BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA

January 22, 2019

 

     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, January 22, 2019, in Room 1028 of the SEMINOLE COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING at SANFORD, FLORIDA, the usual place of meeting of said Board.

     Present:

Chairman Brenda Carey (District 5)

     Vice Chairman Jay Zembower (District 2)

     Commissioner Robert Dallari (District 1)

     Commissioner Lee Constantine (District 3)   

     Commissioner Amy Lockhart (District 4)

     Clerk of Court & Comptroller Grant Maloy

     County Manager Nicole Guillet

     County Attorney Bryant Applegate

     Deputy Clerk Chariti Colón

 

 

     Grant Maloy, Clerk of the Court & Comptroller, gave the Invocation.  Commissioner Constantine led the Pledge of Allegiance.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

The Business Spotlight video for Semplastics was presented.

AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS

Agenda Item #1 – 2019-1169

Jason Siegel, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports), addressed the Board and presented a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Seminole County BCC Update ‑ January 22, 2019" (received and filed). 

Mr. Siegel discussed the Partnership slide noting it is between GO Sports and Orlando North/Seminole County.  He advised the current agreement runs through 2019/2020.  He reviewed the markets that GO Sports manages and the scope of services per the new agreement.

Mr. Siegel expressed his delight with having "re‑upped" the agreement and expressed appreciation for the input from the Commissioners who were a part of that.  He thanked Commissioner Constantine, who represents Seminole County on their board, for his leadership.  He also thanked County staff for the work they do together to drive impact for Seminole County. 

Mr. Siegel discussed Travel.  He stated that they are alongside staff when on the road in many cases and on their own in other cases, most notably with conference conversations in person with NCAA Conferences and the U.S. Olympic Committee and their dozens of national governing bodies when it comes to sports.  He mentioned the potential for FAM trips in the near future where event organizers can come to Seminole County and see the facilities themselves as part of a unified approach. 

In recapping 2017/2018, Mr. Siegel stated the goal that was agreed to back when the new contract was put in place was met and exceeded.  They are pacing quite nicely and expect to exceed the goal and exceed last year's numbers if all goes well.  He also shared some new opportunities advising that Hogan's Lacrosse will be in Seminole County after having been in Osceola and Lake Counties for the previous four years and that the NCAA Division II tennis championships have also been secured for 2019 and 2022. 

In regards to ECNL, which consists of 166 boys and 176 girls teams, Mr. Siegel advised that the teams were most recently here just before the holidays and the previous weekend, they had really terrific numbers, and they are seeing numbers up.  He expressed his appreciation for Commissioner Dallari's input and influences in regards to the hoteliers, and he feels they did a better job giving up more of their blocks.  The totals eclipsed 11,000 total hotel rooms last year, and he expects those numbers to be very similar when they do the math after this year's event.

Mr. Siegel commended Danny Trosset, Tourism Division, and his team on their teamwork.  When looking at the responsibilities of GO Sports, Seminole County, Orlando Youth Soccer, the hoteliers, he reaffirmed that it does take a village to put on an event of this size and that the results were quite successful, have been in the past, and he expects them to be again when the numbers come in. 

Mr. Siegel reviewed Social Media.  From a marketing of the destination standpoint, ECNL, all of the coaches, their student athletes, and the families, had an incredibly positive experience.  Many of the families go to theme parks.  However, as illustrated in the most recent Orlando Sentinel story last week, a lot of those families are also here spending their time at Wekiva, spending their time in the community, filling up with gas, staying in hotel rooms, eating at restaurants, and making a sizable impact. 

Mr. Siegel directed the Board's attention to a change on the website, which is a page where event organizers can go when they look at the regional commission, to promote the destination.  He explained the page provides an opportunity to seek out facilities by sport and opined that the regional commission is a unique destination in that it can promote a multitude of facilities.  He also noted that, when looking at Seminole County, event organizers can get a background on all of the facilities and be directed to the tremendous facilities that are here in the county. 

Mr. Siegel reviewed some of the Upcoming Regional Events & Opportunities.  First and foremost is the Florida High School Athletic Association opportunities for their championship business.  Currently hosted is football, golf, and tennis.  He reviewed the importance of hosting those opportunities here regionally and talked about the opportunity to bring in water polo, lacrosse, and cross country.  He stated that is important because it is getting expensive to travel to Pensacola or South Florida depending on the competition and the number of overnight stays.  It is his objective to work with the association to bring as many high school championships here to the region so teams don't have to travel far, expenses will decrease, and the need for overnight stays when they do travel will decrease.

Mr. Siegel reviewed the NCAA championship cycles.  The last cycle was from 2018 through 2022.  They will be working on the next cycle in the near future.  He expects it is going to be a three‑year cycle from 2022 to 2025, which provides additional opportunities to bring in national championships and conference championships. 

Mr. Siegel announced that 4,000 to 5,000 athletes for the Special Olympics will be welcomed in 2022 and stated it is one of the largest humanitarian efforts and opportunities as a region.  There will be a lot of events leading up to Special Olympics.  He also mentioned that the athletes that represent Seminole County will not have to go far to participate. 

Mr. Siegel discussed the bid effort to bring World Cup in 2026.  He stated Seminole County will play a major role in that effort.  It brings somewhere between $600 million and $800 million in opportunity for the region to host matches and to also have training facilities.  He expressed there will be a need for as many hotel rooms as possible.  It is a June‑July effort in 2026.  Currently, there are 23 markets that are in the running and there will be 16 finalists, which will be three cities in Mexico, three cities in Canada, and ten cities in the United States; and they are competing with 17 cities in the United States for those last ten spots.  He will be looking to the Board for their leadership and guidance over the next two years as they prepare to win that bid. 

Mr. Siegel displayed and reviewed Highlights from the past year and noted Seminole County was awarded the Florida Recreation and Parks Association Tourism Award.  Mr. Siegel congratulated everyone on the latest economic impact report that Orlando North/Seminole County put out in regards to 35,000 hotel rooms and the millions and millions of dollars of impact here in the county.  He stated they are delighted and pleased to play a small role in sports and in helping to provide economic impact to the county.  He concluded his report by expressing his appreciation for the Board's time and the opportunity to present formally in front of them. 

Commissioner Dallari thanked Mr. Siegel and his team and he thinks it's a good fit.  Two weekends ago, Commissioner Dallari was at the ECNL with Mr. Siegel's team and the County's Economic Development team.  He commented that it was just outstanding to see that many teams in Seminole County and that everyone he spoke to, including the coaches, the players, and the families, were singing the praises of the facilities and the venue.  Commissioner Dallari stated that, in talking with them, he found out that they want to renew for another couple of years and he thinks it's better to renew early than not and to also "strike while the iron is hot."  Commissioner Dallari noted that one of the coaches of Craze is going to the Woman's World Cup in France in June to coach and he will be representing the Jamaican team.  He pointed out that it's not just players but also coaches that are in Seminole County. 

In regards to the World Cup potentially coming to the U.S. in 2026, Commissioner Dallari asked if that venue will be a month long.  Mr. Siegel responded that it's in the neighborhood of 30 to 60 days when all is said and done depending on the different needs of the committee.  Mr. Siegel stated that they will have a couple of years to win that opportunity but that those site visits will start soon. 

Commissioner Dallari expressed that the beauty about doing sports tourism is that, even though it brings economic development to the county, it also allows the citizens to have access to those venues when not being used.  He thinks that's a win‑win and he thanked everyone for being a part.  Chairman Carey recalled when World Cup was here the first time and noted that's how the Sylvan Lake Park facilities were built by World Cup in advance of the women's team coming to train.  Mr. Siegel announced that in June it will be the 25th anniversary of the 1994 World Cup and said to expect an invitation to celebrate, remember, and thank members of the community. 

Commissioner Lockhart expressed that she previously had conversations with Mr. Siegel about opportunities to show off the facilities in Central Florida and to have visits come here.  She stated that Mr. Siegel shared that Seminole County tourism dollars have not been utilized to bring people to the county and that other counties in the region do have that opportunity.  She stated she would like to find out why other counties have that ability and Seminole County does not because she wants to make sure they are consistent with surrounding counties if it's appropriate.  She opined that seeing something and being somewhere is more motivating than sitting in a convention center somewhere and having someone hand you a brochure. 

Chairman Carey commented that she thinks it's important to have FAM tours to see the facilities.  She inquired if the County Manager knew why Seminole County was not able to do that.  Nicole Guillet, County Manager, responded that it was her understanding there was an opinion from the legal department to that effect.  Bryant Applegate, County Attorney, stated it was his understanding that it is a use of tourist tax money and there is a prohibition on certain uses of it.  Chairman Carey directed the County Attorney to see if other counties are using their tourist tax dollars for that purpose to see if Seminole County can refresh their opinion on that. 

Commissioner Constantine stated that there's a remarkable difference between some of the previous work sessions and concerns with the Sports Commission and the current relationship, and he congratulated them.  Commissioner Constantine expressed being on the GO Sports Commission has enlightened him and given him some opportunities to work with them and put Seminole County at the forefront.  He stated he is happy that projections are being exceeded and he looks forward to that continuing in the future. 

In regards to the current and historical ECNL statistics, they went from 176 teams to 342 teams with the current projection being 166, and Chairman Carey asked what happened that year.  Mr. Siegel responded that for seven years they welcomed girls ECNL.  He explained that ECNL's structure changed and they added boys.  He added that now, with the girls and boys being two separate weeks, the number of teams will more than double.  Chairman Carey asked if he thought that will also be the case in the next two years, and Mr. Siegel replied that he did. 

Chairman Carey queried how many members were on the board.  Mr. Siegel responded that there are currently 24 with an empty seat to be filled to make 25 on the executive board and currently 27 on the advisory board.  Chairman Carey mentioned that Frank Ioppolo is Seminole County's representative, which Mr. Siegel confirmed.  She asked if that position was selected by the Sports Commission.  Mr. Siegel advised that it was not selected, it was a conversation that was had with Mr. Ioppolo.  Mr. Siegel recounted that in the past, as part of the agreement, there was the opportunity for Stuart Newmark and Phil Rawlins to represent Seminole County on the board.  When the new contract came into play, there was an opportunity to nominate a representative.  After conversation with the County Manager and Commissioner Constantine in January/February, the agreement was put in place.  Chairman Carey inquired if they are to have two representatives on the board, and Mr. Siegel responded there is one per the new agreement.  Commissioner Dallari inquired which board it was, and Mr. Siegel responded that it was the executive board. 

Chairman Carey asked how many other elected officials were on the board.  Mr. Siegel advised they have no other elected officials.  Chairman Carey asked if that is why the County's position with an elected official is a nonvoting seat.  Mr. Siegel responded that was correct and that those conversations were the ones that were had last year.  Chairman Carey asked if Seminole County is the only nonvoting seat on the board.  Mr. Siegel replied that Chris Carmody, their general counsel, doesn't have a vote and that there are some others.  Chairman Carey asked if Mr. Carmody is a board member or general counsel.  Mr. Siegel stated he is general counsel. 

Chairman Carey then asked how many other board members are nonvoting, and Mr. Siegel said that would be all.  Chairman Carey inquired why that is.  Ms. Guillet recalled there is a provision in the contract with the Sports Commission that the County would be able to designate a representative and that representative would be, per the contract, a voting member and that was in addition to the other Seminole County representative, who at the time was Phil Rawlins.  Ms. Guillet stated they had never designated anybody to represent the Board under the contract.  Commissioner Henley recommended Commissioner Constantine and this Board agreed that he should represent the County on the board. 

Ms. Guillet stated that, after Commissioner Constantine was selected by the Board, the County was informed by the Sports Commission that there is a provision in their bylaws that says no director can hold elected office.  The compromise at that time was to put Commissioner Constantine on the board to participate in the board activities, but he is unable to vote because of his elected official status.  That prohibition was in their bylaws that were in place at the time the agreement was executed, and the County didn't know that until Commissioner Constantine had been selected.  Ms. Guillet commented that in the same section of the bylaws there's an opportunity to resolve some issues moving forward.  Those same bylaws say that each region should have two seats on the board, and the County only has one.  The seat in the contract was to be a second seat.  It appears that the County should have had two seats under the Sports Commission bylaws and she thinks that's something to look at. 

Commissioner Zembower commented he thinks that the County needs to have a voting member on that board.  Mr. Siegel stated he did not disagree.  Chairman Carey recalled that, at the time they had the conversation, nobody said that an elected official wouldn't be able to vote and it's not even on the Board's list of board appointments.  She stated that they are already outnumbered by the other communities with representation because of Orange County, City of Orlando, and the various board members.  She thinks the County needs all the voting members that it can have representing its interests in the community.  She inquired if the Board should look at the second board member being a private citizen.  Commissioner Zembower suggested it be one of the business leaders in the community or someone that has a business mind and understands sports. 

Commissioner Lockhart clarified that currently there are two people representing Seminole County on the board, one has a vote and one does not, one was appointed by the BCC and one was selected by the Sports Commission, which Mr. Siegel confirmed.  She asked if the other jurisdictions have the same split of one appointed by the Sports Commission and one appointed by their board.  Mr. Siegel advised it's case by case.  Commissioner Lockhart inquired if there's anything in the bylaws that determine that.  Ms. Guillet stated that will need to be reconciled because the County should have had two representatives going into this and the contract references one.  The issue of two needs to be reconciled by virtue of the bylaws and the additional one that the board designates under the agreement.  She believes Seminole County should actually have three. 

Commissioner Dallari asked, if the bylaws says two but the contract says one, does that mean a total of three.  Ms. Guillet responded that the contract says that the one that the Board designates is in addition to the one seat that's already on the board and, technically, the County should have had two seats.  Chairman Carey clarified that the bylaws say that everybody is going to have two so they should have had two all along, which Ms. Guillet confirmed.  Ms. Guillet added that she thinks that at the time of the agreement Phil Rawlins was the only designee from Seminole County, but she will have to go back and check. 

Commissioner Constantine pointed out that the County is unique in that they do have an elected official on the board and no one else does, and this is the best of both worlds.  He stated that the board seldom votes.  He advised that everything is a discussion and a direction which he has had full input into from the very beginning.  While he thinks getting another voting member would be great, he assured the Board that they are not losing any opportunities or position of representation by virtue of having him on that board.  Commissioner Dallari said he would like to have staff review the Sports Commission's bylaws and the contract with them to know exactly what is required and what the options are before moving forward.

Chairman Carey asked Mr. Siegel to run through the Sports Commission membership for the benefit of the Board.  Mr. Siegel responded that there are a total of 52 board members, and it's representation from each of the funding partners.  In addition to that, there are stakeholders in the community, in the region.  Chairman Carey requested Mr. Siegel provide a list of their board members and where they are from. 

Chairman Carey advised that the direction of the Board is for staff to review the bylaws and the contract to determine how to get two voting seats on the board, and, if adjustments need to be made, it will be taken up after that information comes back.  Commissioner Lockhart agreed that is a great thought and it definitely needs to be reviewed.  She would also ask that the Board review how those two members representing Seminole County are selected.  If it needs to be one from the Sports Commission and one from this Board, then that needs to be in writing.  If it's two from the BCC, it needs to be clear for the future.  Mr. Siegel stated he is happy to continue the conversations from last year and make whatever adjustments that are needed.  He reaffirmed this is a partnership and they want to make sure that the Board's needs are being met.  Chairman Carey inquired on the duration of the board appointments, and Mr. Siegel replied that it's three years with an option to renew for an additional three years. 

Chairman Carey requested a summary of what the bylaws say to figure out how to get two voting members on the board.  She opined that, while it's easy to have a voice as a nonvoting member, it's more impactful when you can put a motion out there if you need to vote on something.  She requested they come back and revisit this at the next board meeting and asked the County Manager if that gives her enough time, which Ms. Guillet confirmed it did.  Chairman Carey thanked Mr. Siegel for the update, and Mr. Siegel thanked the Board for their time.

     COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commissioner Lockhart requested the following items be pulled for separate discussion:  Item #4, Collective Bargaining Agreement with IAFF Local 3254 – A Unit, and Item #8, update of Administrative Code 20.1.  Commissioner Zembower requested the following items be pulled for separate discussion:  Item #13, Work Order #7 to PS-9742-14 with CH2M Hill, and Item #14, Amendment #3 to Work Order #2 to PS-0426-16 with England Thims and Miller.

With regard to public participation, no one in the audience spoke in support or in opposition to the Consent Agenda and public input was closed.

     Motion by Commissioner Dallari, seconded by Commissioner Constantine, to authorize and approve the following:

County Manager’s Office

Office of Emergency Management

 2.  Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Memorandum of Understanding between Seminole County, Florida Conference Association of Seventh-day Adventists and Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church, concerning emergency sheltering during disasters.  (2019-1170)

 

Development Services

Planning and Development

 3.  Approve the plat for the Seminole Drive Addition Subdivision containing two (2) lots on 0.637 acres zoned R-1A (Single Family Dwelling), located on the south side of Seminole Drive, east of Jerome Way; Tatiana Gonzales, Applicant.  (2019-1166)

 

Fire Department

Business Office

 4.  Pulled for a separate discussion.

Public Works

Engineering

 5.  Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Purchase Agreement in the amount of $3,000 between property owner, White's Plumbing of Orlando, Inc., and Seminole County for property interests necessary for the construction and maintenance of a sidewalk along a portion of Country Club Road and Southwest Road.  (2019-1157)

 6.  Approve and accept a Drainage Easement donated by Johnny Walker, Glenn Raymond Padgett, Michael Edwin Padgett, and Joyce Winter to Seminole County related to the construction and maintenance of a sidewalk along a portion of West Airport Boulevard at Bungalow Boulevard.  (2019-1158)

Traffic Engineering

 7.  Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Traffic Signal Maintenance Agreement between Sanford Airport Authority and Seminole County.  (2019-1131)

 

Resource Management

Budget

 8.  Pulled for a separate discussion.

 9.  Approve submittal of an application to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program requesting up to $30,000 in grant funding for the development of Rolling Hills Community Park; and authorize the County Manager to execute any documents associated with the grant application.  (2019-1162)

10.  Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2019-R-16 implementing Budget Amendment Request (BAR) #19-026 through the Library Services Grant fund in the amount of $2,875.12 in acceptance of the State of Florida Division of Library Services and Information Services LSTA Innovation Grant; and authorize the County Manager to execute the forthcoming grant agreement.  (2019-1161)

11.  Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute appropriate Resolution #2019-R-17 implementing the Budget Amendment Request (BAR) #19-027 through the Court Support Technology Fee (Art V) fund to reallocate $13,047 of operating budget for the procurement of a replacement main server.   (2019-1172)

Purchasing and Contracts

12.  Award RFP-603277-18/TLR - Term Contract for Grant Consultant Services to Langton Associates Inc., Jacksonville, for an annual fixed fee of $80,000; and authorize the Purchasing and Contracts Division to execute the agreement.  (2019-1132)

13.  Pulled for a separate discussion.

14.  Pulled for a separate discussion.

15.  Award RFP-603312-18/TLR - Term Contract for Electronic Security and Access Control to SiteSecure, LLC, Jacksonville for the annual estimated amount of $68,250, and authorize the Purchasing and Contracts Division to execute the agreement.  (2019-1148)

 

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

 

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Agenda Item #4 - 2019-1171

In regard to the request to approve the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Seminole County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3254 – A Unit, Commissioner Lockhart expressed her gratitude for the work of staff, the Board, and Seminole County firefighters to put the agreement together.  Commissioner Lockhart requested clarification on Page 94 of the agenda book, Number 44, Payroll Distribution, Part B, where it states "or if possible by electronic email" in regards to how payroll is administered for all County employees.  She stated she knows the County has been working with the Clerk’s Office on some options to transition from distributing paper pay stubs and believes it is critical to get into the 21st century in terms of employee self-service, employee payroll, and managing benefits as she thinks the cost and time it takes for employees to do this process manually is tremendous.  She is curious what is being done to make sure that that can happen.  Ms. Guillet responded that the County has been working with the Clerk’s Office and there are some things the County needs to address internally because there are different timekeeping systems and time clock programs for clocking in and out being utilized in different departments.  Tracking and reconciling those with an electronic payroll system is one of the things being worked on.  She noted there has been great reception from the Clerk’s Office in moving forward with something more efficient.

Commissioner Zembower commented that it's his understanding the Clerk’s Office is working with integrating software across the entire county platform.  Chairman Carey stated that having an across‑the‑board timekeeping system is critical and should be made a priority because it seems to her that the Board would like to have one system that is utilized by every employee in every department in the county and asked Ms. Guillet what the time frame was for having that done.  Ms. Guillet responded that she would have to confer with the Clerk’s Office.  Commissioner Lockhart stated that the County needs to be consistent on their end before collaborating with the Clerk’s Office.  Commissioner Dallari stated this goes back to the JD Edwards program and another module and will be discussed during the budget session because there is a financial piece.  Chairman Carey stated she would hope that some action is taken before the next budget cycle.  Commissioner Zembower commented that the IT Department should be involved, which the County Manager confirmed they are participating.  Chairman Carey requested a schedule and estimated costs as a follow‑up back to the Board.  Commissioner Zembower stated he would like some weight given to the security of the internet and intranet and urged them to "step on the accelerator pedal" to make things happen.  Chairman Carey commented the Board does not want to wait for the next budget cycle for this to come back to them.

Motion by Commissioner Lockhart, seconded by Commissioner Constantine, to approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement between Seminole County and Seminole County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3254 - A Unit.

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

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Agenda Item #8 – 2019-1160

In regard to the request to update Section 20.1 of the Administrative Code, Commissioner Lockhart stated that on Page 240 of the agenda book, Section 20, Letter B, it states "The standard maximum amount of any transaction that could be paid by credit or debit card is limited to $1,499.99."  She would like to see if the maximum can be lifted or raised to a number that staff could utilize for the benefit of the citizens.  Chairman Carey stated this had created a little bit of a problem when they did ePlans because sometimes the fee for plan review was higher than this amount.  She asked what's the point if you're submitting your plans electronically and you can't make the payment electronically.  Ms. Guillet commented that people want to use a credit card for the "larger ticket items."  If there is an opportunity to do that, she would love to work with the Clerk’s Office. 

Chairman Carey asked if this is time sensitive and whether action needed to be taken by the Board today or if it is something that could be continued.  Grant Maloy, Clerk of the Court & Comptroller, stated there are two different issues and the one that is being changed today is to allow PayPal to be reimbursed with the fire training.  As far as limits, he does not have an objection to that and stated that the Clerk’s Office does not have a limit with their credit card processor when people are paying fines.  He noted they are charging a flat fee for the higher ticket items that does not cover the cost of the transaction fee so that might need to be tweaked.  Chairman Carey stated they may want to look at capping the fee to use a credit card or using multiple fees.  Clerk Maloy stated they use a percentage in the Clerk’s Office. 

Chairman Carey inquired if there was anything that would prevent the Board from making an amendment and addressing it during the afternoon session.  Commissioner Lockhart suggested that the Board wait and speak with the account representative from Elavon, the contracted credit card processing company, because they likely work with other government jurisdictions and the County can look to see what other jurisdictions are doing.  She would hesitate doing this "on the fly" without knowing the potential ramifications of any decision the Board makes.  She would like someone to sit down with the Clerk and Elavon and look at what the County's credit card processing fee structure is so they know how to best address that.  Ms. Guillet agreed and stated that the policy requires consultation with the Clerk’s Office on this matter.  She stated she would like the Board to move forward with this item today because they are unable to utilize PayPal right now.  Chairman Carey commented that the Board could take action today with the intent of this matter coming back in some kind of tiered structure or in some way that best serves the Building Department so that the fees for submitting plans aren't "through the roof" since they are trying to encourage electronic plans.  Ms. Guillet stated the County is only able to recoup their costs, which Chairman Carey confirmed.

Motion by Commissioner Lockhart, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to approve appropriate Resolution #2019-R-15 updating Section 20.1 and 20.38 of the Seminole County Administrative Code, which would allow the County to accept payments from third-party electronic fund transfer service providers.

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

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Agenda Item #13 (2018-1095) and #14 (2019-1164)

In regard to Work Order #7 to PS-9742-14 and Amendment #3 to Work Order #2 to PS-0426-16, Commissioner Zembower stated he would like to address these items together as he thinks they are related.  He stated it appears the County uses a lot of consultants for projects that many other jurisdictions do in‑house and asked for clarification on why consultants are being used for those type of projects.  Chairman Carey explained that in 2004 they had an Environmental Services program that they could get planned, they could get it scheduled, but they just couldn't get it to the finish line.  Consultants were hired to get the project backlog executed and get the projects done.  In regards to the multiple contracts with design firms, the decision was made to hire them to get projects out in a timely fashion and get them executed because a team is needed to be able to do that but you can't hire that up that quickly.  She thinks the County is having issues with hiring professional engineers because the private sector pays more than the government.  Chairman Carey stated that in the past the County has used consultants to supplement staff, to be project managers, and for a lot of different reasons.  The County has a miscellaneous contract for design projects under $2 million, for planning, and for engineering.  She stated that, if the County had staff that could do all of that, it would be a very large staff and there would be a lot of down time for that, so they used consultants to do that.  She stated that if the majority of the Board was interested in having further conversation about how the County is going to move projects forward, they could do that as part of the retreat conversation. 

Commissioner Zembower stated they need to analyze the true cost of consultants versus using existing staff or recruited staff for the "lion's share" and reserving consultants only when needed to execute a program and get it going or for complicated issues that the County doesn't have staff to undertake.  Ms. Guillet responded that the County has been doing more internal design work in the last couple of years than previously.  They have done a lot of revamping in the Engineering Division.  She commented that the County has an extremely aggressive sales tax program.  She added that one of the issues they have had with the prior generations is getting projects done in a timely way and the County made a commitment to the community to complete projects.  Commissioner Zembower stated that things aren't moving forward quickly enough even with consultants, so the County either doesn't have the right consultants or they are not working staff and the consultants together properly.  He stated the Board needs to review the process to give staff the ability to make things happen or bring in more staff or change staff to get the ball rolling. 

Chairman Carey commented that between now and the time of the retreat would provide time to delve into that situation.  The Board did commit to the public to move these projects out quickly and she is not sure if there is currently enough staff.  She added that if there are issues with consultants rolling out a program then the Board can quickly make that change.  She stated the Board needs to understand what the issue is because she doesn't know that it's a consultant issue.

Motion by Commissioner Zembower, seconded by Commissioner Constantine, to approve a one-time increase to the maximum design amount as specified in the scope of services of the agreement and approve Work Order #7 Curryville Road/Roberts Channel Bridge Replacement Design Services under PS-9742-14/RTB - General Engineering Services Contract, with CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc., in the amount of $76,706.88; and authorize the Purchasing and Contracts Division to execute the Work Order.  (2018-1095)

Motion by Commissioner Zembower, seconded by Commissioner Constantine, to approve Amendment #3 to Work Order #2 (MSA for Trail Projects Miscellaneous Engineering Services for EE Williamson Road/Longwood Hills Road Trail) under PS-0426-16/AEH with England Thims and Miller of Lake Mary, in the amount of $211,707.22; and authorize the Purchasing and Contracts Division to execute the Work Order Amendment.  (2019-1164)

     Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Clerk & Comptroller’s Office

Motion by Commissioner Dallari, seconded by Commissioner Zembower, to approve the following:

16.  Approve Expenditure Approval Lists dated December 26 and 31, 2018.   (2019-1165)  

 

     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.    Special Reviews of PCARD Transactions from Environmental Services Division and Fire Department, from Bill Carroll, Inspector General, to the Board of County Commissioners. 

 

2.    Certificate of No Recall for R.B. Jai Alai, LLC, dated January 2, 2019.

 

3.    Conditional Utility Agreement for the acceptance of water system for the project known as Wawa - Aloma with Golden Arrow WPP LLC.

 

4.    CDBG Subrecipient Agreement for Program Year 2018-2019 with The St. Johns River Festival of the Arts, Inc. (as approved by the BCC on September 26, 2017, under Agenda Item 2017-0327, Amendment to Interlocal Agreement with the City of Sanford).

 

5.    CDBG Subrecipient Agreement for Program Year 2018-2019 with Glorious Hands Incorporated (as approved by the BCC on September 26, 2017, under Agenda Item 2017-0327, Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with the City of Sanford).

 

6.    Development Order #18-27500043 for Alcoholic Beverage License, Pizza Hut; Carl VanNostrand.

 

7.    Development Order #18-27500045 for Alcoholic Beverage License, Pizza Hut; Carl VanNostrand.

 

8.    Development Orders #18-30000092, Martin Dortants, 1370 Windy Ridge Court; #18-30000094, Nassib Rodriguez Khoury, 995 Rolling Oaks
Cove; #18-30000095, Alison S. Moncrief, 861 Silverwood Drive; #18-30000096, Bruno and Lara Mangiarelli, 4023 Gallagher Loop; #18-30000098, Craig Taclof and Nina Sanberg, 2105 Knollview Court; #18-30000099, Johnnie and Peggy Swigart, 893 Wooside Road; #18-30000101, Thomas Brooks and Roberta Arthurs, 413 East Osceola Road; #18-30000102, Helena Higashiguchi, 1568 Cougar Court; #18-32000007, Richard and Linda Nation, Academy of Excellence.

 

9.    Denial Development Orders #18-30000091, Richard and Kristin Miller, 201 Wessex Road; #18-30000093, James and Mary Collins, 1040 Alberta Street; #18-30000100, Christopher and Ekaterina Clough, 507 Dew Drop Cove.

 

10.   Tourist Tax Funding Agreements with Athletx LLC for the Softball Youth All-American Games and Baseball Youth All-American Games.

 

11.   Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with Corrigan Sports Enterprises, Inc., for the NFHCA Winter Escape.

 

12.   Natural Lands Contract for Services with David Warfel.

 

13.   Parks Contract for Services with Alli Moyer; Jerry Keith Sparks, Jr. (2); Edwin Frank Pena; Robert Markos; Dalton Franke; David Murwin; Brianna Blackley; Dallas Reed; Robert Smith; Joseph Santora; Jacob Chandler; Bobby Duncan; McKinley David Tinny; Stephan Dodd; Steven Davis; Mark Brotman; Donald McCoy; Kevin Longshore; Jose Gonzalez; Kenneth O’Connell; Jose Mouriz; Walter Wolfe, Jr.; Daniel Ziegler; Adam Skelton; Kenneth Alston; Bruce Weaver; Michael Verses; John Marzullo; Lynford Ferguson; and Kenyon Howard.

 

14.   Amendment #2 to Work Order #17 to RFP-0336-15 with Site Secure, LLC, a Miller Electric Company.

 

15.   Change Order #2 to Work Order #7 to RFP-1294-17 with M & J Enterprises International, Inc.

 

16.   Change Order #1 to Work Order #8 to RFP-1294-17 with Blackstreet Enterprises.

 

17.   Amendment #1 to Work Order #1 to PS-1299-17 with England-Thims & Miller, Inc.

 

18.   First Amendment to PS-1320-17 with Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc.

 

19.   Amendment #3 to Work Order #9 to PS-1666-07 with Inwood Consulting Engineers.

 

20.   Corrected Basic Agreement M-1696-17 with Killebrew, Inc. (as approved by the BCC on November 14, 2017).

 

21.   Change Order #2 to CC-1719-18 with CTR III Enterprise, Inc. d/b/a CEG.

 

22.   Change Orders #3 and #4 to CC-1875-18 with CTR III Enterprise, Inc. d/b/a CEG.

 

23.   Work Order #1 to PS-1946-18 with Environmental Science Associates Corporation.

 

24.   Work Order #2 to PS-1998-18 with Environmental Science Associates Corporation.

 

25.   Change Order #1 to CC-2092-18 with Glen Holt Aluminum, LLC.

 

26.   Amendment #2 to Work Order #5 to PS-3166-08 with Inwood Consulting Engineers, Inc.

 

27.   First Amendment to IFB-602315-15 with Petroleum Equipment Construction, Inc.

 

28.   First Amendment to IFB-602367-15 with North America Fire Equipment Co., Inc. d/b/a NAFECO of Florida.

29.   Work Order #7 to PS-9464-14 with GAI Consultants, Inc.

 

30.   Work Order #31 to PS-9738-14 with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

 

31.   Bids as follows:

 

    IFB-603338-18 from Bound Tree Medical; Henry Schein, Inc.; Medline Industries, Inc.; and Florida Discount Drugs d/b/a Taylors Pharmacy.

 

COUNTY MANAGER AND STAFF BRIEFINGS

Nicole Guillet, County Manager, advised this item will be an update on the Midway Project and the research staff has done regarding installing sewer and looking at some drainage issues.  She stated staff is looking for some feedback with respect to how the Board would like to move forward now that they have some facts.  Chairman Carey briefly described how the Midway community came before the Board with some concerns, and one of the requests was for the County to look at putting sewer in the community.  Two other items that the community requested that the Board had already agreed to move forward with are the Midway Basin Study and the Pipe Replacement Project.  Meloney Lung, Assistant County Manager, presented an update on the project (received and filed).  She stated that they have proposals for the Basin Study and are moving the Pipe Project forward.  The County started a water project replacement for the piping in Midway-Canaan in 2013/2014 and finished in 2017/2018.  To date, $2.6 million in CDBG funding has been spent on water and there is approximately $550,000 remaining.  They are reserving that money because there are some portions of the project that were not completed due to not being able to get right‑of‑way.  Public Works is currently trying to do a sidewalk project; and when they are able to do that, they will try to finish the piping in the area when they get the right‑of‑way for the sidewalk. 

Chairman Carey asked how many parcels are involved with getting the right‑of‑way easements in order to finish the sidewalk and the piping project.  Ms. Lung responded that there are only six or seven.  Chairman Carey stated that if staff is not able to move those projects along, they may need to enlist the help of the Midway community representatives to encourage them to provide that access because water and sidewalk projects cannot be completed without it.  Commissioner Dallari asked if this is to provide proper water to the homes in that area, which Ms. Lung confirmed it is.  Commissioner Dallari asked if the project also looked at the fire flow for hydrants in that area.  Ms. Lung stated it included fire hydrant replacement.  Commissioner Dallari questioned if there is currently adequate coverage and supply and fire flow in that area or there will be when completed.  Ms. Lung responded that she will have to find that out.  Chairman Carey commented that, if the County cannot get right‑of‑way from private citizens for the utility line, they could always divert it to the road in that area and not have a sidewalk because the utility completion is more important.  She stated that the water project was a multiyear project.  The water is provided by a private utility company that buys it wholesale from the City of Sanford, who is the utility jurisdiction.  The infrastructure was old and the private company did not have the financial capability to replace it, which is why CDBG funds were used over multiple years. 

Ms. Lung discussed the new subdivisions surrounding the Midway community and how they are annexing into the City of Sanford to provide the utilities for water and sewer.  Environmental Services staff went to the City of Sanford and questioned if they have sanitary sewer capacity for Midway, and it was confirmed verbally that they do.  Ms. Lung noted that the Board had asked at a previous meeting how much the impact fee would be for each household.  If they're in the City of Sanford, it's $3,250.  If they do not annex into the City, it's over $4,000 per household.  Ms. Lung had requested the City of Sanford provide what a typical sewer bill is.  The City used 6,000 gallons as the average which is roughly $44, $45.  If they don't annex into the City, they could expect a $56 bill every month for sewer on top of their water bill.  She commented that might have been a concern for some people.

Ms. Lung discussed funding opportunities.  The County receives approximately $1.5 million a year in CDBG funds and roughly $500,000 is already committed leaving a million a year which can be used for projects throughout the entire community.  This project is estimated to cost anywhere from $20 million.  The rest of the county wouldn't get any funding for 20 years if they decided to use CDBG funding.  Ms. Guillet clarified that figure includes the impact payment and impact fees for all of the residents there.  Chairman Carey asked how many parcels there are.  Ms. Lung responded that it's roughly 700 consisting of both residential and nonresidential.  Ms. Guillet stated that the estimate on cost is for 565 facilities, 510 residential and the rest being churches or industrial.  Chairman Carey clarified that there's 700‑something lots but only 500‑something structures, which Ms. Lung confirmed.

Chairman Carey stated that the reason this is being brought back to the Board is because, at the prior community meeting, the majority of the approximate 100 community attendees advised they would like to have sewer but the County did not have a cost estimate to provide them then.  The Board asked staff to figure out what the cost would be and possible ways of funding it including through an MSTU, which would be paid for by the homeowners.  She stated that once there is some guidance from the Board regarding this information, they can have another community meeting to give them the facts on what it may cost to connect to sewer and see if the community is willing to do it.  If everybody isn't going to do it as a mandatory requirement, then she doesn't think it will work in the community with this kind of cost.  Commissioner Zembower asked what the connection cost would be because it would not be included.  In other municipalities there is often an option to connect or not; and if they don't connect and you don't do a mandatory, there's an access fee paid whether they use it or not.  Chairman Carey stated that, in the community meeting, they discussed the cost of setting a separate meter from Midway‑Canaan for the sewer.  Ms. Lung clarified that, at the community meeting, Midway‑Canaan confirmed they would not be able to handle the operation and the maintenance of a sanitary sewer project.  However, now they are indicating they can handle it.  Ms. Guillet believes they are interested in being a pass‑through.  Chairman Carey commented that would increase the cost for the residents. 

Chairman Carey stated that the homeowner also has to pay to rework their plumbing to remove it from the septic tank and get it connected to the sewer meter.  They also have to pay to take their septic tank out of service.  There is a proper way to close down a septic tank and there are costs associated with that.  Chairman Carey asked Ms. Lung if the $4,000 she mentioned was just for the impact fee to the City of Sanford, which Ms. Lung confirmed that was her understanding.  Chairman Carey stated that, on top of the $4,000, there will be other costs and the County needs to get an estimate of what those are.  Ms. Lung responded that she would do that.  Chairman Carey suggested having a plumber go out to look at two or three houses in different parts of town and see what they think the cost would be.  Commissioner Dallari questioned if the estimated cost of $21 million is a realistic cost, and Ms. Guillet responded that it is. 

Commissioner Dallari suggested using a steering committee to work with staff on different options of what should be MSBU, MSTU, grants, and what should be paid.  Chairman Carey stated that the County needs to go back to the community and give them the cost estimate so that they can have a community discussion about it, and she thinks it should be a bigger community discussion and not just the few leaders that are members of the Midway‑Canaan Association Group.  She stated the community doesn't necessarily know all the options that are there.  Chairman Carey commented that she didn't think everyone would be willing to give up CDBG funds for the rest of the county for the next 20 years for this.  Ms. Guillet stated she wasn't sure they can fund a 20‑year program.  Commissioner Dallari clarified that he was suggesting to put together a steering committee from the community so that they can work with staff to present different options to the residents.  Commissioner Zembower said he thinks the costs will be the dealbreaker for the community.  Ms. Guillet stated they need to understand what the community is willing to contribute for the service so the County has an understanding of how much needs to be subsidized if they were to move forward.  Chairman Carey stated that, as another option, there is available funding to replace failing septic tanks.  She suggested that may be a better use of dollars and grants than trying to convert a whole community over to sewer.  She thinks they are still missing a couple of numbers needed before they can go back to the community.  She wondered if it should be mailing a survey to the community, then having a community meeting, and then putting together the steering committee.

Commissioner Lockhart asked if the old Midway Elementary School is included.  Ms. Lung responded that they are on sewer.  Chairman Carey clarified that only the lunchroom is.  When it was converted into a community center, sewer was run.  The new school is all on sewer.  The sewer that runs along 46 is where the sewer lines run to the plant on Lake Mary Boulevard.  Commissioner Lockhart questioned what the projects were that are referenced in the first bullet point under Possible Funding Sources where it states that "the $1 million a year will not fully fund and will preclude other projects in the county."  Ms. Guillet responded it is any possible CDBG project anywhere else in the county.  Ms. Guillet stated that the County has asked the lobbyist to see if there were opportunities under Amendment 1 or some other funding source to get a special appropriation for this project, because, based on their existing funding sources and existing budgets, they have not accounted for this. 

Commissioner Zembower questioned where the City of Sanford was in all of this as far as possible future annexation.  Chairman Carey responded that the Midway community indicated they are not interested in being annexed into the City of Sanford.  She stated she's always had a concern that everything around Midway ultimately will annex into the City of Sanford and the County will have an enclave there.  Back in the 1970s or 1980s, the City of Sanford was identified as being the utility provider for that entire eastern portion of the county.  Every time a project comes through the County, they have to sign an agreement with the City of Sanford when they get their utilities that says they have to annex when they become contiguous to a parcel in the City of Sanford.  She stated that Cameron Heights, which is 280 acres that runs from 415 all the way down to Brisson and along Celery Avenue and goes over and abuts some portions of Midway, will connect everything.  There will just be some infill areas outside of that.  The County only sees some of them because some of them annex into the City of Sanford and go through the zoning process there.  She mentioned the County has already had zoning actions come in for the Dale and McClain parcels.  If you start connecting the sites together, pretty soon all of that will be annexed into the City of Sanford, and her concern is how the County will address that.  The Chairman noted that the other side of that is there is a 25% surcharge if you're not in the City of Sanford and they are providing you utilities.  Because Sanford’s bond convenances require them to collect that additional 25% surcharge if not in the City of Sanford, there is no way to offset that for the qualifying communities.  She suggested that be a part of the community discussion to see if the community would be willing to do that since it's a monthly cost.  She opined that, for a lot of folks, it's not about what it's going to cost over 10 or 20 years, it's how much it's going to cost every month. 

Chairman Carey stated they need to figure out how to fund this some other way if they do not want to fully fund the $21 million with CDBG funds over the next 20 years, and she would like to be able to advise at the community meeting if the Board is interested in funding it with CDBG funds or not.  If the Board is not interested in that and there has to be an alternative, that's where the steering committee would come into play.  They need to figure out how much the resident is going to pay, how much the landowner is going to pay, how many other grants are out there, and what the state lobbyist has identified they could get for potential funding.  Ms. Guillet added that the County would not do a 20‑year CDBG project because they don't have guaranteed funding for 20 years.  Even if the Board was willing to commit every penny of CDBG funding to this project for three or four years, it would have to be a much smaller project or it would have to be subsidized by something else.  Commissioner Zembower stated there needs to be a candid conversation with the community regarding the numbers they have at this point and ask them if they are willing to do an MSBU to absorb costs.  He is an advocate of getting as much off of septic tank as possible.  

Chairman Carey asked what the cost was to make the connection for the sewer line from 46 to the old Midway Elementary School, and Ms. Lung responded it was $323,000.  Commissioner Dallari commented that with the additional 25% surcharge just for the water/sewage bill, there will be an extra $56 a month, roughly $672 a year, surcharge just to go to the City.  There are built‑in fees that the residents will be paying that they shouldn't be paying.  Chairman Carey commented that it is going to be from $45 to $56 with the surcharge, which Ms. Lung confirmed.  Commissioner Dallari stated there are additional costs that need to be vetted out showing the community the costs of not annexing into the City which could easily go to defraying a lot of this cost.  Chairman Carey stated an issue and concern from the community is property taxes if they annex into the City.  She requested that staff get an analysis of what that would be.  She doesn't want to go back to the community until they have all of the facts and some recommendations because she doesn't want the community thinking that there is going to be some kind of funding and then the County says they have to have an MSBU and they're right back to the beginning.  Chairman Carey requested that staff find out if there was any statute or anything that prevented the County from being able to carry an MSBU for a longer period of time so that it would help absorb some of the annual cost.

Commissioner Lockhart questioned who the staff point of contact was for the community meetings.  Ms. Guillet responded that it is Community Services.  Commissioner Lockhart stated that she would encourage the County Manager to become personally engaged in this because she thinks it is important that the County Manager personally know the tone and tenor of discussions when reporting back to the Board, and Ms. Guillet agreed. 

Chairman Carey summarized that the next steps will be for staff to get the additional costs for the plumbing from the house to the meter and the cost for the closure of the septic tank.  Staff should look at other funding and follow up with the lobbyist to see if there are any opportunities for any kind of funding.  She requested that staff formally notice every household by mail as to the date of the next community meeting when it comes time to talk about the potential sewer in the community and the cost.  Commissioner Zembower requested that staff vet this deeply as far as ensuring what unintended consequences could occur to the residents if they ultimately move forward, that they have surveyed and understand all financial impacts, as well as physical impacts that could be expected.  Chairman Carey stated that one of the things that came up in the engineering discussion was the possibility that each house would need to have a lift station to get to the sewer line.  She requested that engineering look at the topographical information, elevation of the road versus elevation of the homes, to see if 50% or more of the community would require a lift station at every house as that would be another cost that hasn't been considered.  Commissioner Constantine commented that when water and sewer are added to a home as opposed to septic tank, the property value goes up in a property appraisal.  Chairman Carey added that would make their taxes also go up. 

Ms. Guillet requested clarification and consensus from the Board regarding the expectation that the County can kick in some money for the project.  Water and Sewer funds would not be available because this is not the County's system and the Enterprise Fund cannot be utilized, which leaves General Fund or perhaps infrastructure sales tax funds.  Her impression is that in order to make this project work they are going to have to find funding outside of existing capital projects.  Chairman Carey questioned how much is generated in taxes from the community and how many homes are off of the tax rolls and paying nothing.  Commissioner Dallari requested that the County Manager have a conversation with the City of Sanford about whether they are willing to expend any of their Enterprise Fund if anyone is willing to annex into the city, which Ms. Guillet said she would ask them. 

Commissioner Dallari asked if there was any update on the Basin Study.  Jean Jreij, Public Works Director, responded that a proposal for the Basin Study was received from CDM and they are reviewing it.  They are hoping to start the work sometime in March of this year, and it will take about ten months.  Chairman Carey explained that CDM had a continuing contract and that is why the County is talking to them.  Commissioner Lockhart asked if they expected to have community meetings with CDM, which Mr. Jreij responded they will.  Chairman Carey clarified that this is regarding drainage.  Commissioner Lockhart commented that there could be confusion among "John Q. Public" in general of the difference between drainage and water.  If they’re talking about water in a community meeting, oftentimes the topics get conflated.  So if there is a community meeting being planned to talk about a drainage basin study and a community meeting being planned to talk about sewer, there could easily be a "head‑on collision" of why people thought they were invited to come to a meeting.  She would caution that the communication and the planning of that be coordinated.  Ms. Guillet stated they would make sure any notice for the basin study is clear that it's a drainage issue and is not related to the sewer. 

Commissioner Dallari asked if the Basin Study is also of the surrounding neighborhoods, which Mr. Jreij confirmed it was for the entire Midway basin.  Commissioner Dallari asked if they were doing a hydraulic model, which Mr. Jreij confirmed.  Commissioner Dallari asked if they can actually find out where and how the water was flowing and what corrective actions could be taken so there would be recommendations at the end, and Mr. Jreij responded they could.  Ms. Guillet stated the basin will encompass some of the new development.  Chairman Carey stated that the impression is that everything is going to flow down into Midway; but actually, when you look at the topographic lay of the land, it flows towards the river with Midway being the high point.  She commented that sometimes people don't really know that it is drainage when talking about stormwater.  She asked if there were any other comments or questions from the Board and there were none.

COUNTY INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPORT

Scott McIntyre, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for First Southwest Asset Management, addressed the Board to present his report for January 22, 2019 (received and filed).  Mr. McIntyre noted that the Fed did raise rates by a quarter point on December 19th, which was the fourth increase of 2018.  Market bond yields are significantly lower on the short end of the curve.  He explained that when the Fed raises rates they only raise the overnight rate target and everything else on the curve prices itself dependent on expectations, and expectations have dimmed.

Mr. McIntyre explained that the expectation in November was the Fed was going to raise rates as much as three times in 2019.  The trade wars and Government shutdown has intervened, and there's a lot of uncertainty.  A lot of businesses are postponing their decisions to do things like hire and buy new equipment and expand because nobody knows what the future holds.  The Government has currently been shut down for 32 days.  The longest previous shutdown was 21 days during the Clinton administration.  Mr. McIntyre referred to the Bloomberg Yield Forecasts slide and noted that 60 of the nation's best economists are surveyed every month for this forecast.  The current expectation is in the range of 2.25 to 2.50, which is what the Fed raised to in December.  The economists don't expect any increase at all in the first quarter, they expect one increase in the second quarter, and they don't expect any more rate increases afterward; and that's a fairly significant change.  When the Fed met on December 19, 2018, they decided to raise rates only two times in 2019.  Right now, it looks like they might only raise them once.  Mr. McIntyre stated that the important thing to note right now is that the yield curve has priced out all increases.  In November, they were getting paid for two or three increases that may or may not happen; and right now, they are not.

Mr. McIntyre explained that the second line from the bottom on the Bloomberg Forecast is the average two‑year Treasury note yield.  Right now, it's about 2.54; but economists expect that that yield is going to start to move higher because it's lower right now than it should be because of all of the uncertainty.  It is expected that the trade war is eventually going to resolve and the Government is eventually going to reopen, which could happen any day.  When that happens, it is expected the end of the curve that is priced with no expectation right now is going to change, because the reason there is no rate increase expected is because of those two factors.

Mr. McIntyre displayed and discussed Events Driving the Market.  The Government shutdown is a very significant source of uncertainty, and Stock Volatility is a result of the uncertainty.  The DOW had its worst ever Christmas Eve selloff.  The very next business day, it had the biggest single‑day point gain in history.  From the low point on December 24th to market close on January 17th, the S&P gained 12%.  The trade war continues, and it's hurting the Chinese economy and U.S. expectations.  There hasn't been any increases in prices, but that theoretically will come if the trade war is not resolved quickly.  Oil Prices had fallen significantly up to about Christmas Eve.  Since then, they have moved higher.  There are a lot of factors that influence oil prices, but a lot of it has to do with uncertainty as well.  The Fed is still relatively determined that they're going to raise rates.  However, the economy is slowing, and a lot of the Fed comments that have come out in recent days have been dovish and they are suggesting that the Fed may be done and they may be willing to pause.

Mr. McIntyre displayed and discussed Purchasing Managers Survey, which is a once‑a‑month survey.  He noted that the red line is the service sector.  The blue line is the factory sector, factory managers, which has nosedived.  The last time this survey was taken was the biggest, single‑month loss of confidence by factory managers in a decade because they don't know how to buy, why to buy, when to buy, what the prices are going to be, they don't know if this ends tomorrow or in three months, and it is chaotic for them.

Mr. McIntyre discussed Inflation and noted the blue line has flatlined.  It includes food and energy prices and has been trending downward for a long time, and a lot of it has to do with energy.  Core prices have leveled off.  The reason the Feds raise rates is to slow the economy down to nip inflation in the bud.  Mr. McIntyre noted that the Retail Sales report should have come out last week, but it got postponed because the agency that releases the data is a government agency and the Government is shut down.  He stated that will be a problem going forward because they can't read the numbers to know what is going on.  He stated that lower gasoline prices gave a boost to holiday spending.  Mastercard showed a year‑over‑year increase of 5.1% for the holidays.  UPS showed a 5% increase in package shipments.  Most economists said that this was the best holiday spending season in six years, but they are still looking at other data.  The Consumer Confidence Index fell by 8.3 points, which was the largest single‑month decline since January of 2015 and caused by not knowing what the future holds.

Mr. McIntyre discussed Employment.  The blue line represents jobs created in December and it looks like a good number, but you can see the volatility experienced over the last six months.  December's big increase in non‑farm payrolls has much to do with a poor seasonal adjustment factor.  There is a seasonal adjustment factor that assumes weather is going to be bad in December, and the weather in December nationwide was really good.  However, the weather looks like it will be pretty bad in January.

Recommendations

Mr. McIntyre reviewed Recommendations which is a fairly conservative approach for this time.  Right now there are about $200 million worth of "core funds" that have been invested, which is about $150 million of Treasuries that the County owns.  They also own somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 to $60 million worth of long‑term pool, specifically the Florida Education Investment Trust, which gets staggered out.  There is about $200 million that is locked up right now, and he feels like they can pause as well.

In regards to future maturities, the Florida Education Investment Trust of $5 million matures on January 24th.  He recommends that be reinvested out to October 11th at 2.74.  The reason he is not recommending Treasury is that the Treasury out to that point is only about 2.45, 2.46.  There is Treasury maturity that happens at the end of January.  Instead of going back into Treasuries, he is suggesting that also be shifted into the Florida Investment Trust to September 27th, which lines up well with the October 1st debt service payment.  So they will position money out to help make the payment when it's due.

Mr. McIntyre stated he does not have any additional recommendations right now because the County's day‑to‑day money is already 2.60, which is a pretty good level.  Right now, they are looking at investing out on an inverted curve and deciding whether or not to take money out at 2.60 and put it in at 2.54, 2.40, 2.45 depending on the point of the curve, and he doesn't feel like it makes sense to do that because that would be based on expecting Fed rate cuts in the future.  He stated he is expecting that the Government reopens and the trade war is over, and uncertainty goes away and yields start to rise when that happens.  In March of 2018, the decision was made that a certain percentage would be invested in fixed-income securities, and they are roughly at that point.  He feels it is a natural place to pause, let these issues resolve, and wait for the market to get itself to where they have a regular‑shaped curve instead of an inverted curve.  He explained the only time they would move out and accept the lower rates is if they felt like rate cuts were coming, and the Fed is saying that is not likely to happen in 2019.

Mr. McIntyre discussed Benchmark Comparison.  He stated that they are earning 2.61 basis points which is about ten times what they were earning in July of 2016.  In terms of dollars, they have gone from about $1.5 million of earnings to about $10.5 million.  He would like to work towards protecting some of that in the event that in the future there are issues going on that result in economic downturn.  He noted that the County is earning above all the benchmarks, and that has been the case for the last four or five months.  Mr. McIntyre stated that he needs the Board's approval for his conservative‑approach recommendation.

Chairman Carey stated that having monthly investment reports and having the Board understand everything that is happening month to month is helpful. 

Motion made by Commissioner Zembower, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to adopt the recommendations of the Board of County Commissioners Financial Advisor based on the report submitted and direct the Clerk to implement said Board adoption recommendations.

Under discussion, Commissioner Lockhart asked Mr. McIntyre if he had what he needed from the Board to be able to act quickly and be nimble since things could happen at the “drop of a hat.”  Mr. McIntyre responded that sometimes there is a period between when the Board has agreed to the recommendations and trades are executed.  He explained that the maturity on the 31st is still days away and the market can move quite a bit and that the ability to be nimble is not entirely there.  The County has a process that works very well in a lot of ways, but it could potentially work a little smoother if the Board tweaked things.  He stated he is before the Board once a month and makes recommendations once a month; but, in terms of day‑to‑day decisions, it is not perfect.

Chairman Carey stated she has had discussion with the Clerk about how things could move quicker.  She suggested possibly establishing an emergency finance committee that would convene instead of calling an emergency county commission meeting in the case that something goes south quickly.  She stated that Mr. McIntyre is going to buy the recommended investment if there's no other direction on the 31st when it matures.  Commissioner Zembower concurred and stated that the Board should be able to have Mr. McIntyre reach out to them immediately if needed for direction and be able to direct the Clerk to do whatever needs to be done to protect the assets of the citizens.  Chairman Carey questioned how they stop it if the “sky is falling” on January 30th and they shouldn't be doing what the current recommendation is.  She suggested changing their policy to put the finance committee in place is a missing piece.  Commissioner Lockhart stated she would be interested in hearing whatever recommendations Mr. McIntyre had, and she thinks nimble is good.  Chairman Carey stated they need an emergency process, because currently the only process is to call an emergency county commission meeting.  She has had discussions with Mr. McIntyre, the Clerk, the County Manager, and others about trying to come up with how to make some changes.  Mr. Applegate stated his office has drafted a couple of versions of what would be an emergency procedure.  They are working with the Clerk’s Office and will meet to talk about how to tweak the policies that need to get tweaked.  Chairman Carey informed the Board that something will be coming back to them as an official amendment to the policy.  Commissioner Constantine suggested to keep the emergency committee simple and it should consist of three people, possibly the County Manager, the Budget Director, and the Chairman, with the ex officio being the Clerk.  Chairman Carey stated they will try to do that so they don't run into problems trying to get numerous people to convene.  She requested that Mr. McIntyre provide information on how other jurisdictions are managing that. 

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

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Chairman Carey recessed the meeting at 11:42 a.m., reconvening at 1:30 p.m. with all Commissioners and all other Officials, with the exception of Deputy Clerk Chariti Colón who was replaced by Deputy Clerk Kyla Farrell, who were present at the Opening Session.

PROOF OF PUBLICATION

     Motion by Commissioner Dallari, seconded by Commissioner Zembower, to authorize the filing of the proof of publication for this meeting's scheduled public hearing into the Official Record.

     Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

PUBLIC HEARING

CRESCENT BOULEVARD RIGHT-OF-WAY VACATE

 

Agenda Item #17 – 2018-1039

Continuation of a public hearing from December 11, 2018, to consider a Resolution vacating and abandoning a portion of Crescent Boulevard right-of-way as recorded in Plat Book 5, Page 88, of the Public Records of Seminole County, Florida, located south of East 2nd Street and north of East 4th Street in Sanford, as described in the proof of publication.

     Matt Davidson, Planning & Development Division, addressed the Board to present the item as outlined in the agenda memorandum.

     Chairman Carey explained the original request came to her office from the neighbors at 2nd Street.  The request was to vacate the right-of-way because it’s an uncut road.  After some discussion with the City of Sanford, they have a utility line through there and they wanted the County to keep 60 feet of right-of-way, so staff has revised it.  The proposal now is to vacate 30 feet on each side and to leave a 60-foot right-of-way of an uncut road.

     Chairman Carey and Commissioners Dallari and Lockhart submitted their ex parte communications (received and filed).

     Diriki Geuka, 3757 Lake Haven Way, Georgia, addressed the Board and noted he is an attorney representing his mother who owns two lots situated along Crescent Boulevard.  Mr. Geuka stated as an initial matter, they are in support of the item.  He gave some background information as to how they became aware of the vacate.  He explained there are eight properties along Crescent Boulevard that would be deprived of access to East 2nd Street, which is closest to the St. Johns River.  Had the proper legal avenues been observed and a driveway permit been received, they wouldn’t be here today because there wouldn’t be anything to be in dispute about.  So because no dispute was made, they just want to have a fair retroactive solution to everything that would still allow his mother to access her property from East 2nd Street.  He discussed why his mother’s property is valuable. 

Mr. Geuka stated his mother wouldn’t be able to access the St. Johns River if the initial plan, as they understood it, was enacted.  They are in support of the new plan and think its fair for everyone.  He doesn’t think it would obstruct the value of his mother’s lots.  He implored the Board to adopt the item as proposed today.

Chairman Carey stated each property owner will receive 30 feet of right-of-way.  Commissioner Lockhart referred to Sketch of Description (included in agenda backup) and asked which lots Mr. Geuka’s mother owns.  Mr. Geuka answered his mother owns Lots 3 and 4 (which are considered one lot) and Lots 11 and 12 (which are also considered one lot).  Chairman Carey explained in the event that someone was to build on Lots 3, 4, 11, or 12, they would be required to put in a road if they wanted to have a paved access through there; and right now, there is no paved access at all.

Chairman Carey explained staff originally looked at leaving a 20-foot right-of-way in case somebody wanted to put in a road in the future; however, the City was the one that said they had a utility through there so they wanted to keep 60 feet of right-of-way. 

     Steven Schuyler, 804 Escambia Drive, addressed the Board and noted he is the owner of Lots 13 and 14.  Mr. Schuyler stated he was a little concerned with the overall 20-foot right-of-way due to having proper access to the lot.  He explained one of the reasons they bought the property is because the only way to get to it was 4th Street and it has a sign that says “No Outlet.”  He opined it is nice to live on a dead-end where there isn’t traffic running in front of his house all the time.  Mr. Schuyler is very much in favor of the application as is, but he would never like to see a road go through from 2nd Street to 4th Street.  He stated he would like to see just a utility easement across the two lots at the very north off of 2nd Street because that would guarantee that they would never have a through street.

     Commissioner Lockhart pointed out Mr. Schuyler doesn’t want to see the right-of-way opened because he doesn’t want people driving past his property, and Mr. Schuyler agreed.  The Commissioner asked if he understands that for the Geukas to access their property, they would have to pass Mr. Schuyler’s property.  Mr. Schuyler responded he understands and doesn’t mind his neighbors going by.  Commissioner Lockhart advised what someone wants and what someone may have a legal right to do are two different things.  She added if someone chose to develop their property and put a house on those lots, they would have the right to open that right-of-way and put a street on it even though neighbors may not like it.  Mr. Schuyler said he’s not against that.  He wouldn’t like the street to go through; he doesn’t want a public street.  Chairman Carey reminded that the City of Sanford has asked the County to reserve a 60-foot right-of-way and that is what is being proposed today.  Mr. Applegate advised any future application will be judged on its own merits and is not for today’s hearing.

     Commissioner Zembower asked if it is true that the City of Sanford could pave the 60-foot section and it could become a connection between 2nd Street and 4th Street for the public to use.  Mr. Applegate answered yes, it could.  Mr. Schuyler advised that is what he would not like.  Commissioner Lockhart stated she wants to make sure that Mr. Schuyler is clear that although that may be what he wants, that is not what the Board has control over.  Mr. Schuyler responded he understands.  He is just providing his input as an adjacent property owner. 

Motion by Chairman Carey, seconded by Commissioner Zembower, to adopt appropriate Resolution #2019-R-18 vacating and abandoning a portion of Crescent Boulevard right-of-way as recorded in Plat Book 5, Page 88, of the Public Records of Seminole County, Florida, located south of East 2nd Street and north of East 4th Street in Sanford, as described in the proof of publication.

Under discussion, Commissioner Zembower stated at the end of 2nd Street and 4th Street, it dead-ends into an R-1AA parcel of substantial size.  He asked whose parcel it is and what it is.  Mr. Davidson answered it is a private property owner and about 100% wetlands.  Chairman Carey noted she thinks it is part of the Jeno Paulucci trust.  Commissioner Zembower asked if it is in a mitigation bank.  Chairman Carey answered she doesn’t really know the history of it; but it’s been owned by the Pauluccis for many years and it is not really developable.  Commissioner Zembower asked if there is access from any other road to that property.  Chairman Carey replied 2nd Street and 4th Street dead-end into it.  Commissioner Zembower confirmed with Chairman Carey that the likelihood of it ever being developed into a PD or anything is probably slim because of the wetlands.

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.

SIGN CODE REVISIONS TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE

 

Agenda Item #18 – 2018-0038

Proof of publication calling for a public hearing to consider an Ordinance amending the Land Development Code for compliance with the Supreme Court of the United States case Reed v. Gilbert requiring uniform regulation of temporary signage, and further amending the Land Development Code for the purpose of allowing noncommercial speech on commercial signs, received and filed.

Chairman Carey announced staff is requesting a continuance on this item.  Commissioner Dallari asked if there was a date for it to be continued to.  Mr. Applegate advised it will be readvertised; and Rebecca Hammock, Planning & Development Director, agreed.  Ms. Hammock added staff is making some changes to the Ordinance that will require readvertisement.  Ms. Guillet explained if they are readvertising it, the Board doesn’t need to take any action on it.  Commissioner Dallari confirmed with Ms. Guillet that the Board doesn’t need to make a motion.  

DISTRICT REPORTS

District 3

     Commissioner Constantine announced the events he has recently attended and upcoming events in his district.  He noted Lynx will be meeting on the 24th, and their budget for next year will be discussed. 

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     Commissioner Constantine advised regarding trails, other counties have implemented an alert sticker to protect citizens every tenth of a mile.  The County’s current policy is one every half mile.  The Commissioner thinks the stickers only cost about $10, and he would like Parks and Recreation to look into that idea and then bring a recommendation to the Board.  Chairman Carey asked what the stickers do, and Commissioner Constantine explained they are alert stickers that allow people to know where they are in case of an emergency.  Chairman Carey asked if the Commissioner is requesting staff to look at it just on the paved trails, and Commissioner Constantine answered he would like for staff to look at the whole thing.  Commissioner Dallari suggested staff should look at paved trails first, and Commissioner Constantine advised he wants a comprehensive look.  If it means they can only do the paved trails, that’s fine; but he would like staff to look at the whole thing and come back with a recommendation.

     Chairman Carey asked if the rest of the Board would like to get the information, and Commissioner Dallari indicated he would.  Commissioner Lockhart stated she is curious to learn what the stickers do.  Joe Abel, Leisure Services Director, addressed the Board and explained what they have right now are mile markers and half-mile markers.  It’s a six-by-six post that has a wrap marker, and the wrap itself may be $10.  Staff has gone out and GPS’d every half mile on all of the trails, with the help of Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office, so they could do latitude and longitude markings; that way if someone should get lost or have an issue, they would have a marker to identify exactly where they are based on their GPS location.  Mr. Abel advised what he thinks the Commissioner is asking for is staff to look at what that would look like if they were to do a post every tenth of a mile and what the cost would be.

     Commissioner Dallari asked if the County has had any issues recently.  Mr. Abel answered they had an issue with a heart attack on a trail.  The folks helping administer CPR were also calling 911 and looking for a marker of some sort, and they had to use the closest crossroad as an identifier for Fire Rescue.  Commissioner Constantine stated the fact of the matter is because the County’s trails are such a significant asset to the citizens, this is something he would really like staff to look at and figure out the best practices.  Commissioner Dallari suggested while staff is looking at it, they should reach out to the Fire Department to try to get PulsePoint, when it could be activated, and how it could be dovetailed into this.

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     Commissioner Constantine stated he thinks the Governor made an excellent and correct choice for the Supervisor of Elections, and he looks forward to working with Chris Anderson.

District 4

     Commissioner Lockhart announced she attended a community meeting in East Altamonte, and the community has three main areas of concern.  Rosenwald is at the top of their list, followed by the lease with the Boys & Girls Club at the Lillie Green Community Center, and Winwood Park.

     Commissioner Lockhart explained the Boys & Girls Club was just renewed in July of 2018.  There were some changes made to that lease that greatly impact the way the community can utilize the community center.  She and the County Manager have reached out to the Boys & Girls Club so they can have the opportunity to talk about some of those changes to see how they may be able to modify those things back to a way that the community can access the Lillie Green Community Center.

     In regard to Winwood Park, Mr. Abel noted Winwood is what staff considers a neighborhood park.  Commissioner Lockhart stated the community is concerned because that is a park they frequently use for all sorts of events and there are no restroom facilities.  She would like the Board to consider having staff look to see what it would cost to make some improvements at Winwood Park.  Chairman Carey advised when staff is putting together their programs for budgeting purposes, they should look at Winwood and possibly a mid-term amendment.  The Chairman discussed the facilities at Bookertown. 

     Mr. Abel asked if the direction is to just look at restrooms for Winwood Park, and Commissioner Lockhart advised right now restrooms are their biggest concern.  Chairman Carey noted they qualify for CDBG funding, and Mr. Abel concurred.  Commissioner Lockhart stated she would just like consensus from the Board if they are willing to allow her to work with staff to talk about what options there may be out there, and Chairman Carey replied certainly.  No objections were voiced.  Chairman Carey suggested staff should do a brief memo on what has been done in the last five years for the new Commissioners. 

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     Commissioner Lockhart discussed her pleasant experience at the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council meeting.  She noted there are quite a few open seats on the Planning Council and wondered if staff could find out what the open seats are and how many of them may be Seminole County appointment-type seats and how they could help with some open appointments.  Commissioner Constantine advised he can answer that.  It’s all gubernatorial appointments; they get one per county, and then they are given up to 33% of the board.  Right now, the Seminole County representative is appointed and is actually the chairman.  All of the cities have a representative, and the County’s representative is David Mealor; so all of the County’s positions are full until the Governor appoints all of the other gubernatorial appointments.

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     Commissioner Lockhart discussed the Tourism Development Council meeting and noted there were great presentations from the Zoo, both of the County’s advertising firms, and the Tourism Department regarding the sports facilities. 

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     Commissioner Lockhart announced the various County departments she will be touring. 

District 2

     Commissioner Zembower stated there’s been an outstanding management of a drainage ditch issue in the Hammock area, which is part of the COD Tree property that Public Works is now working on to accommodate the additional drainage and cleaning up to allow the water to run towards the appropriate places freely where it should be.  There’s going to be a lot of tree cutting, trimming, and opening up some areas to access that ditch for future maintenance of the entire ditch which works eventually down to Lake Jesup. 

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     Commissioner Zembower advised there are a lot of folks in the rural area that are requesting the Board consider looking at the Chuluota design standards and applying those across the entire rural area.  There is a relatively new commercial development that is coming forward that has agreed to adopt those standards, and many of the residents would like to see those design standards.  He asked for support from the Board to have staff look at that and determine the viability of applying those same standards that are in the Chuluota overlay to the entire rural boundary area and what that might look like.

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     Commissioner Zembower stated he’s getting quite a few complaints about nonconforming or commercial-type businesses taking place in some of the rural areas.  There have been several phone calls, and he has made several site visits to companies that are anything from landscaping to contracting to construction companies with commercial vehicles coming and going into the rural area or areas that are not zoned Commercial.  The Commissioner expressed at some point they are going to have to look at it because it has been an ongoing problem for some time.  He asked for support on how they best handle the issue.  He understands it is a Code Enforcement issue in some sense.  Commissioner Zembower opined they can’t get Code Enforcement to do certain things in a timely fashion because maybe they aren’t staffed properly or they don’t have the authority to actually follow through with the issues.  That is a concern he has.

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     Commissioner Zembower discussed the County’s agreement with the Historical Society regarding the antique buggy collection belonging to Bill Nygren.  It was brought to the Commissioner’s attention that nothing has transpired to accommodate the collection.  Commissioner Zembower looked at the collection and he will be working with staff and the Historical Society in helping understand the viability of the collection, how it can move forward, should it move forward, and the possibilities of doing that.  He noted termites have made their way into the collection, which is a concern to him.

     Chairman Carey explained they have had discussions about the collection and how to go about it, so the ball is in the court of the Historical Commission right now to try to raise some funds.  Ms. Guillet added the County identified a building out at Five Points that would be the right size to house the collection, but there is a significant amount of retrofit that needs to be done.  The estimated cost for the retrofit was $150,000.  The Board said they would commit to letting the Historical Society use the building, but the Historical Society would need to raise the money to get the building to where it needs to be in order to accommodate the display.  Ms. Guillet stated the museum curator was a part-time position, and in the last budget the Board authorized that to go to a full-time position in anticipation of receiving the collection.

     Commissioner Zembower advised he understands all of those arrangements; however, if the buggy collection remains in its current state, there probably won’t be much of a buggy collection left to put on display.  He is going to be working with some business partners and private enterprise to try to secure the collection until such time it could be ready to be put on display.  He noted he will report back as things go along.  Chairman Carey stated they had discussions with the owner of the collection about taking the significant pieces and he really didn’t want to break up the collection.  A lot of it is probably not things they would need for a museum display, but they would be responsible for disposing of it.  That is the reason they have left it under the arrangements that they did.

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     Commissioner Zembower announced he attended his first meeting with the Zoo Board, and there are a lot of exciting things going on.  The plans are to do some development improvements along the 17-92 corridor with reduction of speed limits, signage, and so forth; so they will be looking to work with the County very closely to help accommodate that.

     The Commissioner also had his first meeting with the Port Authority.  He advised it sounds like they are doing a pretty decent job.  They voiced an opinion that they have been trying to secure some permitting that they’ve been trying to get for some period of time for some of their infrastructure.  Commissioner Zembower has talked to staff and asked them to reach out to them to understand whether it’s a contractor issue or what is going on so they can accelerate it.

     Chairman Carey advised as Ms. Guillet follows up on the permitting issues, she would like her to “circle back” with the Board because it seems like they have a lot of permitting issues going on these days; people not being able to get timely permits.  She would like to find out what is causing the flow to get clogged up.

District 1

     Commissioner Dallari thanked the City of Oviedo and Oviedo Citizens in Action for putting on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. 

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     Commissioner Dallari announced the opening of Station #29 and noted it took about 10 years to build after the County acquired the land.  He advised there’s another station that is going to be needed in the future in the Wekiva area, which is Station #39.  Commissioner Dallari asked staff to report back to the Board with a location for the new station so they can secure the property so they have it to build the new station at the appropriate time.

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     Commissioner Dallari advised he recently met with the owners of the Deer Run golf course (Florida Golf Group).  They told the Commissioner that they have the intention of closing the course early this summer.  Commissioner Dallari believes there are a couple of actions that could be done and asked staff and the County Manager to reach out to the owners to discuss their options in detail.  Some of the potential suggestions that they gave the Commissioner were for the County to purchase the golf course; close the golf course entirely; develop the golf course; partially develop the golf course with remaining lands to be used as park lands; and with an elementary school across the street, they could potentially resolve a parking issue.  Commissioner Dallari asked the County Manager and staff to reach out to the Florida Golf Group to find out their intentions.  Ms. Guillet requested more direction from the Board.

     Chairman Carey stated she thinks it’s a conversation the Board needs to have because there are golf courses all over Seminole County that are struggling, closing, and closed.  They all have different issues about them, and Chairman Carey provided Magnolia Plantation as an example.  She stated the prior Board’s position was that they didn’t want to be in the golf course business; and when they started down the Rolling Hills path, they said it was a unique situation.  Chairman Carey reiterated the previous Board declined to be in the golf course business.  She asked the rest of the Board if they are interested in getting into the golf course business or if they would rather let the private owners of the golf courses figure out what they’re going to do.  She discussed golf courses around the county that have had issues, and noted they’ve managed to work it out without the County getting involved.

     Commissioner Zembower stated if there was money to be made in the golf course business, then the private enterprise would be running the golf course business, not the County and not on the citizen’s dime.  Chairman Carey explained if it’s not part of a larger PD, then they would have the opportunity to come in and try to develop and provided Sabal Point as an example.  Commissioner Dallari stated the owner approached him and he thinks it behooves them to sit down with them to understand what their intentions are so the Board understands it as well as the residents that live in that area.  It is not his intention to suggest they get in the golf course business; his intention is to understand what the owner is trying to do and what they have the right to do.

     Commissioner Constantine stated the fact of the matter is it is an ongoing thing, and they’ve talked about it before.  But because one size doesn’t fit all, they should look at all of the golf courses.  Obviously the owners have to come in and ask for what they want, and he thinks they need to be very careful with each one of them.  Not only are the golf courses failing, but there is an expectation by the citizens that live around the golf courses that thought they would see the course in perpetuity.  Commissioner Constantine stated it is incumbent upon the Board to take a proactive approach as they did with Sabal Point and Rolling Hills.  Commissioner Dallari expressed all he is asking for is for County staff to sit down with the Florida Golf Group to see what their intentions are.

     Chairman Carey advised if the Florida Golf Group approached staff to see what they could do, staff would certainly go through that with them.  She discussed Heathrow and stated it is a case-by-case basis, but she is sure Ms. Hammock would be happy to meet with the owners if she was provided the contact information.  Commissioner Dallari reiterated he is asking staff to reach out to the owners and see if there’s anything the County can do to understand more about what their intentions are.

     Commissioner Lockhart stated she thinks it is important that the Board has a thorough conversation about golf courses.  She would caution that golf courses are not the only business that fails, and at what point in time do other business owners of other types of businesses decide that they want to approach the County Commission and staff about what the County might do.  Commissioner Lockhart pointed out it is a potential slippery slope, and she doesn’t think they should go down it lightly.  Commissioner Zembower expressed if a property owner wants something, they can request it; and staff and the Board should handle it accordingly.  If the owner of the golf course is requesting something, then put the request on the table, bring it to staff, and then they can have a discussion.  What he thinks he is hearing Commissioner Dallari say is that he wants staff to proactively go out and find out what their intentions might be.  Commissioner Dallari advised he can tell the Florida Golf Group that there is confusion and they need to make an application.

     Chairman Carey explained typically the property owner would come in and talk to the Planning Department about what the potential is; and if they want to change the use or zoning or develop something, they find out what that process is.  She doesn’t have an issue with directing staff to reach out to the owners since they’ve approached Commissioner Dallari regarding their options.  Commissioner Dallari stated they don’t want to close the golf course because they know it’s going to affect a lot of people’s home value.  He pointed out they are trying to be proactive, so before they have to make the decision to close it, they’d like to have conversations with staff to understand what their options are.

     Ms. Guillet stated staff would be happy to have a conversation with the Florida Golf Group, but she wants to make sure she understands what the expectations are.  Staff can tell them what the existing regulatory framework is with respect to that property and what would and wouldn’t be allowed.  And they are happy to react to a proposal that they might have to do something outside of the regulatory framework and advise them of what the issues may be.  She has a bit of a concern if the suggestion is that staff should be suggesting to them what they might want to do with the property.  Commissioner Dallari advised the owner has an idea that they would like to talk to staff about.  Ms. Guillet replied if they have ideas, staff will be happy to react to them.  Chairman Carey stated staff should not be planning for any landowner.  She believes the same group has come before the Board before with a different golf course where the County allowed them to develop a portion of the golf course.  Commissioner Dallari replied he doesn’t think this group has come before the Board before.  Chairman Carey asked Ms. Hammock to get the contact information and reach out to the owner to see what it is they want to propose.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

     Chairman Carey welcomed Chris Anderson as the new Supervisor of Elections and noted his budget goes before the BCC for approval.  She knows they have a great team at the Supervisor of Elections Office, but suggested to let him know the County is happy to help in any way that they can to make sure there is a smooth transition.

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     Chairman Carey reported on the Scottish Highland Games and noted she presented Resolution #2019-R-14 at the event.

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     Chairman Carey announced the day they have scheduled for the “retreat” is Tuesday, March 5th, and it will be an all-day event.  She spoke to the County Manager about a location, and they decided a good location would be the new sports facility by the airport.  She informed the Board that Ms. Guillet is recommending Steve Fussell, Office of Organizational Development, as the facilitator for the event.  Chairman Carey opined he would be a good facilitator and she understands he does an excellent job, but she wants to see if the Board is interested in an outside facilitator.   Commissioner Dallari commented Mr. Fussell would do an excellent job, and Commissioner Constantine stated inside is better.  Commissioner Zembower indicated he thinks Mr. Fussell would do an excellent job but he’s an advocate for an external facilitator.  He suggested reaching out to UCF to see if they have somebody.  Commissioner Lockhart stated Mr. Fussell does an excellent job facilitating.  But if they are being transparent, they are not an easy group to keep reigned in; and she isn’t sure it would be fair to a member of staff to have to keep the Commissioners on track.

     Chairman Carey agreed Mr. Fussell would do an excellent job.  She stated he can help coordinate and pull the “retreat” together because an outside facilitator isn’t going to be the one to organize it.  She suggested Mr. Fussell be the internal organizer and someone externally facilitate it to keep the Commissioners on point. 

     The Chairman advised she also asked Ms. Guillet to draft up a few items that she would like to be the topics of discussion and circulate it right away to the Board, and then the Board members could put down the things that they would like to talk about.  Chairman Carey stated they will try to go pretty quickly so they have plenty of time to talk about the subjects that are important.  She opined if there are more than six things on the agenda, maybe even more than four, they won’t have enough time to really have meaningful conversations, so she asked the Board to keep that in mind when they think about what their top priorities are.

     Ms. Guillet stated it would also be helpful for the Board to think about what they’re trying to accomplish, and indicated her impression is that they’re trying to set priorities moving forward.  Chairman Carey expressed when they started talking about having the “retreat,” it was because there are two new Board members; and maybe the priorities are not the same as they were for the prior Board.  She wants to talk about that and see what the Board’s priorities are versus what the County Manager’s priorities are so that they are all moving in the same direction.  Ms. Guillet advised it should be higher level priorities and goals.

     Commissioner Zembower stated he thinks the discussions should be larger items, short-term and long-term goals.  Commissioner Dallari commented they need to differentiate between what goals are and what objectives are, and they need to define short-term and long-term.  If they do that, they will actually get something accomplished.

     Commissioner Constantine stated he is interested in looking at where they want to be.  He wants the County Manager to take a look at how other counties handled this type of “retreat” and described how Leon County handled theirs.  The Commissioner expressed it’s always better not to have to reinvent the wheel.  Commissioner Zembower stated what they’ll probably learn is that there are needs and then there are not needs.  He opined there are some needs that probably have to be addressed in order to accomplish whatever goals they set forth.  He’s made it clear to the County Manager that there are a lot of things he’d like to accomplish while he is on the Board but with a clear understanding that they need to make sure their house is in good order before they try to obtain things they’re not in the condition to obtain.

     Chairman Carey discussed recessions.  She opined they need to spend money on their infrastructure, internally, to make sure they are up to speed with the latest technology.  The Chairman reiterated she has asked the County Manager to put together a list of topics based on her discussions with the Commissioners; and as soon as the Commissioners receive that list, she would like for them to add to the list so they can identify the priorities and see how long the agenda needs to be.

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     In regard to the Cash Flow Analysis, Chairman Carey stated at a prior meeting with the Clerk and previous discussions, a comment came up about the County’s cash requirement.  She thought staff should be able to put that together relatively easily because they have five-year CIPs for most all of the major departments.  The Chairman advised Bruce McMenemy, Deputy County Attorney, was part of the discussion and he has been working with Tim Jecks, Jean Jreij, and the Chief Deputy Clerk about how to put it together.  She explained in the past, getting some of the information out of JD Edwards was a bit of an issue; but from the discussions, she thinks they have ironed all of that out.  It has been proposed to do an 18-month rolling monthly budget of cash flows so that everybody can see what the anticipation would be of cash needs going forward. 

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     Chairman Carey stated the Sheriff is part of a governmental organization called High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).  What they want to do, in working with the County’s Fire Department and other agencies, is develop an overdose map.  The intent is so that law enforcement, EMS, Fire, Public Safety, and everybody could have access to it and track overdoses and drug trends on a local, state, and national level.  Chairman Carey discussed the Sheriff’s involvement with helping the drug situation in the county.  She believes mapping overdoses is a good way to get a handle on it.

     Mr. Applegate advised he and Lynn Porter-Carlton, Deputy County Attorney, met with the Sheriff last week regarding the subject; and they were wowed with the knowledge Ms. Porter-Carlton has on the history of the opioid litigation in the state and around the country.  He announced Ms. Porter-Carlton will be a member of the task force so that they stay in touch and the County gets first-hand knowledge; then they can make a decision down the road whether or not the Board would want to join in on any litigation.  Chairman Carey opined the task force and identifying areas of the community that may have problems is totally different than the litigation issue.

     Chairman Carey discussed the mobile app where first responders can enter overdose information and others will be able to see it.  Commissioner Lockhart indicated she met with Dr. Todd Husty, Medical Director, and they discussed this issue. One of her concerns is HIPAA violations, so she would like more clarification on how it works.  Chief Oakes addressed the Board and stated he has met with Dr. Husty and been in constant communication with the Sheriff’s staff.  He explained the information is partially exempt in regards to HIPAA.  He reiterated Chairman Carey’s explanation of the app.  Commissioner Lockhart asked if it is exempt from public record.  Chief Oakes replied they have a meeting coming up to discuss it, and Mr. Applegate advised there are protocols and nothing will get released that shouldn’t be released.  Chief Oakes discussed public records requests regarding 911 calls. 

     Chairman Carey stated she thinks the intent is not to just identify that there was an overdose at a residence, but it really is to identify it and try to get the other support services to that individual or family so that they can try to deal with the problem rather than just having it be a reoccurring issue over and over again.  Chief Oakes agreed and added they can identify areas not only of opioid use but also other drug-related issues and map out “hot spots.”  First responders can do their due diligence and give special responses to certain areas.

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     Chairman Carey recalled when the Board took action to send a letter of support to Orange County regarding a 40-acre piece of property on the Econ River.  Since they have some new Board members, and there is a new board in Orange County and a new mayor, the people that had originally requested the application have requested the Board to send a new letter.  She advised if there are no objections, she is going to send a new letter indicating the action that was taken at a previous Board meeting.  Commissioner Constantine confirmed with the Chairman that the Board didn’t confirm anything regarding price; all they said was if they could find a way to purchase it, Seminole County thinks it would be a good idea.

 

COMMUNICATIONS AND/OR REPORTS

RECEIVED FROM THE CHAIRMAN’S OFFICE

     The following Communications and/or Reports were received from the Chairman’s Office and filed:

1.    Letter dated January 3, 2019, to Brenda Carey from Amber Cox of the Foundation for Seminole State College RE: thank you for the gift of $150,000.

 

2.    Letter and attachments dated January 3, 2019, to Board of County Commissioners from Traci Houchin, City of Sanford City Clerk RE: Annexation Ordinance No. 2019-4488.

3.    Letter and attachments dated January 3, 2019, to Board of County Commissioners from Traci Houchin, City of Sanford City Clerk RE: Annexation Ordinance No. 2019-4484.    

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Chairman Carey announced they are going to convene two work sessions regarding the 2040 Transportation Plan and the Stormwater Master Plan Update at 3:00.

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There being no further business to come before the Board, the Chairman declared the meeting adjourned at 2:54 p.m., this same date.

 

 

ATTEST:______________________Clerk_____________________Chairman

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