A regular MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
February 7, 2023
The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 9:00 a.m., in the County Commission Chambers, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Kirby Smith, Chairman; Douglas B. Shields, Vice Chairman; Leslie Campione; and Josh Blake. Commissioner not present: Sean Parks. Others present were: Jennifer Barker, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, County Attorney; Niki Booth, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Kristy Mullane, Chief Financial Officer; and Stephanie Cash, Deputy Clerk.
INVOCATION and pledge
Commr. Smith welcomed everyone to the meeting, and stated that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting was being streamed live and was also being broadcast through Zoom for those who wished to provide comments. He related that Pastor Bobby Rowe, with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in North Lake County, would be giving the Invocation, and he asked that those in attendance would remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Pastor Rowe gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
virtual meeting instructions
Mr. Levar Cooper, Director for the Office of Communications, 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.
Agenda update
Ms. Jennifer Barker, County Manager, requested to pull Tab 5 on the Planning and Zoning agenda, and noted that there was an errata memo for Tab 2 of the Planning and Zoning agenda regarding a minor change in verbiage, a copy of which was provided.
citizen question and comment period
Mr. Wayne S. Loeser Jr., a resident of the Astor area, expressed concern about the permitting process, and said that it had been about one year since he had bought his property and had started on a garage. He explained that he had paid all the fees and had obtained a permit for the concrete pad, and that after the post inspection, he had applied for a permit to build the garage. He elaborated that after the website indicated that it had been delayed, he went through many different County offices, such as the Office of Building Services, the Office of Planning and Zoning, and the Public Works Department, to resolve the issue, opining that he still did not know when he would be able to obtain a permit.
Commr. Smith said that Mr. Fred Schneider, Assistant County Manager, could help him, and that they could meet together after the BCC meeting.
Mr. Daniel Sullivan, a resident of the Astor area, commented that he was partnering with Mr. Loeser, and opined that there were issues with the permitting process in Lake County. He remarked that the building had been waiting to be built for about one year, and that they had made multiple trips to the County offices, noting that they were asked for something different each time. He opined that there was no set process, and said that they did not know where their building permit was between the County offices.
Commr. Blake asked if he was referring to the same case as Mr. Loeser.
Mr. Sullivan indicated that it was, and opined that it should not take a year to obtain a permit to build a garage, noting that they had expensive cars they wanted to store there.
Commr. Campione inquired if the garage would allow the cars to be high enough to avoid floodwaters after a future hurricane.
Mr. Sullivan replied that after the last hurricane, the property did not flood, and that the County wanted him to raise the site 18 more inches even though he had already obtained a permit to construct the 60 by 50 feet concrete pad. He related that after the concrete had been poured, the County had inspected and signed off on it; however, another County office said that it should not have been signed. He expressed concern about not being able to obtain the permit to build the garage.
Commr. Campione commented that the Astor area flooded often after hurricanes, and she wondered if Mr. Sullivan had taken that into consideration when he planned to build the garage.
Mr. Sullivan opined that if this garage flooded, then all of the Astor area would be flooded, and he pointed out that they were ready to begin construction of the garage.
Commr. Campione relayed that Mr. Schneider would be able to assist him, and that the BCC would receive a report at a future BCC meeting regarding how this issue was resolved.
Mr. Shannon Hutto, a resident of the Astor area, expressed concern with the permitting issues, and mentioned that he was a licensed real estate broker representing land buyers. He remarked that the residential lots in Astor had been rezoned, increasing the square footage requirement for a residential lot that had been previously platted, and that many of the lots there did not meet the new density guidelines. He related that a resident or buyer would have to complete a density exemption and pay $150 to make the lot buildable, and opined that it took too long to obtain approval. He opined that the County should have a standard operating procedure that could be completed in a timely manner.
Mr. Samuel Mehalick, a resident of the Astor area, opined that the permitting process in Lake County was a flawed process, and he requested that the permitting process be made easier for residents and contractors. He also asked that the County would maintain and improve the water drainage in the Astor area, noting that there were flooding issues after the previous hurricanes. He expressed concern about pedestrian safety, and requested that the County would provide the citizens of the Astor area public sidewalks or golf cart paths.
Commr. Smith commented that he would ensure that these issues were brought to the staff’s attention.
Commr. Blake mentioned that multi-modal trails were done through the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) on State Road (SR) 40.
Mr. Mehalick remarked that there was a library on Alco Road, and opined that it did not have adequate lighting or safe walking conditions for residents. He opined that River Road was a highly traveled road in the Astor area that needed improvement, and noted that it provided access to most of the campsites.
Commr. Smith said that he would visit the area with Mr. Schneider to assess the drainage and road issues.
public hearing: resolution 2023-10 vacate a platted right of way
Mr. Schneider stated that this was a vacation petition for Mr. Scott Russell, and that the proposed vacation was located off of Marvins Place near the City of Groveland. He said that the platted name was Georgia Avenue, and that the request was to vacate this platted, unimproved right of way in order to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the property. He commented that the adjacent property owners had signed letters of support, that there were no utility issues, and that staff had 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. Campione and carried unanimously by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved adoption of Resolution 2023-10 to vacate a platted right of way lying north of Marvins Place and east of Bible Camp Road, in the Groveland area.
public hearings: REZONING
rezoning consent agenda
Mr. Bobby Howell, Director for the Office of Planning and Zoning, reiterated that Tab 5 had been withdrawn by the applicant for the Paquette property, and that there was an errata memo for Tab 2 with a minor change in verbiage. He requested approval of Tabs 1 through 4 of the consent agenda, and he displayed the advertisements for that day’s rezoning cases on the overhead monitor in accordance with the Florida Statutes.
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. Campione, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the Rezoning Consent Agenda, Tabs 1 through 4, with an errata memo for Tab 2 regarding a minor change in verbiage, as follows:
Tab 1. Ordinance No. 2023-11
Rezoning Case # FLU-22-10-4
Wiggins Property
Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use Category (FLUC) on 4.68 +/- acres from Regional Office to Regional Commercial.
Tab 2. Ordinance No. 2023-12
Rezoning Case # RZ-22-22-4
Wiggins Property
Rezone 0.92 +/- acres (~40,075 square feet) from Rural Residential (R-1) to Neighborhood Commercial (C-1) to allow the development of the property.
Tab 3. Ordinance No. 2023-13
Rezoning Case # RZ-22-10-1
Camden Park North PUD
(1) Amend Planned Unit Development (PUD) Ordinance #2019-68 (Attachment “F”) to remove parcels identified as Alternate Key (AK) 1086698 and AK1595207 which were incorporated into a separate project in 2021; and
(2) Establish entitlements for AK 1070121, 1595231, 1595134, 1595185 for a residential subdivision on 53.21 +/- gross acres (47.97 +/- net acres) since Ordinance #2019-68 expired in December 2021 for failure to commence physical development in a timely manner; and
(3) Establish entitlements for AK 1595193 for commercial development on 9.08 +/- gross acres.
Tab 4. Ordinance No. 2023-14
Rezoning Case # RZ-22-26-5
Carlton Village LLC
Rezone 2 Lots from Neighborhood Commercial (C-1) to Rural Residential (R-1) to allow the development of one single-family home per parcel.
commissioners reports
commissioner shields – vice chairman and district 1
Four corners quarterly meeting
Commr. Shields mentioned that he attended a quarterly meeting for the Four Corners area with Commissioners from the other three Counties, and that they had defined the area and the resources there.
connection of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard and Flemings Road
Commr. Shields relayed his understanding that the connection of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard and Flemings Road could possibly be completed before 2026, noting that without the connection many residents had to drive a circuitous route to reach Orange County.
Commr. Campione questioned if that movement was coming from Orange County.
Commr. Shields indicated that it was, and that the Lake
County side was done.
commissioner campione – district 4
point in time
count
Commr. Campione stated that she had participated in the point in time count, and that her group of professionals and social workers had focused on the Astor area and the City of Umatilla. She explained that they had interviewed people who were living in homeless conditions, noting that many of them said that they would like to obtain permanent housing but would not want to live in a shelter. She elaborated that the next step would be for social workers to connect them with social services and to possibly create a path for them to obtain permanent housing.
Commr. Smith expressed appreciation for her efforts, and said that he would like to sign up for the next opportunity to do that.
Commr. Blake inquired if their homeless condition was due to economic factors as well as substance abuse and mental illness related issues.
Commr. Campione opined that it was difficult to place their situations into categories because everybody’s situation was unique, and that there was a combination of issues that had contributed to their becoming homeless. She said that an example of this was a person who was working but could not afford housing, and there was also a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who could possibly qualify for services but was homeless because the family member he was living with had died. She opined that having access to mental health services in conjunction with housing and job opportunities was an important part of the equation.
COMMISSIONER BLAKE – DISTRICT 5
Sheriff Peyton
Grinnell supports a constitutional carry bill
Commr. Blake mentioned that Sheriff Peyton Grinnell had attended a press conference in the prior week supporting a constitutional carry bill, noting that the bill would allow those who had the legal right to concealed carry permits to carry a gun without having to go through the permit process.
Commr. Smith opined that Lake County residents were happy about having a good sheriff and a good law enforcement department, and he expressed appreciation for this support.
commissioner smith – chairman and district 3
joint meeting with the Lake County Water Authority
Commr. Smith related that there was a joint meeting with the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) on the previous day to help them reduce costs, and he opined that it was productive.
Early Learning Coalition meeting
Commr. Smith commented that he had attended the annual Early Learning Coalition meeting, and that the budget had been successfully audited.
National Send a Card to a Friend Day
Commr. Smith remarked that it was National Send a Card to a Friend Day.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:38 a.m.
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kirby smith, chairman
ATTEST:
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GARY J COONEY, CLERK