good um Char you have DNC you read Proclamation 5 DNC call team to rece good evening I'd like to call to order the city commission meeting meeting for this the 13th day of May 2024 at 6: p.m. you have a roll call by Lan Harris Deputy city clerk commissioner dollison here commissioner Mercer here commissioner dancer here mayor protim Yates here and mayor Bon here thank you we will have the invitation by Dr Steve Ney of first Presbyterian church and we'll be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Lon Harris Deputy City CL please stand if a thank you Mr Mayor let us bow before God In Prayer wonderful God we start tonight by saying thank you for the rain that's come back to our area and the blessing that we receive this day we also thank you for the people the places and the programs that make Winter Haven such a wonderful place to call home God we ask you to be with those who guard us and guide us as they dedicate their lives to public service and city government we ask you to watch over those people this day we ask you to watch over the places and the programs that will fill our community this summer and add to our quality of life most of all God we ask you to be with us this night guide those who are leading tonight be with the Commission in their decisions and help them to look for the common good as they move forward again giving us this wonderful place to call home for it's in Jesus name that we pray amen amen FL flag of the United States of America to the for it stands Nation indivisible andice for all we have some proclamations good evening mayor and Commissioners we have uh four items under presentations this evening that we will divide up amongst your administrative staff to present uh our first item is item 5A this is a proclamation for National safe boting week I'm going to ask flotilla Commander for flotilla 77 of the United States Coast Guard auxiliary Mr Gilbert Thomas if he could come forward to accept the proclamation I'll read it for you at this point whereas for over 100 million Americans boating continues to be a popular recreational activity from coast to coast and everywhere in between people are taking to the water and enjoying time together boating sailing paddling and fishing during National safe boating week the US Coast Guard and National safe boating Council along with federal state and local safe boating Partners encourage all boers to explore Lor and enjoy America's beautiful Waters responsibly and whereas safe boating begins with preparation the Coast Guard estimates that human error counts for most boating accidents and that life jackets could prevent nearly 75% of boating fatalities through basic boating safety procedures carrying life-saving emergency distress and Communications equipment wearing life jackets attending safe boating courses participating in free boat safety checks and staying sober when navigating we can help ensure that boers on America's Coastal Inland and offshore Waters stay safe throughout the season and whereas National safe boating week is observed observed to bring attention to important life-saving tips for recreational boers so that they can have a safer more fun experience out on the water throughout the year and whereas on average 650 people die each year in boting related accidents in the United States and 75% of these are fatalities caused by drowning and whereas the vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error or poor judgment and not by the boat equipment or environmental factors and whereas a significant number of Voters who lose their lives by Drowning each year would be alive today had they worn their life jackets now therefore Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida does hereby Proclaim May 20th through the 26th of 2024 as National safe boating week in the city of winter Haven and urges all citizens to support the goals of the safe boating campaign and the start of the yearr round effort to promote safe boating also to urge all those who boat to practice safe boating habits and wear a life jacket at all times while boting and witness whereof he is here and to set his hand and cause the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be affixed this 13th day of May 2024 I thank the mayor and the commissioners of Winter Haven and the hospitality that they have exceedingly laid upon the coast guardy xiri and their help in establishing a futility here eight years ago in these 8 years I've been here eight times and in those eight years nothing has changed about drowning we had 636 deaths on the water last year 75% of those fatalities were drowning but the startling fact is 85% did not wear a life jacket in fact is I I spent a lot of time on the water and I used to photograph boats now the only boats I really photograph are the ones that are wearing a life jacket because it's so seldomly that I see one so I thought that would be an interesting case to see how many I can see with life jackets but another thing that's showing up and I've been saying it for a long time is education now I get this deal from people I've been voting for 30 years or 40 years or 20 years and I know what I'm doing but if we get down to the statistics of that it belays it because we find that most of the accidents that they blame on all the teenagers well the teenagers are really a bad group I'm going to tell you that much abouted but they're only worth 24% of all the accidents that happened out of there on the water it's not the teenagers the other 76% are people from the age 35 through 65 who know everything about voting you know if that was the case I wouldn't have gone to five schools this year just to keep up with the laws that are changing and the equipment changes that we have to monitor and has come to the state's attention and for whatever reason it didn't get passed that they were going to make a mandatory that all voters on the water had a course in voting safety that kind of fell through which I'm sorry to see happen but the good news is this in coyour every month the course Saturday of each month at the Sheriff's Office on Avenue G which is 3635 Avenue G Northwest we hold a bilding course it's an 8 and 1 half hour course and when you get done and completed the course I will put your paperwork in to get the voter's education card for the State of Florida you will not have to even deal with that Louis issue I will take care of it and the other thing is this if you come down to the boat dock down at the uh boat ramp across from the amp Trak station we're there the third Saturday of each month we will for No Charge inspect your boat we will look at it I don't know the nicest guy you can find because I won't flip a dime on you I won't call the cops and I'll give you a report what's wrong with your boat before the sheriff catches up with you or FWC or the Winter Haven Police you got your choice over here some other places you don't get that many choices but you got your choice the thing is this we would rather see you make that boat repair then to put the money into a ticket and then make the boat repair so we're in the phone book we're on the internet if you want a boting safety course then give me a call the other thing is this let me go away with a thought for anybody that's paying Insurance on their boat each year if you take the voting safety course most insurance companies will give you a 10% rebate off your insurance policy per year so one year will pay the cost of that class and you'll benefit for a long period of time with that card I'd like to thank the mayor the council and all those that are here in the residents of Winter Haven thank you [Applause] Gil if we could get a picture with you we'd appreciate it I think this is the eighth one we have so we'll uh we'll see how the group is aged over time mayor Commissioners um we're going to put two presentations together at this point um it is National Public Works week uh this month and uh we will also hear from um the American public works Association regarding ing a significant accomplishment of your Public Works team so at this point going to ask Britney Hart our director of Public Works and members of her team uh that are she so chooses to come forward and MJ carnavali Deputy city manager will present this item make sure there's no stragglers in the back there whereas Public Works professionals focus on infrastructure facilities and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to the public health high quality of life and well-being of the people of Winter Haven and whereas these infrastructure facilities and services could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of Public Works professionals from state and local governments in the private sector who are responsible for rebuilding improving and protecting our nation's Transportation Solid Waste Systems natural resources Fleet water utilities and other infrastructure essential for our citizens and whereas it is in the public interest for the citizens Civic leaders and children in Winter Haven to gain knowledge of and to maintain a progressive interest and understanding of the importance of Public Works and Public Works programs in their respective communities and whereas the American public works Association has celebrated the annual National Public Public Works week since 1960 now therefore Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida does hereby proclaimed May 19th through May 25th 2024 as National Public Works week in the city of Winter Haven and urges all citizens to join with representatives of the American public works Association and government agencies in activities events and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our Public Works professionals and and to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our health safety and quality of life in witness whereof he has heing to set his hand and cause the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be a fixed this 13th day of May 2024 Nathaniel J Birdsong junr mayor Vanessa ceso test good evening mayor Commissioners I'd like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the city commission and the city Administration for recognizing our Public Works team as we kick off our Public Works week celebrations this year's theme is advancing quality of life for all which truly resonates with our commitment to enriching the lives of everyone in Winter Haven through exceptional service many may not realize the significant impact that Public Works plays in their daily lives when you drove here tonight did you stop to think about who maintains the roads that you were on that's the streets and drainage team and they keep the roads the signs the sidewalks at more in good shape for all the beautiful Chain of Lakes we love our natural resources Team Works diligently to preserve them for future Generations Solid Waste ensures that your trash is collected every week whether you're at home or running a business and in the background our Fleet division keeps each of these operations running smoothly by maintaining our vehicles and equipment and allowing All City teams to provide essential Services promptly when the community should need them our recent accreditation from the American public works Association is a testament to to our commitment to Excellence and I'm very proud of our team for achieving this Milestone and using it to motivate them to keep raising the bar I would like to again thank you for your continuous support and recognition of our team's contributions and together we will continue to advance the quality of life for all within Winter Haven so Mr Mayor and Commissioners we have with us this evening uh Mr Robert Garland Regional director of the American public works Association Britney if you want to bring your staff over to the side and we'll let Mr Garland speak from the podium to address and then we'll get a photo with all good evening mayor Commissioners residents of of Winter Haven for the record my name again is Robert Garland I have the privilege of uh serving on the national board of directors for the American public works Association or apwa and also I had the privilege of serving as the past president of the Florida chapter of APW and I truly appreciate uh the city's active participation in our association it is my honor to recognize the achievements of your public works department in receiving apwa accreditation um I think we all just heard what the public works department does but what we don't realize you know these are the dedicated Frontline workers that typically work behind the scenes quietly to maintain the quality of life for the residents they don't typically brag about themselves and that's why I'm here today is to brag about your Public Works Department I'd also like to thank you uh members of the commission for your support of the accreditation process it demonstrates your commitment to the city staff and also your commitment to the residents of Winter Haven to provide higher higher levels of service for your residents while maintaining affordable user structures user rates now accreditation it's a it's a achievement that recognizes commitment of your of the city and your public works department to continuously look for improvements in the processes and services that they provide your residents and taxpayers accreditation once received recognizes that your policies and procedures align with internationally best practices let me repeat that internationally best practices the benefits to the department and to the city include increased efficiency improved processes succession planning which I think we could all appreciate today's Marketplace and customer satisfaction it's not an easy process I think I heard today this process started back in 2018 I believe um and initially the department performs a self- evaluation of their policies and procedures and compare that against again recognized best best practices then they go through a self-improvement phase where they improve the policies and procedures to bring them up to speed with best practices finally we bring a team of independent thirdparty reviewers to review the policies um and this year we had a team of evalu evaluators consisting consisting of experienced Public Works professionals from Illinois and Wisconsin to review 277 of the public work Department's practices to confirm your compliance with best practices I'm honored to report that over 99% of your revised policies and procedures met these standards that's exceptional so following the recommend ation of the valuation team the accreditation Council for apwa granted full accreditation to the city's public works department now this Milestone places a city and a distinguished group of cities let me put this in perspective for you there are over 23,000 municipalities throughout North America there are only 207 accredited agencies that places your public works department in the top 99.99% to of North America Fin achievement and to brag on Florida there are actually 31 agencies within the State of Florida um but I would like to extend my congratulations to the director Britney Hart uh and also shout out to the accreditation manager I think Tyler Williams started the process and hand it off to Jan Davis who gets to do the re accreditation uh which I think is doing four years so you got to get started now right um and as your staff will agree it's not an easy process but as you can see see the smiles on their faces the benefits are definitely worth it so on behalf of the public the apwa national board of directors I would like to recognize the City of Winter Haven director Britney Hart and entire public works department for this outstanding achievement congratulations on a well done job a job well done so mayor and Commissioners if we could have the team join you at the dis and uh oh look Britney gets her own bling [Music] [Music] Su you just got a hat on should be official should be official [Music] for the oh my gosh get accredited get all kinds of photos count mayor Commissioners um that's a a pretty awesome accomplishment and um I would be remissed if I didn't point out that um it was noted this process began in 2018 under the uh at that time the leadership and direction of Deputy city manager MJ carnavali so I certainly want to make sure that he's recognized in that process for carrying it up to last summer and handing it off our final Proclamation presentation this evening will be for police week uh and I'm Proud To Hand this one off to assistant City Manager for Public Safety Charlie bird thank you sir uh Chief Brandon deputy chief Monroe and Captain nun if you come up to the podium please anybody else you might have with you so the proclamation reads whereas law enforcement agencies play a central role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms which have been guaranteed by the Constitution to every American citizen and whereas it is important that people throughout our community know and understand the problems duties and responsibilities of law enforcement agencies and that members recognize their duty to serve the people of the community by safeguarding life and property by protecting them against violence or disorder and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation and whereas law enforcement agencies unceasingly provide a vital public service and whereas the city commission has designated the week of May 12th through May 18th 2024 as Police Week in recognition of the contribution law enforcement officers have made to our civilization through their dedicated and selfless efforts in enforcing our laws and has also designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the federal state and Municipal peace officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty and now therefore Nathan J B Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida do hereby call upon the people of Winter Haven to observe the week of May 12th through 18th 2024 as Police Week in the City of Winter Haven which all of our citizens may join in commemorating police officers past and present who by their faithful and loyal Devotion to the responsibilities have rendered a dedicated service to this community and in so doing have established for themselves an En an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens in witness whereof he has here unto set his hand and caused the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be fixed this 13th day of May 2024 Nathan J Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr uh mayor and Vanessa Castillo uh city [Applause] clerk just a few things about about police week and police memorial week uh this is recognized throughout the nation Even in our uh in in Washington DC at the National Memorial and it's really about uh paying special recognition to the police officers that have given their life given everything to protecting their Community they they get up every morning and put on their their uniforms that you see and they go out and they don't know if they're going to go home to their family members recently um you the County Sheriff's Office uh had several deputies that were shot thank God they survived we've lost two in the City of Winter Haven with uh Gordon stots and Johnny P Patterson Jr uh just recently as this weekend an Ohio PD officer who was engaged to get married a young officer was ambushed and killed um the statistics for 2024 so far uh just in this year is 58 uh officers lost in the line of duty and that's way too many uh but um appreciate uh you guys recognizing this and chief Brandon if you have anything to say no I just want to say thank you for the proclamation and the support that the commission uh other members of the city team and the citizen have given us over the years you know every week in March we have our U for Johnny Patterson and y'all are always attending for that and just recently we had the P County's law enforcement memorial and unfortunately yes that list is too long longer it needs to be but we do appreciate all the support we get from y'all and the City of winner Haven thank you Commissioners as the uh members of our team come forward for their photo also point out that they just recently also went through their accreditation which is a re accreditation um for the Winter Haven Police Department and they have re been recognized and will appear uh before that re accreditation board in July in um I believe in North Carolina they'll be traveling to uh to officially be reac Ed by Kalia we have no developments of note uh Commissioners you have the minutes Mr Mayor yes motion to approve the April 17th April 22nd meeting minute thank you I will now close the commission meeting and open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to these minutes may do so at this time seeing none I close the public hearing we open the city commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I opposes by the same sign here none the minutes are adopted comments from the audience have one person that just sign up [Music] Marshall I think this is de de winon did I say it right would you come forward you have five minutes state your name and address for the record please hi I've never done this before I'm for pickle ball as you all well probably know it's it's a growing sport game and we all love it that do play it and we have four courts over here at the tennis center that's not nearly enough uh we've got anywhere from 30 to 40 people at any given time and you do the math that it's just you got you got to wait anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to play a game and uh we do what we can we score uh rally score sometimes and we do go to nine score and we take four on and four off just to save time and so everybody can play um I I I really don't know what to what else to say I've heard that you guys have looking into venues for this but that's all I know I don't know where at or what you're looking at or anything else but I see empty buildings and empty lots everywhere around the town and I'm just thinking that something should be done to help us out a little bit because it is a growing Sport and it it's u a lot of young people kids are playing now and um that's all I got to say thank you her name and address thank you I didn't hear you her name and address for the record oh could you give us your name and address for the record please just say your name and address Martian Newton what's your address 4419 limewood Street Winter Haven 33880 okay all right thank you thank you I have no one else that sign up however if there's someone that would like to speak may do so at this time by stating your name and address for the record have five minutes yes thank you members of the commission for giving me this opportunity to address you this evening my name is Father Andrew D I am the pastor of the Solid Rock Church here in Winter Haven I've been a uh Pastor here for over 30 years I love love Winter Haven um and just the privilege to speak with you this morning is is awesome and I don't take it lightly let me first say that I'd like to you know that I as an individual and everybody that I represent we love every man woman and child and especially everyone in this community I desire to be and to try to act in ways that are always inclusive of all people God himself says he loves the world and gives everyone eternal life all who turn to him in faith and believing his word and who seek to follow his precepts God himself is very interested in diversity as we see in his word I'm here tonight to ask the commission and you may or bird song in particular not to issue this year year a proclamation nor any subsequent years that June or any month of the year would be recognized as gay pride month I believe the majority of people who live here in Winter Haven would not be in favor of the commission proclaiming uh such a stand and in fact the pul county last year uh chose not to make a proclamation the PO County Commission I believe making such a proclamation contributes to the uh the disunity of the community a greater Division and greater unrest uh two weeks from today we will celebrate Memorial Day when we give thanks for those who have paid the ultimate price that they could have paid for their with their lives for the freedom that we enjoy today we pause and give them thanks and thank God for them for for one day for one day on July 4th we will celebrate independence day and we remember and give thanks for so many who gave their lives their fortunes their sacred honor for the freedom that we enjoy today we we pause and thank them for the Independence that they've won for us we pause for one day one day on November 11th we'll do something very similar thanking the veterans that signed on the dotted line and said I will give even my life to preserve the freedom of this country and we thank them and many of them came back with Incredible injuries that and uh that that maimed them for the rest of their lives and change the quality of their life forever we thank them for one day one day even the proclamation that was just done here a moment ago for the police that do put their lives on the line right here in our own Community we acknowledge them and we thank them for one one week for one week promote an activity and a lifestyle that God's word has nothing really good to say about it at all we accept all people including those who embrace the lgbtq plus lifestyle and we do treat them with respect but we do not need to promote a Lifestyle by issuing a proclamation by by the city commission that junee or any month other month of the year or any week or a day of the year should be proclaimed as pride month day or year you know we heard the pastor just a few moments ago ask God's blessing I've been invited to give invocations here many times and ask always ask God's blessing I bet it would happen virtually every invoc invocation but to ask for God's blessing and then very clearly take steps that go against his revealed word his inspired inherent word he will not bless he will not bless so therefore Mr Mayor and members of the commission I respectfully ask that uh request that if you have been asked or if you sh should be asked to promote uh uh to Proclaim June month or a week or a day as LBGTQ plus Pride uh month day or year that you would also respectfully decline to make such Proclamation I thank you for your time and I do always ask for and pray for God's blessing on Winter Haven thank you sir God bless you thank you thank you Ma thank you is there anyone else else that would like to address the commission all right we'll move on a is you have one oh oh are they coming sorry I thought they were coming to the podium all right ordinance is second reading uh would you read by title only o only 02418 City attorney thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0- 24-18 an ordinance amending chapter 21 of the code of ordinances of the city Winter Haven Florida by resoning a portion of a parcel from single family residential D small lot r-2 zoning District to multi-fam residential-low density R-3 zoning District providing for the administrative correction of scrier errors repealing all ordinances in Conflict here withth providing for severability and providing an effective date the general location the Eastern portion of the parcel generary located east of the intersection of reer Highway and 21st Street Southwest the area covered by this request is 8.8 plus or minus Acres thank you thank you city managers mayor and Commissioners Eric Labby our director of Economic Opportunity Community investment will give a high level overview of this request yes sir mayor Commissioners this is second reading Blue Sky communities is a petitioner that requests the city rezone a portion of a parcel from residential small lot R2 zoning District to multif family residential low density R3 zoning District it is approximately 8.8 Acres uh the Western portion of the same parcel is designated as commercial commercial Highway C3 the petitioner proposes to develop a multif family residential project the maximum density is 15 units per acre this is an 88 unit uh increase over the existing R2 zoning the surrounding uses include Stonebridge Villas single family attached subdivision that's currently developed at 10.6 units per acre Stonebridge single family uh detached subdivision uh CX CSX railroad tracks to the east vac property zoned R2 to the north and vacant property Zone C3 to the West there is uh substantial uh infrastructure in place to service the the the project you have two tables in your fact sheet that demonstrate the difference between R2 and R3 uh there's adequate capacity within all infrastructure to support the maximum development uh potential of the subject property as with all developments uh in the city Final concurrency determination for supporting public infrastructure will be made prior to final site plan approval this is consistent with the future land use traditional neighborhood area um all public notification was met uh Planning Commission at its April 2nd 2024 regular meeting voted to recommend approval of this request there were three members of the public who spoke staff's recommendation is that City commission approve ordinance 02418 we stand for any questions you may have thank thank you Commissioners mayor move to the 02418 ordinates 02 2418 in public here thank you I will now close the uh City commission meeting open a public hearing anyone wishing to speak to this audiance may do so at this time by coming forward and stating your name and address for the record have five minutes Kim Davis 354 teranova Boulevard Winter Haven Florida 33884 um is this twostory what's the maximum multif family this is going to be did it say the maximum height in this district is four stories up to 52 feet so the schools in this area in Inwood are struggling they're very old schools I know that this is you know according to we're g to make sure that the infrastructure and everything is in place but I mean being a resident and having several listings in this area this is a really struggling area and we keep approving growth in these areas and allegedly we're looking at and confirming that there's enough infrastructure water in schools but the schools are not ahead of the growth so I just want to emphasize to please make sure there's actually adequate schooling and classrooms and teachers and bus drivers hello we have a major um shortage of bus drivers right now before we approve more stuff thank you thank you anyone else I'll close the public hearing we open the city commission meeting is there any discussion Mr Mayor yes i' just like to say hey I I I agree with some of what you said Kim um concurrency is always challenge when we are approving these things and if this were not blue sky I'd have a real problem with it but this is blue with this much density but this is blue sky and blue sky has a track record of what they're going to do out there consistent with some of the goals that we set as a commission for Workforce and affordable housing and because of that I think it it's a good fit but otherwise maybe not but um that's all I want to say it's it's it's because this is Blue Sky I have a lot of confidence in them and um I appreciate what they're doing for Winter Haven and for this County they're they're they're feeling a real they're feeling a real need that we have and um I wish them well so that's it I'll just had I've I've studied this pretty deeply as well and I I fully support this project and it's not just concurrency but it's adjacent concurrency as well which the state of Florida's statute um really kind of puts us into a corner on um approving or declining Things based upon School capacities um adjacent concurrency is a pet peeve of mine and that's a coffee talk conversation one morning I won't go into that tangent here but it's it's it's um detrimental um to our schools in my opinion and something that our state legislatures really need to take a look at at the state level to do away with adjacent concurrency requirements when it comes to our school system but I I concur that blue sky is doing a phenomenal job they're providing a a much needed um tool in the tool chest when it comes to affordability of local housing and um I hope that this project and I expect it to be equal to and and greater than the other projects that they've uh put forth uh to date thank you anyone else all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I opposes by the same sign hearing none the ordinance 02418 passes 02 2424 would read by tyon City attorney thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0-24 D2 an ordinance of the City of Winter Haven Florida amending ordinance number 0- 23-54 regarding appropriation of funds for defraying expenses of the municipal government of the City of Winter Haven for the fiscal year commencing October 1 2023 providing for severability and providing for an effective date thank you thank you so are we going to have uh CJ Scott to Sure since you you went that direction I'll follow suit we're having a little difficulty with our monitor um due to the current condition of the police department's roof it has been determined that a roof replacement is necessary repairs have been made over the years due to address leaks but the structural condition has declined there is a concern that a hurricane or strong storm could cause the roof to fail the roof the cost of the roof replacement was not budgeted in the current fiscal year as such aove budget amendment is required to address this additional expenditure the estimated cost of the replace ment is $292,000 $390 uh due to the robust interest earnings a budget amendment to recognize this these additional Revenue earnings May offset the roof the cost of the roof replacement all right thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes I approve for ordinance 24 uh 24 on second reading and public hearing thank you I will now close the city Commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to this audiance may do so at this time seeing none I'll close the public hearing we open the city commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I I opposes by the same sign hearing none ordinance 02 2424 passes Commissioners you have the consent agenda Mr Mayor yes motion to approve the consent agenda as a whole thank you I will now close the commission meeting and open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to any item on the consent agenda may do so at this time seeing none I'll close the public hearing weop the city commission meeting is there any discussion seeing none all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I opposes by the same sign hear none the ordinance passes the consent agenda passes uh [Applause] okay resolutions resolution r242 24 would you read by title owners to the attorney thank you Mr Mayor resolution r- 24-24 a resolution of the city Commission of the city Winter Haven Florida endorsing the membership apportionment plan for the Poke Transportation Planning organization and authorizing the mayor to execute an amended inter local agreement and providing for an effective date thank you thank you thank you Mr Mayor Commissioners Eric Labby will present uh resolution r424 pertaining to the transportation planning organization thank you sir mayor Commissioners membership on the PO County TPO was established by an interlocal agreement between the county and the 15 municipalities uh and was last adopted in 2014 with population growth in pul county is reflected in the 2020 census the need to uh reapportion TPO voting membership is required in October 2023 the Poke TPO prepared and adopted a membership apportionment plan which studi the distribution of population in P County this was submitted to Florida Department of Transportation and and the governor's office for approval based on the plan the total number of voting members on the PO TPO board will be increased from 19 to 23 and winter Haven's voting representation will increase from two to three permanent members uh the city's new voting member will be seated following adoption of the amended TPO uh po TPO interlocal agreement by po County and all of the municipalities there is no Financial impact and staff does recommend that City commission approve resolution r242 for and authorize the mayor and other appropriate City officials uh and the city manager or is designated to take all necessary actions there too thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes motion to approve resolution r- 24-24 thank you I will now close the commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to R 2424 may do so at this time seeing none I'll close the public hearing re openen the city commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I I poses by the same sign hearing none resolution r242 24 passes R2 2425 would read by tile on the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor resolution r-2 24-25 a resolution of the city Commission of the City of Winter Haven Florida affirmatively accepting the conveyance of those utility easements from Pros Winter Haven Venture LP a Delaware limited partnership to the City win Haven Florida is more particularly described in that Ean executed by Pros Winter Haven Venture LP and Delaware limited partnership to the city W Winter Haven Florida and recorded on April 3rd 2024 in official records book 13062 pages 738 through 742 public records of Pope County Florida and for an effective date thank you thank you manager again Mr Mayor and Commissioners resolution r425 will be presented by Eric Labby yes sir mayor Commissioners uh as part of the aforementioned project with which is a multif family project known as Pros cyberus Point Apartments um certain water infrastructure related to fire protection was required uh to allow for City installation operation and maintenance of this infrastructure on private property an easement is required March 18th 202 2024 the developer submitted an executed easement document for the city uh to the city for review and acceptance City staff recorded the easement and official right records of P County Florida prior to recording the easement was reviewed by City Engineering Services Division and was found to be adequate for acceptance by the city commission staff does recommend we approve resolution R 2425 accepting the easement from Pros winner Haven Ventures LP thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes motion to approve resolution R 2425 thank you I will now close the uh commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to this resolution may do so at this time seeing none I'll close the public hearing reopen the city commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I opposes by the same sign hearing none resolution R 2425 passes ordinances is our first reading uh the second reading uh will be held on May 28th uh City attorney would you read ordinance 02 2425 by title only please thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0- 24-25 an ordinance an ordinance extending the corporate limits of the city Winter Haven Florida so as to include therein additional territory lying contiguous and adjacent to the present boundaries of the City of Winter Haven Florida describing set additional territory repealing all ordinances in Conflict here with providing for the administrative correction of scrier errors and providing an effective date General location a parcel gener located north of Highway 540 West East of King Road and south of Cross toer Drive the area covered by this request is 1.19 plus or minus Acres thank you thank you state manager mayor Commissioners Cyprus Southeast LLC is requesting the commission Annex one parcel totaling 1.19 plus or minus Acres they're seeking annexation for the purpose of Dev veloping the subject property which is shown in red on your screen current taxable value of this subject parcel is approximately $ 2,629 annual tax revenue will be approximately $143 annual revenue is expected upon the development or additional revenue is expected upon development of the property staff recommends City commission move ordinance 0 24-25 to Second reading thank you all right the second reading will be on May 28th however if there's anyone that would like to address this aordance you may do so at this time all right 02 2426 would you read by title on the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0-24 d26 an ordinance of the City win Haven Florida amending ordinance number 0-24 D21 regarding appropriation of funds for defraying expenses of the municipal government of the City of Winter Haven for the fiscal year commencing October 1 23 providing for severability and providing for an effective date thank you thank you city manager May and Commissioners on August 8th of this year the commission approved ordinance 02 24-21 which transferred 5,386 199 of the general fund's 2023 Surplus to the 2021 construction fund year marking $ 1, 6,642 of that amount to be dedicated to the fund to fund the lake con project and the remaining balance of 3.785 million to fund other capital projects to be determined at a later date as you understand the Winter Haven Recreation and Cultural Center is under under uh final design and ready to move forward with construction this proposed new building will feature a multi-use gymnasium zerog grade swimming pool Splash Pad new playground outdoor sport court and all amenities of an upgraded fitness center community meeting space Library technology area with Wi-Fi business support area catering kitchen offices restroom and additional storage as the city continues to experience construction uh costs exceeding the appropriated funds such is also the case with the Winter Haven Recreation and cultural center that increase can be attributed to three major categories site work factors which were finalized towards the final uh plan uh development and bidding continued inflation in the cost of materials and services and certain finishes and specifications placed within the bid by the design team prior to the guaranteed maximum price development city does have a contract with collage design and construction group to provide semar services for this project they had proposed a guaranteed maximum price of 19.99 five million taking into account the related interior costs such as Furniture fixture and equipment and all Associated contingencies provides a total project cost of 21342 million current appropriated funds for the project reflect a balance of $18 million $2,333 point27262 construction fund to the 2015 construction Fund in the amount of 3,120 270 to support the final costs the transfer of funds from the 2021 construction fund provides a remaining available Surplus balance of 1, 96273100 270 from the 2021 construction fund balance to the 2015 construction projects fund and authorizing the city manager and design or designate to take other necessary actions related there to this is item is on first reading and is recommended to move forward for second reading thank you we will have the second reading on May 28th however if there's anyone that would like to speak to this audience you may do so at this time all right thank you ordinance 02428 would read by title on this C the attorney thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0- 24-28 an ordinance of the city Commission of the city war from Florida authorizing the city manager or his design to opt in or opt or or out of any declared Poke County Fire Department burn bands within the municipal limits of the City of Winter Haven Florida and as more particularly set forth in this ordinance repealing all ordinances and resolutions in Conflict here with providing for severability the administrative correction of scor errors and providing for an effective date thank you thank you to the manager mayor commissioner so I'm going to speak to this one more so than read the fact sheet um the way that burn bands work within P County according to their ordinance 08-15 which was later amended in 2014 the county issues burn bands that apply to the unincorporated area and those municipalities in which they have jurisdictional authority uh it does not just arbitrarily or or without approval from the cities apply to local municipalities you may recall that over the years we have issued our own burn banss um however there is a within the revised ordinance or the amended ordinance 08 08-15 an opportunity whereby the city Commission of Winter Haven can authorize my office or a design of my office to automatically opt in when P County issues a burn ban that allows us uh to do so quickly if need be but it does not require us to do so if the city commission or if we felt from our authorities in in the fire service felt that we needed to do something different or um take a different approach to that we could always still do that but this gives us a fast track that if the conditions Merit we can go ahead and do a burn ban without having to do our own so we're recommending that this uh this take place I'll tell you that the county is considering uh the board of County commissions will Commissioners will consider the issuance of a burn ban I believe it they're meeting tomorrow um I'm looking to John Murphy that they meet tomorrow morning is that correct and it's on their agenda we would not be able to opt into it at this point until we go through our second reading um but we do recommend that this Authority be issued to to the city manager's office for future issuance once we have done our second reading on this we can opt into it uh if it is uh and we we review this myself Charlie bird Sunny Emery and and uh members of the fire department to determine what's happening with weather conditions and drought conditions in Winter Haven it is based upon um fire science and and atmospheric conditions uh I will jokingly say that if you're if you're concerned about rain start talking about burn bands or start planning to PVE roads or projects and the rain will come as we had discussion on both of those matters this morning during staff meeting and within a few hours we had rain in our sky so maybe that's the solution going forward but all the same as we uh look to dry conditions that we're experiencing now we feel it's appropriate to move this to Second reading yes you all need to meet tomorrow as well yeah I think we have a Paving project a pretty significant one at the airport later this week and without fail Mr Mayor if we start planning to pave it will rain it's just Murphy's law I guess I'm not sure okay thank you the second reading will be on uh May 28th however if there's anyone that would like to yes commissioner dancor quick question I have no problem with us opting with opting in but the language says opt in or opt out so is that is that what that mean is if the county passes a burn band and we don't want to participate in it our residents could potentially burn and we we would opt out from an authority standpoint so give you an example the burn band that they're getting ready to do right now they had just sent and I see Sunny's in the back they had sent Sunny Emery is the chair of the P County Fire Chiefs I assume that's the right moniker title so the county issues out to Sunny a request to see which of those municipalities want to participate so when they craft their ordinance or their burn band they can actually list them in there um the reality is the only people that can say we want to or we don't want to participate in that are those that have passed an ordinance similar to this so in the future should this pass when the county sends out that notice we're getting ready to issue a burn ban would you like to participate the city can legitimately answer that question and say yes we would or we would not as it stands right now we don't have the authority to do that without coming before the commission every time but we could opt out and the county still opts in yep so our people could have a fire right on the county line and could create potential and I'll tell you problem commissioner dancer you know that I think when that comes into play um there may be certain conditions that we want to consider that aren't factored within a burn band and and rather than opt into theirs issue our own um it's it's really at our discretion but I think that what we have found more times than not is that our burn band mirrors what the county is doing it's the same conditions throughout so it just makes the most sense to um more efficiently and expeditiously have the opportunity to opt in or opt out if we felt that we didn't need to opt in then we certainly would just say we're not going to participate in the burn band at this point it's impr probable that we'd ever opt out but if by some chance there's there is chance and I think language will address it I think the last time we considered this uh City attorney and members of my team and myself discussed this I think the last time that this came up we made a a decision the board the commi commission made a decision in in concert with the city management at the time that we would do our own and it was it tied back to um Fourth of July activities and restrictions that were uh I believe more more strict or stringent than what we were were looking for for it's okay I'm just seem like we had to have our fireworks down at the Chain of Lakes mhm I remember that yeah no problem I'm just want a clarification that's all I'm clear thank you okay anyone else okay we have no new business can I C I ask two things under the new business category oh of course s right so our our pickle Ballers left they almost made it they're out in the hall but maybe they'll hear this is there any update on when we might see a presentation on location for pickle ball courts let Julie Adams respond to that our Parks and Recreation and culture [Laughter] director they're speeding you left too early good evening mayor Commissioners uh yes we are in the process now of we've done some feasibility work on pickle ball we understand the demand uh that this has been a sport that's been growing in popularity for many years and in the foresight that you all had when planning the Tennis complex you did include some tennis I'm sorry excuse me some pickle ball courts with those amenities which we're very thankful for uh the feasibility work is being conducted now to see where it could best fit in the current amenity schedule and potential amenity schedules in the future as you may or may not know um we are undergoing a master plan process our Consultants were just in town a couple of weeks ago doing some evaluations on our current Park spaces and Beyond and with the results of those evaluations and through our master plan process we will get a better idea of how we can serve the community on many different levels including pickle ball into the future and so we want to wait to get those results to identify where the best placement would be where the best service would be to the community and of course keeping in mind the fact that our our pickle ball Nation out there is very strong to add to that um mayor proam Yates I think that you know when we we look at the um the demand for all of the recreation facilities whether it's Youth Athletic Fields pick ball um dog parks all the different aspects it's it becomes a matter of really trying to figure out how do you prioritize those expenses over each other and it may be is there can you build more facilities can you incorporate facilities in you know enhanced amenities into existing facilities can you do uh indoor activity with pickle ball as well by dedicating specific time within existing facilities as you know we do a pretty significant uh pickle ball competition at the Fieldhouse that I think just happened within the last 60 days there about by it's by annual now um so I you know I think there's some some opportunities in the interim while we're trying to identify where what how best to meet that need on the long-term permanent basis um how do you how do you in the interim period Bridge the demand Gap um to to make sure that we can accommodate that and I think that certainly Julie and her team are creative enough creative enough to accomplish that um and I'd say within the last year we've had a number of conversations on where's the ideal location for this how do you best Do It um and there's still some some effort that needs to occur in that regard but it's it is noted as a priority within the community um and it's just a question of how how best do we get there I think the master plan will give us a good insight into that thank you appreciate that the other question I had was we passed 11a this evening and I know commissioner Mercer had made some interest inquiries on potentially being that third member so when when do we need to vote on that or is that a discussion we want to have my understanding and Eric correct me from wrong I think once all the cities have signed off on that inter local agreement then it is signed off by the TPO as a whole and at that point it would come back back to us to make the official appointment so you and I we'll need to affirm I assuming which is never good from this role but that those that are already seated Representatives would remain and we just need to appoint the third and and a um and if that if I think commissioner Mercer is the alternate at present time that if she was designated as a uh permanent seated member an official seated member voting member that you would also need to appoint a uh alternate that time but I I'm not sure if we have a time frame for when that's likely to come back or when the cities were required to I don't have a time frame but we can reach out to TPO staff and see if they have a time frame in mind I just wasn't sure if we needed to look at it tonight or to have no action on it tonight I think it's it they need to get all of the municipalities to sign the interlocal agreements of the TPO can sign it since we're all uh parties to the agreement thanks is that it yeah all right go now down to Commissioners uh lion reports commissioner Mercer oh okay um I attended the retirement celebration and farewell for HL Roy Tyler city of ha city um he was the longest serving commissioner I think he has about 28 or some years I don't remember exactly how many years that was but I do remember that um when Hayes he told the story that when hannes city um when I was there he told this story about hannes City when they were in financial crisis and needed to go to um Ridge League the Florida not the ridge League the Florida League of cities that um they went there for funding and um they the Finance person who was over that he wanted on the they made him get on the finance committee and he had to attend that for a year just so that you know you just don't come and get the money you got to put the work into it so he knows um how it was to overcome some of their financial difficulties as a a city so uh and and I thought that was you know pretty neat that the solution is is that you have to invest in it too so um and I had also attended the police uh pension board and the firefighters pension board um and um they uh some of that will be coming I guess back um our costs kind of have gone up a little bit salaries have increased or hiring new people so it um they look for a little increase in payment so um for that you have to make more to uh cover all of that um I also attended the Garden Club beautification um they had 43 Awards uh to businesses to Banks to churches to the Health Care Professionals and to um residential entrances and also to unique and of course um our city manager presented and we had our mayor there and uh Bob gett um provided the information on the Garden Club and their history and um and also how they come to work with the city um another one that I attended was the Winter Haven Library sensory garden um it was designed to cater to the well-being the learning and the coping needs of children and adults and with autism sensory impairments um Alzheimer's and Dementia so it fits all age groups um I also attended the Winter Haven risk management and um um there that's in good hands so um I attended the City Works expo at the Ritz on Thursday and um Friday I also attended in between I took a meeting um of the Florida Housing Coalition which is required training um that you have to do um they expect additional funding this year um but um I'd like to say on the training if you missed three training trainings in a row you they limit your funding you may not even um be available to get that funding so uh and then I um we did the ribbon cutting downtown uh Winter Haven Sidewalk Cafe uh district and a lot of people were there um also the mayor and the Commissioners um and I want to say congratulations to the public works department for their accreditation um and that's a very prestigious award and lots of hard work on that it takes years to get just uh to get accredited and um so uh it's a commitment and um so thank you for um your service to the police dep department and to the city and its residents uh and your dedication uh congratulations for your reaccreditation and for keeping it all these years I know I remember when you first got it so and to keep it going um and it definitely shows your commitment to the citizens and the residents so thank you very much that's it that's it commissioner danor okay played in the heart for Winter Haven Golf Tournament commissioner Yates was uh was there too we had a good time har for Winter Haven is U one of our uh important vendors in this community and they had a good tournament out there um TDC had an Arts meeting meeting and we also had a traditional TDC meeting I will say uh the TDC Arts committee you know we we meet and we have a very stringent process on how we distribute the money probably a million dollars this year and we always keep track on who what organizations get the most money who applies for the most and it's there's always a debate on the committee about the professional outfits like the Bok Towers that have professional Grant Riders and the smaller the smaller artarts organizations that don't how much money goes to each of them well I have to admit this year the person or the organization that applied for the most money was theer Winter Haven and it had to do primarily because they were also applying for the rits so that was one of the questions I was going to ask T tonight if you knew anything about the rits I'll let you I'll let you speak to that at the time but um Dan was busy he submitted many many requests to the TDC and everybody was favorable with his application so I could see theater winner hav been getting a lot of money this year uh from the county so also went to Grace Lutheran and did a speech they asked me to come do a speech and talk about the city and bees beekeeping so I've never done that one before so that one was for the uh the senior group the senior lunch group and I have to say they were more interested in the bees than the city so they ask a lot more more questions about beekeeping so um and then also the sensory garden I will tell you if you haven't been down to the to the library to view that sensory garden it is really neat they're growing vegetables down there so they don't probably wouldn't care if you picked a tomato and took it home with you but if it's really something that you need to we need to talk up because people that have special needs and uh sensory issues that it's you can feel things and touch things if you haven't been down there it's it's a it's a cool place to go um also in terms of pickle ball I was going to comment on pickle ball just real quick you know I play tennis every Saturday morning and the tennis courts are full too normally with tennis you can sign up and we do this in as tennis we're used to setting up our own games and you can get two hours on the courts and then you get kicked off well you have to voluntarily leave often times you don't have to leave because there's nobody waiting but more and more we have to leave now cuz the next group comes on at 10:00 but you do get two hours pickle ball has started instituting that and they give their people an hour and even that they is not enough and it's not a Saturday goes by that I'm not down there when pickle ball is coming over to grab me and say when are we going to get some more courts what are we going to do how are we going to do this so can't come quick enough I know you're working on it but it is a real need there's people standing around down there all over the place uh at certain times and it's just uh and and and we as a commission depending on whether we want to have pickle ball courts manned or not manned will determine I think on where we end up um putting this place cuz I have played pickle ball like my son plays pickle ball in California and it's a non-man facility they just go out and play and there's nobody collecting money or anything like that whereas down here they collect they collect money and it's man and we have people uh kind of watching it um so it goes it can go either way but if it if it's has to be man then we have to additional Staffing and you know that's something we have to consider whereas if it's non-man it's not you know people sitting there then just a little bit more a little bit more feasible I think so um also the um we also attended the butterfly garden the beautification at the at the uh Garden Club and I want to thank Tracy for sitting on that housing thing out while I was in uh Utah you took took my place so I want to give you a shout out and thank you so much for doing that for me and finally the national League of cities the conference that I went to in in Salt Lake City this is the little book that was our that was our agenda and I will tell you the way the national the way the Florida Municipal Insurance trust were set up in pools and Florida has its own pool every state has their own pool and there were 40 out of 50 states at this conference and we have an annual conference and we have all kinds of neat speakers and things that we go through really really um you know riveting things like improving performance and minimizing risk exploring Humanity in the workplace for a framework for Success those kind of things those are those are our topics but um last year the big thing was was Ai and how it was going to affect and also um computers you know computer hacking and that's still a big concern but what the big concern was this year and it's something that winter hav or Florida's gonna and winter Haven's going to have to deal with is this um homeless camping this encampment process and you know there's it's just been in front of the Supreme Court I said it on an hour conference on it they just went to the Supreme Court we're waiting for the Supreme Court to come out and make a ruling on on camping and it's a really tough situation in Florida has passed the law recently and the governor has signed it and it's going to go live this year and we can start getting sued in January of next year if we've not prepared for this if this and it and it all hinges and it all hinges on this Supreme Court um the Supreme Court decision that's going to come down probably in June or July they did we had that we had a presentation from one of the people that presented uh at the Supreme Court so he was fascinating to tell us the process and how it went through he has no way of knowing how they're going to how they're going to fall on this thing he's feels like Florida passed their law to maybe get ahead of this but we have going to have to deal with this is is the city and it's we're going to have to provide space for campers if this if we don't if we don't get ahead of this and it and any gu can can sue us it doesn't have to just be somebody that may be grieved it can be peace or it could be a a citizen anybody in the world can come and file suit against us if we have not provided for camping space for uh homeless people and this is serious stuff and everybody in the whole country is worried about this and and it was a big deal which we were talking about and um so I'm I'm I'm mentioning I'm John I know you're aware of this this new law and I know you're it probably have U it probably had meetings and contingency plans but it's on my radar now so it's something that we're going to have to start talking about and it there's even restrictions hopefully maybe the county becomes the controlling interest and we run things through the county we we don't know there's a lot of gray area which I think the legislator may have done that on purpose so we have a little bit of wiggle room I don't know but um hopefully the county will be the one that'll be driving this and we can run things through the county I don't know but it's coming and um we we're going to have to be aware of it so and then the last thing the evolving threat this is the other thing this goes back to the problem with with um us getting our our our city cities getting hacked and and they're called they're called Mega they're called Mega what are they called nuclear verdicts how to guard yourself against nuclear verdicts and these are verdicts that can really really hurt us talking multi-million dollars and and they gave us all kinds of ways to protect it and I took a lot of notes that I'll pass on the hip but um they had all these experts on there from like University of North Carolina and these smart people and uh they were telling us what to do to how to protect ourselves against nuclear against nuclear lawsuits and it's a concern it's a concern and it's one of those type of things every year you come back and you're scared and this was this was no different because we were all sitting in these conference with our eyes wide open like thinking oh my goodness what are we going to do and um so it wasn't a waste of time it was it was really a good conference if anybody wants to read some of the topics I went to most of the meetings so you can do that if you want but um there I'm done so um mayor if I could respond to the the com the questions that commissioner had uh Ritz Theater so we have a draft agreement uh purchase and sale agreement that has been uh forwarded to the legal council for the Ritz Theater to uh offer comment typical process we go through uh we are doing some of the due diligence now on that building um and I anticipate uh pending the timing of that document coming back from the legal council for the Ritz uh to be presented to the commission for consideration either at your next meeting in May or perhaps your first meeting in June it's just a matter of timing of getting everything resolved in there uh we are also working with theater Winter Haven to establish a uh I'll say a new use agreement that something that's been needed for quite some time with respect to their use of chainel Lakes Park and the way that I have drafted that and it is with the city attorney's office for review at this point uh allows us it it it provides a pathway for contemplation of additional venues of which the Ritz would be one so I think that everything is lined up it's just getting through the make sure all the eyes are dotted and the teas are crossed we are working with theater Winter Haven Julie Adams and her team to pursue some grant funding uh that we've been made available been made aware is available uh upon the city's acquisition of the Ritz Theater that we could go through it's not through the TDC it's actually through I believe the state um and it's a a grant that uh Mr chesnik and his team apply for but they can only do it for one of the facilities so we would do it for the other oh yeah yeah so that is all moving forward um similar note theater Winter Haven was just awarded as I understand another significant uh Statewide I believe it is um theater competition or showcase uh this is not the the one that they have been doing at chainel X this is another one um that would be coming to our area I believe in January or February of 2025 so the activation of that rich space is no joke I mean it's it's happening uh even at this early point point of trying to line things up so what we would hope would happen is looks like it's coming to fruition um commissioner n on the camping and homelessness uh I'm not as familiar certainly with the the Supreme Court aspect of that and it's something we'll need to to delve a little deeper into but I can tell you and speaking with our team at the Florida Le of cities as I understand it and the City attorney canine if he feel is need necessary here the requirement to provide the accommodated space uh the spaces that would have utilities and restrooms and running water and the wraparound Mental Health Services is we have been educated on that by the league that actually becomes a requirement of the county not of the municipalities um and so if if there is that type of establishment to be created that would fall to the counties within the state to take the lead in that regard however you are correct in the provisions that allow for uh suit to be filed um against a municipality or a county whereby you're allowing the homeless activity to occur within the public space and I would aine that our our action to pass an ordinance prohibiting individuals from sitting lying laying within uh sidewalks and in public spaces and in in the public realm is gives us the authority to enforce that and and we need to be prepared to do so and take action to do so and and that's one of the things that I just even as early as this morning had conversation with uh our team of of being more proactive in that regard of identifying what can we do and how best do we do that there's a couple of things that are happening in our neck of the woods that I think contribute to it one you may have noticed there is an aggressive effort uh being led by the county and and I fully endorse and support what they're doing with the wooded areas on the south side of Lake Lulu to address address homeless encampments in that area and really tackling the trash and debris that is in there that has collected over the years if you come into Winter Haven uh from the uh South Side from BTO coming up 17 you'll see that that area before you cross The Canal at Lake Lulu Lake ship has been they are doing a lot of work in there um there is also a significant amount of work that has already taken place on North 17 um on the it be on the west side of US 17 as you approach Lake Alfred uh the old Miracle Toyota area that has all been undercut that wooded area to address and you know a lot of homeless activity that had uh occurred in there I I don't know for a fact that that's why they did it but that certainly has had an impact on that um and I think that that stirs about okay if we can't be there where do we go and so we need to be more proactive in in anticipating um if where do where do folks that are have been traditionally housing themselves in those wooded areas how do we address that so um I think there's what they told us is that what they told us is that the counties are going to be looking to the cities to come up with these locations that's what the the league girl they're saying hey yeah the County's going to drive this thing but they're going to go to the cities and say you guys are on this too you guys got to help us find a spot and they're going to lean on us to help them so whether that's true or not but they think that's how it's going to play out yeah I think that that ends up coming back to the elected body to say do you want to take that on or not I don't think you're obligated to but you know we have a great relationship with our County Partners and I think that um we'll continue to work closely with them and really it comes down to trying to find the best ways to House people and I think this commission has done an outstanding job of Tak demonstrating a leadership role and stepping up to the plate and being uh assertive in trying to invest dollars where we can um certainly trying to keep people housed is the best option because it's a lot cheaper to keep people housed than it is to rehouse them um but there's a lot of service that's needed within the community from uh Beyond you know the elected body here our nonprofits you really trying to formulate the best Partnerships to make those things reality that's it for me commission dollar Mr Mayor I um I want to say kudos to the uh Public Works uh they're simply outstanding uh very impressive I uh you know I I really appreciate all that they do you know people who work behind the scenes often times are are those unsung heroes and Shiro and uh so I think it's uh it's certainly the fitting of the city to give that uh recognition and to have it nationally known on know that we rank among some of the best so uh my hats off to all of you for that I was able to uh we shared in the uh Pope Vision uh Town Hall uh hip and his crew came uh talk about Broadband or lack of broadband for uh many uh areas of our community uh we know that there was some uh Federal funding that was available that limit well actually lowered the cost for many but now that money is not available for many people so we're trying to educate people about how to get connected so that uh we know that every aspect of society now is certainly uh depended upon being connected in some manner some way whether it's children all of our children of course being connected for the schoolwork and other things that they do so it was really helpful to uh know that our city and our Tech Team came out to really address that real significant issue and talk about what Winter Haven is doing also to uh make citizens aware of what's going on also was able to attend the retirement of Mr Roy Tyler um that was Roy is an institution by himself uh I've known him a long time he's an amazing U amazing uh person and did a great job for the city of H City uh Planning Commission uh was able to attend of course the uh Planning Commission they're doing a great job uh just to see in advance uh what is happening in our city what is coming to our city is certainly eye openening and uh wonderful to see also was able to attend the city uh Works Expo this is my first opportunity to attend uh was very impressed just with the overall presentation uh it was just very informative I just enjoyed the entire uh two days and I was uh at the end that we uh culminated that with the ribbon cutting uh of The Sidewalk Cafe was uh really really nice and I just saw the pictures tonight and uh they're very very special um also between that had run over to uh Advent Health uh for the uh new emergency room uh that they uh a facility that they have uh just cut the ribbon for and uh mayor B song spoke there as well and uh beautiful facility uh you know you know in my profession I've been in a lot of emergency rooms uh over the years and uh I was very impressed because that's state-of-the-art and uh they even have uh space for the children you know Legoland they were there and you know just really nice to see that kind of expansion in our community uh for persons who need uh uh need that kind of care uh and also they even dealing with some trauma as well so very very impressive to see that also I did attend the Nehemiah action uh piece neemi action many of you aware that I've been a part of peace and work with peace uh po eum medical Action Council for Empower and uh issue of uh pre-arrest diversion and uh it was a great Gathering about almost a thousand people uh assembled across the county to address the issue of uh of uh pre-arrest verion and of course uh there's still ongoing di dialogue with some of our city and City officials to address this important issue because it is a challenge uh For Those who commit minor offenses and get caught up in that situation and suffer the dire consequences of that and that's really the heart of what that is really all about is how can we keep people from just being chewed up all the time in the system and caught up and often times they're poor they are brown and black and uh disproportionately and uh that is something that uh many people are concerned about and I think that we ought to take Serious uh so again we we're part of trying to see that happen in our cities because we think it makes a better place for people to live and to enjoy life uh in this city called Winter Haven finally I do want to ask a question because I came in uh as they say I'm the new kid on the Block I came in at a time that there was one some discussion on this issue and I just need some clarification because I know and there was a presentation here tonight and by a gentleman that I know very well over the years and uh concerning Proclamation and I guess my question is the proclamation guidelines and I guess relative to the day or how many days and how they are determined so that there's Clarity with regards to that and uh I heard the impassion plea that he shared concerning that uh I would submit that uh you know I think uh you have to be careful sometimes I I think recognizing that as a community he prefaced that as well that we live in a time of you know so so many divisions and separating ourselves and excluding people from the process and being recognized and acknowledged for who they are period and whether I agree with it or not that's really not not the issue the fact that you have a right to be recognized as a citizen and as a human being and I will defend that at every opportunity that I have my personal beliefs and I and I said this because somebody asked me what do you want to be called you want to be called reverend or you want to be called commissioner I said ' when I'm here I'm the commissioner I passor the First Missionary Baptist Church but I don't pass to Winter Haven I come here to do the bidding and the work that uh that I was elected to do and not necessarily come here and try to force my beliefs or ideas upon people that may not agree with me so I want to be Equitable fair and just in what we do that everyone has a fair shot everyone has an equal opportunity to uh be known and be respected and appreciated for who they are uh so I I just want a Clarity with regards to you know the day how long these things are uh I think there was a concern about you know how long we acknowledge uh proclamations I know they vary uh I haven't really got a clear understanding of what that is and perhaps this may not be the time to do it but perhaps we can get some from that would be helpful um commissioner doson I I I'll give you a brief explanation and then City attorney and I can follow up in in further detail but the the requests that the proclamations that are are presented by the the city commission actually by the the mayor is who signs off on the proclamations it is a kind of a ceremonial function of the mayor's role uh to issue proclamations those come in as re requests to the either the city manager's office or to the city's city clerk's office some of those do come internally as an example uh we did police week this week I believe that that originated out of uh either uh assistant city manager bird or chief Brandon or combined the Public Works recognition that's going to come from your Public Works team um safe boating that you did this evening that actually comes from the Coast Guard auxiliary uh reaches out to to request that the the vast majority of your proclamations that don't tie to a specific City service or function are coming from within the community um Irish American heritage month is one that always stands out because of the gentleman who comes and speaks to us in Gaelic that comes from that that group makes that request the duration or is it a day or a week or a month that is not something that we decide at at our level that is within the request and it typically follows some national platform that that group may be involved in if it's um uh in recognition of you know an Autism Awareness you know it may be from a national Autism Awareness campaign that says we are going to designate nationally this I'll tell you that in the form of Parks and Recreation that I know probably the best is um that comes from the national Recreation and park Association to designate the month of July is National Recreation and Parks month so the the duration of those is not something that is established or determined by the commission that comes in with a request does that provide some clarity there yeah it does it does question though would there be any exclusion of any group or uh any person's I mean to elaborate you know that's a ceremonial thing the mayor does per our Charter I see so it's up to the mayor and whoever the mayor happens to be um and so I represent some municipalities that they don't recognize the mayor makes a decision I see to not present something or to present something just depends on the mayor it's it's a ceremonial thing it's not an official action of the city commission although you do come down and and mass present it is it is technically a ceremonial uh item that is per our Charter devolved on the mayor and we don't vote on it it's not something that we take an action on you don't vote yeah no it's not part of any official action it's just ceremonial but it has the you know when you come down it lends itself to a to a but as you as you've noted tonight all the proclamations are the mayor right and I would note also that there are Rec there are proclamations that are given at times um and certainly mayor bird song or more recently mayor dancer May mayine on this and offer him further Insight but um proclamations that are issued on behalf of uh the mayor for significant individuals who have passed or who celebrate uh hundred-year birthdays and and things of that nature that are you know that's is as the attorney said that's part of the ceremonial process and Protocols of the mayor's role well and just because you've done something one year doesn't mean you have to do it the next year I mean and just because someone asked you to do something doesn't mean you have to do it um you know that's that's really more of a it's it's a call um it's it's a ceremonial Duty that is reposed on the authority of the mayor from my point of view I I uh there were several of them that I passed on as mayor they would come to me and i' and for a long time I tried to get get them all sent around everybody and get everybody weigh in but it just didn't really ever work so I just assumed that it was something it was something that the mayor has to embrace and has to be comfortable with um but I I I was long uncomfortable with the mayor making that decision without everybody weighing in but for a couple years we tried to send them around and get everybody to weigh in and nobody would and they just never really worked so I just decided to go ahead and embrace Embrace that role and I think that's goes with the territory the mayor has to do it and uh and there's like I said there was times that I passed on a couple of them I just you know and it wasn't that they were bad or good I just didn't feel like they raised to the level of of a proclamation for the City of Winter Haven it's not that they were controversial it's just several of them were to me they were just not to that point to they where they needed us to act on it but I you know I could I could uh you know discuss them but it was never on anything other than that I just didn't feel like they were big enough for us to to deal with but I mean I I was long uncomfortable with it when I was mayor and how how to how to handle it but I don't know the answer because none of us want to sit around here and talk about these things because it's just time consuming and you have to read them all and then you have to have a debate and you know we don't really want to do that and you know I mean it's sort of that I think that goes with the territory of being the man in the middle there so I I will say this though the mayor mayor will address this too but I wanted to at least mention this that great public servant um former uh uh police officer here in our city gay Henry was his class makes so I'll give him opportunity to share a little bit about him but uh uh he passed away today and I was uh able to be there it's kind of ironic that I was able to be in his room room uh this morning uh and did not know I've been there Saturday but I was also there this morning and uh but gay was an exceptional individual uh when I came to Winter Haven he was serving the police department and I became chaplain and uh I just have nothing but uh wonderful things to say about him and uh certainly for his wonderful memory and his family uh heart goes out to them uh so with that may okay thank you my turn all right I'm gonna do a quick rundown because it's been a lot of good conversation tonight but I just want to do a quick rundown and there's two items that I really have have a challenge tonight so um happy to answer any questions about any of these things that I attended uh but obviously uh airport advisory meeting state of the County uh our DC advocation uh with our our federal legislature up there uh was a great trip a lot of good work done uh attended the downtown c meeting uh portion of the breeze groundbreaking uh got there a little late uh attended the City of Winter Haven review of nonprofits meeting the first meeting this earlier this week um downtown ribbon cutting um for the C Street cafes and I'll just say everything that I hear well everything that I read is contradictory to what I actually um you know hear and and going back to statements on social media oh this isn't at work it's not at work it is working uh because the restaurants are turning over faster the the street tables than the inside tables everybody wants to sit outside now are they don't want to sit outside in July and August no probably not but I think the majority of the year there's a lot of of nights um that are going to be very comfortable to sit out there and people want to sit out there at those tables so I think um that that's great for our city I would say and fire chief's gone um I wish we could bring back the lighting we're working on it okay we're working on it that that that's a that's a big one um but attent so now what I really really want to talk about City works so two things stuck out at me as ideas and I was like how can we make these Winter Haven esque he's already looking at me like oh here we go so the first one is these mice the the mice on M the mice on Main so I thought talk about I thought wouldn't it be cool we don't need any more mice on M we've gotten rid of the majority of the mice on M don't need any anym what we could benefit from is historical Easter eggs throughout our city meaning maybe one is a an orange maybe one is a little skier maybe one is a little baseball player maybe one is God forbid a little Gator um you know things that are are historical references to the City of Winter Haven and we could cast these little bronze figurines and and you know put them throughout Winter Haven I thought wouldn't that be cool so commissioner dancer gets his trees I'm advocating for my little statues so just for the benefit of those who may not be as M on Main is the uh camp in Greenville South Carolina small brass mice that are hidden throughout that follow a storyline that get tourists to travel and try and scavenger hunt these mice on Main Street and it's a world renowned at this point but I I don't disagree with you commissioner Yates I think that that's there's probably something cool that can happen there maybe that's something to um pass along to our Cultural Arts advisory committee and others to delve into how best you do something like that I was just about to say that's an art committee let let the artist come up with something like that well the good thing is there's not it's like a big 10 foot Swan that's sitting out in the middle of the street you know it's little Easter eggs and you got to go out and you got to hunt for them and find them but if you find them then there's a QR code attached or a map attached about sand skinks on Central hey well there's an idea I mean all ideas are on the table but I think it's I think it's something that could just blossom into really big and and also at the same time be historical references to our community and how much it has changed over the years so we can kind of remember you know what was what was once I I played basketball at the cultural center I maybe a little basketball player over there you know um I I I think painted on rocks put the Rocks there yeah little orange Dome yeah yeah little little uh bronze orange Dome or something like that Indian I think so that's that's my challenge is I think that would just be really cool and something that would stick around for a long long long time past any of us so the other thing I was going to say and this was really cool and I I think yall probably agree but the rain signage so when it rains the there's messaging that appears on the sidewalks we need to do that that's that's cool and then it'll never rain again see that's what happens I just got we just got a Paving project going so we can I I thought one and I don't know if it could be this um fine of an item but like a could you make it a QR code could could you you know could it I don't know if it would work or not but we could probably try it and and but different things that are happening around the community or facts that might be um that we want to share with again the history of our our community I think would be really cool to put that in and around in in the spots where if it rains uh it's safe to kind of take a look and stand so obviously nothing in the streets um but in the sidewalks and stuff like that would be would be really cool so but other than that City Works I think was another great event and a lot of good knowledge was shared and um it's it's really cool to be able to do that in in downtown when Haven so mayor prates you you're you're turning a little artsy on us all of a sudden look out kind like good place good place to be yeah okay I'll be brief um I did attend the retirement for Roy Tyler Tyler uh want a Haven General pinion and there was a discussion at the end about reopening the old pinion so that's all I'm going to say I didn't comment one way or the other but that was some questions about that um I did a uh Taping that will be played to the uh witer Haven and Lake Reg region grads at the graduation hopefully y'all won't laugh at me um not attended the uh gardens club uh beautification Awards uh hopefully we will get some money from our DC trip hopefully um talking about proclamations uh I presented a proclamation at Spring Haven uh you know a week or so ago and uh basically I got I thought I was only going to be there for 10 minutes and I was there for two hours because what they did the Proclamation was at the end to my world so and so I had to stick around the whole time so I was there for two hours and that was the Friday um of the week that we went to DC so I you know Proclamation and incidentally I'll just let you all know that there has already been a request for that uh Proclamation that was discuss this evening so attendant the uh Breeze apartment foundation and groundbreaking and I made the comment that as long as I've been on this commission I've only done two of those where there was some type of Celebration between the groundbreaking and the ribbon cutting at Advent Health we went out and sign I I did the groundbreaking and then we signed the beam just going to be covered to I looked for it but I couldn't see it cuz it was covered when I went for the ribbon cutting which brings me to that I went to the ribbon cutting and that is a beautiful facility uh Cedar Works Expo attended that um and I really enjoyed the uh sidewalk ribbon cutting into actually sit outside and have lunch afterwards so I thoroughly enjoyed that and finally uh I want to thank uh Deputy city manager bird for the uh explorers that came and helped the CDC paint three senior citizen houses and one veteran house uh we had over 45 volunteers and we started at about 8:00 all of the houses were finished and we were having lunch by4 to 12 it CVC so thank you Chief well I keep calling you Chief but that just sticks in my mind just like you were calling me Nate and I I heard you I picked up on that I I saw what you were doing uh so you see that's what I'm doing to you and and uh Katrina I was calling Katrina in DC Amanda and I'm saying oh my goodness oh think they say that I need to retire along with Roy Tyler so uh but any rate uh that's it all right uh what's next City attorney City attorney nothing this evening thank you may city manager uh just a couple quick things if I could Mr Mayor um for the benefit of those that didn't join us in Washington DC we had I think a very productive two full days in DC we traveled really over the course of 4 days CU you can't get there easily but um we did meet in person with every one of our Congressional members uh in the house representing PK County uh Franklin Lee SoDo and Webster we actually did meet with Senator um Rick Scott which was uh a surprise usually we're with just with staff um and we met with the uh the lead staff for uh Senator Rubio's office we also met with representatives from the EPA and the FAA um discard regarding posos with the EPA and and other projects and then our remote Tower initiative and uh some initiatives that we have with FAA I think it was a very productive trip um I think we're well represented in DC through the the lobbying firm that we have um for the benefit of Commissioners Mercer doson and danler uh your your colleagues that traveled did you justice and I think served the citizens of well of Winter Haven extremely well in uh in their their dialogue with the U the Congressional members um City Works I do want to comment on that it is always uh awesome to have that program here you on an annual basis uh when we can have it it has missed a year or two over the time but it's refreshing I think for us to see people that come from the outside into Winter Haven to speak on Innovative creative Dynamic approaches to things and while we may not be doing every single thing that comes across that stage I'm sure that you recognize that most everything they talked about were the things that we are doing um when we talk about you know what makes small towns cool and and and desirable uh there's a lot of those things that showed up on the screen that we were already doing when they talk about parking requirements for downtown you'll recall that we don't have parking requirements for downtown like some cities do when they talk about housing opportunities your affordable housing advisory committee and Eric labby's team are constantly pursuing new ways to do things so um the fact that mayor proam Yates came away with some art projects that you'd like to see us Implement those are the fun things that we do want to do uh but we have been very busy tackling the serious side of what what came across there um I tell you to be able to I didn't think I was going to get an A word in edgewise sharing a stage with Rick Baker and Peter kagiyama but um and and I say this kind of tongue and- cheek but but with all seriousness when Peter who I've known for a number of years and and Rick who certainly is becoming a fixture here in Winter Haven when they take an interest in some place like Winter Haven Florida and that's not to speak poorly of of who we are because we're an exceptional Community but when you have people people that have such um prominence and have been engaged in such major things that say we want to be a part of what's happening in Winter Haven that is a testament that we are doing a lot of really great things uh very well so that is a a compliment back to the commission that sits here today and those that sat there before to make some hard decisions and and take on some bleeding edge stuff so thank you for doing so Deputy city manager uh near and dear to my heart just want to say I'm exceptionally proud of our Public Works team uh for achieving accreditation for the first time and I think that demonstrates what I've known is that they are on par with the best organizations in the country and congratulations to our PD team for uh getting their re accreditation Deputy city clerk nothing I just want to say that uh gay Henry was my uh High School classmate we both graduated in 1964 I remember K and I think um he made the rank of Captain M he made major he went major he went to Major okay of w Haven Police Department he did at least one tour of Duty in uh Iraq and so what you coach to a football coach or M was a pastor wasn't he I don't remember coach he did Coach he did Pastor years old yes so and he was a good friend and he he is gone so I would definitely would like a proclamation to present resolution at his service we will uh see the clerk's office helps prepare that okay is there uh any word of no ARR just I don't know when it will be but I will know all right emergency matter matters not received for the agenda motion to adjoin stand adj