Where it's connected. You had to stay around with Carlos. Hello. Welcome everybody to our Tuesday night meeting. Um Steve Freriedman is on Zoom. He's say everybody say hi to Steve
Freriedman. Hello U. Martney, would you call the role please? Council member Steve Freriedman. >> Uh, kind of here. >> Council member Deb Gillis here. Council member Anna Richards >> here. >> Vice Mayor Don Horton.
>> I'm here. >> And Mayor Sharon Mahoney >> here. >> We have a quorum. >> Okay. Ty Harris, would you lead us in the pledge? I pledge algiance 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, thank you very much. Um, before I do emergency deletions and additions, I want to congratulate Frank Muenberg on being a newlywed, our IT
guy. Everybody say congratulations. He got married in November, so good for him. A quick reminder that uh we're Terry Abel and I are doing toys for tots in the Keys. This is the second year and I will tell you after communicating with
the schools and the churches, I have a lot more kids in need. So, I'm hoping everybody will fill the boxes we have around town, their CVS, Windixie, uh, Crooked Palm, my shop, uh, the Moose.
So, if everybody could donate, we would greatly appreciate it. And, um, Mangrove Mike's opening for the dog park again is, uh, January 18th from 3:30 to 5:30. The United Way is coming and we're
asking everybody who comes to bring a non-p perishable food item. We're trying to fill a big truck that says be like Mike cuz he was big into that. So, those are just a couple of reminders. Okay. Uh council, any emergency
deletions or additions? >> Deb? >> Don? >> No, ma'am. >> Anna, >> Steve, >> none. >> Okay. Um I if it's okay with everybody, I've had a couple of requests from people in the community to move public
comment up before we do anything on the agenda. Um I will say that um I'd like I think our charter needs to be looked at down the road here um because it is 25 years old and some people have a problem
with the way things are done. And so I'm hoping we can get a committee together to do a charter review maybe next year. So is it okay if we move public comment up? Do you have an issue with it? No. Okay. John,
>> just where that'll go after I guess immediately after what we're >> they want to do it first. >> So right after when we're done here. >> When we're done here now. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Between three and four is what you're saying. >> Yes. between 3 and 4. Can I um make one
suggestion on a on moving an item? Um Council Member Freeman, I think it's like 2:30 in the morning for him and he's not able to attend or he's not able to pursuing our remote um attendance policy, he's not able to vote on quasi judicial items. There's one motion item
at the end which is tab 18. Uh I just would just thought it might be maybe it would be good to move that up in front of the quasi judicials. Uh that way council member Freeman if he doesn't want to stay on for the quasi judicials just to wait for that motion. He doesn't have to. Obviously, he can, but we don't
want to be feel like he's forced to to wait for motion. >> He can stay up. >> It might be like 6:00 in the morning, so it might be time for you to get going by the time we're done. >> Okay. So, where would we move that then? >> I would just we'd move it after tab 13. >> Okay. So, public comment now.
>> Okay. All right. Marne. >> Okay. We will start with Charlie Madler. >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, I just want to bring forth the uh fire department is uh doing their annual Santa Parade and
touch on the on the uh collection of toys. So to inform everyone, our annual fire department Santa parade is scheduled for uh Sunday the 14th of December. It's going to be a perfect night to kick off the holiday season together. Uh thank you for bundling up,
bringing your smiles, lining the streets to make this year one of our favorite traditions in the community, and this is our 26th year of doing that. So, >> huge huh shout out to the incredible firefighters, Benevolent, who are organizing the parade. And of course, Sand himself for taking the time out of
his very busy scheduled ride with us on the Big Red Fire trucks. While you're enjoying the lights, music, and the holiday magic, you're also we are also collecting unwrapped toys for families in need right here in our own community. And if you can donate a toy, thank you from the bottom of our heart. Please
drop it off at any of the fire trucks on during the parade or with the volunteers or carolers. And as Madame Mayor also mentioned, we have dropboxes located throughout the community. And every single toy makes a huge difference and ensures help. Ensures every child wakes up to something special on Christmas
morning. Grab some hot cocoa, beverage of your choice, turn up the carols, and let's make some memories. Here comes Santa. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and thank you for supporting the fire department and the community. Let the parade festivities begin, and we'll see you on Sunday night. >> Thank you very much.
>> Thank you. and what you guys collect on Sunday night will come to me and my little elves on Monday and we'll start uh distributing the toys to the all the list we have. So, thank you so much for what you do. >> No, thank you. >> Um and a side note, as you mentioned, uh
Chief Abel hopes to return tomorrow, be able to come home. >> We all hope so, too. Thank you for hopes and prayers. >> Thank you. Marne, >> our timer is broken and I am unable to stop it or reset it. >> You're fired.
>> So, um, we'll, um, >> who's got a stopwatch? >> I'll let them know when 3 minutes is up. Okay. Next up is Ken Thomas. >> I'm Ken Thomas, a 20-year resident of Alam Marada. I applaud the village for greening our Windley Key right away from
Coconut Cove to Fisher in and then near Hog Heaven. But there's an empty space near Angller's Reef parking almost anticipating it. With their signed parking lease arrangement with the village, they've staked out a 20 by 175 survey plat about 3500 square ft for
their site plan. With my PhD in economics, I previously outlined five arguments against this project. First, no public propo purpose. Second, a dangerous precedent. Third, paving over green space enjoyed by 22,000 vehicles
daily. Fourth, fiscal irresponsibility. And fifth, unwarranted benefit to a private community, socialism for the rich. I've recently learned of serious legal concerns because village and fot rightways abut Florida statutes
337.25,251, 25.251 and 406 require proof of public interest and appraisal and FDOT written approval. Florida courts in the AG hold that rightways are held in the public trust not for private benefits. Ron v. Miami
Beach and Sun Oil v Gorstein. State municipalities have no power to sell or barter rightaways and any diversion requires a formal vacation and public purpose finding. Article 7, section 10 of our constitution bars using public
assets primarily to aid a private entity like an HOA. The Florida Supreme Court in West Palm Beach v. Williams held that municipalities may lease public land only when the primary purpose is public and any private gain is incidental. The opposite here. I therefore respectfully
request the lease be deferred until you have four documents. First, a written legal opinion from the village attorney analyzed in article 7 section 10 and AG compliance, including a public purpose finding the required parcel vacation and
an independent property appraisal of that 3500 ft parcel. Second, written FOT confirmation addressing section 337 conditions and prohibitions. Third, a market rate lease analysis like
FOT requires, which may be 10,000 a month, not 1,000 a month. And finally, an independent traffic and safety study. In summary, I'm an economist, not a lawyer, but this proposal could be legally and financially costly to our village. Angller's Reef has many private
solutions to its private parking problem, like buying or leasing nearby available space. That's what a good neighbor would do. If you would like details I've mentioned, I'm at kenmia22aol.com. That's keenmia22aol.com. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much, Marty. >> All right, next up is Roland Moore. Thank you, Roland Moore from Lower Madakumbi Key. I have three brief matters. Number one, the uh culvert on Irakcoy canal is nearly complete.
And as the workers say, it will be like a toilet flushing the waterways from the Gulf to the ocean. And those of us who live on lower Madakumbi are very excited that our canals will be a lot cleaner in the future. And I thank the village for
its cooperation. The second thing is I want to give many thanks to the village for um acquiring Emily Rother. She was introduced here brief briefly and she um
was hired to handle art in Isa Marada. Her paintings are in the main building next door and there are a couple here um in this room. I think one is over here and one is back here somewhere. So, I want to
thank the village very much and we're really looking forward to to working with uh with Emily. She's a great great asset to the village. Uh the third point is just a short one. Um my wife and I
are just thrilled with the dog park here in in Alam Marada. Um it's a huge success. It's become a wonderful venue. Uh we come here all the time now and I never realized that it's
a great venue for meeting people uh and neighbors who bring their dogs here to the dog park. So I I'm just so impressed with with what what we have done here in the village with the dog park. Thank you very much.
>> Thank you Roland Marne. Okay, let me try to figure this timer out. Um, we're gonna give this a try for Jamie Engel. Good evening, Jamie Angel, Isa Marada. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Let's start out by that. I want to offer a reminder that I believe is essential to good governance in our village. When each of you takes your seat on that disas, you are no longer sitting there as private individuals. You are there as representatives of the 7,000 residents
who call Isa Marada home. Every comment, every discussion, and every vote should reflect the interests of the community, not personal preference or past experiences. We all have our own histories, perspectives, and opinions.
That's part of being human. But personal experience cannot be the driver of public policy. Residents who attend these meetings, participate in the process, and provide thoughtful feedback, deserve to know that their voices are being heard and considered.
It's important that community input, not individual inputs, guide the decisions made in this room. Res recent discussions such as those involving the baseball field and concession stand have shown how easily personal stories can
enter the conversation. While those stories may be meaningful, they should not influence decisions that impair impact an entire village. Your responsibility is to step back from your personal viewpoints and lead based on the collective voice of the people you
serve. I'd also like to briefly address tonight's selection of mayor and vice mayor. In my in my view, these roles should ideally be chosen by the voters. Since that is not how this process works today, the responsibility falls to the
council. Given that I believe continuity is the village's best interest, Sharon Mahoney has served effectively as mayor and Don Horton has provided steady leadership as vice mayor. With an election coming next year, I see no reason to make changes at this time. My
message tonight is simple. Please continue to listen to your community. Rely on the input you receive from residents who show up and participate and always remember that you sit in those seats on behalf of all of us.
Thank you. I wish each of you a very merry Christmas and happy holiday. >> Thank you, Jamie. >> Morning. Okay, next up is Joe Zomec. Joe Zameck, Village of Islands resident for 30 years.
Been there longer than all you guys have together. Anyway, >> here's here's what I'm into. >> This is all public stuff. >> Okay. >> I don't know what to say. uh the village
manager Ron Saunders very impressive as village manager of executed the state of Florida's multi-billion dollar budget while serving as chair of the house administration committee you know what our budget's in your rounding you used to round our budget at the state of
Michigan so I worry about if you really know how much that money is second of all public domain the newspaper imprinted um an article about the difference between Marathon and Isilamada. Marathon has an airport. Isra has an
airport. Marathon has a hospital as a hospital. And the beat goes on. However, it says here that the it's amazing to see that of the council in in Marathon that only five of
Florida's 411 municipalities have done a tax reduction. Not bad. And then here's the numbers from the paper. If you look at the cost per resident in island is $3,272 give or take. The marathon is 2566.
It's a lot of money. Why? Now I'm going to go back to my management consultancy. Five W's. Why is their budget line by line taxpayer wise different? Now remember, there's always smarter people than us in this room. There's always a
guy smarter than I am. smart anyway and that's not being negative but we need to take advantage of smartness if smartness is in marathon's ability to do a budget why don't we copy them and and that's all I'm leaving you and have an have have a nice Christmas but count the bunnies and go see what the other guys
are doing okay that's called competitive analysis thanks >> thank you morning >> next up is Joe Wishmire That's Joe Wishmire, Plantation Key. Um, I really do kind of have a problem with
the moving the public comment. I was one of the ones who fought for that because I really wanted it to to be after like the mayor council communications and after the attorney manager communications because a lot of times you guys discuss stuff during those and
then we don't have any chance to comment on that whereas having the public comment after that does at least give us a chance. Tonight is a good example of that. There's one that was very confusing to me and I don't understand. It's under attorney manager
communications called the TDR banking. I read through that and my head was just spinning. So, I was hoping that after you guys talk about it, maybe I'll have a little more clarity and it would be nice to be able to then uh be able to comment on that and let
you know what the opinions are. Another one for that is, you know, I know that uh you're also going to be discussing you got some quasi judicial hearings tonight. I've brought this up in the past so many times. We're in the middle of redoing
our comp plan. Yet, this council continually award stuff whether it's to the islander or creekide or something. We're doing all these awards and we still don't have our comp plan done yet. So, I would really encourage you all to make sure
that we get our comp plan done and then we can make these decisions. People have been waiting for a long time on these. So, waiting just a little while longer until we have our comp plan done so that we know that we're doing things right, that would be in our best interest. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Joe. Anyone else? Marne? >> Yes, ma'am. Next up is Barry Ray. Good evening, Barry Ray Isa Marada for 28 years and I haven't been here longer than a lot of people in this room. But what I
bring you tonight, I'm speaking for the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition and I expected to have an item on the agenda tonight, a resolution that I had helped author and provided to the village council. The timing of that's going to happen in January, I assume, at our
January meeting. Uh, last Thursday, um, let me explain what what is going on because much of the public probably isn't aware. The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management in their infinite wisdom decided that the Eastern Gulf was
attractive for drilling for oil. Puts it within 100 miles of the dry Tortugas and many other points in Florida. It's never happened before. It's not needed. We do not need to produce more oil and the price per barrel is so low that oil
companies don't want to do it. But just the risk that that represents is atrocious and we should all be upset over that. If you go to the Facebook page for Florida Keys Environmental Coalition, that that would be fc.org, or
then you'll find a link to be able to write your own comments under regulations.gov. That's where we all put in our government comments to and object to this. Uh the resolution that I'm talking about is a unified objection
across the county and uh Thursday Leighton passed that resolution. Tomorrow I speak at the board of county commissioners uh in the morning at 10:15. I invite anybody listening, please join me and applaud the board of
county commissioners because it will be passed in unison there too. I expect it to be passed in unison by every single municipality in the Florida Keys showing our unity against such absurdity and such a an assault on us. It all comes
down to water quality, folks. And that's a water quality issue. And we've got a lot of water quality issues we're going to talk about after this. This unification is a point of pride and we should all be proud of this. This is not a drastic moment. We're going to win
this issue. Every single federal official bipartisanly signed a Senator Scott letter to the president objecting to this. It is a point of pride to show unity throughout our county and
throughout Florida. And when we're done with this issue, I hope we continue on in this process to demand that this water quality that we see that is so green and algae laden around our
waterways that are killing our reef and our ecosystems that we demand that this get improved. And I thank the council beforehand for considering this issue and I thank everybody involved in uh
supporting the our unity and and basically looking forward to the things that we need to do to basically protect and reverse the damage we've seen. Protect the places we love and reverse the damage we've seen. Anyway, thank you very much for listening and uh yes, we
hope Terry gets back tomorrow. It's a big concern. So, uh thank you all. >> Thank you. >> Marne, is your timer working now? >> Not really. >> Okay. Who's >> I'm hearing things ring. >> Next. And we have more speakers. Next up
is Dr. Harold Dalton. Good evening. Dr. Harold Dalton, Upper Metacumb. And I don't need the timer. I timed out at uh 2 minutes and 47 seconds. So, um I'd like to take this opportunity as we
start a new political year for the village to thank the members of the council and staff for their work this past year. I would like to review a few of the key accomplishments. Number one, Madame Mayor, you have
brought back an appropriate level of organization and decorum to these meetings that had been sorely lacking. Thank you. >> Thank you. Number two, the council was initially uh dealt a blow with a resignation of a member and quite
frankly quickly and appropriately filled a vacant position following the rules set out by the village charter. Kudos. Three, you guys actively and preemptively engaged our lobbyist team in both Tallahassee and Washington for
the betterment of our community. That task had been ignored by previous councils even though we paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Four, this council has fixed a long broken working relationship with Keargo
Waste Management Treatment District after a long strained relationship. You guys engaged the community at a level never seen before by creating community task forces for two critical issues confronting the village. The
budget and the baseball field task force task forces were successful on multiple levels. Number six, you're able to keep the tax rate stable with no increases despite ballooning personnel costs and
inflationary pressures. But without a doubt, the most important thing you did in the past year is hire the most overqualified village manager ever. Ron's experience, connections,
organizational skills, and frankly, his ability to accomplish what he sets out to do are a blessing to this village, and we should all be grateful to you for your service. In closing, this has been a productive year for the village and a successful
year in many respects. Next year will bring many new challenges and I'm sure you will rise to meet them. I am confident that I speak for all citizens of Island Marada when I say thank you for your service to this community. >> Thank you.
>> That was very nice. Thank you very very much over there. Little bit much on Ron but okay. Okay, Marne. Okay. Our last speaker is Tom Vatel. >> I may have said the last name wrong.
>> You said it right. Even though I don't look like Tom. There's two of us. Am I allowed to give you guys these? Is that okay? >> Sure. Just um hand it to the clerk and she she'll keep a copy and then we can pass it up. >> Too many there. >> Um so my name is Kelly Borch. Um I live
here in the park on a boat. Uh so does Tom Vatitali who apparently is going to leave me hanging up here. >> He's going to speak after you. >> He's going to speak after me. So I'll keep it brief. Um what you guys are receiving are um and all of you actually have received probably multiple emails from me. Um, I was thankful to get a
response from Mr. Horton. Um, and Peter, uh, also and Maria has also responded to a couple of my emails. Um, our biggest concern is the poison that's being used in the park. Um, and I use that word because honestly that is what it is, is
it's straight up poison. Um, we understand that the park is supposed to be beautiful. We understand that everybody wants it to be beautiful, but there's got to be a better way than dumping chemicals that are harmful to us, harmful to our animals, harmful to the children that I literally watch roll
around this ground on. Um, and what we've provided you today is really just kind of an idea of what the chemicals are that are being used to the best of our knowledge and what we've been told are being used, what the harmful effects of those chemicals are. um what the
possibilities of an issue for the village to have if these continue to you know keep being used um and honestly hopes that we can all come to a better solution. There's many organic materials um that are have a a base that's not POV
or whatever the forever chemicals are called. Um I understand that you know we went to account the advisory meeting we were asked to come here to also bring this to you guys' attention. Um, we're told that this is being taken seriously and I hope that's true. Um, we're here
to help. I mean, as much as we can. I mean, but honestly, you can Google and find these products just as easily as we can. Um, and I mean, we care about this park. We've we've lived here for a while now. We waited on the list for six years to live here. And we walk our three
dogs, I mean, miles upon miles a day. If you see screaming Chihuahua, that's us. You've probably seen us. Um, and and we love the park. I mean, so to watch chemicals be dumped literally right by the beach, by the tennis courts, by the, you know, the water, you know, chemicals
were dumped today and it literally rained today. So where do those chemicals go? Like we have spinning fish. We have all of these things happening and it's just so frustrating that we are contributing to that when in reality we are a park that has a responsibility to the patrons and to the
children that play here, to the animals that live here, to the people that live here. And you know, I hope you guys understand that we're here to bring this to your attention and we hope you take it seriously. And I haven't left Tom much time. Hopefully you can restart the clock for him because he's a new human. Tom. Tom is a doctor and I really do
want Tom to come up here because Tom is very knowledgeable in this this with this information. He's unfortunately had two dogs pass away from an unknown cancer that lived in this park. We're not saying it was that, but there have been a few things that have happened. We've seen dead rats, dead birds, dead
squirrels, lots of things going on, and that's been very recent. So, I appreciate your time. I appreciate what you guys do and hopefully you'll allow Tom to also come up and get his spotlight. >> Good morning. Thank you. >> Did Tom fill out a form? Does Tom want to come on?
>> Yes, Tom filled out a form. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Go ahead. >> Thank you, Mayor Councel and Council. Um, yes, my name is Thomas Fatali. I live at the uh park here. And
I just to reinforce what Kelly said and what the gentleman said earlier, we have to be aware of the water and the toxins we use and the chemicals we use on our land. Um, but from my aspect, I worry about the people because yes, I had two
dogs. Um, one was only four years old that died of cancer. One of the chemicals that was spread on the lawn, the great lawn last week by Fatherine causes cancer in dogs. That was spread
on Wednesday. The next day, people were setting up for the holiday fest. Nobody is supposed to be exposed to the chemical within 48 hours. Number one, it's supposed to uh bind to the soil, so to speak, and be safe. That's why you
see pesticides when they put the signs and after 48 hours it's supposed to be safe to go back. But I wonder how many of you would be safe with your children or grandchildren going on your lawn after you spread a pesticide just in two
days. The amphitheater had pesticide signs placed on Wednesday. They were taken down Friday morning. Friday afternoon, there were children crawling around on that bent grass in front of the
amphitheater. There were dogs, of course, and many people just laying on the grass there. Yes, the half-life. Well, the the chemicals bind to the soil and it's supposed to be safe. Yes,
you're not going to ingest it and make it poisonous, but these chemicals don't go away. The halflife for the chemical that was used in front of the uh amphitheater is 6 to 8 days. The halflife the halflife that of the
chemical used in the great lawn is 6 to 8 months. And that's the one that causes cancers in dogs. Both of these chemicals are not supposed to be used close to water at least 100
ft. toxic to fish. In the state of California, these chemicals are outlawed. All that I ask, I'm not asking for a capital investment. Apparently, we have
an environmental person on staff at the village to help advise, to help manage, to have foresight. And when we use these chemicals to try to have foresight in keeping them safe for
everyone, for the people, for the pets, and for our fish, we can also contact other parks. I worked in hospitals all my life. The hospitals communicated, believe it or
not, we communicated amongst ourselves for best practices. We called other hospitals. Why not call the other part parks for best practices? And that's all I have to say, but um
thank you very much and I hope that we heed this warning because get it's these chemicals are very toxic. >> Thank you, Ron. >> Objective information here too, >> Ron. >> Yeah. On behalf of the village, we do
take the issue very seriously. We had a meeting this morning with our environment resources manager, Peter. We had our public works director, AJ, Maria, parks and wreck, and our Lisa, our marina manager. So, we all met today. Uh, we agreed that we're going to look for the most environmentally
sensitive ways to treat our our properties. We're also going to make sure that everybody that is using the stuff is properly trained. They know they have to follow directions. Uh, we're going to have written protocols just to make sure there's nothing wrong going on. So, we are taking it seriously and we'll report back when we have uh more information.
>> Thank you. John, did you want to say something? >> No, I was just there was only one set of documents. So, um Marne had asked what I said she should keep it because the clerk needs it and then she can make copies and circulate it to the council. >> Okay. Thank you, Marne. Is anyone else? >> There are no other speakers signed up.
>> Okay. Public comment is now closed. Okay. Moving on to the first item, nomination for mayor and vice mayor. What do you guys want to do? Some of you want to jump in there. >> Turn on my mic.
>> I'll nominate Don Horton for mayor. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second it. >> Marty, you call the role, please. >> Council member Steve Freriedman. >> Yes. Council member Deb Gillis,
>> yes. Council member Anna Richards, >> yes. >> Um, Vice Mayor Don Horton, >> yes. >> And Mayor Sharon Money, >> yes. >> Okay, that motion passes 5-0. >> Okay, congratulations. >> Thank you. >> All right, go to Vice Mayor now. Don't
just sit down. We're not done yet. >> Not quite yet. >> He's going to roll me over here. Okay, nomination for vice mayor. Do I have a nomination? >> I'll nominate Sharon. >> Oh, is there a second?
>> Uh, I was going to nominate um Anna, but >> it's up to you guys. >> So, what do you want to do? >> Well, there's a there's a motion on the floor, so we need to do something. Second. >> There's two Yeah, there's two nominations.
>> Is it you can have two nominations or >> I think so. I don't know. Steve, you want to weigh in? Oh, >> I forgot he's here. >> Um, I I'll second uh the nomination for Sharon. >> Okay, Marne, then do we call the role?
Is that John? I'm looking for direction. >> Yeah, there's a motion in a second. So, we need to address it. Yes. >> Martney, call the role, please. Okay. Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Council member Steve Freriedman. >> Yes. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. Mayor Don Horton.
>> Yes. >> And vice mayor shared. >> Thank you. Yes. >> Motion passes. >> Once a mayor, always mayor. >> Um Frank, can we take a five minute break to rearrange shift seats? Roll.
Let Don roll over here. All right. All right. We got lots to do tonight. So, uh, thank y'all for your patience and let's get going here. >> Thank y'all very much. All right, it looks like we're moving on
to uh an FKA update, I think. So, uh, Mr. Cutler, do you have an update for us? >> Yes. Uh, Aaron Cutler, construction manager for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I want to give an update today. Okay, we got it ready. Let's get to the
right screen here. I'm going to go past that one. Okay, I'm going to start on this map. Um, we're currently working our way with the drinking water pipe through that orange segment that you see up there, which we've been calling that the, you know, the school work zone, which is a lot of
what our coordination with the schools and law enforcement has been about. Uh, we recently over the past few weeks have gotten past a really difficult area in the Plantation Key Colony. You know, keeping Woods Avenue open so that school pickup drop off didn't change. um trying
to keep at least one other uh exit point in that neighborhood which was Royal Poniana or Palm. Um we've now made it past all of those segments uh thank goodness and um but it's been a lot of support with Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the schools. We're meeting
with them every single week, sometimes multiple times. Um but we're currently at our next I guess um difficult spot. We're about 200 um feet from the Bessie intersection. So, um, we've got an approval with the traffic control plan
to shut that intersection down when we cross through it, but we recently met with law enforcement and schools and the amount of buses that have to travel through and cross. Our contractor has came up with a plan to try to keep that open during the day, especially during
those peak uh, school times from like 6:00 in the morning till 9:00 and then the um, pickup times in the afternoons. They're going to leave keep that um, intersection open. So, um, we're anticipating to be to that intersection, um, on tomorrow night. So, they're
getting a lot of the prep work. You guys have probably seen them out there done. Um, if that goes as planned, we'll be able to cross that intersection. Hopefully by Friday, end of day, and they get everything paved and restored and taken down for the weekend. And then
on Sunday, when they come back to work, hopefully we're on the other side of the Bessie intersection. So that's the last uh difficult spot. We have a special um arrangement with law enforcement for starting tomorrow that there will be law enforcements on both sides of the
intersections and we have um additional flaggers to keep bus traffic through especially. Um but I just want to let the council and the public know that that's happening this week. Um and then once we finish that really the last stretch um I'll show on another map is
and you know we're almost done. So, let me let me just go through the rest of this real quick. Okay. So, so basically we have um that number is a little less when they put this together. We now have uh 26,340
ft of the drinking water installed. There's 34,000 of it proposed. So, we're a little bit less than 80% of the way done. Um, you know, we started this back in March of this year and it's looking like um, you know, and and in this
segment I want to add there's we've dealt with a lot more utilities that we've uncovered um that you know weren't were unknowns. Um, we've worked closely with the village and they've been super helpful with getting you know AJ and Rand and his whole team coming out there and identifying some of the stuff and
helping us. Um, but we've also dealt with king tide and the groundwater issues have been we're at the worst time of the year to be here. But, you know, there's no perfect time. So, um, we're getting through it. We usually get around 200 to 250 ft a night in this area. We've only been getting about 100
ft. So, that's why it's a little bit slower going. Um, but nevertheless, we're we're making our way through. And I want to mention, okay, the holiday work plan. So, what we're planning to do, I'm actually going to go back to that slide at the end. Let me go to here
first. So, if you see that last box at the top of the screen, there's a little dot on it. Where that circle dot in the roadway is represents where we have to connect to our directional drill pipe that crossed Tavern Creek. So, once we get through, you can see where the
Bessie intersection is there. Once we get through that um by the end of this week, we really only have that stretch from that Bessie intersection up to that last yellow circle there by that text box. And that's about 500 ft. So, we're
expecting and we're planning that by Sunday the 21st, we're connecting our our steel pipe to that ex that pipe that's already been drilled. And then we'll spend the 22nd and the 23rd of December cleaning up, repaving the roads, taking all the traffic control
down so that by the Christmas holiday, you know, by the 23rd, we're we're out of the way. And then when we come back first week of January, we're picking up on the other side of Tavern Creek Bridge and and headed north, you know, to Ocean. So, um, that's the plan. I do
want to back up here and make sure I covered it. One more. Okay. Yeah. So, let's just make sure I covered everything. Yeah, just the holiday period. Okay. Yeah. So, 12:23 to to January 4th.
That's our holiday plan schedule. And with that, I just want to thank the village and law enforcement and the schools, the public especially. They've been super patient with us. We're almost, you know, out of the way. So, just bear with us for here a couple more weeks hopefully. That's it. >> Thank you. Uh, councel y anything, Deb,
you want to say something? >> Yes. First of all, I think you've done an outstanding job. Um, secondly though, uh, I just have a simple question because I'd like to promote the good work that you have done. Did
you say that you've completed 26,000 ft? >> Yes, ma'am. 26,340 as of last night. >> Okay. That's in this section, but you've already did one section. Do you know how long that section was off the top of your head? >> Yes, ma'am. So, that section was 2100
ft. So, I'm counting that that 26,340 is from when we started in March and it includes that segment that we crossed Tavern Creek. So, that's in the calculation. >> So, I'm talking all the way I'm all the way through the heart of Isa Marada there. That's including that.
>> No, ma'am. This is just the Plantation Key project. So, from Snake Creek. Yes. We also did Windley Key and Isa Marada, Whale Harbor and Teable as well. >> Right. And you've done an outstanding job getting as far as you have and learned along the way how to push that
forward quickly and efficiently. >> Thank you so much. Yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Anyone else? >> Erin, thank you very much. I appreciate I got one question. >> Yes, sir. Are are you going to be shutting down any part of the northbound on the other side uh by uh uh by Taer
Town during hell week or are y'all shut down that that whole week that we call hell week? That week between Christmas and New Year's. >> So we're not going to have anyote in that week anywhere. Okay. >> And then when we do pick up after the holiday, we're still coming up with a plan because we have the hospital on the
other side there and but the two southbound lanes will never be impacted. What our current plan is is to have during the day still one northbound lane on the northbound side because our our pipes in that side of the road. >> All right. Great. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
>> Thank you. >> All right. Moving on. Ron, we've got uh looks like we've got a discussion from uh your staff on um DOT or freebie. >> Yes. Uh we've been in contact with FDOT. uh they want us to give direction about
whether we want to extend the grant. They've agreed to give us another year of funding uh for the grant. And so I've asked Alyssa to give you a brief update. And we also want to have a discussion, maybe not all tonight, about whether we want to institute a fair. Right now it's free, which means all the taxpayers are
subsidizing freebie. There's been some discussion about making it a user fee, you know, maybe two 250, you know, not a huge one, but let them pay something. We've been back and forth with U DOT about whether we can charge a fair. It's a little confusing that you have it
would extend the service. I don't want to get into too much on the fair because that's a policy question. Uh but I just want to give you an update tonight through Alyssa of some of our discussions with DOT. >> Very good. Thank you, Alyssa. >> Thank you. Good evening, council, new
mayor and vice mayor. Um so the village you guys are pretty aware I'm sure because we've been running this program under this grant for the past couple years. Uh the village currently provides freeb ride service to Alam Marada. Uh this program has existed since 2024. So
the uh the cost of the grant uh the grant awards the village $276,00065 and the village matches it dollar for dollar for the service. I wanted to include some wrership data just based on the last year. uh 56,000 riders about
40,000 rides. Um we get that data monthly from uh freebie. So the village has been offered a third year of funding. This program does uh an original application for a project and then you can apply for subsequent years. Uh so the village uh received the
initial funding uh received its year 2 funding uh and now we are offered our year three funding. This is for the state fiscal year 2026. Uh and it is worth noting that this was uh a lot of projects did not get awarded. Um the total funding pot uh was reduced this
year. Um but the village does have the opportunity uh to discuss it tonight. Uh and if we don't accept the funding for this, the current grant will end in the summer of 2026 too. There we go. So tonight, uh this is under discussion
because council uh has to decide whether to one move forward with the state fiscal year 2026 award uh begin will begin processing amendment two with FDOT that would add $276,665 to the balance of the existing contract.
Uh it would extend the agreement date to either June 30th, 2027 or uh December depending on how the invoices work out. The other option is to cancel the state fiscal uh state fiscal year 2026 award in which case FDOT will not process the
amendment. The contract will close uh once existing funds are fully expended or we reach the contract end date. So I want to kind of I'll touch base on it since Ron brought it up. Uh what would a rider fee kind of do for the village? This slide's here to kind of help uh
explain it a little bit. So, if you're introducing a rider fee to the program, uh you can look at common fees per rider, such as $2, $250, $3, and it'll give you a different range. Um, so currently we have an invoice from
freebie. It's $46,000, $46,100. Um, and that gets split between FDOT and the village. The village pays up front and is reimbured by FDOT on a quarterly basis. If we introduced a rider fair that would reduce the invoice that comes
to the village that we would pay and we would split that cost with FDOT. So over time uh it reducing the monthly cost it reduces the annual cost of the program. And so that's kind of the benefit of the rider fee. It either extends the program out um so you can
have a few extra months under the same amount that you would put into the program uh or if you choose to do so uh you can stop you can take it on a year-by-year basis uh and provide the service for a year uh and there is no negative effects if we do not fulfill
the entire $276,665. Um we can kind of take it on a year-by-year basis. So I want to pause here. Uh, I'm here for questions. I'd like to give you guys time to discuss. And I also want to mention Jason Spiegel with Freebie is available online for questions as well.
>> All right. Well, council, any questions, Deb? >> Of course. >> Of course. Absolutely. Your mic's on. Go. >> My mic's on. So, um, first of all, what what she said is true from what I found is there was about 70 or I'm sorry,
about 30 um, applications for this grant money. Uh, normally they pick about 20 or 25. This year they only pick nine and Marada was one of the nine. >> So, we are highly looked at at in the
eyes of DOT. our our program has been highly recognized. Um that being said, this is tonight, I believe, only a decision of whether or not to accept the grant. If working towards budget next
year, we decide that there's just not the money that we don't want to go forward with the program, there's no obligation to maintain the grant, to keep the grant, that if we accept it tonight, it just puts our name in it,
and if we decide we don't want it, we just give it back to them. >> Mhm. >> Or we just stop the program. Mhm. >> So I I believe that the last time we had the discussion, we had many people in this town say how important it was to
figure out some kind of writing program for our residents. Uh I still believe that. Um if we need to go to a fee, we need to go to a fee to help support it. Um, as everybody remembers, I'm not
crazy about that, but uh, we all have to do what we have to do to to make it work. Um, I I would highly suggest that we go ahead and accept it, and then as we move forward in the spring, figure out um, how it works into our budget,
how we could um, morph it. Um, maybe go ahead and ask Jason to put the writership money in place. Um, that's up to the rest of us on council here. I think it's an important program.
>> Thank you, D. Anna, Sharon, anybody? >> No, I mean, I'm going to go along with it. I think there's too many people. We've we saw the amount of people. We heard from the amount of people that that used this program and as stated, we were one one of only nine communities
that actually got the funding for it. So, I think it's very important that we do, but I do think that it would help if we instituted a little fee to help offset our costs and help our budget. Just my opinion. >> I agree, Sharon.
>> Um, I would like to, as Deb said, for right now, say yes, but I think we need to have a fee. I've always felt that way, but I'd like to see what other companies could do besides just one company. I want to see put go out to see
what other companies would come in with some different suggestions or maybe other things. So that's where I want to go. So thank you all very much. Um yeah, I um I think it's fortunate that we're one of the nine that that got chosen out
of all of the applicants. Uh we need it. The community has proven that uh through the you know when when there was the threat of losing it or or cancelling it. uh they they showed up in in hordes and and sent the message to us that they rely on that. Uh during the legislative
conference, we kind of had some discussions uh and Ron and I have talked about um uh maybe not even just going to uh a Florida Keys Day, but meeting some folks during Florida Keys Day and then having a follow-up meeting
with DOT. Um and and see if we can expand this a little bit. It's obvious to me out of the uh if we're out of all the communities, we're one of the nine that they recognize that we have a traffic issue. And it's not a traffic
issue that we're causing. It's um it's all of the folks going down to Marathon and Key West that are vacationing in these towns that are basically a whole town of hotels. and uh if we can come up with a a traffic plan that that'll be
helpful uh I think if we turn this money away now we're sending a message to DOT saying we don't need your money and uh we probably won't ever get it again. So, I think it's the right thing for us to do is is carry on uh accept this grant
and then at the same time start thinking about um you know what this council wants to do and what the community wants to do as far as charging so that we're not taken out of the avalorum taxes. Uh it's a it's a rider fee and and I'm okay with two or three dollars uh uh each way
and and I think that's falls within what other communities uh do on uh and certainly freebie or a similar service is a better service than jumping on a metro bus. Uh so I I I think it's a great idea. So I'm I'm all for it.
>> I have a question about the the fee. Yeah. >> Uh it's something that you said. Um, when we collect the fee, we collect we split the fee with DOT also. So, if we, in other words, if we collect $20,000, does that come off of our side of the
bill or does it get come off our side, which the whole bill is ours and then we get reimbursed? But am I saying that what what you do you understand what >> split the profits with them is a way that
>> yeah that's I the first time I'd heard that >> I thought it came off of just our side >> it is it is a little weird at first but I >> I did the investigation so I know how it works now. uh our invoice, the fees
would come right off the invoice and the remainder of the invoice is then split between Village and FDOT, but the actual like amount, we would still have that $276,665 match from FDOT to work with. >> So, inevitably, it just extends the
program if you wish um reducing the monthly payments so it can spread over multiple fiscal years if you choose. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Anything else? Rhonda, do you need any further direction? I think you've got a consensus up here for us to do. We
need a Do we need a motion in a second? >> We need to talk to Steve. >> Steve's maybe still having a >> Oh, Steve, you're still here. Steve, >> thank you, mayor. Appreciate that. Yeah. No, I agree with everybody. I think this is a very important program that we need to continue because we don't have an alternative. So, I would agree that we
should uh continue to receive the grant and continue to look at alternative um uh possibilities for mass transportation around the community. Uh I think it's very important. We all know that. So, uh I I I agree with the discussion. >> A deal.
>> Yeah, I think we have direction. We don't need a motion that we will proceed with the grant. Uh and it is complicated. We listen, I've spent hours trying to figure out how the writer fees would incorporate. We've been back and forth with DOT. Uh in addition, we've also looked into maybe having a separate
maybe a loop vehicle with mass more than one person uh that would maybe do some loops and the the mayor has looked into autonomous buses. There's some other possibilities, but I think freebie in in of itself that type of service is something we've gotten used to and it
basically the summary would be they've given us a $276,000 grant which we have to we've agreed to match no matter what. But then the writer fees would then extend it. So that basically we're not be able to replace our share. We're just going to be able to increase the service. But if we if the council
decides to do a writer fee, but I just thought out of fairness, there are some taxpayers in Alamro that don't use the service, you know, maybe there, you know, it should be plus when you have a user fee, I think it helps people um value the service a little better. If something's free, you tend not to value
it quite as well. >> Yeah, I think I I agree with that. and and yeah, I that's the first time Ron's mentioned that and Ron and I have had several discussions about looking into having some type of uh uh inner, you
know, inner city loop transit system rather than relying on something like this. and and I've talked to our lobbyists uh uh several times about that just to get a feel for how that would work and and if it would be something that you know we might be able to take on with another company that that we
could have a clean, dependable, timely, app driven type of of system that would have something going southbound and something going northbound and utilize the old road on that taking us off of the highway. uh us getting out of the problem that Marathon and Key West are
causing for us. So, I think if we could come to some kind of a system like that and convince DOT that we've relied on freebie for so long, but at the same time, we'd like to see how we can develop our own system. It's worth looking into and and the lobbyists seem
like they're on board with that, too. too. >> I think I think all of us are here that probably remember um the the little trolley. It wasn't a trolley bus. It was a little bus that >> Yeah, the little blue bus. >> What What was his name? What was his
name? >> No, his name. >> What was his name? Mr. >> Fred Ted. >> Ted. >> Mr. Ted. That's right. Mr. Ted. >> Ted. Um and how valuable it was. I just I just had a customer at the hotel that she was absolutely ecstatic over the
fact that we had a way for her to get around. Um because she got here and her car broke down. >> Yep. >> And she had no way to get around. So So we don't need a motion though. >> We don't need a motion. You got direction, a consensus. Steve, you have
anything else? >> All good. >> All right. Good deal. All right. Then let's move on to the next. Thank you, Alyssa, very much. Um, let's uh let Jennifer, let's have a status update on our comp plan if we can. >> Sure, I'd be happy to.
>> You've been wanting to do that for a while. I'm sure >> I have actually. Um, so just about a year ago, we kicked off our comprehensive plan update with Able City East. Um, you all probably know that and remember that well. Um, we went through a week of cherettes with them here. They
did a tour of the village. They've been did some surveys. They met with a bunch of people. Um, they've done a lot of work for us. They've been working really hard on our project. Um, I know a lot of people think, you know, what's been happening, what's been going on? I haven't seen any product and think that
nothing's happening. But I assure you that they are working. It is it is a process. You know, a lot of this waiting is necessary because right now they've been collecting all the information and putting it together for us in a document. So, um I will tell you that
staff has received an internal draft um for staff review and staff comment. Staff is providing comments to them on the internal draft at this time. All of those comments should be to them by the end of the week. Um and then they have told me that they will have uh they will
within 3 to four weeks, which should bring us to beginning of January, probably second week of January, um have a final draft for public view and council view at that time. Um at that time after that final draft is released um I'll post it on the website. I'll
give council each their own copy. Um we will schedule a new uh another public workshop um where AEL city will present the draft to uh the public and anybody that wants to attend answer any
questions after that public workshop. If there's additional changes or things that we feel still needs to be worked on, they'll take care of that as well for us. and then they'll put together the documents for the LPA meeting and that will be the next big um public
hearing process. Um I anticipate that the LPA public hearing will be an intensive process that probably will be um uh one one a hearing where it's the only item on the agenda where that's all
they discuss. I may even talk to the LPA about doing an all day hearing um because it's it's a big item. It's it's important that we spend the time talking about it. It may be more than one hearing. I won't know that until we get into the process. So, um there is a
light at the end of the tunnel. Um it is happening. Um we're excited about it. Um I wanted to give you guys that update. So, um after LPA makes their recommendation, it will come to you for first reading, but um you will see a draft um probably second to third week
of January. So, if you have any questions, I'm here to answer them. >> Thank you. Um, >> Deb, your lights on. >> Um, yeah. U just some of the comments uh that come from the public, which are good
comments, but uh the things as we work on comp plan changes as we go forward. Can you explain how that rolls into the process? And >> Sure. We've been collect obviously collecting those or or putting them in our comp plan as it exists now and then
getting those over to able cities so that they can roll those into um the new version as well. So we're taking that into consideration. >> So um anybody else over here? No. Steve, do you have anything at the moment?
>> No, not at this time. Mayor, thank you. >> All right. Thanks. Um, Jennifer, uh, you know, there at the last conference that Ron and I attended, I'm going to bring that up probably several times because there there was some really important discussions that we had um um with with
the Florida League of Cities lobbyists and their attorneys uh and their experts. And it it uh sounds to me like that there are several other uh cities that are in the middle of working on their comprehensive plan. And Senate
Bill 180 continues to get in their way. Uh and the way Senate Bill 1A is written is that if it's considered burdensome, then uh cities are not allowed to change their regulations. Uh and and that would
include on their comp plan rewrites. Um so what is I guess maybe I'm going to ask John too because it's it's a legal question, too, but what what where are we at with that? I mean there's there are likely going to be some changes that
somebody is going to say I mean we may look at it and say wow this is better it's a little more user friendly it's better for the public and somebody else look at it and say that's burdensome so are we kind of in limbo with our with um because other towns are telling us yes
we're in limbo with our comp plan >> to some extent yes I mean it's you know we're not quite at the end uh of the uh you we're not at the finish line yet with it. So, we have some time to get to to the finish line and hopefully, you know, there's been there have been
discussions up in Tallahassee of what they call a fix it bill. Um where hopefully there will be a bill coming in that that the the sponsor of the bill from LA of that amendment uh indicated that wasn't his intent, the the reach that it that it currently has. Uh I
haven't seen an actual fix it bill yet that would would walk it back to see what that would look like to the extent that um uh that there is a fix it bill that takes Marada out of it then we would be able to proceed and it wouldn't
be an issue. So I think it's prudent for us you know for you know you for for the village to move forward with it because hopefully we will get that fix it bill in there and then we'll be closer to the finish line and we can just move forward and pass it. Um whereas if we you know we we we'd already committed to this
process so it wasn't like we're we're just starting out. So uh you know we already are moving forward. I think it's prudent to do that. If they don't uh create a fix it a bill then I think we would have to look at it really yes on a case-byase basis. Um there are some um
uh options built into SB 180 where um within a certain time period we might be able to uh to change it or or uh resend the decision. It's a little complicated when it comes to ordinances in terms of timing. Uh so I'm not sure how realistic
that might be, but we can we can take a look at it, but we'd have to really look at probably on a case-by case basis um as to uh what if anything might be viol might be in violation of SP 180 as it currently stands. So, we may be able to get away with similar to what the county
had to do in 1986 and adopt a 80% or 90% of the comp plan, let the other parts that would be considered burdensome uh then sit until this 180 is changed or the fix it bill is changed. >> Exactly. Exactly. And there might be opportunities too to potentially work
with the the land owners if if there is something that's that's burdensome. maybe we could work with them because there are carveouts where if if it's uh uh initiated by a property owner then that doesn't then that wouldn't fall under the SP80 restrictions. Uh so you
know there I mean again this is you know trying to think through how we might be able to get as much of this across the finish line if we can't get all of it. And so I've got some ideas as to how we might be able to to maybe work with some some folks in the village to I mean obviously they'd have to be willing to
but you know we'll see if we get there. Hopefully we just get this fix it a bill like what's being discussed up in Tallahassee. And if we do then then you know all of this won't won't be for not which was which is good. >> And I did want to point out one thing in response to Councilwoman Gil Gillis's
question about um the uh the amendments that are coming as we're as we're going through this process. One thing I did want to point out is the village can't stop somebody from applying for uh for a comp amendment. So if somebody comes in
and applies, we have to process it and and part of that process is bringing it forward to you all for consideration and and you are, you know, we're required to consider it and and make a vote on it. So just because we're bringing uh amendments forward doesn't mean they're a village initiated. Uh in fact, most
many times they're initiated by the property owners and and and we we have to move forward with them. We can't just sit on them. >> Good deal. >> Thank you. Thank you, John. Thank you. Um, I think it's a good time to segue into what you said, Sharon. I totally agree that we should look at having a
charter review committee. >> It's been 11 years since we've had a charter review committee. I served on that one. I've served on both charter review committee since I left the village in 2005. Um, I think that uh I actually spoke to our previous manager
and and thought before we even started this comp plan rewrite that we should actually have a a a brand new strategic plan and uh and we should also have a a charter review uh committee. So, I I
think that um maybe maybe Marne can help us on that. And uh because a charter a charter amendment requires vote by the uh citizens of Alamra, the voters of Alamrada. So, in order to uh advance
that uh if we were to do it at the next election, we'd need to kind of count backwards, Marne, and see when that needed to be completed by before uh so that we could advertise it. uh in the in the public realm so that it can be voted on at at the next election in November
of 26. >> I'd say you're probably looking at June at the latest because it it would need to come back before the council and the council would need to approve any um proposed ballot language and any amendment to to put on the ballot. Um so
you're pro I mean Marne can confirm but just since we're in December it's it's it's pretty tight. We're we're looking, you know, probably six months at the most. >> Well, I think if we take a if we if we were to form a committee and and take a
look at the the charter that we have now and see what because there's been several people talk about maybe we should change, you know, methods of how a council is or mayor and vice mayor are chosen. Maybe there are ways that uh
I've heard some people say, "Why don't we go to three-year terms instead of two-year terms to have some more continuity?" I've heard some people say, "Maybe we should go to uh the top five council members." And I think that the charter review committee needs to look at all of those and and see if that's
something that the voters would want to have. So I I I would envision it uh you know um being able to take the framework of our existing charter and be able to change that that that should be able to be done in 3 to four months. >> Oh yeah. I I didn't mean to to um to say
that it wasn't doable. I just when when if if we have create a charter review committee it's important to for the committee members to know the expectation as to when that that deadline is so that they can schedule their meetings. um because they might not you know a lot of times those
committees are formed with a long way out they meet every other month I don't think depending on how much they want to do we you probably wouldn't be able to do like an every other month so it was more just so >> it would be we'd have to pick however many people we decide as a council that
would be on it and I'm thinking maybe seven but >> um >> I can't remember >> we had 10 the last time it was >> say I was think it was 10 >> it was way before it was each council got two people is what I remember um >> I would definitely recommend an odd number. Well, and I was I kind of was
just, you know, thinking about how that would work and and maybe each council member pick one representative and then maybe uh the council take other applicants and take pick two more uh you know at large >> and that way you'd come up with the
seven and and maybe because I think we're going to have to pick you know seven people that are willing to drill down and really get busy and get this done in a in a timely manner to be able to have it to where it could be on the next on the next referendum. Yeah.
>> I think it >> So, how do we advance that? I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> No, no, go ahead. I was just going to say I think it it it falls to what what we've done just in this last year with the task force. It's the predecessor to a task force.
>> Yeah. Sunset word sunset. >> So, how would we how would we advance it at that point? I mean, is that something that we need to bring up at the next council meeting and vote on? >> I think what we can do to given the time frame to kind of expedite it is, you know, we could put together a resolution
creating it and then um for you all to fill in names. It would have a resolution and in the resolution it would set forth what their um the duties would be and appointing you know the seven people and then we would leave them blank so that you all could could
appoint um and and then we could pass the resolution uh if that's the will of the council and then that way they can move forward and we can they can you know roll up their sleeves and and start working on it. >> All right. >> So potentially they could start in February is is that what you're saying? >> Yeah. or even I mean we it could be the
end of January. Yeah. I mean depending on how quickly they they want >> we'd have to vote in January. So anytime after that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Sharon, anything. >> Steve, you want to weigh in on that idea? >> Yeah, I'm cool with that.
>> Yep. Okay. >> He looks tired. >> He looks tired. You do look >> 2:30 in the morning. You should be tired. >> Okay. One one suggestion would be maybe in our newsletter we can announce that we're maybe looking for applicants because it's might be difficult to find people.
We've been pretty lucky with our budget review task force and the baseball field task force. But uh you let people know that's out there because you might have people that don't know and we can just say we're looking for the possibility of this coming up in January. If you're interested, let let Marne know for example like like a committee would be
for this for the village. And that way you have a pool of people then y'all can pick from that pool or separately but then we have other people then that you can then make the two at larges for example. >> Yeah. >> I like that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Then you have people who want to do it. Yeah. >> Okay.
>> Again it's really some one of those things you just need a consensus on at this point. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> Okay then. Let's get more let's get it done. >> All right. Uh let's see. Let's move on to sitter's ad advisory. Um, Carol, you
still here? Did we put you? >> Good deal. Thanks for sticking in there with us, Carol. >> And congratulations to the new mayor and council folks. Uh, we had a the last parks and wreck
meeting just recently. We had the introduction from Emily um Rother the who brought to us a lot of the artistic and cultural things. So, we had a chance to see what she's bringing to the village. Um Pete introduced to us the
fact that that the pavilion which is down at Green Turtle Hammock is now open and so if you have not been down there that pavilion is open and available for different usages. So check with Pete and with the group on what the guidelines are. Um, we also had Kelly and the
environmental group came and gave their initial presentation that they spoke to already tonight that I know is coming to all of you. So, I think the conversation about having um as environmentally sensitive things as possible safe not
only for the environment but also for the users of the park, the animals, the kids and all of us. So, I know that's an ongoing thing that's now come back to you and also to staff. The uh the baseball issues have been ongoing for
weeks and months and they are now coming to you. So, you've had the opportunity. We have done a lot of reviewing and revising. the task force gave their input and I believe the next steps have to do with the coordination that the
manager and the and the you know the the Monroe County have to do with the next steps on the baseball. So that's really up to you next. And so the last issue has to do with the park fees. Those I believe are also coming to you. We've
had a couple of opportunities to review the um the arrangements or the suggestions that were made by staff on redoing the park fees. And the grounding for that we get to remember is doing what we all can to be not only to
protect our park but also to be um financially sensible to contribute to the village expenses. And so um the first thing that happened is um the we made a decision as committee that one of
the budget issues that we could look at was the possibility of shrinking the amount that that our contractors would get who are working at the village meaning our sports contractors the the uh diving the swimming the tennis and so
on. we were given the option of decreasing the fees that they get and we made the decision not to do that. We made the decision to keep the fees as they were. We felt that the split was was um was appropriate. We want to keep
those um programs as effective as possible. So we kept those which then gave us the opportunity to say okay the staff is coming up with revisions and reooking at what kinds of fees there might be for the use of the park. And
those fees are really supported by a combination of residents of Monroe County residents that may be parents of students that are playing sports here that may be um out of town people that are guests. the combination of those
different kinds of things. And so all of those things are really coming to council. We have um the committee spent a lot of time working with the staff and hearing their recommendations. They've done a lot of work on it and put a lot
of of homework into it. That's really their department. And so we um we acknowledge that work and uh endorse the fact that the suggestions that they have would then come to you, which I think this is on your agenda now. So I think
that's um I think everything's back on your plate now. >> Thank you, Carol. >> Any questions or >> anybody got anything? Carol, the the fees that that you that you say we're charging and splitting with our
contractors, does that cover their cost? Uh if we collect and there are contractors, they're getting paid as well, right? >> Yes. Yeah. It had to do with a percentage of split like of a 100% that's paid for a certain service. A
certain amount of that comes to the contractor and a certain amount of it comes back to the park. And those percentage splits we elected to keep I mean we suggested keeping them as they were so that the contractors would not have their income shrink because of any
of our considerations. We wanted to continue to support them. These are our you know pool, park, tennis, swim contract. >> None of them. So none of them have a guaranteed fee. It's just a split of of how many people they can get to come in
and give less than they get. Yes, it's just a standard percentage. And I don't remember and I don't know, but you know, let's say it's 80 20 9010 with different percentages, but we elected not to shrink that um and take away from their
income out of that split. We elected to keep those as they were to continue to support our contractors. And and I understand that you you guys looked at uh maybe not just giving an exemption to hotel the people that are staying at hotels and uh they that those folks
would still have to pay. They're not just considered guests. >> The really the difference of a person who was a guest whether it was a hotel or a a you know rental guest or whatever it was was not really a major part of
our conversation. It was really the three deci three divisions were residents and what was available to actual residents. Um Monroe County which are sometimes the parents of students who play here and so on and then out
oftowners and all of them have uh different options for having like a weekly pass or a 10 pack or various things and the fees for those would be a little bit different. We did not have a specific conversation about, oh, we want
the hotel guests to have this or that. That was really not part of our conversation. It was treating everyone as though they were either either residents or not. >> Village, county, or out of town or >> Exactly. And that's not We didn't make
it a distinction or a discrimination or anti- this or that. It was simply trying to do what we could to support the guidelines that were made by the staff and then also to try to be as even-handed incre you know have the fees
support the budget for for the village. >> Great. Thanks Deb. Your mic was on. You got something? Well, I was just going to say on the the um the fees that we pay the the coaches and whatever um to reduce that is like giving them a pay
cut. >> Yeah. >> And we're not usually into much of that pay cuts. Um so it's got to come from other and when we get to that tab, I've got other things I want to ask and talk about. So >> Steve, you want to weigh in?
>> Thank you for the presentation. Thanks. >> Good deal. All right. Thank you, Carol. Really appreciate the work you guys are doing. The park and rec committee is awesome. >> It's our pleasure and it's a wonderful committee. We enjoy working with staff and we feel like we're doing as much as we can to honor our great place and be
good for the village. So, y'all are very active. It's a great committee. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> All right. We'll move on to I don't see Greg Dolly out here. Is land acquisition. Does somebody have a presentation for our land acquisition? >> Mr. Douly is um ill this evening, so
we've moved it to the uh January agenda. >> Wonderful. Okay. >> Uh moving right along. Mayor and council communications. Do you guys Anna have anything? >> Sharon, Deb,
>> Steve, >> except maybe Merry Christmas, but we can do that later. I'm good. >> Okay, good deal. Well, yeah, this is our last meeting before uh the holidays, the Christmas holidays and New Year. So, happy New Year's and merry Christmas to
everybody. One thing, one thing I kind of wanted want to do is is uh is uh uh well, first off, I need to mention um happy birthday to my daughter Amy. U but also I I thought about this before is uh just recognizing the the employees of
the village too. And we've got 12 employees in December that have birthdays and and that's Margaret Lash and Aaron Lyens and Lorie Postrion and Daniel Self and Michelle Oparesa uh Steven Maha
Terresa Boris Evelyn Frillley Paul Manning Larry Zatwalk which yeah he talks a lot to us but he's also an employee of the village with fire rescue volunteer um Anthony and Anthony I'm going to screw your name up and I'm
sorry but it's Loro Guierro and uh then Cassandra Serpa. So happy birthday to 12 of our December Village employees. Nothing else. Good deal. All right. Uh John, what do you have for us?
>> Uh nothing for me. Uh the other than I wish everybody a happy holidays and uh uh you know I'm looking forward to uh you know continuing into 2026 with everybody as well. I feel weird saying that because it's at the beginning, but I wanted to share the sentiment. So,
>> okay. >> The rest is Ron. >> Ron, you w to maybe talk a little bit about the legislative conference that we >> Yeah. One thing that I wanted to point out, >> the good stuff we talked about. >> Yeah. So, the the then vice mayor, now Mayor Horton and I attended the Florida League of Cities. It's called the
legislative conference. The reason we went is that we were both appointed by the league president to serve on what's called the advocacy committee. This is a committee from of officials around the state that will come up with a legislative platform for this upcoming session. And I looked around, it was very unusual for any city to have two pe
two people on the committee, especially one our size. And I didn't see anybody else from under county on the committee. So for the whole county, Alamrod has two community memberships, and I think that's really good for us. So we had the opportunity to talk to other members of other councils and and uh and
municipalities. We also had a chance to talk with uh Dean Cannon who's a former speaker of the house. He is the head of lobbyists for uh Gre Robinson, our lobbyist. And so Dean and I were legislature together. So we had a chance to for him to meet with Don and we talked a little bit about the upcoming
session. We got some of our priorities squared away. Senate Bill 180s on everybody's mind. Also property taxes reduce or eliminating them. That's a huge issue for the league across the state. Uh so we made some good contacts up there. uh we uh want to continue to
do that and certainly anybody that's on the council if you have any uh anything to do with the legislative session as we all know represent Mooney and I have been talking they're in the middle of it already with committee meetings and they start session next month so any input y'all have on anything we're getting
weekly updates from our lobbyist both state and federal by the way and so we'll try to send them out to you guys if you see something of concern let us know we'll communicate with our lobbyists but I thought it was a very productive uh conference It was a two-day conference and u I think we'll
start seeing some good results from it. >> Yeah, it was good. You know, our our issue that we have on this uh this one piece of property in Alamar that doesn't pay property taxes. We had a lot of discussion with several uh several uh mayors from other uh towns and and
actually talked to the um staff liaison for the Florida League of Cities there. And uh that is actually going to be uh put on the agenda for the next uh uh advocacy committee. Uh we talked to I personally talked to one mayor of a town
that 50% of the homes in that one town are uh uh in that situation and there the same company that owns the one that's in our town uh is about to uh install 500 more of those homes. So that little town is going to uh give free
service to uh close to 800 uh of those homes. Uh and so uh needless to say, she sits on the advocacy committee and um uh she's been on that committee for two years. She's thankful that there's finally somebody that uh that
understands her problem and and can actually explain it. And so we're actually on the agenda for the next uh committee meeting to have that as a discussion to advance that forward and see what we can get taken care of. So we're making the right moves on that one
for sure. Ron. >> Yeah. Vice Mayor uh Mahoney reminded me that we do have on the discussion tonight approval of the baseball license agreement. It was a little complicated. I was trying that's why I've been on my phone. The school board actually met today too at 5:00 and they had on their
agenda a baseball license agreement. We've been trying to get it together on it. Uh we've ended up about 90 to 95% agreement. There's about two or three items left um that uh I' I've looked at item 4 C which has a 30-day versus 60-day approval by us of their plans.
That's not the big a deal. Maintenance >> is a big deal. >> Well, it could be. >> Yeah. >> Um maintenance. Uh there's some differences in the maintenance of the field and uh John added some alternatives which they didn't include. And the probably the biggest one was the fact that there's a termination notice
of five years in the in the plan that was going to the school board which we we discussed but then we realized that there's a two-year termination in an interlocal agreement or the ILA and so I left it at two years and so we there's some differences and what the school board I think approved tonight really couldn't see it cuz they're meeting the
same time but let's assume they did. So if they approve something tonight that's different than ours we obviously don't have an agreement. I do think that we're so close that we can get an agreement really soon. I've also had people in the audience that had some ideas and suggestions. I know that the Vice Mayor Mahoney has some people talking to her,
too. So, I guess the question for tonight, it's on the agenda. If you want to do whatever you want to do, we can delay it, get input, and then delay it however you want to do it. I do think we made a lot of progress. I think Jamie's still here. Jamie Engel's been really good. Captain Ed's had some input. Uh so
I think you know if they have some particulars tonight maybe in a public meeting uh we can hear when the item comes up what their input would be and at that point the council can say we'd like to defer it or not defer but it is on the agenda tonight. I had talked about maybe about withdrawing it but then we wouldn't have the opportunity
for people to have input and so if there are some specific suggestions we it's in writing it's on the agenda it's online if you want to say we want to change item 4 C then I can take that in consideration. So rather than just not hearing it at all tonight, maybe get input when we get to that item and then
at that point if you decide you want to defer it, we can defer it till next month. >> Well, I may be wrong, but I think that's the reason why this council was bold enough to say we're more than happy to meet with them face to face for them to come to us or we to go to them and us to have a special call meeting and and and
work this out with them instead of having all of these uh you know gobetweens and liaison. And the message apparently didn't get back to them the way that the way that we wanted that message to get back to them. So >> it it got back to them. I've talked to school board. It was recommended by their staff that they not I suggested
having a a workshop before the meeting tonight and uh it was suggested by one of their staff persons. I won't name any names, but that they didn't think it was a good idea for the school board and the council to meet. >> Yeah. Right. >> Well, the two decision makers should be the two
parties that meet. Deb, what do you got? Well, I talked to one of the schoolboard members today and she was under the impression that their item was a non- voting item that it was just a report. Did they actually vote on it? Do Could you tell? >> I couldn't tell because without having
the volume up, I couldn't tell what they actually were saying. Their meeting was at 5, ours at 5:30 or else we I would have attended. >> She she thought it was a a report only because they were actually waiting in her opinion >> only. They were waiting on us. Um, and
she did bring up the the two-year vi five-year and she and I had a discussion and I even talked to John Quick a little bit about it um of whether how we could get through this because there whatever. Um, so I would at least like to have the
discussion with the public tonight. Uh, but I would like to figure out how to move forward and if we need to amend it next month because the school board is in not in any agreement, but I think we need to move it forward. >> Why don't we have that discussion when
we get there? When we get there. Yeah. When we get there. Okay. Ron, you had something about the uh an RFP or RFQ. >> Yes. Under uh we're now under uh number seven or BI discussion. I have two things I want to talk about. I've been in discussion with two companies about
having paid parking in the village. It's very early discussion about having an RFP. I had one company does the contract in Key West, but then another company came that does have a contract in Key West has other municipalities. They're applications where it's all done online. We we I don't think we want meters all
over the place. Nope. >> Uh but we would have a parking app which is now being used in Key West. And so I just thought it might be a good topic to bring up and and maybe invite maybe start the RFP process and see who's out there rather than we could have piggybacked one or the other, but out of
fairness, I think it's probably better since it's maybe a new thing to go ahead and do an RFP, see who's interested, what's the best deal for the village cuz we haven't even Jennifer have talked, we're not even sure what areas we'd want to have paid parking in. So that's a bigger discussion, but at least we'd know what the app is and kind of the
financial implications of it. So, I just want to kind of get general direction. I I've talked to you individually about it and I don't see much objection at this point to go with an RFP just to see we don't have to do it. Uh we could have applicants say we don't want to do it, but at least let's open it up. And the second one was the Machado property. As
you know, we've had discussions on the three main properties, the church property, Silver and Spice, and the uh Machado. Machado was designated to be housing. So what we're looking at doing would be and once again discussion with with Jennifer uh to have some proposals
come in and say what exactly could we put on it? How would we want to structure it? You know do we want to structure like previous housing where and what the involvement of the developer the contractor would be? Would it be more of a partnership or just a straight out you just build it for us and we run it? And so we we want to kind
of look at different options for the Machado. We we have an urgent need for affordable workforce housing and we sitting on this property for many months now. So, I just thought start moving the ball down the field and maybe get some proposals in and just see what people suggest.
>> Well, I wouldn't have a I actually wouldn't have a problem finding somebody that would buy the Machado property with the agreement that they're going to build affordable housing on it. Uh, I don't know. I don't think that is Rana needs to be in the middle of being a h creating a housing authority and and more employees and being responsible for
collecting rent and paying insurance and whatnot. Um uh I I um I think that that the only way that would happen is if if we uh we could, you know, we could sell that property uh at whatever we paid for
it to have somebody go in there, but it would only be with the agreement that it can be built with whatever the density is for affordable housing. But that's that's just me. and and as it as it goes to the paid parking, would we just start off with the existing city parking,
city-owned parking now and then have to do a a study to see or have Jennifer look and see where that other parking would be? Uh or how would we advance that? >> Well, it it made it more complicated with the comp plan not being farther
down because of all the uncertainty with Senate Bill 180, etc. Uh we would probably want to take another look at what's available. Uh we certainly have the silver and spice property that eventually was envisioned I think when it was purchased to be some type of parking lot. I have a plan that was actually came up with that someone had
come up with at the time of the purchase that showed the whole thing being parking. I think we would like to put something else there. So we know silver and spice. We know that the old road uh down in Madakumbi where people use it now. Do we want to charge for it or not? Uh I just thought it'd be interesting
just to see what kind of proposals are out there if we did want to do it rather than waiting and then you have it 6 months down the road. So see what's see what the proposals are see what kind of apps applications are out there online apps for the paid parking and then sooner or later the council will have to
then say okay here's where we want it to be as opposed to finding out where we want to be and then have to go back and do the process again. All right, Deb. >> So, so, um, everything's changed, so it's probably not worth digging a whole lot, but at
one point of time, we had a company, I thought, lined up in the village to do paid parking. It was going to be at An's Beach and at the Phils. And we kept holding off and holding off because we didn't have the fills ready for it. Um,
I like I said, it it would have to be updated, but it might if you can find some of those old records, it might help advance this along a little bit. Um, that plan for parking at Island Silver
and Spice was a a time gap similar to what we had talked about before is that we would we would do that while we're working on a more permanent um project for for the property because to spend that much money on a parking
lot was a little crazy. >> Yeah. >> Um as for uh the Machado property, yes, I'd like to see housing built on it and and selling it is one option, but also um a long-term lease uh that we've done
in the past. We've done it with Habitat. We've done it with um >> Gorman um and we we keep possession of it and we keep our fingers in it, but we don't have to management. We don't have to do
the building. They pay for the other stuff, but it's still our ground at least. So, there's a lease possibility to >> at a dollar a day, a dollar a month, whatever that mean. >> I don't remember what we did. >> That doesn't seem logical to me. Well, I
don't remember what we did with Gorman, but I do know that it ended up having to be spread out over 99 years as opposed to the 30 years or something that we originally thought it was. So, there was it's just I just don't want it to be
thrown out completely as an idea. >> Got it. Okay. >> Anybody else? Steve. Oh, wait. Sharon's got her green on. Go for it, Sharon. put out the RFP for parking things and don't sell the Machado property. Lease it. See how easy that was?
>> It's lease it for what, Sharon? A dollar a dollar a month. >> No, you can do more than a dollar. >> What's the number? >> Well, uh gee, I don't know. Yeah. But I'm sure we have could have some suggestions. Just to sell it to me is a huge mistake. >> Why is that? >> Because you're going to be looking at
the Florida Keys 10 years from now and there's not going to be a vacant bit of land anywhere. >> Well, if if we lease it out, it's not going to be vacant. Well, I know, but at least we still have ownership of it >> of a of a piece of property that somebody else is leasing. >> Yeah. Yeah. Who knows?
>> And what what good is the ownership? >> You and I see things differently. I mean, >> I just asked a question. I don't understand it. If if we're going to lease it for a 99 year for 99 years, that just came out of nowhere. I mean, it doesn't have to be 99 years. I'm just
saying that you're going to be sorry down the road. Not us. We'll all be wherever. Uh but uh I I think ownership of the land down here is a limited commodity and we're making a huge mistake and I wouldn't do a 99-year lease. That's too long,
>> right? >> But I would definitely look for some benefits of us being the land owners. That's all. >> Okay, I got you. >> Yeah, that's all. >> And and why don't we just put it out put the option out there that way? >> Well, that's the RFP. Sure. see what somebody's got an
>> ide whether it's lease purchase whatever it is let somebody come to us with something >> right >> you know I agree with that totally >> and I I agree we do not need to be in the housing business but we need to be in control of what housing is being built
>> yes 100% >> so there is a difference >> Steve >> yeah I think this is good we're we're moving forward on this let's go see what happens and and then continue the discussion from there. >> Good deal.
You got good direction. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Good deal. >> Deal. Um, let's move on to the tab two, I guess. >> Thank you. Um, so, um, some of you may
know, um, back in February of 2025 when I, um, when staff, planning staff brought or, uh, brought forward the, uh, TDR ordinance changes that are in front of you tonight for second reading. Originally, they included what is called
a TDR bank program. Um, and for those of you who aren't aware, TDR bank is a a program where if somebody has a a transfer of development rights or a TDR that they don't have a place, a receiver site yet, a place to land that TDR, they
can bank it with the village and the village can hold it for them. Um, the village will collect the data on the sender site. um so that if the sender site changes hands or changes condition we still know what the data is but we can hold that for them until they have a
place to land it and create have a receiver site. So we had created this bank program because we had had some requests by some people um to to work on that and we used u marathon they have a a program a similar program we used
theirs as a a model and went by that and um when it went on to the going to go on before the LPA's agenda um and it was published on the agenda some people didn't um weren't happy with the way it was presented I guess and asked that it
be removed so that the rest of the TR our amendments could go forward and that we would work on that later or as part of the comp plan or it wasn't really clear to me how we were going to finish doing it. So, since that time, um, we've
had several residents express interests again in it and have issues with they have lots that they want to sell that have a TDR, but we don't, we've been advised by legal council, we don't have a system where if
you have a TDR on your lot that you want to sell, you don't have a if you don't have a place to put it, we you know, you can sell it, but you're selling it with a TDR because we don't have a place for you to put it. you can't just have it hanging out in the middle of the air. So,
um, so people are not able to sell land. They're not able to move things forward in their lives. So, people want me to bring it back. But my answer has always been until I get clear direction from three members of the council, a consensus of the council, I'm not going to bring it back. So, this is basically
my ask is, do I have consensus from the council to work on this? Uh, do you want me to move this forward? Is this something that you guys are interested in seeing come forward in front of you, >> council? >> I say let Yeah, I say let them work on
it. Move it forward. Bring it back to your LPA like stop, you know, forward progress, not backwards. >> Love it. >> Deb, >> I also say move it forward. I think one of the objections last time is there was
a a phrase in it that said that if it sat in the bank for 3 years then it reverted back to the the village or something like that. And that's that can't be that that was I don't know you know I'm not going to judge how that
got there or where whether Marathon's doing that or not but >> yeah marathons is two years and it reverts back to the city. >> I I don't I think it belongs to the person. Just to clarify, we were uncomfortable having the village hold it indefinitely cuz you know staff changes,
management changes, things change and and we weren't sure how that would look indefinitely. So we wanted to have some time frame where, you know, we didn't want to be people's repository forever, you know, we wanted to to have people do something with it at some point.
>> So that was where that came from. But we we'll work on it. We'll come back with something else. >> Yeah, we know that that's a concern. It's it just feels to me that that belonged to the person and for us to take it from them >> because they didn't find the right place
to to sell it to put it is not quite right. But yes, I want you to work on it. >> Okay, Sharon. >> Yes. Move forward, please. >> Thank you, >> Steve. >> Yeah, I agree. I think this is uh something we can explore, move forward
on, and uh see what we can come up with. >> Good deal. Uh I I totally agree too. I think that we should move this forward. I think that we should uh I think that if it's something that's been lawfully established, if it's something that's already been recognized or if it's something that's being uh let's say a
duplex that they're turning into a single family house and they've got that there's there's got to be a way to register it in an Excel spreadsheet or in a public records or somewhere uh um and and uh and recognize it. And I'm
with Deb. I I don't agree that that it would expire after 3 years. If it if if it's a recognized unit, it shouldn't go away. It should be it should be banked indefinitely until it's put in its proper place. I I think we had that way.
Good deal. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> You got good direction. >> All right. Um, you know, I I think there's been enough said and it's only fair uh similar to what uh Joe said and I have
no problem if if you guys don't uh because we'd move on to public comment at this point and if there's I think there's something that needs to be said on what we do. I I think if we can keep it short, we should have some public comment as if there's anybody that would like to go on those
>> because we could put it all out of line. >> Yeah. >> Just to clarify the for the public if if um if anybody takes up that this would be just additional general public comment, not >> general public com. Yeah, >> I Joe, I figured that you kind of made
that plain. So, you get your get you another three minutes. Well, I appreciate that. I'm I'm not going to take the full 3 minutes, but getting the opportunity to speak after you all have have spoken and we have a better idea on some of the things that
are going on. I'm still really confused about this TDR banking. It's like, you know, why if the person's going to hang on to it forever, why do they need to do it with us? However, I do see uh the merit in that if they have to register
it with the village right now. The village has no clue how many of those are out there. >> That's right. That's that's the >> So, you know, saying it saying that you're going to take it and bank it. I mean, that that's I think a little misleading. more. I think you should say
you're going to have to register it and keep up the registration and give us give the village updates on what's going on so that we can keep our record straight. I think that that would be a very very good idea.
Um, as far as the park fee, you know, my wife is a teacher and she's had some of the student and student athletes ask her. they were under the opinion that they actually had to pay to come into the park if they live in Keargo.
I don't know if that's the case. I don't know if we can look into that. But if if there's students at Coral Shores and they show their student ID, you know, say they're an athlete or something like that, is there something we can do to make it so that those
students can actually get into the park and not have to pay every time they come for a practice or or what have you like. So, that was uh another one. Um, as far as everything else goes, I pretty
much agree with it, especially about the freebie. My only comment about that is I think that if somebody's staying at Chica or the Islander and paying $700 a night or $1,000 a night, I think that they should pay a little bit more for a
freebie than a resident who's paying for it with our taxes. So, I don't know if there's some way to get that into it or maybe sell the hotels certain permits that they can give to their guests. So, if that could come up, that would be wonderful. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe,
>> Mr. Chairman. >> Brief comment. >> Yes, Jer. >> This is a really fundamentally great idea. One of the huge deficits in the way past councils have behaved is that
if you weren't going to vote, you could talk about all kinds of really important stuff and the public had to sit here unable to speak. Doesn't cost you anything. It's a great thing for the public uh and to get more
regular folks to come in here and talk to you all uh which is healthier for everybody that this is a tremendous idea and I hope you institutionalize it. >> So that when you talk about important stuff if you're not going to vote
>> historically >> Yeah. >> we couldn't say anything. So >> thank you. Thank you. >> Yeah. Yep. Yep. I get it. Oh, John, are we moving on a consent agenda? >> Uh, yeah. Just we just have to close
public comment and then we can move on. >> There's a hand raised on Zoom. >> Yes, >> there's a hand on Zoom. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Sorry. >> Thank you. >> Okay, Mr. Trey, go ahead. You got three minutes.
>> Good evening, council again. Thanks for letting me speak. Uh, a couple of things. Um, as far as freebie goes, um, you know, that's a real quandry on how to ask people to pay. I honestly think the program is wonderful and would like
to see it expanded. Um, when it comes to the TDRs, um, the county has been managing that for years where PE and and we did that at the very beginning. I mean the the the village actually held transferable
development rights and sold those if you recall and kind of sold them for a song and there was a big frenzy in building you know right after that we had all the units from the hotel units that were on the uh plantation yacht harbor property and uh it got sold off. So TDR should
not expire. You know we have two classes of them. ones that go dry to dry and ones that go uh from wet lots to wet lots. And we should have a way to be able to document that. Even if it's through the clerk of courts and it it
goes through the official records, that should be a property value that's sold and documented like that instead of us being held with maintaining it. when somebody chooses to either use it or sell it, it's, you know, then it's
transferable like that, but they would have to use that with the village if they decided to build on a piece of property. Oh, I have a transferable development right. Here you go. It's it's listed with the clerk of courts. But we shouldn't be responsible for maintaining that. We have function already that should be able to do that
and we should be able to do that properly. We're not the only ones that have those. The county does. So perhaps reaching out and speaking with them would clarify that. Other than that, that's all I had and I appreciate the uh the same thing that Captain Ed just
said. Look, more conversation is not necessarily bad. I think it helps the community feel like that you're hearing from us and that it's a it's a great participation. It's the frustration of not getting you a chance to express your opinions when
something comes up that is not good. So, good job. Thank you. >> That's the plan. Thank you. Is there anybody else on Zoom? >> No, sir. >> Is that all public speakers? All right. John, would you like to move on to consent agenda?
>> Yep. Um, now we are into the consent portion of the agenda. These items are of routine nature and council members have reviewed these items in advance and sought the advice of staff as they felt necessary. There'll be one vote on the consent items which today are tabs uh 3 through 7. If anyone would like to pull
an item from consent, he or she should state so now. >> Is is there anybody want to pull any anything? >> I would like to pull number five for a short discussion. >> That's the the park >> item C.
>> Um yeah, it's the one on the park fees. >> Okay. Anything else? All right. So with that, do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda except for tab five? >> Motion to approve. >> I'll second.
>> A second. Okay. >> Second, Martin. >> I'm sorry. Please. Uh, who motioned and who second? >> First. >> Second. >> I'm sorry. Deb was first. >> No, she was first. >> Hannah was second. >> Y'all sounded the same. Second. Sorry
about that. >> Who's on third? >> Who's on? >> Okay. All right. Okay. Council member Anna Richards, >> yes. >> Council member Deb Gillis, >> yes. >> Council member Steve Freriedman, >> yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney, >> yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton,
>> yes. >> Motion passes 5-0. >> All right. You want uh should we go on and talk about uh item C or tab five now, John? >> Yep. Yeah. Tab five is a resolution of village council of alamarda village of islands Florida approving an amendment uh to the founders park admission
policies and revised the founders park fee schedule authorizing the village manager to implement uh corrections and providing for an effective date. >> Very good. David, you're the you're show. >> Thanks. Um so I just wanted to pull this for a short discussion and and um
hit a couple subjects. um one well they brought up one in the audience too about students um I don't know how we can move forward we can work on that as we go forward the another one
is the um the nonprofits that use the park they're nonprofits and they they're trying to raise money and uh we need to be careful not to price them out of raising money because that's what
they're trying to do. And the third one is concerning hotel and vacation rental guests. Uh, and on this one, I just wanted to remind everybody that hotels and vacation rentals pay an extra 5%
5.5% sales tax that goes to mostly to DDC, but it rolls back to the village um through indirect things and direct things and that those guests are paying extra money
because they pay that sales tax currently. So the fact that they somebody suggested that they ought to pay more than a resident technically they are because they are paying that sales
tax. Um, do I think that all the hotels in this town really need that uh ability to use the park here? I don't. Um, most of the hotels are luxury hotels. Most of them have their own
beaches. They have their own pools. you do have a small group of the motel that do not have that and they use that as part of their um selling point is that well and because you're you're part of our community and staying in our
hotels and paying our gas or our tax uh that uh we allow you to use our park as a reason. Um, I just I just think it's important to remember that the hotels do pay extra
tax that the guests and it's not the hotel paying it. It's the guests is paying that extra tax and those are part of the things that that we get back through TDC. the um last year I think it
was well over $1,000 that they gave us to uh do improvements here in the park. They gave us money $500,000. >> Mhm. >> I said a th000 I didn't mean that $100,000. $500,000 to refernish the
pool. They gave us money for the the kids play stuff. Um they help support other things. Um not just advertising. and TDC does more than just advertising. So, um I just want people to know that
and I would like to see that that category be brought back. I do understand that it's kind of a difficult category at the front gate for them of how to manage that, but um
this town is based on tourism and we need to make sure that we're treating our guests proper. >> Got it. >> Hannah, Mike's on, you got anything? >> Oh, sorry. No, I mean I know I sat in
all the parks meetings with Maria and Annie and they worked extremely hard researching talking hours with amongst themselves the committee and discussed all of these items to I think nauseium
for a little bit. Um, so I think we need to add a little respect into, you know, consideration to what they did and this is their thoughts on what they've came back with and and honestly if somebody's paying $500, $700
a night for a hotel room, I don't think two extra dollars is going to hurt them to come into the park and use all of our facilities. >> It's $10, not $2 >> more than what they were already playing. >> They weren't paying for it. Well, free before
>> because they're using it, right? >> But they pay the sales tax. >> I know. I'm saying they should pay because they are using it. >> They're probably riding here on free. >> All right. Sure. >> Yeah. >> Say it. >> Steve, you want to weigh in on this?
>> Yeah. Yeah, I see Deb's point um very clearly, but I I also think I don't know that we have much data in terms of how many guests if they have special passes to really kind of consider how many or how few people come from some of the hotels. So, uh I'm fine with moving
forward uh as written and recommended by the staff. >> Okay, Deb, you got something else? Yeah, I was just going to add to that because I asked for the data and the data as to how much was coming out of hotel or vacation rental and and at this point of
time um Maria said that they really don't have the data. Their new software should help with that, but her I'll call it her gut instinct was 30%. Yeah, we we think that about 30% of uh non-residents
of hotel guests use the park. >> Okay. Um >> I I think I think during the budget cycle the the message was was was kind of claimed clear clear that we needed to be in instrumental in finding ways to
take some of the burden of the cost of this village off of the taxpayers and and find you know find other ways which was user fees. Uh and this is nothing less than a user fee. Uh, I don't know if if maybe the number for hotel guests
are or because they pay taxes too much. >> U, I don't know that anybody's really going to care one way or the other. They come to this park and if it's 10 bucks, they're going to be happy to pay 10 bucks to come in this park. I don't I don't I don't think that I think it
would be a a a management nightmare to have a different fee for the hotel guests versus the uh non-resident guest or the out of town guests other ways. You know, that's that's asking a lot for the front. It's it's either all or none,
>> right? >> Do I think the $10 will make or break? I don't. But we keep we keep nitpicking at the lower end people. Those are the lower-end people that are staying in the hotels or the
usually not even the vacation rentals that um they're coming here because they love here. They've been here for years. They they want to use the beaches and and the facilities and um they don't have a lot of money.
>> Yeah. Um, but is it going to make or break me? Absolutely not. But I think we need to constantly think of this. It's not always the Chica people. There's there's a lot of other people and we really
don't have data on it, but I'm not going to >> I got you >> fall on the sword over this. >> Right. Okay. Thanks, D. Anything else, Steve? Anything from you? You're good. Yeah, I'm good. >> Okay.
Um, >> so you need a motion? >> So, I think I'm going to need a motion to approve this. >> Did we public if if you have any questions? I'm I'm here to answer those. I do want to >> The park and rec committee did a wonderful job and I think
>> we did spend a lot of time on it. I do want to clarify about the uh high school students or any athletic organizations using the park to come in for practice or games. They do not pay to come into the park. >> Good deal. >> So that that there are no fees for that.
So >> all right. So do I have an approval to >> John? We need to open up public comment on this one. >> Okay. All right. Good deal. Thanks for reminding me. I'm I'm a fast learner, but not that fast. Is there any public comment?
>> No one has signed up for public comment. >> See how that works. Everybody would love. >> All right. Good deal. So, is there a motion to approve the amended Founders Park admission policies and fee schedules? >> I'll move to approve. >> All right. >> Second. >> Is there a second? There's a second.
Okay. >> Call the RO. >> Barney, will we call the RO, please? >> Hey, Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. Council member Steve Freriedman. >> Yes. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton.
>> Yes. >> The motion passes 5 to zero. >> I keep waiting to hear snoring when you ask Steve. >> I know Steve. No, he's Look, he's wide awake. Hang in there, Steve. We're getting there. We're into resolutions. >> We are on tab eight now. Tab 8 is a
resolution of the village council of Alamara Village of Islands, Florida, approving the piggybacking of a professional services agreement between Rapellis Financial Consultants, Inc. and Martin County, Florida to perform a wastewater rate and capacity fee study for the village's wastewater utility, authorizing village officials to implement the terms and conditions of
the agreement, authorizing village manager to expend budget funds, authorizing the village manager to ex execute the agreement, authorizing a waiver of competitive bidding, and providing for an effective date. >> All right, good evening. Uh this is the uh rate study that we discussed a few
weeks ago during our wastewater workshop. Uh the village has requested Rafelis to develop a wastewater financial forecast, rate study and review of the .edu determination and review process as it relates to the determination and the base charges. Uh
this is a contract with a not to exceed of $35,000 and it is a budgeted item for 35. Should you have any questions? >> No. Move forward, >> council. >> No. >> Is it done yet? >> No. That's what I was going to say. Yeah. move forward.
>> When can they start? >> Yeah. No, I think we're all in agreement. It needs to be done. >> I I totally agree. What was the charge that What did they charge us in 22? >> I do not have that one. I do not have that information on me with me. I don't remember off the top of my head. Well,
if they if they did a race rate study uh for us three years ago, it seems like that they can piggy back off of that and and uh you know, I don't know what that number was, but it'd be nice if if they utilize the information that they did 3
years ago and not charge us the full amount from something that just needs to be updated because the recommendation that they had made in 22 was a recommendation that that um actually went all the way through uh I think it
was four years. So, we're still in the middle kind of of of what they recommended as we move forward. So, it seems like they could pick up where they left off and uh and if if their full rate is is 35,000,
then maybe we ought to talk to them and say, are you going to piggy back off of this and is it less than that? I'm just just a question I had. Uh uh man, Mr. manager. Did we did we have that discussion with them? >> Yes, we had a conference call last week
with um it was Raph Telus with Tom Bzinski from Wade Trim, our our envir our engineering folks. Peter Versasco was on it with Kargo wastewater and they're they've asked us some questions to update uh you know with e we asked them to look into edus for example how
they're calculated etc. So they've asked us more information, but we asked them to give us a good rate based on the fact that we we could have gone out for an RFP for this, but we in recognition they've already done a lot of work, we gave them the chance to piggy back onto Martin County, but um we haven't come
down to the final amount yet. But and and by the way, also u before we move on for this one, we we are meeting every two weeks. We had a meeting today uh on the compliance with the DB consent order. This is part of it. The rate study is a part of it. We have a whole time I I think all of you got it today.
I emailed it to all of you. Uh so that we're going to stay on top of this. This is part of it because we want to make sure we're doing things correctly. Uh both the rate study and also how we're calculating for example EDUs as we move forward. We also discussed today about the uh the stud the study we're doing with the smart ball that's going to the
pipeline to identify potential problems. I I asked our engineers to make sure Keargo wastewater was involved. Peter was on the call today. Rasco. So, I just want to make sure we know that we are working very closely with Kela Wastewater Treatment District, probably closer than ever before. And I think
we're making progress. Tom Brazinski, Wade Trim's done a great job of coordinating everything and keeping Peter uh Peter Fres's in the loop. AJ's in the loop. Uh Sheila's in the loop, our building official. So, we're trying to have a coordinated team effort to get this wastewater situation resolved. I
just have a problem paying somebody a double for something that had a 10-year forecast. And at 22, they did the rate study and it was a 10-year financial forecast that they did back then. So, I I'd like to know what they charged us back 3 years ago and what we're actually
paying for. If there's new information that's popping up, I can't imagine it. So, if it was a 10-year forecast done 3 years ago, there's still seven years left on this forecast. And that was voted by a council that was previous to
even when Sharon was on here. So it was done in March of 22. >> Yeah, you can't be blamed for this one. Uh so I I is it possible that we can do a an an approval not to exceed this 35,000, but you guys go in there and
talk to those folks and say, "Look, you did this 3 years ago and there's not that much that changed in 3 years." This amount is a not to exceed. That's what it's being asked for. >> I I understand. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Right. But I mean, what I'm saying is I think that there's some room
>> for negotiation on something that was done 3 years ago that had a 10-year forecast. That's all I'm saying. >> Right. >> Mhm. >> But we got to move on. >> So, yeah, we need to move on, but it sounds like we shouldn't approve this until we find those answers because
you're you're exactly right. They did forecast it out. A lot has changed in the three years, but um so whatever. There's no is is this this isn't actually approving the contract. It's uh allowing you, Ron, to
negotiate the contract. >> Correct. >> Right. >> And I'll do my best to get as good a deal as we can. I'm pretty conservative on that. So I want to see what they've asked us for for updates and see how much time it takes. But I agree that the study they did before which wasn't acted
on but was still out there uh should be the basis for most of their work for this one. So we if we can knock that number down I certainly try to do >> it was even approved. It just wasn't done totally irresponsible of >> it was not approved.
>> It it was in March of 22 Greg Rosenthal Jolan and Webb approved this study. >> Yes, >> it it approved. I went back and looked at the at at the meeting. >> Elizabeth wasn't on that council of councel.
>> It was >> Well, then if Elizabeth was on it, I was on it. >> Well, that's that's what was approved. It was that's what's in the minutes. >> Well, >> either way either way, it was approved. >> No matter who was on the council, it was
approved. and and they they didn't take um >> quick enough that they they they approved it, but they didn't >> um put in motions the the the mechanisms that they needed to in order
to do the bank loan that would have stopped some of the rate hikes and and they just it just didn't get handled properly. >> All right, >> so moving forward, we need a motion. was done. We trying to do something now. Let's get it done. >> Right. >> So, we need a motion.
>> Motion is not to exceed 35,000. He's going to work on it. >> Move forward. Motion. >> Is that your motion? >> Yes. >> Good deal. >> And I'll second. >> Okay. >> We do have public comment as well. >> Public comment. >> Public com. >> So, um, our public comment would be from
Joe Wishmire. Gee, go figure. One of the things I want to bring up is I believe that in that agreement that was done a couple years ago, one of the things that was stated was it said to go and check the edus.
It hasn't been done, but it was part of their recommendation. >> A lot of things was >> Yeah. And my other problem with that is it doesn't seem like it would be very difficult to upgrade an .edu count if we
just went to the aqueduct authority and find out how much water is being used and we know how much was allotted for each edu because there should be a difference between my house and a vacation rental. And right now I believe that we're both paying the same one .edu
to you yet. They've got 10 or 12 people in there, you know, every week. Uh I believe the other thing that came up was some of these businesses that go way over their water usage get a discount. Come on, if you're why would you get a
discount when it's putting more of a burden onto the system? So before you even maybe consider raising the rates of us poor people who are living here, maybe we ought to make sure that we get the .edu count and everything
straightened out. And even if we could make that retroactive, you know, like, okay, you've been getting away with this. You know that if you had, let's say, maybe a brewery and you were only paying one .edu DU and you know that you should be paying more, maybe we can make
it retroactive so that they would have to pay because we know that this wastewater supposed to be self-sufficient and we've been far from it. So, we really need to look into especially some of the things that were done by the same company three years ago
and at least follow up on them so we can help alleviate some of our problems. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe. Anybody else? Marty. No sir. >> Uh, anyone on Zoom? >> No, sir. >> Very good. >> I have a motion.
>> I already did. >> And I second. >> Okay, good. You want to call the role? >> Council member Anna Richards? >> Yes. >> Council member Debillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Steve Freriedman. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney.
>> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. That motion passes 5 to zero. >> Moving on, John. Tab nine is a resolution of the village council of Alamar Village, Florida, approving a baseball field licensing agreement with the school board of Monroe County, Florida, authorizing a village manager to execute the baseball field license
agree licensing agreement providing for implementation, corrections, and an effective date. >> Yes, Mayor Council. Um, we've had a pretty long discussion early about this. My main objective tonight would be to get any further input. Uh if somebody has any specifics to the agreement
that's on the agenda. I don't know what the school board did. I'm not sure they even voted, but they are there are some small differences. I say small, but there are some differences. And if anybody's input, this is the last public meeting probably before we take it for final approval. So I knew there's people in the audience at least there were that
want to talk about it. And if the council has anything they want to bring up publicly that they want to change in the agreement that's before us, I would take that consideration when we negotiate the final license agreement. So you can either vote tonight, recognize there's probably be more changes to be made or delay it and then
bring it back with the final one after I had a chance to see what the school board did today because unfortunately I don't know what they did or didn't do. >> Thank you, Sharon. I want to wait till the changes are done like I talked to you about because we're not on the same page and
we need to be. Why? I keep going over it and over it. So, >> thank you, Sharon. Deb. >> Well, as I said earlier, I'd like to pass something tonight so the school board knows where we stand because I think that they're I think what's got
going on is they're waiting on us and we're waiting on them. So if we do something so that and I tried to clarify whether or not we couldn't do an amendment next if next month quickly
here if um we really come to an impass or they go oh no we're not doing that. Uh that being said, there's there's really only two item. I know you have some other things that like 4C, whatever 4C is, but um that you were talking
about. There's two items that I think uh should be at least talked about yet. Um in the page 10 in the use agreement or um item seven, it talks about this document being reviewed annually.
I think that's probably ought to be remove moved to I don't know four years, five years, something farther out. >> Can I address it? Does it come up because I think it it get confusing. The interal agreement that was once again approved in 2024 has two separate
agreements in it. >> Baseball license agreement which is the one before tonight and the use agreement. The one you're referring to in article in number seven is the use agreement. That's the annual one that had the schedule. What we tried to what I tried to do was in the base my license we've incorporated the exact language
from the use agreement into the license agreement because why have both of them but because the ILA required both we're going to do both but that's probably one of the things we probably went to if we do a revision of the ILA we'd probably just roll them together but for tonight the use agreement's included in the
baseball license agreement >> so the baseball license agreement is it going is it in here that I was trying to find it that it would be reviewed annually. The baseball license agreement, not the ILA, >> no, >> not the use agreement. How often does the baseball license agreement get
reviewed? >> I mean, we can review at any time if if the school board and the council agree to do it, but we just can't arbitrarily just go back and change it. >> There's that caveat in here, but it also says under use agreement annually, >> right?
>> But that doesn't apply to this. It just >> the use agreement was just the baseball schedule that used to say the base pursued the high school. The use agreement itself was the annual one because the schedule might change year to year. >> I'm I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that. I'm what I'm trying to get to is
that we don't go through this document on an annual basis. >> No. >> When do we go through it? >> How often? >> I don't believe it has a set time period. It can be addressed as issues might arise if any. >> That's perfect. Never mind. Take that
off the table. And then the termination clause. Um uh and I understand that the the ILA is kind of getting in the way there too. Um we have on page 13 in the termination, we have it written as two years. Uh with
notifications from either party. Um I'd like to see that moved up. I think the school board might like to see that scooled up moved up. Although there was uh some conversation with two people that were not attorneys
this afternoon. Uh that that maybe the wording in the ILA um is an is different than this and that they either need to match or not match because there there's a penalty clause
for early termination. Um I there's two years isn't enough. If somebody's going to stop using our field, whether we want them to or the high school wants to quit, the school board wants to quit, they're they're not
going to be able to find a field, put a project together, and get it working in two years. It's just not going to happen. >> Clarify the agreement. >> The agreement for you tonight has the two years. It's the school board that wanted 5 years because of the amount of
money they're putting in. They wanted a 5year termination. Initially, I'd said when negotiator I wasn't sure there'd be any problem with 5 years, but then we realized the two years in the ILA. So, I I told the school board I wanted to get direction from as we're getting right now. I personally have any issue with
having a 5-year termination versus 2-year, but I didn't want to arbitrarily change it to five like the schoolboard wanted without getting direction from council. So, as it sits tonight, it's two years, which is same as the ILA. If you don't mind 5 years, you say, "We
don't care if you do five years." Then we go back to school board and say, "We're okay with the 5 years." I didn't want to do it without getting direction from the council. >> Understood. I would I would just recommend if we change it to five, I would recommend we also change it in the ILA to five because otherwise it would be a little weird where we could have a baseball
licensing agreement that has five years and you could then either party could then circumvent it by terminating the ILA in in for you know with two years time. So I would recommend whichever one we do it's consistent in either one and that's an easy fix. We can we can amend
the ILA if that if that's the direction that the the council and school school board want to go. >> I think they should be consistent. They >> they should be consistent. >> No, I agree. They should be matching. >> All right. >> And I mean, it's been over 20 years. Let's be real. Nothing's nothing's
changing. They don't have room at that school for a baseball field. Anyways, >> look, I I kind of think it's a chicken and the egg thing. If we approve this and they approve something different, then then they're going to have to go back and approve what we're approving because the budget,
>> we're not going to budge, right? That's what we're approving. So if if theirs is whatever they're talking about tonight is different than if we approve this tonight, then they're the ones that are going to have to go back. We don't have to go back. We can say that we've looked at this this we agree with this and this
is our way. Um you know, go back to your meeting and have because you didn't come and have a meeting with us. Go back to your meeting and change yours because we're not changing ours. I I >> that's part of the reason like I'd like to go ahead and and and and if we have
to if there's something that's not an impass then we can make an amendment later, >> right? Or let them make >> at least. Yeah. Whatever, you know. >> Um so Steve, you want to weigh in on this? >> Yes, sir. Um just a couple of things.
Usually it's customary in these agreements that there's some language that talks about it being amended or modified. um with the prior consent of all parties. Um it I I I don't uh see that it says uh requires approval but
doesn't use uh in writing or or written. So I don't know if that's just maybe some housekeeping. Um I'm not sure if that's an oversight. Uh but there's um I didn't see that. Also in paragraph 1A, it uh talks about uh
revocable for cause license. Um but there there are no causes uh that are explained what what those could be. They're not um they're not stated. So uh I just something to point out there if we're uh if we've got an oversight on
something. >> And I do want to point out that a lot of this language was in the original one from 2001. We didn't go back and rewrite the whole thing. So, some of the language was just carried forward. Uh, it's worked for 20 years, but somebody wants to change it, we're open to changing it, but a lot of it was because
that's the way it's been for 20 years and worked pretty well. >> John, do you see as something legal remiss in it >> on the amendments in writing? The the reason why that wasn't it wasn't included is is since it I mean, it could be, but since it had to be has to be
approved by the council via resolution, um, it would have to come back for for you all via resolution for a for a formal amendment. So, we're not that's not being delegated to u uh you know that that's that's something for you all to to uh to approve. Uh what Steve in
terms of the the language on the um the four cause what was the the contract uh paragraph >> one a paragraph 1 a I believe >> page one >> revocable for cause license
>> I'll get you in a sec >> oh your lights Oh, >> okay. I see I see what you mean. Um the Yeah, we can clean that up. Um, I mean, I'll I'll go through it to make sure that it's um it uh it's just to make
sure that it's not something that should stay in, but as I'm at least reading it through it quickly here, it seems like that's something that we could clean up for um through through a uh uh the corrections uh provision if you all do approve it. So, uh I'll we'll make note
of that and run and I'll get together to make sure that that's uh if that needs to be taken out, we can take it out and then Okay, Sharon. >> Okay. Um, >> thank you. >> There's all kinds of mistakes in there and I've already talked to Ron about it and I'm a little surprised how this is
going right now. Not too thrilled about it. There are mistakes in there. I don't want to approve something when it's not what the language is wrong in there. Like >> the time to talk about that. So tell us what the mistakes are. >> Well, there's one thing that says weekends. What's a weekend? Saturdays
and Sundays. It should say Saturdays only. It's simple things like that that I've been through this and highlighted everything that it was going to be fixed first and then brought back with the corrections. There's I had them all written down and I pulled it because I
thought it was going to be pulled that we've already discussed it to fix the mistakes before we approve something that doesn't match the ILA >> and and weekends to me are Saturday and Sunday where it should say Saturdays
from uh January through May and then it doesn't say anything about us having a say on construction on the field and that's what we all agreed to was that we would have a say on the turf. Yeah. What type we'd be involved, not just the
school board doing what they want to do. And if everybody remembers when I asked Mr. Lefir about what happened in Key West, they shortshot it the field. >> Yeah. >> And I wanted language that says the village has a say in everything. It has
to come in front of the council, not a phone call between two people. And it's done. It that way the community is involved. It's not done behind the back. So to me, there are mistakes in this language and I I don't want to say yes to something and then it's got to come back again and then it doesn't match and
what the school board has is not what we have. So why I don't understand why we're doing this. >> Got it. So >> Okay. >> And you know that >> I uh but Sharon, I got to tell you something. >> Go ahead. >> I I it's great that you're having conversations with Ron about this and
want these things, but if unless we talk about it up here, it doesn't just happen magically. And and so I I think that I I completely agree with you. If there's things that are missing in here, they need to we do need to talk about those as a council and we need to get those things fixed.
>> I I completely agree. In fact, one of my notes that I had on this was that um I I would like to make sure that that it's memorialized, that we have a progress report very similar to what uh we have
with the FKA every council meeting that that we know what they're doing and where they're doing and when they're doing it cuz it's going to affect us as it goes through. So, >> and I wasn't doing it behind me. Okay. >> I wasn't saying that. What I'm just saying is I don't know what >> I didn't even look at this.
>> I don't know what I don't know. >> Well, I didn't even look at the agenda. Ron knows this until Friday because of certain things that happened with me last week. So, I didn't even look at it. And when I saw all the mistakes and the language that was wrong, I said to him, I don't I want I don't want to even look
at this until we get the language, the definitions that we should have a progress report. They that building that's already there belongs to the village. So, we should know what their plans are to construct it. We should know everything. And it's right now it
doesn't say that anywhere. So, that's what I meant. And I wasn't not discussing with you guys. I just didn't have a chance between not even looking at the agenda in all honesty till Friday because, you know, I had things I had to take care of last week. So, it wasn't
like I wasn't discussing it. I wanted to get my ducks in a row before all this came out. So I am not in favor of passing something that the language in the we're not really deemed in there to have control and we have no control the way this is written right now. And I
want John knows I talked to him about maybe changing some of the language. So we do have a say in everything and we do have control in a progress report. >> Right. >> That's what I meant. So >> Got it. >> Okay. Okay.
Well, if Yeah. is it been nice to to to know that because when I talked to Ron, it was, "Oh, we might pull it. We might I'm not trying to throw you under the bus. >> I'm going to run." So, I'm going to run with the bus.
>> But if we're going to >> We got to talk about it. I mean, if it's not on the agenda and it's bold, then we're not talking about it and there's no discussion at all. and we'll do the same thing next meeting that we're doing right now. So, I'm glad that it's on here and I'm glad you have problems with
it because that's what we need to talk about. So, pulling it is not going to fix the problem having it here so that we can talk about it >> in there. I haven't even >> written it down. >> Well, and it should be put out to all of us of what the changes so we're not sitting here going line by line
comparing the two of them side by side. Just tell us exactly where you want to go. >> Let's fix it. Let's make the ILA and the license agreement match on dates and times and everything. >> I think we need to go for deeper >> and the school board might have came back. >> We need to go deeper than what they did
>> many many years ago >> so that we don't end up having these problems that we've got >> today >> and not have to do this again for a very long time. >> So what do we what do we need Ron to work on on this negotiation? That's where we are. We don't even know what
they've come back with. >> Well, we don't. But I I'm sorry. That's what I'm No, I'm just saying we don't even know what the school board has done or not done, >> but I'm kind of on his page is that we need to lay out what we want and approve it and say,
>> "Now what?" >> You know? >> Yeah. To to be clear, I I don't know. I think what the school board had on their agenda tonight, >> they either didn't take any action, which case it still is, or they approved what was on it, which is different than ours. Okay. So, we already know they're both different. Ours has I'll give you
one example. We caught an error in item eight when it says that cost may be paid. It should say shall paid be paid. Some it's some are just clerical things. >> Yeah, >> some are more issu vice mayor. My honey, I've talked to individuals. We had Jamie Engel in the
audience tonight. She's left, but then we have Captain Ed. We have some other people that have given us input. I've tried to listen to everybody, all sides. I saw Tony Hamer earlier, uh, Richie Russell, you know, we try to get all aspects, all points of view. When you get an agreement like this, people are going to nitpick it to death. I
understand that. So, what I want, I didn't want to just say, "Oh, it's off the agenda when I'm still looking for input." So, I don't have an issue with not taking a vote tonight or taking it and changing it next meeting. We can always change this thing. My point was get the input publicly because some people say, "Why are you doing it
secretly?" It's like I can't talk openly to 7,000 people. And so if you have an input, you get in touch with me. And they've been very helpful about getting in touch. So tonight, I just want to go through and I had three things I pointed out. There's a 30-day versus 60-day approval of the plans. Not a big deal,
but >> but it doesn't match. >> But it it doesn't match that the the says maybe to shell. That's a word, but still the maintenance. John offered an alternative way of us maintaining the field, but it's not in the school boards. That's another difference. And
then obviously the big one is the five-year versus two-year. One thing I, for example, I want to get input, which I still am not clear about. I personally don't have a problem making it a 5-year termination, which is the school board wants. My problem was it conflicted with the ILA. As John said, we're probably
have to go back and revise the whole ILA anyway. Only one person on this council was there in 2024, the vice mayor. And even then, it was just done. It was kind of like a a redo of the 20-year-old agreement. But now we have fresh eyes and saying, "Is there something else we should change in this license
agreement?" I think we're 90% of the way there. But if you want to make a couple changes, make them because the school board and the district and the village have to agree in the end. No matter what we say or they say, if there's not a mutual agreement, there's no agreement. And that's what I'm trying to get
tonight. If anybody in the audience or council says, "We'd like to maybe change one or two things in here." Now's the time to do it. That way next month when I bring it back for final final approval, >> we're hopefully we won't bring it unless there's in sync with the school board, right? >> And I can negotiate either directly with
Pat Leafy or individual schoolboard members or the superintendent, whoever to make sure if we're way apart, then I wouldn't be that confident. If there's three or four items that that I don't know that individually you've told me you have a big problem with, then we're close enough to be able to resettle it at least mostly tonight. Then let me get
back to the school district and say here's a couple things. they've agreed to the five years or they they're holding fast on the two-year in theory. Uh and then move forward from there. >> All right. Uh anything else from council? >> Well, do what direction do you have on
the five-year two-year except Yeah, I didn't think so. I would like to see a fiveyear, but I don't want to counterict the ILA. So, however we need to do that is where I stand on that. They said they can amend
it, too. So, that's not a big deal, >> right? >> So, I'm good with the fiveyear. >> You're good with fiveyear? >> I'm good with five year. >> Yeah. >> Um, why don't we would you like to Why don't we go on and get public comment? >> Okay. >> And and then and then we can have a
further discussion. >> Marty, is there any public comment on this? >> Yes, sir. Captain Ed Davidson. For the record, I'm Captain Ed Davidson, chairman of the five IRS 501c3 Florida Key Citizens Coalition and a former
four-year member of the school board elected Keyswide against uh six opponents. For the first time, this proposal says we There are a lot of huge disagreements with the school board. There's not minor
stuff. For the first time, this says weekend use. The old permit said, quote, "No weekend use required." Unquote. This is a huge expansion of entitlement uh which invites um uh
lots of uh additional pressures on the park from commercialization and it denies the weekend use that was guaranteed for 24 years to the local residents of their family park.
That needs to be fixed. this uh and you didn't get your question uh answered uh accurately. This is a 20-year lease with two tenure renewals. This is 40 years. Okay. >> I didn't ask. Pat Lefair, the director
of facilities, adamantly refused in front of his own school board the last meeting to warranty that they would continue to maintain and replace the astro turf. The standard industry warranty is is about
eight years. Uh he refused to explain how the school board was going to fund. There's huge disagreements about funding. Three of the school members on record on camera said we should kick in one or two million bucks. This is not a
done deal by any means. And 32 years of this are unfunded. Uh and yet although none of the folks on this board or that board will still be around uh uh later on uh u
you bound three generations of people who will be around to what's a really bad deal. Paragraph six quote comply with all applicable laws, ordinance, rules, regulations, procedures of all applicable government
facilities. That's their obligation. But there have already been multi-year periods when old permits were expired and the most recent interlocal agreement was not yet in legal effect. Which means that those long periods of
planning have no legal standing. There is no agreement. There's no dual sign contract. and um that's a violation of Florida sunshine law. Lack of documentation response to multiple recent Freedom of
Information requests by me have indicated that the less than public meetings of Director Lefir's Founders Park baseball field design team have not kept proper required minutes of years worth of meetings which appear as well
to not have been advertised as public access meetings. both as required by Florida law while advising two bodies of public officials on the expenditure of more than $6 million in taxpayer money and don't forget this affecting tens of
millions of dollars worth of publicly owned real estate our park this darkness needs a substantial do it over again right in the light cure instead of the rush to judgment rubber stamp done deal fix it later approach
that's being discussed even tonight. Paragraph 6A. This is serious stuff. That's page uh 10ish. >> Okay. 6A. Compliance with governmental procedures. Lency shall comply with all applicable. Here we go again. State,
federal, county, municipal laws, ordinance, resolutions, government regulations, and orders. Two sentences later. A violation. Mr. attorney of any such laws, ordinances, resolutions, rules, regulations, or orders. Skip a
material breach constitute a material breach of this agreement. Any lawyer in this room not know what a material breach is? In such an event, like uh lensur us, will be entitled to exercise all rights and remedies here and at law and in
equity. That's pretty much hunting license for you, Mr. Attorney. If this does not mean exactly what it says, why is it in here? How can this license be signed by the village in light of the multiple
deliberate, persistent instances of lack of public transparency and full sunshine, which certainly violate these requirements? If this proposal, the way it's worded right now, is signed, it's immediate material breach by the school
board's documented behavior. And here's the last problem for the lawyers. Mr. Lawyer, if I if I could have your attention for a second, I'd appreciate it. Paragraph 15. This agreement supersedes all prior and
contemporaneous negotiations, understandings, and agreements written or oral between the parties. That means all the promises we've been made for the last five years are meaningless. Actually, it cannot make all past
negotiations meaningless. promises and assurances utterly meaningless because as our village manager who also went to law school pointed out the interlocal agreement remains the senior document as director Lefira's already been informed
that's the two versus 5-year issue but there's lots of other issues like that this license proposal must agree with all ILA stipulations until and if and when the inocal agreement is separately
amended did at properly advanced noticed Zoom and televised public hearings with public comment. There's lots of really really serious disagreements. Uh and and even though
Ron has told Mr. Lefir and the school board that we're not going to kick in a couple million dollars, three of them are on the record insisting that we do. They haven't agreed to that. Mr. Lefair is still uh when it was
pointed out that this has to conform to the ILA, he's still insisting on stuff that he wants. And um and we've been promised for 5 years that we'd have total say cuz it's sure
it's your stuff. But but that isn't what's happened. All this stuff has happened. The school board has signed two design build agreements. Then when we embarrassed them about having done, they signed a second one
last February. Didn't advise this council, didn't consult with this council. They promised they would many, many times. 11th February, they signed it. It's now cost overrun in the middle six
millions. H and it's a design build. It's not a design consult. It's a design build just like the first one was. Uh we've been shortch changed. We've been sucker punched and there are
serious legal conflicts here with letting everything they've promised us in the last 5 years be overridden by this this proposal and and the only legal document and you guys may remember that I'm the guy that pointed out that
all the old permits were expired and weren't properly re renewed when they were supposed to be and were never registered with the county clerk, which means in Florida law they don't exist. Um, and
here we are. Serious legal problems. Thank you, Kevin. >> Morning. >> Yes, we have um on Zoom. Okay, Jamie Angel, go ahead. Miss Engle, you've been given permission
to speak. Go ahead. You have three minutes. While we're waiting on Jamie, can I get some direction? It's been mentioned a couple times about weekends. On page two, it says weekend use shall be permitted based on mutual agreement of the parties. Is that something that you
do have an objection with or don't? because I'm not clear what what what the point is. It says the practice and games occur Monday through Saturday. Sunday's not mentioned. And so is the problem that we don't want anything on Sundays or without mutual agreement cuz that's what it says right now. How what change
would you be suggesting we make to that? >> I it sounds fine with me. Mutual agreement means that they can't use it without our knowledge. >> Who's the agreeing person? the village >> saying she does do her.
>> No, what I'm saying is that's direction I'm asking is do we want to say that by the school board and the council or manager and super >> think if you don't bring everything to the council. You're not you're giving the public the inability to speak. >> I have no problem with that. I'm just
asking is that what then there's been discussion about weekend use if you don't like the language that's here which is fine. Well, I was going to give you a list of what I thought, but I like I said, I didn't have enough time to do it, so that's why I wanted to wait, but whatever.
>> It it does specifically say Monday through Saturday. So, that exempt Sunday >> year round. Does it say January through May? >> January through May. >> Yeah. >> Well, the rest of the time is under the control of the village. >> It would they're not whose control? >> They're not there.
>> The village as in who? The manager, Maria, the council. I just think you guys are just this problems. >> Well, certainly it's the manager. It's his this the running of this town is his responsibility. We give him direction >> and it's his responsibility. So January
through May, they they have the the field. >> The rest of the time it it's it's ours. >> Okay. >> Solely for us. And did Jamie get on? >> Giving her speak. We can hear you now, Jamie. Yeah. >> Can you hear me now? I'm sorry. So, I
just I just wanted to step in and say something. I agree with what Sharon's saying. I agree with what Captain Ed um just got done talking about. We had a a meeting in the uh third floor conference room with Rich Russell and Tony Hammond
and Sheila and Maria and all of us and we went through page by page of this agreement and all came up with what we think it should look like. Even after we did that, like Ron just said, for whatever reason, the school board, which
is what I brought to Ron's attention on Friday, I think, had a different version of what Ron actually sent. And even in the version that Ron sent, there were some tweaks that needed to be made. But the point I think I want to make right
now is that this entire situation has been done backwards. There should have been the ILA reviewed, agreed to by both parties and signed. The ILA then should have led to the use
agreement and the baseball field license agreement. Both parties should have agreed to it and signed it. Then it should have gone to a contract with Keystar or with a contractor so that everybody could look at that and
talk about it and get input. What happened was the ILA didn't get signed until June of 2025 and recorded. Then the but back in February 11th of 2025, the school board actually signed a
contract with Keyar to do the design build project. Well, guess what? The village is the named is one of the named parties on that agreement on that contract. And yet it is not signed by anyone from the village. It never went
to the village. It never came to the council. So the school board right now is working on a contract that isn't even a contract because both parties have not signed it. It is not executed. And I'm sure that our attorney will verify that.
And yet last month, the school board approved a $46,000 change order for design build services for the suddenly found multi-purpose building that was there that is there.
And that was just for the design services. That was not for the construction work itself. And that's not even now going to get done until after the stadium or whatever is built. And we
have again we have had no say in this. So to me we are not on a time frame and I've said this at nauseum we need to get back to the villages time frame and I agree we should not be agreeing or you should not be approving something that
is not exactly what you want it to be. Forget going back and making amendments. That's just another discussion, another meeting, another whole thing going on. Wait, you need to approve the correct version. And
the version that is there right now is not correct. And the school district doesn't have the same version that you have. So, I think sit down, get together, let's clean this up. We spent so many hours doing this. Let's not
short change ourselves in the last inning of this game. Let's make sure that we are covered, that the kids are covered, that everything is done to the best of the best of the best, and that we have a say in that. If you read the
contract that they've signed with Keystar right now, which on isn't even a contract, it doesn't give the village any ability to make any suggestions or approvals as to what goes on to that field. It's all up to the contractor.
And that is what we all agreed at that table back last month at that meeting is not what we wanted. We want someone from the village, someone from the school district, the coaches, Tony Hammond, Rich Russell, whoever to be there and have input. And Don, you're absolutely
correct. We also discussed having a monthly meeting with the village and with the school district and with the contractor and reviewing everything that was going on, what the timeline was, what the cost overruns might be, what
the savings might be. And the biggest thing was to make sure that we were getting exactly what we needed. And Deb, I will say this, this is a 20-year agreement. 20 years. And then they have the additional
um you know, renewals that they could do, but if we just look at this, why are we going to short change it this time? Let's just do it right the first time. That's all I needed to say. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jamie. Barney, is there any other public comment?
>> Yes, there is. U we'll start with Barry Ray on Zoom. >> Okay, Mr. Ray, go ahead. Hi. Uh, mayor, I think you were spot on. This is something that you need to get correct. Uh, vice mayor, also you're
hearing all this. Jamie, what a great oration of of the recent history and the recent discussions. It's a mess right now in large regard. And the village really should take
command of what we're willing to do. That simple. And if you start from that philosophy which you know the mayor was expressing, we have to start there. We have to establish the agreement we're willing to
sign. And if they decide, hey, we want some amendments. That's good. We can talk about that. Let's get our house in order and feel good that you're having this conversation right now. It's good timing to have it and get our house in order. Agree on what we're willing to
sign. make sure it's accurate and everybody understands it and then proceed. That's all. >> Thank you, Barry. >> Marie. >> Yes. Tony Hammond would like to speak. >> Welcome, Tony.
>> Tony Hammond, 246 Jasmine Street. Sorry to dress up for you guys. I was on the way to the gym and I thought we were all through with this, so I turned around and uh glad all the deputies were someplace else other than the highway when I came down. Um, >> so that way you got your exercise just coming in.
>> That's it. Yeah. So, so here's my comment. I have nothing new to add to this. Um, I believe that the st the major stumbling block right now is coming to terms with the ILA between the two and the 5-year. Um, I think, and I'm not speaking for anyone other than me at
this point, but if if the school board is investing $5 million, uh, they would like a little bit better guarantee than a 2-year and you're out of here kind of a kind of a deal. Um, the Saturday situation is, um, primarily because we have JV games on Saturday, so we we have
no choice on that. And that's, you know, we're on that property between January to May, end of May anyway. So that takes care of that issue. Um the other is I we need to stop having us against them. You
know, it's not the school board, the bad guys won't come to terms and the village bad guys won't come to ter. I hear on both sides. I was listening to the schoolboard meeting while this council meeting was going on. The between the time that I left the schoolboard meeting to get here was when I guess they had
the conversation. So the only thing that I know that came up was the the issue of the ILA. Um again I repeat what I have repeated in the other meetings. We've got to work with council and leave this with the attorneys to work through the legal
language that needs to be worked out. None of us are legal expertise to our experts to bring to the table on this stuff. So um I would I would leave it with that and leave it with them. let them hackle this uh work through it.
They're both looking out for the best interest of the kids and the community. So, that's uh but I hope that helps you understand where we are with the the two issues. Any questions that you guys have for me? I was in that meeting with with the mayor and and with uh Ron and uh and
the other people. So, fire away if you have anything for me. >> Anybody have any questions for Tony at this moment? >> No. And I I I knew you knew, but I did have a meeting with Tony and Richie and Ron about everybody coming together and
Jamie and Black, everybody from both sides, and we by the end of the meeting all agreed we want what's best for the kids. We know it's going to be artificial turf, but we decided that Richie and Tony and Doug were the
experts on turf. So I wanted to make sure in this agreement it says the village has say and things like that that we have control and that the way this is right now it's not giving us the control that we should have and that's
all that is and it can be tweaked. It can be back to us again. There's no differences in any side anymore. We all agreed that we want the best. We talked everything through and it's just simple words in this. That's all that is. And if I would have had more time, I would
have got it to uh Ron and John. I just didn't. And again, it's just words that need to be tweaked up. And we need to make sure that it comes back to the council so the community can always know what's going on. Your suggestion of a
monthly meeting is uh something great to add in there. We just want to know what's going on so these guys who are experts can have an eye on to make sure we're getting the best of the best. That's all it is. So, thank you. >> Was there I got a question. Was there
things that were discussed in that meeting that should be included in this this agreement here? >> So, that was where I was going to go. Um the manager sent back to all of us in from that meeting the copy of the
contract and said, "Are we all okay with this?" I went I sent back I looked through it. I said, "Yes." um because it included some of the things that uh that Mr. Engel had put in it. uh some of the suggestions that I made uh I was
the one holding out on the five-year saying I think we need at least five years and I wanted to see the weekend um aspect of it changed not because we're trying to do anything devious or vindictive or underhanded but because we knew for a fact we have JV games on
Saturdays and because we know we practice at night not during the day. Um, so those are the two things that I was most concerned about, but we looked over both sides looked over the contract and I don't know what happened after we
looked it over and approved it. Um, so I think um I'm assuming Ron, they have in front of them what you sent to us. Is that correct? Yes, but the couple of the differences were the 5year versus two-year because originally I think we all said five
years was fine till we realized the two years was in the ILA. I think we're going to have to do would be once we come to an agreement on the license agreement at the same time we we may want just go ahead and and go ahead with a rewrite of ILA too to make sure they're all conforming because the ILA is disagreement between the village and
the school board just as this agreement is. So we might if we're going to conform them, maybe just bring them both back and have the ILA, for example, the the issue about the annual use agreement. The baseball schedule's the baseball schedule. If January through through May, why do you have to come back annually if that's the baseball
schedule? So just eliminate the need. Right now there's a requirement that we have a separate use agreement just because that's the way it was before. So things like that I think we can maybe just clean up and just take out that aren't necessary. But I just didn't want to have it a non-conforming agreement tonight that doesn't conform with what
the ILA say. So we when we conformed ours ILA, it made it different to what the school board has now because I didn't want to be non-conforming. So I think the direction I think I've gotten from the council is 5 years is okay. The termination 5 years is okay. I'm not clear about the 30 versus 60 days. I
think you had some issue with the 30-day versus 60-day approval of the of the plans. Is there a direction which way we want to go with that? I I I I I just don't know that 30 days the way we meet is is enough for us to have. I think the direction is I think
it needs to say 60 days. We'll put 60 days there. >> One meeting to to vet it out and another meeting to approve it. >> Yeah. >> And then maybe John wants to John added language about alternative maintenance. Maybe he can give you a little bit of background on that too because that is that's the other thing that's different
than what the school board has in front of. I want to resolve the differences as much as I can tonight so that once we leave here, we pretty much have an understanding that needs to be confirmed by the council the next meeting and we can still get input, but it's just hard when you're getting 50 people coming
with different ideas and trying to incorporate in writing. understood. >> Yeah, I just added some language that gave us some options on the maintenance because it's broken up into time periods and there was a time period where the maintenance is uh the obligation of the village but we were paying the school district to do it and it seemed to me,
you know, we have our own public works people that were paying. It seemed to me if we might want to give ourselves an option. Um that way if we feel like our public works folks can handle it and we're already paying them, we don't need to pay extra to the school district. if for some reason there's um uh some
specialized need in terms of maintaining it, then it we also have the option to go through the school district if they have this specialized need. So that was really what it was. It was just giving us the option to, you know, potentially save some money if if we can with the with the folks that we we already have on staff.
And are you comfortable in item 4B where it does talk about that the licensing shall be solely responsible for the maintenance of improvements and the necessary removal and replacement of the baseball field that that sufficiently covers the fact that they're going to
change the turf when it's required to be uh replaced. Yeah, I mean I can I can tweak it to to make to um uh to add add a little bit more language to, you know, hearing what we're talking about. I'm I'm comfortable with it now, but I've
I've already been jotting down some language that some additions that it it should be um non-controversial considering that's what I believe the understanding of both parties is anyway as it stands. >> So, are you saying stronger language? Maybe >> just express I would say making it
express that that it includes the um uh replacement of whatever whether it's grass or artificial turf either one it's it's covered >> the the maintenance aspect of it requires specialized training and we that was very clear in that meeting and
they actually the the vendors provide that training. So we would have one group which the school board would be responsible for I believe that would be trained to maintain the field all the way through the year >> which only makes sense to me that you
don't have two teams being trained >> and I that needs to be very plain in the agreement as well. Thank you Tony >> and again >> thank you Tony. Yeah, we again to our people aren't trained and we had that discussion in the room that instead of having our maintenance people half the
year and then somebody else it should be consistent. >> By the way, I appreciate the vice mayor's confidence in me. >> Yes, I do. >> I appreciate your confidence in me, but Richie Russell is the expert on that. He he has done the homework for years now. Yes, it's public comment right now, so
we need to kind of cut off the conversation back and forth, but but it is those people are trained to to work on that turf and our people aren't. It probably would void a warranty on the turf if we had somebody else out there working on it. >> Based on the discussion, I may want to
recommend that I appreciate John's input on it, but maybe not have that alternative language that may create a problem with the school district. My preference personally would be to have one company in charge of the field all year round. I agree. Whether we contribute that part of it, I don't think it's be that hugely expensive. So
no disrespect to John, but my recommendation be to conform with the school district's language which doesn't have that alternative because I really don't want our people maintaining that field because that's been part of the problem in the current field. They were pointing fingers. No, the school district's responsible. No, the village is responsible. And Maria
had people out in the field that probably wouldn't be qualified to do artificial turf, for example, and then they blame us for whatever goes wrong. Aguana goes out there and poops on it and next that that's our problem. Do we have control in this agreement of of of uh of them not switching a a certain
product of like Sharon had they it seemed like they were running short on funds into something in Key West and and uh they so they did something a little different. >> They took out supposedly they took out some of the drainage
>> drainage stuff. What happened at Tommy Roberts in Key West? Apparently they ran over a budget and they limited some drainage which creates existing problems. Now on Friday I I spoke with Chaz Spot who's with Keystar and reemphasized with him that the our
village council will have final approval over any product that goes on the field that we own and that we want to make sure the proper drainage, proper padding, everything is to our satisfaction as the owner. and he said he understood that they're not that far along the process. They are apparently
talking to vendors now, which they had not done a couple months ago, but I I wanted to make it clear to them that this village council has final approval over every type of thing that goes on that field and the maintenance of it, etc. We want to work with them as a partner. We are on the same side. We're
on the same team. But that means still that we have to have final approval. And he said he understood that. Now, whether other people understand that or not, I can't speak. And as far as the >> in the money part, I've been consistent. I'll say it once more. The village has spent zero dollars. You know, we're
until I get direction from this council, our position is what the schoolboard puts in, the school puts in. We're not planning on putting we have budgeted zero dollars towards that field. >> Correct. >> Right. >> So, where do we need to go with this tonight?
What else do we Because we need to do something. >> I think I've got some direction. I asked for the five versus two-year. We could go with the 60-day uh notice from the from us. We'll clean up the language on 4C. Shall maybe to shall um I'm still
not clear with the weekend thing. I think the current language says weekend use has be the joint agreement Monday through Saturday I thought was okay. If somebody's objecting Saturdays now, I'm not sure. I think Tony explained that. I I think from my at least from my standpoint, I don't see anything major.
If other people have something major, I'm not hearing it. That's my point is I want to get this thing settled. >> If if I Sharon, was I hearing you right that you think weekends include Sunday? Because it's >> weekend is Saturday. >> Well, it depends. It depends.
>> I just wanted everything spelled out better. It doesn't say anywhere in this agreement that the final say >> you want to put out on a mic, please. >> Sorry. >> It doesn't anywhere say anything in that agreement that everything the the field
we get anything that's on doesn't say anywhere in this agreement right now that we have say in that. It just doesn't. And I just wanted everything spelled out better. That's all. And I guess, you know, Ron's going to go ahead and do it, make the changes, and then it'll come back and it'll be fine. So,
and one thing I do want to point out, I started April 21st. Obviously, a lot of stuff happened before then. My first week on the job, I was sent a design build agreement and asked to sign it by the school district and I didn't, as Captain Ed pointed out. I read it and said cuz it had the second building that
we've since recommended eliminating, etc., and I don't want to commit in advance. So, I've never signed it. So, there is no sign, this village has not signed any design build agreement on purpose. I was asked to do it by the school district and I chose not to. Had I done that, I would have brought to you
first anyway. But right now, the only agreement with KESTAR is with the school district, not with us. That may be something going forward. We want to solidify with Keystar and the school district say you basically what vice mayor is saying, we want to have a say in what goes on that field on our field.
And however we want to say that, I think we've expressed it generically, but if we need to put better language, I'm open to it. just that we had a tentative agreement with the all the sides coming together that I tried to incorporate. If there's more changes coming, I just want
to hear them because I can't keep dragging this thing out cuz sooner or later it's going to impact the baseball team. Yeah. They have to get this process moving. >> Well, I think we all want to advance this forward. >> Yes. That's why I keep asking what do we need to do yet tonight?
My recommendation would be to to not take any action tonight, any official action. You know, we I think we've gotten the the reason I didn't want to just take it off the agenda was I wanted to get public input and the council input, which I've gotten. If somebody has something that they want to add after the meeting, you know, email it to
me or whatever. But for tonight, I don't have any problem not taking action. I think I've got the direction I needed cuz we're going to have to change it anyway. rather than come back with a different one, we'll just come back in January with one that's had more refinement and hopefully get the schoolboard agreement. >> Hopefully, it can in include those
particular items that that was during that meeting that was had on the third floor that that really define things down. There's no ambiguity in any of this contract or the in the agreement and our resolution is set in stone and
then we can we can just look at it and finalize it and hopefully stop beating this dead horse. >> Can I just add I received a text from Pat just now and said uh uh 5 years would be best talking about batting that on. And then um
Florida High School Activities regulates um the fact that you cannot use the facility or have sporting events on on Sundays. >> Okay. >> So that that eliminates that as a as an issue with us. >> Now that doesn't mean that a team that's
not ours >> couldn't ask permission to get on there. But we do not uh Coach Holly would would have >> all the coaches hide if we try to do that. So that's it. >> Is is this the right document to have in
in here that that um uh that we're going to have, you know, weekly monthly updates on on the status? Is this this where it should be? >> We can require >> we can require that. I didn't really as you recall a didn't used to come to our
meetings. I asked them to give us we update every meeting. We can ask school district the same thing. and as as our partner, I don't see why they wouldn't want to do that because they want to have community support also. So I I would ask going forward every meeting >> that school district in a written
document like this. >> Yeah. Okay. But >> Mr. Chairman, >> while while they're while they're doing >> one more, please >> while they're >> while they're doing um construction because after this document is a goes
beyond that. While they're doing construction, we want the update. Not necessarily for 20 years do we want the update >> every month. >> And and let me point out too that we're going to require permits for everything. So Sheila and Jennifer will be involved from the village staff standpoint the
whole process. And so before we issue any permits, we'll make sure we update the council as far as what actually they're proposing to do. And I did want to make sure that I think Steve, you wanted to comment. >> Yeah. Um, I I think that um that John and Ron have uh gotten some good um
instructions and and input from us tonight. Uh my apologies to the council and everyone there. I need to get going and get on a flight. So, um I'm glad that we're moving this forward and uh we can uh clean up this agreement. It's a little bit sloppy. I think we can all agree. So, uh once we do that, I think
we can really uh get this thing going. So, hope you all uh take care and we'll see you soon. >> Thank you. Thank you, Steve. Stay safe. >> Stay safe. >> Safe travels. All right, you've got direction where we need to go. We're going to leave this on the table then and and get get something in front of us that everybody can be
happy with or most people can be happy with. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. >> Yes, sir. >> Curtis, since Tony had a couple hours here, >> we he didn't have a couple hours, but please go to the Please go to the podium.
>> The provision you're looking for is already in the agreement. I objected to it to Ron as he'll remember when I say this. It says if desired by the lease u and it talks about periodic meetings
reviewing all it's already there because my comment was what do you mean if desired? Of course this is desired. It should just say required instead of it's already in there. And John you it's a piece of cake. Couple words. >> Thank you Catman. I think you're right.
Definitive an language instead of ambiguity is the way to go. And I I appreciate that. Thank you. >> Uh okay, you've got direction. We can move on. Let's go, John. >> Yep. Tab 10 is a resolution of the village council of Alamara Village, Florida, repealing and replacing
building department fees as adopted by the village council and resolution 19-08-56 providing for conflicts and for an effective date. >> Good evening, mayor and council. Sheila Denort, uh, building services director. The resolution before you tonight is a
is a result of discussions that was had during the last budget cycle. Um, at that time, a need was identified to update the building department fee schedule and simplify the calculation method. Um, this resolution provides for both and provides for the necessary
revenue to continue to fund the building department. And I'm here to answer any questions you may have. Council, I have any questions of Sheila? Sheila, I think it's time you update this. So, uh, is there any public comment?
>> No, sir. >> I have a motion. >> Motion to approve. >> I'll second. You have to wait for Deb. >> Yeah. Why don't we wait for Deb? Deb, you're hearing us, so we'll wait for you. >> Steve, you signed off. Did Steve sign off? >> Yes.
>> Yes. >> Okay. Uh while we're waiting, I was going to ask, did you still want to take because we had moved tab 18 earlier? Um so that Steve since Steve might have uh since Steve wasn't going to be able to participate in the quasi judicials, do you still want to have those heard
before that heard before the quasi judicial or do you want to just go in the order that >> we're here for the duration? It doesn't matter. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> As of right now, it's set before so I'll I'll I'll call it before the quas then. >> We're keeping Ty up. His dogs are probably having to go potty, too. He's
dogsitting, too. >> I think we're we're getting close to it. Be patient. >> I'm just worried about my clients when they see how many hours I'm here. >> Don't you worry. You billable minutes just make your life. So, >> and you're going to do this again
tomorrow, too? >> Take them to lunch >> from 8. Thank you. >> You know, you're very welcome. Okay. So, there's a a motion and a second to approve Sheila raising permit fees to an exorbitant amount. There you go. You're
okay. >> Marty, can you call the role playing? >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> The motion passes four to zero. >> All right. Moving on. Thank you.
>> All right. Tab 11 is a resolution of the village council of Alamara Village Violence, Florida, approving the conceptual modification presented by the Florida Department of Transportation to extend the two-lane section of US1 through the Plantation Key School Zone and providing for an effective date.
>> Uh, good evening. Um, can you pull the picture up? >> While he's doing that, Sheila Drive safe. >> Gotcha. Um, I'll give a little just a background on this as he's bringing it up. Uh this is
a concept that we've been working with DOT on uh to help try to alleviate some school traffic in the uh Coral Shores and PKS area of US1. Um DOT will be doing a mill and resurface and a uh a partial storm water
project um pending FKA's completion of their project. Uh so that will be done in their fiscal year 2028. Uh but yeah, now we've got it pulled up. So what what this project would be in addition to theirs and um this would be
at DOT's expense. Um but what it what it entails is extending the merge lane. Instead of merging into from two lanes into one lane on the southbound side uh in the middle of the school zone, it would extend two lanes of traffic through the intersection at Woods Avenue
and then uh bring that merge to just after the school zone. Um which would uh double the capacity of the school zone uh on the southbound side. Um DOT is just looking for uh council's approval of this to uh incorporate it into their
project. >> Any discussion for council? >> Yeah. Mike's on. >> No. >> Oh, sorry. >> Okay, you're good. >> Any public comment? >> No, sir. >> I hear a motion. >> I I I do want to hesitate a second. Uh
you said a storm water project which isn't related it is and it isn't related to this. He's had a partial storm water project. Uh the last time I saw a storm water project that was a partial. They did
um drainage off of US1 on one side of the road and not the other. And they told me that there wasn't enough drainage on the other side of the road to do it, which you have the same amount of water on the whole road. So this comment >> we can talk later about that. Well,
they're adding imperous area, so they got to address it in that particular area, I imagine, is what they're looking at. >> Yeah, I know. But when they when they they if they're doing a storm water project before, they did it on the ocean side and did not do it on the bay side
and they still claimed it was correct. >> Yeah. Gotcha. Uh there's no public comment, Marty. >> No, sir. >> Okay. Do I hear a motion to approve? I'll make a motion to approve.
>> Second. >> Second. >> All right. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> The motion passes. Four to zero. >> Thank you.
>> John, let's move on to ordinances. >> Yep. We're in an ordinance. This is an ordinance on second reading at tab 12. An ordinance of Alamarda Village of Islands, Florida, amending policy 1-3.1.3 institute a program for transfer of development rights of the of the Marta comprehensive plan by amending
procedures and eligibility criteria for the transfer of development rights providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of commerce providing for separability providing for conflicts and providing for an effective date upon approval of this ordinance by the state department of commerce. >> Good evening council. Well, um, before we get on this, I just wanted to, um,
Sheilon, I think I forgot to mention in her resolution on fees, we also removed the A-frame sign fee that you guys had asked for, um, previously. So, I wanted to just note that that that was done for you. >> Thank you as well. >> Notice that. >> Thank you. Um, so this evening we're
here tonight for a second reading on ordinance amending policy. Oh, did we want to These are companion the 12 and 13. Did we want to do them together? Sorry. >> Uh yeah, we can we can take 12 and 13 together. So I'll read the title for 13 as well.
>> Uh 13 is also an ordinance on second reading. It's uh ordinance of Mara Village amending the village code sections 30-504 transfer procedure and 30-506 transfer of development rights for residential dwelling units and density to amend procedures and eligibility criteria for the transfer of
development rights. providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of commerce, providing for severability, providing for conflicts, providing for inclusion in the code, and providing for an effective date upon approval of this ordinance by the state department's of commerce. >> Okay. Thanks. All right. So, tonight we're here for second reading on the uh
TDR changes that we had proposed for policy 1-3.11 and the code sections 30-504 and 30-506. You may recall on your first reading, these were uh changes to transferring um
to different zoning districts and um different habitats on lots that have multiple habitats. It now allows you to transfer uh to the scarified areas um of those lots. Um and it also removes the restriction of transferring into a
vzone. Um I would note that similar to the one we had last month uh with the uh affordable housing um when we rendered this after first reading to the department of commerce, we did relieve receive an objection um letter as well.
Um we staff believes that commerce did not fully understand what this ordinance um is intending to do. Um I'll go back about a year or even more maybe. Um myself, Daniel Parabach had a zoom call
with members of the department of commerce um regarding the subject matter of this ordinance change and um they actually encourage us to make these changes in our ordinance. So we were a little confused by the objection letter. So we have drafted a response. We intend
to have a phone call with them after we render it a second time to, you know, reiterate, you know, you asked us to make these changes. You wanted us to make these changes. Where are we going with this? So, we we're comfortable proceeding on second reading with our
response with the phone call. Um, and that's where we're at. So, I'm here to answer any questions. Again, it's on second reading. You had um unanimously approved it on first reading in July. So, that's where we're at.
All right, good deal. Thank you. >> Um, is there any public comment? >> Yes, there is. Joe Wishmire, >> man. Tony must have been up here before. Joe Wishmire, Plantation Key. Two things
again. I would say, you know, we're getting ready to redo our comp plan and I come back to the same thing. Why are we jumping to try to change things when our comp plan is coming back out? The second thing is after the first
reading, there were arguments by DOC. So Jennifer just said, "Well, we're expecting a phone call maybe in a week, maybe two weeks, maybe a month, who know, you know, however long it is. How can you approve something not knowing
what Department of Commerce is going to say? So, I think that you're jumping the gun a little bit here and that you should wait until you get everything straightened out with Department of Commerce before you jump and make a decision. Again, the last thing is I, you know, I
would respectfully say I do not think that we ought to put TDRs in a Vzone. I just think that's a bad idea. And I thought that that's what one of the main objections from the DOC was. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe. Count, is there another
>> Yes, Ty Harris would like to speak as well. >> Thank you, Ty Harris. Went to Plantation Shores. Um, this has been a work in progress for almost a decade now. And at at least we've received at least two
formal letters from the Department of Commerce even before it was called the Department of Commerce saying fix this ordinance because you've got the essentially the tail wagging the dog. And what the good catch was the property that was the catalyst for this getting
serious because in that case you had a 600 square f foot highquality hammock right on um old highway dictating whether a TDR could be transferred to the rest of the two acres which didn't have that issue. And so the state
allowed what the what the good what a good catch to go through but wrote more than one letter to us saying fix your ordinance so this doesn't keep happening and then we fix the ordinance and then they object. So I did a little bit of of
made some calls trying to figure out what's going on with the department of commerce. So, we're not alone this year and there have been at least 150 comp plan objections by the Department of Commerce, either citing 180 or insist um
inconsistencies in their own comp plan. Out of that 150, my understanding is that only three have actually been taken to a chapter 120 administrative hearing. So, they're raising objections because they're having conflicts with
180, SB 180, and and how that impacts everything. And I I just think they're having a hard time in reading that that statute in context with comp plan amendments. And and that's why you're seeing all these objections because when
it gets to a level of are we really going to go fight this? Um, that's a pretty healthy ratio of only three out of 150 being actually taken to a 120 administrative hearing. So, I would ask that you move forward with passing this.
Jennifer is going to stay in contact with Commerce, but um, let's finally get this done. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ty. Arie, are there any other public comments? >> No, sir. >> Very good. Council, >> any comments? No comments.
>> No, I I I I'm confident. Deb, you >> No, I was just waiting. I was going to make a motion, but >> I want to make a motion. I just >> make a motion to approve. We've been working on this for almost a decade. >> Just just reminder since they're two separate ordinances, we need two
separate motions. >> Okay. >> So, I make a motion on the U tab 12, which is I think is the comprehensive >> Yes. >> plan motion. Okay. So, you got a motion on tab 12 and you have a second on tab. Barney, will
you call the role? >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> Motion passes four to zero. >> Okay. Can I have a motion on tab 13, please? >> I'll make a motion on tab 13. >> To approve. >> To approve. >> Thank you.
>> Second. >> All right. Already call the role. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> That motion passes four to zero.
And >> now we're moving on to tab 18, which I think is in I don't know if you I have it in a separate >> three- ring binder. I don't know if you guys do. >> Yeah. >> Um tab 18. Yeah. >> So that's a request for a motion to accept a final investigative report and
to close a complaint. Uh as you you all might recall, we had uh the village had adopted a uh um HR administrative policy 001 uh relating to if there are um complaints filed against uh charter
officers uh or the council. Uh the village received a complaint from a former employee uh after um her involuntary separation from the village. uh that uh complaint alleged uh discrimination based on uh race and
national origin. Uh so the uh the village u we retained a uh outside investigator uh pursuant to the village policy. uh she went through um uh in compliance with the time frame set forth therein, interviewed uh half a dozen or
so uh village employees uh and attempted to reach out to the complainant, Miss Hernandez, um on multiple occasions. Miss Hernandez though did not um respond or participate in the investigation. Uh ultimately the investigator still moved forward based on the evidence that that
she had and and found that um uh there was no evidence to suggest that there was discrimination or that or that the uh Mr. Mr. Hernandez was harassed or subjected to a hostile work environment or retaliated against and uh and in fact stated that the the evidence did suggest
that um the former employee was not performing her duties and responsibilities and that ultimately the decision was actually made to to eliminate her position um which is what resulted in the involuntary separation. So, um just uh the request is to uh um
accept the uh accept the the report and findings and then uh ultimately to uh to close the complaint as well based on the findings and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. >> Anybody got any questions for John? >> Nope. >> Uh is there any public comment on this
item? >> No, sir. >> All right. Do I have a motion? >> Motion to approve. I'll second call member. >> Yes. >> Council member. >> Yes.
>> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> That motion passes four to zero. >> Okay. Let's keep doing this. >> All right. Now we are into the quasi judicial uh portion of the uh agenda. Uh these are going to be tabs
14 through 17. Please be advised that the following agenda items are quasi judicial nature. If you wish to comment on these items, please inform the village clerk by filling out the available signup form. An opportunity for persons to speak on each item will be made available after the applicant and staff have made their presentations on each item. As a reminder, testimony
and quasi judicial items must be in person. Zoom testimony is not permitted. These proceedings will be handled in accordance with the village code requirements. All testimony, including public testimony and evidence, will be made under oath or affirmation. Additionally, each person who gives testimony may be subject to cross-examination. If you do not wish to
be either cross-examined or sworn, your testimony shall be disregarded. The general public will not be permitted to cross-examine witnesses, but the public may request the council to ask questions of staff or witnesses on their behalf. The full agenda packet on each item is hereby entered into the record along with village code and comprehensive plan. Any correspondence that was
received by village staff is included in the file and part of the record. Persons representing organizations must present evidence on their author of their authority to speak for the organization. Further details on the quasi judicial procedures in section 30-256 of the village code may be obtained from the village clerk. Uh as stated there are
tonight there's four quasi judicial items. They're tabs 14 through 17. Uh at this time I would like to ask anyone who intends to speak on the quasi judicial items to please raise your hand and be sworn in by the clerk. >> In the matter in which you are about to give testimony, do you swear or affirm
that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> The witnesses have been sworn. Thank you, John. Uh >> Mr. Mayor, the the um while there are four items, there there are two of them are there they're there two sets of companions. So, uh as historically we've
taken them uh together and uh so I'll read the uh uh the two ordinances unless unless you'd like to separate them. >> No, I think we should do that. It's the way we've always done it. Tab 14 is an ordinance of Alamada Village of Islands, Florida, concerning the request of Ty Harris, PA, agent for Horse Pens LLC, to
amend the vill's future land use map from conservation to mixed use for the subject property on overseas highway located on Adam upper Madakumbi Ki with real estate number 009-6850-00002000 and to establish a new sub area under objective 1-2.11 as legally described herein. um
providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of commerce and providing for an effective date upon the approval of this ordinance by the state department of commerce. The uh tab 15 is an ordinance of Marada Village of Islands, Florida, considering the request of Ty Harris, PA, agent for
Horse Pens LLC to amend the official zoning map from conservation to neighborhood commercial for the subject property on overseas highway located on Upper Madakumbi Ki with real estate number 009-6850-00002000 as legally described herein and providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of
commerce providing for an effective date upon the approval of this ordinance by the state department of commerce. commerce and these are uh ordinances on first reading. >> Thank you so much, Jennifer. >> Good evening, council. Jennifer Deborrian, planning director for the village of Alam Marada. Here this
evening to discuss uh two ordinances relative to the amendment of the future land use map and the zoning map for uh real estate number 0000968-50-00002000. Um, this uh application was submitted by Ty Harris on behalf of the property owner Horse Pens LLC.
>> Oh, sorry. >> I apologize. I forgot to do the exparte disclosure. So, >> Oh, that's right. For sure. >> So, council, if you could please uh disclose any exparte communications you may have had on these two items. >> That's okay. Um, Anna,
>> this Ty Harris, >> Sharon, >> Cheryl Coberson, >> excuse me, >> Cheryl Coberson. >> Okay. Uh, I spoke to Ty and I I spoke to another young lady that's a realtor. I I
just can't remember her name right now. I'm not going to repeat my name and but um so again uh applicant was submitted application was submitted by Ty Harris PA on behalf of the own property owner Horse Pens LLC. Um they're seeking um
approval for the change of the future land use map to mixed use from conservation and the zoning map from um conservation district to neighborhood commercial. The uh subject property is located on overseas highway comprising
of 6.4 acres 3.16 of which is uh mangroves and the current use of the property is riding stables. The proposed sub they're also proposing a sub area which would limit the use to the existing riding riding stables and the development of workforce affordable
housing. This flum amendment has oh I already said that sorry. Um, the applicant's agent has submitted a needs analysis detailing the map amendment request. The subject property currently has an existing conservation future land use designation. The property to the
north is designation designated residential high. Properties to the south are designated conservation. Properties to the east across overseas highway are designated mixed use and the character of the surrounding area is mixed use with residential and tourist uses. The subject property has an
existing conservation zoning district with the properties to the south designated as conservation. The property to the north is designated multif family. The properties to the east across overseas highway are designated as tourist commercial. The property contains a mix of habitats including mangroves and high quality hammock. The
applicant has provided a vegetation survey and I have included that in your packet. The property is recognized as habitat to several protected animal species. Pursuant to the village's GIS data and records, the parcel is defined as hammock, disturbed with hammock and mangroves. The full analysis of the
proposed changes is in your packet. And at its meeting on October 13th, 2025, the LPA voted unanimously to recommend approval of both ordinances. I'm here to answer any questions that you might have. >> Thank you, Jennifer. >> You are welcome.
>> Uh let's see. Ty, you want to testify in favor? I suppose. Well, I I represent the applicant, so I'm going to get up and and do a quick spiel. Ty Harris 110 Plantation Shores for the applicant Horse Pins LLC. So, you know, we've
we've gone through this before. The horse pins was operating as basically a riding stable before the village uh incorporated and it had some type of zoning in the county that allowed the
riding stable. village comes in, stop me if you've heard this before, takes the property that was being used and has has been cleared and designated conservation for the flume and conservation for the
zoning, which is appropriate for a portion of the property, but doesn't make any sense for an ongoing writing stable. And so the whole purpose of this application is to take the writing stable, which is still there, make it a
legal use versus a nonconforming use, and also add in the ability sometime in the future to perhaps add affordable housing maybe on top of the riding stables or if the stables go away there.
But there is no absolutely no plan at this point to remove the riding stables. But they are non-conforming and they were made non-conforming by the village. Um, you know, this is a problem that we're going to see over and over and
we're hopefully we'll fix in the comp plan. Um, but I know there was a lot of of scuttlebutt in the u in the horse riding community that we were trying to get rid of the the riding stables and that is absolutely not true. The other portion of this is we did do a
vegetation survey which is not required but Jennifer asked for it and we and we did it and it shows that basically the area that's been developed now is the maximum that could be developed. So you can't do anything more than what's there. So, you're you're working with
the area that's been cleared and used for the riding stables and that's it. Um, and which is why we thought the sub area policy was the appropriate way to approach this versus just a neighborhood commercial which then people will come in and go, "Oh, you're putting a gas station and all these things that we
know possibly couldn't fit, but it makes for good good talk." So, we say we're just going to do a subary policy limiting the two uses to what it already is and affordable housing. That kind of seems like a winner going forward and a winner now.
And if you have any questions, I'm I'm here to answer. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ty. Uh let's see here. >> Is there any uh anybody would like to
speak in opposition of this? >> No. >> Check. I think it's in favor first. Let me Yeah, it's in favor. >> Yeah. Have no one signed up to speak in favor? >> Okay. >> Is there any opposed? >> Yes. Joe Wishmire.
>> Geez, I went from Tony Hammond to Joeisher Plantation Key. I guess a couple of uh things I'd like to bring up on this. Stop me if you've heard this before, but >> we haven't completed our comp plan.
>> I might have heard that. >> Stop, >> you know. So, why can't we just wait a little bit longer? It's been that way for a long time, so let's just wait to see what the comp plan is so we can get make sure that everything is okay. The other thing I heard from Mr. Harris is,
"Well, it at the moment we don't plan on doing that." Or, "Yeah, we're we don't think we're going to do that." Well, once you become mixed use later on, you can say you're not going to put a gas station there or put something there, but once it's done, it's done. And then
you could. So, uh, I suggested at least wait until after we get our comp plan done. And earlier to today, I heard something about the Machado property even. It's like, hey, pretty soon we're not going to have any open space. We
ought to save what we have now. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> There's no one else to speak. >> Okay. Is there any discussion among council? >> I No, >> I was just going to make a statement that that's part of what the sub area is
helped to control is that the sub area says that the only thing that they can do is housing, affordable housing. >> Yeah. It doesn't allow him to do anything else. >> Thank you, D. >> So, >> besides that, I don't have any other
>> I I I completely agree and and it's this is not something that's that's done normally. Uh it's been it's something that's been done uh infrequently, but it's certainly been done before and actually when I sat on the other side did that on two other pieces of property
because it did open the door by changing a zoning in a flum. does open the door to many uses that are embodied in the code. But to to define it further down and do a sub area policy, it limits or restricts or limits the actual use. And
it's defined in that sub area policy, which is why it it actually has a upper Matakumbi key mixed use area one, which means that it sits by itself as as its own really its own zoning in its own
flum. and it is solely limited to riding stables and workforce affordable housing only. Uh gas station can't go there. Uh if a gas station were to apply to go there, it couldn't go there cuz it doesn't fit within the parameters of that. And I personally don't think that
we need to stop this village and freeze all of these folks that are that are fixing a a a wrong. Uh same thing happened with Sharon. Uh these folks were going along with a with riding stables not realizing that they were
that the village turned them into a nonconforming property. When they changed the zoning, they had a conforming use. They they were allowed to be there. In fact, that writing stable's been there since 1977 that I know of. Um and and they were merrily
going along with their zoning and their flum and their business. And then the village decides to come in and the village actually created a nonconformity by by taking a use that was already sitting there and and thought they were
doing the right thing and change the zoning and flum right out from underneath them to where they made them non-conforming. I I think that there still are this is not unique and I bet you that there still probably 20 properties at least out there that are
nonconforming because of density or use because of a zoning and flum change that the village did. Now, if I was to try to come in here tomorrow and change the zoning on something and make it nonconformity, the the first thing Jennifer would tell
me was no. Uh you can't do that. you can't create a nonconformity in and our code even says that but the village did that back then and I just don't see the reason in not fixing the the mistakes that we had in the past. So um that's my
comment. Is there any followup from uh from the applicant? >> You don't have to. >> We got it. Well, I mean, that's the whole point of the sub area policy because
it if you were to not do a sub area and I was just to give it to you through a deed restriction, it would fall off in 30 years. This way, it stays on permanently. And that's all I have to say about that. >> All right. So, based on the testimony, do I hear a motion?
>> Well, and let's make it very clear that anything that we're changing is being incorporated into this new comp plan, >> right? >> For sure. So, this isn't just >> we're actually helping you make it go a little faster. >> How about that? >> So, motion to approve.
>> Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> And again, we have to separate them between tabs 14 and 15, >> right? >> So, should we treat the first motion to approve 14? >> And I second 14. >> Okay. Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Council member Debb Gillis.
>> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Harton. Yes. >> Do I have a motion on tab 15? >> Motion to approve 15. >> I'll second 15. >> Miss Marty. >> Council member and Richards.
>> Yes. >> Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> Motion passes 40. >> All right. Let's move on to the next quasi edition. >> Tab 16 and 17 are together. Uh these are
ordinances on second reading. Tab 16 is an ordinance of Alamara Village of Islands, Florida, considering the request of Tai Harris, PA, agent for Lebanon Family LLP, to amend the village's future land use map from residential conservation to mixed use for the subject property at 76800
Overseas Highway located on Upper Madakumbi Key with real estate number 00396950-00002000 and to establish a new sub area policy under objective 1-2.11 as legally described herein, providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of commerce and providing for an effective date upon the approval of
this ordinance by the state department of commerce. Tab 17 is an ordinance of Lamar Village, Florida, considering the request of Ty Harris, PA, agent for Lebanon Family LLP, to amend the official zoning map from native residential to neighborhood commercial for the subject property at 7680
overseas highway located on Upper Madakumbi Key with real estate number 0039-6950-00002000. That's legally described herein, providing for the transmitt of this ordinance to the state department of commerce and providing for an effective date upon the approval of this ordinance by the state department of commerce. And council, before we begin, if you can uh
please disclose any exparte communications you may have had on uh tabs on these tabs 16 and 17. >> Ty Harris. >> Sorry. Go ahead. I just had Ty. >> Okay. Sharon. >> No. >> Cheryl Coperson.
>> Uh Ty, >> you forgot me. Ty. Thank you again. Council Jennifer Deborri playing director for the village of Marada. Again, this is second reading for 76800 overseas highway for the uh ordinances
to amend the future land use map and the zoning map. You may recall um this is the abandoned tennis center down in lower Manacumbi. Um and they um are looking to go from uh the flum of residential conservation to mixed use and the zoning from native residential
to neighborhood commercial. uh you had previously approved this unanimously on first reading on July as well. Um they're also looking to do a um lower Madakumbi key mixeduse area 2 sub area
which will restrict the uses to public and private recreational uses and storage uses. Um this also was rendered to commerce after first reading. Um we did receive another objection letter on this um and and discussing this with the
applicant. Um the applicant has asked us to proceed on second reading. Um the applicant's representative and staff believe that commerce's objection regarding density is illfounded based on the fact that the sub area policy being proposed will limit the use to recre recreation which is the existing
abandoned use and storage. The proposal will prohibit any residential density on site and any large-scale redevelopment of the site. As you know, we have no residential building rights to be awarded and the existing res existing zoning requires the minimum 4 acres for residential development and the property
is just over three acres. It would not be developable under the current plum in zoning. So, at this time, um, we're asking to move forward on second reading. Um, and I don't have anything to add, but I'm here to answer questions if you would like. Good evening, Ty Harris. Again, I'm
going to not go back over my July presentation, but again, now we're we're having to deal with again an objection from commerce, which doesn't seem to be rooted in reality. Um, this is a use on property that was existing. The village
made it nonconforming uh when they came into existence and gave it a residential zoning when it was a a recreational commercial private club. So again, we're we're narrowly tailoring the uses in a
sub area to what it is recreation um private and public and also potential for storage if that contract falls through. So, you should be able to read through the lines that there is a contract for another recreational use,
but if it falls falls out, I want to make sure that they have at least a use of of some kind of passive storage if that doesn't go. And with that, I'm here to answer any questions. Um, and I'll sit down. >> Thank you, Ty.
>> Um, Jennifer, anything else from you? >> No, sir. >> Okay. Is there anybody here that's in favor of this proposal? >> I have no one signed up. >> Is there anyone here in opposition of this proposal? >> Yes,
>> Joe Wishmire. >> I'm going to make this quick. I've already said everything I had to say in the last one. The only thing I want to add is, you know, if you keep going against Department of Commerce, remember what happened? you you pissed them off
enough and there's going to be repercussions. So, I would just caution you about that as well. It happened in Marathon. I know you all know what happened down there. So, just keep that in mind. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe. >> There are no other speakers.
>> No other speakers. Council, >> any comment? Do I hear a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Do I hear a second? Oh, motion to approve tab. >> Oh, yes. >> 16. >> 16. Thank you.
>> Do a second. >> You want me to >> second? >> Very good. Morning. We got a motion, a second for tab 16. Will you call the role, please? >> Okay. Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes.
>> And Mayor Don Horton? >> Yes. >> That motion passes four to zero. Do I hear a motion on tab 17? >> I'll make a motion to approve tab 17. >> Thank you. >> Second. >> Look at that. Okay, I have a motion and a second. Call the role, please.
>> Okay. Council member Deb Gillis. >> Yes. >> Council member Anna Richards. >> Oh, >> Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney. >> Yes. >> And Mayor Don Horton. >> Yes. >> That motion passes 4 to zero. >> Thank you. All right. Is there anything
else for the good of the village? >> Well, then I get to do this.