[music] Hey, oh >> [music] [music] >> Hey, [music] hey, hey. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey, >> [music] [music]
[music] >> If you wish to speak to any item on the agenda or during the public comment portion of the meeting, please fill out a speaker card. Each person addressing the board shall have three minutes to complete his or her comments on each agenda item for which he or she has
filled out a card. The chair has the discretion to determine or alter the time limits on any agenda item. The board of county commissioners requests that speakers appearing under the public comment section of the agenda limit their comments or presentations to matters relating to county business that
are within the board's control, authority, and jurisdiction. Welcome to the Boulevard County Commission meeting. Um we um have a quorum and uh Commissioner Goodson is u with us telephonically.
>> Do you want me to make a motion, sir, to allow him to participate by phone? That's that's my motion. >> Second. >> Okay. Motion in a second. All in favor say yay. Yay. >> Motion. >> Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much.
Okay, our pledge of allegiance. No, actually our invocation will be led by Pastor JB Comp from the Great Outdoors Church. Good to see you, JB. Always good to see you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What an honor it is to present the opening prayer for this meeting tonight. If you'll join me.
Heavenly Father, we're grateful to be able to approach you this evening at the beginning of this important meeting to give you thanks and praise. We're thankful to you for equipping those who are willing to take on the task of governing. We know it exacts a price in their personal and family lives that
they can never be fully compensated for in this life. We're thankful for our system of government and for the will of the governed to support it. We ask now for your wisdom to guide the discussions here tonight. Grant us the insight to see beyond the surface, the discernment
to understand the implications of our choices, and the courage to make decisions that honor you and serve the benefit of the community. Help us now to put aside personality and favored agendas, especially when they counter the better good. May all here work
together in humility and respect and for the good of all. May the words and actions of all tonight reflect integrity, compassion, and justice. We trust in your guidance as we begin this meeting in your name. And now may the Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord
make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give ye peace. Amen. >> Amen. >> Thank you so much. Okay. um like to ask
Commissioner Felner to lead us in the pledge. >> Please join me in the pledge of >> allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. Okay, we are officially called to order and uh we have no minutes uh for slated on our agenda for approval. We do have resolutions. We'll start with resolution E1, resolution proclaiming May 2026 as
older Americans Month. I'd like to read the resolutions, but ask the representatives here uh that are here to receive our resolution to step before up to the rost room for us. Whereas is the the desire of the Bvard
County Board of County Commissioners and the Boulevard Commission on Aging to celebrate the enormous contributions of our older citizens and the strengthening and prosperity of Boulevard County. And whereas Boulevard County represents the 21st largest elder population in Florida
and approximately 26% of Bvoulevard County's total population is 65 years of age or older. And whereas older citizens are a diverse and treasured link to our heritage and join with citizens across the United States in the promotion of
the national theme of aging without limits. And whereas in keeping with the national theme, we recognize United Way Space Coast interim president Emmy Kelly, celebrating a long history of public service as a as a United States
Air Force veteran, a former Bvard County Sheriff deputy and current volunteers and current currently volunteers on several boards. And whereas we also recognize former Bvard County Commissioner and current city of West Melbourne council member Helen Vultz for
her dedication to seniors and all citizens for more than 30 years, including nursing, volunteering, and serving on several committees and campaigns and by their examples continue to remain engaged in successful
community activities. Whereas we applaud their work to combat agism and engage with fellow citizens throughout the county, citizens and other nonprofit organizations and advocate on behalf of seniors and their families. As we know,
connecting with others plays a vital role in the health and well-being of our community and our senior population. Now therefore, be it resolved that the board of county commissioners of Bvoulevard County, Florida, does hereby proclaim May 2026 as older American, Older
Americans Month, done ordered and adopted in regular session this fifth day of May, AD, 2026. That's our resolution. Thank you. You may be heard. I'd like to thank the the commission for recognizing May as older Americans Month
and for this opportunity to uh honor two of our uh senior citizens who are still very very active. Uh our first senior citizen was involved in healthc care like myself, but she also sat in those chairs and was did public service for
many years and currently sits on the West Melbourne City Council. Her name is Helen Vultz. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, moved to Florida and the the day after she'd got married in 1968. She and her husband Norman had celebrated their 52nd wedding
anniversary in October of 2020, but unfortunately the following month he he passed away to together they raised three boys, two of whom have passed away. One from cystic fibrosis at the age of 19 and the other son was killed by a drunk driver at the age of 27. Her
life hasn't been easy, but she's tough. The youngest son, Brad, is an engineer and married to Brandy and recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. After the death of her first son, Helena went to school to become a registered nurse. And after working as a nurse for
several years, she became invol involved in politics and served on the Palm Bay City Council and then eight years on the Bvard County Commission. While serving on the county commission, she also attended school and received a bachelor's degree in n from Barry
University and an MBA from West Webster University. She's very proud of the fact that she worked and went to school at the same time to get these accomplishments. Since retiring in 2009, Helena has been volunteering with multiple organizations. She's the current president of the Federated
Republican Women in Action in Palm Bay. Helena has also volunteered on multiple campaigns and has been the campaign manager for several local judicial and congressional candidates for 12 years. She volunteered as an RN at the summer camp for disabled adults and volunteered
one summer with deaf children at Saratoma Camp Endeavor. And she has also taken care of many seniors in the community on a volunteer basis. And so I'd like to uh maybe give the mic to
Helen for uh for a minute. >> I think I did a lot there. Um, well, I would just say I'm going to give all the glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me all the
energy that I have because without him, I would not be able to do what I do. And thank you. >> Thank you for being here. [applause] It's truly an honor to recognize someone
who so perfectly embodies the spirit of aging without limits. Kelly's life has been defined by service, strength, and an unwavering commitment to others. She began her journey in public service as a member of the United States Air Force
and continued that path as a deputy with the Bvard County Sheriff's Office. In every role, she has shown courage, discipline, and a deep sense of purpose. And while some might look at retirement as a time to slow down, Kelly saw it as
an opportunity to do even more. At 74 years young, Kelly is anything but retired in spirit. She is a constant force for good. Deeply involved in her church, serving as board as a board member and active volunteer and lending
her leadership to numerous nonprofit organizations across the community. Her impact is not only broad but lasting. Through her work with Habitat for Humanity, Kelly helped lead the development of the first all female
military members and retire retirees build right here in Bvard County. This initiative was so powerful it was later adopted nationwide. And when United Way Space Coast needed steady, experienced leadership during a
time of transition, Kelly did not hesitate. She stepped forward once again, answering the call to serve as interim president, guiding the organization with the same integrity and dedication that has defined her entire life. Kelly shows us that purpose
doesn't retire. Leadership does not age out and service has no limits. She is proof that the impact of a life dedicated to others only grows stronger with time. Kelly, thank you for your leadership,
your service, and for inspiring all of us to live and give without limits. I'll be done here in June. I'm looking for a job. I want to thank you all.
Growing old is not an option, but I'm never going to grow up. And I thank you guys. And it's all him. >> All him. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> So, uh, a resolution, uh, for the a motion for the pro proclamation would be in order.
>> I'll make a motion, sir. >> I'd like to second that. >> Motion and second. All in favor say yay. carries unanimously. Thank you so much. We have a photo. We have the actual proclamation here. Make sure
>> Yeah, there you go. >> [applause] >> Nice to see you. Okay, thank you so much for being here. Okay, we have a presentation um of the 2026 Florida 4H FPL public speaking
winners. This is one of my favorite presentations every year by the county commission and I would love to ask uh the for 4 winner to approach the podium and say a few words
and then give us a little talk. >> All right. Uh good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. Uh we are very pleased to have our program showcased tonight starring one of our very talented Bvard County students. The 4 program um public
speaking is sponsored by Florida Power and Light. So 4 is a youth development program focused on teaching youth life skills such as public speaking and critical thinking through participation in clubs, project work, camps, inschool activities, and much more. The public
speaking program allows students to learn how to formulate a speech meaningful to them as well as learning how to deliver it to an audience. Uh this year we had just over 450 participants from seven schools. The winners in the fourth and fifth grades and sixth grade school competitions competed last week to determine our
county winners. The fourth and fifth grade county winner is Finley Russell from Inlantic Elementary School who unfortunately was unable to attend this evening. But tonight you will be hearing a speech from our sixth grade county winner from St. Teresa Catholic School. McKinley Jones.
>> Great. McKinley, join us. [applause] >> Imagine a world without physics, no predictable orbits, no understanding how light works, and no calculus. But in the 17th century, one man provided the evidence for a clockwork universe. And from there on out, we have never seen
our stars or ourselves the same again. Do you know who Isaac Newton is? What about you or you guys? Well, if you don't, two key things to know is that Isaac Newton's ongoing dedication and intelligence are two main things that helped him reach his goals throughout
life. Do you know the story of the apple falling from the apple tree, hitting Newton on the head? Yeah, that's more of a myth than an actual truth. Newton was actually standing in that garden and witnessed the apple fall from the apple tree and wondered why do objects fall straight down. Newton started his
research on this topic. During this period of research, Newton found out the reasons objects fall straight is because Earth's gravity acts as an outside force compelling objects to the center of the earth causing them to fall straight. During this period, Newton also found out the Earth's gravity is also
compelling our moon to the center of the Earth, keeping it in orbit with us. All of this research shows us how dedicated Newton actually was to finding out how our world and its gravity works. By applying his incredible intelligence, Newton developed three fundamental
principles that connect force, mass, and motion so that we can understand them. Do you know the laws of motion and who they were created by? Well, of course, they were created by Isaac Newton. But the first law is the law of inertia, which states, "An object at rest stays
at rest. An object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. The second law is the law of action and reaction which has the equation of forever force equals mass
times acceleration. The third and final law is the law of force and acceleration which states for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. In conclusion, Isaac Newton's ongoing dedication and intelligence are why he
was able to reach his goals through life. It is hard to overstate the impact of one individual, but Isaac Newton's contribution to physics, astronomy, mathematics, calculus, and more truly reshaped their world, making it how it is today. Lastly, Isaac Newton was never
boastful, even having a quote saying, "If I had made any valuable discoveries, it has been owning more to patient attention than to any other talent." showing Isaac Newton is a great example of how one person can change our world. Maybe one day that person can be you.
Thank you. >> Thank you so much. [applause] >> That is fantastic. That gives us hope for the future, doesn't it? >> All right. Thank you so much. Okay. Uh E1, we will do that later. Um
not hear that today. and moves us to F consent agenda. We have two cards on the consent ag >> a few >> a few >> a few cards a few cards not two. So we
will begin with um F1 Stell Bailey. Okay, >> I did >> St. Bailey, Coco, Florida. I was actually going to speak on F1, the approval of FD um because we're already seeing real world uh examples of this at the
Titusville Mall in Titusville, Florida, um at their redevelopment project. It could bring housing, business, and economic activity to that area. and it has been delayed due to the contamination that's migrating from a neighboring station. This contamination
is tied to past underground fuel release and is still present in the groundwater today. What's important to understand is the cleanup programs that already exist that we're talking about. The the state has been managing petroleum contamination site for years, but what
we're seeing in Titusville suggests there may be a gap between how these sites are managed in the real world impacts on property owners and redevelopment. Even when a site is technically in a cleanup program, that doesn't always mean it's being resolved in a time frame that works for the
community or for the economic development. projects can sit stalled for years while contamination is just monitored. And we're seeing that on this property. If you walk throughout the parking lot, there are monitoring wells throughout it. And his project has been
halted. This is why this grabbed my attention. Um it's not fully remediated in a way that allows progress. So my question and my hope tonight is that this type of agreement strengthens coordination, accountability, and urgency. that it helps move sites like
this toward actual resolution, not just long-term monitoring management. Because when contamination spreads beyond property lines, it affects people who didn't cause it, including developers trying to invest in our communities. If
this program can help bridge that gap and move cleanups forward in a more effective timeline, then it could be a real benefit, not just countywide, but specifically for places like the Titusville Mall. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Kind of brings real life to the real problem. So the next item is F2 Rick Heffle Finger. Uh Rick Hefflefinger, District 1, 2000 Juniper Drive. Um first of all, I'd like
to uh say something about the young lady that just spoke. I hope there's a NASA recruiter in the audience because that one's a keeper. She did a fine job. All right, F2. This one drew my attention because it says that it's about impact fees, and we've had some discussion
about impact fees, and this is, of course, the school board, but the school board has recognized, which I think the county would would take some note of, that when people move in, they are impacted. So, they are paying for additional schools, additional capabilities, and I
think it's a good lesson. And they're not they're not afraid to, you know, charge a developer that builds a residential and say, "Hey, you got kids. We need to have some money to pay for the kids." And I just wanted to say that. And I also wanted to say 24.2 million collected by the impact fee.
That's nothing to sneeze at. And there's other that's not that's just for Bard as far as I know because there's a bunch of charts. I didn't go through all of them, but it says the residential development requires us requires to pay for impact to school capacity capability. Kudos to the school board for
anticipating the development and the MUA get that they pay for their their facilities and that is just the people that are moving in and all these apartments they're bringing kids. So, let's keep that in mind because I will be back up here a little later. Thank you very much. >> Thank you.
Next item is F4. Rick Huffleinger. I was should have been quicker. I could have saved you a few steps. And you're going to be F52. So, okay. Well, I think I can probably knock those two out together.
What I wanted to say this is you're going to love this. This is um about F4 is getting us some federal money. Good job to staff staying on top of it. 11.2 millions available if we meet that and
sign up to the agreement. So that's not on my tax bill anymore. Thank you. And also good job to the staff on F5 because that's 1.99 million of grant money and this is just I assume this is just putting in the paperwork to say we qualify. So another thank you staff
because that's also not money I have to spend. And that's what I had to say about that. We have F10. >> Oh, F10. That would be me, too. Um, this is about the sale of a piece of property
that is in space. Yeah. Where? Space Park or I guess it's owned by the county, which means it's owned by all of us. And I guess this business that was started in with Embeds, they're a startup. I don't know if they I could ask the question. I don't know if they
got a tax abatement, but it's a small business. They put a good position together about what they bring to the community. They're growing. That's good. Um, but they wanted to buy the lot. And my question was that that requires a supermajority vote, right? When you sell
a piece of property, does anybody know the Could I ask a question? >> Sure. >> Okay. So, a super majority. Was there an appraisal done? Because it looks like they just came in and said, "Hey, we'd like to buy the property. It's, you know, we want three acres for 195." And I know that Elon Musk is probably going
to be hunting for property soon. So, is that a good enough number for that piece of property to to let them build on it? It's three acres. And I thought there had to be an appraisal. So, we didn't get because they made the offer. Did we counter? Are we going to counter? I This might be Morris's question, right? Is this his
item? >> Whoever be appropriate that Okay. They can answer. >> Again, you guys don't have to answer. I understand that. But I just >> I understand. But we can get staff to answer that work this issue. Yeah. Hello. So, I'm Troy Post with the county and the planning and development office.
And um we uh when the EMBBZ was in operation, we would occasionally have a market valuation report done. I think the last one was done in 2022 to kind of give us a gauge as to what real estate prices were going to be. But it's important to recognize that this
property is considered an economic incentive. Uh we try to go after firms that have a significant capital investment that are growing going to create jobs and that's probably a bigger consideration than the price per price per acre. >> Okay. So you're you're you're saying
that the price may be low, but it's an economic incentive to have them build and expand their business. >> It is because right now the property the county owns it. It's off the property tax road. So the county is not getting any money for it. If we're able to induce somebody to buy it, to build a new facility, three 4 million that goes
on the property taxes. Okay. >> The other consideration is that these lots are undeveloped. Uh they exist just wooded lots and so whoever goes in there to buy these lots has extensive site preparation work that they also have to do. >> Right. And that and that uh being hooked up to utilities the county makes and
they pay taxes and >> That's correct. >> Did do you know how if they happen to have a I'm sorry. >> No. They happen to have a previous tax abatement from ENBs or was that through the >> I am not aware of any tax abatement. I know that they currently lease uh space in a building now. So this would be their first attempt to own their own property. So
>> Oh, I I I assume this was an empty building. They're going to expand it then. Is that what they're >> they're going to expand by building a new building to accommodate their operation >> on that new piece of property that we're getting? Okay. And I guess my only heartburn with that is >> when you don't have an appraisal to compare to what you're selling it, it's
hard to tell how much incentive you're giving them. And that's you know, because so again, the market >> I don't want everybody to lose money that that you know, because that's county property. So, it'd be nice to have a number if an appraisal to know how much of a deal they're getting. >> So, one last comment. I don't want to
drag out your meeting, but again, we do have a market valuation report that had been done, I think as recently as 2022. And that would typically tell us what price per acre going industrial property is for in the county. So, we would use that as a gauge when we would weigh
those offers with the MBEZ board. >> Okay. >> Okay. Great. >> That was that wasn't on here. So, I didn't I didn't know how good a deal they were getting. It wasn't listed. It was only their offer. So, thank you very much for that. >> Thank you. >> And I think I'm done. Now, you can vote on consent unless somebody else is going to waste your time. I mean, ask some questions.
>> Well, thank you for your questions. And I think any questions from the board on the consent agenda? Any items that are removed? I think a motion would be order for the consent. I'd like to move to approve. >> Motion by Commissioner Atinson for
consent agenda. >> I'll second. >> Second by Commissioner Felner. All those in favor say. >> All those in favor say. >> Yay. >> Yay. >> Yay. >> Yay. Carries unanimously. Thank you so much. Okay. We will now move to
[clears throat] I public hearings. Oh, yeah. Gee, I missed public comments. That's right. Um, Adrien Vargas, >> I have some pamphlets. >> Yes, absolutely.
>> Good evening. Uh, my name is Adrienne Vargas. I live in the woods at Crooked Mile in Merit Island. I'm here to bring awareness about an ongoing peacock issue affecting multiple homes and neighborhoods. Before I explain any
further, I'd like to play a 10-second audio clip of what I am speaking about. Oh, no. Don't tell me it's not going to work. technology. >> It always happens. >> We can Don't rush. We're in fine.
>> Okay. Let me try. I I practiced all before I got here. >> I know you're I feel your pain. >> Here we go. So, unfortunately, this is not a one-time occurrence. This is happening
regularly, all night long. Our neighborhood currently has 40 to 50 peacocks with new chicks continuing to hatch, so population is actively growing. Our HOA has taken steps, including sending notices and asking residents not to feed them, but
compliance has been inconsistent, not only within our community, but also the surrounding areas without an HOA. Because of this, the issue continues to expand beyond what any single neighborhood can manage. Residents have followed guidance from the Florida Fish
and Wildlife, including removing food sources, using deterrents like sprinklers, and trimming trees to prevent roosting. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been effective. We've also contacted both the FWC and the Bvard Sheriff's Office uh and told that
the situation falls outside of their scope for active removal. As a result, there is currently no agency addressing this issue. There is this has gone beyond a nuisance. Residents are dealing with property damage damage, sanitation
concerns, and safety risks involving traffic and pedestrians. There's also a significant quality of life impact. Families are being awakened as early as 2, 3, 4:00 a.m. And both adults and children are experiencing ongoing sleep disruption. There are
several neighbors here tonight uh to support me and who are also experiencing these same issues. Because this spans multiple parcels and neighborhoods, it's not feasible for one HOA or an individual resident to co coordinate or fund a solution like hiring a wildlife
trapper. In 2012, the city of Cocoa Beach addressed a similar issue by hiring a licensed trapper. We are asking the county to consider a similar approach or help coordinate a solution. At this point, there is no longer just
an HOA issue. It's a broader community problem that requires county level support. I provided a packet for the board that includes a petition petition with over 30 signatures, resident impact statements, photos documenting what our community is experiencing, and prior
prior correspondence with the commissioner's office and the Bvard County Sheriff's Office. Thank you for your time and consideration and we look forward to your response. >> Mr. Chair, can I ask a question? >> Yes, absolutely. >> Um I I have a great deal of empathy,
especially with neighbors and and noise. Um so I'm I'm I'm with you now. Uh I have some friends in Cape Canaveral and I think maybe the original peacock um herd started there. There's a there's a rumor of
>> I've heard all the rumors. Yes. two birds uh that someone got a long time ago and of course um and and I think they do call it a herd uh possibly. Anyways >> um and and I know all the challenges so I'm curious now do you know what Cape
Canaveral has has done with birds? Have they removed them? Have they >> I believe they also hired the same trapper. >> Okay. And then so someone comes in, they trap the bird, then then what happens? Um they the trapper removes them and I'm not sure if they relocate them or what they do with them.
>> Is there I I don't pretend to know enough about peacocks. Is there a state habitat or something like that? Are they >> I've called the bird wildlife refuge in North Merit Island? I've called the zoo. I've called a lot of people and nobody
seems to want them. >> I got you. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Uh, I'll I'll uh I'll think about that, too. I I just I I don't know if any um parcel in Bvard that's been used before for
uh peacocks and and other other birds and such with peacocks. I mean, we have scrub jay sanctuary. We have other things like that, but >> from my understanding, it's illegal for us to relocate them >> for homeowners to relocate them. >> What a licensed person can do, I'm not
sure. >> Okay. So FWC could do it. A licensed trapper by FWC can do it. But >> yes, but FWC says that the peacocks are domesticated fowl and the Bvard County Sheriff's Office says that they're
wildlife. So they both go like this. >> Okay. Well, I I think that's an important part of the equation is figuring out where where they would go. And that's probably a thing that's that's hanging you up. >> Yes. >> Today I see that. I I'll see we'll we'll get your information. I'll see if I can
at least um find an answer from potentially a state or something like that. >> Thank you very much. >> All right. >> I know um [clears throat] my mom lives on South Merid Island and they are dangerous when you're driving down there. They are they don't seem to
pay attention to cars. They just walk right across. I've had to dodge a few and >> people slam on their brakes and Yeah, >> they're a problem. And I have heard them on the mainland all the way across the river that that loud. So, you know, anything
>> more audio if you ever want to listen. >> Yeah. Well, you know, they're they're exotics. They're not native to Florida. >> Correct. >> So, they they're not naturally here. We used to have bobcats on Mar Island. still have some coyotes, but
>> the bobcats probably would >> help take care of that problem. But I don't think that many of those anymore. >> Just being >> We used to actually have Florida Panthers on I've heard witnesses talked to witnesses seen Florida Panthers. Didn't worry about the peacocks then. >> Um but yes, I appreciate you being here
and I'm sure we'll be looking at it. Thank you. Thanks for the the recording. Okay, our next John Rigger Ruger >> record >> John. >> Pardon me. >> John,
>> just John. John works. Okay. >> Good evening. >> My name is John Ricay. I'm from 908 Cashew Circle, Barefoot Bay. I was here and spoke to you before on September the 3rd of 2025
and I spoke about the cost of the water in the sewer plant in Barefoot Bay and the surrounding communities. On September the 10th of 2025 at a county commission's meeting, Mrs. Kim Ainson made a motion to direct staff to
have the rate consultant to study and authorize the utility service department to explore options regarding outstanding bond debt. She also agreed and stated in the tatler that the cost of the bond should be
spread over the district, which is all we've been asking for. Since then, the delivery rate to the meter has gone up $422, making the cost $7948 before usage. So, a single occupant like
myself pays $110 a month for water, which I feel is very expensive. December the 18th of 2025, I sent questions to the director of Bvard County and Seward, Mr. Edward Fontan and
I sent a copy of it to Miss Atinson. Those four questions that I tried to get answered are what was the cost of the bond in the beginning which I believe was year 2000. How much has been collected so far? how
much remains to be collected by 2029 when the B bond is exhausted and how much has been spent on bringing the water and sewer plant up to date which was part of the arrangements made. I believe the residents have a right to
have these questions answered at the very least. The issue affects Barefoot Bay, Snug Harbor, and Sebastian Lakes. So, we're talking thousands and thousands of houses, over 5,000.
Bvard County owns the water and sewer plant. The burden of the bond should be consumed by the entire district. This is the worst deal I have ever heard of in my life. It reaps with waste, fraud, and
abuse. Um, I'm hoping that you will give this some thought and some action on this. My second time here, it's only gotten worse. It's going to get much worse. One of the things that
provoked me to do this was when the director of Bvard County Water and Sewer Plant came to our community. I asked him what the fees of the new plant was going to be in five years. $51 million plant. He had no
answer. That's wrong. >> So I thank you for your time. >> Thank you. The next speaker, Dominic >> Scapetta. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for listening to me tonight.
Um, I'm my name's Donald Scapetta. I've already contacted many of you about this matter. Um, like the other lady, um, I'm having difficulty with my phone and I forgot my notes, so bear with me. Uh, I've [snorts] been unable to find a a commissioner or a common sense
resolution since this all began on March 18th. I'm in the process of building a house for my son at 6900 Shervin Avenue in Canaval Groves. It's a dirt road and it's fed by two dirt roads. On March 18th, I contacted Boulevard County and requested the next inspection, but they
declined because um they said I needed to pay a $10,000 impact fee. I looked into the impact fee a little bit, and about $4,400 of that is for transportation, which is for road improvements. Well, because we're on a dirt road on
the 19th, the next day, I contacted Katie Delane's office in District 1 on the phone and by email and explained that I'd already been in contact with the they're they're a great staff, the fine staff at Road and Bridges. They they've been doing the best they can,
but they're sa sorely understaffed and they don't have enough equipment to maintain all the dirt roads in the county. Um, in October of 2024 when I first contact detected them, our road was virtually impossible. If there was a fire, my house would have burnt down.
So anyway, um, it's a health it's a safety issue and it's just a a transportation issue. Um, they explained the maintenance was every 3 to four weeks and they're underst staffed. Uh, and this is no way meant to disparage them at all. They're doing the best they
can. Uh on March 28th, I received a response from Kristen Lordy from D1. And this is a quote from her response, which is very disturbing to me. Even though the road is not
paved, it is still maintained. But no one thinks it's maintained to the degree it needs to be. And the next thing she said was that the transportation impact fees support capacity improvements, new sidewalks,
road widenings, and intersection improvements. It does not fund staff, equipment, or maintenance. We're on a dirt road. That's what we need. We need more staff or or equipment or maintenance, or we need to have the
road paved. And I know that's a enormous expense. So I my my request is simple. I'm just requesting that the um commissioners do what you did in 2016, at least for this particular instance,
and wave the transportation portion of the impact fee. It's the only thing that makes logical sense. It's common sense in in this case, and I don't know who to talk to. I've been working and working and working trying to find someone that can resolve this issue for me and I so far I
I can't get any resolution. >> Okay. Do we have any questions? Thank you so much. We'll definitely follow up. I have some questions that >> Well, I I know that Katie's gone now, so it's going to be difficult for Oh, my paper's stuck in this. Yeah,
>> it's going to be difficult uh to to get >> Well, who who should I work with? >> Yeah, we're going to we're going to try to make sure it's not difficult. >> Okay, I appreciate that. Okay. >> Yeah, I think you're amazing her there up there. We need her
>> because your problem is all throughout the county. And uh >> I I I think we're a little bit unique because of the fact that um the you know I don't I understand with the impact fees we another gentleman spoke about impact fees and of course we need impact fees when when we're you
know developing new property but in this case I've been told point blank that you're not going to get this this the service you need from the fee that you're paying and it just it it's not common sense. It's just not doesn't nonsensical and I know that you guys
have the authority to do it because you did it in 2016. So anyway, I don't want to take up any more of your time. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Appreciate it. >> True. >> Chasey. >> It's me with a bad handwriting again.
>> No, it's How do you pronounce your first name? >> Chelsea. >> Chelsea, of course. >> I even tried to write it again more nicely. >> I saw that. There's two Chelsea. [gasps] Good evening, commissioners. My name is Chelsea TR and I'm a Merit Island resident speaking in regards to the resoning schedule for May 7th regarding
Rangewater and Merit Bidco. This application has now been ongoing since November. Over the past 6 months, it's gone through multiple continuences with the explanation that the project is still evolving. At some point, that becomes more than just process. It becomes signal. A project that is
changing after multiple hearings in six months of review is not a stable or clearly defined proposal. At the last continuence, the applicant requested additional time to potentially acquire more land, modify the number of units, and revise site access. However, according to the recent staff report, no
update application reflects those changes, and um they haven't been submitted as of its publication. That reinforces the concern that the plan before you is still not fully developed. The record also shows that during the same time period, a separate request was submitted under the Live Local Act. That
adds another layer of uncertainty as multiple potential paths are being explored without a single clear finalized plan before the board. And that matters because the board is being asked to make a decision that has a long-term impacts on infrastructure safety and the surrounding community. I also want to briefly address how
community input has been characterized in recent filings submitted on April 24th by Kim Rosanka. Residents like myself who have taken time to write, attend meetings, and speak are not submitting abstract opinions. We're raising real lived concerns about traffic, flooding, safety, and how this
project fits into their community. These perspectives are an important part of the record and should be considered alongside technical reports, not dismissed. In recent filings, the applicant has argued that many of the key concerns, particularly traffic and infrastructure, are only subject to
preliminary review at this stage with more detailed analysis deferred to site plan. But that is exactly the issue. If the impacts are not fully understood today, then the project is not ready for approval today. We're also being told that traffic is not a deficiency while at the same time mitigation measures and
improvements are being offered. Those positions don't fully align. If improvements are necessary, then impacts exist, and those impacts should be clearly understood before approval, not after. There are also still open questions about zoning, site control, and environmental constraints that affect what can realistically be built
on this property. Taken together, these are not small details. They go directly to whether this project is clearly defined, feasible, and ready for approval. Additionally, comparisons to other potential uses, such as a hospital, do not answer the question in front of you. The question is not what could be built. The question is whether
the specific proposal is appropriate, compatible, and ready. At this stage, the board should have a clear, stable, and fully supported proposal in front of it. That level of clarity is what allows for a confident and defensible decision. Based on what has been presented over the past 6 months, that level of clarity still does not appear to be here. So,
the question becomes, if it's not fully resolved now, what confidence is that it will be resolved later? Based on that record, I do not believe this application is ready for approval. And I thank you again for your time. >> [laughter] >> Well done. Right on time. Thank you so much.
>> And you you know that that item is on the agenda for Thursday night, correct? >> Good. Good. Natalie Allen, that's who just spoke. Nope, that was Natalie. Natalie. >> Yeah, Chelsea.
>> Good evening. Hi, I'm Natalie Allen and I'm a resident of Bvard and I wanted to speak to you guys today about a light-hearted conversation of just civic engagement. It is Cinco de Mayo after all, right? And there's so many lovely faces here in
the audience coming out to support the community. I had the opportunity to attend one of your board meetings last month and Rob actually mentioned that there was an art festival going on. So, it's just a beautiful place to be able to hear about events, see the
individuals that Bvard votes for and have an opportunity to meet and understand some of the hot topics that are out here. Natalie Allen, as a Bvard resident, I'm also interested in hearing about ways to get involved in the community. So, a funny story, I was out
gardening yesterday, just in my front yard doing my own thing and speaking to myself about what I was going to say tonight. And as I was practicing, my neighbor, who I had not met after moving in recently, came outside and said, "Natalie,
did you know we have a Bvard Democrats meeting and a Republican Democrat or Republican meeting as well? Why don't you come out on the third [clears throat] Tuesday of the month?" And these different dates she just started throwing out. And I said to myself, if I wasn't out here gardening
tonight and just minding my own business and having a friendly conversation, I wouldn't have heard about these events. So I said to her, Becky, why don't you just come to one of the board meetings? So we made a plan to start coming to these events together. And it's just a
simple way to point out to everyone here that these conversations like the one I had with Chelsea TR and her lovely daughter and son right before we started on zoning, these are topics that I wouldn't know were burning in the community and things that are just on the minds of individuals that might not
know how to be engaged. So my reason for being here today is just to point out my passion for engagement. I look for ways, whether it's online, whether it's in-person opportunities like this, whether it's hanging out just across the hall and meeting individuals like Dell. Um, it's a beautiful place to just see
and meet the faces that we could potentially be working with one day. I thank all of you for serving in your roles, very challenging. I'm sure you've done it for a long time. And I just invite you to continue to do what you've been doing. engage individuals like
myself, Natalie Allen, and help us meet who Bvard votes for. >> Fantastic. Well, thank you for being here and engaging, and >> you actually um picked a good meeting to attend because we got the Susan B. Connley Speak at Boulevard. >> Is that right?
>> On the agenda. So, you couldn't have picked a better time to be here. >> I see. >> So, it's dedicated for a lot of public involvement. >> Well, it's interesting because when I was walking in this morning or this afternoon, I ran into you as well. Yes. and I remember complimenting your MacBook. So, it's just funny because you
never know who you'll run into. IT conversations, AI conversations, being able to level up your conversational skills, too. Having heard some of the speakers, as young as they are, standing up here, it's inspirational. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. Public environment is what makes
this all happen. Okay, good. That concludes our first public hearing section of our agenda. The next item is board discussion and directions to staff. Um on the No,
actually no, I missed one. Uh extension of temporary moratorum for new application of bioolids to lands within Boulevard County. We do have a card still Bailey. Still Coco. Um, I wanted to talk about this because I've
been on this for many, many years, as you know, with the POS contamination. And then first and foremost, I want to thank the county staff and specifically Virginia Barker. I don't know if she's in the room right now, but um if it wasn't for their work, we wouldn't be where we're at today with this
moratorum. And their continued work is very important to this issue. At its core, this issue is really simple. It's about what we're putting on the ground and where it it ends up. Bioolids contain nutrients like nitrogen and
phosphorus. And while that might sound harmless, when too much of it is spread on the land, it doesn't just stay there when it rains, it moves into our ditches, our canals, our rivers, and ultimately into the water we rely on
every single day. We've already seen what that can lead to. harmful algo blooms, damaged waterways, and added strain on our drinking water supply. Lake Washington, which serves about 170,000 people, is directly connected to this conversation. And the data shows
something important. Areas with more bioolids application, are seeing higher levels of pollution in their water. Areas with less application are not. This board has taken a careful and responsible approach over the years by putting this moratorum in place and
continuing it as we learn more. That's proactive. That's exactly what good governance looks like. It's not rushing. It's not guessing, but protecting what matters most while we get it right. Because once water is contaminated, fixing it is far more expensive and far
more difficult than preventing the problem in the first place. This isn't about being for or against any industry. It's about protecting our water, our property values, and the quality of life that people in Bvoulevard County depend on. So, I respectfully ask you continue
this moratorum, continue Virginia Barker's hard work on this, and thank you to this commission and your leadership for putting the health and safety of residents first. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any any comments, question? Okay. Thank you so much. And I think a motion would be >> Well, you don't want Mike to introduce it because I'm ready to make a motion to approve >> unless Mike wants to talk. >> Just here if you have questions. I don't need to talk. You've already
>> then I'll make a motion to approve >> and I'll second. >> There's a motion and a second. Um this is a good thing. This is the moratorum. We're seeing significant reduction of the application of bioolids here in Bvard and look forward to the
day when it gets to zero. I know the state has been very active as well. So I appreciate your input and I agree with you. We have phenomenal staff here in the county. We appreciate what they're doing. Um all in favor say yay. Yay. >> Opposed. Yay. Yay.
>> Motion carries unanimously. Okay. Thank you so much. Good >> job, Mike. Okay. Now, uh item I1, board discussion, direction to staff, commission one, district one staff. And we have couple cards. Uh first is Stell
Bailey. All right. Still Bailey, District 1, um resident. and I support option one, retaining the current District 1 staff member. This is really about consistency of service, efficiency, and clear accountability. People in North Bard still need help with everyday issues
like trash pickup, permits, and knowing where to go for assistance. I understand there may be a desire to shift these responsibilities to other commissioner offices or to county staff, but as outlined, that would require deciding who handles the workload, how it rotates, and how citizens input gets
routed back to commissioners. that creates unnecessary layers and confusion for residents. Routing everything through county administration also adds steps since policy issues still have to be sent back to commission offices. Similarly, routing everything through the county manager or attorney's office still requires issues of policy to be
sent back to commission offices, meaning it adds an extra step without truly solving the problem. Option one is the most straightforward and responsible. It keeps a dedicated local point of contact that we have grown to trust and love. Maintains accountability with District 1, avoids shifting workload or expanding
bureaucracy, and importantly, this is a temporary solution just to maintain service until a new commissioner is elected and hires their own staff. District 1 residents didn't create this vacancy, and we shouldn't lose access to a responsive local support because of
it. I respectfully ask you to choose stability and keep that line of communication open. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next speaker, Rick Hefinger Binger. Rick Hefinger, District 1. Um, near and
dear to our hearts, isn't it? Um, I'm going to have to agree with Stell. I know she's my opposition now, but I'm going to agree with her unless you guys are going to have a discussion and tell us that the governor is going to pick and I don't want to waste my time saying I'd rather have continuation of staff.
So, I I don't know where you're going to come down on it, but I'm looking for some information you guys might have had. I I there was discussion in the board reports about contacting the governor. I don't know if you've done that. I don't I would hope that Well, I don't know. If one of you did, it'd be nice to hear
that. I don't know if the county manager did that to try to get some guidance on what he would think. Um, I love the idea of somebody that worked in that office with my previous commissioner is listening to the community because she knows the community. She knows her
district. Nobody else on this list does. So, I would hope that we keep somebody in there that's point of contact. I do have although I have one small little problem currently. Does staff go to the briefings that you guys are given as commissioners? Do they attend the briefings that you
get from the county manager or is it just you guys? Because this person this person Kristen is not going to be able to vote. So I just wonder are you giving her access for what reason would that be? Insider baseball or does it help
her? I mean, she can come to these meetings, too, and understand what's going on in the community, but I don't I don't know what access they're given, but she's, you know, we're not going to have anybody that votes. It's it but it's, you know, at least somebody answers the phone and it's somebody that we're familiar with because she was answering the phone before or one of the
other people in the office. So, I would like to see there be continuity and know that we've got somebody and then like staff always I guess assume you guys staff. if you have a problem, you work with other staff, you work with the the county. And that I think would be a good way to
make sure that when we've got problems, at least it's, you know, paid attention to. So, again, I'm interested to hear what you found out about what the governor would do. I mean, it's a short duration, but it is budget season, too. That scares me. So, yep, that's all. Thanks. >> Thank you. And the answer is yes, we do
give her staff access to those briefings. and another. Yes, we we have sent a letter to the governor. It's up to each individual commissioner what they like to do. We're not I think our decision was not to take this position as a board, but each individual has that right and citizens do as well.
>> Just to clarify, sir, I didn't I did not send a letter to the governor. >> Okay. >> Nor did I? >> Okay. >> Commissioner Goodson, did you No, you don't have to answer that. Okay, great. Thank you. Um,
>> I have one one comment, chair. >> Okay. >> Okay. The last meeting, if I'm not mistaken, Delaney made the motion to keep her staff and there was no second. So, it died without a motion. Second.
So, now, do we go back and consider number one or do we start on two, three, and four? >> I think good point. Um, I think what we decided the last meeting was to wait. >> We didn't have to decide it. Talk about
it now. >> And um, and I've I've I've um, so that's what we decided. >> I didn't want to interrupt. Did you have anything else, Commissioner? >> Well, I guess what I would ask you, can
somebody go back and check the minutes now to see if we did not She did not have a second on number one. We could check on that, but I I recall us deciding and I I've thought a lot about it having time to think about it and and
I've come to the personal conclusion we should just go with option one and allow the staff that's there to work there that we're working with the elected commissioner. They and we need to make sure that district one has as best representation as possible. So, I would
support I would support option one. I actually have pretty strong feelings about this myself. Um I would prefer um to have the county manager put someone in that
position who can be there five days a week all day to answer the concerns of all the constituents so that no no one gets lost. And then if there are things that need to come to a commissioner, um I would ask the county manager to make
sure that I mean my office is certainly willing to take up a charge if necessary for a D1 resident. I I would prefer to have someone in the office full-time that reports to the county manager and
then you delegate to whatever offices are open to that. That would be my my preference. >> Question. Is that a motion? >> No, just discussion at the moment. >> Do we have any other discussion?
>> I I think something just to point out and to be mindful of um if there is an interim appointment that's not up to us, that's up to the governor. then that person h certainly has the right to appoint um and hire their their own
commission staff. Um so just just so that's clear whatever the board does um today. >> Okay. Any discussion, comments, questions? >> I'd like to make a motion if it's appropriate. >> Motion be in order. I'd like to make a motion to ask our county manager to
appoint um someone to be full-time in the D1 staff uh office and when necessary send it to a commissioner who's willing to take up the charge for that D1 resident.
>> I'll second that. >> There's a motion and a second. Uh is there any discussion? Any debate? All those in favor signify by saying yay. >> Yay. >> Yay. >> Motion carries. Okay.
Um Okay. Was there any other discussion? >> I think we have a time certain >> Yeah, I I was going to bring that up too. >> Okay. I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to >> I No, I I I'm glad you mentioned that. I was thinking that. Um, could it
>> do we need a time, a date? Would that take place? I know there's a letter that >> Kristen sent related to how long she could stay or be willing to stay, and I'd be willing to honor that. Are you familiar? I I read the letter.
My staff read it. >> I would say county staff must know what that letter says. >> The the letter uh she offered to stay on till May 31st in the email to to run the office. So, I mean, a board decision, I mean, you know, May 31st, we can run it through the end of a pay period. We
could do it immediately. Those are a couple of suggestions off the top, excuse me, couple suggestions off the top of my head. >> I I think we should just start with a new staff right now. I mean, if we're going to do it, we might as well do it right now and start and let that person get in the seat and get comfortable.
>> That's my thought. >> I agree with that. >> Okay. If that's board direction, then we'll get working on it tomorrow. >> Okay. >> Do we need to have a motion on that or just board direction? >> No, I don't think we need a motion. So, got got the direction.
>> All right. >> Okay. Um, Mr. Chair, if I may, >> I know we have a six o'clock time certain for SEIR, but uh J2 I I know there's an attorney in the audience and it's going to be very brief, I believe. >> I'm sorry. J1. >> J1. Yeah.
>> Okay. All right. I I was thinking that too, sir. I didn't I didn't mean to step on you with the time certain there. >> I mean, [snorts] is there an attorney who can keep it brief? [laughter] >> We're all paid by the word. So, uh I think Cliff Reper is just going to give you a thumbs up. So, that's about as
brief as >> Clifford Reperinger Cliff. >> Good evening, uh honorable board members. My name is Cliff Ringer. My business address is 21101 Waverly Place, Melbourne, Florida. I'm an attorney with the law firm of Whitebird and we
represent the applicant um on this item. Uh with me today, I have the principles of the applicant uh East Wind um acquisitions. I don't know, Morris, do you want to do a setup or do you want me to actually speak about this? >> I can just introduce it briefly if that's >> okay.
>> The pleasure of the board. Um so this is a development that's actually within the municipal boundaries of the city of Melbourne. Melbourne has already approved a multif family development here. It's to the west of Wickcham Road, roughly in the area of Longleaf Elementary,
um near uh you know, it's it's between Wickcham Road and Windover Farms roughly. Uh so you're familiar. Uh again, they're within the city of Melbourne. They have approvals from City of Melbourne, but there are obviously going to be traffic impacts to Wickcham Road. This is just a concurrency mitigation and right-of-way agreement
that is going to provide for the developer to either construct or fund improvements to that segment of Wickham Road. Either improvements uh right there in the form of a southbound left turn lane that would primarily just benefit that development or more likely the county may apply those funds if
developer goes the route of paying funds rather than constructing to another nearby project that's going to improve capacity. Uh perhaps the northbound extension extension of the northbound right turn lane onto Pineita. That's a planned project. Something like that. Uh so this is just an agreement of the for
the developer to pay $118,454 which is based on an estimate of project cost uh and their share of of contribution to the concurrency issue to Wickham there. And it will allow them to get a rightaway use agreement so they can uh do a sewer connection. >> Okay.
>> Can I ask a technical? >> Yes. >> Just real quick. Um the southbound left turn lane there on Wickham would essentially be for uh those residents coming out to make a U-turn. >> It it it actually doesn't go into the
development that I understand. >> Yeah. The it's a southbound turn lane that correct that would go eastbound, right? For turning east, >> right? So it's at that inter it's at the intersection of Preserve Drive, right? >> But it's for >> That's what I'm saying though. It it it doesn't turn into and I mean >> it doesn't turn into the development,
>> right? Um, okay. Okay. I think I mean I my um vote would be that we take the 118,000 to do improvements wherever else we need to to do on Wickham Road. >> And I think that agreement has the flexibility, >> right? That allows for that.
>> Okay. [snorts] >> We do have a card. >> Rick, helpful thing. >> I realize the time crunch. I'll be as fast as I can be. Um, my problem with this is this this identifies in the
description that there is a minor street delay also as as part of this development. $118. You can't put concrete on my driveway. I know. So, this must have just been for lining. >> What? 118,000.
>> Oh, 118,000. >> 118,000. Yeah. The turn lane on Friday with my development, 400,000 put a turn lane in. So, this cannot be concrete or this cannot be asphalt. Um, and then the fact that you're going to divert it to some other project bothers me because
this talks about some traffic delays because of this entry or this egress into the development. I think the the people that are impacted by this are going to be concerned if you divert that to some other project on Wickcham Road because they I I I'm surprised I don't have anybody here that
from that development in the back. I I'm sure they were thrilled that this development was going to happen right in the middle of their little pristine undeveloped section there. But I don't like the fact that it seems low to do any real road improvements. And it also
says or we can just siphon it. I I siphon it off is the strong word, but we can move that money to some other project on Wickham. How far away? Two miles, one mile. You you you haven't put any constraint. And then there was also a traffic impact.
So, hey, I love the idea that the guy that the developer is coming forward and said, "Hey, I can mitigate that if you, you know, let me have my permit or my zoning approval, but if you're just going to siphon it off, that doesn't do anything for solving the problem at that intersection, which I think is a turn
lane." So, I I don't think, you know, you're going to end up doing some improvement part of this and then 118 barely barely scratches the surface. I mean, you can ask Tom Goodson. I think he's a he's a asphalt guy. 118,000 don't go far for asphalt today. So that was my only concern that it seems a little
light considering there is a traffic impact. That's all. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Um that's all our cards is back before the commission. Do we we need a motion on this? Don't we? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. Uh motion be in order.
>> All right. I'll make a motion to approve. >> There's a motion to approve the Eastwood Preserve concurrency mitigation and rideway use agreement. >> I'll second that. There's a second. All in favor say yay. Yay. >> Carries unanimously. Thank you so much.
Now we'll move on to Oh, thank you. U to J2 is the last item on our agenda. This time was set for six o'clock time certain. >> Yeah, let's have a fivem minute break to make sure we get all the cards ready and we have quite a few speakers that are
going to be speaking and we will be right back. Five minutes. quick just so I'm clear. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Oh
>> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Hey, [music] oh wow. >> [music]
>> I know. I know. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Wow. Hey. [music] Heat. [music] Hey, Heat.
>> [music] [music] [music] >> rest. Oh [music] my god. Okay. Like to call the meeting uh back to order. Okay. I'd like to um ask our county
administrator to give us a quick quick briefing of where we are. >> Thank [clears throat] you, Mr. here. Um, commissioners, we received 61 citizens the efficiency and effectiveness recommendations from 44 individuals this year. Uh, county staff has spent several hundred hours thorough analyzing and
reviewing the written recommendations. Per the home rule charter staff has made the following recommendations to the board and it's in your package along with all the sears that um that the board accepts uh revision uh with reision accepts with revisions 17 of the SEIRE recommendations that it rejects 44
of the recommendations received and those rejections are based primarily on the fact that some of the recommendations received were either handled by staff as service requests that the recommendations were out of the county jurisdiction or the recommendations do not enhance the efficiency and effective of the county government as required in the County
Charter. The board presented the recommend the staff's recommendations are presented to the board in a manner that allow the board to pass the recommendations in one motion. And if a commissioner wishes to discuss an individual SER recommendation, it can be pulled for discussion after that votes taken or given further direction. Um I
thank the citizens. We put together staff put together. You have blue, we call the speaker cards pink cards, but this time we put together blue cards and pink cards under the board's uh direction. Uh we have blue cards so that way the citizens have five minutes for their SEIER and then if uh citizens want
to speak on the item as a regular uh u agenda item, we have the pink card with their three minutes. And then last but not least, I want to thank everybody um that well thank the staff for working on it, but then especially thank the citizens that put uh uh the recommendations together. Um we we did
take our time, we did take them seriously, we did go through everything. So I appreciate everything the citizens have done. Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay. Um, what we will do is we will begin with the blue cards where individuals have signed up to speak on
behalf of their individual SEIR request and these speakers will be given five minutes. So the first speaker we have is Robert Pickert. >> What number is that? >> The se number is 2026045.
Oh, okay. I can >> That's the one I have. Is that right? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Well, good evening, commissioners. I am Bob Pickert, a resident of Bvard County, lover of the Indian River Lagoon, and a lifelong environmental professional and
sustainability consultant. I proposed a soil health moonshot to transform Bvard sandy landscape soils into a sustainable living filter for the lagoon. I'd like to leave you with three thoughts. Embrace the muck. There are many beneficial uses. Embrace biochar. It
absorbs water, absorbs nutrients, and provides a home for beneficial soil microbes. Making nutrients bioavailable to plants without leeching to the groundwater or the lagoon and degrading organic chemicals and embrace the lagoon as a living system where more effort
needs to be focused on enhancing sustainable natural stabilization and filtration systems. Biochar is a natural material with extremely high surface area similar to activated carbon. It occurs naturally as a byproduct of forest fires and is a big part of why we
see green shoots and such productive growth after forest fires. It can also be made from clean sources of wood waste through a process or conditions known as pyrolysis. I have watched from the sidelines as team SORL has been busy with the herculean task of restoring the lagoon.
Two years ago, I was shocked to learn the county had not analyzed any of the dewatered muck after removing nearly 800,000 cubic yards of muck. Since then, Sorrel staff has arranged to analyze four samples of dewatered muck from the Grand Canal Muck dewatering site. Much
more analysis is needed from all of the muck processing sites, but the muck is much lower in nitrogen, less than 1% lower in phosphorus, less than.1% than I expected. The samples contain 7% organic carbon. I understand it can range from
10 to 30% carbon and minerals such as sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. I've heard Soral staff and COC refer to the muck in public as quote unquote toxic and nothing grows in the muck. The muck samples did contain arsenic, chromium,
and copper in low concentrations consistent with background soil levels and government riskbased standards and well below fertilizer guidelines. I'm going to refer to this figure here. Uh, Sorrel staff did arrange for me to take samples of a partially dewatered muck
from the Grand Canal Pineita Muck dewatering site. That's the photo that you see there, some of it. I collaborated with Rodney Eden of Eaten Worms, and I mixed 55% muck, 40% biochar, and 5% compost by weight. Rodney added some worm castings and
observed explosive growth growth less than one week after adding ryrass seed to the mix. The muck would likely serve as a good binder to produce fertilizer pellets, but more importantly, it would serve as a galvanizing force for soil health around the IRL. I have proposed a
nutrient loading and leeching study to demonstrate and quantify the expected nutrient prevention benefits of a muk biocharbased soil amendment. I have proposed a variety of beneficial uses for the muck, including an example of how the biochar muck, worm casting,
seaweed extract, fertilizer, and soil amendment, that's a mouthful, could provide a sustainable source of sorrel funding. The Soros COC dismissed the idea in a so-called white paper that was full of incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading statements and was more of a
whitewash to dismiss the idea. These are essentially the same staff comments provided in the response to my SEIR recommendation. The original sor sorrel ordinance states the purpose of sorrel funds is to quote finance infrastructure for capital
projects to produce primary reduce primary sources of pollution including excess fertilizer and natural stabilization and filtration systems. The sorrel oversight committee specifically has a responsibility not only to allow but to foster development and implementation of tools and
techniques for restoration of the lagoon and to identify and develop long-term funding sources. I am not familiar with any single other idea proposed by anyone else to provide a non- tax source of sorrel funding. I have a sailboat at my
neighbor's house across the street in any harbor beach. That canal was dredged 20 years ago and has since been refered and silted in. In order to protect our investment in canal dredging, I have proposed a soil health pilot project for the Indian Harbor Beach satellite beach
dredging project. I'm going to put up a different there's a lot of detail in there. Obviously, you can't see, but it's included in the handout materials. The project includes remote sensing and precision nutrient mapping to identify
nutrient-rich sources, materials processing, distribution, and application to 120 acres. Monitoring including baseline and post application years 2,5 and 10. The project is expected to prevent 430 lbs of nitrogen,
40 lb of phosphorus for 10 years, 4,300 lb N, 400 lb P, and a removal efficiency of 279 per pound. The stone the builders has rejected has become the cornerstone. I encourage the county commission to embrace the muck biochar and a lagoon as
a living system for a sustainable approach to a resilient lagoon and implement the roadmap provided in the soil health moonshot recommendation and soil health pilot project proposed for the Indian Harbor Beach satellite beach dredging project.
Thank you for your time and I like I said I have I have seen the I just now saw the comments. I didn't see them before I came in. Um I would make one more comment. The SEIR recommendation that I provided did have a money-saving
suggestion and that was to reduce garbage pickup to one day per week since we have long since included recyclables elsewhere and yard waste elsewhere. I was suggesting we use that money for >> this sir. Do you know the number of that?
>> I think it's 2026. Uh it's right at the top of my comments in there. I don't uh 2026045. >> Did you >> We don't have a separate card for that. >> We don't have one in there. >> Wait, I couldn't find one. I one. Let me see.
>> Signed in when I came in. >> No, but five minutes to talk. >> Yeah, you got another five minutes to talk about that. >> Well, great. I'd be happy to talk with you about it. I mean, I presented my comments. I just found out today. I didn't realize that the staff comments
were available. I went through them. They're the same comments that are in the white paper that I've responded to uh previously and have made comments to the board. >> Now, you're speaking about which which sorrel? >> Uh I'm I'm talking about the um soil health moonshot.
>> Yeah. the one you just presented on. >> Correct. Correct. >> Okay. >> I don't have another topic. >> Oh, I thought you did. Okay. All right. >> Could I ask a question? Yeah, absolutely. Real quick, sir. Um, you say that there's many uses for muck. Um, can
you can you tell the board briefly some of those uses? Well, I I mean, in my mind, I was thinking, you know, and and again, biochar can help with reducing the leeching of the of the but for example, you could use it as a low
permeability material for a storm water settling pond. And then at the effluent of that pond, you could have treatment biochar be one. This the county has used bold and gold, but that includes like shredded tires. And shredded tires have
a highly toxic chemical in them. The the tire rubber that erodess from the tires driving on the road. The reason why you have to buy new tires is because the tire wears out and all that stuff washes down in the runoff. So we're finding six PPD quinoone I think is the name of the
chemical but it's as highly toxic as POS and we're finding that uh and these are ubiquitous contaminants that we're finding in the environment but um but that that would be one is a storm water settling pond. Um,
you know, I trying to think of what strictly just the muck. Um, >> I mean, if we gave it away for free and someone could come take it and it's on a parcel and here's a 100,000 cubic yards of it tomorrow,
what what would what would be the appeal? What would >> So my this whole thing started with meeting a sorrel staff member at a party two years ago and she said, "We don't know what to do with. we don't have a way to use the muck. >> And that's where I started this whole thing on soil health and said you could
use it as a soil amendment if you added the biochar and the other things. That's my best recommendation for what to do with the muck. But again, you could if you if you had a large storm water settling pond and you needed to line it with low permeability materials, I would
say you could use the the muck, but you'd want to treat it with probably fine biochar or something that could help stabilize that muck and could help reduce the leeching of any nutrients that are in there to to the groundwater. >> How do how do you uh make biochar
efficiently? Right. And that's, you know, a huge gasifier or something like that. I mean, we're going to be talking about veget. We're going to be talking about uh our vegetative waste going forward, right? >> And how we're going to process that. And it's um you know, that's that's its own
u process. And so I if if a uh maybe it's you, maybe it's someone else >> got that material for free and you go out there and you take it all and you turn it into biochar. >> I mean, can that be done? Is it >> I mean, and it can be done, but not economically just like that. There's a
cost to it. Now, if there's an end use for the material, if the county was in uh both feet and and committed to the project, you could find uh private sector partners that would be willing to work with the county. I think >> what what uh just my last question, Mr.
Chair, if you were to take all the county's vegetative waste uh in a year, convert it to biochar, what what do you and let's let's just say that, you know, we found a use for it and there's a market and all of those kinds of things. What what do you think that would would cost? Um
>> I don't know what the what the pass through volume is on that. I mean um and I have to tell you my role with Wakefield Biochar. Actually, I'm transitioning to another job, but my role with them has been environmental health and safety compliance at the
facility in Beldosta, Georgia, and looking at their uh EHS programs at the mills where we where we work. The mills take chimbers and they shave off the bark and the trimmings and they put it in their boiler and they pull it out before it becomes it's fully ash and
that's the char that's the source of the char material. The the plant is in the process of putting in a takaachar system which is a smaller system typically used for developing countries out in the field and that kind of a thing. So they're producing their own but they haven't produced their own at a at a
large scale. So, it's all sourced from uh the wood pulp and paper industry basically in South Georgia and North Florida. So, what I mean as far as having somebody come in and say, "Yes, I'm excited to take your woody waste." There's still a lot of cost associated
with that. >> I understand. And that's that's what I was trying to get my head around. Okay. And I know you're an engineer. No, that's that's okay. So, I thought I'd take advantage and ask the question. But if you've if you're already sizing it, if you're already chipping it up and you're doing something, I mean, that gets you a significant amount of the way
there. And a big part of the cost would be the land and the improvements and all that. Now, if you've got land associated with the landfills, >> uh, or you've got, you know, there's other some other synergy there, you've already reduced a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of cost and the capital
cost and getting it started. If you could cost share that with Sorrel, which again it's a capital project for the improvement of the lagoon. Now you're you're actually sharing that cost between the counties county carrying that load all and the soil program. >> I mean we are going to be picking up the
vegetative material um in well into the future. And so I guess I was I was wondering, okay, at that point we have it we have it at the land the new landfill, >> right? >> Um out there and maybe maybe they're going to put it in a huge pile and it's going to compost. Okay, you let it do it
long enough it'll it'll compost. But what would it take to turn it into biochar? >> You have to probably buy a pyrolysis unit and send it through basically a pyrolysis unit, burn it, capture that gas, recover and use those gases. >> A sin gas
would be part of the cycle. Yes. >> And so that would that that you would use that energy in the process or the excess energy would be available for whatever other purposes um colllocated activities that you you'd have to have there or want to have there.
>> Okay. Thank you, sir, very much. >> You're welcome. Thank you, commissioners. >> Our next speaker is Tom Canelli. >> Got it. >> All right. >> One of the few And you have six, I see.
>> But I'm only going to talk on two. On two. >> Maybe one. So, could I have six minutes? >> If you have two, you get 10 minutes. >> You have five per item. >> I'll see how good I do then. >> You want it? Okay. All right. >> I'll just take the time I need and try to keep it. >> I won't we won't start the clock here
while you're getting ready. >> So, I would assume you probably Which two do you want to speak on? >> One and two. >> One and two. I think that's right. >> I was assuming that maybe some of yours
were rejected, but some were accepted. So, >> yeah, three accepted, one I won't speak about because I agree with the rejection, and two that got rejected by the staff that I would like to talk about. >> Okay. Excellent. Okay.
>> Yeah, it doesn't really uh show up too well. >> Okay. So, you can see on the monitor, I presented this to you before. I'm just going to recap just a little bit. The flooding on Indian River Drive, if you can see the the top of that. I I mentioned that, you know, we're
underwater, you know, October, just about every October. Uh I put a chart in the middle to say we know the water levels uh in the Indian River Lagoon. We know we we should take an action. And you can see that on that
chart, I got a little red circle. And on the bottom one, I want the water excess water to go out through Port Canaveral. But what what I want to be what I want to differentiate is I don't expect the locks to be open for seven days. I want
a more methodical approach where the locks are opened and closed to meet that criteria of keeping us this close to flooding so that there's not a lot of volume of water going out through the port. So, what I'd really like to ask the the commission to do is to take the next
step and let's do a study on this. Now, what the um staff has said is this is out of their jurisdiction. And I'd just like to remind the commission that this county has agreements with all kinds of bodies. They're in the business of cooperating
with other jurisdictions. This is what they do so well. They're already cooperating with St. Army Corps of Engineers, uh, FDEP and others. So, I don't really think the classification of out of jurisdiction is
appropriate and I'd really like to stipulate that the county does out of jurisdiction all the time. And lastly, um, you know, with Speaker of Bard, you got to have some economic value. And what this would avoid is are catastro
catastrophic problems. When the flooding gets too bad, it costs the county a lot of money. Given this is done right, this should be a minimal cost to have somebody like in emergency management look at the chart and say, "Yep, we're getting a flooding level. Let me call
over to over to uh the locks. Let's open them up for a couple hours, close them back down. We're in good shape." I'm not expecting, you know, seven days like happened with Hurricane Fay and the negative ramifications thereof. So, that's really what I want to talk about there. The the staff uh
recommended against it on out of jurisdiction. County does out of jurisdiction all the time. Not relevant. Number two is that there's no cost savings. I'm telling you this is going to save some catastrophic costs down the road. I heard I don't know if this is true, all right? But somebody said to
raise in your drive costs, you know, half a billion dollars. We're not going to spend a half a billion dollars to raise the road. We could open the locks if that's more reasonable. Now, number two, the uh second item I wanted to talk about, and this is really minor on the
list, but just let me get it off my chest if you don't mind. So, I was uh out in front of my house on Indian River Drive. We It looks like a third world road. It's been patched so many times now. It's going to get fixed when Sorl comes through. So, you know, I'm not really complaining about the fact it's
never going to get fixed. It is, but I contend that we need another hot patch truck. We got a lot of cold patch on the road and some hot patch and boy, you can drive down the road and see the hot patch is there forever. That is a high quality job. You look at the cold
patch and you go, "This is coming up and I'm making another call." So, it's peeling at the edges. We've had so much cold patch on this road that I don't even know what's under this road anymore. So, what I wanted to propose to the county was let's buy another asphalt truck. But now I'm involving my thinking
to say if the asphalt truck, which the folks that patch the road tell me, oh, it's down the south part of the county, we can't bring it up here. That makes sense, right? You got to drive the truck all the way up here for one job. Is that maybe we hire out some patch jobs when the existing truck is is not available.
But public works needs to have a better response than putting cold patch down on some really bad portions of the road. So that's the bottom line for sear number two. Any questions? Open the locks for me. All right. Just let a little water out.
>> Yeah, that's okay. Commissioner Felner, >> can I ask a question on the Have you spoken with the port about opening the locks? Um, no. I have not spoken with the port because I think I need the influence of who I think my advocates are, which would be the county to do that.
>> Well, you could they have an elected board, the port commission. You can you can talk to a port commissioner. >> Yes, I can. A matter of fact, one of them may be running for district one. >> Okay. Okay. Um, >> but I I thought I'd start here because I
think it's more of a problem for the county. It's not a problem for the port that our road is being flooded. >> I can't disagree with you there, sir. Um, but I this has come up many many times over over the years and long
before I was a county commissioner and we don't have the ability to tell the court do this. Now, it'd be nice if they if they agreed if if that's what um we all think should happen. But I I just if if you're if you're working on this
problem, I think talking with a port commissioner and then possibly with the the port um CEO and and that staff um in the alternative uh you could talk with a state legislator. I mean they they vote on their budget and and other things
that have to do with seapports. And um I I just >> Yeah, I I came here first. I think it's Bvard County. I I I think I want to go to my representative source. Yes, I realize that I do vote on on the port and in the
uh justification I put, you know, as taxpayers in district one and probably a few others, but not all of Bard County, we're on the hook financially for the port. If the port doesn't make money, we get taxed. And so, I'm thinking that they should be able to give back to us.
and that give back might be to agree to help us out during the flooding situations because there might be a chance of some dredging that might be required. So, I don't really know where to go with this except to come to my elect representatives and start here. I
I I think your next step my and I'm sitting here with a a former uh legislator and one on the phone is that you meet with a legislator because I mean it it could be the subject of a future bill. >> Yeah. what what you're talking about. But I don't think you're wrong to come
here first. >> And maybe I could get maybe a commitment to rather than reject this outright is just to form a committee and just see let's say how can we get to yes if on on Bvard County's side.
>> I I think you should I think you should see about talking with a with a legislator first. And and I'll I'll say this last thing, Mr. Chair. Um sorry, sir. The legislative session will start over again with committee weeks probably in September. Am I am I does that sound
right? In the in the um in the even years. And so this summer is the time to have a a discussion with a legislator. >> I'd have to figure out what my ask of them is. Is it money? I I think I think you can say how about opening the locks
um when when flood I mean you can you can put conditions and you can work through that with a with a legislator. >> Yeah. I mean I I could try that. I I think that u they might say the same thing that staff said. This is out of our jurisdiction and more in in port and
the county. But I why not? I'll give it a try. >> A legislator won't say it's out of their jurisdiction. I mean the port uh was ultimately created um by the state. So >> Okay. >> Okay. Sure. >> All right. Sir, >> I I think probably too the Army Corps of
Engineers would have a great deal of authority over that, but I I would personally look in the jurisdictional issues. I understand that that [clears throat] was it's an intriguing idea and I've had a lot of people inquire about it over the years, but I understand that the they actually
did that at one time. They opened the gates, I think more for inflow and water quality, but what happened that the current was so strong that it called a lot of sand to fill in and it literally
made the the the locks fail. >> You're you're absolutely correct. That happened after Hurricane Fay because they opened the doors for seven days. >> Yeah. >> Which sounds it would sound okay, right? My proposal in this was uh let's say emergency management
measures the uh the level of the lagoon and when the high tides or the low tides let's say the high tide >> is lower than the lagoon we're going to get a slower flow out. So it's more of a methodical engineered approach rather than open the floodgates so to speak but
you're absolutely right after Hurricane Fay it did cause a big problem for the port. >> Okay. It was an interesting idea. Thank you for your >> presentation. >> As always, I appreciate you listening. >> That's good. I agree with Commission
Commission Commissioner Felner that the legislative delegation and I would think the water management district would be also >> Yeah. >> Do they have much to say in this? >> Well, they do in terms of uh a lot of issues with the lagoon. They are
responsible. I would think they could probably give you some good information, too. >> Okay. Michael Magack. That is this is 20260 444. Commercial Spaceport Authority. A
spaceport task force. >> Yes. Let's get started. Is that the right? Yeah, that'll work. Okay. So, I talked to you
Oh, year ago, February. Um, got a standing ovation. I told you about all the friendly neighbors of ours that don't necessarily get to vote. [snorts] Some are charismatic like red fish and some are not like the bentic macro invertebrates.
>> [snorts] >> And then I came last month and I talked to you about why we need the spaceport authority and why I think you are the best place for us to go because the cities aren't going to be able to do it. It's going to take somebody like the
county and the reason for that has to do with all these kinds of things that are coming driving change uh in our in our area. Um, we're looking at huge numbers of needing housing and workers and
that's going to mean concurrency items and storm water and sanitary sewer and roads and schools and everything else that comes along with all that expansion. And you know who's planning for that? >> Nobody. But it's coming. Just like the 1950s
when we didn't know how to make storm water work, we just dug ditches. Well, that's what they're doing out there right now. They're just digging ditches because that's how they know how to get the water away from their rooftops and into where they want it to go. Now, I I
presented this briefly last time just to give you some raw rough ideas, but I don't really know that this does a very good job of of making it making the impact um as strong as it needs to be.
And so I started with this one last time about the just the amount of deluge water that's being used. See if I can I can't quite get that separated. But this is what's been permitted. And these are just a couple of of the you know their Starship is up there. There's 120
launches planned. They use 1.1 million gallons per launch. Falcon 9 uses 700,000. The New Glenn uses half a million. You add it all up, that's 227 million gallons. Who has identified the raw water
resource for that water? Nobody. Now, let me put it in another perspective. They just decided to build a satellite processing facility out there.
It's a million square foot building. million square feet of rooftop. Rooftops are impervious by design, like 95% impervious. Better than even parking lots which are like 8590 because they
puddle, pond, and evaporate. Not roofs, straight down. Where does the water go? You can guess the nearest receiving water body is the Indian River Lagoon. Million square feet. That's 10 Walmarts.
10. Not one, not two, not five, 10 in one space with no concern for storm water, runoff, anything else that they need. All of the
concurrency issues are not being taken care of. I think you're in a neat a unique position to bring this into fruition. You can't lead it. NASA maybe could, but I don't think they
want to. Space Florida was supposed to be our hope, but they only have management control of a small area of KSC. Everybody else goes directly to NASA to figure out their
leasing like this satellite plant. NASA is not in the business of planning. They don't want to even be in the business of property ownership. But let me tell you this, this tsunami is on its way here.
We can stand up a committee, an interim committee made up of the stakeholders that are involved out here and they in turn can set up and stand up a permanent space force task force. It's a two-step process. The people that's that are on the
interim task force set up the rules and the guidance and the governance and the rest of them follow along when they adopt it. It's a two-step process. I've done it before twice. I've done it with the International Standards Organization, CISO, the Simulation
Interoperability Standards Organization. And I did part of something very similar to that when I was working with Homeland Security as a principal architect on the emergency operations centers and I had to take disparaged people from all across the country, put them together
and make them interoperate. You guys need to do that here. If you don't, we're going to be sacrificing our space center and our space coast and our environment and our quality of life.
It's up to you. It's in your hands. We can help you pull it together, but it's going to take more than than just talk because we really need to form a coalition that will take charge of our
resources. We have very limited water. I talked to you last time about the water. The pipelines going to Orange County is just not big enough. We're now starting to look at exactly how much water Coco is providing and how much Cape Canaveral is providing to the space center. These are two numbers that we want to start
tracking over the next well last few years and years coming forward to see exactly how fast we're growing because it's well you see the gigabay going up already across the way right it's it's going to be bigger appears bigger than
the VAB again another huge building putting out a huge amount of storm water and nobody's watching it so if you have any questions. If you'd like to discuss it more, we would be happy to
come and talk with you. I'm Michael Mjek and I'm with the Indian River Lagoon Round Table. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Very interesting. Appreciate it. Okay. Um, Thomas Perez
2026 041. >> Hello. Good evening, >> Mr. Chair. I'm sorry, sir. May Mr. Chair, may I just quickly, we just received a message that Commissioner Goodson is is not feeling well and he's going to uh be off the call from this
point on. and I just wanted to make the board aware. >> Okay, great. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for letting us know. >> Okay, my name is Tom Perez. I'm from Titusville. Um, I applaud your naming of the Speak Up
Bard program after Susan B. Connley. I was fortunate enough to meet and work with Suzanne and attest uh to how welld deserved it is to name this program after her. I appreciate this opportunity to share some ideas with you. Um, I also
speak on behalf of the Titusville Garden Club, of which I'm a member, and four other garden clubs in Bvard County, as well as all the citizens that have used uh this fine mulch that I'm going to be speaking about [clears throat] in the past.
Over the years, uh, Bvard County has dispatched our yard waste into huge piles of chipped up logs, limbs, and branches. The yard waste that is chipped up and called mulch simply isn't. Uh, the stuff that comes out of the grinder
is very coarse and unsuitable [clears throat] for gardening. Uh, this product contains small logs and limbs that make it through the single pass process, rendering the resulting material too coarse for most circumstances.
A byproduct called the fines was previously, excuse [clears throat] me, produced by the county but became unavailable in the fall of 2022. Uh this product was effectively
utilized by gardeners and citizens count countywide to tend their gardens uh and yards. Uh to produce the fines, the coarse material needs to be run through the grinding process a second time using a finer screen
to further reduce the coarse material to one inch. Put another way, the coarse material produced from the first grind will take years to break down and become useful to the soil as an amenity. Whereas the fines can be put into service directly into the landscaping
project and used to produce compost. For the gardeners, the process of composting the fines takes a few months. It requires some maintenance, turning over the piles, watering, things like that. >> [clears throat] >> And the final product is a real good
compost that you can use in your gardens. At our garden club, we make use of the fines. Uh we offer plants grown at the club to county residents at considerable discounts and we provide plants and participate in planting
planting projects with the city of Titusville. We also donate vegetable produce from the gardens we tend to the food pantry in Titusville. The fines are a very usable and sustainable byproduct from our county's
yard waste cleanup operations and residents want it. Furthermore, it recycles some of the material that otherwise is landfill fodder. The background history of the fines provided by the county staff tells us that it was previously enabled by a
third-party purchaser. The fines were produced in a large quantity that exceeded the purchaser's ability to use it all. This over supply allowed for the excess to be provided to the residents at no cost. The third party purchaser
discontinued the purchase in 2018 and therefore there was no funding available for the county to continue making the smaller fines. The county said it only needs the larger 4in fines for its own use. So there is no need for the additional processing
that would add to the cost. The amount of fine materials used by county residents was very small apparently in comparison to the amount produced by the contract. Residents [clears throat] making use of the fines typically came to facilities
prepared to load containers in the trunk of their cars or pickup trucks and occasionally small trailers. The small amount used by residents is illustrated by the time span from when the contract ended in 2018 and when the fines were no
longer available in 2022, almost four years. Um, we propose that the county resume the production of the fines and make them available to the residents of Bvard County. Gardeners and
homeowners across the county appreciate the value of this highquality organic material. Making fines available again would support healthier yards, reduce disposal needs, and demonstrate the county's commitment to sustainable practices.
The excuse me, [clears throat] the amount of fines that would supply county residents, as I said, is small. Okay. In comparison to what was produced previously, I expect that the additional grind to produce this small amount of
material would be limited to maybe a few days a year if that and not place an ownorous request on the county. Its availability would be wellreceived by county residents. If the cost of produ producing the small amount is an issue,
residents could purchase the fines from the county at what [clears throat] the county calculates its production cost. Um, we're talking about a very small amount comparison to what was produced for by the, you know, for this contractor that used it uh in a sense to
burn as fuel. Okay. Um, so you know, I suspect just a couple of days of production of having that civ put in so that you could do this second run would produce more than enough material for
probably a year considering the way it was used. You know, with the contract that was trailer trucks constantly just going through getting the stuff. So there was a lot produced and this would just be a small,
you know, cost and if it's an issue, it can be passed on to the people that use it. >> Thank you. Any question? >> Question. Um, when the county was producing the fines,
>> did you ever use them? Did you ever record? >> Yes. Yes. Yes. And what did you use them for? >> Well, gardening, you know, uh amendment to the soil. Um I had a uh when I first moved here, I was in MEMS. I had a small
farm with horses. I needed to help that uh pasture, you know, and that that was the way I did it, you know. I would when I took things to the facility, I brought back some compost. >> I know. I know. [clears throat] county
used to provide this valuable material. I have a question maybe maybe of staff. I know this particular seir was denied and and the staff recommendation was like I think many of them recommended
that we reject this sir because it does not enhance the effectiveness or efficiency of county government as required by home rule charter. Now, um, but it doesn't mean that's not a good idea and we're producing a valuable
product and we are recycling biologic materials. I mean, if we chose to do that regardless of what this says, we could still do that, could we not? We felt it's a valuable product. It's recycling. There's environmental benefit.
>> Yes. Of course, if the board directs it, yes, and we would do that. just point out yeah there there's an extra cost to the solid waste department it's in the definition of big build with the recommendations y >> and the sear though is very limiting then it's only limited if it if it
>> enhances effectiveness or efficiency saves money >> correct >> but doesn't mean it could be a great idea and save the consumers money because you >> win-win for everybody I mean the county also >> you know giving the citizens something that they need and they appreciate for
very little cost. Uh, you know, I suspect that, uh, it's >> I mean, it's something that anybody any commissioner could come up with, right? We a commissioner could bring it >> as an agenda. >> Commissioner and I I don't want to be
disrespectful, but it, if I remember staff discussion, it was not a very little cost. I think >> over a hundred, it was over $100,000 the program. So, that's that's why it got rejected that way. Thank you, Ted. >> Mhm. >> I imagine that was to produce quantities
under the old uh system and if you determine the amount being used by citizens, I can't imagine that being an issue. I think it's it has a lot of I mean has
some value and perhaps we'll look at it as we move forward. We appreciate you bring it. >> Appreciate it. I think the Sears not just to meet the county charter and just the money side, but is it a good idea? Does it help the environment? Does it
>> recite, you know, do good things? So, I think it's interesting. Appreciate you bringing it forward. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Terry Fulton, ser number 2026 018.
She told me that Terry Fulton and I'm from Melbourne. I'm here to ask to speak about the law enforcement um encrypting our traffic. If y'all don't know what that means,
it's listen at the police and the fire and and anybody else on there. And I have six items to explain about that. Number one, the law enforcement agency's excuse for encryption. Number two, what open and
close transmission does. Three, what encryption does to the listeners. Number four, what I wonder. Number five, recommendations. Number six, um I can't even read it. Number one, um the excuse, and this is I want y'all to
listen to this really close. Um Sheriff Ivy said that he wants to encrypt and he did do it. He wants to do it. And this is what he said. criminals could
could listen and evade capture. So could means apparently after all these years no coulds came about. Really makes me mad. Um,
I've listened to scanners over 45 years and I haven't heard a thing of the sort. Open and close transmission, that's number two. Close m transmission, full encryption undermines public trust.
It hinders accountability, that's major, and reduces situational resident awareness for residents. Encryption create creates an infor vacuum eroding the sense of community
community connection to law enforcement. Open transmission. Law enforcement and fire department have had access to public records for decades. Open
radio channels allow citizens firsthand and about emergencies, enabling us to avoid dangerous areas, prepare for um disruptions, or even assist in a crisis. Open transmission promotes accountability. Real time public
oversight discourages misconduct. This is what I'm worried about. and ensures police action align with community our expectations. Looseners help catch suspects, spot wildfires, even save
first responders lives. When agencies flip the switch to encryption, that two-way accountability goes dark. Number three, what encryption does for us listeners. Listening is very personal. We use the
scanners to stay informed about neighborhood incidences like burglaries, fires, accidents, which affects our daily life. It really does. Y'all might not think about that. Being single and a female and there's two more girls there
that need to know why there was 10 police cars running around in my neighborhood. And we had no way to find out. No way. Smoke was so thick when I walked out my door, it scared the heck out of me because
it's so dry. And and if I'd been listening in my radio, which I would have been, I would have known what was going on. But I was so afraid. I called the police and they didn't know either. Back when there was an open
transmission, people police were looking for a by helicopter for a person on a bike. He they gave the description. Well, lo and behold, he was two doors down, hiding under a tree, and I called
it into the police department. On a trip to the store, I avoided a wreck and backed up traffic for six lanes, two ways, and four on another that closed the whole intersection down at
Babcock and US1. There's no telling how many minutes or hours that saved me. What I wonder I wonder why the secrecy is it to cover up misconduct? I suspect that's a lot of it especially
since he said it could criminals could monitor. They hadn't in all these years. I have some recommendations but I decide not to give them to you.
I am telling you we citizens need and we deserve this traffic and I have thoroughly explained why. Please help me do something about this. We need it. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. I have a question for
you just quickly. Are you aware how many communities do not encrypt now? Are there other communities that >> I don't know how many more? I started seeing them fall off the radio, but there's still a lot on there. And I'm surprised the ones that are still on
there on there because it's the worst part of towns, not in Florida and across this nation. >> Okay, thank you. That was interesting. Oh, any other questions? Okay, we have one more and it's Elizabeth
Baker. to 026 047. >> Hi there. Um my recommendation was to address the litter issues in
unincorporated areas. Um and requesting that a proactive waste management planning provision for brickandmortar commercial properties and multifamily residential properties with shared waste systems including apartments, condominiums, HOA or COA managed
communities. um have an [clears throat] additional onepage waste management plan that could be incorporated into existing permit reviews, site plan approvals or inspection processes. Um
so the recommendation that I got back um was to um accept with revisions as Bvard County will continue to maintain regulatory provisions addressing solid waste storage litter prevention and
development review through chapters 62 and 94 of the county code as well as solid waste concurrency requirements. Um, so I guess my idea
um is a little simple [laughter] um when it comes to the legalities of things and I can see that staff took their time to really look into, you know, how they could incorporate something like this. And I think that
what happened was a simple idea got covered in some bureaucracy and and really what I'm asking here is something very very simple just that with a business tax receipt or um any
kind of acknowledgement that they are in business doing business housing people that they simply have one form that says yes we know where to put our waste. We know how to handle it. We have a
dumpster on site. We have got covers on our dumpster. We know the trash days. Something very, very simple. Because that waste ultimately from those properties and all waste comes from where the humans are. It comes from our
stores. It comes from the restaurants. It comes from where the people are, where people live, where we recreate. get tons of visitors coming here using single-use plastics at an even larger rate than than people that live here. Um,
we can make this very very simple. And I my argument here is that if things were efficient, I wouldn't be here and keepard beautiful wouldn't exist. So, we have issues with
garbage that that end up in our storm water ditches. It ends up clogging things up. It creates accidents. In 2017, in just three months time, there was a study done in Florida highways and
there were over 42 tons of trash removed from Florida highways in just three months. We have millions and millions of visitors coming here. We've got approximately 600,000 residents somewhere around there. and and I think
that we can I think we can work on this a and and do some prevention and we've got to start holding some people accountable. We have great rules. This is not about expanding regulations. This isn't about putting more departments in or more staff or
anything. This is really just making sure that the laws that we already have are easy to enforce and that they get enforced. Um, I I drive through some unincorporated areas of Bvard County all the time. Um, and if you drive past just
about any strip mall location, any area where there's multiple businesses and you look at their dumpster, I promise you, you're going to find garbage all over the place. We can find a way to prevent some of that. And I really believe that that a lot of that has to
do with education. um the the recommendations that came back to me um really addressed um like new development site plan and review requirements, but what I'm talking about is the new small business that just opens up in the strip
mall. They not they don't need a huge site plan. There isn't new development happening. I want that business to be accountable and know that they have to take care of their waste, too. So, um I I I I think this can be simpler than
adding a whole bunch more staff and more taxes and more. We don't need any of that. I think we can make this a really really simple thing. So, I really appreciate your time and I appreciate staff looking over the the recommendation. So, thank you so much.
>> Okay. Thank you. Um and I was presently reading some of the staff input [clears throat] on this. Um any questions? Okay, that is our last card. Our last blue card.
>> We have one comment on J2 that we need to hear prior to voting. >> Okay. Um Rick Hufflefinger >> [clears throat] [snorts] >> Rickinger, District 1. Um, I kind of
wanted to come down here because I liked a lot of these. I didn't write one this year because what I saw happen this year happened the previous year that what the community is bringing to you are good ideas and it's already a suspect when it
says you've got on your chart. Does this reduce cost? A lot of this stuff would probably cost something. But what they're saying is as a citizen, like for example, if you are suggesting like this woman just did, this lady, I don't know,
that that we can take some of the trash and keep it out of the landfill. I think that's why we recycle in the first place. That's what I was told. We recycle. Saves the landfill. Saves the landfill. We don't have to build a new one sooner. That's the only reason. We're not trying to save the earth. We're trying to save the landfill. Hate
to tell you guys that. So everything that goes into that recycling bin does not go into the landfill. Why would you discourage that? Why would you not I did the staff do a cost analysis and say, "Hey, this could be tons of stuff that doesn't go into the landfill. Maybe this
person's got a good idea." And I'll tell you one thing that I do. I walk the street. We've got people that clean up the street, keep of our beautiful. They'll give you little grabby things for nothing. They'll give you the bags for nothing. You know what you do with it? You sort it by recyclables and you put it in your own garbage. Guess what?
Waste manager just got a little bit of stuff that should have been in that bin to begin with. I don't know. You know, we have waste management contract with the unincorporated. The cities have their own, right? But the cities, I think, are still complying with recycling. And I think most of their recycling probably goes to waste
management because they're the only ones that got a decent recycling plant. So that whole object of recycling and I I realize we do it because we're incentivized too from the state I believe was the original reason that if you recycle the big government smiles at you. So you kind of have to keep that
program but it's a good program keeps that stuff out of the landfill. So there there is a you know just because it would look like well we'd have to write a procedure and we'd maybe have to put at the beach I don't understand why there's not a recycling bin there. I don't think a lot of them do. It's It's
like, "Dude, we recycle here. What is We're letting the tourists throw all this crap into one." Well, it's going right in the landfill because they're they're emptying that can right in the landfill. Would it be so hard to put another can there? Waste management won't like it or whoever the collector is because now they got more recycling to pick up. But hey, you know, we we
have a contract that says they, you know, they they're supposed to to to pick up that stuff. I have no problem taking it off my street and putting it in that bin because that's a good citizen. Keepard beautiful can help with that. those programs. A lot of people don't even know they're there. A little bit
more advertising and and and the county plugs the heck out of the recycling program. You want to know the only people that are benefiting from that? That's waste management because that's what they do. That's a that's a closed system and they but we plug the hell out
of it and we do it for good reason. It stays out of the landfill and we all pay for it. So, I just think there was a lot of good ideas and just because they don't save money, if they benefit the citizens and they possibly have costs that you guys should spend a little more time instead of kicking it back to them
to come with a closed system, the gentleman with the biohazard stuff or the bio fuel stuff. You you he he's one man. He's looking to you guys to say this could benefit everybody. I don't know why SURL doesn't weigh in on some of this water issue. Keeping that fresh
water out of the lagoon is a good idea. That's I just think there was little not enough thought put into some really good ideas. I think Sorl should have embraced some of them. Thank you. >> Okay, that is our last card on J2.
We've I think we've heard all the blue cards. Yes. Um that brings it back to the board. Did staff have anything they wanted to add before we >> um and forgive me for repeating a little bit here, but commissioners? Yes. Under Thank you, [clears throat] Mr. Chair. Under the charter, county commission's
final vote and consideration of the recommendation shall occur no later than 120 days after written written receipt. So, you have to make you do have to make a decision on to accept accept with revisions or reject the recommendations. >> What date did we what date did we receive the written receipt?
>> Um, uh, January 31st. So, the 90 days under the, uh, polic, excuse me, under the policy for staff to get you, we met that by last week. And then you you would have to the end of May to ac to accept, reject or accept with revisions. You can accept them all today and then
be done with it. >> When you say accept them all today, >> you review each of the recommendations. The county commission shall vote to either accept the recommendation. Each individual one accept the recommendation with revisions. Each individual one or reject the recommendation each
individual ones. We have it set up for you that you can do them all in one single motion if you accept our recommendations. And if you want to pull one off for a separate vote or to have us reconsider it, um, then you can make it that as part of the motion. Oh, thanks.
>> Okay, I have a question. We accept new recommendation. That means we're accepting re recommendations to accept with changes. >> Am I reading that right? >> It accept recommendation mean it it's an
idea that it could mean a couple different ways. It's an idea that we're already doing. um they may have more of a uh ideas in their recommendation than we can do. Uh it also could be something that we've been continuing. Um example I keep coming up with is uh somebody had in there for more bike lanes and so we
have their accept with recommendations. Of course we'll do bike lanes where we can but you may not have space for bike lanes or the money but it's a good idea to have more bike lanes. So I mean that's an idea of an accept with recommendation. I >> I think it's confusing because we have staff recommendations on citizen recommendations.
Um, so I think the the requested action is that the board of county commissioners approve these staff recommendations, but that if the commissioners wish to treat any individual seer or seers differently, that you pull those just like you would the consent agenda. >> Thank you.
>> And we still would Well, let me ask you a question. If if we we saw one of these and we liked it but we wasn't prepared to do anything at any point in time even beyond the 90 days we can present it as a proposal.
>> Absolut absolutely. Yes. >> Some of these may have merit but we'd want to look and evaluate. So it doesn't mean a no is a no forever. >> Correct. >> Right. You're year you're round. A lot of these Mr. Mr. Chair, if I may, may not fall into the criteria of the SEIR program, but they might be great ideas
for a commissioner to champion, >> right? Yep. I appreciate that. And there's some good ideas. Um, so if we accept the the document, the staff, I'm looking at the summary.
Are we accepting the items where the staff says except with revision? Does that mean we're going to accept the recommendation with [clears throat] the revisions of the >> ST? >> And there were over 15 of those that I st 17 of them. Yeah. >> 17.
>> Okay. Great. >> Chair, I think you said what I was going to say earlier, which is you can always petition the commissioner um on on these items. Um I know I've said that multiple times that some of the things I brought to the board started with a conversation
in Publix. If there isn't more discussion, uh, I'll make the motion to approve, uh, the staff recommendations. >> And I'll second. >> There's a second. Okay. And as mentioned, Commissioner Goodson is not on the phone, so it's just us three. Uh,
any discussion? Okay. I will just say a few things. I think some of these were wonderful ideas. I will go back and review them and some that were rejected. It could be that through the budget process or through our comp planning process or through our rate process and solid web a
lot of things that we could do that this is don't think that your feedback has gone on deaf ears because it was really really some good ideas and I do want to thank the public that took the time to really evaluate these issues and come up with these excellent recommendations on
many of them >> and staff hundreds of hours staff took it seriously with hundreds of hours >> staff took hundreds of hours and a lot of these rejections are just simply [clears throat] because we have no jurisdiction. >> We encourage >> that those who come up with these ideas
to really look at other jurisdictions and um so we also in the legislative process have annual legislative delegation meetings and some of these would be really good to talk to the delegation about. Okay, any other debate discussion? All those
in favor say yay. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Carries unanimously. Thank you. And again, thank you for the members of the public who participated in this process. Okay. That I believe is the last item on our agenda. >> We have one public comment. >> Oh, we have the last public comment
sector. Uh we do have Rick Heffinger. Impact fees. >> Rick Heinger, District One. Um, one of the things that I was hoping to see on the agenda was something about impact fees. I told you it would come back. Don't we have a study that's sitting out
there about impact fees? Updating the impact fees? Everybody say yes. Um, the impact I I was shocked when that gentleman came and talked about what he was being hit with an impact fee in in the Canaveral Groves area. The impact fees I believe that we're supposed to be
studying are impact fees that hit guys that are doing big developments. Like I talked about the impact fees, the school board's got a good handle on it. You're going to put more kids in my school, you give me money. When you have these huge developments come through and they put a load on the
road and they put a load on they, you know, more people, more services, right? So they need to pay their fair share. And I know we don't like to do that because we encourage building. We love building. It's revenue. It's tax base,
right? But when they exceed the roads and then you turn around and say, you know, your roads got a high capacity problem now. It's like you need you guys need to, you know, maybe we have to bust the cap. That happened in 2016. And I see a pattern and you're going to repeat
it. You have the opportunity not to. This is a new board. 2016, none of you guys are sitting here. They kicked the can down the road. That's what this term kicked the can down the road. Those impact fees, they they gota they got to start paying their way. The gentleman that talked about what's going on out
there at space. We want space, high paying jobs. At what cost? The rest of us, we we like watching your rockets, but I'm not going to pay an extra thousand dollars in my tax bill because you you made me have to deal with your water or you made me have to deal with
fixing the lagoon more because you're dumping your your cooling water in it. There could be some good solutions to that stuff, but they should help work with that. We we love their business. We really do. And and it's great. We're the, you know, center of excellence for
for shooting stuff into space. We also happen to have a geographic reason that they're here. So, they're not really, you know, it turns out, I guess, Alain doesn't like Texas for some reason. Might not get the uh orbital insertion he likes. This is the place. So, he's coming here whether or not he
has to pay or not he has to come here. So, let's let's let him pony up. I I don't know. Is is is SpaceX privatized now or is it just him? He's going to he's going to privatize eventually. I mean, he's making a boatload of money delivering satellites, right? But he's got a good system. So if he's making
money, I don't see a reason he doesn't help us out. We're helping him out. Hey, we'll accommodate you. We'll we'll do some things, but you're not going to make the entire population of the people that retired here pay for Alain to have fun shooting rockets, are we? So there's impact fees. He has an impact. He's
shedding water on these buildings. That's going right into the lagoon. Does the lagoon committee care that that that he's doing that? You're pump You're pumping it out and he's pumping it in. something don't don't don't wash there. So, that's that's all I had to say about that. I we got one more meeting before
that impact fee thing is overcome by events because the the states coming in and saying you can't raise them too much. You have the opportunity to break that trend and look like a hero. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh that concludes our May 5th uh
county commission meeting. We will move to individual reports. County manager. >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I I have two two related items on one report. Um I I don't know if you're all aware, but we had a busy end of the week and weekend last weekend. Uh we had a car accident
in the Vieier that caused power problems. We had a lightning problem at the Vier Regional Park. We had another situation at the library. Uh we had a HVAC system go down uh at Sarno Complex. Uh I want to thank the parks folks and especially the facilities. The facilities folks are hustling all weekend. I mean Thursday through Sunday
to to work on everything. uh the HVAC system at the Sarno complex. You know, that includes sheriff, tax collector, uh parks and wreck. Uh I think there's another office in there. The staff got me some data. I haven't had a chance to look at it. Um but if I determine the best way for that is a replacement
instead of just continuing fixing, I may be coming back at the May 19th meeting to ask if we don't have the funding to actually ask to pull some stuff out of reserve. So instead of that way, we're not just keep patching so we can take a longterm uh long-term solution to it. So, I want to give you guys a heads up
on that. So, >> thank you, sir. >> Sounds like a good plan. >> I have no report, Mr. Chair. >> No report from the county attorney. Um, no report from the district one. District two is not here. So, District
Three, >> uh, yes, I had the opportunity to attend, um, two really cool events, uh, this past few weeks. I attended the Archie Car turtle celebration at the Barrier Island Center. Um, events like this always remind me how special Bard
County is. Um, and how important our natural resources are. Uh, thank you to the county that that was there. Thank you to all the people who attended. Um, thank you to the donors um for the silent auction. I won a bracelet and some earrings for Sealass, which was
really cool. Um, also I got to attend the swearing in of the new West Melbourne Police Chief, uh, Chief Michelle Deorgio. Uh she's been with West Melbourne Police for 15 years and um I have full faith that she is going to continue to, you know, lead that
department. Uh that's was it so well attended I couldn't even get in the room. I was standing in the hallway. Um I'd also like to take a moment to thank Skip Bell uh and Doug Brown for their efforts over the weekend um at the Melbourne Beach Library. Um, a wall was
vandalized at the library and Doug came out on Sunday and painted over the graffiti. I actually had gone to the store to buy paint myself. Um, and then I was told he was on his way out there to do it. Um, the responsiveness and the dedication of county staff really is
appreciated by people who aren't here. They tell me to tell you thank you. So, thank you. >> That's it. Thank you. >> District 4. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll just say real quick, um, Vier Regional Park, you you
can't make this up. Um, there was a transformer that was out, um, at the main concession stand in the middle of the park by the T-ball field. And I appreciate the park staff. Um, I asked and they got a generator going so that
they could power that building. The short of it is that, you know, they could use the the bathrooms and and such. And um then a transformer, I think, was hit out on the road or something along those lines that knocked out the power for the entire park. And
so it was the one concession stand building in the middle that had power uh from the generator. So uh but the parks staff um did a hero's job of uh taking care of everyone out there this weekend. So, I I greatly appreciate it. And uh
we're going to bring them Chick-fil-A this week uh for breakfast. And um and then also the uh Vietnam traveling wall is in Wickham Park this weekend and uh this board has supported
um the the wall coming to Bvard the last two years um with a grant to uh pay the park fees. And so I hope everyone will go out there and visit the wall and enjoy. Should be a lovely weekend. >> That's it, sir.
>> Thank you. I have one item. Um I know many of you probably read we had another tragic drowning in Bard Beaches and um I just couple things. one is I'm personally committed to do what whatever is necessary to develop the resources to
help support our first responders on the beach whether it's through technology hiring more lifeguards uh I know the staff has done a wonderful job in adjusting pay scale and I understand that you're getting a lot of interest on new recruits and I really
appreciate that the county is has been very proactive is working to address that issue. It's It's so tragic when somebody chooses to come to Bvard County and enjoy our beaches and the vacation here and then lose their lives or they lose the life of a loved one. I
heartbreaking. I understand the actions of the lifeguards were heroic. They were able to save one life and fortunately they could not the second. We really appreciate the hard work and the effort that they make and how difficult that must be and how traumatic it is for
them. I just uh hope that we can as we move forward uh take whatever necessary actions we can take to help help those first responders out there. Yes. >> Uh Mr. Chair, I'll just say real quick the the TDC at our last meeting um at on
our board report, I asked the council [snorts] for 25,000 uh from from money that we're holding now to uh shore up the lifeguard program with uh to help with the the uh
increases in in the pay for this summer. And we did do that at the last TDC meeting. I appreciate it and I know the staff is working real hard on those issues and appreciate what they've done. >> I think that's it then. The meeting is
adjourned. Thank you. The opinions expressed by any member of the public during any period of public comment [music] do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the board of county commissioners of Bvard County, Florida, [music] Space Coast Government Television, or the program sponsor and are solely those of the presenter. The [music] board of county
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