e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e okay um we're missing gem got everybody else here for a roll call go around um can we get an approval the minutes I'll move approval of the minutes for December 7th January 18th and February 1st I'll second okay all in favor I we don't vote so we don't um we're not voting members just advisory you guys are is Staff asking for all these minutes to be signed is that you could do that okay no I know I'm just it was on here all right first item up is of course aaz can't talk um when to go to item do I have to read that whole procedure again no you just have to read Elise Elder deput County attorney you just need to read the title and the summary right there on the agenda last time I read it okay item number np-1 Brian and Oxanna Reeves for rezoning and r116 d002 uh do we have anybody so you need to ask if there's expart Communications for the board members that's I was fixed yep I'm on tell you I get it right by December go ahead I don't I do I do not okay all right saring the witnesses oh we have witnesses anybody giv I get an amen is the applicant going to testify anybody testifying on the project needs to come forward so if you're going to testify just stand up and raise your right hand please to be sworn in you swear or affirm evidence to truth the truth is the truth I do okay and there are no interveners so and then um the notice the applicant will turn in the notice when they come up okay great I'm John Senate senior planner with growth management I'm here to present the rezoning application for the property owned by Brian and Oxanna Reeves they're requesting to rezone from the current A1A agricultural District to the re1 12a residential estate District the property is located northwest of salero Road and Southwest of Highland Avenue in Stewart it's approximately 2.4 Acres it's currently undeveloped the property owners wish to develop a single family residence with customary accessory uses the existing future land use of the property and the surrounding properties to the north west and south is the state density 2ua designation the rural density future land use is present to the east of the property the existing zoning on the property and the surrounding properties to the west south and east is the A1A agricultural District which is a category C zoning District the Southwood residential PUD is located to the north of the property because the A1A because the current A1A zoning district is a category C zoning District this application is being processed as a mandatory rezoning to a category a district which implements the policies for the estate density to UPA future land use designation there's one standard zoning District that implements the estate density to UPA future land use designation which is the re1 12a residential estate District a new PUD zoning district is an additional option for applicants these are the development standards for the uh requested re 12a District minimum open space of 50% maximum Building height 30 ft front setback of 25 ft rear and sides 15 ft these are the conditions supporting the applicant's request for the re1 12a zoning District the existing future land use designation of estate density 2 UPA is consistent with re1 12a the existing single family residential and institutional uses in the area of the property is consistent with re1 12a and the existing Southwood single family residential PUD to the north of the property uh has overall density and lot sizes which are compatible with the requested re1 half district development review staff have found the Reeves resoning application to comply with all applicable regulations and the comprehensive growth management plan as detailed in the staff report staff recommends approving the request to rezone from A1A agricultural District to re1 12a residential estate District I'm here for any questions members any questions this is this is a mandatory reone correct that was your question don't do tooo many uh we well we have to hear from the applicant if they we just need them to turn in their notices and then if they don't have anything further you can call for a vote is any I don't think did you get the notices David notice John you can come up thank you very much only two of us bite you just have to get he got to figure out which ones and now introduce yourself sir uh good evening my name is uh Brian Reeds I'm the property owner uh I don't have anything uh additional to add I think uh John and the staff have presented uh the uh application as I'm satisfied with so uh if there's any questions or anything else that you all need from me ma Madam chair I'll make a motion to recommend approval okay we just need to call for public comment too thank you Mr re you may take a seat great thank you very much we have anybody from the public okay don't bum rush us okay um all in favor I I I okay so moved thank you members of the LPA thank you thank you John sorry had Brian there guys confus me okay next up is item N ph-2 Land Development regulations 24-2 solar energy facilities um the public hearing to consider a request to admin article 10 development review procedures section 10.2 c table 2.2 C1 thresholds for review Land Development regulations regarding solar energy facilities staff oh hi thank you chairman good evening members of the LPA I'm Pete Walden uh the deputy growth management director this is a legislative request to uh Rev article 10 development re review procedures it's uh regarding only solar energy facilities it's a requested by lcio and Associates on behalf of FPL okay any questions for Pete uh I'm still going oh you paused too long I'm sorry I'll I'll try and speed up the presentation talk a little faster please don't breathe during the process the lights will go out okay sorry got my work it out all right uh little background uh article 10 of development procedures was created in '96 was restructured in 2019 there's been a couple minor changes brought forward to the board since then uh also ordinance 1067 adopted uh criteria for solar facilities in uh article 3 that uh just a few things that are specific to those uses so the change is rather simple we already have a lot of uh industry uh development that is already classified as minor developments the main one is targeted Industries any uh development on a lot platted in an industrial site plan is considered a minor uh site plan review because of the fact that it's would already the parameters would be set in a platted uh industrial site um and the idea is to make uh life a little easier for targeted Industries to uh grow and prosper in the uh County and this is a similar vein uh solar energy facilities are are considered a targeted industry it's a green industry and uh with very minor implications to both the environment and the public uh the facilities are limited to 15 ft height for the solar panels they're only allowed on agricultural lands most of the land that are targeted for them are fallow agricultural lands that aren't in production so um there and the development parameters do not change by making it a minor development application the staff review is the same and all the criteria is the same the only thing that changes is that it doesn't need to go through the public hearing process where there has been very little or no actually no opposition to any of the solar Farms presented thus far so uh staff is in favor of the changes proposed and you could see the one uh solar energy facility is consistent with sections 310 that is the uh the few development criteria and I can show those to you if needed um they're pretty straightforward but uh that and all other site planning criteria has to be followed and um that concludes my presentation and uh staff recommends approval I'll wait for that next time that's okay does the board have any questions no not repeat okay applicant yes good evening for the record my name is Morris Kady senior partner with lone Associates and also 30y year member of the American Institute of certified planners here on behalf of FPL and just to give you a little bit of my history in 2018 I helped the county staff draft the regulations for solar facilities as they were becoming more more popular so we worked with fpnl and came up with criteria to make them uh uh consistently reviewed and approved um by staff and luckily I've been able to actually process several applications for solar facilities under the guidelines in the current code and we've had no opposition no issues with surrounding property owners and we have had a couple of projects that were approved or at least one project approved adjacent to a residential development in in India in town and some other projects um they're very compatible with with adjacent agricultural areas um and again all of the requirements from Wetland protection uh to height and everything else are all managed by way of the regulations in the code so um this is just trying to cut the procedure a little bit shorter to make it more efficient for staff's review and also for the applicant and get these things online as quickly as possible um but because there's a couple board members here that weren't here when the regulations were adopted and these projects were approved I'm going to have uh will um saak with um with FPL come over come up and just give you an overview of some of the facilities that have been built in Martin County thank you thank you Morris uh I am will sabak from Florida Power and Light good evening and and thank you Peter and and the rest of staff for for helping plan and and present our proposal this evening as Morris said uh the purpose of this is to a very high level overview of the currently operational facilities that we have in Martin County and um if you could hit scroll sure you can do it there you go grab it great so just a a very very high level overview Florida Power and Light currently serves right around 100,000 customers here in Martin County um and and we do so with the assistance of these three solar energy centers that you see Sweet Bay Monarch and white tail ladder of the two Monarch and white tail just came online and are now operation as the first of this year in 2024 so those are our newer facilities and then the the site that moris reference that we really like to Showcase that was adjacent to or is adjacent to residential neighbors is Sweet Bay solar and if I go to this next slide here you can really see how the site meanders and works with the land and doesn't just take up a a unified footprint but rather one that is consistent with the purpose of the land and it works its way around wetlands and and we do do what we can to buffer the neighbors uh according to the code so we we we really really like this site and this picture you know paints a great story of of how we like to be you know one with the land here in Martin County and then across the state as well another great example of how Monarch solar and white tail solar are very very low profile very clean and consistent with the environment that that they're placed in and and this is something that that we really really like to talk about as well you can see some great Wildlife photos here even down in Southwest Florida we have um instances where Panthers are able to Traverse our site so there it's it's not blocking them from from their natural path and the natural habitat that they're in but it's just a great Showcase of how we look at what we do and and try to not be too disruptive for the environment in which we we placed these energy facilities and since day one we've been great partners with Martin County County and I think that speaks to uh what we can do and and how we can continue to be great neighbors these energy facilities are clean they're environmental environmentally friendly and all while trying to keep you know Florida residence bills as as low as possible so very high level quick overview but happy to answer any additional questions about solar board members I well I do have a question just going to lower my bill I didn't see that in one of the characteristics there so I'm just curious teasing cuz you can't answer that question you have any I'm good good okay no question but Soap Box can we go soap boox for a little bit Yeah cuz I I mean I'm com we don't take public com is there public comment okay again no bub machine you're good to go well go ahead yeah this is this is a soap box and I I don't know what it's worth but I just find it really just this wrong that we had people that want to change the zoning that's a mandatory zoning they had to show up here tonight and and now we're got a multi-billion dollar company that they're asking us to change the rules to make it easier on them I find that distasteful so and then the whole thing was solar I you know you made that this fow ground that you're buying all of it you bought has been producing something I mean there was cows there one of them that you've bought recently is had sod and cane and vegetables and sweet corn and and so I'm just not a favor of solar I mean if you're going to do something especially with a piece you bought on 76 you got Lake okobi and you got a big Canal that we want to get rid of that water put a n plant there I mean nuke is a whole lot better than a solar farm and and I and I and I look at these and I hate them I just hate a solar farm it's just nonproductive taking away ground that we can farm and feed people and and this there's no future and and if it wasn't for government subsidies and I don't if there's subsidies or tax breaks they wouldn't work you know they wouldn't pay so you know this is soap box but I I just can't support it I just I just don't like the idea that these these this young couple came in we don't make it easier on them but now and I and I love FPL you're great service I agree with all that I've been an FPL customer for all my life and so that's not what I'm saying I'm not attacking FPL okay don't take it personal it's a good company my my son's father-in-law worked there for a long time and really loves it but to me if we're going to make it easy on a multi-billion multi-billion dollar company we sure ought to be able to do it for the regular Citizen and I just have a problem with it my apologies but you got me you got me on a soap box and I just couldn't stand now we appreciate your comments and opinion thank you very much but really what you bought on 76 that'd be a great spot for a nuk plant I think Rick and I will have been deceased by the time you get your okays to put it afraid well that might be true but you know we can suck all the water out of c44 and circulate it and clean it and make it better than it is you know when it gets to the to the river so think about it I mean did you need a new team member nothing I didn't volunteer you for anything uh Madam chair yes I disagree with what Rick said about FPL and about solar and everything else however I do agree that once we start we and we have started but when we take the transparency out of what we do and it takes about 10 minutes to get approval it takes you much longer to go through everything but you have to go through it anyways so I you know who knows if someone from the public would ever make a make a complaint and come in here when we do have a solar farm or go to the commission I think they have a right to come in and to know that they that they will be heard so unless we're going to do everything as a form-based code I don't like it when we just do certain things so I cannot support this either okay looking at you I'm just going to wimp out to so down here I I actually like solar so um I don't I don't want one in my backyard but we do have to do something I'm not a huge fan of of power plants um I had a brother-in-law that worked in one and watch the demise of it up in Massachusetts so I don't like having a nuclear reactor in my neighborhood but so I would support it the only thing I'm going to say Bob it's not whether we support it because I know I voted for these these type plants solar Fields so I don't have anything wrong with it I just think that people should have the right to come in and address this board and address rest the commission when we're going to alter the land if they are neighbors to it I don't that's the that's my reason not not because I'm against it I I think it's a great thing solar power I agree with you I'd rather have solar than almost anything else so but I just feel that we shouldn't take it out of the public realm and that's my objection well then fundamentally you know we know we're going to have to increase our food supply by 50% by the year 2050 we're already a net importer of food and the ground that we're putting solar Farms on and this is not just Florida this is the Midwest Indiana Illinois I mean it it's just it's scary it this is good ground I mean they're not putting this on ground this could amend it you know sorry stuff it's it's on good ground and where are we going to Fig commissioner we pass it on Tuesday all right right no soap box I apologize that's okay we take can we take your soap box away so is there a motion right now there's not well there could be a motion to deny there could be a motion to deny recommending approval or right so somebody all right I'll make a motion to approve it okay that's going to die unless there's a second but um Miss Norton you could pass the gavl and second it or it can die and then maybe someone else make the the opposite motion is there a second okay second do you want a second we gotta pass you have to then Tom has to take M yeah Mr campany would take over the public hearing if you're going to second okay okay second is there any public comment on the motion seeing none all in favor I I opposed opposed so it it does not pass power of the gavel you want to next I think it's neutral neutral it doesn't pass so the motion doesn't pass so there's no recommendation to the board because you're deadlocked basically we don't yeah I know it's okay Morris don't worry about it Tuesday's com no I mean it's just that there's no other choice I mean we have to go with a neutral recommendation yeah because I think the conver would have been true too would you like I mean you like if you a recommend denial it had the same outcomes right it it's happened before it's just there's no recommendation to the board okay board off the hook no it doesn't thank you very much all being recorded okay um right now I know your husband's watching it no I'm not married just like to let the board know that we do have a couple items for the June 6th LPA meeting uh like to Canvas the board real quick to make sure that we're going to have a quorum on June 6 no I will not be there Tom anybody else know that available not that quick okay oh Harold got me to sit up here John June 6 you said June 6th yeah I already have it on my calendar I'm good and I got my calendar in the truck I don't know how to do it on my phone so I'll get back to you okay very good there's staff has has nothing else for the evening I will be here yes well great thank you he obviously we don't have any more public comments are they going to be contentious excuse me they going be contentious I don't know you should check your special email and read the agenda all right um with nothing board any other final comments or anything members gentlemen make a motion to okay a second all right in favor just get out of you are dismissed