to pass a law that is going to strip all
of the rights they have to make these kinds of changes in their community. They are trying to create preemption laws
that will make it where any of the local ordinances that are being passed can
be taken away. Mr. Wilson encouraged
everyone to contact their state senator and state representative; here in
Seminole County that would be Senator Simmons and either Representative Brodeur
or Representative Plakon. He suggested
they let them know that the residents do not want that preemption language to
be allowed into any bills, either as amendments or as a stand-alone bill.
Chairman Horan advised what they really need are people in the
audience to talk to the legislators about preemption and the importance of home
rule because the Commissioners are talking to them about it every single
day. He remarked that it is really a
disquieting trend.
With regard to public participation, no one else in the audience
spoke in support or in opposition and public input was closed.
Speaker Request Forms and Written Request Forms were received
and filed.
Commissioner Constantine reported there have been over 250 local
governments that have passed pet shop sales bans throughout the United States,
and those bans have been upheld in six federal courts. The Commissioner talked about the condition
of pet store puppies and pointed out that shelter intake and euthanasia rates
decline in cities and counties that prohibit these sales. He added that he thinks everything about this
is positive, and it proves once again how great Seminole County and the people
that live here are for being the ones that have been pushing this.
Motion by
Commissioner Constantine, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to adopt Ordinance
#2018-8 amending Chapter 20, Animals and Fowl, of the
Seminole County Code, as described in the proof of publication.
Under discussion, Commissioner Carey stated when this discussion
first started, it was for the Board to look at an adoption policy as a way of
running their shelter because the puppy mill issue was an issue for all of
them. She knows it took a little longer
than everybody would have liked; but she thinks at the end of the day, by
combining two issues into one policy, they have come up with something that is
a little bit unique and really in the best interest holistically of the whole
problem, not just the puppy mill issue but also the adoption model for the pet
stores. The Commissioner thanked staff
for the great job they did putting this together.
Commissioner Dallari thanked everyone for all of their hard
work. He requested that the citizens
contact Tallahassee to make sure the ordinance is not preempted, which he
believes is the real issue. Chairman Horan
also commended the County Attorney’s Office for all the hard work that was put
into this and putting the two policies together.
Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
ITEMS
FOR FUTURE AGENDA
Marilu Dempsey, 655 Little Wekiva Road, addressed the Board to
state she lives in the Spring Oaks subdivision, and she wanted to talk about
the rate of development that is happening and possibly the ability to
strengthen the stormwater retention requirements for new developments. Ms. Dempsey was on Channel 2 news with the
helicopters overhead when they were taking people out of their homes because
they were flooded. She pointed out that
had not happened before; so storms are getting stronger and they are getting
more rain. She suggested they can either
buy the houses and create another stormwater retention area there or make new
developments take care of their own stormwater.
Chairman Horan told Ms. Dempsey that her comments are very
timely because this Board is going into a work session right after this meeting
where staff will present the Seminole County Master Plan Update. All of the Commissioners have been briefed on
it; and the most interesting aspect about it is between now and 2040, they can
do what they need to do to manage stormwater as long as they find $95 million
to do it. The Chairman invited Ms.
Dempsey to stay for the work session.
Speaker Request Form and Written Request Form for Ms. Dempsey
was received and filed.
-------
Cindy McGlynn, 213 Secret Way, addressed the Board to talk about
the night of November 12, 2017, when she and her sister‑in‑law,
Donna Syracuse, were returning from Secret Lake Park with their three small
dogs, which were on leashes. Ms. McGlynn
then described a brutal attack by two large aggressive dogs that came from
across the street and killed Reese, Ms. Syracuse's dog. She explained that she has described this
event because she needs the Board to hear the brutality they all endured and
that killed Reese. It is a nightmare
that should not have occurred and cannot happen again.
Ms. McGlynn stated that after the nightmare, they discovered
that their nightmare continued. The
local ordinances were poorly worded, and the inability to enforce these
ordinances did little to protect innocent law‑abiding citizens. She reported that they spoke to the City,
with Commissioner Dallari, and met with many officials. They are happily working with them in trying
to effect change. She emphasized that
they really need to hold irresponsible dog owners accountable. She noted that her family lives with this
nightmare every day because the owner still lives across the street with an
irresponsible attitude toward his dogs.
Ms. McGlynn stated she has vowed to be Reese's voice and to take
action until something is changed and they are protected. She asked each of the Commissioners to lead
in this charge because she wants to live in a community that is happy and
healthy. They live across from Secret
Lake Park, and it is advertised as the gem of the county. The citizens are encouraged to get out and
enjoy the parks and communities. In
order to do that, they need to take action and come together and work
together. Ms. McGlynn advised that is
what they are asking for, not only justice for Reese but also for the Board to
lead them in effecting this change.
Commissioner Carey confirmed with Ms. McGlynn that she lives
within the city limits of Casselberry.
Commissioner Carey stated she knows they have a leash law in Seminole
County, and she asked the County Manager whether that law applies to all of the
cities. Ms. Guillet stated their
ordinance for dangerous dog provisions apply throughout the county. Commissioner Carey asked about leash
laws. She wondered whether every city
has to adopt its own ordinance or whether it is a countywide ordinance. Ms. Guillet stated the provisions in the code
do require that their animal control provisions apply countywide and require
control of domestic animals; they have to be maintained under the owner's
control.
Commissioner Dallari advised that he has been working on this
for the past several weeks. He stated he
appreciates Ms. McGlynn coming today, and he feels sorry for her and her family
and for Reese. Unfortunately, it
happened; but he thinks there is something they can do. He has talked to Alan Harris as well as the
various people at Animal Services about this.
Commissioner Dallari advised that the County's current ordinance does
not cover individuals who own animals, aggressive dogs, who go after and bite
other animals. That is the issue, other
animals. Due to this limitation in the
ordinance, Reese was viciously attacked and killed in November. Since then, Animal Services has been
researching animal ordinances in other counties throughout Florida.
Commissioner Dallari requested that staff correct the definition
and identify unprovoked dog bites that occur from dog to dog. The ordinance should address issues of single
animal attacks; and they should research it to identify and classify it as
attacking animals that are aggressive.
If this had been in place, the owner of the animal that killed Reese
would have received a citation earlier this year and it may have prevented this
from occurring. He added that in
addition, their citation rates are grossly under what other counties have; and
he thinks they need to be asking staff to bring this back so that they can look
at it in more depth. Commissioner Carey
pointed out that if the dog that attacked their dog would have been on a leash,
this would not have occurred. She added
when Ms. Syracuse swooped down to pick up her dog, she could have been the
subject of the attack. Commissioner
Dallari stated actually, she was.
Commissioner Carey commented that if the dog attacks her, they obviously
are addressing that.
Ms. Guillet stated while their dangerous dog ordinance applies
countywide, that is the deficiency in it; it does not apply to a situation like
they heard about today. She stated they
have been working on a staff level reviewing different ordinances and potential
revisions. She believes the purpose of
today is to "get a read" from the Board and get confirmation. Commissioner Dallari suggested they direct
staff to bring this back so they can enact an actual ordinance to protect
animals as well as other owners to close up this loophole and to look at the
fee structure of citations. Commissioner
Constantine stated if that is a motion, he will second it. Chairman Horan asked whether there was
unanimous consent for staff to do that. No objections were voiced.
Commissioner Carey asked whether these dogs were still
terrorizing the neighborhood and not on leashes. Ms. McGlynn stated because she and Ms.
Syracuse were injured, the dogs were taken by Animal Services; but the way the
ordinance is written, they have to be voluntarily given to Animal
Services. She added that the one
attacking dog was euthanized. Ms.
McGlynn stressed that the owner can still own dogs and has habitually owned
dogs and treated them improperly creating an aggressive animal. Chairman Horan wondered whether there were
state criminal statutes that covered this situation in terms of gross
negligence. Commissioner Dallari stated
they call this animal-to-animal and that is the loophole. Mr. Applegate reported he is going to work
with County staff on this. He then
relayed a story about his own dog being brutally attacked. Mr. Applegate advised this is a serious
matter, and he is glad it has been brought to their attention. Ms. McGlynn stated for them, as citizens in
the community, they have had tremendous help and support from the City level up
to the County level and the local officials.
She reiterated they want to encourage the Commissioners to lead this
charge, not follow. Mr. Applegate
advised he will provide the Commissioners with what the status of the law is
and case law under that law so that there is a clear picture.
Speaker Request Form for Cindy McGlynn was received and filed.
-------
Karen Nolen, 265 Secret Way, addressed the Board and stated she
has lived here for 38 years. She is a
neighbor and family. On behalf of her
sister‑in‑law, Donna Syracuse, Ms. Nolen read Ms. Syracuse’s
statement (copy not received and filed) into the record. The statement described the night her dog,
Reese, was killed and how Casselberry Police, when they arrived, said it was a
civil issue and that animal control is handled at the County level. Ms. Syracuse stated the County said that it
can only do what the ordinance allows them to do, and she was shocked to learn
the inadequacy of the County ordinances.
She discussed the fines for the killing of Reese and how, if the owner
is fined and refuses to pay those fines, there is no penalty. Ms. Syracuse discussed her neighbor’s
behavior after the attack and how his dogs had attacked other people’s
pets. Ms. Syracuse next posted the story
on Casselberry Happenings, and it was picked up by Channel 6 and local
Fox. She also shared the story at the
City Commission meeting. They got over
1,000 signatures on petitions for changes to the ordinances and City officials,
along with Michelle Ertel and others, have been working with them to make some
meaningful changes. Ms. Syracuse asked
that the elected officials at the County level join them and take the necessary
steps to change the ordinances and make the penalties more severe.
Commissioner Carey stated they heard earlier about adoption fees
because she was curious about adoption fees; what do rescues charge and what
does the County charge. She noted their
adoption fees are $80 for a dog and $60 for a cat. If they are sterilized, it is $20 and $10. She pointed out they heard earlier that the
rescue firm's fees range from $100 to $500 to adopt a new dog. The fees for Pet Rescue by Judy range from
$250 to $350 and higher. She thinks when
they think about the penalties, there needs to be some serious consequence for
them not taking responsibility and not just a slap on the hand. Then hopefully through some other source,
maybe there is an outlet for the injured party to go through. She is sure there is some way to sue to be
reimbursed for the loss of their dog.
More than just the emotional hurt of what happened to these folks, it is
a financial issue as well. Commissioner
Carey commented that when they consider what the fines are for these
violations, she hopes that it is significant.
Mr. Applegate advised that Florida law does allow the person who
is attacked or whose pet is attacked to sue the dog owner. There is a specific statute holding that they
can be held liable civilly for that.
There is also an appeal procedure for the dog owner if the dog is confiscated. He stated he will provide a full report so
that the Commissioners have a clearer picture.
Chairman Horan asked what the maximum financial penalty that the County
can impose through the ordinance was, and Mr. Applegate replied it is
$500.
Speaker Request Form for Karen Nolen was received and filed.
-------
Lisa Reddy, 699 Green Turtle Court, addressed the Board and
stated she is here to encourage the Commissioners to encourage their
legislators to not pass House Bill 883 with the subsection that would require a
referendum every ten years on the rural boundaries. Ms. Reddy pointed out that as it is, the area
is getting smaller and smaller. Oviedo
is coming out 426 and Sanford is coming up 46 and the area left for animals is
getting smaller and smaller. She talked
about her five acres and the animals that live there. She believes if the Commissioners or the
Legislature push this and allow more development out there, there will be
nowhere else for the animals to go but the ocean at this point. Ms. Reddy advised she is calling her state
representatives to tell them this is not a good idea. The people in Geneva, Chuluota, and Black
Hammock would like to preserve this area for animals, for hiking trails, and
for rivers that people can recreate on.
They need to preserve this for the future.
Commissioner Carey suggested that Ms. Reddy keep in mind that it
was a prior Board of County Commissioners who put the rural boundary in place,
and it was this Board who put it on the ballot to confirm it in 2006. She thinks that most of the Commissioners
have expressed their concerns, but they express their concerns about a lot of
things. The Commissioner noted that the
power of the people is much greater than the power of the five Commissioners
sitting here. She encouraged Ms. Reddy
to reach out and get a campaign going as well. Commissioner Dallari suggested when Ms. Reddy
reaches out to her state representatives and senators that she also talk to her
other friends around the state and ask them to talk to their state
representatives and their senators. Ms.
Reddy replied that it is on her Facebook page with the numbers because it is so
important. Commissioner Dallari stated
it is not just their representatives, but it is other representatives too. Commissioner Carey added that it is a
statewide bill.
Speaker Request Form for Lisa Reddy was received and filed.
-------
James Luetzow, 380 Ringwood Circle, addressed the Board to state
he is the treasurer of Deer Run POA‑2.
Mr. Luetzow stated since he was mentioned by Chad Moorhead, he wanted to
take a minute and is assuming he gets six minutes. He stated he just wanted to thank Mr.
Moorhead and Mr. Davidson. If he heard
the resolution right, he believes the Board included the words "to conform
to make sure Deer Run drains properly."
Commissioner Dallari replied that it should drain properly in
association with Mr. Moorhead’s property, not Deer Run throughout; it is just
associated with their property.
Mr. Luetzow stated his main concern is the pond which is next to
the subject property that is currently draining into the wetland. Commissioner Dallari advised that in the
motion he made, he added the comment that Mr. Moorhead said that he was going
to address Mr. Luetzow's concerns on his project. The Commissioner clarified that he is not
asking Mr. Moorhead to fix all of Deer Run.
Mr. Luetzow stated he understands, but he wants to make sure it
continues through the rest of the process with Seminole County to get completed
so that it is flowing out. Commissioner
Dallari responded that that was part of his motion.
Mr. Luetzow thanked Commissioner Dallari. He added that from a public standpoint, there
is a bigger concern. In looking ahead to
the motto, Florida's Natural Choice, all of Deer Run was developed with that in
mind. The Commissioners have stormwater
on their agenda today. Drainage goes
into a system of ponds and streams, and most of it is contained within the
property. Mr. Luetzow pointed out there
are 13 communities in the eastern half of Deer Run. The outflow drains into a stream that links
into Howell Creek that goes north into Lake Jesup. That is an important flow that any
consideration for development going forward ought to be thinking about because
as more and more goes into that, everything starts to back up. That is why they have lift stations, and they
need to make sure those are maintained.
Mr. Luetzow stated those are the concerns they would like to lay before
this Commission moving forward, and he appreciates what the Board does.
Speaker Request Form for James Luetzow was received and filed.
-------
Katrina Shadix, 995 Oklahoma Street, stated the address she just
gave is not her current address. Ms.
Shadix advised that she just moved to another part of Seminole County and does
not want to give the address out due to death threats from bear hunters. Ms. Shadix updated the Board regarding the
retrofitting of trash cans for residents of Seminole County. They have done several hundred so far, and
this weekend they are doing Spring Oaks.
There are about ten other communities that want retrofitting. Ms. Shadix reported she will send individual
packets and instructions to people to retrofit their own trash cans.
Ms. Shadix stated she feels for the lady that spoke about her
dog being killed and relayed a story about her two cats being killed at the new
place she moved into. She added that it
is unfortunate to have a man of that caliber living across the street from Ms.
McGlynn, and she hopes something can be done about him because the poor dog
obviously paid the price for his behavior.
Ms. Shadix referred to the gentleman that came to the podium and stated
that the wetlands aren't going away but the drainage is going into the
wetlands. She feels that is concerning
and doesn't know whether an environmental study has been done to address
that. She stated she can check into that
later.
Ms. Shadix stated the main reason she came today is to thank the
Board for the puppy mill ordinance. She
then noted that late last night, they got an alert on Facebook about House Bill
883; and she read that Facebook information into the record. Ms. Shadix stated she just moved from Black
Hammock because of the development into an area that she hopes won't get
developed. The rural boundary is the one
saving grace they have in Seminole County.
She asked whether the Board had input and had made their voices known in
Tallahassee. She stated she will
definitely do a call to action. She
wondered if there are any legal avenues that maybe the County could sue the
State if they pass this. Ms. Shadix
reported that she spoke to an environmental attorney before the meeting who
stated that it sounds like a special law that could be unconstitutional.
Commissioner Carey stated it is a statewide law. Ms. Shadix stated it is only affecting three
counties; so the environmental attorney said it sounds like it might be a
special law that is unconstitutional.
Chairman Horan cautioned they remember that this is a bill that has been
proposed that may not pass. If it
passes, they will talk with their counsel concerning what possible remedies
might be out there. Commissioner Carey
noted there is nothing like the power of the people. Commissioner Dallari advised there are going
to be more conversations on this matter.
Ms. Shadix stated after she hears what the Commissioners say, she will
do a call to action that will help support whatever is going on with that
bill. She added she has a great
environmental attorney that will work for free with the Board on this if they
want to sue the State.
Speaker Request Form for Katrina Shadix was received and filed.
LEGISLATIVE
UPDATE
Meloney Lung, Assistant County Manager, addressed the Board to
state that due to the recent events at the school in Parkland, Governor Scott
has proposed a three‑point security plan which addresses gun laws, school
safety, and mental health. For this
plan, the Governor has indicated he plans to allocate $50 million toward mental
health and $450 million toward school safety.
Ms. Lung noted that in order to fund the plan, there is some speculation
he will sweep some significant portion of the line item appropriations as well
as getting rid of the tax cuts. She
noted they are watching that.
Ms. Lung stated that home rule is one of their priorities, and
the Board has heard HB 883 mentioned several times today; the bill started out
in December as a six‑page bill entitled Community Development Districts,
and last week it became 193 pages overnight.
Regarding the rural boundaries, the bill would require Seminole County
to ratify it every ten years in a general election. She stated they are watching this bill, and
their lobbyist is making it known that Seminole County is not in support of the
bill. Ms. Guillet asked if there was a
companion bill in the Senate. Ms. Lung
stated there are six companions, but they are not true companions; there are
none that line up with the House Bill.
Ms. Guillet confirmed with Ms. Lung that there is not a bill in the
Senate that has the rural boundary language in it.
Ms. Lung talked about HB 773, the vacation rental bill which would
prohibit counties and cities from establishing ordinances specific to short‑term
vacation rentals and would instead require local governments to have
regulations that would uniformly apply to all residences. She noted that it passed the House Government
Accountability Committee late last week, and she does believe there is a
companion bill in the Senate.
Commissioner Carey pointed out this goes back to their home rule
issue.
Ms. Lung talked about HB 787, the taxation bill. She explained that typically this bill is
always a good thing because it gives relief for school supplies and
backpacks. They have now included a
vacation for disaster preparedness due to the hurricanes last year. Ms. Lung advised that the last committee
added some stuff, which was not necessarily a good thing, that would prevent
local governments from regulating goods that are subject to sales tax. Commissioner Carey asked Ms. Lung if it was
all sales tax, and Ms. Lung informed her that is what it says. Ms. Guillet advised it was all goods related
to sales tax, which would include everything from puppies to adult materials to
retail sales. Commissioner Carey
emphasized they are again taking away home rule. Commissioner Dallari remarked that when they
are talking about all goods relating to sales tax, he gets the word
"all." He asked if that also
includes the bed tax. Ms. Guillet
replied that the bed tax isn't considered sales tax; it is a tourist
development tax. Ms. Lung stated it was
not included to her knowledge. Ms.
Guillet advised that even if it is just a sales tax, it is every commodity in
the county, from zoning to what was done today with puppy mills. She stressed that it is incredibly sweeping. Ms. Lung stated it is a very broad
preemption, and they are not even sure exactly how it will impact them and to
what level. Commissioner Carey pointed
out that even commercial real estate is subject to sales tax.
Ms. Lung explained this was just added when it was in
Appropriations. Ms. Guillet stated they
are still trying to get their brains wrapped around it. She believes FAC is still trying to get their
brains wrapped around it to really understand what the impacts are. Commissioner Dallari asked whether the bill
is going to get legs. Ms. Guillet stated
it is such an overreach that she would expect not. Commissioner Constantine stated because of
what is happening with the Governor's proposal on school protection and the
elimination of the sales tax holidays potentially (and now he hears the House
is looking into Medicare and other related hospital costs), this whole bill is
going to be gutted and re-formed; so they don't know. The Commissioner added that it is not in the
Senate right now.
Chairman Horan reported he was in Tallahassee for three days
last week. The Chairman talked about how
the Parkland shooting is sucking all of the oxygen out of the legislative
process. Yesterday they heard that
between what the speaker wants, what the president of the Senate wants, and
what the Governor is proposing, for all three of them to get what they want,
everything else is going to get swept; and virtually every other bill out there
that has any kind of financial impact is really not going to get any legs.
Commissioner Carey stated she would like to see staff put together
a list of all of the House members who voted yes on any of the proposals that
negatively impact the County. She added
they will run for the Senate or something else, and she thinks that people
should know who is voting for what. It
should be easily accessible to review.
Most House and Senate members end up running for something else, and she
wants to know those who vote to impact them at local government so that she can
help get the message out to people. Ms.
Guillet advised they did send the Commissioners the most recent vote on HB
883. Commissioner Carey reiterated she
would like a spreadsheet; these are the bills that have negative impact, and
these are the men and women who voted for them.
Chairman Horan asked whether there had been a House vote on 883 with
this language in it; and Ms. Guillet responded there had been a committee vote,
the Government Accountability Committee.
The Chairman asked whether any of their local legislators were on that
committee; and Commissioner Constantine advised Representative Plakon is on the
committee, and he voted for it.
Ms. Lung stated that another of the Board's priorities this year
was affordable housing; and Representative Cortes introduced HB 887, which had
a moratorium on impact fees for five years.
That has been removed, and the bill is scheduled to be taken to the
floor this week. Commissioner
Constantine noted the good news is that Representative Cortes has eliminated
his proposal that said they had to waive affordable housing, the impact fees. The House is sweeping a large portion of the
Sadowski affordable housing dollars; whereas, the Senate has made it a priority
to keep them in. Chairman Horan stated
this may be one of the appropriation bills that has a positive effect on the
bargaining because Representative Cortes' bill is funded with $124
million. The Senate fully funds
Sadowski. In order to get what Negron
wants in the Senate, this may become a bargaining chip where there are actual
dollars involved. The Chairman pointed
out that if they are already in the budget, Cortes' bill may end up getting
funded; and depending on how many dollars they have, they may have some
more. Affordable housing is something
that really does have a lot of support in Tallahassee in both Houses. Chairman Horan stated of all of the things
that cost money, despite what the Parkland situation is, this gets funded in
some way, shape, or form even if it is only Cortes' bill that gets passed and
funded.
Ms. Lung advised she will provide the voting records to the
Commissioners. Commissioner Carey stated
she wants everything to do with home rule impact and the other things they are
tracking.
COUNTY
ATTORNEY’S REPORT
Mr. Applegate thanked each of the Commissioners as well as Ms.
Guillet, Mr. McMenemy, Ms. Lung, and all the attorneys and staff in his
office. In the past ten months, in
addition to deaths in the family, his wife at the Mayo Clinic, his own issues,
and now next week his daughter will be at Moffett; it has been a hard
year. He stated he could not have gotten
through it without all of the support he received.
Mr. Applegate stated he normally gives a year-end report and
reported that in 2017 his office handled 1,200 formal work requests. That is with the number of attorneys down
four from the time that he took over in 2011 and with 30% less in his operating
budget than in 2011. He added that
doesn't count the emails, the phone calls, and the work on the special projects
like the marijuana moratorium, impact fees, and Rolling Hills. Those are all special projects that take a
lot time. Mr. Applegate talked about
litigation and how Ms. Porter‑Carlton handles dozens upon dozens of
Notices of Claims that come in. He
discussed her work in construction matters and reported that Ms. Porter‑Carlton
has saved the County at least $100,000 (and probably more) on recent
construction cases over the last three years or so. Mr. Applegate thanked Ms. Porter‑Carlton
for the job that she has done pinch‑hitting for him on the dais. He reiterated his thanks for everything that
has been done for him.
DISTRICT
COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS
District
5
Commissioner
Carey announced there are two new nonstop destinations on ViaAir flying out of
Sanford. They will be flying to Mobile
and Montgomery, Alabama, beginning May 14.
Commissioner Carey stated she wanted to give special thanks to
Sheriff Lemma, Judge Galluzzo, Clerk Maloy, the County Manager, and others who
worked so closely with SafeHouse of Seminole County to relocate the Domestic
Violence Service Center in the civil courthouse. The ribbon cutting was on February 21 and
well-attended. She then talked about how
the County has supported SafeHouse since 1990 when they opened the first domestic
violence shelter.
Commissioner Carey announced that the 31st Annual Lake Mary
Heathrow Festival of the Arts will start this weekend, March 3 and 4, at Circle
Park. There will be food trucks, live
entertainment, and free admission. The
event raises scholarship money for graduating Seminole County high school
students. Commissioner Carey announced
that she will be attending a ribbon cutting of the SR 528/Innovation
Way/Sunbridge Parkway Interchange, a Central Florida Expressway Road, on
Friday, March 9. She stated that it will
be great to have some more regional roads to be able to get around that
particular area.
Commissioner Carey reported there has been a schedule change for
the Boy Scouts Annual Golden Eagle Dinner from April 5 to April 23 at the Lake
Mary Marriott. Their honoree this year
is Dr. John Hitt. The money raised from
this event, typically $250,000, stays in Seminole County to help scouting in
the county. Commissioner Carey talked
about the benefits of scouting and some of the local people that they know who
have gone through the scouting program.
District
1
Commissioner
Dallari reported that he was at the NARC (National Association of Regional
Councils) Conference during the release of the President's infrastructure
proposal. He stated he sent to the
Commissioners in real-time a quick evaluation of that plan. The big issue with that plan is that instead
of an 80/20 split (80% fed and 20% local), it is now a 20/80 split (20% fed and
80% local). The big issue they are still
trying to flush out is what happens with the projects that are in transition
that have not been completed or started.
Commissioner Dallari advised
that he also was able to meet with the director of FEMA, who put the
Commissioner in touch with his Deputy.
Commissioner Dallari also connected the Deputy with Edward Bass,
Director of Resource Management; and he hopes that is working out well. The Director wanted to know if there was
anything he could do locally, and the Commissioner gave him a list of issues
that he had received from Mr. Bass prior to going to Washington, which was then
handed off to the Deputy. He believes
the Deputy and Mr. Bass have been in contact.
Mr. Bass confirmed that they have been in contact.
Commissioner
Dallari reported that last week he met with a developer regarding the Clayton
property along the 419/Seminole County/Orange County border in Chuluota. The developer is trying to develop the
Clayton piece, which is the property right around River Run Church; and he
wants to put in single‑family homes, townhomes, apartments, retail, and
offices. Commissioner Dallari informed
the developer that this is the rural area and he would be directly in violation
of their rural area requirements and the county charter. The Commissioner stated he feels like one of
their biggest responsibilities is to protect the county charter as well as the
rural area, which is in both the charter and the comp plan. The rural area includes Geneva, Chuluota, and
Black Hammock and was overwhelmingly approved by the voters of Seminole County
in 2004.
Commissioner
Dallari advised that a few days after meeting with the developer, he was
informed of HB 883, which started with six pages in November and was amended
and grew to 196 pages and will definitely affect their rural area. This bill requires a vote every ten years of
the rural area, which he believes is more than overreaching from Tallahassee to
a local government. He stated for them
to generate 196 pages, they have been working on this for several months; and
the County is definitely playing a catch‑up game; and it is going to take
a lot of effort for them to catch up.
Commissioner Dallari requested that the Board give direction to the
County Manager to hire a special lobbyist to focus just on this issue and hire
any legal support that the individual or the County may need at a later date. Tallahassee is overreaching on several
different issues, and this is just one of them.
It is important that they address this head‑on.
Commissioner
Dallari reported they also intend to annex into the City of Oviedo. This type of project will affect many
residents, both city and county residents; and it is important that they reach
out to the City regarding the quality of life and the lack of infrastructure in
this area. The Commissioner requested
the County Manager reach out to the Oviedo City Manager to see any and all
correspondence that has taken place over the last 12 months regarding this
property with the City of Oviedo because he is sure they have had some
correspondence. Commissioner Dallari
pointed out in the past they had a JPA with the City of Oviedo that did sunset
a number of years ago, and he believes they may need to ask the City if they
would like to renew their JPA so that they both understand what could happen
moving east. He believes they would be
willing to sign a JPA prohibiting their annexation of the eastern area of
Seminole County. He asked the other
Commissioners for their thoughts. With
regard to hiring a State lobbyist, Commissioner Dallari noted that even though
Tallahassee is only in session for a couple more weeks, he thinks they need a
full‑time lobbyist just on this one issue alone.
Chairman
Horan stated the entire difference between the 6 pages and the 196 pages is not
all the rural boundary; it is only a very small portion of it. The Chairman reported that he got a heads‑up
on this when he was in Tallahassee last week.
Commissioner Dallari advised that he only heard about it on Friday.
Mr.
Applegate left the meeting at this time.
Commissioner
Dallari pointed out that the rural area is related to line item 378 to 386;
that is all that it is. Chairman Horan
pointed out that a lot of people hung a lot of ornaments on that bill which
indicates either one of two things; they are either sure it is going to pass or
sure it is going to fail. His guess is
they are sure it is going to fail. He
thinks the problem here is that you really can't do through legislation what
you normally could do just by referendum here.
If somebody wanted to go ahead and have another vote on the rural
boundary, all they need to do is go out and get the petition signed and submit
it to the Board. He thinks that doing
this through a truncated legislative way not only violates their charter but
also violates the referendum process.
The Chairman reiterated he does not think this is going to pass, and he
thinks the people that proposed it don't think it is going to pass.
Commissioner
Dallari stated he is more concerned about this popping up in other bills that
they may not be aware of, and that is why someone needs to stay on top of
this. Chairman Horan replied that that
is probably not going to happen either.
He does think what they are really looking at here is the beginning of a
long journey of people out in that area, major property owners out in the
eastern rural areas, who are probably going to try to develop their land; and
this is probably just the first attempt.
Commissioner Dallari replied he is not opposed to anyone developing
their land as long as it is per the requirements of the rural area; he is here
to protect it. With regard to hiring a
lobbyist and the next ten days of the session, Chairman Horan stated if they
want to do that, that is fine. He added
that he is pretty certain this is not going to go anywhere.
Mr.
Applegate reentered the meeting at this time.
Commissioner
Dallari stated he would rather have staff have someone up there that is
focusing just on this one item.
Commissioner Carey noted that depending on the dollar amount of what
that would cost, the County Manager would have the authority to do that if that
is the desire of the Board. Her bigger
concern is making sure it is the right person who would not have a conflict of
interest and other issues going on.
Commissioner Dallari emphasized he wants to make sure the person does
not have any conflict of interest with anyone here in Central Florida; that is
his biggest concern.
Chairman
Horan stated if there is unanimous consent on that, he suggested they have the
County Manager look into that and see if someone can be identified and whether
the price is reasonable because their own lobbyist has a lot of other things to
do right now; and things are happening fast and furious. No
objections were voiced. Commissioner
Dallari advised that he would also like to have the County Manager reach out to
the City of Oviedo. Chairman Horan
stated he has actually done that but has not gotten a response yet. He told Commissioner Dallari that he wanted
to find out what is going on.
Commissioner Carey remarked that when the JPA expired, they had
conversations with the City about renewing it.
As she recalls, they were not interested in renewing the JPA. Commissioner Dallari agreed that was correct,
but he pointed out there are new people elected now. He believes there could be potential for
those individuals to support a JPA somewhat similar in fashion to what they had
before. Commissioner Dallari stated he
thinks it would be advantageous for the County Manager to reach out to Mr.
Cobb, who is the City Manager, and have that conversation.
Commissioner
Carey stated when they had the last study done on the rural boundary that the
Board accepted, it talked a lot about transitional zoning and how to buffer
from the rural boundary; that would need to be part of that JPA. She added that in some cases the transition
may have to happen on the rural side because they have annexed right up to the
line and put four units per acre on one side; then there is one unit per five
acres across the street. She thinks that
pressure is always going to be there until they figure out a way to have
something happen. Commissioner Dallari
noted they have done studies before, and they can dust them off. He stated he will definitely adhere to the
charter, and he will definitely adhere to protecting the rural area.
Commissioner
Constantine stated he agrees with a lot of the things that Commissioner Dallari
said. He thinks this is basically a shot
over the bow from this developer to say what he can do and what he can't
do. Growth management bills are very
similar to transportation packages. They
are trains. They usually die. With 18 years of experience in Tallahassee,
Commissioner Constantine suggested that instead of hiring a lobbyist now, they
should see what happens in the House.
From everything he has heard from the Senate side, this bill is not even
going to get over there. Commissioner
Dallari replied that he understands what Commissioner Constantine is saying,
but his concern is this popping up in another bill like it did in this bill. Commissioner Constantine talked about the
three rural boundaries in the state and indicated the one that has a lot of
concern is Sarasota where most of the land is owned by an interest led by Mr.
Neal; and Mr. Neal is very close to the incoming president, Bill Galvano. Commissioner Constantine talked about his
contact with Senator Galvano's office.
The Commissioner explained that he agrees with Commissioner Dallari that
they need to keep on top of this and watch it very carefully, but he does not
believe it is going to come through the House.
Commissioner
Constantine stated he thinks the Chairman giving the County Manager the ability
to react when she needs to react to this so they don't have to come back is
wise. Commissioner Carey stated they
need to at least assign somebody to specifically track this on a daily
basis. She stated she knows Ms. Lung is
doing this, but she is also tracking a lot of other stuff too. Commissioner Carey indicated that Ms. Lung
could track the bill number; but if they take and put it somewhere else, it
might get missed. Commissioner Dallari
stressed that this will morph into another bill somewhere else. Commissioner Dallari reiterated his request
of the County Manager or staff to ask the City of Oviedo what correspondence
they had with this property over the last 12 months.
Commissioner
Constantine stated that he thinks this not only gives them an opportunity to
look at a JPA with Oviedo but also what they have discussed in the past, a
bigger JPA with Orange County.
Commissioner Dallari advised that right now he wants to make sure they
protect their rural area with the City.
Commissioner Constantine replied they should be part of that too. He thinks they can again look at the
possibility. Commissioner Dallari stated
it needs to be a two‑step process.
Commissioner Constantine added he needs to put out there that there is
the possibility of again looking at a JPA with the City of Oviedo and Orange
County, all in that particular area.
Before
moving to the next district report, Commissioner Carey stated she has a
question regarding something in Commissioner Dallari's report regarding the
federal funding going from 80/20 to 20/80.
She advised there is a subject that she has been talking about and noted
that she was going to talk to the City before she brought it back to the
Board. Commissioner Carey referred to a
workshop where they were proposing on Rinehart Road to have a Texas U-turn
process and a reverse diamond on the interstate to make the traffic flow
better. Apparently, County staff is
moving forward with the Texas U-turn part of that, but she does not believe DOT
is moving forward with the reverse diamond.
She has been talking to Mr. Jreij about that, and she plans to call
the City Commission because she believes that intersection will be compounded
if the Crescent Development piece of property develops. They already have the other issue that they
proposed, which was the ramp off of Lake Mary Boulevard onto Lake Emma; and
that is already a problem and in her opinion should be the priority in moving
forward because that exists every day.
In regard to trying to get the County to move forward a project that
doesn't really make any sense unless there is a reverse diamond so it is
seamless to get on the interstate, the Commissioner does not want to see the
County go forward with that Texas U‑turn because she thinks it will just
cause a lot of issues in that particular area.
Commissioner
Dallari advised that he will get an update from D.C. There is an individual who researches and
studies that and he will ask him for an update.
Commissioner Carey stated her concern is regarding the funding for
Beyond the Ultimate, which some of that was federal funding because that is an
interstate highway, and what is going to happen to that. She indicated that Mr. Jreij told her they
have got it in 2027; but again, she does not want to put in this Texas U‑turn
(because they all had talked about how confusing it would be) if it doesn't
really get you on the interstate any faster.
If they don't do a reverse diamond, it doesn't work. If the Board is in agreement, her intent is to
talk to the Commissioners in Lake Mary and also to the DOT representative
because they really need to look at that Lake Emma issue now and not later. She is not sure when they will get this
funded, if ever, especially if they are sweeping the State funds out because
she is sure the transportation trust fund will be right on the chopping block
along with everything else. Commissioner
Dallari advised there are so many questions up in D.C. about this 80/20 reversal. Most people are trying to figure it out.
Ms. Guillet
reported that staff has been charging forward with the Rinehart and 46‑A
project agreement with the DOT for the County to up‑front the money with
them paying it back. They have been
working with the City on that. She
advised staff has been doing that in reaction to feedback they got from the
Board at a work session. Ms. Guillet
stated if the Board would like them to stand down on it, she would like to know
because she wants to be clear that they are following the direction of the
Board. Commissioner Dallari stated he
wants to make sure they are getting reimbursed.
Ms. Guillet replied that they are working on that. She added if the Board would like staff to
stand down until they get some of the questions answered, they are happy to do
that. She wants to make sure they are
doing what the Board wants them to do on this from a staff standpoint. Commissioner Carey explained that the whole
reason they were proposing the County do the Texas U‑turn was because
they were going to build a reverse diamond to get access flowing without lights
onto the interstate, and she thinks that is off the table right now. Commissioner Carey cautioned that she does
not want to move forward with this other project, just the U‑turn part of
it, if someone is going to get through the interchange faster only to have to
stop at a light and then the interchange backs up and Rinehart already backs
up. Ms. Guillet explained that the
reason they were advancing that is because the City of Lake Mary has some
development plans on Rinehart that necessitate some improvements to
Rinehart. They did not want to do
improvements affiliated with that project and then have them pulled out because
of the I‑4 project improvements; and that is why they are moving
forward. She reiterated that they are
happy to stand down on it. Commissioner
Dallari suggested that before they stand down on it, they confirm that the money
from the reverse diamond has been pulled and get that in writing. Chairman Horan asked Ms. Guillet whether it
is possible to provide a report to the Board about the status of exactly where
that is right now in terms of all of the moving parts, especially in terms of
the City of Lake Mary, the Texas U‑turn, the diamond and where everybody
is on that. Commissioner Carey noted
that the Crescent development has not moved forward yet. Ms. Guillet agreed to provide the Board with
an update before the next Board meeting.
Commissioner Dallari cautioned that they need to understand all of this
before they make any decision.
District
3
Commissioner
Constantine reported that the school system got 15 copycat threats this past
week, postings on social media concerning whatever threats they are going to
make to the school. He noted that he saw
today that Orlando has made these social postings of threats a stronger
violation. Commissioner Constantine
stated he does not know what the County's ordinance is and asked Mr. Applegate
if he could give any ideas about that.
Commissioner Carey stated she does not believe the Board has any
jurisdiction over Facebook. Commissioner
Constantine requested that Mr. Applegate find out a little bit more about what
has been done since he has contacts with Orange County and Orlando.
Commissioner
Constantine thanked Mr. Bass and noted that Mr. Johnson had thanked Mr. Bass
earlier. He stated they have been a good
tag team together knowing his knowledge of finances and transportation. He has been going to the early meetings and
Commissioner Constantine has been going to the board meetings; it has been
working really well. The Commissioner
thanked Mr. Bass for his help because he has been directing LYNX to what he
thinks is a much better way of providing service, which is more efficient,
effective, and more financially feasible.
With regard
to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the BCC, Commissioner Constantine
reported that Wekiva Island has been looking for changes. The owner of Wekiva Island and the homeowners
have both reached out and asked to have a sit‑down with him very similar
to what was done with Sabal Point and others.
He wanted to let the Board know that is going to occur on March 7. They are going to sit down and hopefully hash
out some issues before it gets to P&Z and the BCC. Commissioner Carey asked Commissioner
Constantine if he had seen the notice from Lonnie Groot regarding this. Commissioner Constantine replied that Lonnie
Groot was who he contacted for that side of the issue.
Commissioner
Constantine talked about the Legislature and advised that the trade‑off
that is occurring is for all of the school issues that the Governor wants, the
Legislature wants the higher education package, which basically harms community
colleges and state colleges. With regard
to HB 883, he concurs with not only the Chairman's assessment but he also
thinks this is a greater long‑term issue that they are going to have to
deal with down the road. Commissioner
Constantine explained that is why he was saying that they can start looking at
the big picture right now. Even if HB
883 dies, which he believes it will, they are going to have to be dealing with
this for quite a while.
Commissioner
Constantine thanked Trisha Setzer and her staff for the great job they did
regarding the State of the County Luncheon.
He also thanked Chairman Horan and noted that he has never seen the
Chairman present anything better.
Commissioner Dallari agreed that the Chairman did a phenomenal job.
Commissioner
Constantine reported he spoke at Leadership Seminole Summit this past week on
the past, present, and future of Seminole County. It was a great event and they had over 150
people. Commissioner Constantine talked
about the Florida Department of Transportation and Stakeholders meeting
concerning the regional study of truck stops and rest areas that he and
Chairman Horan attended. He noted that
some people have made the sentiment that it is a NIMBY and that it was there
before. The Commissioner pointed out the
rest stop was there, but it being used as a staging area for a truck stop was
not. That was never its intent, and it
has evolved into that. In the study, the
DOT knows that they have got a long‑term problem in this entire corridor
of I‑4/95/75 that they have to take care of.
Commissioner
Constantine talked about the air quality at the rest stop and trying to put in
electrical outlets that the trucks could use so they could turn off the
engines. He explained when the outlets
are made available, the truck drivers don't use them because they don't get
reimbursed for the electrical; they get reimbursed for the gas. The DOT actually is working on that kind of
solution.
Commissioner
Constantine talked about the ribbon cutting at the PGA Tour Superstore in
Altamonte Springs. He talked about the
line to get in last Saturday morning and noted the store was giving away
$30,000 worth of merchandise. He
believes the store will be quite an addition to Seminole County. Commissioner Constantine congratulated Dr.
Ann McGee and the Seminole State Dream Gala that occurred this past
weekend. He announced that on February
21, the Sierra Club decided to give Seminole County an award for what they
considered to be a historic and far‑reaching fertilizer ordinance. He stated he was representing Chairman Horan
at the meeting and received a plaque, and they also provided each of the
Commissioners a plaque in honor of the outstanding achievement. The Commissioner advised that Kim Ornberg,
who along with her team deserves the bulk of the thanks for the hard work and
effort that they did regarding the fertilizer ordinance, will present the
plaques. Chairman Horan thanked
Commissioner Constantine for his leadership on these issues.
CHAIRMAN’S
REPORTS
Chairman Horan thanked Commissioner Carey and Commissioner
Constantine for pinch‑hitting for him at the Domestic Violence Center
opening and also at the Mayors and Managers meeting last week while he was in
Tallahassee. He discussed the FDOT
Stakeholder meeting that he attended with Commissioner Constantine with regard
to the study that is being done by the FDOT on the freight mobility
infrastructure status. He discussed the
preliminary findings and noted they are about 2,000 spaces short in the
region. The Chairman reported they will
be talking about that at the next stakeholders’ work session sometime in
March. Chairman Horan stated it is
interesting to see how this issue has evolved because the FDOT over the last 10
or 15 years has actually closed certain rest areas down in the Turkey Lake and
SeaWorld areas, and that has exacerbated the problem.
Chairman Horan reported that he did get a heads‑up on the
rural area issue while he was in Tallahassee, and he basically got the same
information as Commissioner Constantine as to what is going on there. He thinks this is the shot across the bow,
and they need to gird up about what is going to be happening here in the
future. The Chairman remarked that he
attended the Dream Gala for Seminole State College on Saturday night, and it
was a tremendous event.
With regard to the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness,
Chairman Horan stated their initiative on homelessness is basically
citizen-driven by their Strategy Action Board and their business people. He pointed out that they, together with County
staff, have been looking into and investigating the possibility that they may
have their own CoC in their relationship to HUD in the future. They have been trying to keep that apart
because nothing has been presented to the BCC yet, but he thinks they are at a
point where they plan on making some recommendations to the BCC maybe in March
at the second meeting. Ms. Guillet
stated the Action Board has put together a due diligence committee, a kind of
fact finding committee, to make a recommendation to the larger Action
Board. She thinks their intention is to
ultimately make a recommendation to the BCC.
Chairman Horan stated they have been trying to keep this very,
very low key because they really don't want to do anything until the BCC has
had the opportunity to consider the options.
He added that a few people in the CoC have jumped the gun a little bit
and put the cart before the horse and created a little publicity on this. He stated he did not want the Commissioners
to be caught unaware. This is something
that is being driven by their citizen‑constituted committee; and when
that committee is ready to speak to the BCC, the BCC will be ready to speak to
others on the outside. Commissioner
Carey stated that she thinks when they are ready to discuss their recommendations,
it would be better in the form of workshop rather than trying to do it at a
public meeting. Chairman Horan agreed
that a workshop is a great idea.
Chairman Horan announced that Bob Steenson, one of the founders
of the PARCS Foundation Board, is very ill and requested that everyone keep Mr.
Steenson in their thoughts and prayers.
COMMUNICATIONS
AND/OR REPORTS
No Communications and/or Reports were
received from the Chairman’s Office.
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There being no further business to come before the Board, the
Chairman declared the meeting adjourned at 3:37 p.m., this same date.
ATTEST:______________________Clerk_____________________Chairman
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