You're on. >> Good morning and welcome to our last meeting of 2025. Uh please join us for a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance which is going to be led this morning by John Sparogi. Thank you.
>> I pledge allegiance 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. >> [clears throat] >> Let's see. [cough] May I have a motion
to approve the agenda? I'll move approval of the agenda. >> Second. >> There's a motion in a second. Any opposition? That motion passes unanimously. We're now going to uh accept public comment. The first request to speak form I have is from Jeff order
[clears throat] followed by Diane Curelli. Good morning. >> Morning. Anyone else who would like to speak to us, please fill out a request to speak form and send it to the baiff. >> Good morning and happy new year everybody. >> Happy new year. >> The airport has not I have uh written uh
which will keep me within the three minutes. The airport has not done any audio testing of the surrounding neighborhood areas since the golf course renovations. Trees and plants were removed from the areas bordering both the runways and the golf course. The airport is not in compliance with the FAA's mandatory 65dBDNL,
which is a formula of noise levels in the surrounding neighborhoods. The current VCAP proposal will only exasperate this problem further. I have an easy and affordable solution to this issue. My name is Jeff Order, a retired audio engineer. I own a home along the golf course and a home a mile away from
the end of the runway on the waterfront. Since the golf course renovations were done, the sound levels have exploded, and we now hear everything on the runway. The VCAP calls for additional areas of trees and vegetation to be eliminated and replaced with buildings. These buildings have hard surfaces and
will reflect audio waves across the open golf course and cause massive sound dB level increases for all of the surrounding neighborhoods. The World Health Organization states extended exposure to noise can raise blood pressure, cause sleep disruptions, cause
hearing loss, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A properly planted natural barrier can reduce the sound levels by more than 40%. The FAA recognizes the value of a natural tree and vegetation screen, stating, "The noise attenuation qualities of tree and
vegetation screens result from their ability to absorb and diffuse sound waves." When I proposed a natural barrier to the airport, they said it was the golf course's responsibility. And when I spoke to the golf course, they said it was the airport's responsibility. It is up to this commission to implement this idea
because the airport and golf course do not have the incentive and will not spend the monies necessary. A 20 foot wide border consisting of planning of Clusia and Potacarpus will be an effective way to reduce the current impact of the surge of audio levels and
somewhat reduce the audio level increase of the proposed buildings. The combination of Cludius and Pedacarpus is droughtresistant, effective, and can already be seen on the golf course between the driving range and the restaurant. Additionally, these plants do not require maintenance and will only
grow to a maximum of 20 ft high, which will not impact airport activities. I'm leaving with a commission a copy of some of my research, including satellite images showing the decrease in vegetation and the golf course renovations. Please find the monies from
the increase in revenue that the county will receive to properly protect the surrounding neighborhoods of the airport. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Diane Cigarelli is next and that's the last request to speak form I have. If you would like to address us, please fill out a request to speak form and get
it to the baiff. Thank you. >> I appreciate all his research and all I can say is I live on Parakeet Lane and the planes since they've expanded the airport. I have a swimming pool. I can't swim in my pool. I can't have any backyard parties. I can do nothing
because every 3 to five minutes a jumbo jet is almost I could reach it if I was a little bit taller comes down with their landing gear over my pool and I just don't think it's fair. I have
completedly comp continually complained and nobody's done anything about it. Miraculously this week it seems like the jets are going out instead of coming in over my pole which is much nicer. Um, I don't think I have emphyma. I don't
think that the exhaust fumes from those planes have done me any good. And I would appreciate if they take the community at large opinion of the impact that it does on their property values. I spent $25,000 on windows, but that
doesn't help my yard at all. I have no access to my yard or my pool because of this crazy 3 to five minute jumbo jets flying over my yard anyway. So, I really do think that somebody needs to be looking into the health and safety as he
stated of the neighbors. Thank you. >> Thank you. Commissioner comments. Commissioner Heatherington. >> I'm all set for today. Thank you. Commissioner Campy, >> I thought the suggestion of putting additional bushes made perfect sense. I
would put them on the golf course side. Probably easier for us to control what we do on the golf course side than trying to figure it out on the other side of the fence at the airport. But if it's as simple as this gentleman who's obviously a professional in that field feels, I think uh it it definitely
warrants us looking into it. Thank you. >> There are plans of foot to do just that. >> Then good for you, sir. Commissioner Caps, >> just happy new year to all >> and Commissioner Vargas. >> Almost there at the new year. Yeah, exactly. Um, I agree that we need to
have some remediation from the noise. Um, I don't live near there, but I sure do hear them in the distance. And they are big planes, big big planes coming in. So, who who can look into that? Um, because we say we look into that. Who
might be that person to do that? >> Mr. Donaldson. Well, as stated, we would work with our airport on making sure that it complies and uh and on the golf course, we would work with our parks department on um proper location and
vegetation type. >> Okay. So, they can start looking into that. Yes. Now, all right. >> Anything else? Let's take up department one, approval of voluntary corrective action plan for Martin County Airport
with field. Mr. McBine and Mr. Stokus. Good morning, commissioners. >> Good morning. >> Morning, Madam Chair. [clears throat] So, commissioners, this item uh that's before you here concerns the airport's voluntary corrective action plan um as a
result of a uh 14 CFR part 13 complaint, which is an informal complaint process uh whereby the Federal Aviation Administration uh aims to help the airport to resolve uh an issue brought to them from someone that has filed that complaint. Uh a little bit of the
history on that complaint, commissioners. So the airport issued a RFP u back in 2023 in October of 2023. Uh shortly thereafter um a federal complaint was filed. That's the part 13 complaint. Um alleging a number of
different things uh in that complaint. Um and uh we're now at the process where the airport and this body needs to submit what's called a voluntary corrective action plan to the Federal Aviation Administration to outline how the airport intends to comply uh with
the findings of that uh part 13 complaint. Uh Commissioner um also to inform you there's a separate part 16 complaint that's pending uh but that is a separate issue. Um the matter before you today is to review and uh comment on and approve the proposed corrective
action plan. >> Any questions? Commissioner Vargas, >> how did this start? I know that we had a discussion and I think I told both of you get this matter resolved and we're now here where the FAA, a governmental authority
is dictating to us how we need to behave with the airport. I'm very familiar with the parties here and I understand that as required it must be aeronautical use,
not non-eronautical use. But this is what you said to the other party who has brought this complaint forward. You don't have the proper use. However, the entity I think it's daher air,
they are the ones that do not have aeronautical use also. Isn't this correct? So, Commissioner, this started, as I mentioned, from the the October 22nd uh 2023 RFP process uh when one of those parties filed a complaint against
the airport alleging um uh non-eronautical use of airport property. However, the lease that Dahare uh has presented and this this commission has signed outlines for the full transition of uh aeronautical use for airport properties. >> Yes, but it's not happening now.
>> They are going through the process, Commissioner. They've already invested, I think, some $2 million towards that transition to aeronautical use. >> That's fine. But the point is they're not doing it now. And this is what the complainant is saying. >> The commissioners, we have a number of uses on the airport, including our
public works facility that have not had non-aronautical uses. Um, this particular item has pushed that, I guess, that issue in terms of FAA's consideration to the forefront. um and uh um and requires us to look at not
really not just the dare but how how we are handling other areas of the airport. Of course, we have a plan to move public works off the facility and um and we've had leases of other um non-eronautical uses throughout the past. I think the
the FAA is looking for us to have a more formal um in our procurement process um to um and how we evaluate non-airnautical uses. You can have non-airronautical uses at the airport. It's just um it has to be done uh in
accordance with FAA uh as a partner and how we plan the airport. uh and they're specifically in this particular proposal is to um outline a process where we're on the same page with FAA um moving forward.
>> Yeah, I understand all of that, Mr. Donaldson. I do, but I had lengthy discussions with both of them and I think it was um I don't think it was taken seriously and then the next thing I know we have these two complaints
or the complaint and then we have the two filings here the 14 part 13 and 16. Um, this puts us in a terrible position, terrible position that we shouldn't be in. And and there is there are people that are to blame for this. And I' I've
expressed this to Mr. Donaldson and to Miss Elder also. I'm not letting this go. >> Commissioners, this is like uh all federal agencies that I'm familiar with. The FAA is really, really heavy on procedure >> and this is procedural. And I don't
think that this is the place. We're not going to negotiate a settlement here. That's not the purpose of the agenda item today. It's to introduce the steps that will be taken in order to resolve this and we will we take them very
seriously and we will uh uh uh negotiate a settlement properly with the FAA but it's not going to be done here. >> I understand that. But I do want to make that comment. I'm very familiar with this. Very familiar. And I I think that
because there wasn't supervision, we have been brought to this point today. I'm fine about coming in because I work with for my voters and constituents, but we should never be put in this position. Ever, ever, ever, never. And it's not
for one or two or three people to make that decision that they're going to go along this tack. And now we have a complaint. And the complaintant came to visit me also. So, I'm very familiar with everything. Um, I understand what we're doing here today is to say, "Okay, we're going to submit
this particular action, corrective action for the FAA." And, um, but there's more to this. This is not the end. This is not the end. I I want both of you to realize that any >> and from legal also.
>> Any for Commissioner Campy? Yes, I understand we have a situation that as our chair just said, we will work through the details. But I just want to state again publicly that I have the utmost confidence and respect and value for [snorts] the two gentlemen
that are sitting here. Our airport is run exceedingly well. We got into a situation after decades of uh operating the airport. Uh I remember hearing about how these decisions were made. Uh I feel that at the time they seemed
appropriate. FAA, as the chairman said, is a federal agency that's very complicated. There's a lot of moving parts to it. Um, I think that the process is important that we go through, but I just wanted to publicly state that these gentlemen started with Mr. Stokus
and then uh afterwards with Mr. Mcpeen. It's the airport is unwieldy. There's a lot of moving parts. As Mr. Donaldson said, "We have had our very much a non-avviation related uh business out on the airport, which was our maintenance facility."
And to say that um it needs to be handled immediately. We understand that in government, the word immediately doesn't really come up that often. Uh we move at the speed of government. These gentlemen have said that the hair has already started a process of creating
the needs that would be necessary just to move the maintenance that we've been talking about as long as I've been sitting up here and probably for 25 years. We are just now getting close to getting them off the airport property, which is what the FAA has requested of
us. Luckily, the government entities at the federal level understand that things do take a while. I would be disappointed if these gentlemen said that nothing has taken place but obviously behind the scenes uh even up until this moment
things are happening. So I think that uh the decision that was made at the time with regards to leases um could have gone either way. I guess there was a lot of different ways that things can happen. I don't think that
the way that it did take place uh obviously there's frustration and uh disagreements on from different parties on how it was handled. We'll get to the bottom of it. We will resolve it. Uh I'm hopeful and confident that we will resolve it so that each of the parties,
all of the parties will come out intact and with something that they can be um happy with. And um but but in terms of how the airport has been run in in its multifacets, I'm perfectly comfortable and confident with the professionalism
that these two gentlemen have shown and our staff. Thank you, >> Mr. Vargas. >> Okay. Uh that was a long explanation of a lot that's already been talked about. I'm not confident and I'm not comfortable at all. Not at all. And I've had people calling me about this.
They're very angry about this. >> [clears throat] >> I mean, we hire people that are paid handsomely to run an airport and then just to say, "Well, you know, uh, they're they're wonderful. We may be wonderful people, but this is your job."
I'm not letting this go. Commissioners, I have uh um had experience uh being the board's liaison with the FAA in the past. Um I was the commissioner who um helped negotiate the
uh airport boundary back in about 2004 or something like that. So I would ask your indulgence to once again be the board's liaison with the FAA because this will be a formal uh process.
>> I'd make a motion that Commissioner Commissioner be our formal official liaison on behalf of the board. >> Second. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? I opposed. That motion passes unanimously. Mr. Mcrist.
>> I hate it when you get me off the couch. >> You were standing. I saw you, Mr. >> Not about 10 minutes ago. Hey, [clears throat] uh, you know, it's almost new year and but I'm reminded what my daughter always told me that she learned on the golf
course. That is, uh, hope is a four-letter word. But still, I am hopeful that this commission will recognize that you are local leaders. You need to represent the people that live in Martin
County. >> [snorts] >> May I remind you that runway 1230 was illegally extended in order to allow the finest of people
land and take off with their full tanks of gas in their everinccreasing jet size little taxis that they use globally. As you remember, Mike Boon was one step ahead of us every time,
like he'd done this before a hundred times. And then his first appointment, George Stokus, I'm sorry. Again, I'm hopeful that you recognize who you work for, okay? [snorts] Do you
work for the people of Martin County? Or do you work for the same globalist scumbags and the people that represent them that turn the center of our town into a dirty, filthy pit stop for these said
globalist scumbags? These same people have ruined everywhere they've been to, including down south. There's not enough water for their golf courses out west anymore. So Martin County is their gem now.
Okay. Are we proud of catering to these people? Are we proud of not standing up for the locals against whoever they are against the state and against the feds? I'm hopeful that you will start looking
in the mirror and recognize. As my grandfather told me, Frankie, he'd say, a rich man has about as much chance of getting into heaven as a camel has getting through the eye of a needle.
And the other great man who formed me when I was a young teenager, my offensive line coach for three years, a giant black man whose voice could make your hair stand up at 80 yards. He would say, "Men, at
the end of every practice, men, remember, you've got to look at yourself first in the mirror every morning. Keep as much non-avviation, nonjet traffic >> stuff on the airport as you can at all times. Thank you.
>> You [applause] would anyone else like to address this? Do we need to take any further action >> to approve the agenda item, please? >> We need to approve the BCAP for submission to the FAA. >> I'll move approval of the VCAP.
I think there's someone else to speak. >> No, it's the same one. >> Second. >> There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? I >> opposed. >> That motion passes unanimously. Any further instruction? >> No. That that covers.
>> Any further comments? We are adjourned. Happy New Year everybody. Thank you, Commissioner.