A regular MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

December 6, 2022

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 9:00 a.m., in the County Commission Chambers, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Sean Parks, Chairman; Kirby Smith, Vice Chairman; Douglas B. Shields; Leslie Campione; and Josh Blake. Others present were: Jennifer Barker, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, County Attorney; Niki Booth, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Gary J. Cooney, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller; Kristy Mullane, Chief Financial Officer; and Josh Pearson, Deputy Clerk.

introductions

Commr. Parks welcomed everyone to the meeting. He recognized the elected officials in the audience, and he said that Mr. Joseph Richardson, with the Central Florida Freethought Community, and Mr. Fred Schneider, Assistant County Manager, would give Invocations. He then mentioned that they always had someone lead the Pledge of Allegiance who had served the country and was with County staff, or who was with public safety. He then explained that Mr. Ronald Branch was an Associate Planner for the Office of Planning and Zoning, and had been with the County since November 2020. He elaborated that Mr. Branch joined the United States (U.S.) Navy in 1974 at age 17, and that upon completion of recruit training and Navy A school, he was assigned Father/Son Duty in Taipei, Taiwan, where he was assigned the responsibility to manage a dental unit of 12 dentists and 16 dental assistants. He said that during his tour in Taiwan, Mr. Branch played on the All-Navy Basketball and Volleyball Teams, and that this gave him the opportunity to visit many countries in the Far East. He remarked that Mr. Branch was later assigned to the Recruit Training Center in the City of Orlando, where he oversaw processing of recruits through the dental unit. He said that Mr. Branch advanced to the rank of Petty Officer First Class, where he was recognized as the youngest E-6 in the Navy, and that he was chosen as Sailor of the Quarter at both Command Centers, in addition to receiving a Letter of Commendation. He added that upon separation from active duty in 1981, Mr. Branch served another two years as a Naval Reservist. He stated that Mr. Branch, his father and three paternal uncles combined had served over 100 years in the military, and he thanked Mr. Branch for his service.

INVOCATION and pledge

Mr. Richardson and Mr. Schneider gave the Invocations, and Mr. Branch led the Pledge of Allegiance.

2022 women’s hall of fame

Commr. Parks believed that Lake County was the only county that did this, and said that he was pleased to present their 2022 Women’s Hall of Fame to Ms. Catherine “Micki” Blackburn Nagel. He congratulated her, and thanked her for her friendship and all that she had done for the community.

Commr. Campione stated that she had the honor of introducing the current year’s Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. She commented that Ms. Blackburn Nagel had a tremendous impact on Lake County, not just for her success as an entrepreneur, but as an educator and a participant in the betterment of Lake County in many ways. She explained that Ms. Blackburn Nagel was born in the City of Lakeland and was three years old when her family had moved to the City of Groveland; additionally, after graduating from Groveland High School, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida Southern University and a Master’s Degree from Rollins College. She remarked that after 17 years as a teacher, Ms. Blackburn Nagel opened Micki Blackburn Realty in 1994, and that her keen business sense and visionary leadership had helped the company become one of the county’s most proficient real estate firms. She said that Ms. Blackburn Nagel’s original three person office had grown to over 30 real estate agents in the Cities of Clermont and Mascotte, along with Sumter County. She commented that Ms. Blackburn Nagel had appeared on several television shows, radio shows and podcasts for her insight and opinions on real estate, and that in 2004, she was recognized by the Greater Lake County Association of Realtors as the top producing real estate office in the county, boasting 32 multimillion dollar producers and achieving more than $140 million in sales in 2004. She added that Ms. Blackburn Nagel received the Trademark Women of Distinction Award in 2017, and was featured in Orlando Style Magazine in 2019 as an Orlando five star realtor. She said that Ms. Blackburn Nagel’s tremendous heart for the community was demonstrated by her sponsorship of innumerable charitable events and her support of causes over the years that were dear to her and important to the community. She recalled that in 1999, Ms. Blackburn Nagel began funding a mammogram testing program at the South Lake Hospital and at the Thomas Langley Medical Center for underprivileged women, and that she received the Woman of Achievement Award in 2016 from Cornerstone Hospice; additionally, she served on the hospice’s foundations board as Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President. She commented that Ms. Blackburn Nagel had been involved in United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties, numerous chambers of commerce, 4-H, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Women of Magic, the YMCA, and the Boys and Girls Club. She said that for her commitment to serving the community, the Board was honored to induct Ms. Blackburn Nagel into the Lake County Women’s Hall of Fame.

Ms. Blackburn Nagel stated that she had been in Lake County since 1954, and that this was a great honor. She remarked that everything she had done was because she had the support of many people, and that she loved Lake County and its people. She recognized her family in attendance, along with Mayor Tim Murry, with the City of Clermont, and other individuals who were in attendance. She commented that Lake County was the best place in the world to live, and she thanked Commissioner Parks for being their Commissioner. She concluded by thanking everyone.

state of the county presentation

Commr. Parks relayed that the theme of the State of the County address was “Building the Future Together,” and he thanked staff for working hard on this. He said that it highlighted a few key accomplishments of the County over the past year, and that it was not exhaustive. He then presented the State of the County video.

The video started with Commissioner Parks stating that in the current year Lake County had faced unprecedented challenges and celebrated exciting successes. He indicated that they did so together, as a community and as neighbors. He related that the resiliency and kindness across Lake County inspired him, and that he was excited about what the future would bring for residents. He said that the Lake County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and staff continued to focus on strong community ties, responsible economic growth, and reliable essential services. He elaborated that these three goals were the motivation for innovation within the County as they worked together to make the county a great place to live for current and future generations.

Ms. Jennifer Barker, County Manager, stated in the video that Lake County overcame several challenges in the current year including two hurricanes, historic flooding, and an animal shelter at full capacity; furthermore, their public safety teams had stepped up to overcome these hurdles.

Ms. Megan Milanese, Director for the Office of Emergency Management, said in the video that her office supported the community by activating their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) whenever a threat or hazard may impact the community so that they could take protective action and protect lives and property. She mentioned that they worked with many of their partners and ensured that they were providing training and exercise opportunities, noting that they had a countywide emergency preparedness exercise based on a hurricane scenario; furthermore, this helped them to develop protective actions, plans and capabilities that they needed to effectively respond to a disaster. She related that they had worked with other partners to ensure that Astor had been addressed since the area had historic flooding due to Hurricane Ian, and that they were intent on monitoring the situation there to ensure that everyone was staying safe and that the flooding situation was not being made worse. She mentioned that they also worked with their partner agency Lake Support and Emergency Recovery (LASER), who had provided points of distribution for supplies.

Ms. Whitney Boylston, Director for the Office of Animal Services, stated in the video that they cared for thousands of pets each year, and that in 2022 their admissions reached pre-pandemic levels; furthermore, they were sheltering over 6,000 lost, surrendered, neglected, abused and abandoned animals of Lake County. She indicated that they hosted monthly Caturday School to educate the community on the importance of community cat management, including trap, neuter, vaccinate and return, along with how to help cats. She added that they also launched a new advanced fosterology course to help save the smallest lives. She said that their dedicated and compassionate team worked hard to find positive outcomes for over 6,223 pets in the current year.

Lake County Fire Chief Jim Dickerson remarked in the video that they had 27 fire stations, with all but three being advanced life support (ALS), and that they also had a venom team to deliver limb and tissue saving antivenom to snake bite victims, noting that they likely had 12 to 13 of these cases per year. He then remarked that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) was the report card for the fire department and how good they were, noting that they were at a 7.9 in 2004, and that they were now at 3.3X. He explained that this rating was impressive for being as rural as they were and having limited utilities. He added that they also had a special operations team who were deployed to South Florida to help with some damage from Hurricane Ian; furthermore, Task Force 4 from the City of Orlando, which included five engines from Lake County, had visited Lee County to assist.

Ms. Joanna Buchanan, Quality Assurance Training Officer for the Office of Public Safety Support, commented in the video that Lake Emergency Dispatch was a dual accredited agency with the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch in both Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Fire Rescue, and that in December 2021 they received their reaccreditation for Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for their fire dispatch. She said that Ms. Tina Mumley, Communications Supervisor for Lake Emergency Dispatch, had received the first ever Stork Award from Orlando Health for helping deliver a baby over the telephone. She added that Ms. Kimberly Stephens, Communications Manager for Lake Emergency Dispatch, also received the Director of the Year Award from the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) Finest Program. She commented that AdventHealth Waterman sponsored a tree of life to their communications center, noting that a new leaf was added each time their team assisted with a new birth or rescue in the community, and that they also completed a video wall in their communications center that allowed the telecommunicators to monitor the toll roads in and out of Lake County.

Ms. Barker remarked in the video that at its core, Lake County’s priority was serving its residents, businesses and guests, noting that their team worked to make their community a great place to live.

Ms. Mary Hamilton, Operations Director for the Public Works Department, stated in the video that in 2022, Ridgewood Avenue was a unique project in the Town of Montverde area, explaining that it was a road which needed resurfacing and had an inverted crown. She elaborated that water was running down the road and that there were no ditches or swales to intercept or treat the water, and that staff used in-house crews to remove the inverted crown, create some swales, and had to work within the guidelines of Montverde Academy not being in school because it was a heavily traveled road; therefore, they completed everything with in-house crews before the start of the school year. She also indicated that in 2022, they had been using some trap data that they were collecting with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) lab, and that they were trying to bring mosquitos where they could identify vectors earlier in areas to react to the issue so that it did not become an outbreak later.

Mr. Ron Falanga, Director for the Office of Procurement Services, said in the video that his office focused on efficiencies and return on investment, and that they had processed over 270 formal solicitations with just a team of eight people, noting that there would normally be about a team of 16 people doing this. He stated that in 2022, they won the Excellence in Public Procurement Award for many reasons, noting that it was based on transparency, simplification, availability, communication and overall efficiencies; furthermore, they had won this award five years in a row. He remarked that they helped external customers understand the process for Lake County and other government entities, and that they wanted to help Lake County businesses receive more business.

Mr. Bobby Howell, Director for the Office of Planning and Zoning, commented in the video that his office influenced the growth management functions of the county through permitting and development review. He indicated that his office on average issued about 5,300 permits each year, and that in 2023 they implemented a DocuSign system where they routed permits for signature through the internet; additionally, they also had an online permitting system to help facilitate permits more quickly. He said that his office worked on the rural conservation design standards with Mr. Randall Arendt, a nationally known consultant, to carry out the vision of the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) and protect rural areas of the county while allowing development in some areas that were under development pressure.

Mr. Joseph Blackwell, Director for the Office of Fleet Management, stated in the video that he had a team of seven mechanics and three administrative staff, noting that their primary focus was to serve the County departments. He commented that over the past year, they had partnered with NAPA Integrated Business Solutions, which was an in-house store for their parts department; additionally, this made it quicker to receive parts, and NAPA served as the inventory. He related that Lake County was honored to be part of the 100 Best Fleet Program nominees and that they were number 88; furthermore, they had gone from a low productivity department to 96 or 98 percent productivity.

Ms. Megan Brew, Director for the Office of Extension Services, explained in the video that extension basically combined the research and teaching offered at the university and made sure that it reached people in the community. She commented that they offered programs ranging from commercial horticulture to family and consumer sciences, and that they were charged with offering science based information to the community. She stated that in 2022, they began a partnership with Long and Scott Farm, and that their Family and Consumer Science Agent taught classes on healthy eating, including cooking classes, noting that she was a registered dietician. She elaborated that each week, the agent went to Long and Scott Farm and featured whatever they were growing that week. She said that the agent was able to present this information at the National Association of Family and Consumer Science Agents meeting, and that several agents in other states were now doing similar programs.

Mr. George Taylor, Director for the Office of Library Services, said in the video that in 2022 they opened the East Lake Mini Library, which was a partnership between the Offices of Library Services, Parks and Trails, and many other County departments, in order to provide temporary library services to the residents of Sorrento. He stated that this was their first foray into providing a more permanent home in the East Lake/Sorrento area, and that in 2022, the Lake County Library System was celebrating its 40^th anniversary. He mentioned that they created a scavenger hunt and were asking residents to visit all 16 locations and do 40 different things across the county to learn about all of the services offered by the library. He commented that in the current year, the W.T. Bland Public Library in the City of Mount Dora expanded their children’s library with assistance from the County, and that they also created the first early reader’s room in Lake County, which gave young children and their families the opportunity to visit and select age appropriate books in a wonderful atmosphere.

Mr. Bobby Bonilla, Director for the Office of Parks and Trails, commented in the video that Lake County had a foundation with natural beauty and all the resources they were working with already.

Ms. Angela Harrold, Associate Director for the Office of Parks and Trails, said in the video that they also protected and restored their public and passive lands, noting that they worked hard to provide ecotourism opportunities to visitors; furthermore, they provided educational opportunities to homeschooled children, and allowed for volunteers to plant wildflowers to help restore their beautiful lands.

Mr. Bonilla stated in the video that Lake County was second to none for active sports, and that the Minneola Athletic Complex (MAC) had received batting cages, basketball courts and tennis courts as part of their phased improvement to the facility.

Ms. Harrold remarked in the video that the Wekiva Trailhead was the Neighborhood Lakes Scenic Trail and Trailhead which was open on September 2, 2021, and that in the previous year, her office partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to open an additional 6.5 miles of the Wekiva Trail that led from the trailhead to Seminole County. She encouraged everyone to partner with her office as they continued to connect the dots to support the economy, tourism, health, alternative transportation, recreation and conservation.

Ms. Barker relayed in the video that as they looked toward the future, Lake County knew that they had to work together to build a happy and healthy community, noting that a large part of this focus was economic development to support established businesses, help new businesses open, invite visitors to experience Lake County, and help residents thrive.

Mr. Ryan Ritchie, Director for the Office of Discover Lake, said in the video that his office was the destination marketing office of Lake County, and that they partnered with local business, local accommodations and municipalities in the county to make Lake County a premier destination for visitors coming to the area. He indicated that the Venetian Gardens boardwalk project was a $1.2 million project and was a collaboration between the City of Leesburg and Lake County through the County’s capital improvement funding program. He said that a project like this gave them the ability to recruit premier events through their partners at the Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports), noting that they had several major professional fishing events that had given millions of dollars of economic impact to Lake County. He stated that tourism was the number one industry in the state, and that from a Lake County level, part of their goals and vision was to reinvest that funding back into the community and enhance the facilities that were bringing visitors there. He explained that visitors were shopping in local shops, eating in local restaurants and staying in accommodations, which directly impacted what happened in Lake County.

Ms. Mary Ellen Stern, Executive Director for Economic Growth, stated in the video that the economic development team was focused on working together with new and existing businesses to help with their needs and to attract businesses to Lake County, along with meeting workforce needs of the current time and the future. She said that Lake County had grown to over 400,000 residents, and that the projections were that by 2050, they would grow to over 600,000 residents. She related that in 2022, Lake County teamed up with Lake Economic Area Development (LEAD), and that this partnership brought together private businesses and the government to work together on key parts of economic development including business attraction, creation and retention. She indicated that Lake County identified four strategic corridors that served as economic development drivers for the coming years, which included the Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park. She specified that in 2021 and 2022, this location had seen substantial growth and development, and that there was more than three million square feet of speculative development in construction or in permitting at the current time; furthermore, this showed the investment of speculative builders in Lake County to help support future growth.

Commr. Parks concluded the video by thanking everyone for reviewing a year of success and opportunity building, and he said that he looked forward to building the future of Lake County, one success at a time, together.

Commr. Parks indicated how proud he was of the community and his role, along with his fellow Commissioners. He said that the video was a part of what was accomplished in the county together with everyone, and he thought it was reflective of their values in the community. He thought that the key was to do this together, and he hoped that they could work together in a unified way and work for the betterment of the county. He asked everyone not to forget how important local government was, and he thought that the following year would be even better. He thanked everyone for joining them, noting that they would then take a short break.

recess and reassembly

The Chairman called a recess at 9:50 a.m. until 10:16 a.m.

Agenda update

Ms. Barker commented that for Tab 13, an updated funding agreement was attached after the agenda was first published. She said that for Tab 23, updated language was added to the requested action, and she requested that Tab 24, a presentation by the Lake County Tax Collector, be moved to the December 20, 2022 BCC agenda at his request. She concluded that Tab 33 had been added as an addendum since the agenda was first published.

virtual meeting instructions

Mr. Erikk Ross, Director for the Information Technology (IT) Department, explained that the current meeting was being livestreamed on the County website and was also being made available through Zoom Webinar for members of the public who wished to provide comments during the Citizen Question and Comment Period later in the agenda. He elaborated that anyone watching though the livestream who wished to participate could follow the directions currently being broadcast through the stream; furthermore, he relayed that during the Citizen Question and Comment Period, anyone who had joined the webinar via their phone could press *9 to virtually raise their hand, and anyone participating online could click the raise hand button to identify that they wished to speak. He said that when it was time for public comment, he would read the person’s name or phone number, unmute the appropriate line, and the speaker would be asked to provide comments. He added that everyone would have three minutes to speak, and after three minutes an alarm would sound to let them know that their time was up. He added that they previously notified the public that comments could be emailed through 5:00 p.m. on the previous day, and those comments were shared with the Board prior to the meeting. He stated that anyone wishing to provide written comments during the meeting could visit www.lakecountyfl.gov/commissionmeeting, noting that comments sent during this meeting would be shared with the Commission after the meeting was concluded.

Election of chairman and Vice-Chairman

Commr. Parks noted that this item was addressed annually. He said that it has been an honor to be the Chairman for the past two years, and he thanked Ms. Barker and Ms. Melanie Marsh, County Attorney. He thought that Commissioner Smith would make an excellent Chairman.

On a motion by Commr. Blake, seconded by Commr. Shields and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved for Commissioner Smith to serve as Chairman.

Commr. Smith thanked the Commissioners, and he noted that they would now have to elect a Vice Chairman. He thought that Commissioner Shields had displayed versatility and ability.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved for Commissioner Shields to serve as Vice Chairman.

employee awards

Ms. Jeannine Nelson, Human Resources and Risk Management Manager, announced that they would be recognizing employees who had reached significant milestones in their careers with Lake County, as follows:

TEN YEARS

Todd Myers, Environmental Waste Technician

Public Works Department

TWENTY YEARS

Esther Cantino, Library Assistant I

Office of Library Services

Lynda Hogans, Office Associate II

Office of Library Services

RETIREMENT – 25 YEARS

Daniel Miller, Battalion Fire Chief

Office of Fire Rescue

arpa update

Mr. Sean Beaudet, Grants Coordinator for the Office of Management and Budget, provided an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) update. He recalled that the Board had approved Premium Pay for the Offices of Fire Rescue, EMS, and Public Safety Support; furthermore, $1 million was allocated for the Office of Fire Rescue, and $1.5 million was for the Offices of EMS and Public Safety Support. He added that on November 15, 2022, the Board had approved a solid waste assessment refund for each household within Service Area 1, and that the entire amount was not to exceed $405,000. He added that the Lake County Tax Collector’s Office anticipated that approximately 23,000 or more households would each receive a refund of $16.83, for a total of $393,000. He mentioned that for premium pay, the Office of Fire Rescue utilized the entire $1 million allocation, had since incurred additional overtime costs, and was requesting additional funds; additionally, the Offices of EMS and Public Safety Support did not utilize the entire allocation. He then stated that ARPA funds would be utilized to cover solid waste collection expenses due to the reduction in revenue. He displayed the updated project list with staff’s proposed changes, reiterating that the Office of Fire Rescue had utilized their entire allocation and had additional unanticipated overtime costs in the previous fiscal year. He remarked that bonuses were still being awarded for the Offices of EMS and Public Safety Support; however, there were excess funds, and staff was recommending to transfer $500,000 between the two premium pay project funds. He indicated that the total funding needed for the solid waste fund was approximately $393,000, and that to cover any possible overages, staff was recommending to offset the solid waste funds collection for $395,000. He added that to do this, they could use the remaining portion from the portable message boards, which was complete, the North Lake Trail, which had been encumbered, and about $313,000 remaining from the utilities portion. He stated that this would leave roughly $277,000 in this specific project fund.

Commr. Shields asked if the County would be able to get the CSX right of way done.

Ms. Barker replied that the County was still working with CSX and Congressman Daniel Webster’s office, which was their representative in Washington, D.C. She mentioned that there was currently no information to update with, and that she would bring it back to the Board once they had additional information. She added that they were currently keeping this item as it was in the project list with the CSX purchase.

Commr. Shields mentioned that he had attended an affordable workforce housing conference recently, and that they had mentioned that a way to have workforce housing was to place land in a trust. He opined that this item would qualify, and that if the County ended up with funding which was not spoken for, they could possibly have a land trust and place workforce housing on it, noting that they could work with the Cities.

Commr. Parks said that they also had discussions about the conversion of septic to sewer, and he assumed that they would keep this as a placeholder if they moved forward with the CSX right of way purchase. He asked to confirm that staff would keep looking for more options in North and South Lake for septic to sewer conversion.

Mr. Beaudet confirmed this.

Commr. Parks added that this list could change on a weekly to monthly basis.

Commr. Campione said that there was a lot that went into doing this type of trust for affordable housing, and she commented that if they could not pursue the Wekiva Trail right of way acquisition, then she would like to revisit what they tried to do early on for affordable housing where the County put a request for proposal (RFP) out and tried to get local builders to apply to potentially build some units that the County could work with a nonprofit on. She suggested that The Salvation Army would be the most logical nonprofit, and that they could own the units and use them in conjunction with the County’s homelessness mitigation program and bridge housing. She mentioned that individuals could receive vouchers to pay for the rent, and that they would have these units available when an individual moved on to permanent housing. She said that unless they had housing which was not at market rate that they could use these vouchers for, then they would have this gap. She related that a shelter included operational expenses and no guarantee that people would move into permanent housing. She thought that the County would have to reach out to builders in the community, noting that they could possibly use ARPA funding to acquire infill lots.

Commr. Shields expressed support for septic to sewer conversion, and he thought that getting someone back on their feet was a different item than workforce housing where the jobs were.

Commr. Campione stated that the Board possibly needed to workshop this and have more discussions, noting that there were different philosophies about whether this should be driven by the market as opposed to the County being in the business of workforce housing. She thought that there were locations where it worked, and that the market would go to those locations; furthermore, she was unsure if the she wanted the BCC to purchase the land.

Commr. Shields opined that if the price of the land was taken out of the equation, then someone could build something that one could afford.

Commr. Campione opined that this could upset the market because they would have created a subsidized product and removed competition.

Commr. Smith said that he liked the idea of a workshop, noting that there were many ways to build affordable housing to where it was truly affordable, opining that referring to affordable housing as $350,000 was not right. He added that there were creative ways to reduce this price point.

Mr. Beaudet commented that the County had an open solicitation active for affordable housing, and that it would close near the end of the current month.

Commr. Parks relayed that one area to focus on for septic to sewer could be the City of Minneola.

Commr. Smith hoped that they could secure the Wekiva Trail right of way.

On a motion by Commr. Shields, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to reallocate funds within the project list, as presented.

Minutes approval

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the minutes for the BCC meetings of September 26, 2022 (Special Meeting) and September 27, 2022 (Regular Meeting) as presented.

commissioner’s boards and committees updATE

Commr. Shields reported that three Commissioners had attended the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) meeting, and that they had wrapped up their legislative wish list for the following year. He added that they had a good meeting with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), and that he also had an Arts and Cultural Alliance meeting.

Commr. Parks indicated that they did not have a Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) Board meeting due to the hurricane, but he recalled that CFX had previously given a presentation on State Road (SR) 516 and the overall 2045 plan. He reiterated that SR 516 was on track, with final engineering and construction occurring in the first half of 2023, and he said that it was almost a $200 million road.

Commr. Smith pointed out that it would have a continuously charging lane.

Commr. Parks added that it was one of only two in the entire country, and that the most advanced technology would be in this version of the test pilot.

Commr. Campione said that she had an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meeting, a Wekiva River Basin Commission meeting, a Parks, Recreation and Trails Advisory Board meeting, and a Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board meeting. She explained that at the Wekiva River Basin Commission meeting, they received an update on the Wekiva Parkway; furthermore, they would be revamping a roundabout to address issues of vehicles going to the wrong place. She commented that the Parks, Recreation and Trails Advisory Board meeting included new signage that the Office of Parks and Trails was implementing where they showed greater detail as one was hiking through one of the conservation areas or passive parks, noting that they described the type of natural community that one was walking through. She opined that it was educational and informative, and said that there would be information coming back to the BCC on recommendations from the Parks, Recreation and Trails Advisory Board. She added that she had other meetings, but that these were her advisory board activities.

Commr. Smith relayed that he was on the FAC Broadband Summit, noting that he would also have meetings in the current week for the Early Learning Coalition of Lake County, Medical Examiner Advisory Committee, and the Children’s Services Council.

citizen question and comment period

Mr. Ray Powers, with the Lake County Historical Society, mentioned that six of his ten board members were in attendance, and that he wanted to introduce them to the BCC. He related that they were appreciative of the support, noting that Commissioner Parks had been their liaison. He commented that they were excited about the future for the Lake County Historical Museum and the Historical Society. He stated that they had a great Board, and he thought that they were lucky to have a group like this to help them preserve and protect their history.

Commr. Smith said that the museum looked great and that Mr. Powers had turned it into something spectacular. He encouraged everyone to visit the museum, noting that it was free and that it was improving each month.

Mr. Powers encouraged everyone to see the statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, noting that there were only two marble statues like this in the world and that the museum had one of them.

Commr. Parks recalled that in the past, the decision was made to not have the museum come into the county and be an official department. He noted that they had great volunteers who continued to improve the museum, and he assumed that it was not the desire of the Board to go a different route and bring it into the County. He confirmed that the Board understood what the Lake County Historical Society was doing was great and that the Board supported them. He stated that the Board could possibly discuss ways to help them more, possibly through staff resources, noting that what the museum and the Historical Society did was reflective of their values.

Commr. Campione thought that they did a great job and said that they worked on a small budget. She commented that there could possibly be some technical items that they needed help with, and that they had to decide what to do with material they received. She thought that there could potentially be some assistance with how they cataloged these items and where they could store them.

Commr. Smith mentioned that the Board could add this item to the agenda in the future to discuss it.

Mr. Theo Bob, with the Lake County Historical Society, opined that Commissioner Parks had been a great advocate for the Lake County Historical Society, and he thanked the BCC. He asked the BCC to continue this level of support, noting that the Lake County Historical Society worked well together. He said that they wanted to make the Lake County Historical Museum one of the best museums in the State of Florida.

CLERK OF the Circuit COURT and comptroller’s CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Shields, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Consent Agenda, Items 1 through 4, as follows:

List of Warrants

Notice is hereby provided of warrants paid prior to this meeting, pursuant to Chapter 136.06 (1) of the Florida Statutes, which shall be incorporated into the Minutes as attached Exhibit A and filed in the Board Support Division of the Clerk's Office.

City of Groveland Community Redevelopment Agency FY 22-23 Budget and Ordinance

Notice is hereby provided of having received the City of Groveland’s Community Redevelopment Agency budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, per Florida Statute 163.387(6), and Ordinance 2022-43 adopting the budget.

City of Clermont Ordinance 2022-044

Notice is hereby provided of having received Annexation Ordinance 2022-044 from the City of Clermont.

City of Mount Dora Ordinance 2021-07

Notice is hereby provided of having received Annexation Ordinance 2021-07 from the City of Mount Dora.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Shields and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Consent Agenda, Tabs 3 through 22, as follows:

COUNTY ATTORNEY

Recommend approval of a Lease Agreement with The Villages for renewal of the Clerk of the Court's office space located at 902 Avenida Central, The Villages. The fiscal impact is $25,947.99 (expenditure) for payments from January through September 2023 and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget. Commission District 5.

Recommend approval and execution of an Agreement between Lake County, Florida, and Luks and Santaniello, LLC for On Call Legal Services. The fiscal impact is unable to be determined at this time.

Recommend approval and adoption of Resolution 2022-146 authorizing participation in Joint Public Meetings with Municipalities in furtherance of the Joint Planning Initiative as required by Section 125.001, Florida Statutes.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Management and Budget

Recommend approval to terminate the Agreement for Disbursement of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds between Lake County and Find, Feed & Restore, Inc. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 5.

HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Recommend approval of a modification to the Employment Services Manual in Section 4, Workplace Policies, Section D, paragraph 4. Specifically, change the status of the following paycodes from non-productive to productive:

• Anniversary Leave

• Military Leave

• Jury Duty

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Recommend approval to advertise Ordinance to repeal Article IV, Division 4, Sections 2-90 and 2-90.1 through 2-90.6, Lake County Code, entitled Lake County Enterprise Zone Development Agency to be consistent with the repeal of enterprise zones by the Florida Legislature under Section 290.16, Florida Statutes. There is no fiscal impact.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Fire Rescue

Recommend approval:

1. Of an application and adoption of a corresponding resolution for a Florida Department of Health Emergency Medical Services Grant; and

2. To accept grant funding awarded; and

3. Of a Budget Adjustment in the amount of $34,261; and

4. To authorize the Chairman to execute the grant application and supporting Resolution 2022-147.

The fiscal impact is $34,261.00 revenue/expenditure (100 percent grant funded) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Facilities Management

Recommend approval of a budget transfer in the amount of $157,000 from Facilities Maintenance Repair/Maintenance to Facilities Energy Management Repair/Maintenance for the cost of the maintenance and repair of a chiller, boiler, cooling tower, pump, water analysis and treatment.

Recommend approval:

1. Of the purchase of replacement chillers for the Cagan Crossings Community Library utilizing the Hill York Term and Supply Contract (18-0404); and

2. Of a budget transfer in the amount of $205,336 from Facilities Maintenance Repair/Maintenance to Machinery/Equipment for the purchase of the chillers. Commissioner District 1.

The fiscal impact is $205,336 (expenditure).

Housing and Community Services

Recommend approval of Sub-Recipient Agreement with LovExtension, Inc. for Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus funds Fiscal Year 2019-2020 to support county-wide food delivery services to elderly and disabled Lake County citizens.

The fiscal impact is estimated at $280,900 (expenditure - 100 percent CDBG-CV 3 grant funded) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

Recommend approval of an agreement with LifeStream Behavioral Center, Inc. for Fiscal Year 2023 funding.

The fiscal impact is $1,362,053 (expenditure - 100 percent ARPA funds) and is within the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

Recommend approval of the annual contract with the Lake County Department of Health. The contract is effective from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. The fiscal impact is $446,760 (expenditure of $321,312 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and $125,448 for in-kind services) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

Recommend approval of the Fourth Amendment to the Inmate Healthcare Services Agreement between Wellpath, LLC, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the Board of County Commissioners.

The fiscal impact is $619,868.73 (expenditure) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

Recommend approval:

1. Of a Substantial Amendment of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan and approval of related Resolution 2022-148; and

2. To authorize the County Manager to execute any documents required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

3. Of a budget transfer in the amount of $545,477 reallocating CDBG Capital funds from Astor Library to Aids to Government Agencies ($173,413) and from Aids to Government Agencies to Infrastructure ($372,064).

There is no fiscal impact.

Recommend approval and adoption of Resolution 2022-149 granting host approval pursuant to Section 147(f), of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, relating to the expenditure of proceeds of the Orange County Housing Finance Authority of not to exceed $37,390,000 of its Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds Series (Milliennia Lake County Portfolio). There is no fiscal impact.

Recommend approval:

1. To authorize the Chairman to execute all documents required by the U.S. Department of Treasury to receive funding from the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) Program; and

2. Of Unanticipated Revenue Resolution 2022-150 in the amount of $1,710,412 to accept funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury for the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) Program.

The fiscal impact is $1,710,412 (revenue/expenditure - 100 percent grant funded).

Public Works

Recommend approval:

1. Of Contract 22-937 for operations and maintenance of the Astatula Fuel Remediation System to Aptim Environmental and Infrastructure, LLC (Baton Rouge, LA); and

2. To authorize the Office of Procurement Services to execute all supporting documentation.

The estimated annual fiscal impact is $190,000 (expenditure) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year Budget. Commission District 3.

Recommend approval of a Developer's Agreement between Lake County and Scannell Properties #480, LLC to realign approximately 1,000 feet of South Obrien Road.

There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Recommend approval and execution of the Mediated Settlement Agreement with GFL Solid Waste Southeast, LLC. The fiscal impact is $191,000 (expenditure) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget.

Recommend adoption of Resolution 2022-151 to advertise a public hearing to vacate a platted driveway, walkway and cul-de-sac easements lying north of Wolf Branch Road and west of Sunrise Blvd. The closest municipality is Mount Dora.

The fiscal impact is $2,295 (revenue-vacation application fee) and is within, and will not exceed, the Fiscal Year Budget. Commission District 4.

presentation for rosenwald gardens

Mr. Schneider said that this presentation was with regard to Rosenwald Gardens within the City of Eustis and unincorporated Lake County. He provided the following information: Rosenwald Gardens was located in and near the City of Eustis and was platted in 1925 and 1954 in the County; the City had annexed approximately 50 percent of the lots; the City had requested to partner with Lake County for road improvements; and water and sewer utilities would be installed by the City. He displayed an aerial image of the area and pointed out the area being discussed, along with the annexed areas of the city and the County maintained roads. He explained that some of the roads were City maintained and that some were County maintained, and he provided an overview of the roads in the area. He commented that the request from the City was for a partnership to construct Coolidge Street and improve existing paved roads to City urban standards with curb and gutter, along with sidewalks. He noted that the drainage system would run north to Getford Road and connect to the existing system, and run west to a park and an existing stormwater pond. He showed another image which displayed the City’s utility project for water and sewer installation, and he believed that they were complete with the design of the utilities and were fully funded for construction. He then relayed the following project information: the City funded their utility project at approximately $3.1 million; the construction of Coolidge Street, and the other streets would be about $4 million; and funding options included City sources, community development block grant (CDBG), other grants, Infrastructure Sales Tax, and the County General Fund road reserve. He listed the following benefits of the project: roads would be improved to City standards and would be owned and maintained by the City; potential for infill development including affordable housing; upgraded roads would potentially improve neighborhood value and ownership; and City utilities would be installed on Coolidge Street to allow for future expansions east and west along other roads to serve city and county residents. He commented that the next step in this process would be to work out an interlocal agreement for phase one design and permitting of the road project from the General Fund road reserve, with a cost estimate of $348,280 from the City, and to work with the City to identify additional funding beginning Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. He concluded that the requested action was to enter into a partnership with the City of Eustis for road improvements in the Rosenwald Gardens neighborhood, and to prepare an interlocal agreement with the City to provide funding for design of the road improvements out of General Fund road reserve.

Commr. Parks said that he liked this project, and he opined that putting funding in infrastructure was what government should be a leader in. He opined that it could address an affordable housing issue, and that infill could support growth where it should be. He expressed support for this project, and he thought that if the County stayed with its budget commitment to transportation, then they could work with the City of Eustis to make this happen.

Commr. Shields expressed support for this item, and he indicated interest in anything the County could do to redevelop the interior of the city.

Commr. Campione asked about infill lots and how many lots were developed already with homes, versus lots that would be available as a result of this item.

Mr. Tom Carrino, Eustis City Manager, was unsure if he could provide an exact number of undeveloped versus developed lots, though he indicated that they had some interest from the nonprofit sector, some faith based organizations, and private sector developers in working to develop some undeveloped lots. He indicated that the City could look at the Lake County Property Appraiser’s data and give the County an idea of developed versus undeveloped lots, noting that were a number of undeveloped lots in the area.

Commr. Campione asked if the black lines on the map represented roads to the north where Grant Avenue was.

Mr. Carrino did not think that the road improvements for this project were planned to extend east of Coolidge Road, though there were some areas where there were dirt roads or paths that extended east of Coolidge Road.

Commr. Campione opined that so much of affordable and workforce housing was about finding the right locations, maximizing infrastructure, etc. She said that she liked the project and idea of it being an urbanized area that did not have urbanized infrastructure. She wondered if there was potential for looking at locations like this, as opposed to growing outside of the current city boundaries, along with working with some of the larger developers. She mentioned the possibility of the City of Eustis possibly reaching agreements to help with costs associated with infrastructure in their more urban areas and develop some of these lots as affordable housing. She relayed her understanding that the City’s Comp Plan had a section on density bonuses related to affordable housing, and she opined that there might be potential there to have the developers do some development like this to increase density, or have a tradeoff for some of the other things they wanted to do. She added that she liked the idea of utilizing multiple funding sources, including CDBG funding.

Mr. Carrino thought that the utility improvements were occurring because the City of Eustis had to equalize flows and more efficiently get the flow to their plant, and said that as they moved closer to working with the County on the road improvement partnership, the City needed to get more serious with the nonprofit, faith based and private development partners about what they could do with this area.

On a motion by Commr. Shields, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to enter into a partnership with the City of Eustis for road improvements in the Rosenwald Gardens neighborhood, and to prepare an interlocal agreement with the City to provide funding for design of the road improvements out of General Fund road reserve.

presentation of lead strategic plan and action plan

Ms. Mary Ellen Stern, Executive Director of Economic Growth, commented that this item was a presentation for the strategic plan and action plan for Lake Economic Area Development (LEAD). She explained that LEAD was created by an initiative of the private sector business community for the purpose of retaining, expanding, and recruiting quality jobs within Lake County; additionally, on August 23, 2022, Lake County and LEAD entered into an economic development partnership agreement. She pointed out that Section 4, A.2. of the agreement required LEAD to prepare a five year Economic Development Strategic Plan outlining desired goals, objectives, and performance measures for economic development in Lake County, and that the plan, and subsequent annual updates, would be presented to the BCC annually each September; however, the first plan would be presented prior to December 31, 2022, noting that this was the current item. She also highlighted that Section 4, A.3. of the agreement required that no later than December 31, 2022, LEAD would deliver an Action Plan or Plan of Work which would include metrics and deliverables to be incorporated into phase two of the agreement. She also indicated that Section 4, B.2. of the Agreement, referred to as the notice to proceed, stated that phase two would commence once the BCC approved the Strategic Plan and Action Plan; furthermore, if approved, both plans would be incorporated as Exhibit B and shall become a material part of this agreement.

Mr. Ben Paluhn, President of LEAD, displayed images of the current LEAD Board of Directors, noting that they represented a diverse subset of businesses within the county. He added that LEAD was fully staffed with individuals who had a combined 70 or more years of economic development and public service experience. He listed the following phase one accomplishments: fully staffed team; strategic planning sessions; programs of work; and joint marketing. He also stated that for phase two, they had their 501(c)(6) status letter in hand. He commented that LEAD had been actively pursuing outside funding and partnerships, and he displayed a slide showing the effort being made to obtain and execute on outside funding sources. He showed a slide with the LEAD investor partners, noting that Lake County had made a significant commitment to LEAD and economic development. He remarked that Lake County’s investment was already paying off in terms of leveraging over $200,000 of private funding that was not present prior to this initiative, noting that their mandate was to grow this over the coming one or two years.

Mr. Kevin Sheilley, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership, indicated that LEAD had retained Dr. Sharon Younger, Founder of Younger Associates in Memphis, Tennessee, and relayed that her organization worked broadly across the nation in areas of economic development. He stated that the vision of LEAD was that Lake County would grow local primary jobs, higher wages and further economic diversification by 2027. He said that they focused on the following five areas: recruiting within their targeted industries; entrepreneurship and innovation; business retention and expansion; product development; and organization and strategic communication. He stated that they identified the three primary target sectors of agribusiness, logistics and construction-related manufacturing. He commented that instead of waiting for leads to find them, they would go drive those leads, noting that they would build relationships and extend relationships that they already had. He related that they not only wanted to bring in new companies, but they also wanted to ensure that people who started to grow businesses in Lake County were able to do so, such as by building a network of incubators. He also indicated that they would be taking care of existing companies, noting that being able to talk about successful and growing companies in Lake County became a key sales tool. He said that LEAD would work to help companies be able to grow and expand, such as by finding out their needs, their barriers to growth, and what LEAD could do to help remove those barriers. He mentioned that they had to have the products of sites and buildings which were ready, and that companies were willing to look; therefore, LEAD would be looking to invest funds to ensure that they could identify those sites. He added that they would be ensuring that the work of LEAD was working with each of their communities, communities’ local economic developers, Lake County Economic Growth, and all of their partners. He stated that the goal at the end of five years was that LEAD would have directly impacted the creation of 3,500 new jobs with a stretch goal of 4,500, noting that Dr. Younger had wanted a higher number, though not enough buildings were available. He added that these would be jobs with wages 15 percent above the county average wage, and that the Board had adopted that the overall Lake County average wage would increase by 25 percent; additionally, LEAD would assist 250 entrepreneurs. He stated that LEAD had adopted and would have a plan of work each year that discussed how they would implement and drive toward this strategic plan. He said that in the current year, LEAD would focus on 100 hours of technical assistance, look to meet with 50 entrepreneurs, and have at least one education workshop per quarter. He explained that FastTrac was a nationally recognized training program, and that they would do at least two cohorts of this; additionally, they would have the 1 Million Cups program up and going, along with a feasibility study on incubators by the end of the year. He mentioned business attraction and said that they would host a familiarization tour in Lake County, noting that they would bring in consultants, brokers and end users to get a sense of what Lake County was about. He indicated that they would continue to build the partnership with Enterprise Florida, along with trade shows, identifying sites, developing plans for sites, and putting together an online sites and buildings database. He commented that for business retention and expansion, he did not think a list of all the primary employers in Lake County existed; therefore, they had been pulling resources, visiting communities and talking to chambers of commerce to create a master list so that LEAD could start to have those conversations. He relayed that in spring 2023, they would be tracking retention visits and attraction in their system. He added that their online survey would occur near the first of the year, and that they would have one on one visits and special interest training.

Commr. Parks mentioned site availability and emphasized Wellness Way, noting that there was currently infrastructure being built there. He commented that Wellness Way was the only area in the county with its own brand, and he stated that there were monthly meetings.

Mr. Sheilley mentioned that this was on LEAD’s schedule, and that they had a video call with Dr. Richard Levey, with Levey Consulting, to review the project and the economic development areas. He added that LEAD had also reached out to property owners and the City of Clermont, noting that they would be a participant in these meetings.

Ms. Stern explained that LEAD was requesting approval of the Strategic Plan and Action Plan, and she clarified that the agenda had five attachments. She elaborated that these attachments included the following: the LEAD agreement signed in August 2022; the strategic plan; and the three plans of work for business attraction, business creation and business retention. She said that if approved, those four documents would become Exhibit B attached to the original agreement.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Shields and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Strategic Plan and Action Plan.

public hearing: vacate platted rights of way in clermont area

Mr. Schneider presented vacation petition #1274. He explained that the applicant was Ms. Debra Brigmond and Mr. Perry Brigmond, Owners of Brigmond Construction, Inc., and that the location was on County Road (CR) 565A, south of the City of Groveland, within Commission District 1. He said that the proposed vacation was located east of the road and north of Oak Island Lane, which was an unimproved road. He displayed the property map and pointed out the area requested to be vacated. He commented that the parcels to the south, tracts 39 and 40, provided a unity of title so that tract 40 would not be without a right of way access: additionally, they were also planning on a unity of title for the two parcels to the north. He indicated that Mr. Paul Marosi, an adjacent property owner, and another entity had signed a letter entering into a request for vacating this public right of way. He concluded that staff recommended approval.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Shields, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Resolution 2022-152 to vacate platted rights of way in the City of Clermont area.

public hearing: ordinance 2022-53 wellness way mstu

Ms. Marsh placed the proposed ordinance on the floor for reading by title only as follows:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA; ESTABLISHING A MUNICIPAL SERVICES TAXING UNIT (MSTU) TO PROVIDE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF STREETS, SIDEWALKS, STREET LIGHTING, DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES, INCLUDING ENHANCED DESIGN ELEMENTS SUCH AS PAVERS, SPECIALTY LIGHTING AND TRAILS, ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR ROADS WITHIN THE WELLNESS WAY AREA PLAN; CREATING A NEW SECTION 20-1(26), LAKE COUNTY CODE; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE LAKE COUNTY CODE; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR FILING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Shields and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Ordinance 2022-53 establishing a Municipal Services Taxing Unit to provide funding for the Wellness Way Transportation Network.

public hearings: REZONING

rezoning consent agenda

Mr. Bobby Howell, Director for the Office of Planning and Zoning, displayed the advertisements for that day’s rezoning cases on the overhead monitor in accordance with the Florida Statutes. He said that there were five cases on the rezoning agenda, and that staff was requesting approval of three cases on the consent agenda.

Commr. Campione inquired about the Sorrento Pines Community Development District (CDD) and how it tied in with the Sorrento Pines Planned Unit Development (PUD), which was supposed to come back to the Board.

Mr. Howell relayed his understanding that this item was only for the original phase, and that it was not tied into the extra 399 units.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding any cases on the Rezoning Consent Agenda, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Rezoning Consent Agenda, Tabs 1 through 3, as follows:

Tab 1. Ordinance No. 2022-54

Sorrento Pines Community Development District (CDD)

Adopt an ordinance establishing a Community Development District (the "District") on

113.443 +/- acres of land located entirely within the boundaries of unincorporated Lake

County, Florida.

Tab 2. Ordinance No. 2022-55

Windsor Cay Community Development District (CDD)

Adopt an ordinance establishing a Community Development District (the "District") on

193.348 +/- acres of land located entirely within the boundaries of unincorporated Lake

County, Florida.

Tab 3.

Rezoning Case # FLU-22-12-1

Wellness Way Amendment (Transmittal)

Amend Policy I-8.2.1.1 Future Land Use Categories Capacity Allocation.

rezoning regular agenda

Tab 4. Ordinance No. 2022-56

Rezoning Case # FLU-22-04-4

Mount Dora Groves South (Adoption)

Amend the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) to change the Future Land Use Category

(FLUC) on approximately 80.32 +/- acres from Regional Office to Planned Unit

Development FLUC and amend associated Comprehensive Plan Policies to incorporate the proposed development program for the Mount Dora Groves South Development which will include 783 single-family and multi-family dwelling units, 150,000 square-feet of commercial uses, and associated recreational facilities.

Tab 5. Ordinance No. 2022-57

Rezoning Case # RZ-22-13-4

Mount Dora Groves South

Rezone approximately 80.32 +/- acres from Agriculture (A) and Urban Residential

District (R-6), and establish a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to accommodate a mixed-use development including 783 single-family and multi-family attached and detached dwelling units, 150,000 square-feet of commercial uses, and associated recreational facilities.

Mount dora groves south FLU (ADOPTION)

Mr. Howell presented Tab 4, Rezoning Case # FLU-22-04-4, Mount Dora Groves South (Adoption). He commented that it was an adoption hearing for a large scale future land use (FLU) amendment for Mount Dora Groves South, which had been approved by the Board for transmittal in October 2022. He added that there had been no changes since the item was transmitted to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO).

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Tab 4, Rezoning Case # FLU-22-04-4, Mount Dora Groves South (Adoption).

Mount dora groves south Rezoning

Mr. Howell presented Tab 5, Rezoning Case # RZ-22-13-4, Mount Dora Groves South, noting that this item was the companion rezoning ordinance to PUD for the previously adopted FLU amendment. He explained that the property was 80.32 acres, and that the rezoning was from Agriculture and Urban Residential (R-6) to PUD; additionally, the property was located south of U.S. Highway 441 and north of Limit Avenue in the unincorporated City of Mount Dora area. He stated that the applicant was seeking to rezone the property as a mixed use development containing 783 single family and multifamily residential units at an overall density of approximately 9.75 dwelling units per net acre, in addition to 150,000 square feet of Employment Center (C-3) commercial uses and associated recreational facilities and amenities. He displayed the concept plan and noted that it proposed 25 percent open space, and he said that on October 12, 2022, the Planning and Zoning Board had approved the item with a vote of 5-1. He concluded that staff found the rezoning consistent with the Land Development Regulations (LDR) and Comp Plan.

Ms. Tara Tedrow, an attorney representing the applicant, relayed that she had emailed language to Ms. Marsh which was supposed to be in Section 1.E of the ordinance. She specified that it said that their multifamily detached units, similar to single family, shall be designed utilizing craftsman, bungalow or Florida cracker/low country architectural design standards, which shall require a variety of architectural features and materials such as stucco, stone, cementitious siding, and decorative doors to achieve each architectural style. She added that this was supposed to be carried over between the two ordinances, and that they wanted to ensure that it was in the ordinance.

Commr. Campione asked for the concept plan to be displayed. She relayed her understanding that within the internal part of the project was where the applicant was considering doing a roundabout.

Ms. Tedrow confirmed this and added that they were working with their traffic engineer and the Lake County Public Works Department to determine those final locations.

Commr. Campione recalled that it was originally discussed as being at Limit Avenue, but then the City of Mount Dora had asked for it to be internal, noting that it seemed to make more sense for moving traffic and providing for turns and locations that people would actually be traversing through the subject property to reach U.S. Highway 441. She also recalled that for the case on the north side of U.S. Highway 441, the applicant had agreed to build a frontage road with a signalized intersection on the road, which would align with the intersection shown on the plan. She opined that this would help with moving traffic off Donnelly Street and onto U.S. Highway 441, or if someone wanted to visit downtown Mount Dora and avoid the intersection of Donnelly Street and U.S. Highway 441. She relayed that individuals were currently lacking the ability to come and go from downtown Mount Dora without using Donnelly Street or Limit Avenue, opining that this item could take some pressure off this area. She also said that many of the negotiations leading up to this involved implementing the City of Mount Dora’s design criteria, and that it was basically meeting all of the City’s requirements. She expressed appreciation for the developer doing this and trying to meet the spirit of the design standards, in addition to addressing transportation issues.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Campione seconded by Commr. Shields and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Tab 5, Rezoning Case # RZ-22-13-4, Mount Dora Groves South.

regular agenda

letter of support for howey-in-the-hills appropriation project

Ms. Barker stated that the Town of Howey-of-the-Hills had requested the County’s support, noting that the Town was applying for an appropriation grant to replace well number three and their water treatment plant.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved a letter of support for the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills Appropriation Project Request for a new Water Well and Treatment Plant.

remove carryover bcc meeting dates for 2023

Commr. Smith recalled that at the beginning of the previous year, he had requested that the Board have carryover meetings on Wednesday following a Board meeting; however, this was when the BCC only had two meetings per month. He added that since they switched to three meetings per month with one meeting being dedicated to land issues, he did not think that they needed to have the Wednesday hold for the Board. He also indicated that it could make it easier for staff to utilize the Board Chambers.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to remove the carryover Board of County Commissioners’ meeting dates from the following 2023 scheduled meetings: January 4, February 8, March 8, April 5, May 3, June 7, August 2, September 6, and October 4.

appointment of commissioner to board of directors for lead

Ms. Stern explained that the agreement with LEAD stated that the BCC shall be entitled to appoint a County Commissioner or designee to serve on LEAD’s Board of Directors for as long as the agreement remained in effect. She clarified that until the current time, it had been the County Manager or her designee who had attended the board meetings for LEAD; additionally, a representative from staff would still attend all of LEAD’s board meetings. She relayed that this item was to decide whether the BCC would like one of the five Commissioners to sit on that board.

Commr. Campione asked how frequently they met.

Ms. Stern replied that they met every two months when they first started, with a few extra meetings in the beginning. She relayed that the general goal was to meet every two months.

Commr. Shields inquired if it was a nonvoting position, and Ms. Barker clarified that it was voting.

Commr. Smith asked if it would be beneficial to have a BCC member there longer term, or if a turnover could cause an issue. He said that the BCC could possibly have the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the BCC serve, though this changed each year or two years.

Ms. Barker believed that this would be fine because they would still have staff attending to ensure that they were staying on top of the daily operations and what was happening; furthermore, staff could keep the BCC voting member informed of what was occurring within the organization.

Commr. Campione opined that having annual turnover was not a bad idea because then everyone was becoming familiarized with the program.

Commr. Shields thought that government experience was what the board might need more from the BCC.

Commr. Campione thought that it was important to have this perspective on the board, noting that it was geared toward entrepreneurs, and also to have a good mixture from the BCC so that everyone was familiar with what was occurring and could play a part in it.

Ms. Stern inquired that if the Commissioner serving on the board was going to change, would the BCC like this to occur in December of each year. She added that LEAD would provide an annual update in September of each year.

Commr. Smith indicated that if the BCC selected the BCC Chairman to be on the board, then they would not know who this was until December; therefore, he thought that the change could occur when the Chairman changed.

Commr. Shields recommended that in the first year, they could appoint whoever the BCC felt had the deepest understanding of Lake County government.

Commr. Smith indicated that he could serve, and he expressed interest in rotating the appointment whenever the BCC Chairman rotated.

Commr. Campione recalled that historically, the BCC’s representative on the CFX Board had been the Chairman; however, they had a Commissioner who had expertise and involvement in this.

Commr. Smith believed that the Chairman selected the Commissioner for that board, and that he did not plan on changing the current Commissioner.

Commr. Campione expressed concerns for giving the BCC Chairman a number of labor intensive responsibilities.

Commr. Parks inquired about Commissioner Shields serving on the LEAD Board of Directors as the BCC Vice Chairman.

Commr. Shields mentioned that he could do this.

Commr. Smith asked if there would be a motion for the person.

Commr. Campione opined that it should be for the person and should not be tied to whether they were the Chairman or Vice Chairman.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to appoint a County Commissioner on a yearly basis to the Board of Directors for LEAD, and to appoint Commissioner Shields to the Board of Directors for LEAD.

other business

appointment to the arts and cultural alliance

On a motion by Commr. Shields, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to appoint Mr. Dustin Lavine as the alternate member representative for the City of Leesburg on the Arts and Cultural Alliance.

commissioners reports

commissioner shields – vice chairman and district 1

AVP PRO TOUR TOURNAMENT

Commr. Shields relayed that he had attended the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Pro Tour tournament, noting that Hickory Point was a great asset.

commissioner parks – district 2

thanking the board

Commr. Parks thanked the Board trusting him to be the Chairman for the past two years.

city holiday festivities

Commr. Parks commended the Cities for their Christmas and holiday festivities, noting that he had participated in the City of Clermont’s parade on the previous Saturday. He thought that there would be more parades in the City of Minneola, along with other cities on the following weekend.

meeting with lcwa board

Commr. Parks opined that the meeting between the BCC and the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) Board on the previous day was good and constructive. He indicated that he looked forward to their quarterly meetings.

commissioner campione – district 4

city of eustis comprehensive plan amendment

Commr. Campione recalled that she had mentioned that the City of Eustis was working on a Comp Plan amendment which involved eliminating Map 19, which was the map that had historically been referred to in the joint planning agreement (JPA) or in their Comp Plan as representative of the appropriate transition between urban core uses and the County’s rural land uses. She elaborated that the JPA did not really have any substance without a map or attachment that described the appropriate transition, and she expressed concerns for this, stating that she had attended a meeting and had asked about the possibility of the City and County staffs working on the City’s new land use, which they were calling “Rural Residential Transition.” She added that it was calling for three dwelling units per acre, and that she had suggested the possibility of creating additional language that would define when one could have certain densities, along with having wider buffers, incorporating wildlife corridors, and possibly using rural conservation design. She opined that it would ideally be good if the City worked with the County’s Rural Transition land use, noting that the County was working on the rural conservation subdivision design. She commented that the City had agreed to postpone their decision, and that their staff and County staff had been working together. She stated that it looked like they were making some progress, though the City was still considering two to three units per acre, while the County’s land use was one unit per acre with 50 percent open space. She also indicated that the City had postponed several annexations at their previous meeting which would have moved the City’s boundary to near Thrill Hill Road. She said that if the City and County worked through these items, and if the County was amicable with the City’s land uses, then it was possibly not important that the JPA did not have substance. She elaborated that at that point, it could possibly be appropriate to consider eliminating the JPA. She clarified that if they could reach an agreement on how the new land use should be worded, then they would have accomplished what they would hopefully be accomplishing with the JPA. She noted that the Eustis City Commission was supposed to meet again on December 13, 2022, and she said that she would like to attend on behalf of the BCC from the standpoint of not knowing what the City Commission’s decision was going to be. She added that if the City Commission did not implement the items that the County had requested, she could register the County’s objection to this; additionally, if it met the spirit of what they had been trying to do, then she could attend to hopefully help guide this to an approval. She commented that if the County did not object, then they would not have let the City know that it did not meet the County’s Rural Transition requirements.

Commr. Smith asked to clarify if Commissioner Campione was asking to attend the Eustis City Commission meeting and represent the BCC, and Commissioner Campione confirmed this.

Commr. Blake related that he was not fully in agreement on this and that he would dissent.

Commr. Shields and Commissioner Parks indicated that they were comfortable with this.

Commr. Campione added that in this representation, it would be understood that any official decision taken by the County would have to come back to the BCC; furthermore, it would just be using the opportunity to express what she thought was in the spirit of what they had been trying to work on together.

commissioner smith – chairman and district 3

avp PRO TOUR tournament

Commr. Smith said that he had attended the AVP tournament at Hickory Point, noting that there was also an international Paralympic volleyball tournament there. He relayed that it was a large success, and he praised Discover Lake and Mr. Ritchie, noting that his team had put this item together in less than two months. He hoped that AVP saw the value in this, and he mentioned that it was a large economic driver for Lake County.

city of tavares christmas parade

Commr. Smith commented that he participated in the City of Tavares Christmas parade on the previous Friday.

meeting with lcwa board

Commr. Smith relayed that the BCC had met with the LCWA Board on the previous day, and he thought that it was very productive; additionally, he expressed excitement for the Boards to start collaborating more and to make it better for every citizen in Lake County.

national microwave oven day

Commr. Smith remarked that it was National Microwave Oven Day.

Easement modification in favor of lcwa

Ms. Barker recalled that this item had been discussed on the previous day during the BCC’s joint meeting with the LCWA, noting that the LCWA had approved this item at their November 16, 2022 meeting. She added that according to the County’s ordinance, it had to come to the BCC for final approval.

Mr. Ben Snyder, with Hanover Land Company, stated that the Board had expressed interest in seeing more details on this item. He presented information related to a LCWA easement going through the Battaglia property, and he showed an aerial image of the property, noting that it was located on the east side of CR 33 within the City of Leesburg. He displayed the approved PUD plan which was adopted on August 8, 2022 for 561 units, commenting that it had a total of 55 percent open space and was at two units per acre. He showed a survey of the property which included the easement going through the middle of the property, noting that it passed through two wetlands going east/west, and a third wetland just north of the LCWA property. He explained that if it was to be improved, then the wetlands would be impacted; furthermore, the applicant was proposing to reorient the easement through the subject property and provide access over public roads. He mentioned that if the easement remained, then they would have to reorient lots and redesign stormwater ponds, which they did not want to do, but could if they had to leave the current easement in place. He related that the easement was granted in favor of the LCWA in 1969, and that the easement had a condition that the LCWA would pave it with clay or better, which was never done. He mentioned that the applicant could reorient the easement, and he displayed an image of their proposed reorientation which went under public roads and back to the tree preservation area, where they would stabilize a 35 foot easement in favor of the LCWA that would be noted and dedicated on the plat in perpetuity; additionally, they would have a note on the plat which would dedicate the easement under the public road in favor of the LCWA so that the LCWA would be assured that they would always have access to the property in the back. He opined that the reorientation would provide more viable access to the public and have the property be a good canoe and kayak launch, and that it would provide a more viable access to the LCWA for access to the property and the ability to maintain the waterway. He added that it would also help the applicant provide a more cohesive and viable project, and that there would be ample parking for people looking to access the weir. He also indicated that Hanover Land Company would be willing to contribute $40,000 toward a restroom facility, and $11,000 toward a parking lot at Scrub Pointe Park.

Commr. Campione relayed her understanding that from the developer’s standpoint, the issue was that as long as the easement was there, they would not be able to develop the property to the south.

Mr. Snyder clarified that they could do this, and that it was a 25 foot easement through the middle of the property which did not have exclusive rights preventing crossing it with roads, water, sewer, stormwater, etc. He mentioned that they could not orient a lot within the LCWA property, and if they redesigned the project around the easement, it would remain an open 25 foot strip through the middle of their development. He added that the developer could not impede the LCWA’s ability to use the easement, and that they would have to redesign their ponds.

Commr. Campione mentioned the area where the creek and wetland system was that went underneath Florida’s Turnpike, noting that there were many large oak trees there; furthermore, she indicated an understanding that there could possibly be lots there.

Mr. Snyder clarified that the part north of the LCWA property was called their tree preservation area, and that it was oriented there because of the grandfather oaks. He commented that it was the largest concentration of grandfather oaks on the property.

Commr. Campione expressed concerns that if they had a canoe launch there which was open to the public, people could possibly complain about activities there, noting that the lots were close to that area. She thought that if they did not have lots concentrated around the tree preservation area, then they could have a legitimate park land which could be more valuable to the public.

Mr. Snyder said that they would be willing to eliminate three or four lots in that cul-de-sac area to provide more visibility from the road and increase parking. He stated that they had a similar situation in Osceola County, and that there had not been any complaints.

Commr. Parks commented that growth management had become an intensive issue for the Board. He relayed his understanding that there were some site planning concerns over the easement, and he indicated that if there were still questions, the Board could table this item for another month to work with the applicant.

Commr. Campione opined that it could be good for this property to utilize the Mr. Randall Arendt subdivision design, noting that the property had natural features. She also opined that if they vacated the easement, then they would have opened up activity which otherwise would not occur in this pristine area.

Commr. Blake asked about the LCWA’s position on this item, and Commissioner Parks believed that it was passed unanimously. Commissioner Blake then inquired about the timeline for this project.

Mr. Snyder replied that if this item was passed, they were working on construction plans and would likely break ground in 18 to 24 months.

Commr. Blake inquired if postponing this item to the next quarterly meeting between the BCC and the LCWA in February 2023 would affect their construction plans.

Mr. Snyder clarified that they were working on engineering, and would prefer to come to a consensus sooner than this.

Commr. Smith expressed that he did not like the way that this item came to the BCC, noting that it was an addendum and that the Board had less than two days to review it.

Commr. Campione stated that this was the Board’s chance to hear from Mr. Snyder and to understand it better. She commented that the Board could digest this information and that as opposed to waiting until the next quarterly meeting between the BCC and the LCWA, they could consider a future BCC agenda item so that it did not delay the applicant.

Commr. Parks made a motion to table this item for one month.

Commr. Blake indicated that he was comfortable with allowing the LCWA to do what they had traditionally done.

Commr. Campione seconded the motion, and she requested a few weeks to work with Mr. Snyder. She asked if part of the agreement that they offered to the LCWA was to do some public access improvement other than the road.

Mr. Snyder confirmed this and said that they could do picnic tables. He added that part of the proposal was stabilizing 35 feet, which was significantly more than cars needed to enter. He added that the area would have parking for Lake County citizens to use.

Commr. Campione mentioned that in other parks, there was a kayak launch with posting cables and then one would walk through a narrow path to where they were supposed to be so that there was not any vehicular access. She said that items like this could be worth having Mr. Bonilla and the LCWA review to see what would make sense in a way that was an asset that people would want to use. She added that there could also be a gate or a way to lock it so that they could prevent parking after hours.

Mr. Snyder indicated that the applicant could work with whoever the BCC deemed the most appropriate to address specific concerns on the site plan and how best to accommodate Lake County citizens and the BCC’s concerns.

Ms. Marsh asked if the Board wanted this item to come back on January 10 or January 24, 2023.

Commr. Campione expressed support for January 10, 2023.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried by a vote of 4-1, the Board tabled an easement modification in favor of the Lake County Water Authority as required by Section 24-10, Lake County Code, to the January 10, 2023 BCC meeting.

Commr. Blake voted no.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.

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kirby smith, chairman

ATTEST:

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GARY J COONEY, CLERK