e all right let's call this meeting to order why are you just bring it on call the meeting order it on at that commissioner skip will you uh mind join the pledge for us I don't know no problem mention face flag IED to FL of the United States of America to the stands one nation under God indivisible withy andice we got an invocation by um Deon Joe PCO from Our Saviors let us pray Lord Jesus bless these commissioners and all present here this evening occupy our hearts so that all we do shows forth your goodness occupy our minds that our thoughts may always turn to you occupy our strength so that we may never Tire of serving you occupy our souls and be the very core of our existence we ask this in your holy name amen am amen [Music] all right you got to bear with me a little bit I misplaced my glasses so uh we've got uh roll call commissioner Jackson here commissioner Williams here commissioner wace here vice mayor huton here mayor KY here can we get a approval of the agenda I'm going to approve the agenda is written second Motion in second all in favor I all right motion passes 5 um special presentations to swear in ceremony for officers Noah Barnes Jessica Clanton and Natalie Romero one of the citizens offer glasses mayor I can also read too if you need to I'm not used to I think I I think I got it you got it okay you have good evening mayor City commission City attorney city clerk city manager and Community uh West Mullins police chief um we are going to gather here to celebrate the swearing in of three uh new police officers but prior to that I would like to ask your permission to take two minutes to acknowledge our telecommunication officers as this is telecommunication Officer Week um so today as we gathered to celebrate the swearing end of three new police officers fresh from the police academy we should take a few moments to publicly recognize that there are currently that we are currently also in the middle of national telecommunication Officer Week Tonight We Come Together not just as a community but as a collective of individuals United by safety and peace of mind provided by our unsung heroes the telecommunication officers throughout the year these dedicated professionals serve as the vital link between this community and the city's Emergency Services they are the conv voice in the midst of the chaos the coordinators in times of Crisis and often are required to effectively communicate with individuals during the most Terror induced moments of their lives this week we honor their unwavering commitment it is because of their competence and care that many families especially those in this room sleep peacefully at night knowing that help is just a phone call away we have an extremely busy City for our size and our telecommunication officers handle countless calls daily each one with potential life-altering implications for each one of us they do this with a level of patience and precision that goes beyond mere professionalism is truly a calling in moments of emergency While most would naturally feel Panic telecommunication officers stand as solid Pillars of Strength they guide emergency responders to the right locations ensure resources are allocated efficiently and most importantly they keep in they keep the affected individuals calm and collected and provide a reassuring voice over the phone in closing I invite you all to please join me in extending our deepest gratitude to all of our telecommunication officers let us applaud their dedication to duty their compassion in crisis and their commitment to our this community today we say thank you by recognizing their sacrifice and service to this community by providing 24-hour Around the Clock telecommunication services for all of us when we truly need it most they represent the first and therefore perhaps in times the most critical aspect of this City's emergency response protocols to all the tcos out there thank you for keeping us safe not just today but every day thank you for that Indulgence thank you okay so can I please now have Natalie Romero Noah Barnes and Jessica Clinton up here please just remember the order I know yeah yeah good okay also up here with me major Chris Kian major Joe Versi okay so welcome our three new police officers fresh from the police academy to my left Natalie Romero elected by her peers as the class leader for the entire police academy she came to us mid session from another agency she uh liked what we had to offer and decided to make a move here uh to her left is Mr Noah Barnes uh he's here with Sandy Barnes his aunt Brian Barnes his uncle and Hillary Neo Diaz his girlfriend and Natalie's here with Robert Martinez her husband um Noah's also the defensive tactics Award winner for the police academy uh Jessica Clanton is to knowah is left Jessica is here with her mother Jennifer Clinton Lieberman Jeff liberman her stepfather Camden Clinton her brother Dorothy Clinton her grandmother and David Clanton her father Jessica won both the academic award for the police academy and the first dat award for the police academy so we truly have a uh a very special group of recruits here and most of all they are uh humble and willing to learn okay um so as we do traditionally here um kind of a new tradition but it's one nonetheless uh it's important for us to read the code of ethics out loud so you can hold us accountable to these and we can hold ourselves accountable to these all right and we will continue to do this uh for the foreseeable future and then after that I will swear them in using the oath of Honor so the code of ethics reads as follows you guys do not have to repeat this as a law enforcement officer my fundamental duty is to serve mankind to safeguard lives and property to protect the innocent against deception the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to Liberty equality and justice I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all maintain courageous calm in the face of danger scorn or ridicule develop self-restraint and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others honest in thought anded in both my personal and official life I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department whenever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me by my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless Revelation is necessary in the performance of my duties I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings or Prejudice animosities or friendships to influence my decisions with no compromise for crime and with Relentless prosecution of criminals I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor malice or ill will never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of the public faith and I will accept it as a public Trust to be held as long as I am true to the ethics of the Police Service I will be constantly excuse me I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals dedicating myself before God to My Chosen profession law enforcement okay that don't clap yet okay [Applause] now raise your right hand for me please and repeat after me you ready on my honor On My Honor I will never betray my badge I will never betray my badge my Integrity my Integrity my character my character or the public trust or the public trust I will always have the courage I will always have the courage to hold myself to hold myself and fellow officers and fellow officers accountable for our actions accountable for our actions I will always support the Constitution I will always support the Constitution of the United States United States and the State of Florida and the State of Florida I will in all respects I will in all respects observe and uphold observe and uphold the provisions of the charter the provisions of the charter and ordinances and ordinances of the city of Coco Beach of the city of Coco Beach and will Faithfully discharge and will Faithfully discharge the duties of police officer the duties of police officer to the best of my ability to the best of my ability so help go so go congratulations that's for you guys I got okay all right so those who are going to be doing the pinning you guys want to come with me we're going to go sideways Karen told me to go sideways Natalie no I just right okay Natalie Noah Jessica Okay so awesome okay thank you thank you very much oh yeah you guys want to go sh the commission just go you want congratulations glad to have you glad to thank you congratulations congratulations so much congratulations very nice all right uh we've got a presentation of the final annual comprehensive financial report for the acfr if you like acronyms for fiscal year 2023 good evening I wanted to make sure you all had the presentation oh yeah all right good evening I'm Ivon Clayborn I'm a partner with car Rigs and Ingram I was the partner in charge of the audit engagement for this year this is the audit for the fiscal year ended September 30 um 2023 you have um two documents that were presented to you the large bound document which is the annual comprehensive financial report and um there should be a smaller stapled document that's the required Communications um we won't go in detail into the required Communications but the required Communications is our letter to the commission um reminding you of of of what our goals and objectives are as your auditor our responsibilities the city's responsibilities it goes over um some significant estimates that are involved in the um reporting process um and it also provides you A draft copy of What's called the management representation letter which is the representations that were made by city employees to US during the course of the audit um so that you have a record of that and then we'll move straight to the presentation so the annual com comprehensive financial report which is called the AER for short um is broken out into four different sections um the introductory section which is your table of contents it contains a transmitt letter that's drafted by City management um it has an organization chart um it also has a copy of the certificate of excellence for the um annual comprehensive financial report for September 30 2022 issued by the government Finance Officers Association this is a um distinguished uh award program that the city participates in where they submit this document to um the gfoa it gets reviewed by peers um to say that it provides the information that they consider to be um essential to the readers of these financial statements um and again you've received this reward for a number of years um this annual um comprehensive financial report will be submitted for that same um award the financial section includes our report to you um Management's discussion and Analysis which again is a summary of Management's um Management's analysis of these financial statements I always like to tell people if you're going to read only one part of this document please read the management discussion and Analysis um if you really have trouble sleeping go to the statistical section and then if you just can't sleep at all go to the rest of it which is you know the the financial statements and the notes which are in included there um the required supplementary information um the accounting standards require that certain things be presented supplementary information gives you some a little additional information again not required by the standards but to provide Clarity the statistical section that we already me mentioned and then the compliance section the um which is usually just the report that says reports that are required by the auditor general and by the government accounting um auditing standards um but in this case you also had a federal single audit because you met the spending threshold for a federal single audit so that report is included in that compliance section too the auditor's report um is an unmodified opinion um that starts on page one of the financial section um an unmodified opinion um is the highest level of audit assurance you can receive it basically says that your financial statements are presented in all material respects in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles um the financial statements do um sorry the audit report does have an emphasis of matter there was an implementation of a new accounting standard this year related to um what's called subscription assets and subscription liabilities and those are your software subscriptions um and again the city implemented that standard this year it didn't have a a a huge impact it was about $27,000 that was added at the end of the year um for the subscription assets so highlights moving on to the financial statements the financial statements themselves start on page 22 um you have two different types of financial statements you have What's called the government-wide statements and then the fund financial statements the government-wide statements you're only going to see in this document um as part of the annual financial report your information that from your fund financial statement which is what you see on a regular basis um is converted to essentially full acrel financial statements under government Accounting Standards um and it creates a statement of net position um and a statement of activities you're going to see some things on the statement of net position that you don't see in your fund financial statements like your general fund is going to report um a net pension liability and a net other post-employment benefit liability you don't see those in your fund financial statements or you don't see the debt balances in your fund financial statements for your governmental funds but you will see them in the government wide um under the government-wide financial statements you still have unrestricted net position of about 6.9 $9 million almost 7 million in the governmental activities um and about $9.7 million in your business type activities um from a standpoint of an auditor I will say that um when they started adding the accounting standards added those net pension liabilities and those net other post-employment benefit liabilities um a lot of municipalities had um net positions in the negative yours is in the positive which is good that means you're funding your pension liability um and so that that's a positive for the city your restricted net position for governmental activities is 3.7 million and business type activities of 1.9 um again there is an increase on total net position of about two and a half million in your governmental activities and an increase in your business type activities of about $817,000 your statement of net position which is on starts on page 20 um 2 24 um or sorry that's on page 22 your net pension liability decreased from 14.2 million to $14 million again that's not a significant increase um your deferred outflows um however which is kind of deferred outflows and deferred inflows I'd like to tell you they're all related to the net pension liability the concept between the Deferred inflows and the Deferred outflows related to that is things happen like uh significant swings in investment income from year to year um which is what happened this year so last year the investment income was we down this year it was way up or vice versa it and it swings from time to time sometimes you make assumption changes where you'll say okay well we're no longer going to uh we have a change in benefits or we've changed the Assumption on when people are going to retire and those changes make significant changes in your net pension liability well the accounting standards say it's not fair to hit the income statement all in one year for all of these changes so you're going to create these deferred inflows and outflows and those changes are going to be amortised over a period of time and it's supposed to smooth the impact on the financial statements for those dramatic changes that are going to happen from year to year on your pension liabilities um and the same concept applies to your other post-employment benefits um Citywide your debt decreased by 36.5 um million um I'm sorry decreased to $ 36.5 million current year Debt Service was about $3.9 million which represent represents about 11% of your current year spending and there's a um in note three to the financial statements there's a a note disclosure related to pledged revenues and how the city is fairing on its debt payments versus the pledged revenue so all the way back to the compliance section which starts on page 139 of the book book um there is a report that we talked about in relation to the government Accounting Standards governmental accounting standards that starts on page 141 um that tells you that as part of our audit process we gain an understanding of your internal controls only for purposes of planning and Performing our audit procedures we're not trying to provide an opinion on your internal control um but as part of that process when we're planning and Performing our audit procedures if we come across items of of um cons of issue or um that need um Improvement we're going to report those as part of this report um the report does include some material weaknesses and significant deficiencies related to the internal control there were no instances of non-compliance with laws regulations contracts or grants with regard to the material weaknesses um there were two um the preparation of the schedule of expenditures of federal Awards which is required for your federal single audit um the schedule that was provided was incomplete Andor inaccurate and its reporting of the expenditures um we talked about some of the perspective and the perspective you had first of all it's the first single audit the city has had in a few years you have new people in your finance department and there was some challenges and getting the information in um we were able to work through that to get an accurate schedule for the audit um and the city is in the process of putting um controls in place to make sure that going forward all that information is being gathered by Finance um also the selection of bases for allocations um we closed the comment that was related to the selection for basis and reopened a different one because this year the the differences were on different accounts and it wasn't really you really had resolved one and and then had a different issue um but again the allocations the basis for allocations for um was not appropriate for um pulled Investments and related income and pension costs and for example um there was a change in the allocation or in the basis of allocation for the Investments showed investment income in an investment balance and investment income in a fund that was operating with um expenditures in excessive revenues which should not have generated an income balance and that was just because the base used for the allocation didn't track what should have been for the investment balances and that's been um the finance staff has remedied that um and it was remedied for a presentation in here and also related to pension costs there's some very um um specific guidance on how pension costs School how pension cost should be allocated um and so again that was corrected for the presentation in here but originally was not correct significant deficiencies um related to revenue revenue recognition um there were still some challenges with Revenue recognition but that was moved from a material weakness down to a significant deficiency this year um there were also some acrs that um were missing related to construction related payables and um retainage and then health insurance um claims um were were um accured inaccurately and corrected for this presentation the single audit report which is new to you again same thing it provides you that we're going to look at your internal controls over your um your Federal grant compliance and again we're doing that for purposes of gaining an understanding and Performing planning and Performing those single audit procedures we are required to test the controls um the report doesn't include a material weakness with related to the controls um but there were no instances of non-compliance and again there was um no mat material non-compliance in this case um because even though you had a material weakness in internal control the eror was identified by the gror and before any payment was made to the city and was remedied um the we um material weakness for this um single audit relates to Grant reporting um there was a pretty robust reporting requirement as part of the grant agreement there were a couple of reports um that were not filed by the city that were required as part of that document there was an informal conversation between the city and the gr tour that they weren't going to require those reports but it's not in writing and when it's not in writing we can't audit to that so we have to audit to what was the standard but it is our understanding that the gr tour wasn't expecting those reports they just never got the agreement modified um and there was a report that wasn't filed timely also the city made a reimbursement request um to the grantor that a portion of it was rejected um because the city had not complied with some procurement Pro Provisions that were in the grant agreement um and again the grantor identified that and it was corrected for purposes of what you see here um and the city's put controls in place to remedy that going forward um the management letter for um that's required under chapter 10550 is the Florida auditor general it's some additional reporting and testing that's required by Florida Statutes um there are a couple current year comments on various control matters um the review of charges for services um this was in the report last year however the city did update and are they are now reviewing the utility rates as they're being put into the system but the other charges for services across the city um there's not a process right now that documents that review of the input of those controls or those rates um so we we make a recommendation for that um the City established a self-insurance fund this year as an internal service fund you've had Self insurance for your health insurance for a number of years but it's always been accounted for within the funds this year the city broke that out into a self-insurance fund so that the city can provide more clarity on tracking of what the self-insurance plan is costing the city and how it's doing performing economically um and again the entries used to establish that um new fund um were not correct and required Revision in order to comply with accounting standards as you see it in this report there were some issues with the implementation of the new gasby standard again not Material um but we're asking that as to go through that process it's a training mechanism really to make sure that implementation of new standards and there's several coming down the pike um that those are handled correctly and then with regards to the claims liability because there's more clarity on that claims liability now that it's in its own fund um it's an estimate and estimate is we can look at it and say okay that's reasonable but as part of making an estimate part of what the Professional Standards say is that the city should be doing a look back analysis of those estimates to make sure that their estimates are reasonable um and that's a process that's not yet in place at the city and this um Finance team is working on that now um and then the final report in the document is um the report that's required for our examination where we have to test compliance with investment policies and we found no issues of non-compliance with that and with that I'll entertain questions yes sir thank you m Clayborn um it's always beneficial to have a a set of eyes from the outside looking internally and all our processes and as you stated multiple times you found issues and the staff took it under advisement made the corrections and that just makes us better overall for the long term so it's it's more than worth the effort to have you come do this because that otherwise obviously we might not ever realize we had some deficiencies so really appreciate that thank you that's the hope is that the recommendations are going to make it better all right are there any questions any other questions again thank you to your Finance staff and to the city um you know it's a lot of work that goes into getting ready for an audit and dealing with the Auditors while we're on site um we appreciate everybody's time and attention and your attention here tonight appreciate it thank you I just want to make a note that um two years ago when I ran our debt was just under $43 million and and year after year now this is second year of debt actually going down last year we were at 40 now we're down to 36 and a halfish so uh it just is a a a um a tribute to Patricia and everything she's doing over there as well so I thank you staff for for keeping us on point thank you all right let's see we've got any staff reports public comments that aren't on the agenda Public public comments that aren't on the agenda oh we got a couple here all right John Miller J is it yeah please state your name address and uh let's keep it at 3 minutes thank you um thank you for the opportunity to speak I'm John Miller um a resident of zanadu Condo Association 750 North Atlantic Avenue here in Coco Beach I'm also the president of the association and on the um a member of the Space Coast Community Association as well um as a local resident I came across a situation that's of concern to our association as well as several here in or many here in Coco Beach some brief background which I'm sure most of you are familiar with the water service billing for residents of Coco Beach is administered through the city of Coco um we received a not no from the city of Coco in January indicating our condo building would be obligated to pay a revised Water Service deposit um of about $2,000 and a revised sewer deposit of almost $133,000 um we pursued an explanation from the city of coko on this and the changes they told us the city of Coco Beach was responsible for the sewer deposit um and we're grateful for the city of Coco Beach on intervening uh and having those sewer deposit charges reversed um but that does leave the city of Coco the residents of Coco Beach us um with this water service deposit change um assessed by the city of Coco where we have little if if no representation and in essence the um the Coco water uh department is demanding an amount that uh will never be returned to us and and never otherwise utilized a significant amount U our condo association and numerous others in the Space Coast Community have reached out to the city of Coco uh to request either a waiver of deposit or alternative we put a utility Bond on file um in the cash deposit the the city of Coco utility director gave me a brief reply which was unfortunately the city cannot accept bonds as a payment towards utility deposits um he referred to the excuse me the Coco utility handbook um the city of Coco does wave deposits for residential accounts in good standing after a year uh however they they consider any multi unit um which is more than two uh to be a commercial account and they won't wave that deposit and of course won't accept a bond um what I'm requesting here is I'm asking if the city of Coco Beach would consider discussion for discussion approaching the city of Coco as a representative for the Coco Beach Condominiums um to help resolve the issue with the city of coko one not exempting multi-unit residential accounts um from the deposit uh increase uh as well as denying any consideration for a utility bond which we'd gladly purchase in in Li of giving them $2,000 um which is essentially giving away 2,000 out of our reserves that we'll never get back thank you um I'll entertain any questions just one question real quick um Al together isn't it like 70 something thousand or something very high your your your deposit or you're saying it's only 2,000 uh the water deposit they're adding to is they're adding an additional 2,000 to our existing deposit we have a deposit on file we've had on file for 40 years right um our condo isn't going out of business which would be the the you know what your total deposit is our current deposit is uh $800 and some odd dollars for the entire for the entire building for the entire building that's correct sir so it's a $1,200 Delta uh I'm sorry it's a $1,200 Delta no no they're asking for 2,000 in addition to the to the 800 800 on file correct cor and how many units you got in that building 108 sir okay thank you for your time thank you does anybody want to discuss that at this time or you I mean is it okay um well I can't talk to you guys about it any other wayse so uh Mike Johnson good evening Mike Johnson 108 surf Drive last month I shared with you the amazing work the Coco Beach Police Department did in identifying and apprehending the senior citizen financial fraud perpetrator followed by his arrest in Orlando I hope you share my concern and would encourage the staff to share updates as possible I check the news and I don't see anything on it also request the city to investigate the actions of orang County Police Department and the release of this criminal illegal Orange County and Orlando cannot be absolved for their criminal Behavior I'll compare this to Orlando driving the getaway car for a bank robber expose U investigate and hold accountable let's clean this up this can't be tolerated thanks thank you mik Janice Scott come on down good evening mayor Commissioners I want to take this uh opportunity um this evening to express my condolences and my deep um admiration for former Governor Bob Graham served the State of Florida in a exemplary manner for two terms was a US senator for three terms and he was quite po popular um among people who paid attention to what goes on in Florida he was known for his grasp of do domestic issues like the Everglades restoration um immigration offshore drilling and was the leading expert in foreign policy and intelligence I think he was instrumental in the National Intelligence Agency uh creation also he was but for me he was widely regarded as being a genuinely nice person uh consensus Builder and which is Gravely missing in politics today but I especially admired his appointing John de Grove who passed away in 2013 as the father of growth management for the State of Florida they work together diligently to um create the comprehensive plan that we all go by now the way the the cities would manage their growth look at their needs how they were being crowded out what was the density and so forth so that was um John de served as the first Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs which has unfortunately been abolished by um subsequent Governors but every citizen in the state owes a debt of gratitude to both of them for their years of service on Water Management in the State of Florida and controlling unwanted growth in areas of genuine concern for sprawl and defense of special natural areas I wanted to add that Governor Graham wrote several books about public policy and so forth but he also wrote a book um for children called I think Ronda the alligator and that was about two years ago so thank you thank you Janice John Dylan John Dylan 1044 141 East Elda uh my concern here tonight is life safety and liabilities all of you are in the space program or the Navy programs especially the City attorney and city manager need to understand the risk and liability is very concerned about this when I presented to you people in July last year before the budget started to bring two speed bumps on our street we've got people for Airbnb coming across A1A they're across on our street not just two or three people but I mean large families coming across to the beach Vehicles come in from Ocean Beach Boulevard and A1A speed over 30 40 50 m hour at a 20 speed limit you can't enforce that until you get a lot of enforces to be there it take every day and all day to enforce that that will work speed bumps will I gave you the presentation with the material and about how long it take to do it I think the cost that's was about 600600 something dollars and it take about two people to get that two Public Work people do that in about 30 maybe 45 minutes get that job done so it be close to less than $800 to get something done so a budget doesn't really have any concern because that should have been done last year it's not been done yet again the City attorney knows what liability is when somebody gets in there walking on A1A across to Ocean Beach Boulevard on on the easta and some of car come back hit them since you've been presented this last year in July you know about it at least two emails have been sent to Wayne then I'll present this again today and discuss it today it makes even worse liability and the guilt the city ignoring it folks you got to Pro you got to protect people's lives Life Safety again if you're in a space program or the Navy programs like that you know what what the life safety is about when you get something and get some speed bumps in there and get cuz some summer's coming up it's going to get worse and worse and worse for that so let's get this done again 12 people on our street sign that petition three of them were out of town so they would have been been also so we want to get this done and get it done real quick got any questions you help needs to be done with it I've got plenty of time to help to get that done thank you thank you John Wes if you wouldn't mind can can I ask you just some questions it's okay with you sure all [Music] right yes Mr Mayor do do we have any statistical data about anything on his street or is it possible to maybe put a a um maybe a motorcycle cop out there that's less conspicuous that could maybe um get some data as well as assign some tickets to to try to make a some data available so I believe the answer to your first question is yes and the the answer to your second question is most certainly yes um we have put a radar trailer out there uh on East Oola um it did not detect a large amount of speed violators in the area over the time it was placed there we've also done directed Patrol traffic enforcement in area um as Staffing allows and we have not noticed an inordinate amount of speeders on East alola over any other roadway um I'm perfectly it's perfectly acceptable to me um to help Mr Dylan we you know motorcycle officer out there you know less detectable maybe and see what we can find as Staffing allows maybe give us 30 days to see how that works and see what we come up with maybe we could have some more information for you all thank you does the uh the detector box thing does it does it hold data it does okay um all right well maybe the fact of a officer on a bike would be less conspicuous we could do either or or both we can mix it up all right I would if it was okay with you and the rest of you I wouldn't mind just giving that a shot to to try to help Mr Dylan get some some more um physical human data and if I have that data on our first attempt at this I will find that as well and present it to you to uh Wayne as well thank you yes okay um I shouldn't be doing this but go ahead this is John Dill again again yes they did have radar unit there for three or four days but then again I don't know what exactly what day I think was during the week um I've offered before if you want put a motorcycle my side of the driveway there they would even see it till it's too late if they would do that but far as enforcing that's one thing you can't get somebody to do that 24 hours a day we got people even from the bars on Ocean be Bard going back to A1A and vice versa we got buses Transportation buses which should never happen on that one that was and years ago that was so corrected but now it's starting again with that uh one certain company uh airport Canal is the main one does that including Vans but anyway RAR will be fine they'll slow them down but after that they're gone I want to I want to get data that not so from people that are not visibly seeing the big things understand have the data but that was like three or four days that was I think believe I believe it was close to the weekend I may be wrong but dur the week so we thank you John so uh uh CH Chief West uh as you heard you can use his driveway that's supposedly less conspicuous too so if you need to you've got his info all right um any other public comment before we move on all right thank you uh staff reports and announcements okay I have a couple things tonight um mayor last night I attended the thear County Association of chiefs of police and um it was um actually a very interesting very um fulfilling dinner my wife and I attend ended and uh the purpose on our end was to um to honor Robert Hill who was up for a nominee as um law enforcement officer of the year and uh Robert's doing a great job um West Mullen our chief was heavily involved in the uh development of the event and his um admin Rachel cabor I got to give a shout out for her she's still here um but they did a great job and uh it's it's personally an honor to have them working for us Chief mullen's doing an excellent job couldn't ask for more um I'm honored to have them working for me and for the city and um I hope everybody is in agreement but I had a great time there and I was very proud of them so um all right number two uh last week I think a lot of um Commissioners myself we attended a li of cities meeting and uh Tim Tim banic gave a speech now I'm sure everybody says who in the world is Tim banic Tim banic is the supervisor of elections for rard County uh his speech was compelling informative uh you might not know what the supervisor of elections does but um it's a very difficult job and in this election year it's very interesting so um I reached out to his office and on the second meeting in May uh which I believe is May 16th he'll be here to give uh an informative speech on um on what the supervis of election does what his office does and he'll also have some of his staff here to help if anybody has um voter registration issues want to register to vote and um you you'll be very interested in timb banic and uh and what he does especially in this election year for a presidential election um okay and then lastly I won't bore anyone anymore but uh so we've been kind of honoring uh an employee in the city that does an outstanding job and um the pickings aren't slim to be honest with you so it's sometimes a difficult choice but so tonight we're going to honor and embarrass um Andrea Sagara who works in the recreation department and and um so Andrea is affectionately known as Andy and Andy has been working with the city since 2017 she supervises direct Center including over 1,000 children that participate in camps the ball fields and the skate park she oversees the entire Le Services Department in the director's absence um who's lar lar you back there and uh she is L's go-to person and the department wouldn't function without her quite honestly she always has a smile she's always very helpful and a pleasure to work with and um we all love her so um I have something for you and thank you I appreciate that's all I have here thank you thank you actually Andrea um I've heard about you as well from others in the city and on the boards that you are on the ball and you are a true asset so thank you thank you it's a pleas thank you and then also just about Tim banic actually that guy is Johnny on the spot I tell you the stuff that he went over um he he is a true asset as well to our uh election process that guy um it's amazing the stuff that he does so like he said when he does come honestly you want to hear it it just reiterates how um how truthful I guess the the voting process is when it comes down to it so uh thank you Tim banic as well we're not in a public [Music] comment um no we're going to keep going sorry uh let's see City attorney reports and announce nothing tonight thank you City commission reports and announcements so ahead I was going to say the similar thing about the you think about elections it's kind of boring but he's just very enthusiastic I believe he's running for re-election this year so do your research um the second point was form six don't forget about that I know that three of us were at that briefing form six is your um financial position exposure but it's a radically expanded this year so don't forget about that for Commissioners there's no turning back on City Hall was it 26 or 46 concrete trucks that pour that second floor today 46 46 concrete trucks concrete is setting up on that second floor now there's there's no turning back it's going to happen it was done by 6:00 a.m. well no there were still trucks coming the trucks were down at 6 a.m. no the trucks were still coming when I okay I was already on my way to work by then okay anyway uh I was expecting they'd be gold instead of concrete lot lots of things happen in Cooker Beach if you don't subscribe to cbnn you probably should just go on the website and give them your email that way we don't have to go over four or five different items that just came out today about what's going on around the city and coming up anybody else all right I want to talk about something that honestly is is pretty amazing start the time um we're going to talk about a young man named Cameron Turk a little little background about Cameron he was born and raised in Coco Beach and he is currently attending Coco Beach Junior and senior high school he's a junior at this time Cameron has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to boat racing which is amazing he consistently strived for excellence in both skill and SP sportsmanship his achievements include being the youngest racer to ever win a National Championship he's world champion world championship and now Hall of uh Hall of championships this just shows his uh capability to contribute positively to the championship board um Cameron you have in my opinion done something very amazing that deserves to be celebrated by Coco Beach not only by Coco Beach but by everybody that comes into Coco Beach to know that we have such an amazing person as yourself that living in this city um I was also a former pro aete myself when I was younger so to me I can sympathize with you on how important this would be to try to get on this board um but with this comes great responsibility obviously people are going to be looking up to you they're going to be watching you and you're now a representative or you will be of our city so it's important that you adhere to the highest standards when you're out and you're growing up so thank you for for all that you do and for making our city uh an amazing place with amazing people in it um I don't know about the rest of everybody but I'm sure they would all love to have you represent our city as well on that board so to make it official I moved to recognize Cameron Turk's boat racing championships by adding his name to the city entrance sign all right we got a motion in second to bring this young man on our celebration board thank you nice job all in favor I all thank you Cameron is there anything you'd like to say if so you're welcome to go up to that Podium thank you guys for everything I honestly mean it means a lot it's it's amazing so I I also did a little digging beforehand just to to make sure that uh you were in fact legit and I I spoke with Carrie Carrie Bartlett who runs the Superboat races year after year and he said oh yeah this guy's the real deal so thank you um and city manager when when they get the sign made app and they go to put it up can you uh tell us when it's going to happen so we can invite the family and the commission if we're available most definitely yes and well that that'll be the 520 as well as the A1A side or just the 520 both all three perfect three perfect very cool all right uh consent agenda okay this is the consent agenda item one approve the following meeting minutes March 21 2024 and April 4 2024 representative city clerk recommendation approved item two approve the termination of the agreement of the Joiner to the second amended and restated interlocal agreement relating to the C creation of the Florida resiliency and energy District Fred representative Wayne kajino city manager recommendation approved item three confirm the following meetings June 18th 2024 6: p.m. fiscal year 25 budget Workshop July 18 2024 7 p.m. set the tentative millage rate regular meeting representative Patricia drat CFO assistant city manager recommendation confirm move to approve consent agenda second um I do have a conflict with June 18th I will be out of town so I don't know if that's going to be a problem or [Music] not can we can shift that date I don't know was a there's State deadlines for the I'll be out of the country from the 15th to the 31st pcia drot CFO it's a budget Workshop so it's just presenting preliminary information to the Mission and to allow you time to discuss it so we can meet beforehand if you would like or even after um and we can also schedule uh other workshops if the commission chooses so I don't know that that's necessarily going to be an issue or conf you know a particularly negative Conflict for you because we can still have those conversations with you no decisions will be made or or any any anything other than um feedback from the commission as to the direction you want me to take with that budget will it be um recorded and posted yes okay that's all that matters so I personally as commissioner C5 I want to have you engaged because we get some pretty lofty plans financially um so I would be in favor of inserting a second one because I can't speak to you at all outside of this room it's outside of that Workshop so yeah it's not the commission won't make decisions they're just right so it's just Guidance the details of there's probably going to be something coming up that we're going to need to discuss could you endorse a second meeting between that 18th and the July 18 a second Workshop in those four weeks I would be okay with it I mean unless you could move it a week earlier we can we can move it earlier but I might not have as good numbers for you at that point the reason that we picked that particular uh week is because we should have our preliminary it's very preliminary but preliminary adum information so hopefully that week will give us a a better picture of what the revenues might look like as well as the the directors have put in at that point not just their Capital but their operating as well would two weeks later put us behind it's not going to put us behind this is a budget Workshop so this is not part of our trim calendar two weeks later yeah two weeks later that way we can discuss stuff the Thursday last Thursday in June no last thday the 18th is a Tuesday two weeks later would be July 2nd which be two weeks exactly what's the last Thursday in June 20 he's out of town for three weeks is what he said are you going to be back the last Thursday in June no 27 27 I will not I think the mayor is a key stakeholder have on some of the plans so I personally would like you have do whenever available the July 18th meeting that's part of the trim calendar we don't we can't really change that one so the workshop on the 18 but the workshops are fle first I'll be back on the 31st okay so the second Tuesday sure correct mayor you might want to call in too I'm not going to have service okay can we because he's mayor shouldn't we give him a mobile star link for his boat it's only 2500 bucks July 2nd $5 a minute would cut it from the budget already soorry we would have done that but it's already been cut thank you July 2nd we we just get one we can pass it between boots oh yeah can we do it July 2 mayor I'm yeah that's fine with me okay is that all right with you I'll look I'll look and I'll confirm with Karen all right so we can talk about that at our next meeting I have to look sorry so we can that's we can uh approve this agenda minus that uh that meeting that particular Workshop but go ahead and if it's okay please approve the the July I think it's 18th the 18th yeah that's fine right for your for your um tentative that's where you'll set the maximum millage okay I'll be gone then all right so we got do we need to amend that motion or how does I mean is that I guess technically for consent you got to pull it all no you need an amendment so we're going to approve the consent agenda less the date for the physical year 2025 budget Workshop second to be confirmed at a future meeting second okay got a motion in a second all in favor of the of the consent agenda of the amended amended motion motion I I okay motion passes 5 all in favor of the main motion can we do that we amended the motion and now we're voting on the amended motion correct all in favor of the amended motion I I okay all right all right motion passes 5 um new business okay item one new business consider a request for a density variance for property at 505 North Orlando Avenue pursuant to section 4-41 A3 of the Land Development code the applicant is requesting a variance to allow a density of 30 transient lodging units per acre on the subject property the requested variance requires a concurring vote of four members of the city Commission applicant Francesca D pasquali representative Randy Stevenson development services director recommendation approve move to approve the density variance for the property at 505 North Orlando Avenue pursuant to section 4-41 subsection a and three of the Land Development code second got a motion in second um let's hear let's hear from Randy mayor commission thank you tonight Randy Stevenson director of development services I wanted to make a couple of statements uh things like this are often hard to hold together especially during the last week so I wanted to give you a synopsis of what we're asking for okay uh what we're asking for again is consideration of an variance to allow 30 Transit lodging units per acre pursuant to section 4-41 A3 of the Land Development code and policy 2.2.2 A3 of the comprehensive plan these this allowance other than something that is a variance requested out of whole cloth to exceed something these are numbers that were built into your Land Development code and your comp plan to address issues such as we have before us today I just want you to understand that that might be a little bit of difference than just a variance over a maximum these are allowances that have been built into your code they do still require variance and that's why we're here tonight okay if the variance is approved staff is requesting that the commission review and consider and provide approval of a conceptual conceptual site plan for the project in other words we're trying to get the variance and plus give you a Target as to what the applicant is proposing if the variance is approved uh section 402 C of the Land Development code requires that site plans such as this one there larger than 3 acres this one is not but it is over 30,000 square ft that requires them to come to you for final approval of the site plan so you will see this again uh after review and provision of a recommend uh from the planning board the planning board saw this on April 1st and gave comments and forwarded uh a recommendation to you this will go back to the planning board once it is final uh there's about5 to $800,000 between where we're at now and where we need to go okay for the client uh there are numerous efforts that have to take place uh and I don't want I want you to understand this they will come before this comes back to you traffic studies drainage studies uh traffic planning parking all of these things have to be done before this comes back to you okay just want you to make sure that what you're looking at tonight is a target uh in a concept form and we have a video we're going to play in a few minutes after I shut up and it'll explain a lot of this project I think most most of you are already seen this there are some additional comments that have come up of late uh first of all why was this variance not taken to the board of adjustment this is a variance involving if you recall we changed the code height and density uh density variances are only approvable by the city commission therefore they come straight to the city commission again that's in 4-41 A3 of the Land Development code and 2.2.2 A3 of the comprehensive plan they proceed directly to the city Commission that's why we're here T and that was to cut down on the burden of the person requesting a density or height variance so they didn't have to go through three boards three months to get to us that's exactly correct again the while the commission was given the authority to do the final Arbiter and to be the final approval the way the code was written you had to go to the planning board the board of adjustment and then the city commission it was the the our legal council appin that either one of those could turn it down and therefore just to be honest with you prevent uh due process because they would never be able to get to the commission who is the one authorized to make the decision therefore we changed that code several years back you're correct commission that was a a ballot referendum that's correct uh pursuant to policy 1.5.9 in the future land use element of the comp plan the prohibition of new lodging facilities west of A1A shall not apply within the Redevelopment districts this is in the downtown Redevelopment District also pursuant to policy 3.3.3 in the future land use the city May permit Transit lodging facilities west of Atlantic Avenue within the downtown area so it's covered several different areas in your comprehensive plan okay because that question came up uh staff is also aware of communications between the applicant owner and the owner of the CEST building for joint use of 32 parking spaces that's what I have now I will ask the uh applicant to further explain that to you but she is aware of that we are aware of that and that is ongoing okay and finally uh a mixed use project is permitted within the Town Center if you look at the uh if you look at the U the list that we have in there it says Transit lodging is a special exception in the town center that is correct if it's just Transit lodging uh since this is mixed use uh it is a permitted use and I will for clarity read the definition of a mixed use from our development code uh mixed use development is quote a development that includes two or more physically integrated uses on one site or within one structure this can be any combination of residential retail office or other uses mixed use developments of less than three acres are not permitted to have both permanent occupancy dwelling units and Transient Accommodations this is less than uh 3 acres they're only requesting the transit lodging so I wanted to clarify those items for you and now if you would allow us I'd like to key up the video for you point of order um if if it's the video that the the that's correct applicant applied um mayor I think it would be U more important to go ahead and vote on just all we're voting on is the variance for the extra four units that's what's in front of us that's what we have a motion on that's what we have a second on and then once it passes we go through the vote or doesn't pass or whatever then to review and consider the project conceptual site plan that would be more appropriate time to show their their video well so we could go ahead and take any public comment that's just the extra for the extra four units and then we can take public comment after we everybody sees the video and go through that item let me think about this um is there any questions on the on the board or do you have concerns compared uh from what he said so you do would would you feel more comfortable seeing the video or I could go either way but I understand your position variance it's a separate issue than the overall site plan but I do have some comments or questions on the VAR on J1 what about you guys I mean I'm good but I don't know if the public needs to see it get a full understand I mean for well it's for for me if I was in the public I'd want to know what's going on but the thing is what they're going to show us and what Randy just said is that's not what it's going to be that's very it's conceptual they still have to go through the process they have to put in their site plans they got to go for building permits every building permit will be bumped against the code you know like you said traffic studies parking studies drainage studies all that I mean how long is the video it's not it's not that long but it's it's just it's kind of a commercial and and basically what's in front of us here is are we going to agree to to pass this variant to allow them to extra four units from 56 to 60 it's simp let's take the simple part first and then we can go into the next piece so what you know what I'm going to do it's Republic comments on J one I I want to hear public I want to hear public comment too um but I actually what I want to hear is would the person submitting the application rather I do it the way he said or do you want your video played a Comm thank you for having us here tonight so um the video I prepared the video it's about an 8 minute video and what I predominantly prepared about was the variance because at first we were just going to come and see about the variance and then we decided to go ahead and just ask for both pieces of it and the important part whether we do it with the video or not with the video is that the the four uh units um is permitted just like Randy said for the ask um if we do the mixed use and the mixed use is really important as a Cocoa Beach resident the Coco Beach is uh the the mixed use is what's really important to Cocoa Beach I believe uh not to us as the developers don't want to set you short here but I just want to know do you want us to play it or do you not and then we can cuz we're going to we're going to play it we're going to go through after the vote we could have been halfway through it by yeah well I mean just if there are people who haven't seen it yet it it would be a really good explanation of why we're asking still going to see so we'll we'll play it and then and then we'll have a discussion and thank you sirate start the time I've already seen this Theory shell of a building stands at the very entrance to Coco Beach a city that itself with once the thriving St meca once it was a fancy restaurant where astronauts DED it was a help Club it was a bank I have met ladies who have cried and told me of their first loan that they took out at the bank once it was a pride of Coco Beach before wol pen House was built was Ramon's Rainbow Room a Swanky restaurant well known during the Space Age It's Ely wonderful it brings back for for those that have been here the space cers it brings back a different time in America The Landmark space co building is coming down today the glass in the old glass bank is shattering to pieces no one yet knows what will become of what was the glass B sta house is to be a 74 un long stfe Hotel boasting unique specialty shops and a rooftop restaurant reminiscent of the rainbow room of past years we envision the street level shops to include a coco beach Distillery Bakery and coffee shops clothing and Specialty Sul glass stores and possibly crepe and ice cream Airstream vendors in our Park like atmosphere walkability shopping in this downtown Gateway area is what Coco Beach is missing my name's Rosalie Bianco and I've been a coco beach local since 1979 I currently own an outdoor design build firm and spend my days creating Amazing Outdoor spaces through the years I've owned and lived in several homes and condos in Coco Beach so I'm as invested as you are in maintaining its charm and enhancing the enjoyment and walkability of the downtown area my sister Franny and I have purchased and renovated and resold many cal beach properties because we believe that maintaining the Aesthetics of our community helps us to enjoy our lives and our environment while holding our property values High many of you know Fran and her husband Dom owner operators of the Italian Courtyard restaurant on 520 Causeway for us the Italian Courtyard transcended being just a restaurant it became an integral part of both the communities and our family story like you Coco Beach is our home we now own this key Coco Beach property and are working on a wonderful revitalization project we believe that this project could transform what is known as the gateway to downtown Coco Beach to purchase the property we had to settle lawsuits between neighbors and resolve serious title issues when we finally closed we knew it would take every bit of the height and density this property was entitled to to make the project viable at the time we believed that the density was 74 units what happened next was devastating the property was listed at 2.64 Acres the tax records verified this acreage a site plan was located by our attorney that matched the legal description of tax records and the listing the serice was used by our attorney to close on the property this 2.64 Acres allowed for the needed 74 transi units to make the project possible as you have seen it several weeks after the closing I got an unexpected call from our site engineer he informed me that he and the attorney now believe that the tax records and the listing were incorrect although the legal descriptions matched the acreage was incorrect after closer examination the property was only 2.01 Acres this mistake was devastating and after months of research we concluded that it was irrevocably true the property was in fact 63 Acres smaller than what we believed we had purchased because it was smaller only 56 units could be built on the property 18 units less than what was needed to make the project viable this error shut down our dreams of building this project we had a choice we could open a lawsuit against everyone and the legacy of this property would continue or we could try to find a higher Road building just 56 units without mixed use shops and restaurants is one viable option for us and has the best financial outcome but we do not believe that this would be the best for the city of Coco Beach we would remove the ground level shops and the rooftop restaurant experience that Coco Beach deserves as a resident of Koko Beach we would like to keep the essence of the project as you have seen it without the additional two units per acre the project with the ground level shops and park like experience for the community is not possible the comprehensive plan allows for a variance of two units per acre if we provide the mixed use the city planners made a provision to allow for this t and a comprehensive plan possibly knowing that a better downtown experience for its citizens was worth the minor increase the project as shown with the extra four units and the mixed use will not be the best financial model for us but it is the highest and best experience for Coco Beach residents and visitors we're willing to invest the extra needed for the ground level experience to ensure that we end up with this benefit if the variance is granted the official request is this today we are requesting a variance to section 4-41 A3 to allow trans lodging as part of mixed use development to be constructed at a density greater than 28 units per acre but in no event greater than 30 transient lodging units per acre the comprehensive plan as well as the land Redevelopment District were amended to allow this type of variance within the area of the city where this property is if granted the variance would allow the development of the subject site as mixed use development with 60 transient lodging units rather than the current currently allowable 56 units just four units more while keeping the height the same approving this variance today would allow the Cena project to move forward as described in the preliminary site plan approval request that we submitted today as well that request describes the project in This Way 880,000 Ft of hotel and mixed space with a tiered first and second floor which will help to create a HomeTown feeling or experience at the ground level shops 60 unit Hotel will provide spacious and desirable accommodations for weekly and monthly visitors Coco Beach has many vbo type weekly rentals within our communities and the need is growing importantly new visitors coming to stay at the Cena Hotel will be renting a properly zoned transient property preserving our small residential neighborhoods for families and ensuring local children can attend our schools the 880,000 total square fet will include approximately 10,000 ft of mixu space offering a park-like pedestrian friendly experience for Coco Beach residents and visitors the addition of Cena house enhances this commercial end of town and aligns with the city's comprehensive plan for mixed use development that encourages walkability and outdoor space all parking and drainage required for the hotel and the shops will be contained within our property we will provide a comprehensive parking study with the building plans to ensure proper traffic flow giving the sites prior use for a bank health club and office base we anticipate a similar traffic pattern this downtown Coco Beach Gateway property has been abandoned for years plagued with tragedy lawsuits and bad energy we are here to ask you to help us to change you can't help us to recover the 18 units that we're lost but we are here to ask you for the approval of this variance for four of those units and then the site plan approval as well so we can move forward with the building plans for this wonderful project thank you for your [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] consideration the eight story ship if the uh commissioner would allow I'd also like to run over a couple of the other things out of the comprehensive plan and the Land Development code as well as the zeiset study that helped support this it's not just a variant situation for density but I don't think so Randy huh no go ahead don't do that to me [Laughter] May uh there there there special conditions and circumstances that do exist not just variant but those are one part of the considerations for the review of the variants uh also key to to this type of variance are is the impend is whether or not the hardship would imp impede or disincentivize the Redevelopment of a parcel amarate any blighted condition associated with the land which would also include like lack of a storm water management plan or some impromptu vehicle parking that we have at this point ALS Al the other condition was is would not approving the variance impede or disincentivize the development or Redevelopment of a partial as so as to result in a substantial economic loss for both the property owner and the city uh just real quickly in Your Land Development code section 232 describes the Town Center subd District as a mixed use pedestrian oriented hub for surrounding neighborhoods in the entire city the city's comprehensive plan also speaks to provision of mixed use development within the city specifically the Town Center policy 1.2.1 of the comp plan states that the city shall support the efforts of state legislature to Foster Innovative planning in order to maximize existing facilities and services through the Redevelopment of targeted areas and re Redevelopment and revitalization of targeted areas within the city the downtown is a target area uh POS objective 1.3 encourages the city to use Innovative and Land Development regulations that may include Provisions for plan unit developments and other mixed use development techniques this property does not qualify for a plan development because it is not three acres but it certainly qualifies and is best developed I believe as a mixed juice development uh goal three of the comprehensive plan states that the city will support Redevelopment of the Cities downtown promote a mix of uses and create solutions to ensure the downtown's long-term economic viability and livability support new investment and enhance and preserve the city the area's vibrancy and unique Cocoa Beach character policy 3.1.8 comprehensive plan States at the downtown area the city must encourage the impact low impact design to improve storm water management right now the property has no storm W management it just sheets flow off into the to to the uh streets policy uh 3.2.1 speak to the support of the downtown Coco Beach area CRA community redevelopment plan by redeveloping the Town Center creating a gateway to the Northern end of the downtown and repositioning retail and broadening uses within the downtown area I only have two more quick ones objective 3.3 uh plan states that the city of Coco Beach seeks to increase the downtown's population further economic stability and improve downtown with a mix of active commercial uses which support and encourage walking and foot traffic in combination with residential lodging and office uses uh I don't know how many of you remember the zovich study it was 2010 2012 the city paid for that study it was a study entitled downtown visioning plan and downtown design sign standards the subject parcel is contained in the Campus Gateway section of the downtown is identified in the zeich study the study goes on to say that this area of the downtown will be a northern gateway to the downtown mixed use buildings are permitted additional development may include other public amenities like Parks green spaces plazas and interactive fountains residential uses are permitted you've heard me say this before this is the way we Implement these studies that we've paid for rather than just have them sit on I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have at this point I think we're good on on the board unless yeah I mean commissioner Williams pointed out I actually had collocated or combined both my comments I think most of them are against J2 let me get this clear if the variance is rejected they would have to require a special exemption for solo transient lodging is that it depends on what they would come back with my understanding and I don't want to speak speak for the applicant I'd rather them do it but if they if the variance is not approved it would simply be transient logic right and that would require a special exemption would could potentially require special exception there it's arguable that a hotel if done correctly is within is within itself a mixed use development because you got residential restaurant Commercial things of that nature but but you're you're on the right track there the rest of mine are on J2 then rest of my comments but I do want to hear that's a good point as far as you know what you just brought up so did did uh my my goal really is to is I know Skip you want to get this over with but um I want to make sure that the the residents understand what we're doing here and that you feel comfortable with what we're doing here so just a clarification Randy um number of messages we got had some concerns with some of the uh setbacks and things like that that's part two oh let him get I want to understand this where the variant if the variant were approved that setbacks studies parking all of that would still need to be addressed the variance being passed would not affect or just permit the site as proposed or something like that all it does is look at the uh the variance as stated and doesn't infer approval of um the concept as proposed that has to come back again the way I like to to word it commissioner is right now the applicant needs to know what plan what project they have right and the variance addresses that it's going to be single use or it's going to be a multi-use facility and those will affect and you're right uh there's a there's a lot of task that have to be accomplished uh between now and the the the final site plan that will come back to you perfect yeah I think as you were saying mayor I think it's important for folks to understand they still have to follow the rules and cod building code everything y yeah thank you okay um I think so we're good on this for variance I can go to public comment now the applicant may want to I don't know if she wants to say anything else did you want to say anything about this before we go I mean CU I assume I mean pretty much all of it was stated there you're but you're welcome to say something if you'd like I want to say one thing that that yes if we don't do mixed use the way we're talking about it here we could still come back and do mixed use but it wouldn't be to this to this volume you know the the expense that we want to be able to spend here with the added four units is to create this beautiful um you know park-like area and the amount of mixed use that we're going to do so mixed use could be one store see what I'm saying so we really wouldn't have to jump through too many Hoops to do it the other way and again financially honestly it's better for us but you know I do believe all my life I've lived here and walked by that piece of property dreaming that this is what it could be so it's up to you as to whether you believe the same thing it's up to the folks here in Coco Beach as to whether they believes first the same thing thank you I just want I just want to address that I appreciate that I'm going to reserve my comments till the end so um let's go to public comment um let's see we'll start with uh bill gger number 3 minutes name and address thank you mayor Commissioners I'm Bill gerer 15 Fairway Drive I been here about 58 years I've owned a business in town for over 40 years there's four generations of us hopping around this town so you probably at least heard my name I've emailed all of you basically what I'm going to speak about I got one reply thank you commissioner um my big issue here is parking now I understand that parking comes later but I don't even see the point of discussing a variance on a project that in my opinion can't take place all of the parking that they are proposing to use adjacent to the CEST building is already 100% encumbered by deed and easement for the use of the CEST building I can't in my wildest imagination figure out how they intend to double dip and and use a parking space for density for two different projects also if you ever go to eat at Fourth Street ask them where to park they're going to tell you to park behind the CEST building now I don't know if there's a formal agreement between the Fourth Street and the glass bank property owner or the secr building owner but that parking lot is full all the time so whether legal or not it is already being used by two businesses the CEST building and four Street and that is proposed to be used by a third um that they speak of a hardship but a hardship is not something that you get by not completing basic due diligence you can spend millions of dollars on a piece of land you get a survey and you get a title policy I which is has the parking lot to the north of the CEST building and to the to the west of the Secrest building is pervious and it never will be so even if somehow they get away with with getting parking allocated in those areas it's not going to be perious parking which they require from what I understand so again I understand parking is down the road but in my mind I don't see how this is a viable project because it doesn't have 50% of the parking that it needs because the parking that they're claiming to use is already encumbered by deed and easement recorded uh to the use of the CEST building I got a lot more to say but I think that gets my point across thank you thank you Bill uh Rebecca Sparks good evening my name is Rebecca Sparks I dwell at 1210 South Orlando Avenue and I have a company business right here in Coco Beach at 1485 North Atlantic Avenue um good evening and thank you council members I proudly called Coco Beach home since 1989 when I was stationed at Patrick Air Force Space since then I've built my life and my livelihood here in Coco Beach and I have opened several businesses here in Coco Beach and I now run a small business that recently celebrated its 35th Anniversary when I first arrived here in Coco Beach I felt like kocoa beach was the best kept secret in the world a hidden gym is what I call and I still do over the years I witnessed its growth and transformation and today I stand before you in support of an incredible opportunity the construction of the stetina house in the historic spot of the glass bank and here's some reason why our community is facing a housing crisis not just here in Coco Beach but across the Space Coast the need for long-term stay transient property is dire as I work with clients I hear heartbreaking stories of families having nowhere to stay the force and temporary vrbos airbnbs and accommodations where they should be moving into permanent residencies it's disturbing to see unlicensed rentals I'm a real estate broker and I do a lot of property management but it's disturbing disturbing to see unlicensed rentals advertised on platforms like vbo and Airbnb while only a fraction are properly licensed through our process of Cocoa Beach meanwhile the city is expanding expanding resources chasing unlicensed rentals the stina house project presents an opportunity to address this issue headon by providing quality transient properties we can preserve our residential neighborhoods for families ensuring our local schools continue to drive to thrive as a parent with two children enrolled in two different local schools here in Coco Beach I am deeply invested in seeing our educational institutions Thrive the success of our schools is not only crucial for the academic development of our children but also the vibrancy of our community by supporting projects like the stina house we ensure that our schools have the resources that they need to continue providing quality education to Generations to come for the Coco Beach residents so I know a house will be more than just a building it will be a gateway to coka beach it symbolizes our community's commitment to progress and growth while honoring our Rich history let me take pride let's all take pride in our city and continuing the positive momentum that has already been set in motion by all of us let's make this Coco Beach destination worthy of its reputation as its hidden gym thank you so much for your time thank you all right Jenice Scott come on down Jan Scott cooko Beach um I missed the glass B too bad you guys the commission did not renovate the outside of that building and they tore it down instead I think cost us tax faay is $85,000 so we have a grassy lot um I think that it would be nice to see something there again however um kind of confused about variance because variance goes with the land maybe the attorney can clarify this that a variance is a hardship that you ex have that doesn't nobody else has in your neighborhood the adjacent land and so on and so forth um I don't see how this meets the criteria for quote variance um except that you want it I mean they bought it and that's what you they got I think I'm more concerned about I think the previous person who spoke is talking about need for transient uh um rentals or whatever I understand it's going to be a hotel hotel or a condo I'd like to know that I would like that clarified also um the parking is already critical and that part of the city in case you haven't noticed the filling station is busy from 10:00 in the morning till 10:00 at night there's no parking you want to go there people go to the seest like Bill guer said they just kind of go there before they were going to the post office um I guess the library isn't open except two days a week after 8:00 you could kind of go there maybe share some parking but that is a critical issue that needs to be resolved and that part of the city and I don't think you should be adding any density to it um I don't know about you know I can't speak for ABC they're there they have people in and out there's a lot of pressure on their parking during holiday periods but where are people going to park and um anyway I I one last comment the downtown sector when they added hotels to it it was was 45 ft and I understand they grandfathered for 85 ft but it just doesn't seem to fit with the downtown view of oh when Tony Caravella talked about the boutique hotel that was going to go there this hardly looks like a boutique hotel thank you thank you Janice Mike Johnson I'll pass all right thank you uh any other public that didn't fill out a card all right call the question what's that call question yes does anybody else want to say anything on the board could I make could I make a comment yes okay if we could put in the motion that you are also making findings of fact that the petitioner has met the legal standards for variance is set forth in section 4-41 because that's required under the um the code and that will be in the final order that will be issued assuming make that motion as an amendment okay any discussion on the board a second second okay motion and second for what we had with the amended for amended on the amendment first so uh all in favor for the amended motion or I okay okay so the amended motion now we can so put on the main motion put on the main motion all right so any other any questions or concerns about what was said over here so I had a question about the parking I don't know that's on that's number two we're just voting on The variant the parking would be later if you know they got to meet the codes so we're I'm talking about the double counting sounds like it be a problem either way well that's well that'll be that that'll have to be rectified later this is just for variance for the extra I'll say that um I could care less that um you got the raw end of the deal on that uh on the uh 6.4 compared to the 6.01 um to me that that plays no no no role in this at all as far as uh how I view this this um variance so uh but I will say since it is allowed in our code uh according to Randy um that does uh play Heavy in the way I feel about this uh we're we're up here to represent you guys and to do what's best for our city and in my opinion this is a really nice project I really like it um I like the fact that you're you're bringing in um old school traditional Cocoa Beach with the Ramon's rainbow room and the launch Lounge would be absolutely amazing for the residents for me I don't want to see something that's just going to benefit tourists I want to see something that's going to also benefit the residents as well and I think some of those Boutique shops like you're talking about and especially that that uh Rainbow Room launch Lounge would be something that the residents could really uh enjoy uh I I ran on um a height and density not not going above what we what we allow so for me um if this was something that was egregious you know I wouldn't be for this I would not vote to change our current laws to to go above what our high height and density laws are but this this is something that's allowable this is a a great I think managed growth produ project and I I like I like what you've got here so for me I would be okay with that so um I just want to say um uh I think I I I've been kind of following this project for a couple years now when they when uh they first started thinking of the concept and um I know they mentioned that they um they were going to um probably have issues because they just at that time they just discovered that um they had the issue with the survey and the the the um um the right of ways and um what she described earlier and um back then I thought it was a great project and I I admire their persistence in getting through all the all the trouble that they did to try to make to redo this project and and make it work and make it something wonderful and I mean I think it's a great opportunity to actually utilize that piece of property to its full potential which has been sorely underutilized um so I'm all for it I mean it's going to actually connect the city um I think it's a key location to connect the rest of the city with the Wesson coming in with the with the Marcato coming in um walkability is going to be increased it's going to help it I I believe it's going to help with the Airbnb problem that um a lot of people have issues with um I I see it as a great project it's beautiful right now we have a vacant piece of property weed lot huh a weed lot a weed lot it looks it looks you know it's a high schore so um I want to take advantage of this uh of of these people who want to put their money and make something beautiful they want to they don't have to um and um I'm on for it anybody else have any comments yeah I mean it's a simple tradeoff basically four units for residential benefit Beyond just transing and lodging we don't I'm with you I have there's no benefit to me to have six 56 hotel rooms yeah you know the nominal Revenue okay I think did you want to explain the way you're going to vote at all just to make people feel warm and cozy either way just vote I think I'm just saying I just want I just want you guys to be fully informed and and know the reason why because later down the line it creates a lot less contention when you get upset with us because you don't know why we voted how we voted so I'm trying to be fully transparent here I appreciate and all fair I think most of these comments are on J2 not on J1 right but okay so um all in favor no this is a this needs to be a roll call this is a roll call sorry yeah sorry but the amendment was okay the way the amendment was fine what you did yes commissioner Jackson I commissioner Williams hi commissioner wace hi vice mayor Hutson hi mayor capy hi all right uh section two okay um item two new business review and consider the stina project conceptual site plan pursuant to section 4-02 c of the Land Development code the site plan requires review and final action by the city commission since the plan contains structures of 30,000 square feet or greater representative Randy Stevenson development services director recommendation approve I'm Mo the review and consider the state project conceptual site plan with uh a final consideration after it goes through all the boards and processes Al says conceptual right but I'm just just for the clarification that we're not stamping this to say go do it just like it was in the depiction I'll second that yeah all right got a motion second to uh to approve the conceptual what is he had a question well just so commissioner and mayor um thanks for having me up here um so this is a conceptual site plan that they're asking for approval for got to keep in mind that for them to come back here with the um final everything has to go through um your parking studies storm water all of that has to meet our code our city code before we can even bring it here so all that will have to be resolved but this is just for the conceptual to go ahead with that project thank you it's pretty simple so it's pretty pretty straightforward guys um we don't have to approve a conceptual I don't understand what no we we're reviewing and we're reviewing and consider the motion was to review and consider and bring it back for final judgment okay so it's open discussion Bas we're not voting on appr uh we are looks like we're voting on it but I mean to me as as in the conceptual you know presentation I I liked it so I would be okay with provided that it meets the provided it meets the criteria added that piece to my motion right I think I mean we don't have to approve a conceptuals that's why the process doesn't require we approve it so this is more of a discussion to get our open comments what would you like to say I want hear from the public well it's on here I move to I have no more public comments unless somebody else wants to come up and say anything uh I've got no written cards for coming back Bey what the consequences of Chang was that a proper motion Becky yes yes it was and but started out motion to approve and then you said the other stuff which is all fine yeah that is coming back for final approval yeah okay let's let him go to work unless unless um Randy has heartburn over that I don't I don't have heartburn over it but I think we're trying to get uh we're trying to allow them to move forward with some sense of of certainty that you know they haven't presented us a Chevy and we're going to change our mind and want to afford uh this this this concept is what they're proposing we understand it has a lot of fleshing out to take place that's a I'm a bad anal I'm sorry about that uh it has a lot of fleshing out to take place a lot stands between here and there but again they're asking for the concept plan any comments that you may have and if we could get an approval on is as a concept plan is what we're after so I guess the question is what what is your concerns I'm not going to approve a conceptual as non-compliant it's so I'm going to vote no but it's not because I don't like the the I just don't think the concept's required for approval and there's some non-compliances there's some setbacks so I don't know why we would even approve a a known non-compliant the 10 fo I think what we're trying to do is is kind of give her Direction on how how we feel so tell me what is your what are your concerns so I think if it it was all these non-compliances of all the other building codes and that'll be wrapped in so rolling into that I don't think there's any value of approving the concept so I think some of the one of the from what I understand one of the emails that we've we got from a former commissioner um his uh information in there was inaccurate well it was the process steps in the actual formal approval a lot of his bullets Hey where's this where's this so those are all the non-comp coming let me finish I get that but that's his the basis of his email I suspect he was reading the process that's required for the final plan so here we are with a draft and it's like what do why approve with no non-compliances I'm going to vote no but if it gets cleaned up I my and this is just my my thought on the value of it and Randy please correct me where I'm is stating this I think bry's point was that the the owner is going to go out at risk and spend money on a number of these things and so if the commission were completely out of sorts on this and that we you know she was going to go spend money on something that it's like no this is a clear note right up front um I think that would be fair for us to offer that um I agree with commissioner Williams on and I think it's in the spirit of what you're saying as well that this has got to meet code it's got to live within we're not approving you know a something that's going to say well yeah you can you can ignore setbacks you can ignore all the I think what we're communicating to the uh to the owner and what they're pursuing is that they're they're accepting some level of risk but they're not completely exposed that we are going to head in an opposite direction and I think that's where the value of the commission saying conceptually I like where this is going I see it you know meeting the meeting and addressing interests of the comprehensive plan and I I agree with you 100% it's still it's got a meat code it's got to live within uh the proper processes for permanent things like that I think I think just from a business investment standpoint I think it gives some level of confidence that the risk extended in pursuing a final plan is Meaningful that's that's my thought I don't know if it helps I agree with you and it has to automatically uh if we say we approve this conceptual um site plan it has to come back to us anyway after all the studies are done so that you can deal with these uh issues that the setback issue and everything that and and thank you commissioner Jackson you're exactly right but again what we're trying to do is that not it doesn't meet this setback it doesn't do that doesn't that the building has shown up on the front as we've talked about that's where we prefer it in form Bas code I don't want them to come back showing it up front and now the commission says oh we really want it in the back okay understand they're they're about to and I'm not I've just been in this business a long time in private practice I know the kind of money they're about to spend and that's what we're looking at is for some assurance that what you see in front of you is workable in your eyes yes we know there's a lot of tweaking we have to do there are a lot of studies that we have to do there's storm order there's things that are going to happen but that's a process that we now have to go through once we get past here I can assure you uh my staff or these guys will be spending a lot of time on this to make sure that what we bring back to you and and they're going to make sure that what they bring back to you is going to meet uh the code and the requirements for the downtown area in city of coka beach thank you Randy so so um not that it has to be a 5 vote but um you're just you you just don't like the concept no I like the concept I just don't think the process requires it she there's no value in US voting on versus what our discussion points in her take is value on it because she wants to feel some confidence a confidence level that we as a commission are going to come back on the final vote and go from a what would be now in my mind a 41 to a 3-2 against it I I just feel like we should show our just vote on just voting on principle would be nice I feel like we I feel like we owe it to her to to have unity and the fact that we want to see a nice project come online and not just not just say well out a principle I just don't like to approve Concepts I just sometimes you just don't you just don't have to be like that but I I understand if how you want to vote so has your hand yeah yeah um I just want to mention that it is not at all unusual to actually have a vote to approve a concept plan and all it is is a concept and what Randy said makes sense you know if y'all if all that you would approve would be an aquarium put there you know don't lead her down the Garden Path you know she's talking about a mixed use tell and you know that kind of looks like what she says and is kind of located where she says it is that's the idea of it and it it it's not an unusual and I and I agree with you it's not absolutely required but it is not unusual for cities to go through this process in order to um you know encourage development basically in in order to Telegraph to the developer what y'all are looking for on the y'all all right I think uh you guys I'm Southern come on all right so we got we had a motion in a second to uh what is the motion that we're voting on the motion is approve the red and considered the conceptual site plan to we're approving to review and the conceptual C plan and that it will come back to us for a final approval after it goes through the do we have to say all that cuz it's coming anyway well well I I wanted it to be clear in the public record I should fall in my I wanted it to be clear in the public record that this is not the final vote okay we're not saying nice canvas all right so we're going to approve the we want to vote to approve the conceptual design um and that we we agree that we want it to follow our codes uh all in favor all opposed 5 there you go all right um I any yeah I guess we're good oh no you we're done