any given day is you just never know what's going to happen because >> it's not a routine. It's not like you have and I'm I'm not trying to detract from what it is that you do, but I think it's similar in that you have a bit of a routine, you know, you have an agenda and you have stuff that you put and set
aside. >> Absolutely. >> To work on some long-term, some short term. Ours is at the is at the whim of life, >> right? >> We we are uh at the mercy of the radio. um whatever situation arises, no two are
ever the same. Um so we never know how busy it's going to be or how slow it's going to be. >> At the time of 9/11, he was working as a police officer in New York. It was that training and experience as a volunteer fireman that saved me from
some serious harm on on the days of the day of and the time after >> well >> 911. Um I learned real fast. I mean within minutes I was like this is not a cop job, >> right? Wow. >> Um this is this is definitely a
firematic event. >> Yes. Um and then I just switch my hats as I had indicated before in conversation with whatever the situation that is presented before you. You >> you rise to that level and you use what
tools you have to fix the situation. >> I'm sure there's no textbook or training that could have truly prepared you for that type of an event. having three in one and the >> indirectly the location the location is >> indirectly it's the firematic training
is very very intensive and they they train you for all of that >> but you never really anticipate all of that occurring all at the same time. >> Yeah, a large part of patrol work comes down to observation and situational awareness. >> We're looking for the stuff that doesn't fit. We're not looking to our left or
right anymore because we've just passed it, >> right? >> We're looking for the things that are way ahead of us, >> okay? Beyond the pickup truck, we're looking further up to see what it is that's happening that is >> not normal behavior, the stuff that doesn't fit. >> Okay. The focus is on keeping people
safe and preventing problems before they escalate. >> But for the average person, >> I like that >> our desire is to make sure that you have the comfort and safety in knowing that the people around you are driving in the
same manner or fashion as well. And we're just the guardians of that. >> You're doing your job. >> Yeah. You know, just making sure that everybody plays nice together. We put on a bunch of miles and we spend what, an hour and a half, two hours together. >> Yeah, that's right.
>> And in two hours of driving through the city, everyone was within the compliance of the speed. >> You know what? I think I'll take that. That's a victory, >> right? >> Yeah. I agree. Good perspective. Thank you, Northport Police Department. I want to thank you
for having me today. Uh Kelly from dispatch, she was awesome. Officer Andahar, he was great. What I learned today was that it takes about a year's worth of training in order for them to get ready to be on their own in dispatch. It is a super hard job with a lot of super technical points to it. I
will see you on the next job. Hi, Jerome Fletcher, city manager, Northport, Florida. I'm here at the Southwest Water Treatment Plant today on the job. Let's go. The sound of water, calm, simple. Getting it there, that's a different
story. The process starts far below the surface. Every step pulls out something different. All to keep the water clean, safe, and consistent. >> So, we don't have to add anything extra. Then it goes out into the system and people use it.
>> Well, thank you for that information. And the fact that we don't add anything like fluoride into our water is important people to know. >> No, we do not. Everything that comes out of here is soft water. You don't need an uh water softener. >> Oh yes.
>> So that's the beauty of RO. And it's just like drinking out of a uh bottle >> and making sure it stays that way. That's where testing comes in. This is a representative sample of what we have in our clear
wells. That way it's always it's a fresh sample. >> Good morning. Today is Tuesday, July 21st, 2026. It's 10:00 a.m. We're in the city chambers and I call the city commission regular meeting to order. Commissioners present are Commissioner
Jabal, Commissioner Stokes, Mayor Emerich, Vice Mayor Langden, and Commissioner Pro. There is a quorum present for this meeting. Also present are city manager Fletcher, city attorney Fino, city clerk Fost, board specialist Linder, and we have Deputy Chief uh
Morales in the back. Um I am requesting that all commissioners, public participants, and staff maintain order and decorum throughout this meeting. City Commission policy 2021-03 states that attendees shall refrain from
engaging in personal attacks in boisterous, immaterial, inflammatory, obscene, profane, or disorderly conduct. Additionally, meeting attendees must refrain from obscene, profane, or disorderly conduct, including hand
clapping, yelling, and similar demonstrations. All of which disturbs the peace in good order of the meeting. Thank you. I'm going to call on Miss Boss to lead us in the pledge this morning. Please to the stands one nation under God,
indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, ma'am. I'm going to request a motion to approve the agenda. So move. >> Second. >> Have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Stokes, seconded by Vice Mayor Langden. There's nothing to that.
Please vote. That passes 5 to zero. City clerk public comment. My name is David Mening. I am a resident in Northport. I'm in the Sky View area. This is my phone number is 9 8032807975.
This is in regards to city com commission regular meeting uh 7:2126 at 10:00 a.m. Item number 26-911 staff summary item 26-985 in regards to a data center moratorium.
My comment is I do not support data centers in Northport at at all. They are not good for the environment. They are not good for any homeowner and waters or property taxes
or anything. I do not support data centers in Rock Hill. I mean I do not support data centers in Northport, Florida. Thank you. Cheryl Cook. I would like to address ordinance number 2026-15 and the creation of the activity center 6 and10
infrastructure district. My concern is that the city is being asked to establish a new governmental and financing structure before the public knows the full scope of the infrastructure needs, the total cost, the assessment methodology, or the long-term financial obligations. The agenda materials state that the city
anticipates costs for infrastructure planning, consultant services, assessment studies, and ongoing district administration. While some of these costs may eventually be reimbursed through future assessments, those commitments are still being made before the public has a complete understanding of the financial impact. Creating a
special district and authorizing a future assessment process should come after the necessary studies have been completed, not before. The infrastructure master plan and assessment methodology and benefit study should inform the decision. This commission has emphasized the importance
of fiscal responsibility. Fiscal responsibility means knowing the costs, risk, and obligation before creating a mechanism that could impact future taxpayers and property owners. I respectfully request that the commission slow this process down, complete the necessary due diligence, and provide the
public with a full understanding of the financial commitments before moving forward. Christine Wilkins. Good morning, commissioners. Currently, there are over 5,400 data centers nationwide. By now, you are aware of the harm it will cause our wildlife, trees, and humans with
stripping the lands, draining our aquifers, we're in a drought, and substantially increasing our electricity. Has any considered that it would also make us a military target? The noise and water pollution have ramifications that would last for lifetimes. PFOS chemicals. The data
centers receive tax breaks, but what do the citizens of Northport receive? Lowered home values. I have lived in Northport for eight years. In 2023, I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, so I take my health very seriously. I have read about tonal vibrations that extend
for miles from the data centers. They cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, etc. It is something you are advocating for the citizens of Northport. How do those vibrations affect the wildlife and protect species? How about the many windows in my neighborhood? There are
five in my fourb block radius. Do you think they can shoulder the insane monthly electricity bill increases? Some of them are barely getting by from their homeowners taxes. I noticed that this planning was all done in secret with no transparency and with an NDA. How do you
think this makes the citizens of Northport feel knowing that we're potentially being sold out in secret? I hope you're prepared to think about all of us, the people and wildlife in the city. We the people elected you to make the best decisions for us in our best interest. We are telling you no. We do not want the want a data center. I'm
praying that you will all make the best decision. Thank you for your time. In person, I have Pam Tokars followed by Tim Richie and Robin Sanente. Good morning. I'm going to address uh the amount of jobs that data centers create because I
know that's a big concern with a lot of people going out of town to work. The amount of jobs that data center creates based on the size of the data center. The bigger data centers don't really use a lot of employees because they use AI
to help run those data centers. So anything from I believe 100 megawws up to a thousand megawws you have to take and I went on the high side.3 people times the uh megaww. So, if
you're going to do a I'm going to write in the middle, a 5 thou, excuse me, 500 megawatt facility, which is the second one down, it's really going to only create 150 jobs. Or some place like Northport, it might go down to a 100 megawatt, that would be 30 jobs. And if
you go down to a 20 megawatt one, the smaller ones use more people because they don't usually use AI to support their operation. And so you're looking at about um six jobs per megawatt. And unfortunately
I did not multiply that out. So but we need to look at the bigger picture. If you do decide to bring I know this is just a moratorum discussion but in the future if we do move forward with AI and also across the country you need to think about the bigger picture with the
ramific ramifications that AI will bring to the country. AI is going to be good for everyone. I don't know. It might be. It might not. But as more and more people integrate AI into their operations, I know city manager Fletcher had mentioned that they were going to
look at uh AI to help with some of the streamlining with uh city operations. You already have self-driving cars. You've got in the bigger cities little robots that deliver. So now if you got self-driving cars, you're going to start to eliminate jobs. As this AI comes
around and develops, now we're looking at people like me, you, everyone here. What are we going to do for work? We're not going to do anything. So now you think you're bringing more jobs. All the people that have small businesses here, they're going to start to lose customers. Then they're going to
disappear. You're going to start to have people not be able to support a household anymore. Now your tax base is going to start to go down. So when we look when we go forward, if you decide to put a moratorum on and we study some of these issues because I know there's some other people here that are subject
matter experts in other items, you need to include the community going forward in your discussions with what you decide. And then you also need to know if you decide to put data centers in and you start giving the citizens um water restrictions, good luck with
them following it. Because if there's a data center and you're using water for that, I'm using water, too. Thank you, >> Tim Richie. Well, good morning everybody. How are you doing today? It's been a while since I've been up to uh the city of Northport
and I'm sure uh Miss Jill Luke is watching. So, good morning Miss Jill. Good morning, Alice and Debbie. You know, we have a real problem from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor.
We have Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor. We have the Alifire River, the Little Manatee, the Manatee, the Maka and Peace River. Every day those rivers have millions of
gallons daily of blended acidic chemically ladden waste water discharged into each one of those rivers from outfalls. An FD issues the NPDES permit that
allows for this. Mosaic has one water permit, just an example, 70 million gallons. Maximum capacity 87 million. This is Mosaic South Fort me. This is on
the other side of the Peace River where Shell Creek is. This here is Mosaic Ona. Now, I'm here telling you about Mosaic because I haven't been up here for a
while. City of Northport did a great thing when you guys banned phosphate mining. You also banned fracking. That was when Jill Luke was on this board. Debbie McDow. I have to share this with you. We are in
a serious water crisis in the state of Florida. SwiftMUD just extended the phase three till October. It's not that we need a moratorum on these data centers. We need a permanent
ban. City of Pontagora, Charlotte County, Dotto County, Fort Me, Pulk, Hardy, Manity, the entire
area must have a complete ban on data centers. You know what they're really talking about to power these now? Do any of you want a nuclear reactor in your city?
They have too many great unknowns. Just like with Mosaic, they self-govern. They self-monitor. I'm looking forward to speaking again on the data center. Thank you very much. We need to protect our water.
Robin Same followed by Chuck English and Samuel Turping. >> Good morning all. First, I just want to thank you for having this discussion. It is definitely needed and it's overdue. Uh I'm going to start reading from what I've prepared so I don't get distracted.
uh so I would first want to look at the definition of a data center which actually contains the IT infrastructure for storing processing distributing data and the running and the shared distributed applications and services they can be anything from a dedicated
space with a building or within a building dedicated building or for the large-scale data centers multi-building campuses the current technological environment along with the digital economy boon we are in the need for processing all of this information,
which means kind of we're going to fall subject to this particular type of um industry. I've decided to take another approach on my general public comment because there is factual scientific supporting data on the amount of natural resources it takes, the associated
health risk, disruptions to our bodies, quality of life, and our right to quiet enjoyment issues. The fragmentation of our natural environment, the pollution and climate change elements, and the health disruptions to our wildlife. The situation we find ourselves in now
reminds me of the explosion of the industrial revolution that took place when we allowed and we knew before what we were getting into and the harmful repercussions of a lot of those industries that were also blanket under a category in order to cloak and hide
it. It is the same thing with the technology explosion. They too are masked and cloaked under several types of categories to circumvent public scrutiny. And to this day, we still do not have all the information necessary to properly regulate, safeguard ourselves, the environment, and
wildlife. Therefore, it is extremely important that we take the time to accurately assess all of the data required to implement proper citywide protocols, guidelines in the name of public health and safety. In the attachments to the uh forthcoming agenda
item, you referenced Florida Senate Bill 180. And in reviewing it this bill, it is imperative that we institute a moratorum now because the provisions become effective one year after a hurricane makes landfall. That is kind of leaving the door open for anything to
walk into our development and planning and building department today or tomorrow. And we're in the middle of hurricane season. Another attachment is Florida Senate Bill 484, which has many provisions in it, some good, some bad, but especially the ang the language used
in the reclaimed water usage that really needs to be uh changed. The bill does however specify that local governments maintain authority to exercise power and responsibility over comprehensive planning and land development regulations relating to large load
customers. This must all be taken into consideration as well. I'm going to end it with my question. If we could do the timeline of instituting an ordinance because of that, I would respectfully ask the city attorney.
>> Okay, it's coming back then. Thank you. >> Good morning. I hope you all have a blessed day. The Tim and Robin pretty much summed up a lot of what I was going to say, but I think it's going to be something
that's bothered me for a long time is the fact uh city staff who are outstanding by the way are considered the only subject matter experts within our community. I believe
today you'll find out there are many many more that are concerned you know and and then I keep hearing this vocal minority
stuff right yeah those people are very concerned or they wouldn't be a vocal minority they're concerned for the people who not pay attention who do not understand the impact of
issues that come before you and today I think you pretty much will gain a significant amount of wisdom as it relates to the concerns about data centers. Thank you Samuel. Good morning. My name is Samuel
Turpening, mayor commissioners board. Since this is my first meeting to address this critical issue, I am standing here to ensure this B board establishes an ironclad foundation of factual reality right from day one. If you look across the United States, local
communities are being severely strained by the data center industry. Northport does not need to sit back and react defensively. You have the structural power to solve this issue before it ever impacts our community. Our American electric grid carries a deepless rating.
It is already under immense stress. Right now, in the heat of the summer, regular citizens face rolling blackouts because the grid is pushed to its absolute limits. We simply do not have the surplus power to hand over to the high density server complexes. We also do not have the water. Look at the
recent Dodto testimony right in our own backyard. Lifelong born and raised Florida residents are on the official record stating they have never seen the Peace River as catastrophically low as it is today. Our regional water table is facing unprecedented strain and allowing
massive industrial consumers to withdraw millions of gallons more from our ground is a physical impossibility. This is exact vulnerability is why our communities need true citizen engagement, not passive observation. We need a diligent public independent
citizens standing collectively to expose facts, protect public resources, and demand structural accountability. When regular people unite to protect their local water supplies and infrastructure from corporate deception, the collective voice of the community becomes
unassailable. Further, under federal national security mandate executive order 13920, it is illegal to connect high voltage grid equipment manufactured by foreign adversaries, specifically the People's Republic of China, to our bulk power system. The domestic American
supply chain for these massive transformers is completely bottlenecked with lead time stretching past four years. There are currently zero compliant domestic manufacturers who can deliver these parts on the speculative timeline. developers build this infrastructure without risking a
violation of federal national security laws or relying on compromised foreign hardware. The state of Florida hands a regulatory hammer directly to this board. Senate Bill 484 explicitly preserves your supreme municipal land use authority over large utility
consumers. If you act firmly at this very first meeting to pass a permanent zoning exclusion banning these highintensity data centers before any formal permit applications are filed, you completely neutralize the Bert Harris Act. The developers will have
zero vested rights, zero existing use and absolutely zero footing to sue the city. I urge this commission on not to rely on a temporary moratorum loop that leaves our future uncertain and keeps the corporate back door cracked open. uses explicit legal tools the state has
already granted you protect our grid protect our water table and pass a preemptive municipal zoning ban now. Thank you. >> All right, announcements. The current vacancies for the following boards and committees include the art advisory board, auditor selection
committee, charter review advisory board, citizen tax oversight committee, community economic economic development advisory board, environmental advisory board, historic and cultural advisory board, joint management advisory board, parks and recreation advisory board, and the planning and zoning advisory board. If anyone would like more information,
please see the city clerk's office. Thank you. >> Thank you. Moving on to the consent agenda of the city manager. Has any items been pulled? Bill Service. >> All right. Do we have any public comment on the consent agenda? >> There is not. >> All right. I'm going to request a
motion. >> I'll make it. Mayor, >> go ahead. >> I move to approve the items in the consent agenda as presented. >> Have a motion on the floor made by Vice Mayor. Uh seconded by Commissioner Dubal to approve the items in the consent
agenda as presented. Please vote. That passes 5 to zero. Moving on to general business item A26-0985 discussion and possible action regarding data center moratorum. City manager,
this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to turn it over to city attorney, Mr. Fino, to lead the discussion. >> Thank you, manager. Thank you, mayor. Um, this was a a a commission instituted agenda item that I drafted to kind of
give you a legal framework of where we are with data centers. I'm not making any recommendations. What I'll do at the end is I'll run you through your options, any attenuate legal risk for what they are. The uh data centers are
not defined under your unified land development code. what they would be allowable uses in those zoning districts that generally allow for things such as light industrial or heavy industrial based on the type of development that is
being proposed. So that's your local law. the state laws and we've heard a couple of um mentioned during our public comments that we should consider and they've been attached to your agenda item are SB484
which is a new law that was just signed by the governor a few weeks ago and amongst other things what the law says is it allows the local governments to continue to regulate data centers for a lack of a better term through comprehensive planning and uh land
development and regulations. It's basically a legislative espouse of what our home rule authority would be. SP 484 runs are up against another law that you should be cons cognizant of that was
passed during the 2025 legislative session which was SB80 which was a comprehensive bill that was passed after the hurricanes in 2024 2025 that uh says a bunch of things including that after
one for one year after a hurricane makes landfall you uh are essentially um regulated from instituting regulations with if the if the uh hurricane makes a within was within 100 miles of your
path. It also says for our purposes that for all counties that were affected that were on the federal disaster relief order from FEMA for hurricanes Debbie Milton and Helen as well as all
municipalities within those counties which includes Northports. You are prohibited until October 1st of 2027 to do three things. You cannot issue a moratorum on the construction, reconstruction or development of any
property affected by those hurricanes. You cannot institute more verdome or st or stringent land development regulations or amendments to your comprehensive plan. And you cannot impose any more verdome or restrictive
land development processes. What have counties and cities around the state including those that are within the uh SB80 zone that I just talked about done in response to data centers?
Well, they have instituted temporary moratoriums. So, what's a moratorum? Well, a a moratorum is a a planning tool that is utilized to study a certain aspect. in this case
will be data centers. Um they are passed by ordinance generally so they require two readings and in order to comply with those issues with SB80 you would have to do a few things. You'll have to make findings that it that the moratorium
itself is not a more verdome or or stringent land development regulation or process and you also have to carve out um lands affected by the hurricanes that I mentioned. How do you make that finding that it is not a more verd
restrictive regulation? Well, that goes back to the heart of what the moratorum is what I just said. It's a land. It's a planning tool. It's not something that you do merely because you don't like data centers, because the public doesn't like data centers or something like
that. You use it as a means to study an issue to either come back with regulations or to not because you have questions, concerns or comments of that nature. Um, so like I said, you don't do a moratorum just to do a moratorium. There's a
reason behind it. And therefore a couple questions that you should ask yourselves before instituting a moratorum is one do you think you need time to study the issue itself and then two what capital whether it's consultant fees or staff
time are you willing to invest in that and that will ensure that we're using it for the proper means as a planning tool. Another issue we want to consider with moratoriums is that they should be temporary in nature. If you do a permanent ban or an extended ban, what
you'll be running up against are taking clause issues under both the United States Constitution and the federal constitution. You also be opening up yourselves to uh potential statutory causes of action under the bird hackers act. The final issue you should be consider
you should generally consider when you do your discussion and your thinking is whether you should is when you do a moratorium ordinance. Do you want to in make the monatoring the ordinance retroactive to pending applications or
only prospective in nature after the effective date of the ordinance? And by that what I mean is you pass an ordinance and on second reading and you can or cannot make it applicable to any data center application for a lack of a
better term that has been submitted during the pendency of your debate or you would just make it um you would just make it affect you would just make it effective to those applications that would have been received after the effective date of the ordinance meaning after you would have
adopted on second or third reading. I've attached to your item to your agenda items uh two ordering ines which have been passed. One by Zephra Hills which is a municipality in Pasco County and the other one's Hernando County. So
you kind of see the differences in the last issue that I just spoke about. Um Jeff Hills made their moratorum I think it was 12 months uh good for all metro active in nature meaning that it was for all for any and all pending applications
that may have been shown at the time of adoption of the ordinance. On the other hand, Hernando County made it prospective in nature, meaning that they just did it for any applications which may have been received after the uh
effective date of the um of the ordinance. And that all issue comes down to whether or not how much you want you're worried about a uh a potential advocate agree party called vested rights. And those vested rights
are ultimately determined by a court under what the court would consider to be the principles of equitable doppel which is just a way of saying what if anything did the government say to the applicant. Did the go did the applicant rely on those representations and then
the applicant change his position in relying to those representations. And if a court finds the answer to those questions to be yes, then they could do a wide variety of things including avoiding the potential uh avoiding the ordinance that you made but retroactive
in nature and avoiding the applicant damages, attorney's fees, costs and monetary damages. So those are the those are those are the legal issues around the moratoriums which is what one of the planning tools that local governments across the state
have done. What are the what are your options and the attenuate legal risk? Well the risk-free option is to do nothing and to allow your current law to stand that I talked about in the beginning. If you do nothing it's
risk-free because no one has a claim. You don't have to worry about SB180. You don't have to worry about taking some clauses. You don't have to worry about B Harris. And you don't have to worry about anyone's vested rights. If you do a moratorum,
they um the riskiest way of doing a moratorium would be to do it retroactive in nature, meaning that you would do it as to any pending applications that are in the system at the time of adoption. And the
less riskier option would be to do it as to um only to uh those applications which have been submitted after the effective date of the ordinance. So that's where you are. What I would suggest if we do an
ordinator is to carve out those lands which may have been affected by the hurricanes. Debbie, Helen, and Milton from the moratorum. And um we would I
would also say that you should include in the ordinance uh something similar to what you would see in the Hernando County ordinance, which would be a process by any party who may be agrieved by the ordinance. property owner, developer, whatever the case may be, can
seek some relief from the ordinance either through a, you know, a cross judicial hearing before you all to see if you want to give them relief from moratorium. You don't have to decide all of those issues right now. What I what the board should decide is first and
foremost, does it want to do a moratorium? No. If the answer is no, that ends a discussion. You're not going to go any further. If the answer is yes, then you should decide how long you want the moratorium to last for, keeping in mind that the purpose of the moratorum
is to have a reasonable amount of time to study the issue to answer whatever questions you may have and then to decide whether or not you want the moratorum to be retroactive in nature or prospective in nature. Um, with that,
that is my overview. I'll kick it back to the board for any questions, concerns, or comments. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. Uh commissioners, questions. Uh Commissioner Stokes, you're in the queue. >> Great. Well, let's start with first
question. Um I'll address I guess this I don't know who in staff wants to answer it. Is there as of this moment in time a formal application for a data center? Has that been submitted to the city of Northport?
>> Good morning. Elena Ray, director of development services. There has been a zoning verification letter request and that was issued. Uh there has also been a voluntary master concept plan application that was
submitted, reviewed and comments returned to the applicant that indicated uh compliance with the uldc and the comprehensive plan. Uh there has not been a formal site development plan
application submitted as of yesterday but we would need to check the system to see if anything came through last night or this morning. Um, next question I have is, um, you
know, recognizing some of the the the legal, uh, you know, the legal perspectives, um, Miss Elena, if you'd stay around because most of these questions are directed at you, um, for you to answer as you are one of our subject matter experts on
this subject. Um, so my question is, you know, presently, as I understand it, and correct me along the way if I'm wrong, the comp plan and the uldc actually never mention data centers. >> Correct. Just as many other industrial
uses are not mentioned specifically. So with that said, you know, you know, I'm going to skip over what could be literally conversation on fin item about, you know, the four areas of concern. Water, power, air quality, and
sound. There are a plethora of technologies, some of which exasperate those four areas, some of which may mitigate them to some level of
people's satisfaction. That's to me not an issue before us since there has not been a formal application. There's not been a master development plan. We have no idea were someone to want to build one here. what
technologies they would use to build it. My question is this. Do we have the ability under bill 180 and the Bird Harris act and now offset by 484? Do we have the ability to
write ordinances, change our ULDC or comp plan such that we create guard rails and restrictions and and actually identify levels of technology we would require in order for a data center to
come here or would that be considered more burdensome and restrictive? >> So there are two paths that we would need to take. One, our noise ordinance is does not live in the uldc. It lives in the city code. That is not a land
development regulation. Therefore, we can adop we can adopt changes to that at any time. Um, I do have criteria that is very successful for uh mitigation of data center potential data center noise
um that we could adopt into the city code at any time. So we are not limited by SB 180 uh to do that. The uldc uh we would uh we could make uh changes to it. However, we would need to stipulate that
changes would be effective October 1st, 2027 or the repeal of or amendment of SB 180. Uh and until that time, we would voluntarily seek compliance from any potential applicant. And I can
tell you having worked with most of the data center companies out there, they will voluntarily comply with just about anything. So I guess you know part of part of you know my concern has has
been along the way that okay let's take water for instance you know closed loop systems which are really more in the forefront of of data centers that are being built presently those closed loop systems use virtually no water at all.
So the issue of water really goes away. But the question is what do we as a municipality as an elected body what legal right do we have to mandate that a and remember the
developer here I you know if a developer owns a massive amount of land they're not going to build all this stuff themselves. They're going to partner with companies that that build data centers, that build tech businesses, that build what whatever might
in eventually be part of this this activity center, so to speak. Um, so my question is, what legal right do we have to mandate the technology that would be used? What if a company that wants to build a data
center says, "Well, you know, like we really can't afford this tech this cutting edge technology, you know, we're going to build something that's it's not going to use as much water as like the the old ones did, but it's going to use some water or we're going to soundproof
everything, but you know, we're not going to do all the buffering and and all the structural things that could mitigate sound to the point where you could stand on a roof or next door to it and not hear or feel any vibration. How
do we legally mandate that? Do we have the legal right to do that? And and and you know, I'm not hearing that we do. That that's part of my concern. So So there doesn't appear to be a whole lot
we can do here to control what might happen in the eventuality. uh an applicant came forward and decided to take us down that opportunity path. So, I think 484 still gives us the rights that we would normally have
within our home rule um function to regulate uh those types of issues, especially water usage and buffering and noise, those types of things. We could still put into our ULDC and mandate that
they uh comply with that. The mandate would be effective as I said October 1, 2027 andor the repeal or amendment of SB180 whichever came first, but we would seek voluntary compliance until then. Um
the we can within those regulations require that technology be utilized that reduces or eliminates the need for water. So the closed loop systems, there are closed loop systems. I've I've been
in a data center that was state-of-the-art, used for its for its cooling, only used the amount of water that an average single family home would use on a daily basis. That's new technology from 5 years ago.
Um, I know there have been a lot of changes. If a company doesn't want to do that, they don't have to build here. It's that simple. the the city does not have to allow technology that we don't
want within our city. If a company wants a waiver from something in our land development code, they have a method for doing that. They can come to the commission and ask and the commission has the ability to approve it or deny it. >> So, we basically could do quite a number
of things that that would make absolutely >> wouldn't necessarily make them more burdensome or restrictive, but would certainly make them more responsible. >> Absolutely. There there are there are a number of things that we can do to if if the commission wanted to proceed down
that road that we could adopt to address those issues. Absolutely. >> Absolutely. So now um more directed at city attorney. Um okay. So there is a doctrine a pending ordinance doctrine.
Okay. pending ordinance doctrine says that um and I'm paraphrasing correct me if I'm wrong that you know in a case like this to take it to a specific of a data center um since no formal application has been submitted to the
extent um this governing body decides to and I would assume this meeting would serve that purpose a formal public notice that we might intend to enact a moratorum.
That's one of the two pieces that helps create legal strength. Okay. The second being the issuance of the first reading and approval of the first reading of an ordinance. Were those two steps to be taken? Would
you concur that there would be a greater legal chance that city would prevail were were they challenged versus
not issuing a moratorum, moving down an opportune path to talk about, explore further, discuss the pros and cons of a data center, get a multitude of questions and concerns
answered and addressed and 6 months to a year down the road were the governing body to decide this is really not a direction we want to go. Would you then in comparing those two say that we would
be on stronger legal footing were we to have acted as I said initially by issuing a moratorum rather than not. I mean I'm not saying it exactly the way I would have liked to but I think you get the message.
It would it would help the defense of uh the pending ordinance doctrine if that's where I think you're going with it. The pending ordinance doctrine says that when the government has something in works and even if the applicant doesn't know
about it but they intend to enact a law the applicant itself would be stopped from a development order or permit until new law goes into place. Um, so it could help. It would I think it would be it could it would help.
>> And the reason I bring it up is, you know, one should never totally shut their mind to anything. And yet at the same time, there are so many questions and unanswered questions. Nobody's tested SB484
against Bird Harris or 180. I'm not sure Northport should be that poster child. Um, you know, I also feel that, you know, technology is everchanging and the opportunity to be able to mitigate
concerns that people have may well exist for all we know. But that said, the ability to go from what is conceptual to here's the actual plan is a big leap.
And without the ability to put some of the guard rails in place that Miss Elena mentioned, it seems to me that in order to protect the city and the health and welfare of our community, in order to
take those measures and those steps and protect ourselves from a potential applicant jumping in and establishing some legal ground, okay, to me, I see being more protective,
still allowing a process of conversation to go on because if what Miscellaneous says is true and and and the folks that build these things really want to be good neighbors, one would certainly think that this isn't their first rodeo, so they kind of figure there's lots of
push back, right? So if they are coming with good intentions then I would think that they would be cognizant of our concerns be willing to have the patience and work with us as a city and not be chased away by the fact that we might
enact a temporary moratorum for the purpose of better understanding and getting a better picture of how it is they might actually make something like this happen in within our community. It it it just seems to me that it's the
prudent and and and and more thoughtful, you know, approach to this issue because I do feel that we could talk about this for weeks on end. We're never going to satisfy ourselves as to whether or not
we can mitigate all these issues and whether this would be, you know, just a great opportunity. You know, I've said it is, you know, is is is this the golden goose or is this the Trojan horse? And you know, I I don't want to go there yet because there's so much we
don't know. So, you know, with that, I'm I'm happy to, you know, let my fellow commissioners weigh in. I'm I'm I'm anxious to hear what everybody has to say on this. And, you know, I may or may not have some more to say when the day is done, but I probably will be making a motion, mayor, when everybody's had
their say. >> Okay. Thank you, sir. Uh, Vice Mayor, you're in the queue. >> Yeah. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, um, Commissioner Stokes. you asked a lot of the same questions and made the same comments that I've been thinking about.
Um, one of the other areas that I've gotten lost in the weeds about is what is a data center? What is a collocation data center? What is a hyperscale
data center? Um, most medium to larger companies and organizations that I'm familiar with have data centers. City Hall has a data center that supports its operations. Knowledge base. Data centers
are here. They're everywhere. But clearly what we've been hearing about and talking about is this concept of a hyperscale data center and particularly years ago.
I mean people are legitimately concerned because we're still hearing about issues that happened years ago in the early days of data centers that as you and and commission as um Commissioner Stokes and
Ms. Ray have talked about many of which have really been rectified um to a great degree. And I just want to make the comment Commissioner Duval, it it occurred to me as I was sort of doing my studying and talking to people about
these issues that it reminds me of the early days of nuclear power plants. And I lived in Boston in the early 70s and I think that's when the pilgrim was it the pilgrim in Seabbrook was being built and
all of the demonstrations and and outcry about that and yet here we are 50ish years later and done properly, properly regulated and properly monitored, nuclear power plants have proven to be a
pretty safe way of generating power. >> I I think this is sort of where we're at with data centers and and I think one of the things that might help and mis Ray I think you might be able to start this conversation. I think we'll need more
conversation, but what what are the different data centers and at what point size or application I'm not quite sure based on my readings does a data center kind of flop over into
that hyper category um that we know has large needs for for water and power. Can you shed any light on that? So there there's no bright line that distinguishes a traditional data center
from a hypers scale or data center. But typically what you have um the traditional collocation data centers are ones where a company will own the building. They will lease out space to
hundreds, potentially thousands of companies, customers, organizations who have their servers and IT operations housed within that structure. Um, those servers are not all talking to each other throughout the building. It's each
companies is isolated. Um, that's the traditional collocation type data center. uh they are typically uh smaller. They average around 100,000 square feet. I've seen them up to say 400,000 square
ft. Um the ones that are getting the most attention currently in the media are the hypers scale and the AI data centers. Um they are typically owned by one of your large alphabet companies.
they're owned by Amazon Web Services or uh Google, Microsoft, uh Oracle, those types of companies. And um all of the servers in there are owned by that company. And they are all working
together to uh store, create, uh and disseminate data. And they do take much more power because of the nature of what those servers are doing. They're stronger servers. They're more powerful
um and they do take considerably more uh electricity, water, natural gas, whatever they're using for uh their cooling meth methods. They also take more land area. Um I I've I've worked with data centers that were
multi-million square feet. Those are hypers scale data centers. They they take a lot of resources. They take a lot of land. Um, typically you won't get one of those types of data centers on a 100 acres or 200 acres. You're you're
talking about I know some developments they're they're looking at 800 to multi- thousands of acres. Um, I've worked on campuses that were 3 400 acres. uh I've worked on smaller
campuses that uh didn't have that much and and were those traditional data centers. There are a lot of um concerns that have um arisen from those uh previous generation data centers. Uh and
I think some of some of the concerns have been mitigated through the industry, some through requirements of local governments um that have put on the type of technology buffering, noise mitigation that they're requiring. Um but I think all of those things need to
be addressed uh for anything that might be considered in the city. >> Okay. Thank you. Um I I wouldn't run away too too quickly. I think I have um one more for you. Um one
of the ways in in reading the literature that I started thinking in terms of what might be a cut point beyond which we're really starting to get into that hyperscale situation is power utilization megawws.
Um, in your experience, what's sort of that range of megawws that might start making you curious or suspicious that we're moving into that hyper category? >> I think when you get over 500 megawws,
you start thinking this is a hypers scale AI driven data center. uh a coll-located uh traditional data center is is typically going to be less than the 500. >> Most of the reading I've done um the
very large scale hyper um data centers are on a thousand acres or more. How many parcels exist currently in the city that would
comfortably enable that type of hypers scale development? >> We really don't have anything that would enable the the type of hypers scale that you're thinking about. Right. Um the parcels that we have uh would only
support a much smaller footprint. Um now how many servers they can put inside That's a you know that's a a different issue which um you would have to regulate based on the power usage, the
water usage, that type of thing. Uh but the footprint itself um we don't have the land area um to really support that type of thing. >> Okay, that's great. Um thank you. I I
think I'm done I'm done with you at this point. Um, I had a couple of questions for city attorney, but but I think your conversation with Commissioner Stokes kind of answered those for me. Um,
suffice it to say, um, the state giveth and the state taketh away is is how I'm kind of looking at this. one bill gives us the ability to regulate locally and um I'll
speak for myself and I I suspect I speak for all of us if we were able to enact those regulations today. I think we would all breathe a a sigh of relief. But I'm sort of hearing that that's not
necessarily the case. So, and I think I heard the further a development project gets in its cycle, the riskier stopping it
um is for the city. Um I would say however for for myself and this might not be the most politic thing for me to say but if at any point with any development we really started feeling that it was
being done in such a way to jeopardize the health and quality of life of this community. I would feel very comfortable stopping it and I would take my chances in court. So, sorry, city attorney. I know you try
to keep us out of jail, but uh you know, there there's a line and um irregardless of where a project was and its development, I'd call a halt to it personally. Well, all up to me. Um but
I don't know, you know, a lot of the language I'm seeing is just data center. I mean even our agenda item is to discuss um you know a moratorum on data centers. Well if if we don't
specify what kind of data center we could preclude any company coming here that has its own data center to support its operations. a company with lots of jobs and good benefits packages and training on the job training and other
kinds of professional development. The kinds of companies that I think all of us at one point or another said we wanted to come here to the city because of the lift it would give um people here
in terms of job and career options. So whichever way we go, I'm really feeling a need if we do go in the direction of some type of moratorum that we do our best shot today at defining
what we're talking about. Um, but that would not be a I think that would be a conversation that would have to continue. I mean, we give it our best shot today based upon what we know, but we definitely have to to look at that to
do anything that just says data center. I feel like we're trying to do like we're we're trying to do eye surgery with a chainsaw. So, I think we whatever we do, let's be
specific and clear about what we're doing um before we try to legislate anything. So, I'll pass now for others to speak. >> Commissioner Petro, >> thank you, Mayor. >> Um the data centers are the fastest
emerging and impactful industries in the world. And no wonder there's some interest in the city of Northport. uh because we are the largest third largest city by land mass in the state of Florida and only 45% build out. Um
having said that I want to make a disclaimer. Uh I will be not talking because based up my emotions or the poll that I did which was unofficial poll I did on the Facebook um which I
could predict fairly accurately uh the results uh over a thousand people voted and that was in opposition of being uh any data center to be built on a large scale in our city. Um
having said that I was more interested in the comments um what people say because uh a lot of times we rely on subject matter experts but a lot of those subject matter experts
live in our community and they bring a lot of u value to to us as a commission even because I've been contacted by many people giving me advices and uh not just
local and not just vocal minority but other people that never spoke on the issue on or on any issue in our city. So um I just want to talk a little bit about um the difference or defining um a large
scale or hypers scale data centers um and what that means um and I don't want to be very u nitty-gritty as far but I know from reading SB 484 uh the legal threshold in the law is 50
megawws and not 500 megawatt as was stated. it uh just recently. And there is a bright line of distinction between um average or small or medium size or or smaller size of a data center uh versus
a large scale. And um uh the differences of a hyper scale or larger centers uh data centers is that they use extraordinary consumption of electricity, land and water required to
operate that facility. So just for u perspective u a 50 megawws uh data center would use the same amount of power of at
least 35,000 homes and that's on a low demand which can go up to 50,000 homes. That's more than the the entire city in terms of structures. uh not not the land use or footprint. This is just
extraordinary. Um and our uh available land is there um because it can only be u what was that 100,000 square ft. We have
a lot of parcels of land where uh potential vendors can come and build those structures. Um now we all know about closed loops uh and all the other systems. Um but at any rate on average
um so first we we distinguished 50 megawws which is actually defined not defined but specified in SB484 uh 50 megawatts and that perspective is it's about up to 50,000 homes. That's
how much energy that location can consume. Um that it can put a a lot of a strain on the grid. Now in terms of water um they still use water because water evaporates
and they have to um and speaking about a closed loop systems they still have to be discharged and we have not looked into this and that discharge has to be treated. Um there are over if I'm not mistaken close
to 15 to 20 chemical additives that are added into that water. Now do we have as a city to um a capacity to treat that water? Uh that's going to be millions of dollars
as as a impact of on financially speaking. Um, but what I'm getting, you know, and you know, I've been following data centers for about a year. Um, and I I was caught off guard. I did not think there would be uh in any interest in the
city of Northwood. Boy, I was wrong because as soon as I learned about the Sodto County, I was I was surprised. Now taking into account our geographical uh you know location of uh Florida state is
very narrow and uh our fragile fragile ecosystem and you know the scarcity of drinking water I I I did not think that it would come to Florida that fast. Um
but nevertheless they are popping up everywhere. But what I'm trying to say is they can use up to 52,000 gallons of water per day and that's that's very concerning. Um this is this alone can be a easily a
legal defense on our part as a board to issue a moratorum. Um and I understand this is uh you know there are so many legalities of it but uh SB484 specifically gives us
authority or um capacity to regulate those data centers and we should be very responsible to do that. Um having said that um I looked at our ULC
And uh I would like to note that I have not studied in detail our ULC as it relates to data centers. Uh but it's important to notice that our code of ordinances does not currently define har scale data centers. That alone is concerning. Therefore, how do we even
regulate or proceed to navigate this topic? Um so and you probably know what I'm leading to. uh how can we even move forward to even consider or contemplating taking any pre-applications? Um our ULDC does not
contain definitions or specific regulations for data centers, hypers scale data centers. We need to refine what is allowed and what's the expectations of not what not allowed. Um and I appreciate our economic
development team of bringing jobs and um development into our community. However, we have to be balanced um and be the reason of uh the voice of reason. And I say this because uh changing which would take uh which would not take effect
until correct me if I'm wrong until October 2027. So a 12 months moratorum would not do us much good. So I'm proposing not 24 months
but somewhere in between. I'm proposing a 18 months moratorum uh in regards that will give us time to study the issue u to refine or redo or correctify
um our codes are um and uh you know Sarasota County has um and we are part of Sarasota County we have uh almost I want to say 35% of
preservation or protected land a dramatic effect of a hypers scale data center would be enormous and I know there have been some changes in uh in the late technology you know that
uses less water less energy uh but boy what are uh we don't know any impacts of even current hypers scale data centers. the studies that I got a hand on which was provided to me by one of our state
representatives um that you know the state representatives look looked into those studies uh and um those were done 5 year 10 year um looking backwards we
don't have any anything to back up as far as impact of the new uh hypers scale data center uh invention, if you will. But uh >> I'm just very reluctant and I'm not speaking out of my emotions.
Not you know the poll that I did it was entertaining to say the least. Um but I would I would strongly advocate and I'll be very clear to do a 18 months going retroactively because
uh it takes two readings and um we'll be gone in the month of August on the recess. So the earliest we could do is September. Um and I do petition my fellow commissioners to do
uh more discussion in it or agree on u 18 months not carving out any land that was affected. Um because SB 484 gives us much broader authority. Um and uh to
that scale if a potential vendor is going to come and say I need this and this much. So it would be not not structurally because we don't have that many buildings in our city
that I know of of 100,000 square feet but uh if uh you know I'm talking specifically about vacant land. So, um I I'm not comfortable carving out any vacant land. Uh even though there's a
risk there is a risk of we have a risk of falling getting out of a car. So, do we stay in the car? So, I would not be carving out any any partial uh
or part of any parcel uh affected by um hurricane. And that would be, by the way, I thought, correct me if I'm wrong, I thought it's one year after uh uh SB 180 that it relates to affected
structures. Is it one 12 months or is it >> the one-year provision I think you're referring to is a separate statute that says you cannot institute a moratorum or more burdened covenant for one year after a hurricane
makes landfall if if you are within 100 miles of hurricane's path. >> Okay. So yeah, I'll be um curious to see if we can achieve some consensus and vote on the motion that would allow the city to put a moratorum
uh on um any applications um acceptance, review or approval of any data center uh for a period of 18 months
going retro because the vote will be implemented after for the second reading. We all understand that. Uh I'm not sure the public understands that. But whatever we vote today, it's not going to be effective until we do the actual reading. And it has to be two
readings to that effect. So I I I think I'm done. I don't want to go in circles but uh I just to conclude in a drought prone for growing areas as the city of Northport data center directly competes
with drinking water. Uh just last week we were on a conservation of water uh and rotating schedule of watering our lawns. Just last week it was specifically on our website.
What are we doing if we are allowing this go on? So I think we are doing ourselves disservice if we don't take any action today. Thank you mayor. >> Commissioner Dval. >> Thank you mayor. Uh first of all I have to address what
the vice mayor mentioned my name in her comments. U and she was correct. What she was talking about was how nuclear power, the safety of nuclear power when nuclear power first began versus today
and using that analogy to compare data centers when they first started to today's technology. And she is correct in that part. The nuclear power industry
came from the development of the atomic bomb. After the war, the usage of that power that nuclear fision can create was transferred over to the commercial
sector. The first nuclear power plant that produced energy was run by the army. And in a nuclear power plant, there is a
term when a plant automatically shuts down for safety reasons. And there are literally thousands of instruments in nuclear plants that their sole purpose is to shut down the plant
safely like that. And I do mean like that. Thousands of valves shut milliseconds. That's called a scram.
Scram comes from a term back from that first nuclear power plant. The fuel bundles were sitting basically in a cavity in the floor and the nuclear fision takes place.
Neutrons atom breaks neutron goes from one hits another one breaks that apart. nuclear reaction, chain reaction. The way to stop that was control rods filled with lead, whatever
gets between the fuel bundles and interrupts the neutrons moving. In that first plant, the way they controlled those control rods down in between was they had a rope with a pulley and they had a man with an axe and if they had a
problem, he caught the rope. He was the safety control rod axeman and that's where the term scram comes from. Now, after that long analogy, do you think there's a rope and pulley in a nuclear power plant controlling
rods today? No. The control rods are controlled by 1500 over 1500 pounds per square inch of hydraulic pressure that slams them in. When you talk about closed loop cooling
in nuclear power plants, there are closed loop cooling systems. Those closed loop cooling systems. The radioactive water that goes into a nuclear reactor,
gets boiled, makes steam, goes through pipes, turns turbines, and then gets condensed back into hot water and then reheated and fed back in at 520°, 1320 pounds per square inch of pressure
into a reactor that never gets sent out into the atmosphere. It is a true closed loop cooling system. Now the point of and the reason I can spout
all this is uh I retired 21 years ago from constellation energy. I worked as a technician, then a supervisor and trainer in the nuclear instrumentation and control department
in nuclear power plants on Lake Ontario. Now there's all these issues and I I'll try to be short here but all these issues that have been mentioned so far you know water usage
power usage you know noise pollution >> what we're here to do today is to decide about a moratorum >> not whether we should have a data center or And as has already been mentioned, uh we
do have data centers right here in this building. Okay, data centers are no more than basically a lot of computer chips and electricity going through those computer chips, all their functions that do everything.
>> They just generate heat. Anytime you use electricity, there is resistance and that resistance comes out as heat. And that's why you have to have the cooling. Now, there's just a lot of issues here.
You know, one of the issues hasn't been mentioned is something that one of our former commissioners wrote in an email uh that I read earlier and it was about uh the commission years ago putting in a
moratorum on taxing data centers and that's an issue that we have to look at. I mean, if we get a data center, you know, we want to get some revenue from it. Uh, so that that that's one issue to look at. City attorney was mentioning Bert Harris
Act, SB 484, SP 180. These are all things that I am not as intimately familiar with as I am with the inside of a nuclear reactor. And I have been inside a nuclear reactor.
And believe it or not, nuclear reactors, places where they have them, their taxes are a lot lower than other places. They make so much money for the companies that they can afford to pay taxes. Um,
what I'm looking at here is I want the time to look at SP 180. SB484, the Bert Harris Act, taxation, you know, I want to be able to
familiarize myself with how much water plants are using. Something else that has been mentioned uh you know with the electricity commissioner Petro mentioned um 100 megawws 50 megawws
uh where I worked there were three nuclear power plants one of them uh was one of the if not the first I think it was the first commercial nuclear power plant 9 mile.1 it's still in operation and they
are applying for a license to get it to go for another or up to 80 years. And the company is now applying to build a fourth nuclear reactor and and people are not against it. It's in the proper
place. It's in a rural place where it's all agriculture and and it does bring in a lot of money for taxes. Um, what I want to see us look at is
all of the factors. >> You know, I don't know how much money they use, but when it comes to electricity, if they're using 50 megawws, there has to be 50 megawws of generation
to power that. When FPL builds anything, somebody has to pay for that. I just want to ensure that it's not our citizens, the companies that
make the money from these data centers, they should be paying for that. So long story short, what I think we should have here is a moratorum and for staff to put together for us
workshops so that we can decide how all these different issues will affect things so we can make a final decision on whether or not we should have data data centers, where they should be, how big they should be. Uh,
I think I've said enough. Thank you. >> Thank you, Vice Mayor. >> Uh, thank you, mayor. There's a lot I can agree with um in in what both of you gentlemen had to say. Um, I'm open to a
moratorum. Um, but I don't think we need 18 months. Um, in in preparation for this meeting, I I kind of came up with a list of things that I would like to see and I'd like to quickly go through them. Um, one
of them is to definitely have a commission workshop on this topic so that we have a much better handle of the legal imple um implications and how far we can push the technologies that can mitigate some of these issues. um what
kinds of controls we might want to put into place. Lots of topics that that we could work on. So, yes, absolutely, Commissioner Dval, I'm on board with you on that. I also think we need to do some
community engagement on these exact same topics. Basing our decisions on fear, assumptions, old data. If we do that, we really run the risk of
not doing some other things that could really benefit this community in totality. So, commission workshop and community engagement event or events on those same topics are on my list.
I I'd like to really hammer out what is a hyperscale data center and what are some of these other data center types. Um, so we make sure that however we legislate this,
we end up putting the protections in, we need to have and that we don't inadvertently prevent things from coming to our city that can do amazingly wonderful things for for people who live here. So
definition of of hypers scale. Um, I would like to see an ordinance on what kinds of changes we would make to our ULDC specific to data centers with a definition
um, sooner rather than later. I I think it just would be very helpful for all of us to get our arms around what type of building designs, what type of technologies,
what type of supportive um structures like power plants and water treatment plants do we want to see and have that conversation so that we all feel more comfortable and and
whether we can legally legally implement those on a voluntary basis with someone who wants to come in and develop or or whether we take the leap and say we're going to mandate it now. Um I'll uh state uh Senate Bill 484. We can figure
that out later. Um, but I would like to see an ordinance with the kinds of controls uh would all feel comfortable with with data centers particularly of this hypers scale level to to be defined.
Um, I think I had a couple more. Yeah, I was very interested in what director Ray had to say about our noise ordinances. We can look at that right away. um and make some changes right away and
at least one of those four concerns we can take care of. So I would like to see an ordinance come forward maybe even in September um addressing noise in these sort of hypers scale data centers
and and then I think we can get all of this work done by the 1 of January 2027. So, I'd like to also see an agenda topic perhaps for our first or second meeting
in January um with what we learned from all of these activities, what the recommendations are, and at that point we can decide whether or not we extend a moratorum. But I'd rather see a shorter
timeline. You know, let's put some pressure on ourselves to to get these things done. We need to sort of have these answers and maybe we won't have all the answers, but we'll have some major components of
a solid policy and path forward sooner rather than later. I I just don't think folks we can dillydally on this one. I think the issues are too pressing. They're too immediate. um the conversations are going on that there
there's a lot of not current information being tossed about and we need to rectify that sooner rather than later. So those would be my recommendations and I'm done. >> Commissioner Pro. >> Thank you, Mayor. I would like to
address three points and two of them vice mayor Lincoln addressed um and one of them was definition or what is hypers scale if we refer to 484 senate bill it clearly says that the threshold
is 50 megawws so that that's solved we know that you know 50 or more megawws which is >> politician's definition I wouldn't go by that >> well >> it is a large scale data center if if you will it's because u just the amount
of electricity they use it's equivalent to 50,000 homes so that's the that is the definition of a larger scale or hypers scale data center 50 megawatt so it's not just politician I do believe it's in many literature that I reference
that um the second of all is 12 months uh I'm um I'm not comfortable with that and simply because if we do any changes to ourc it doesn't take effect until October 2027 and that that is more than 12 months. So we doing ourselves a
disservice um and it's very fairly in my opinion is a very uh legally defensible component to do 18 months. There's nothing that prevents us from doing 18 months. Um yes we will do the
workshops uh per steps direction. Um but 12 months is not is not justifiable. If we do make any changes those changes do not take effect those changes do not take effect until October 27 2027.
So saying that you know let's do 12. it really uh defeats the purpose of us doing any changes in our uh local uh law if you will ULDC and code uh codes. So I just don't don't buy that
argument. I can't I can't go 12 months because whatever we change or whatever we codify, whatever we refine is not going to be taken into effect. So we leave that door wide open. The next thing I want to address which would be
my third one is the taxation and uh reading uh our uh section 3-3 uh chapter 3 article one you know there are so many things that are
favor uh favor data centers up to 10 years 20 years no ad tax uh basically data centers are so much financially advantageous to vendors or
to developers because they bring a lot of money. They bring a lot of money and that's proven um because they they're in the business of making money. So if we give them breaks um that's another thing of
12 months we have to change uh those things that will not be taken into fact and I'm not sure if we can go retroactively on you know whatever is submitted u but u as far as tax but as
far as going retro because of the implementation of vote is not going to be until September October I would go retroactively just like Zappy Hills Um and uh I'm I'm proposing a motion of 18
months and uh if we are done I can I'll be glad to make that motion. >> No we still have more people to speak. >> Sure. Thank you. Thank you sir. >> City attorney you're in the queue sir. >> Thank you mayor. I just to point out if
the board is going to take the position that we can retroactively apply the moratory mortgages depending applications based on pending doctrine that we discussed and things of that nature. The same logic would apply if
what the vice mayor suggested in making the u the moratorum only for the end of the year and bring as well as the idea that we would bring potential ULC changes into uh code. So what I what I
mean by that is don't feel that you have to extend it through October 1st, 2027 or beyond that just because of SP180's uh application on restricted nature. you
you you're going to say that the pending ordinance doctrine applies in one case meaning that pending applications then it would apply to another case where you're directing staff to bring UDLC code up for changes for data center
and in addition to that there's nothing that education >> thank you sir commissioner dval >> thank you mayor when it comes to hypers for scale. That's a name. Basically, with a data center, the way
they figure whether it's hypers scale or not, it's how much electricity it's using. Okay? The more computer banks, the more multiplexers, the more computer chips they're using, the more electricity they're using,
the more possibly the more water they're using for cooling. If not water, well, then there's got to be fans, you know, cooling banks. U it's it's just a name. It's
how many megawws of power do you want to be able to use if you put something like this in in your community? Do you want to limit it to 50 megawws, which is, as Commissioner Pro said,
enough power to power 50,000 homes? That means you're going to have a certain amount of noise from those cooling fans. you're going to be using a certain amount of power which has to be generated and somebody's got to pay for
that generation. Or do you want to use one that you have one that's 500 megawws or larger? But it's just a name. It's just, you know, you're going to put a
quantity probably a midsize if it's 500 megawws. Oh, a hyper if you if it's a,000 megawws. You know, they're just names. But keep in mind that it all breaks down to
the physical size and the amount of energy and water that you're using and the results from that. You know, are you heating up the air? Are you adding any pollution? And I really don't see much pollution from
something like these. uh as far as the air quality, you know, there are backup generators, but those backup generators are only used for testing and, you know, in emergency times. Um,
it's a, you know, but for now, I just think, you know, these workshops on each of these different topics we've talked about, that's what we need. We need the time to do that. Um
that's all. >> Thank you. That's everybody has spoken. The one thing that I've I've listened up to everybody speaking and there's a lot of whatifs. There's a lot of answers that we need to get to go forward and
look at this um legalities, questions about environment. Uh, Commissioner Pro wants moratorum for 18 months. Vice Mayor six months ish.
Well, with that being said, at any given time, if you're within a moratorum, you can either a extend it, b resend it, whichever way you want to go. So, county went with a year. I feel that a year is bare minimum to where we can
get all of the information, have all of the town halls, get the citizens input, get everybody engaged and educated from staff. Um, if you're worried about getting this ordinance passed quicker, we can always
have, we're off in August, but staff willing, city manager willing, attorney willing, commission willing, we could have special meetings in August to get that passed in August. I'm just saying if it's time feasible, not saying it is,
but there's possibilities that it can happen. Um, with that, I'm going to turn it over to public comment. Stacy mentioning why we should say no to data centers in Northport. Northport's groundwater aquifers are already under pressure from
population growth, drought, and increasing demand. Additional industrial water withdrawals for data centers could further strain water supplies, lower groundwater levels, impact wetlands, and connected surface waters, and raise long-term concerns about water sustainability and quality for residents. Construction and operation of
data centers can increase storm water runoff, sedimentation, and pollution while replacing natural land with imperous surfaces. These changes affect drainage patterns, wetlands, and waterways that ultimately feed the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor wershed. Data centers operate 24/7.
Cooling equipment, chillers, ventilation systems, and backup generators create persistent lowfrequency noise. Chronic noise exposure has been linked to sleep disruption, stress, reduced quality of life, impaired concentration and increased cardiovascular risks. Nearby homeowners also face uncertainty about
property values and marketability. Introducing industrial scale infrastructure near residential neighborhoods may negatively affect what is often a family's largest investment. Data centers require massive amounts of electricity, often necessitating new transmission lines, substations, and
other infrastructure. While utilities recover these costs through regulated rate structures, residents could ultimately bear higher costs over time, clearing land for data centers, fragments, wildlife habitat, reduces tree canopy, increases runoff,
and diminishes native vegetation. Artificial lighting can disrupt noctum wildlife, migratory birds, and pollinators. While backup generators add emissions during testing and emergencies, continued industrial development also contributes to the loss
of the open space that defines Northport. Support the the data center moratorum and deny approval of future data center development in Northport. Michael Sprinkle. Good morning, honorable mayor and members of the Northport Commission. Having grown up
here and seeing this town develop over for almost 30 years, my comment today is to strongly urge the city to adopt a moratorum on building any data centers in the city of Northport. After reviewing the information provided, a simple Google search can show that in many instances, cities are told these
centers will be traditional in scale before growing into a hyperscale data center in spite of what was initially approved. Traditional sounds okay getting a foot in the door, but that's all you need. The proverb, it's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission. That rings very true when
you look at other data centers constructed across the country. The effects on our environment go beyond excessive water and power usage and pollution. It will also affect the quality of life for nearby residents and our Florida wildlife. These centers are not quiet. They are not discreet. They are known for being loud and disruptive
without large long-term economic development in the form of sustained jobs beyond the initial construction period. Young people don't see this as a place to live, but to leave. This town is becoming like its neighbors, only without the beaches. Northport is not Venice or Port Charlotte. I don't
believe we should have our town continue going in a direction that chases away its future young residents who spent their formative years here. Having even one data center will only cement that for our younger residents. It's not a partisan issue to not want these
centers. The negative impacts are easily researchable with limited characters for commenting. I can only strongly recommend not having even one here. The city can work towards something that will give younger people real optimism about living here. Public broadband, more investment in public transit or
infrastructure, anything but a data center. We can do better than that. Thank you for your time. HH I think all Northport and surrounding residents would agree that we do not have the water sustainability to accommodate a data center on top of all the flippant commercial construction. Please do not
do this to your taxpaying residents. We do not want this. This does not benefit the people who pay your salaries. Travis Howitt. We the people are opposed to data centers in Sarasota County. They have too large of an impact on wildlife and other natural resources. They have no business being anywhere near
residential neighborhoods. Liz Ree moratorium should become a ban. One, water drought issues. Two, electricity equals regional price increase we'll have to pay. Three, affects our remaining wildlife. Four, noise, light, air, pollutions. Five, no positive
features to build. Six, Northport overbuilt already. Richard Howitt, we are adamantly opposed to a data center in the city of Northport. Crystal Howitt, I am strongly opposed to any data center anywhere near our home and residences, businesses,
etc. There are too many environmental impacts, concerns, and issues for what these data centers will demand. The amount of damage to our local water tables in recent droughts should be a clear sign that we should not be entertaining this thought. Please be wise in your decisions as this will affect the future of Northport as we
know it. Steven Lasher, I am born and raised in Sarasota County. I run my family's business here in Venice and I moved my wife and two children to Northport because as a child I love visiting my grandparents in the States and always said that's where I would be going to raise my family. With that being said, I
am against all this overbuilding happening in our county and I am even more opposed to the thought of an energy sucking loud data center every anywhere in this area. No one knows the environmental impact these things may cause. Plus, we are already in a massive drought and people are being fined in
areas of Sarasota County for washing their cars on the wrong days. Yet, we want to allow a data center to use millions of gallons of water from our precious aquifer. Please think with your hearts and not your wallets or greed when making any choice about data centers in this area. We simply do not
need them in Northport. Thank you, Alex Howitt. Highly against this idea. It costs massive amounts of power to supply run this data center. Our aquifers will be hit massively as well as our ecosystem and wildlife. Potential power outages are something to consider as
again this infrastructure will take massive amounts of power to run it. This is an incredible waste of our land. The small benefits are nothing compared to the damages this will cause for generations. This has proven effects at aiding cancer in growing and developing. I will not support this idea and I am
completely against it. Jasher Howitt the resources needed to maintain this development far exceeds the current supply that Northport and neighboring areas can currently handle. Essential with the water issues, not to mention the power cost going up and other power issues. Not to mention the
size of the project is way larger and can and has proven to harm both human lives and the wildlife at the current technological advancements. There is no logical point in adding this to the ongoing projects that are currently holding many roads from operating at the capacity they need to such as I75 at
several points. And with both the Sumpter exit and Tropicare, the amount of projects currently active should be a priority before something as large and hazardous should be thought of and only worked on once technology can provide adequate shielding and less environmental usage.
Debbie McDow, I need a lot more information outlining the pros and cons data centers would have or have on our amazing city, including the environmental impacts. Therefore, I hope you'll create a moratorum prohibiting any development activities for at least a year so everyone can learn more about the subject. My public comment is really
about the tax incentives relating specifically to data centers. It's eye openening. In November 2020, the voters approved a referendum almost 2 to1 allowing ad valorum property tax exemptions for economic development. In February 2021, the commission approved
ordinance 2021-04 amending chapter 3 of the city code. The section of the city code outlines the process for a business to apply for advalorum tax exception and the commission's approval denial process. City code chapter 3-3 specifically allows the commission to exempt a business from paying property
taxes for up to 10 years. However, only data centers are specifically mentioned and granted a property tax exemption for up to 20 years, two decades of not paying property taxes. Fast forward to August 2024 when the commission approved ordinance 2024-13 to reszone the city
with the sole purpose to increase the tax base. What a sticky wicket those two ordinances have created increase the tax base versus granting tax exemptions. Since this is an important component of the data centers discussion, please consider giving an additional direction
to bring back an amendment to chapter three of the city code by removing data centers from receiving any tax exemptions or at the very least reduce the 20-year time frame. Megan Gorl, I'm opposed to the data center even being a possibility in Northport and surrounding areas. The
damage the damage caused to the environment for miles around where a data center goes is not something the voters of Northport are okay with. Other data centers have promised not to need local sources like water, but have within two years they have needed to connect to multiple resources. Colorado
has a data center that in their building plan stated no water needed and now wants to connect directly to the Colorado River. We need to conserve all of our resources for our wonderful Northport citizens, not data. >> In person, I have Tim Richie followed by
Victoria Egletoy and Kelly Bowman. Well, good afternoon. I would like to thank you, Commissioner Pro, for your excellent comments this morning. Actually, they were exceptional, not just excellent.
I was fortunate enough to have a management consultant as a father, but not just any management consultant. My father ran probably the second largest management consulting firm in the United States of America. I used to enjoy when uh he'd have phone
conversations with our neighbor who lived about nine houses down the street. He ran a little company called Oxy Petroleum, Arm and Hammer. But I'll tell you, Mosaic is really slick.
I love these industries where they put out this slick stuff like nuclear energy. I was beat really bad when I was about 6 years old. I came home, there was a flyer for nuclear power plants. Yeah, I I got beat because I was against
that. Let me tell you, you ever hear of ThreeMile Island? I was in tears when I saw the farms and the animals. It was amazing to see my father apologize to me.
Humility. I want to tell you right now, it's not just a name. And this just isn't a city. And our government governs air, land, and water. And I want to tell you, city attorney or
county attorney here, I've really enjoyed your comments, too. This is so much more serious than just a sixmonth moratorum and rushingness. as Glenn Jibilina from Manatee County who's running for COMMISSIONER UP THERE.
WHAT'S THE HURRY? Facts are stubborn. Fukushima. When my friends catch fish in Malibu, guess what they have in it? Isotope
radioactivity from Fukushima. How about Chernobyl Russia? You ever have any friends from Ukraine? I did. She told me about the black rain.
Now our watershed manager Fletcher is in deep trouble, sir. Deep trouble. And we don't have any more times to hold hands with our legislative delegations
up in Tallahassee licking and sucking boots. >> This is what it takes for one email. >> One email. >> 850 gallons of water. Getting drunk out of water. I'm not going to read what I had
prepared because it just reiterates all the usage of water and electricity that we don't have an abundance of anymore. The potential negative impacts of data center expansion on carbon emissions, water use, electricity are well documented, but their potential PFAS
pollution both direct and indirect is what is less well known. Um, data centers use PFAS to cool their services, suppress fires. PFA's pollution from data centers is difficult to ascertain and likely limited because cooling systems generally run as closed loops,
but manufacturing companies that produce the PFA's materials used in data centers have historically emitted them, which harms communities and ecosystems near their facilities. Chemarss is one of the largest global producers and one of the biggest suppliers of PFAA's materials for data centers. Cool. Coolants and
semiconductor production are used to make the microchips deployed in the data centers in vast quantities. The company aims to expand its materials in particular resident for semiconductor manufacturing to accommodate the growth of data centers across the country. This
will likely have repercussions on the environment. In North Carolina, airborne PFAA's emissions from Chemor's operations have contaminated more than 7,000 drinking water wells. According to researchers, nobody has asked a question or even
talked about our hurricanes that we have. What if a hurricane hits a data center and blows all the construction and the materials in it around the state of Florida and in our water systems? Nobody addresses that.
So, what is that going to do to the environment, our water, the human life, everything? That's all I have to say. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Kelly Bowman and I'm from Anglewood, Florida. And we all rely upon
the same water. That's why more and more people are showing up and voicing their concerns. We don't have enough, right? And as Vicki mentioned about the hurricanes, I was going to mention that because what happens if this data center that ever comes here is impacted and
they demand their power? What happens to the people? Who gets service first? Right? I can I've been fighting a road for a year and I'm still peeling back the onion. I can guarantee you it'll take
you more than a year to peel back this onion. you do not have the information, you do not have the technology. If it's a large-scale data center, you're talking about medium voltage, you're talking about uh those aren't jobs for the locals. Hardly anyone works on
medium voltage and you will have to discharge the water from the closed loop system. It purges, it scales, and it takes an enormous amount of product to descale that water. Where does it go? I don't know, Mr. Dval. perhaps your
backyard. I mean to think that we are going to impact our environment that is so precious near the coast here. The amount of the the agriculture like yeah just fill
up the agriculture Leon that's a good place for it. Are you kidding? What are we preserving? Who is protecting the people? You guys. They're here for you, for you to listen to them,
to respect their concerns, their safety. You do not know the impacts of the safety, the water, the air quality. All of it will be affected. And don't make a decision unless you know that you are absolutely
sure about your decision. this business of approving projects and not having all the information. Could you ever in your prior life go up and present a product and not have all the information?
No. You and if you pass it, do you think you're not liable for your decision? Do you think you're not accountable? Do you think your children, your grandchildren, whomever will be spared from the effects because you sit behind this board?
No. I urge you, 6 months, I'm not sure what 6 months will do for anything, but for God's sakes, you guys have the decision to make. Figure it out. Figure out the legal loopholes that the developers figure out.
It's there. Don't do a moratorum. do whatever is necessary, the language changes, whatever to stop it. >> Thank you, >> Jim Watowski. Followed by Ramen Zente
and Karen Price. >> Good morning, mayor, commissioners. Jimmy Latowski, resident in Anglewood. I asked the commission to proceed with extreme caution before encouraging or approving these types of developments in Northport. Hypers scale data centers are
unlike traditional commercial buildings. They can occupy hundreds of acres, require enormous electrical capacity, consume the significant amount of water for cooling and some designs, and often require substantial upgrade to public
infrastructure. As Northport continues to grow, our priority should be ensuring that our existing residents and businesses have reliable electricity, water, transportation, emergency services. We should not put additional strain on
those systems without fully understanding the long-term effects. Another concern is land use efficiency. These facilities can consume large amounts of industrial or employed land while creating relatively few permanent
jobs compared with other economic development projects. We should ask whether this is the highest and best use of limited land in the Northport area. Noise is another issue that deserves careful attention. Backup generators,
cooling equipment, mechanical systems can operate around the clock. Even when they meet technical standards, they may affect nearby neighborhoods and reduce residents quality of life. We should also consider resilience as
Florida experiences stronger storms. Increasing demands on the electrical grid. Adding facilities with exceptionally high power requirements raises important questions about energy reliability and emergency planning. Most importantly, I urge the commission
not to make policy based solely on promises of economic development. Instead, establish clear standards before any applications are submitted. Those standards should address appropriate location setbacks, buffering, noise limits, water
use, energy demands, emergency power systems, environmental protection, and public transparency. If Northport decides that hypers scale data centers may be appropriate, they should only be located where necessary infrastructure already exists where
surrounding land uses are compatible with where nearby residents and natural resources are protected. I respectively ask commission to put residents first, protect our infrastructure, preserve our quality of life, and adapt a cautious, deliberate
approach before opening the door to hyperscale data centers developed. Northport, Sarasota County, I would take their lead in at least a one-year moratorum. You're going to need at least that amount of time, if not a year and a
half, 18 months to gather all the information that you need to make a good decision >> for the residents. >> Again, thank you for having the discussion. It's it's definitely needed. Um, I'm just going to touch on one of
the things. When city attorney, you mentioned the Bert Harris Act, uh, and you mentioned the word burdensome. There are precedences that have been set on the percentage of burdensome that actually a developer of a data center
challenges and they state it falls under the Bird Harris Act. Well, that's actually not true. uh you can explore the different terms of burden and the percentages of how we are actually burdening that particular developer on that particular parcel or acreage. So that's one thing to take
into consideration. The other thing is also redefining the types of data centers. The only area that a hypers scale data center can go in our city is in activity center 6 or 10. That's the amount of
acreage. It's totally nothing is out there. We have nothing out there except the interchange that's forthcoming. We don't need a hypers scale data center of any kind in our city. There's too much unknowns with it. There is scientific data that backs up all of the
repercussions of a hypers scale data center. Even midscale data centers can take up anywhere from 50 to 100 acres. you're still going to suffer the the um repercussions of these data centers, to our natural resources, specifically to
our right to quiet enjoyment and under legal ramifications of our rights to quiet enjoyment. There's lawsuits pending now all over the country because of the loss of our right to quiet enjoyment. That's a whole another issue
to take into consideration. our quality of life issues, our public health and safety issues, the amount of services that it's going to be taking just from our city services in order to properly uh take care of these facilities and be
on demand if an emergency happens. I love uh your comments, Commissioner Dval, about nuclear power plants, but as uh Tim Richie had said, there's a whole bunch of accidents that have taken place. Nothing is safe. human error
comes into place all the time. All the time. And then when we look at our economic um development strategy, one of the targeted industries is web enabled technologies and everything is cloaked and masked under that particular category. So again, we need to make data
centers clearly defined within all of our documents. What I was going to ask the city attorney if he could maybe answer a question. Uh due to the timeline of instituting an ordinance, is it possible that you could
do a resolution in the meantime as an emergency meeting next week in order to express the intent and the policy direction on what the data centers is going to be while you do the ordinance? >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. Good morning. Um, first point, I've been up here several times and it bothers me that when people are speaking, citizens are speaking to you, a lot of times you're not looking them in the face and
I think that's rude to be honest. Um, I live out on the dead end of Toledo Blade across the street from the 320 project. I'm sure you're familiar with that. Um, the front part of that, and I'm not sure how many acres, but it's a couple hundred, I believe, is now zoned
industrial, which you did. Um, even though the citizens on that section of Toledo Blade are all residential on the other side of the street. Um, my fear is that you could put a data center in across the street from me.
My property has already lost value because you have approved zoning for an industrial park across the street from me. Um, and it's in the middle of preserves and ranch land that you've been put this industrial center.
um you reszoneed the city of Northport's property without telling these people that it was going to be reszoned and told us when I brought it up in a meeting, I was told it's too expensive for us to notify these people to let them know that we're going to reszone
their property. The next meeting after this was reszoned, uh you guys said, "Well, let's send out a postcard and let them know after the fact." I think that's pretty sneaky. I don't believe that they should have any kind of tax exemption. I think they
should pay the full amount of taxes right from the get-go. Um, there are many videos and I don't know, I'm sure some of you have seen them of cities that are vote and counties that are voting against these data centers.
It's very prevalent on Facebook and etc. They are removing city commissioners, county commissioners. They are voting them out communities because they're not following the wishes of the citizens of
that community. There's no way you can tell me that my electrical increases are are not going to happen. It's documented in numerous of these videos that I've watched that these people's electrical costs have
increased 50 to 100%. Um, question number one, why is Hurricane Ian not listed as being included in this whole study? That was a 100red-year hurricane. I had water
running down Toledo Blade. If they build a data center across the street, what happens? Number one, is my well going to be polluted? Am I going to have noise pollution? Am I going to have uh vibration?
Um there's just so many questions, so many other comments. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Andrew followed by Samuel. >> Hi, my name is Colin Andrew. Um I grew up in Northport. uh moved from Sarasota I think when I was in like second grade
and Twiddle Blade had a little rope light on it. And so uh we moved here because there were, you know, lots were cheap for one, but there was just woods everywhere and it was great. We had, you know, just animals running everywhere. It was wonderful. And um I'm back in
Sarasota now. It's about 10 15 years I think I lived here. um family has a business here and every time I saw I've been coming back to Northport recently and it seems like you guys just are trying to and forgive me I don't know too too much on it so I might be incorrect on it is just trying to get
more industrial use in Northport and ruining the beauty of it. I remember when they were trying to put like a target right near homes and that was like a big issue in the city. So, it seems like the city really just doesn't know what he's doing most of the time to be quite fair, but it seems like the citizens are really informed. And so, I
think and and I've been all throughout Florida and and and just so you know, I think Mr. Dwall almost everybody in in America is fighting this, but the nuclear scientist is saying that we're all wrong. I mean, it doesn't take a nuclear scientist or rocket scientist to figure out that people don't want it.
And I think the bottom line comes down to is you can hear the stats all day. You can argue how much water and closed loop and all this other stuff. If the citizens don't want it, it's not your job to think that you know better. Unless you have information behind NDAs
that we don't. Um, I think Mr. Pro is correct. I think he should be mayor and the rest of you guys can just go home. Um, I did want to bring up though is that the more I see people being informed, the more it seems like uh intimidation. Like I know in Fort Me that's what happened with the group I'm
working with that's recalling um all of their people. Uh the guy that's leading the recall actually had people from the city driving by his home taking video of his house trying to intimidate. Um they opened up all the petition boxes when they weren't supposed to. And so there's a bunch of stuff going on there. The mayor's got a bunch of crap going on. He he owns
property. And so when the construction short-term jobs come in, he's going to make money off that. And so one of the big things is while you're while you guys are all at work, I'll get that in a minute. Um you guys are here making decisions on reszoning and all these things. And people don't have a clue
until, like you said, afterwards it's already happened. And these issues affect people where they live. They affect their health. I've heard people who come up and say they have cancer. They don't want this. Um having to do with electricity costs. Um do you want Dude, I keep knocking all these up. I'll
pick them off. I swear this is like the worst placement. I mean, we can pay for a better one than uh a $200,000 a year city manager. Um, but on the intimidation thing, I wanted to say just bring this up briefly. Debbie McDow, great lady, held a meeting to try to
teach people, the government, and you. And it was really weird that half of the city administration showed up and was sitting there and didn't even engage with people. It almost felt like intimidation. It was a little weird. Uh, the chief of police was there, didn't they? None of them interacted with any of the people. >> Thank you.
>> So, I thought that was kind of odd. Hi guys, my name is Sam Turpining and after Mr. Richie and after Mr. Coen Andrew who can follow up with that but let's stand here today for Thomas Payne. I did write a speech but I don't really think that I need to. Thomas Payne is
the one that wrote the speech for common sense. Mr. Pro, the light that shines through you for your integrity. We really appreciate that today, sir. God bless you. That won't be forgotten, sir. Talking about nuclear power. That
is some kind of futuristic fantasy that you're talking about, sir. I don't know where you're coming up with the things that you're talking about just because that's the world that you used to live in. But in this world it says that it takes 15 years in order to build nuclear
power plants. So my question is sir are these nuclear power plants already planned in Northport city? I would like to know sir where are they coming from? It tells me that it's going to take 15 years to build what nuclear power.
You've been on and on nuclear power. Where's the plant sir? the federal government and Donald Trump, you know, the president, sir, he says that no uh parts for these facilities can come from the Republic of China,
sir. That means that they don't have American corporations that are building these parts in order to facilitate building them. They are so behind schedule, sir. >> You're here >> enough. >> Therefore, they cannot be built.
Furthermore, and lastly, I mentioned Thomas Payne and Common Sense because if it was not for him, we would all not be here today. You were for us. Remember that. As I said about being elected, you could
be elected out. This is America and this is the Constitution and the people are speaking and the people that know the truth. Give us much more credit than you think that we do. We know much more than you think that we do. And we're here to defend that just like Thomas Payne did
back in the 177475 250 years of our Constitution. We stand before you and say there's no water. That's the common sense. There is no water. Each of you will not have any water to drink. Each and every one of
you on there, when you go to flush the toilet, there will be no flushing the toilet because the wells are dry. Common sense. All the other stuff doesn't matter if
you don't have a drink of water. Without water, we all die. Each and every one of you, we all die. Please remember that. One drink of water. That's what we're talking about here.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> That's on there. >> Thank you. >> I'm sorry. >> All right. Moving on to I'm going to request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead, sir. >> I move to direct the city.
>> Commissioner Stokes. Oh, I didn't hear it. >> I heard him. >> Hopefully it hopefully it incorporates your thoughts. >> Thank you. uh like to make a motion to direct city manager to immediately issue
an official public notice and schedule as soon as legally allowable an agenda item to enact an ordinance to impose an 18-month moratorum retroactively on accepting
and approving any applications for data centers within the city limits of Northport excluding those properties properties under SB 180 which were affected by storms Debbie, Helen or
Milton. >> I'll second for discussion. >> I have a >> Can you repeat it one more time, please? A little slower. Sorry. A motion to direct city manager to immediately issue an official public notice
and schedule as soon as legally allowable an agenda item to enact an ordinance to impose an 18-month moratorum retroactively on
accepting and approving any applications for data centers within the city limits of Northport. report excluding those properties under SP 180 that were affected by storms Debbie, Helen, or Milton.
>> Did you get that, city clerk? >> Yeah. >> Okay. I have a motion on the floor. Do I have a second? >> I'll second for uh discussion purposes. >> Okay, let's discuss. um carving out to the properties meeting
structures or vacant land or um would be >> if you could speak up because I'm having I'm having a hard time hearing you and I'm sitting two people away from you so please >> I'm sorry um carving out the parcels or
structures or what are we talking about that have been affected by the hurricanes >> I can speak to the reason I brought that up in specific you use the word properties is because S SP 180 is very specific about that issue and I wanted
to be able to put as much legal meat or strength into this moratorum by excluding those properties. They're developed properties. So, you know, I mean, what did a hurricane do to activity center 6 or 10? It affected
properties that were developed and built. So I thought that that language based on what I heard from city attorney gave me cause to add that little piece just to give our moratorum ordinance that much more legal strength if it were to be challenged. That was my thinking
anyway. >> I agree. >> Thanks. >> I agree. >> Are you good, sir? >> Yes. >> All right. Uh vice mayor, you're next. >> Yeah. I I would feel a lot more comfortable if we added to this
moratorum some specific uh tasks or things that we want to achieve in that time frame. I mean I've I've personally said I I think a year is too long but
again at any time um a development can ask for relief. Um we can choose to discontinue at any time. So I I'm not going to challenge that. But I think there are so many important things we
need to do during this moratorum period that I would like it to be part of the motion. If the motion maker isn't amendable to that, I'll make a second motion requiring it. So I'll ask >> you know you might want to make it a
separate motion only from the standpoint commissioner that there is such a plethora or an abundance of issues to discuss investigate study learn more about I don't know how we could possibly include all those things in a motion to
establish and enact a moratorum but if you wanted to take a swipe at a motion that included all those separately I'd be certainly open-minded to hear them because the the more the marrier so to speak. >> Yeah. I mean, one my major rationale and I would ask city attorney to weigh in on
this. It was my understanding in my conversations that if a municipality enacts um a moratorum of any type or length, it is legally more secure if
that moratorum includes some of the specific issues or activities that the city wants to see happen in that time frame. So, it's in the spirit of I think it's important for these things to happen. I would ask city attorney to
weigh in on on whether there's value in having it incorporated in this specific motion or uh if I can make a second one your call, sir. >> Or let me add just a little bit to that. But since you're going to answer it anyways, would it I mean with what she
wanted to do, would it be better if we had a separate agenda item on on a future meeting to discuss this the parameters of that with a little bit of time? I mean setting the moratorum in place now adjusting the parameters at a future
date to we make sure that we cover everything. That's all I was going to add to it. >> I I think we're all saying the same thing. will have a future agenda item because we'll have to bring an ordinance back. Correct. So, >> the more direct and I I will draft the ordinance for you all if that's the way
you want to go. The more direction you give me now, the better ordinance I can bring forward to you at the future date. So if there's some specific things that you want in there and then you can all agree then we'll put them in and then you can debate that ordinance at future
date and you can take things out put things in if they need to in between the first and second meeting if that is where you are if that was answers your question and I think um vice mayor your question was it would a moratorium ordinance that direct staff in terms of
that includes planning tool issues >> right >> would be a a a strong or would withstand a legal challenge >> and I I I that the answer to that is yes, but we don't have the ordinance before you yet. So if you want to give
more direction now, great. If not, we can always debate it at a at the future agenda item meeting. >> Well, >> all right. One more thing to city clerk. >> Would it be best to have an amendment to the motion or a separate motion?
>> Either one would work for me. >> Pardon me. >> Either one works for me. >> Okay. >> I'd like to make an amendment based on city. >> That was long before >> two people >> and city manager was in the >> So I want to interfere or interject my
view. The less is better. Um, and if you look at other jurisdictions, um, and the motions they've made, it's very short and concise. The more we cancel and encapsulate, the more legal
challenges we might have. Um, so, and obviously we I agree with the mayor saying, let's make it another agenda item and talk about the specificity of what we want to accomplish. And remember what the city attorney said at the beginning, it's a planning tool. So all
that gives us um a d um ability is to plan in in that motion of a moratorum. We don't have to be very specific of what we want to accomplish. All we saying is we doing the actual moratorum of this many
months. I can concur with the uh with with commissioner spokes and with mayor and um I don't think it's a good idea to amend this motion because it it it exposes us as a board and as a city to more legal challenges and I'm not
>> I heard just the opposite of city attorney I need >> well he he said it at the beginning this is a planning tool and at the end he said the same thing. So if we put more and more stuff in our motion, there's more of legal challenges to to
be uh to be picked on, if you will. So that's that's my two cents on it. I just think the motion is perfect as it is made by Commissioner Stokes. >> Okay. City manager, I see you're in the queue. >> Oh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. um you guys cleared up one thing which was that the
city attorney is the one who actually drafts the moratorum and ordinance that you're looking for not the city manager but also to let you know there was a question I think it was commissioner Stokes who asked it was there an application received at this time and the answer is yes we have received an application at this time
>> well I I would like to suggest an amend amendment. >> She has the right to make an amendment. >> Um, and again, it's it's based on what I heard city attorney say that including um things that we want to have happen
during the moratorum period um will make for a stronger legal position if we are challenged. So um I will go through my list of the things that I would suggest we work on. This is
a planning tool. So these are the things I would like to have happen. One that we schedule a commission workshop on hyperscale data centers and data centers in general and related sustainable
technologies as a learning and potential planning tool that we conduct. um a community engagement event or series um of such sharing that same information.
That staff come back to the commission with suggested definitions of hypers scale and the sources of those definitions. that we quickly update the city's noise ordinance to include frequencies typical
of hypers scale data centers that at at a time to be determined that we and I'd like to see it in January of 2027 that we see a presentation from staff on
the results of all of these activities um including recommend commendations to our uldc uh restrictions and requirements that we would like to see in our uldc um that would restrict and and put in
place guard rails for data centers and a review and possible revision of the city's current tax treatment and any potential tax or other exemptions.
relative to data centers and hypers scale data centers. That's my list. >> City clerk, did you get all that? >> I did not, but I'm going to read what I have and you just fill in the words. Okay. >> Schedule workshop on hyperscale data
centers and >> related technologies. >> Okay. conduct community engagement event or series sharing information >> that same information. >> Yeah. >> For staff to come back with suggest
suggested definitions of hyper scale and sources of >> Yeah. A definite potential definitions of hypers scale data centers and the sources of those definitions. noise ordinance to
um update the city's noise ordinances to include frequencies typical of hypers scale data centers and I kind of munched the next one with that. Let me pull it out. at a time to be determined. See a presentation from
staff on results of activities including recommendations to the uldc regarding >> Yeah, let me pull out that uldc just to make it clearer. It will be it separate item. So um update the city's noise ordinances and include frequencies
typical of hypers scale data centers period. then complete an ordinance up uh complete an update to the city's uldc
to include requirements for hypers scale data centers to incorporate sustainable technologies in their design really fast >> I'm sorry >> to include requirements for hyperscale data sets
>> yes to incorporate sustainable technologies and their designs. >> Technologies and their designs. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Review
and possibly revise the city's current tax treatment. and any potential tax or other incentives or exemptions relative to hypers scale data centers.
Okay. >> And then deliver a presentation on the results and recommendations >> at a future commission meeting. Okay, try again >> to schedule a a workshop on hypers scale data centers and related technologies.
Conduct community engagement event or series sharing same information staff to come back with suggested definitions of hypers scale data centers and sources of definitions. Update noise or noise ordinance to include frequencies typical of hypers scale data centers. complete
an update to city's ULDC to include requirements for hypers scale data centers and incorporate technologies and and their designs. Review and possibly revise the current tax treatment and any potential tax or other exemptions or provisions related
related to data centers and to deliver a presentation on results and recommendations at a future meeting. >> Well done. >> Okay. >> All right. I have a motion on the floor that we've heard about three times now. Um, do I have a second? >> I'll second for the purpose of discussion.
>> All right. Go ahead and discuss. >> Uh, and I understand in my understanding this is uh an amendment to the original motion. >> Correct. >> All these points of discussion are part of the agenda item that we not discussing. It's almost seems like a
separate discussion or agenda item. I have not assessed any of those and it's not bit unfair because we bundling them into original motion of moratorum and from the city's attorney's introduction and again I bring that point of
commissioner Dval as well that we are talking about moratorum these are just you know ideas of implementation of the planning tool that we are majorly voting on moratorum so I don't know if it's colloy
The way that I look at it, I understand what you're saying. We have the original uh motion for the moratorum. >> This is an addition to moratorium A. Part B is staff's responsibility coming
back to the commission. So, it's an one motion to get both completed. >> Okay, >> that's the way I look at it. So, >> if there's nothing else is >> Yeah. Um
>> Oh, I didn't You weren't in the Q. That's right. I just popped it up because of what I heard my fellow commissioners say. Um you know, I I I also concur with Commissioner Petro on on this matter. The reality is that
there is a plethora I'll use that word again. There is a ton of questions, concerns. First and foremost is um we can sit and hypothesize about all
these issues that have been highlighted in the amendment. When the bottom line really comes down to now that there actually is an applicant, what the heck are they really thinking they're going to build here? What are the specifics? what technologies are they going to use
to mitigate all these areas. None of this is discussed and none of this can really be included in the motion. So, you know, I I don't support the amendment. I just say motion as is and like let's get this thing on its way as it is now. We have an uphill battle and
I say we better pull our resources together because this is a hill in my opinion to die on. Thank you, >> Vice Mayor. >> Um The original motion includes 18 months
retroactively. I'm at a loss at what concerns um Commissioner Stokes and and perhaps some of my other commissioners to be really clear on what work we expect to
have happen between now and during the uh moratorum. I'm I'm baffled as to why there would be any reluctance to communicate to the community
precisely what work we have to do. All of these things are to help us answer the questions and to build information and to make sure that whatever legislation we do
is based on facts, as much information as possible, that we mitigate immediately where we can the noise ordinance. Why wouldn't you want to do that and and make it specific and have it be required
as part of this motion? I am at a loss. Don't we owe it to the community for them to see what kind of work we want to do while we >> sure >> have this morning. a separate motion just like I'm going to make a separate
motion that we hold two meetings ASAP in the month of August to install and enact an ordinance for a moratorum. Make it as a separate motion then I can support it retroactive >> enough.
We have a motion and an amendment. I'm going to call the question on the amendment vote. This is on the amendment. Correct. >> This is on the amendment sir. >> And that passes 3 to two. Now I am
moving on to the original motion. Please vote. And that passes 5 to zero. Now I will entertain motions separately. >> Thank you. I'd like to make a motion to direct staff to set a meeting as soon as
possible to enact the first reading of an ordinance for uh our moratorum or a previous motion. >> I have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Stokes. Did you catch that, city clerk? >> To direct staff to schedule a meeting as
soon as possible to act on the ordinance for the moratorum. I have a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a second by Commissioner Dval. There's nothing to that. >> One point I would make that as soon as
possible means August, not September. Just so everybody understands, there's no reason to wait. >> Would you like me to reward your >> Sure. Add it right in. >> Y, >> please. Thank you. Do I still have a second to the
All right. If there's nothing to that, please vote. That passes 4 to one. And I didn't see who descended. Uh vice mayor descended it. Do you have anything to that? >> Uh yes. >> Okay. >> Um the
moratorum is already retroactive. I don't see any value in rushing staff or city attorney to draft this moratorum language. Let's have it our first meeting in
September is my feeling. That's fine. Let's do it right. The protection is already there. The moratorum is retroactive. >> All right, that's it. Okay, we're going to be moving on to lunch.
Uh, come back to at 1:15. It's 12:35. Do like a 40m minute lunch. Is that okay with staff, city manager? >> Yes. >> No, we don't vote on that. I'm going to decide. >> No, I mean
>> we'll be back at 1:15. Thank you. >> Strong. That pink is >> pink is good. Pink is good. Pink is really good. The darker the pink, the more chlorine you have, the less of the pink, >> and that's not so good.
>> It's a balance. Check constantly to make sure what goes out into the system is exactly what it needs to be. >> The darker green will tell us how much we have for free ammonia, which will last longer in the system, and it helps
produce better um bacteria fighting chlorine. >> So, there's a science to this. There is an art and a very good science. >> Yeah. So I see it. >> And that kind of precision doesn't happen by accident. Learning this job takes time. Thousands of hours of
training before you can get certified. >> It takes uh 2,000 hours. So basically it's a year. >> That's a year, right? >> Yep. And then then you can go and you can test for your license. Then you got to do a Sacramento State University
book. And then once you get that, then you can apply for your license. And then your next test is at 6,000 hours. And then that's for your B. And then your A is 10,000 hours. >> That level of training keeps everything working. And the work doesn't stop once
water reaches your home. The utilities department doesn't just bring clean water in. They handle the waste water going out with lift stations that need to be inspected, cleaned, and kept running. Once we get it, it's about five to six feet up out of the well before it
makes its way out, we can wash the pump off so we can keep all the uh the sewage in the well as much as possible. Nice thing I have on the water on the deck is we can get everything back in here so that the area is nice and sanitary. >> Lift stations move waste water when gravity won't cut it, serving homes,
businesses, and entire neighborhoods. We started to develop a little bit of a grease here, but we started to dig deep, kind of try to diagnose why we were getting so much grease coming into the station, what we ended up finding. >> Understanding what flows into the system helps crews figure out how to handle it. >> It's another beauty point about having
our manholes and kind of get an idea of what's going on before it hits the station so we can kind of have a better idea how to treat it. >> Each station serves different parts of the community. The interesting part about this station is not only a commercial station, but we also have residential with the apartments here on
41. That all feeds here, too. >> A lot of what causes problems here is what goes down the drain. Fats, oils, grease, things that don't belong in the system. >> We see a lot of um doggy bags end up in the station. >> What seems harmless at home can wreak havoc here.
>> What happens with those in particular is the plastic gets hot. It sticks to the inside of the pump and and just as you would uh have damage with something hard coming through, it packs to the inside of that impeller and it reduces its capacity to actually pump or it stops it
all together. Anything that goes down a sink or a toilet, >> right? >> Um it's all going to end up here, which we try to catch it before it gets any any worse, >> right? >> But just something as simple as a t-shirt and a towel will wreak havoc on
this pump. When a pump fails, the cost add up for the station and for the plant downstream. >> The biggest repercussion is it it's more operational cost for us. Um, not only does it cost us money in pumps, um, a lot of times that happens. We got to
send the pump out if we can't take care of it ourselves in house. Um, that's usually more electronical. But what happens is it it drives the cost up of everything. um >> your pumps aren't working as much or as easily as they could. So that drives your electric bill. So it costs more to
run the station. >> By the time it gets to the plant, if the plant doesn't know what's they're treating, it makes it harder for them because now they got to think about what's coming into the plant a little more. >> These crews are usually the first ones to catch something wrong. >> So we're their eyes and ears of what's going on out in the system. And it's
just like a nervous system in your body. >> The system depends on people who've put in hours to learn and get certified. The biggest problem that we're facing is uh staffing. Trying to find good qualified people >> that want to come and learn this type of work. A lot of it some people don't know it exists.
>> But trying to get people educated and come out and, you know, see what this job, their career has to offer is huge for us right now. >> We're getting a lot of new younger guys coming in that are excited about learning a new career or just coming in and, you know, getting their hands dirty. Through being a mechanic, I had a
lot of nut andbolt science. So, this really came naturally. >> Right naturally into it. >> It's the kind of job where you're never doing the same thing twice. >> But, it's been a great place to work. I've been here seven years, learned a lot. I'm still learning every day. One of the greatest thing about the job is
it's it's a lot of different career paths in the same job. We're never doing the same thing. A lot of it's plumbing, construction, grabbing a shovel, getting on a piece of equipment. it dayto day it's always different always keeps you busy keeps you thankful >> yes
>> thank you for joining me today on the job here with our utilities department at lift station 113 now I want to say two things we learned today one water is dry going in and wet going out we also want to highlight the 2 plus hours it takes to get certified for our
technicians in their profession most of them are done proactively and not statemandated I will see you next time on the Hey. Hey. Hey. This is Mike. And this is AJ. AJ received a tornado warning to his phone.
He knows a warning means there's a high chance a tornado is in the area. He knows to get a safe room away from windows and exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time. Mike also got a tornado warning, but
deleted it from his phone. He didn't take the alert seriously and stayed outside far too long. And now it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from official sources.
>> Hey, Northport. My name is James Lawrence with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going to be talking about the AED and how to use it. >> All right. All right. So, I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's unresponsive. First thing we're going to do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm
going to say, "Hey, call 911 and go see if you can find an AED." And then I'm going to start CPR. The most important thing with the AD is to make sure you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go.
Once the pads are on, the AED will analyze the rhythm and let you know if there's a shock or not. Once it gives you a shock advice, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. Parks and Recreation is more than just
parks and playgrounds. It's community centers where neighbors gather, fitness classes that promote healthy living, and programs that help children learn, grow, and build confidence. It's trails that encourage exploration, aquatic facilities that teach life-saving skills and natural spaces that connect us with
the environment. It's places like Warm Riddle Springs Park and the Circle of Honor that preserve our history and create opportunities for reflection. From summer camps to special events and everyday recreation, Northport Parks and Recreation helps enhance the quality of
life that residents enjoy every day. Our parks, programs, and people help make Northport a great place to call home. So today marks the completion of a project that reflects the dedication of many people who believe in creating a
meaningful space to honor our veterans, active duty service members, and those who serve and will serve our country in the future. Military service shapes not only the individuals who serve, but also their
families, their communities, and future generations. The values of duty, sacrifice, and commitment stay with you long after your service ends. This is why spaces like the Circle of Honor matter. They create a permanent
place where stories can be shared, sacrifices can be remembered, and future generations can better understand the cost of the freedoms we enjoy every day. >> Veterans Park Advisory Board committee
members worked closely with parks and recreation, contributing thoughtful input on planning and design. Through their dedication, it helped transform an idea into the space that we all stand in today. As we honor this milestone, I
would like to recognize those dedicated Veterans Park Advisory Board committee members, past and present, whose unwavering commitment has been essential in bringing this project to life. And we hold in a special tender memory Angelum Skip Felica Jr. whose passion and
steadfast advocacy were instrumental in establishing this committee and guiding this project forward. This was his vision, his dream. And I just want to thank Pete Emmerick, the Northport City Hall, and all of the committee
members that have helped bring his vision to reality. This circle of honor is a pure indication of a city's commitment to the dedication, the care, and the
remembering of our veterans. The Circle of Honor will serve as a place for reflection, gratitude for generations to come. Most importantly, it will stand as a tribute to military families whose service and sacrifice made our freedom possible.
May these flags stand as enduring symbols of honor, service, and the unwavering commitment of those who defend our nation. Hey, Brandon. What are you listening to? >> Just listen to my CPR playlist. >> What's on that?
>> Staying Alive. I'm Zach and this is Travis from Northport Fire Rescue. And I'm Brandon and this is Brett from the Northport Aquatic Center. >> Did you know a lot of the songs that you listen to on a daily basis follow the beats of CPR? 100 to 120 beats per
minute. >> CPR saves lives. This is Mike. And this is AJ. AJ received a tornado warning to his phone. He knows a warning means there's a high chance a tornado is in the area. He
knows to get a safe room away from windows and exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time. Mike also got tornado warning but deleted it from his phone. He didn't take the alert seriously and
stayed outside far too long. And now it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from official sources. Hey, Northport. My name is James Lurren with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going to be talking about the AED and how to
use it. >> All right, so I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's unresponsive. First thing we're going to do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm going to say, "Hey, call 911 and go see if you can find an AED." And then I'm going to
start CPR. The most important thing with the AD is to make sure you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go. Once the pads are on, the AED will
analyze the rhythm and let you know if there's a shock or not. Once it gives you a shock advice, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. This is Mike. And this is AJ. AJ
received a tornado warning to his phone. He knows a warning means there's a high chance a tornado is in the area. He knows to get a safe room away from windows and exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time.
Mike also got a tornado warning, but deleted it from his phone. He didn't take the alert seriously and stayed outside far too long. And now it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from
official sources. This is Mike and this is AJ. AJ received a tornado warning to his phone. He knows a warning means there's a high chance a tornado is in the area. He knows to get a safe room away from windows and
exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time. Mike also got tornado warning, but deleted it from his phone. He didn't take the alert seriously and stayed outside far too long. And now
it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from official sources. Hey, Northport. My name is James Lurrene with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going to be talking about the AED and how to use it. >> All right, so I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's
unresponsive. First thing we're going to do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm going to say, "Hey, call 911 and go see if you can find an AED." And then I'm going to start CPR.
The most important thing with the AD is to make sure that you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go. Once the pads are on, the AED will analyze the rhythm and let you know if
there's a shock or not. Once it gives you a shock advised, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. Northport has over 1,800 miles of swailes, canals, and retention ditches,
all working together to move storm water safely through our city. Before the wet season hits, our road and drainage crews are already on the job servicing swailes, clearing culverts, and maintaining the canals and ditches that keep water moving. Water control
structures regulate where storm water travels, protecting neighborhoods, and helping to retain and replenish the water that eventually becomes our drinking supply. It's a big job, and it never stops. Learn more about how Northport manages storm water at northportfl.gov/stormwater.
GV/stormwater. In Northport, families are finding more and more places built just for them. We opened um this past June. We are an indoor play center for children ages 0 to 7. We do open play sessions, birthday parties, special events, and classes
here at the play center. for me. Um, you know, being a Northport resident, there was really not a whole lot in Northport for children. Um, besides the local parks, so it was super important for me to have something in the community to be able to offer to families with young children. You want to have that option
to be able to still get out of the house with the kids, get their energy out, and not have to hike all the way up somewhere with traffic. and you can just go to a spot near you and just make those special memories that are close to home. >> Playtime Paradise isn't the only new
spot making Playtime local. Do the Beach is a immersive indoor adventure park. We are primarily an inflatable based attraction. We have over 14 different ride attractions scattered throughout the park. with growing young families pouring into Northport and growing the
city, we just knew there was such a need for families to have an outlet and some some good entertainment, active entertainment for children. One of our core beliefs as a as a company is encouraging kids to get involved in active and social play, getting them away from their screens and using their
imaginations. >> From slides to inflatables, dance classes, birthday parties, Northport is growing, and so are the options for young families right here at home. The community has welcomed us with open arms. >> We are thrilled to be here. >> It shows families that there's a place
for them um to grow as a young family in Northport. There's a place in Northport that invites you to slow down to see, hear, and feel the world around you. Inside the Garden of Five Senses is Boundless Adventures, a playground where
every child can play, no matter their abilities. Just beyond the playground, the story stroll turns a simple walk into an interactive adventure. Each step reveals a new page or activity, sparking imagination,
curiosity, and conversation. It's a walk, a story, and an adventure all in one beautiful setting. The Garden of Five Senses, Boundless Adventures, and the story stroll, where every visit is a story waiting to be
discovered. >> People call Northport a lot of things. >> Beautiful, >> changing, welcoming. Some have been here for years. >> Some just found it. Some envision new opportunity.
>> It becomes yours over time. >> Not everyone sees it the same way. >> They don't have to >> because at the end of the day, >> it's not about what's said. It's about what it is >> and what it will be.
People call Northport a lot of things. We just call it home. >> Hey, Northport. My name is James Lurrene with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going to be talking about the AED and how to use it. >> All right. So, I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's unresponsive. First thing we're going to
do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm going to say, "Hey, call 911 and go see if you can find an AED." And then I'm going to start CPR. The most important thing with the AD is
to make sure you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go. Once the pads are on, the AED will analyze the rhythm and let you know if there's a shock or not. Once it gives
you a shock advice, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. This is Mike and this is AJ. AJ received a tornado warning to his phone. He knows a warning means there's a high chance a
tornado is in the area. He knows to get a safe room away from windows and exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time. Mike also got tornado warning, but deleted it from his phone.
He didn't take the alert seriously and stayed outside far too long. And now it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from official sources. Hey, Northport. My name is James Lurrene with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going
to be talking about the AED and how to use it. >> All right, so I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's unresponsive. First thing we're going to do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm going to say, "Hey, call 911 and go see if you can
find an AED." And then I'm going to start CPR. The most important thing with the AD is to make sure you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go.
Once the pads are on, the AED will analyze the rhythm and let you know if there's a shock or not. Once it gives you a shock advice, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. Hey, Northport. We're your emergency
management team and today, June 1st, is the start of hurricane season, which goes all the way through November 30th. Here are five things you can do today to be better prepared. >> First, know your evacuation level. This is what the county will use to call evacuations in the event of a hurricane. >> Make sure that you have a family
emergency plan for your pets, communication, any medical needs, and how you're going to reconnect if you get separated. Next, you want to have a supply kit. Go to ready.gov and look at the supplies you can put into your emergency kit and have those ready for an activation >> and sign up for emergency alerts here.
You're going to get notifications from official sources for any emergency. Last, take photos of your property and have your important information and documents available. If you have to make a claim with your insurance, have that information and your policy and the phone number you need to call.
>> Together, using a whole community approach, we can be a more resilient Northport. So, don't be scared, be prepared, and for more information, you can go to northportfl.govm. >> This is Mike and this is AJ. AJ received a tornado warning to his phone. He knows
a warning means there's a high chance a tornado is in the area. He knows to get a safe room away from windows and exterior doors. He also has some light reading to pass the time. Mike also got a tornado warning, but
deleted it from his phone. He didn't take the alert seriously and stayed outside far too long. And now it's too late. Don't be like Mike. Be like AJ and follow instructions from official sources.
Hey, Northport. My name is James Lurrene with Northport Fire Rescue. We're going to be talking about the AED and how to use it. >> All right, so I'm going to show you what to do if you find someone who's unresponsive. First thing we're going to do is we're going to tap on them. Hey, can you hear me? If they don't respond, I'm going to look to see if they're breathing normally. If they're not breathing normally, I'm going to say,
"Hey, call 911 and go see if you can find an AED." And then I'm going to start CPR. The most important thing with the AD is to make sure that you turn it on. It's going to give you instructions of what to do. The pads show you where they go.
Once the pads are on, the AED will analyze the rhythm and let you know if there's a shock or not. Once it gives you a shock advice, you'll clear the patient, defibrillate, and then you can start CPR again. This is the Makahhatchee Creek
Environmental Park. It's just one of those places that just feels different the moment that you step into it. These places don't happen by accident. They're a result of intentional decisions that preserve and protect this land for generations to come. In 2025, the city
created the land acquisition program to do just that. And it's already shaping the way Northport thinks about growth. Northport is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. And that means more land is being looked at for development. But tucked within that development are areas that do something
essential. wetlands that hold and filter water, natural corridors that wildlife depends on, and flood planes that quietly absorb the kind of rainfall we see every summer. And then there are trees. A mature tree that has been growing for decades is doing things a
newly planted one just can't. You can't fast track that kind of value. These aren't just pretty spaces. They're working parts of the environment. And once they're gone, they're gone. The land acquisition program is the city's way of getting ahead of that, identifying these areas and protecting
them while there's still time. Northport sits within the Big Slooh wershed, a network of wetlands and natural drainage systems that shapes how the whole area manages water. Protecting land within that system isn't just good for the environment, it's good for the
community. really the character of the property. So the ecological characteristics whether it contains wetlands potentially listed species or a viable habitat for listed species. All these characteristics
and the uniqueness of these sites would make the ideal candidate for this program. Once a property is on the radar, it goes through a formal evaluation using the city's land acquisition scorecard, looking at things like ecological value, water resource
function, and how well it connects to other protected lands nearby. Every site is different, but the question is always the same. What is this land actually doing? And what happens if it's lost? If a property scores well and the owner is
willing, and that part matters because all acquisitions are completely voluntary, the city can move forward with an appraisal and begin the process of placing that land into permanent conservation. So, we are standing here on a property that the city has identified as being ecologically
important. We've been working with the homeowner to conduct an environmental assessment and to assess the importance and the value that this property in particular can give to the city. Um what we do is we look for um indicators such as aventitious roots and water marks.
This property um has connectivity to the Makahhatche Creek area. So as we know we get our drinking water from the Makahhatche Creek. So having this water filter and go into our drinking water source provides us with clean water.
Protecting wetlands like this are important for our city because they are a natural storm water defense system. But wetlands are just one piece of our overall program. Growth comes with new homes, new businesses, and new opportunities for our residents. But it
also includes a responsibility that the wildlife that calls this area home isn't left behind. Preserving land isn't about stopping growth. It's about guiding it. Smart planning should include protecting critical natural systems while also supporting a strong
and growing local economy. As Northport continues to grow, preserving these areas will ensure that we remain a sustainable and resilient community, one where people, progress, and nature all have a place. The program is funded through the environmental protection
fund using mitigation payments tied to development activity as well as compliance fees collected for unauthorized tree removal or land clearing violations along with grant opportunities, not taxpayer dollars. So, as the city grows, a portion of the
environmental impact from that growth gets put right back into protecting what's left. Growth funds conservation. It's a cycle designed to sustain itself. Natural systems like wetlands and flood planes are a big part of how Northport
handles storm water. They cut down on flooding, improve water quality, and support the native habitat that makes this place what it is. By protecting these areas, the city is investing in something that works quietly in the background but shows up every time it
rains. Northport is going to continue to grow and it's programs like these that ensure growth doesn't come at the expense of what makes Northport worth living in. The natural spaces, the water, the wildlife, these things all have value. And this is how the city is
going to preserve and protect these resources for the people that come next. Hello everyone, Devon Pulis here, aquatics manager. Welcome to my crib. We have fun here at the crib. Programs included. Become a pass member. Play all
year long. Hey, at the crib, we do have rules. We take all payments here at the crib. Apple Pay, Mastercard, Visa, cash. You pay right here to enjoy the crib. So, enter through the gate. Childp
proof, most adult proof shade. What's that? Our newly installed sun shade available for rent all season long. Here at my crib, you don't have to worry about a place to find a seat. We've added more chairs than ever here at the
crib. If you're coming to enjoy the cribs and you got little ones, we got the perfect area for them. Our Pelican playground, newly painted, fresh floor, fresh palm tree. It's looking clean. Looking for a place to work your upper
body? Take a shot at here at our Stingray shuffle. Looking to relax? I got you covered here with our lazy river. Living more on the adventurous side? Check out the slides right behind me. Newly painted. All offer something
individual and unique. Check it out. Check out the main pool kept at a wonderful 84° all year long. I just want you to have a good time. We have safety covered. Lifeguards here
staffed all day, every day when we're open for you to enjoy. >> Hey, we're back from launch. Uh, moving on to item B 26-0911. Uh, Miss Boss, this is your item.
This I have the wrong one up. >> That's it. No more lunches for you, man. >> Okay, this is the regarding the memorandum that was sent from the charter review advisory board where they recommended um commission discuss two
items. One of them was the residency requirements for charter officers and they recommended that the commission um do a referendum with language that states replacing the current city onlyly resident requirement with a regional residency requirement that allows the
charter officers to reside within Sarasota County or a contiguous county specifically Manatee County, DInnesota County or Charlotte County while also allowing the commission to impose stricter residency requirements, availability or response requirements
through employment contracts. And the other item for discussion would be to recommend a referendum question that includes verbiage that except for purposes of inquiry or information, the city commission and its members shall
deal with city officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager. So, we did provide some options if you choose to make a recommendation for a referendum or if you would like me to con, you
know, reply back to the board and let them know that you're not going to take direction at this time. >> All right, commissioners. I'm going to start this one. I'm I am very staunch on this. I am happy with
the status quo on what we have right now. I do not I do believe that the charter officers should live within the city limits. Um they are a separate item. I know the commissioners have to live in their district but also within
the city limits. City manager, everybody I believe is within the city limits at this time and future ones should be within the city limits. As to part two of that, I think we've discussed this in great length quite a few times. And
again, I feel that the policy and the procedures that we have in place by going through the city manager to talk with staff, staff is available to talk with the commissioners at any given time. This would not uh create a
scheduling type issue with staff because once you open up that door, I believe that anybody at any time could call and ask questions and disrupt staff time without going through the city manager. And by having the city manager at least
aware of what those conversations are going to be, he is within the loop as he is the ultimate individual in charge of the dayto-day. And by going straight to staff, not necessarily directing them, but they could possibly insinuate on
what they may like or what they may feel should be prudent to whatever they're working on, their cause. And I just think that that is it's not needed at all. And and I wish that they would work on other things with the charter review
board because like I said, we've discussed this one at great length and yet again we're discussing it again. So that's where I stand on this and I open it up to anybody else. >> Commissioner Pro. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh there are two items
and the we have to look at them because it was presented to us by the charter review board. I completely concur on the first one uh because uh we've talked about this and moreover we put it um on
the referendum and the voters spoke and voted down meaning that the city charter officers have to live within the city limits. So, in my mind, it's settled unless we agree as a board to
present the same question to our voters again. And if we if we decide to do it by the majority, we'll do it. On the second item, um it's interesting to see that it came up and
was not initiated of this at all. I was not aware of this that they had this discussion although they mentioned a couple times. Uh I think he um the chair of the board did. Uh but I want to speak
a little bit of uh of this item or this topic and what we failed to publicly acknowledge that our city charter does not prevent prohibit individual commissioners to communicate with the staff. nor does it imply that um we keep
referring that you know we had a third party legal opinion um but it was totally related to the policy of the city manager's uh policy of the city manager's office
and the employees under his jurisdiction just all the other spouses in our region in the form of a city manager commissioner format. Um they have this clause that it's called non-interference clause that
specifically prohibits individual council members or commissioners uh giving orders to the staff meaning tell someone to do something or direct someone to do something for individual commissioners. um and all across the board that form of
of government prohibit that giving orders. Yet all municipalities that I looked at and there were more than 20 uh neighboring Venice, Puna, Sarasota County,
uh all neighboring and beyond. I think I I've I've looked at at least 20. Um, all of those municipalities that I looked do not prohibit do not prohibit individual commissioners
to ask questions or communicate with the with the staff forformational purposes only with the exception of our city because our charter does not have that specificity. But because our charter and we chose to
interpret our charter differently, you know, we are as individual commissioners, we prevented from talking to the city staff without first going to the city manager. And I I brought it up before
um Puna Borda and I can read those again. Um it's just two sentences. I will not take too much of your time. nothing. And then the first clause is you know they shall
not give orders or ask any city staff to do something for them. And right below in Puna border charter it says nothing in the forego is to be construed to prohibit individual members of the council in our language
commission from closely commissioners closely scrutinizing by personal observation and questions to city officers and employees all aspects of city government operations so as to obtain an independent information to assist the members in the
formulation of sound policies to be considered by the commission. U to me it's a no-brainer. Uh we are not here to burden the staff. It's only to ask a question. I don't see
any burden uh putting on the staff. if you ask a question and just or explanation to that policy or whatever. Um although I have to refer to the
uh section 5.02A 02A it says commissioner shall deal with administrative services through the city manager and I completely agree with that and administrative services are human resources hiring firing finance and accounting purchase information
technology records management public records risk management insurance fleet and facility management that does not imply that we cannot talk to the city employees by just asking them question uh I'm open to
put this up for the voters to clearly specify that we are able to ask questions um and let the voters decide. But currently I don't think you know it's it's interesting to see for me at least that all the other
charters and all the other jurisdiction have the same form of government and yet they permit individual council members or commissioners to talk to the employees and we are the only one out of I look over 20. Somehow we are different and we cannot
even talk to any city employees on our own and I think it is a problem unless there's something that you know the staff or I don't know I don't want to go to that length but unless there's
something that that they want to hide. Uh so but that's extreme but what I'm saying is in short is let's put it out to the voters and let them decide um of a specificity of because like I said and
I'll repeat myself um our charter does not prohibit us from communicating conversing with city employees nor does it imply it just doesn't specify that they we can and I'll be very curious to see what my
fellow public commissioners will have to say in the back. >> Commissioner Langden, >> Vice Mayor to you. >> Yes, ma'am. >> A thousand apologies. >> No, that's okay. Um, the voters have spoken on the residency
requirement. Next, earlier the same fiscal year, we discussed the reporting situation in depth and we voted. So, I concur with
the mayor. Let's move on to more important things that um that we need to deal with today. The both of these issues have been dealt with, voted on. Let's move on. I'm done.
>> Commissioner Duval. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, as far as charter officers living in or outside the city, the voters have spoken and and I just I
don't think they're totally correct in their vote, but um it is what it is. and I don't think they'll change it. Now, as to the second part, I went to a town hall a couple
months back prepared by the city manager staff. There's a slide in that town hall that says that city commission sets policy. And yet we have a policy
that the city manager is in charge of telling us we can't converse with staff and we have discuss discussed it before. Um I think the wrong question was asked
when we went to an outside council. Uh the determination determination was made that our charter does not conflict with the policy. The question should have been asked was
does that policy state that commissioners cannot converse ask questions of staff? That's the question that should have been asked. I disagree with it, but nothing has changed here on this
commission. So, um, you know, we can take a vote on it, but I don't even know what the vote's going to end up being. So, uh, that's all I've got, >> Vice Mayor. >> Yeah. Just just quick quick. Um, I I I
know this talking to staff thing has has been a contentious issue. Personally, I' i'd be open to talking with staff about making directors available, but I've not had those
conversations. So what I'd like to suggest as a way of maybe bridging um current beliefs and attitudes, let's make sure that this policy is on the
agenda for our next strategic session. Um let's talk about it again. Um, in the meantime, I would commit to doing my due diligence and talking with staff about how they feel about it. I mean, we seem
to be assuming that staff wants to talk to us randomly on the street and and if if I were employed by the city and I'm out doing my job, whatever it is, and a commissioner comes at me asking me questions, I would probably wet my
pants. So, I'm making light of it, but but you get the point. You get the point. So, I wouldn't assume that employees on a random basis want to talk to to any one of us. But I'm open to taking it up at
our next strategic session. And in the meantime, I'll chat um going through the city manager. I'll chat with him and with our um our directors and and see what their
feeling is, if there might be some way to kind of bridge this a little. But right now, let's just move on. >> City manager, you're up next. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, just as a reminder, since this topic is back in
front of us yet again and Commissioner Petro's comments about talking to staff, you are allowed to talk to staff. You are encouraged to have good relationships with staff, it the fact that you can't ask them questions about your business or your business concerns
or your interests, that's where the line is that you are trying to cross. And while you don't respect the attorney's opinion, the prior attorney's opinion and the third party attorney's opinions, they are legal opinions that have given direction on how we are using our
charter. So we keep going over this same thing even though you know that you've gotten legal guidance and we have also encouraged you to have good relationship with staff as if we're trying to hide them from you. And the fact that you're insinuating that something is trying to be hidden is very offensive and so I'd
appreciate it if you would quit saying that publicly. Mr. Duval, we came we had a thirdparty mediator for a meeting with you specifically in January to talk about this one item and
I came to that meeting with papers and a process of relaxed rules so that we could all move on past this. And you sat there and said you were not going to participate in the meeting at all. And therefore, the board decided, well, why would we meet you halfway when you
weren't even willing to have the conversation with us after you're the one who brought it up and complained about it? This is a very redundant conversation for you all to have. We tried to meet you both in positions to give you what you wanted and neither one of you seemed
to have wanted when we were offering it. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Commissioner Pro. >> Thank you, Mayor. The fact of the matter is that communication is for the city business only and I've not hinted
nor I implied that I want to ask any questions about my business dealings. Um I don't do actually anything on the side besides remodeling. Um but looking at other jurisdiction that
really allow in that same form that we are in city managers commission form all the other jurisdiction can freely talk to the city employees and I understand we can too but we have to get the permission from you um and I don't think this is correct
or I don't think this is right um and I know it's emotional for somebody And maybe it's a redundant conversation. Um the fact that it was brought by the charter review board. It's it's independent body of
a governing body whatever that the charter review board. They brought it up to us um without any outside influence. I have not talked to them regarding this uh to to put this on the agenda.
the fact that some other people saw it and not just some people the the charter review board members saw it to be a necessary tool to be as a transparency and independent obtaining of information. That's what
concerns me and I'm not implying anything. Um I'm just laying out um and again going back to third party opinion and the and the the question was never asked if the
charter forbids or prohibit um prohibits individual commissioners from conversing. the the the complete completely different question was asked of a third party opinion which was if your policy confirms to your policy I we
cannot get into your policy that's your policy um but yet we have to get the permission from you it's almost you know we as a board stand below the city
manager's office um if you look at this component of our charter being interpreted as you see it, which I completely disagree with. And if we're talking about this, I'll refer to
the city attorney who explicitly said on this issue that if you ask 10 different lawyers, you're going to get 10 different opinions. So that's why I'm very adamant and proponent of putting
this issue to the voters. let the voters decide if we as individual commissioners can freely talk to the uh staff. And uh the analogy of uh Vice Mayor Langden is extreme but you know I get approached by
everybody and everywhere and I'm okay with that um on all fronts whether it's you know a constituent or uh someone who works somewhere else or because I represent the people and this
form of government we are the government let it be very transparent I I don't see anything of an issue of why we cannot even talk about this, let alone put on the charter uh on the ballot for the
voters to decide this uh because this specificity is missing in our charter like all the other 3020 chart charters that I looked at um that allow specifically our charter does not
prohibit it does not even imply that we cannot talk to the city employees. Having said all that, I think it's very simple. We can just vote, put it up to the voters and let them vote in 2028. Um, if our charter can be amended
specifically uh relating to communication with the with the city employees as far as burdening the staff with our questions, well, uh, you know, we need more answers. uh from
subject matter experts as the city manager always refers to them. Um I would like to hear independent opinion just coming up and hey what do you think about this and uh where where can I get
that and um to me it's a problem. I I a lot of times it's discouraging me um from from because every question I have to go to the city manager and ask him can I ask the other employee of that
question or I just seem it's a redundant or redundant process if you will but I I see this issue is very very simple and if I can go on just a little bit let's vote if we can put this up to the voters or Thank you, ma'am.
>> Commissioner Dval, >> I really wish we weren't having this discussion today, but since we are, city manager brought up meeting that we had here where we all sat down there, everyone was on one side of the table, I
was on the other. city manager spent over $6,000 bringing in that consultant. That's taxpayer money. In my estimation, it was not a workshop.
It wasn't a retreat. It was a lesson that was supposed to be taught to me to follow his rules. that consultant was brought in. They mentioned a number of different
cities that have an explicit pro prohib prohibition from commissioners, counselors, alderman, speaking with staff. Ours does not. And that counselor never mentioned
even one city or village that does it the opposite way where commissioners are able to speak with staff. And yet a member of our charter review board came up, spoke here at a meeting and
listed a number of cities in here and villages and and municipalities in Florida that do allow and have in their charters specifically that commissioners are allowed to talk to and ask questions
of staff, not directing staff. So obviously I disagree agree with this but there are five of us here and I haven't changed my opinion. I don't think they changed their opinion. So you
know I think you know for today I don't think you know a vote is going to do anything. Um but there's the future. Thank you. >> Yeah. Um,
you talk about that we're the only ones that can't do that. Well, within our charter, this is not the only subject that we're unique on within our charter. We can't borrow when everybody else can. And and rather than worrying about
semantics on this board, we should be worrying about can we be in the competitive race of being able to put in our infrastructure. This is where I'm disappointed in the charter review board on bringing this back again after we've already discussed it. Why why aren't
they working on and I don't know if they are or they're not, but they should be working on ways that we can possibly word different borrowing aspects for emergencies, this that and the other, but that's totally up to them. I believe you provided them direction to meet with Christine Robinson to be able to discuss
that and she provided I want to say about five dates that she could meet with the board but they were unable to make a quorum. Since then we've tried to reach back out to her to see if she was available for their next meetings and I
don't I think she may be discouraged at that point since she provided all the dates and they were not able to meet a quarum to meet with her. Well, then I would consider that still a work in progress. Maybe they can hook up and and be able to do that. But again, it goes back to what is available and how how do
we work on this? And again, it it's like you say you get frustrated, you can't talk to staff, but every single week we have a one-on-one with the city manager. Every single week is scheduled, unless you know we're through the holidays or
something, then it changes. you just pick up the phone or send an email and say, "City manager, I need to talk with Miss Ray about a few things. Can she be at my one-on-one?" This way, it's scheduled. It's not really taking away from her time on a whim for whenever she
gets a phone call. She could be busy. And again, when you're going for information, let's say today we we talked about data centers. Everybody on this board wanted more information. If we tied that lady up for two days on phone calls because I called and then you called and then she called
and then he called and then he called, we might not have gotten the information for the meeting today. It has to be proportioned and scheduled. The process that we have right now by going through the city manager, you still have that
access. He does not have to be present. I would like to talk to Elena about X. he knows what you want to talk about. Yeah, go ahead, give her a shout or let me set up a time for you to talk to her if that be the case because they're busy or she's on vacation or whatever the
case may be. It is available. So, it's very difficult to say it's not available because it is. So, that's where I'm leaving that. Commissioner Petro, you're up. >> Thank you, Mayor.
And I agree to a lot of points you brought up. My question is and I think that's what we are talking about here is to present the question to the public to to for the referendum. Let them decide and if the
board is willing, let's vote. >> Well, let's vote. We have public comment. >> I know. I'm just saying. >> You got public comment. I was just saying. >> No, I was just saying I'm ready for public comment. >> Cheryl Cook, while today's discussion
concerns recommendations from the Charter Review Advisory Board, I would like to raise an issue that was brought before the city years ago by a citizen, but has never been considered. In 2018, a citizen made public comments at multiple Northport meetings, requesting that the charter review advisory board consider recommending a charter
amendment establishing a spending limit within the city charter and forwarding that recommendation to the city commission for placement on a referendum ballot so the voters could decide the issue. That request was never considered by the board. I am asking the city commission to allow the voters to decide this question. Please place place a
proposed charter amendment establishing a spending limit on future referendum ballot so the citizens of Northport can determine whether the safeguard belongs in our city charter. And that is all. >> All right. Thank you. I will uh take a motion. We You want two motions? Two
separate motions. two >> one for the >> if it's going to be the same one for if somebody's interested in making the same motion for both of them then we can just do the one if that would be to um decline further action if that's what the motion is going to be then we only
need one and you can just say on both items >> okay anybody interested in making a motion >> I'll make I'll give it a shot I move to direct the city attorney to draft the following referendum question utilizing the following language
To add to the city charter, a verbiage for the purpose of inquiry or information, the city commission and its members shall deal with city officers and employees who are subject to the direction supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager.
Basically, >> basically I took what they recommended as a city charter review board recommendation that we might polish the the question and I mean the proposal but that would
be done by the city attorney. >> So you're using the the suggested motion that was provided perfectly. >> Yeah, simple enough. and uh when it comes back, if it passes, we can polish it in a more presentable way to put it
on the ballot uh for 2028. >> Good with that, city clerk. >> Yes. >> Can you repeat it for vice mayor >> to direct the city city attorney to draft a referendum question utilizing the recommended language to amend section 5.2 two of the city charter to
include verbiage except for the purposes of inquiry or information. The city commission and its members shall deal with the city officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager. >> Have a motion on the floor and I have a
second from Commissioner Dval. If there's nothing to that, please vote. And that fails 3 to two. Next motion. I'll make it here. Take this. This is for um
residency of the charter officers. I move to decline further action at this time and direct the city clerk to notify the charter review advisory board. >> Second. Can I second holding the >> You can second, but you got to say you have a motion. I have a motion on the
floor to deny further action on the um charter review board's recommendation that um help me with the language, city clerk, that we revisit the residency requirements or change the language
regarding the residency requirements. And uh that was made by the mayor and seconded by myself. >> So we need to vote now. >> Let's vote. >> We need to clear the decks. >> No, no, no. We've all voted except for you, Vice.
>> Oh, I was so busy with the motion. >> I know you were. >> Okay. Um okay. And that motion passes 4 to one with Commissioner Duval
um voting no care to comment. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You need my stuff back. >> All right. Moving on to item C. >> Do you want me to send something back to charter review regarding the first question or the second question as well?
Please. >> Well, the second question I put that in the motion. You just probably didn't. >> No, you just said for the charter officer residency. >> Yes, for that one, but it says and direct the city clerk to notify the city clerk uh the charter review advisor.
>> I didn't put it on mine. >> No, I was asking if you wanted to provide direction regarding the um the the vote that failed due to >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. Did you want me to notify the charter review that no further >> if they don't already know by now? Yes,
ma'am. >> Can I move on now? >> Yes. >> All right. See, you know who's really in charge. >> All right. Item C26-0969. Um, city manager, this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This item is
discussion and possible action regarding Sarasota County tax collector Mike Moran's letter of interest to purchase a city-owned parcel located at the southeastern quadrant of the intersection of city hall city hall boulevard and north main street. At the November 4th, 2025 city commission
regular meeting. The commission directed the city manager to work with Mr. Moran and his team to bring back a plan for a new Sarasota County Tax Collector Building on the City Hall campus, including the city attorney in those conversations.
On July 1st, 2026, the city of Milport received a formal letter of interest from Sarasota County tax collector Mike Ran requesting a discussion regarding the potential purchase of city-owned property located at the southeast corner of City Hall Boulevard and North Street. Today, we ask that you direct city
manager to proceed with discussions and negotiations with the tax collector regarding his proposal to purchase the city- owned property. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Thank you, sir. >> Commissioner Stokes. >> Yeah, I mean, you know, in some
respects, I'm I'm kind of open-minded to this. you know, the tax collector needs more space and, you know, it's nice to have that service available right here in city hall area. You know, um, but that's some sweet prime piece of real
estate and it sits in, you know, unique proximity between the Mullen Center and City Hall. Um I don't have a clue h how this would face what would be involved. But you know we are busting at the seams for space
ourselves. So you know in terms of you know one I guess to cut to chase yeah I don't have a problem having further discussions but I would want you know it for me to get comfortable with this. I want to see a three-story building and I want to see the city rent two or three
floors from them. I want to see that if the tax assessor's office ever moves out that that property or that building reverts to the city. Um, so, you know, there's a lot of devil in the details that I'd be concerned about. On the surface, you know, and how it's
situated, what how roads would have to be reconfigured, would we have adequate parking for everything that goes on? I mean, there's a a a multitude of discussions to yet have, but I certainly think it probably is always worthwhile to have some discussions and
negotiations and see where this may lead. But that would be some of the things that I would be looking for. And I would certainly want to know that it's this commission that has final approval on anything that's done. That nothing could be approved without this city commission approving a final deal.
>> Thank you, Mayor. >> City Manager, is that the case? to just continue the discussions and then it'll be brought back. >> We don't we don't have any more details. I don't think that he wanted to go further unless you got you all blessed the actual action and uh and
Commissioner Stokes uh comments and questions will be answered when we bring something back. >> And that's what I had thought and it might open up some space for Deputy Chief Morales and some of his patrol officers over there too in the future. Uh >> Commissioner Petro.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh I met with Mr. Moran, our tax collector, county tax collector, and uh he presented the idea. Uh it seems very appealing and at the beginning I was,
you know, very optimistic, but then I started to think, you know, this is one of the last parcels that the city owns and uh we're only 45% built out. The city is growing. I just I it's a prime real estate even
though we might share the building. U just the parking along that we're going to be rotating parking between you know between his office employees and uh Mullen center and any activity we have on the green. It's just too much of a
activity going on. I would hate to let it go. Uh thinking, you know, they don't make it anymore. That land we only have in this proximity and we from my understanding the city used to own a lot of parcels around that got sold one by
one and uh actually we cannot turn the history back, but at least we can you know plan ahead and I would not be willing to give out that part. So um nothing personal, nothing
emotional. It's just practicality of a you know approach that we are a young city as far as the population, as far as the land mass. I know he needs office in South uh county. Um but I've seen cities um municipalities
uh and jurisdiction renting any place they want. I mean, we if we don't give him this green light with this parcel, um he's not limited to go on and find a a perfect or a better
option. But as a city uh representative uh I do believe it's my duty to to think what's the best course of a city's direction and I think we should hold on to that uh parcel and develop to our
needs and necessities the way we need the way we want. So I'm not on board on this and u if we can vote I would be happy to do it. uh I just don't see any value of going on and hold him in uh in
this position that he's waiting on our answer if but I I think I made myself clear that I'm not in favor of this uh so I will not be voting for sale of this property plus we don't get any tax on it anyways
but um that's irrelevant as far as it's government property but it's better for us to use it. Thank you, Mayor. >> Commissioner Dvalo. >> Thank you, Mayor. The idea of giving away NordPort
citizens property goes against the grain, but the tax collector's office is a government entity. They do have offices in this building
which are tiny and they do service the citizens of Northport. As Commissioner Stokes said, that is prime property and I really wish that we could find another piece of
property that would do the job. I also like Commissioner Stokes idea of, hey, maybe we can get two or three. Well, I don't know. Maybe someone else said it. Who said two or three floors? Was that you? Okay. >> Um, I want the citizens of Northport to get
something out of this. Having the tax collector here does service the citizens of Northport and Sarasota County uh in the past has not serviced the city of Northport the way it should.
There's a lot of things we're missing here. You know, I can't tell you the number of times I've heard Northport's the redheaded stepchild. Uh a lot of county services just haven't been available to us.
What this motion does is to direct the city manager to negotiate and I'm for that because it's a negotiation and that negotiation
I want us to get something out of that. >> I think I said enough. >> Thank you, Vice Mayor. >> Just a question. city manager, is there another parcel um on our campus that's available? For example, the the parcel that the old
fire station is on that's in the process of being torn down. Would that be available for a project of this type? Um, I don't think that parcel would, but if you go across the street where the temporary fire station is now, where they're housed while theirs is being
built, >> that is another option that we discussed that he might be interested in. >> Yeah. So, I think my fellow commissioners have have kind of raised some things that they would like to see. Um, I'm open-minded about it as others
are. Um, I think Mr. Moran wants to improve the services that he's able to deliver to the residents of Northport. Clearly, the space there, it's the best the city could do, but it is totally
inadequate. So, again, I'm supportive. Um I I'd be open to considering other parcels beside that one in particular. Um, I don't want to shock anyone, but I do sort of appreciate the green space
that that we have near city hall. I mean, I think people might think I don't think about those things or appreciate those things, but I truly do. Um, and I don't think a day goes by when I'm here that I don't see one or two people
walking their dogs or having lunch at a picnic table. So, I guess I always want to kill two birds with one stone. If if we can keep that open space and still accommodate Mr. Moran's um needs, then I would be all for that.
So, yes, let's keep negotiating. >> Commissioner Pro. >> Thank you, Mayor. As a form of a question, is wasn't the three to twotory idea was presented to him and it was not a viable option for him? He just wanted
something totally for himself. Is >> was that the case? >> No. Originally, we talked about putting the EOC on the upper floor and that was not viable because it was it wouldn't give us the space to have everything that we needed to be safe during
emergency situations. I I still think he's open to using extra floors for reasons we might need space. We just need to talk that through with him because not only was he interested in it, he said that they don't have it on weekends so that we could use the
building on weekends as well as the parking as well. So he was very flexible in how we could use the building >> and the parking issue on with Mullen Center with the activities that they would that interfere with his parking because boy those um DMV
numbers of people that visit uh Venice for example, it's constant moving and it's it's overloaded to there too. So we'll have if that goes it will be a parking issue as far as
with the Mullen cent's activities. So the the footprint that he provided in the attachment is deeper into the parking than we had discussed. So we would have to talk about how he could put his footprint on the site if it stays where he put it versus where we
have yet to talk to him about another location. But it would be a concern of ours if as currently the block that he outlined was done because it would affect parking. It would be a challenge >> and I for saw that. But yeah, that's another component that we have to think.
I just don't want to rush anything at this point. Thank you, >> Commissioner Dval. I just wanted to add I forgot that I totally concur with Commissioner Stokes on the idea that if the tax collector ever moves out of such a building, it
reverts to the ownership of the city of Northport. Thank you, >> city clerk. Public comment. one. Cheryl Cook, the ordinance before you was adopted in 2023. This is 2026, and you are a newly
elected commission with the opportunity and responsibility to establish a fiscally responsible approach to managing both the city's budget and public assets assets. The sale of public property should never be viewed as short-term solution to financial challenges or as a means to generate revenue for additional spending. Once
public land is sold, it's gone forever. Every decision involving the people's property should be made with exceptional care, recognizing that these assets belong to the citizens of Northport. I'm opposed to this proposed transaction and respectfully request that the commission amend the ordinance to establish a much
higher threshold for the sale of city-owned real property. The disposition of public land should be the exception, not the rule, and only after careful deliberation and a clear demonstration that selling this property is the long-term best interest of the community. In this instance, I do not
believe the level of consideration has been demonstrated and I ask that you not move forward with this sale. And that's all. Mayor, >> thank you. I'm going to request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead. >> I move to direct city manager to proceed
with discussions and negotiations with the tax collector regarding his proposal to purchase city-owned property. >> Second. Have a motion on the floor made by vice mayor to direct the city manager to proceed with discussions and negotiations with the tax collector
regarding the proposal to purchase city- owned property. That was seconded by commissioner Dval. There's nothing to that. Please vote. And that passes 4 to one. I assume for reasons stated commissioner. >> Yes.
>> All right. Moving on to item D26-0972. Mr. Fletcher, this is your item. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is discussion and possible action regarding items for joint meeting with Sarasota County uh commit board of commissioners scheduled for October 27th, 2026.
Um, at the city commission regular meeting on July 7th, 2026, the city commission approved resolution number 2026-R30 authorizing the city commission to participate in a joint meeting to receive, discuss, and act upon matters of mutual interest. In preparation for
the joint meeting, there are several proposed items for discussion for potential inclusion on the agenda, such as transportation provided in the city of Northport, including greed service, interlocal service boundary agreement, ISBA for the Winchester Ranch, interlocal service boundary agreement,
ISBA, for property along US 41, and services provided to city most city residents by Sarasota County. Um, we ask that you provide direction to staff on topics for the joint meeting with the Sarasota County Board County Commissioner scheduled for October 27th,
2026. Thank you, sir. >> Thank you, Commission. Questions, >> comments, Commissioner Stokes? >> Yeah. Um, I mean, I I guess the idea is to start assembling the list of things
to discuss. I think we all look forward to a opportunity to sit down with with that commission. Um, you know, the first observation is this
is potentially a uh a uh October 27th meeting which would fall um like what a week before the election. Um
how many county seats are up? two or one >> two. >> Two. So, you know, the complexion of that board could change. That's first. Um, >> so could ours.
>> So could ours. Um, you got social services are certainly a subject matter that needs to be discussed. I'd love to know how much our citizens as as I know staff has because we've made repeated requests with no response. how much our
citizens are paying here in Northport for social services for which we receive absolutely probably pretty much close to nothing. Um, you know, breeze services for sure. I sit on the tourism council, so I've heard a lot of these
conversations and, you know, they run by the numbers, but at the same time, people pay for breeze service. So, you know, it would seem as if the largest city with the biggest population in the county would have a little better transportation um down our way. Uh certainly is one and two got to be
discussed. Um so, I'm good with that. Trying to think of what other subjects you all might have, but I'll I'll cut off there and let everybody else speak. See if you guys want to add to the list, but those three certainly are the obvious ones that city manager mentioned. So I I certainly agree about
the ISBAs and stuff like that definitely need to be discussed, but as Commissioner Stokes just brought up. And you know, I'm just an observation, wouldn't it be prudent to possibly postpone the meeting till the new boards are in place or do we want to have them
prior to the new boards being in place? Because, you know, the 27th of October, like you said, you're talking a week between elections and Halloween, you know, the holidays. either move it forward or after the elections with the new board. I mean, I'm just
saying it just seems like it I'm not trying to get out of doing something, but it makes sense to let the new board decide because if the old board decides something, the new board comes on and they say, "Screw those guys. We're going to do it our way." I'm
serious, you know. Thank you, sir. Go ahead. I'm only laughing because it was last December that they actually agreed to meet. They asked us if we want to meet and we said yes. And October was the very first time that all of your schedules sort of aligned after they got
through what was the winter and then the spring and then we couldn't. We wanted it done before you all went on recess this summer and that didn't happen and then it ended up being October and me and the administrator did not want it to be this late in the year but that was the only place that it could fall that
made sense. So having to move it makes a lot of sense and we agree with you the exact same way but hopefully if we move it we can have it sort of either in no November which is tough because there's the holiday and then you have to do it early in December before you have that holiday and then I'm right back I'm
right back in the same cycle again >> or the following October there's no election follow >> right know yeah I'll I can go back to the administrator and see if we can there's nothing um timesensitive I will say that based on the topics that we
have other than the fact that we would like some clarity and information to make sure that we're all on the same page sooner rather than later. So, >> no, I understand that, but I I just it it just makes sense to not make a decision and then have it changed, you know, just in case if there are
different mindsets. Uh, Commissioner Stokes, go ahead. >> Yeah, you know, again, I nobody nobody asked me >> put it in there. >> Yeah. No, nobody asked me about any available dates from the time this got started to get discussed a year ago till now. You know, my take is that the
Sarasota County Commission really isn't all that interested here to what we have to say. And um you know, uh especially since, let's face it, I I don't hold it against any of them personally, but they're a single district commission, which means that in our case, three and
a half almost four commissioners really don't give a hoot about what happens in Northward. four for sure when it comes to legacy, three and a half if you count a little bite at Wellen Park that one of them controls or or or is a representative for. So the reality is,
you know, any conversations we have are like, you know, conversations. I I don't really think like that, you know, anything's going to go anywhere because they have no vested interest in caring about what happens down here. They really don't. and and that's you know
after almost four years of sitting in this position getting to know all of them up there um you know other than commissioner Kudsinger who's termin you know there really isn't any focus when if any of the others ever come here so you know only when they need
something only when they want something from us so you know I would say we could talk whenever we want to talk you know to me you know whatever I say is going to be to send a loud message that you know for all the probably millions of dollars that our citizens in this city
pay to the county for all kinds of services. I don't see a whole heck of a lot of return on our investment. >> Thanks, mayor. That's all I got to say. Before I go to you, city manager, you might want to look for their cancellation letter coming up very soon. >> Go ahead, city manager.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. um you know and I hate that commissioner still feels that way so and I'm definitely not going to question that but I will say my experience with them they're they've always been you know very you know welcoming and open to me and I know we're not in the same roles and we don't
have the same view viewpoints or relationships with them but I would encourage us if that's the feeling of the commissioner Stokes and maybe some others that we take this opportunity to rebuild that relationship and start over and try to make it so that he doesn't
feel that way and we eliminate the past feelings and sort of move forward because we are moving forward as a city and we are doing great things but I do believe we need the county as a strong partner in our corner and us having this meeting should be a good first step if
we use the forum correctly to start something better than what we had in the past. >> All right, thank you uh Vice Mayor. Thank you, mayor. Um, the the the county is an important partner to the city in
in facing lots of things. And while I'm sure each of us has things they wish were better or got more or less of, um, be that as it may, um, but in in
addition to the fact that elections are happening in November and the complexions of both commissions could change, we will also have definitive answer on the referendum regarding property taxes
and that could very much change the priority um and content of our conversations. So, I I would be supportive of moving this meeting past November for the
reasons already stated and and also because of the referendum on property taxes. >> Very good point. And one thing as well too, I just lost my train of thought, but um go ahead, Commissioner Petra. I'll get it back.
>> Thank you, Mayor. I really like what the city manager said, we have to work with the regional partners and um I reached out to four of them and I had conversation and meetings with four of either conversation or a
meeting with all of four of them. um they are very important players in the county and we are part of the county. I think you know we should be more receptive and more willing to to
work together. I know they have not paid attention too much maybe to our side of a city to to South County but I think it's very important that we foster those relationship to a better level. Um, and concurring with the Vice
Mayor LinkedIn about tax reform, which is a good point, I I forgot about that because that changes whole dynamics of uh could change the dynamic of a conversation completely. If we can postpone it, maybe two weeks, whatever,
whatever availability is on there because they have much more busier schedule than us, I think, as far as county officials. Um so those two points I want to relate that you know we're fostering the relationship and when I
talked to them they're very receptive they were very uh open to our dialogue on official level >> it's just I've never with at my almost two years we've never had that
meeting as a joint meeting so I'm very open for that and I think it's very beneficial on both sides Thank you. >> Yeah. And what I was going to say was you had brought up about a fresh start between the two commissions. There's
definitely going to be at least one new individual on the board on this board come November. We don't know what's going to happen up in the county. Let's say that they get one new person. You know, I don't know. I think they're both running for reelection at the time.
I don't think anybody's turned out. But anyways, that would be a fresh start, but with the new people on the board, and that's just another reason with the tax reform to go ahead and and postpone it. And that's that's just my thinking. >> It's all I got. Anybody uh got any
public comment? >> There's not. >> All right. I'll entertain a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead. I move that we reschedu our meeting um with the Sarasota County Commission for some time after the
November elections. Okay. Have a motion on the floor made by Vice Mayor to reschedu the meeting with the Sarasota County Commissioners to sometime after the November elections. Do I have a second? >> Sir, I'll second it. >> And that's seconded by Commissioner
Stokes. If there's nothing to that, please vote. And that passes 5 to zero. Where we at on time? Okay, moving on to public hearings resolution number 2026-R39.
This is a quasi judicial hearing and calls on the city clerk to read by title. >> Resolution number 2026-R3 39, a resolution of the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, vacating a portion of utility and drainage easement for lot 1, block 2393,
49th edition to the Port Charlotte subdivision, providing for findings, providing for recording, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, and providing an effective date. We have not received any agreed party requests and can everyone wishing to provide testimony please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that
the testimony you're about to provide is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge to help? >> I do. >> Thank you. >> Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, and commissioners. >> Well, um, do we have any exparte commission uh, communications?
>> Only my agenda briefing. >> Commissioner Stokes. >> Nothing for me. I have nothing. >> Nothing for me, Mr. Mayor. >> Commissioner Petro, >> nothing for me, ma'am. >> Okay. Presentation by applicant or staff. >> Again, good afternoon. My name is Kyle
Hoffman, zoning coordinator. I have been sworn. This is in reference to the property at 11:04 Napoleon Road, uh, with petition number PVAC-26-00468. Uh this was submitted to us by Tiana
Trinidade for on behalf of owners Rodrigo and Mika Dcasta. They're requesting to vacate a portion of the platted rear 20 foot easement uh drainage I'm sorry the rear 20 foot utility and drainage easement which is
approximately 26.73 square ft located on the rear line of lot 1 block 2393 of the 49th edition of Port Charlotte subdivision is located at parcel 1117-23-9301
one. Uh just a little background for you on here. They're requesting to add a addition to their pool deck uh into that rear easement. Originally, they had proposed that pool shell to be right there kind of at that 20ft
easement. They asked to have that extended 3 ft so they can have a little bit of room for cleaning and maintenance per purposes. Uh again the property area is approximately 13,616 square ft and again the total amount that will be
vacated is 206.73 ft give or take. Uh again during the pool installation process they decided they needed a little extra room on the back side of that pool deck for maintenance as well as for aesthetic purposes so it was not
just right there on the the pool shell itself. Uh the this extension would just be limited to the pool deck and the enclosure that would be located in that vacated portion of the easement. Following the following utility agencies have reviewed the request to vacate the
portion of the rear utility and drainage easements per ULC section 2.2.17.C and through written response have granted approval or through no response are uncontested. Staff has reviewed and approved the
proposed vacation of easement finding that the petition PVAC-26-006468 uh does confir conform with Florida statute chapter 177 as well as in complies with ULDC chapter 2 uh during the development review
section of 2.2.17. 2.17. The Planning and Zoning Division recommends approval of petition PVAC-26-00468 via resolution 2026-R39. The city attorney has reviewed the accompanying resolution 26-R39
as to its form and correctness. And again, this planning and zoning division does recommend for approval of this vacation. Thank you. Thank you. Um I'm assuming you're not going to rebut yourself, sir. >> No, sir. >> All right. We got any public comment.
>> Sorry. >> I was going to say cuz I just swear I'm in over the phone. Commission questions, discussions, anything? All right. Uh, closing argument, sir? >> No, sir. >> All right. I'm going to close this
public hearing and request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead, sir. >> I move to adopt resolution number 2026-R39 as presented. >> Second. >> Have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Dval to move to adopt resolution number 2026-R39
as presented. Seconded by the vice mayor. There's nothing to that. Please vote. That passes 5 to zero. Moving on to Thank you, sir. >> Thank you. >> Moving on to ordinances's second reading. Ordinance number 2026-15.
Uh, city clerk, can you read by title only, please? Ordinance number 2026-15, an ordinance of the city of Northport, Florida, creating the dependent special district known as the activity center 6 and 10 infrastructure district, providing legislative findings and intent, establishing the district as a
non-avvalorum special assessment district within chapter 66 of the code of the city of Northport, Florida, defining the district's status as a dependent special district and identifying its purpose, powers, functions, duties, boundaries, authority, governance, financial meth financing methods, and comprehensive
plan consistency as required. ired by section 189.02 02 Florida statutes providing for the planning, design, land acquisition, construction, expansion, maintenance, operation, and all other associated cost of certain public infrastructure and related facilities
including but not limited to road, storm water, portable water, wastewater, reclaimed water, electric, gas, fiber, communications, utilities, public public safety facilities, solid waste facilities, multimmoal facilities, and parks and recreation facilities, and all
other associated costs. Providing for the levy and collection of non-evalor special assessments to fund the costs of the dependent special district. Providing for use of the uniform method of collection pursuant to section 197.3632 Florida statutes by separate resolution.
Providing for leans and revenue shortfalls. Providing for governance by the city commission. Providing for a district director appointed by the city manager or the city manager's designate. Providing for finances claims consistency with the comprehensive plan. meetings. Attorney to the board.
Right-of-way use permits. Prohibition of hazardous activities, fees, fines, and penalties. Amending the code of the city of Northport, Florida, section 66-98 through 66-117. Providing for findings, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, providing for codification, and
providing an effective date. >> Thank you. You want to do that again? >> Yeah, we didn't hear it the first time. All right, commissioners. Commissioner Petro, >> I have a question for legal. Um,
is it possible to carve out the existing residential um structures before this going to be put in place? Um, I've been contacted by many people who have and they who live there
and they are really concerned about I and I know this is a legal framework of just the beginning process and we we'll wait for the methodologies to be presented to us but
is it something that we can do it and do a third reading on this or >> I don't think we could cut out. No, no, we can't cut out existing residential from the district. If you want to form the district, it's the property within the district. You want to cut out the
residential from the assessment. That's when you'll have the assessment methodologies that come forward. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Otherwise, you' be changing the boundaries of your district every time >> because they're still within the district. >> The district. >> The assessment comes with the
methodology. >> So, yes, they can be not assessed at that point. Absolutely. >> That makes sense. It's just they want to be they want to have some guarantee that they're not going to be assessed even though there's no immediate or future
benefit for them because a lot of them are independent. They have their own will uh septic. Um they really don't need the special district. >> Well, it depends on what amenities are out there in the future too. You know,
we don't know the long range plans. Commissioner St. cheer up. >> Yeah. No, I I I pretty much was going to say what what you guys said. Um, you know, we the commissioner will have the authority to assess so we can make sure
that those residential folks, you know, in in those, you know, activity centers don't get dinged or in that special district. So, yeah, I agree. I mean, I think we talked about that on first reading and we all sort of concurred that that, you know, that would need to be done, but you can't carve them out
for the reasons city attorney said. So, you know, we just want to protect those people and make sure that their property rights are appreciated and respected and protected. So, you know, and and that that authority rests with commission,
>> right? And it is part of the process. This is process one and then we'll move on to >> process to that. They just need to stay tuned and >> and I I've already responded to a few people out there that were concerned about this and I absolutely agree, you know, to carve them out from the
assessment part of it. So, I mean, we're all on the same page. It's just going to take a little bit time to get it written in stone for them to have it. >> Uh, anything else? Uh, city clerk, public comment.
>> Cheryl Cook, an ordinance of the city, I'm sorry, wrong side. I would also like to address the connection between this proposed infrastructure district and the proposed Interstate 75 interchange at Yorkshire Street and Rainree Boulevard. My understanding is that this interchange is still only a proposal
being considered and has not been approved by the state. I am concerned that the city may be creating a long-term financing structure and committing resources based on an infrastructure project that is not yet guaranteed to move forward. I understand that the state will evaluate whether a proposed interchange provides sufficient
benefit and whether the surrounding infrastructure and development support such an investment. If Northport is expected to make significant infrastructure commitments to demonstrate the value of this interchange, then the public deserves to understand the risks and obligations being assumed. I also recall a joint
meeting with Charlotte County in 2022 where the importance of additional Interstate 75 interchanges was discussed from Charlotte County's perspective. If this interchange provides regional benefits, what commitment is Charlotte County prepared to make toward the planning, infrastructure, and costs associated with this project? Before
Northport taxpayers assume responsibility for creating the framework and funding mechanisms for this district, I believe the commission should seek clear answers regarding regional participation and cost sharing. Debbie McDow. Before you agree to create a new special
district, which will ultimately lead to a new assessment, additional staff, equipment, and a slew of other expenses, why not complete the AC6 and AC10 master plan first? Where is the feasibility study showing this is even feasible? How about the city attorney's legal analysis that a special assessment can be
implemented, especially when there will be no benefit today, to the taxpayers in activity center 6 and 10? How about a timeline to show those taxpayers when they can expect to get a ROI on t on the taxes they'll be paying? Has anyone seen any documents showcasing any other
Florida municipality that created a special district for this type of purpose? Maybe it will save you time and money to review that first before reinventing the wheel. If nobody else has done something like this, that should be a red flag in itself. For what it's worth, did you know the activity center 6 master plan was first discussed
in 2020? It's been in the city strategic plan for more than five years. It was also fully funded, but AC6 and AC10 are outside the urban service boundary, so there wasn't a rush, and the funding was repurposed for AC3 master plan with the promise it would be completed the
following year. Then came the citywide reszone. Now, there is a mad rush to get something going, ultimately at taxpayers expense. This is not a risk the city should be undertaking. Talk to Charlotte County about Murdoch Village. That was a 20-year mess for them and Northport is headed
down the same path. You owe it to yourselves and the taxpayers to get your ducks in a row and then create the special district. William Lancaw, as a resident in AC10 and in support of all current residents of AC10 and AC6, I am asking that all commissioners and
board members remember to pro protect current residents from additional tax burdens of the special district. As was stated, all current residents should be on the same tax base no matter where they live within the city. Thank you. And that is our >> Thank you. I'm going to close this public hearing and request a motion.
I'll make it. Go ahead. Uh let's see. One minute. I move to adopt ordinance number 2026-15 as presented. >> Second. >> Go ahead, Commissioner. >> Second.
have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Stokes to adopt ordinance number 2026-15 as presented and that was seconded by Commissioner Dval. Um if there's nothing to that, please vote. That passes five to zero.
Moving on to ordinance number 2026-20. Um city clerk, can you read by title only? Ordinance number 2026-20, an ordinance of the city of Northport, Florida, regarding manufactured homes, amending the unified land development code to provide for compliance with section 553.385
Florida statutes by amending sections 3.1.2, 4.4.1, and appendix A, article 1, providing for findings, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, providing for codification, and providing an effective date. >> All right, commissioners, I see
Commissioner Dvalo, you're in the queue. Thank you, mayor. Um, this is a second reading. We went through this the first time. >> I dissent it the first time. Uh, and I'm going to desent this time. Uh, and it's not based on the fact that I don't
believe we should have regulations. It's based on the fact that we have a mandate from the state that says we now have to allow manufactured housing in places where it
never was allowed before. And the problem is that it's not for all residents of Northport. It's for those in legacy Northport, those that do not live in gated communities or HOAs.
that divides the city. I believe that rules first of all they should be local rules not mandated by the state. Secondly, they should be every for everybody. What's good for a goose is good for a gander. Okay?
No one based on where they live in our city should have one regulation that applies to them and doesn't apply to someone else. Thank you, >> Commissioner Stokes.
>> Yeah. And I hear, you know, it it's not even so much um an issue of like Well and Park versus Legacy. There's 70 HOAs within the city limits of Northport, Florida. That's a lot of HOAs. They all
got their own laws and rules that are statemandated. So, you we're kind of trapped there. You know, I I would have preferred there was no manufactured housing allowed like where single family homes exist unless they meet the
standards of of the building codes in every respect. But here we are once again, you know, having to live with the law of the land and and ultimately, you know, as as lowly officials at the municipal level, uh, we have to obey the
law and and so we are stuck. I agree it it it it does provide for a, you know, a them and we kind of mentality, but that's the law. I don't know how you get around the law. we're stuck with the law
and you know we didn't make these laws. They were made for us and imposed upon us. So that's all I have to say. Thanks, Mayor. >> Vice Mayor, >> um I I hate it when um Commissioner Stoke steals my thunder. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you very
much. >> But but I would also add I I would ask all of my fellow commissioners to remember the day when we were sworn in. and we gave an oath to uphold the laws
of the United States of America, the state of Florida, and here we are. So, it's wonderful to vote our conscience. It's wonderful to demonstrate to the residents of this city that we don't like it. We don't
like it. It's the law and we took an oath to uphold it. That's it. >> Thank you. Uh, city manager, I I have to apologize on the la last two items. You were supposed
to introduce some. Would you like to introduce some now? >> No, sir. >> I was trying to move on quickly without you noticing, but I'm just saying. >> I thought we were establishing a trend going. >> All right. I'm going to close this public hearing and request a motion.
>> Public comment. >> Oh, public comment, of course. Cheryl Cook, I understand that ordinance number 2026-20 is being brought forward because the state has changed the law regarding qualifying manufactured homes and has limited local government authority in this area. While the city
must comply with state law, I believe this is also an important reminder that of the consequences when local governments allow their planning authority and regional coordination responsibilities to be diminished. In 2017, Northport moved away from participation in the broader regional growth management framework associated
with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council. At that time, many argued that local control was being protected. However, local control is only meaningful when local governments actively use it and work together to address issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Today, we are seeing another
example of the state limiting local discretion in land use decisions. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with this particular legislation, it demonstrates why preserving thoughtful coordinated local and regional planning is important. The state law may require qualifying
manufactured homes to be allowed in zoning districts where sightuilt single family homes are permitted, but it does not eliminate the city's responsibility to maintain appropriate standards. The city still has the authority over drainage, flood plane requirements, setbacks, landscaping, foundations, and
site site design. Those standards matter. They help protect property values, maintain neighborhood character, and ensure that all residential development, regardless of construction method, is held to appropriate expectations. I ask the commission to use every remaining tool available under the law and ensure that this ordinance
preserves the strongest protections possible for residents and property owners. Straight state preeemption may limit what the city can regulate, but it does not remove the city's responsibility to regulate wisely within the authority it still has. And that's all, mayor. >> Thank you. And I close this public
hearing and request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead. >> I move to adopt ordinance number 2026- 20 as presented and under duress. >> Second. >> I have a motion on the floor made by
Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner Dval. If there's nothing to that, please vote. >> I did not. >> Commissioner Petro Commissioner Petra, I'm sorry. >> Senior moment. We get it. Yeah, it's Phil's rubbing off on me.
I pass this 4 to one with Commissioner Dval uh dissenting. I'm guessing for reasons stated prior. >> You're correct. >> All right, moving on to ordinance number 2026-21. Uh, city clerk, can you read by title
only, please? Ordinance number 2026-21, an ordinance of the city of Northport, Florida, amending the code of the city of Northport, Florida, appendix A, city fee structure, amending development services, development review, planning and zoning and natural resources fees, fire and rescue district fees, parks and
recreation general fees, parks and recreation facility rental fees, solid waste district fees, utility fees, road and drainage district fees, providing for findings, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, providing for codification, and providing an effective date. Thank you. City Manager, would you like
to introduce this item? >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. All right. >> Ordinance number 2026-21 was continue the second reading uh at the July 7, 2026 regular city commission regular meeting on a 5 to zero vote. So, today we ask that you take the action of
adopting ordinance number 2026-21 as presented. Thank you, sir. >> Commissioners, public comment, city clerk, >> there is none. All right, I'm going to close this public hearing and request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead.
>> Move to adopt the ordinance 2026-21 as presented. >> Second. >> Have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Stoke, seconded by Commissioner Duval this time. And uh nothing to that. Please vote. >> That passes five to zero.
>> I'm going to quick >> I want to get through this next one because these ladies have been waiting. So, we'll do one more and then we'll take a health break if that's okay with everybody and then we'll come back and finish up. >> All right, moving on to general business. Um 26-0887.
Um discussion and possible action regarding removal of lean for 6841 Roman Avenue, Northport, Florida 34291. This was requested by Commissioner Pro, but I'm gonna allow city manager to
introduce this item and send it over to Commissioner Pro. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This item was requested by Commissioner Pro, and I will let him lead the discussion >> because I left you out before. I just wanted you to feel special this time, sir. >> Commissioner Pro, you have the floor.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, one of the residents specifically at address 6841 Roman Avenue was um, she contacted me regarding Alen that was assessed to her and um, actually to be clear it was her
neighbor who contacted me on her behalf. Uh, because the owner is over 80 year old uh, lady that is a widow now. Um, and there's some issues that she just found out that she has been served with
a lean 16 years later after after she bought the house. Um and I have all the supporting documents. And so to make it um sequence of events, uh this owner Gail Ford, who is present here, um with
her neighbor graciously helping her, um she bought uh this house with her late husband um on September 10th, 2010. Uh then the lean search was conducted before the
purchase with the result of no leans shown. Um upon the walkth through prior heading to the closing, there was no garbage in front of the future house. Um and 16 years later, she gets serviced at her
address that there's a lean on her house. uh panicking and uh not knowing what to do. She grabbed her neighbor and both of them went to the public works uh which was graciously provided all the
paperwork and the with the exception that there was some missing information in between and two issues uh this with this um house that no property she was not properly served
with the payment demand that is the billing um it was sent to the situs address instead of the ownership address at that time. Uh the garbage uh was picked up by public works which was not
even hers. And um it was picked up right before the closing. She did not even know that there was garbage because it was picked up when she viewed the house. There was no garbage on the outside.
And when she went to do a final walkth through, there's nothing out there that she was concerned about. So, I would like to appeal to this board to wave this lean um per public works
um answer because um they said that it's out of their jurisdiction or authority to do so. So, and she's here and um uh with her neighbor and if you have any questions, I have all the paperwork provided to me by her. Uh there's a
whole package. She came prepared. So, I would like to ask for the removal of this lean because once the charge becomes a lean, it's only can be removed by the commission authority.
>> Commissioner Dval Thank you, mayor. Uh, a city has to have rules. We do have rules. You know, they're meant to be followed. Every now and then something like this
happens where someone through not their own fault gets put in a position and city staff, you know, they have to do their jobs, you know. Uh but as the city commission
sometimes under good governance it's just up to us to write a wrong and I believe in this case we have the ability to do that. Thank you Commissioner Stokes. >> I echo Commissioner Dval's sentiments
100%. Nicely said, sir. >> Is that it? You pushed the button for that. >> Yep. >> Thought it warranted acknowledgement. >> City clerk, do we have any public comment? >> Yes. Gail Ford, followed by Patty
Connors. >> Come on down, ladies. Right over here, ma'am. Yeah. Right over at that podium. Go ahead. You can start talking. >> Oh,
>> I just I I had no knowledge of this for all those years. I mean, maybe if I had had knowledge about it, I would have paid him way back in the days when I had money. But
I don't now because of my financial situation because it got real ugly. But it wasn't like garbage. I didn't call you to tell you to pick it
up. I didn't do anything. I And when I got to the house after the closing, there was nothing there before that closing. So I I don't understand how you can bill
me for somebody else's garbage. That's what I don't understand. >> Okay, good. >> Did you want to comment as well? >> Um yes to the microphone. >> I'm Patty Connors. I'm her neighbor and
friend and um her husband recently passed and I kind of started helping her with her finances and decided to look into the way her home was deeded um and
came across this lean. Um Commissioner Petro kind of made a mistake. She wasn't served anything recently. It just I just found it and I asked, "Are you aware that there's a lean on your home?" And she was not. And that's how it came to be known. And so when I uh reached out
to public works and code enforcement, I said, "Can you tell us about this lean? She knows nothing." And they provide us with some emails and pictures documenting that this garbage was there prior to her taking ownership. And um
that's why we're here today to, as uh Mr. um Dval said, write or wrong. I I feel this is wrong. It's not her garbage. Thank you. Thank you very much. Is that it, city clerk? Right. I'm going to close this hearing and request a motion. >> I'll make it.
>> Go ahead, sir. >> I move to direct the city manager to take the appropriate steps to remove the removal of the lean for 6841 Roman Avenue, Northport,
Florida, 34291. Uh, >> wording in there. remove the removal. I think it should just say to remove >> the lean the lean >> the lean. >> I'll second it. I remember that came
from the clerk's office. Just >> I have a motion on the floor made by Commissioner Deval, seconded by Commissioner Stokes. There's nothing to that. Let's vote. That passes five to zero. And ladies, thank you very much for
bringing this to our attention. And I hope that down the road we don't have to face this again. But we are aware that mistakes are made and we appreciate your due diligence and thank you for waiting throughout this whole day to get this minor problem solved. So good luck to
you. >> You're welcome. All right, we're going to take a 10-minute break and then we'll come back and finish up. >> Concession is open. Pizza, pretzels, nachos, ice cream, we got it all.
>> My crib is your crib. Looking forward to seeing you here. >> Duty calls. Hi, Jerome Fletcher, city manager here on the job with the building division of the development services department. We're going to go see some residential
and commercial buildings. Let's go. You drive past places like this all the time and you really don't think about what goes into it, but there's a whole process behind every step. We tooured the new Imagine School building where part of the process is making sure everything's done the way it's supposed to be. That's what we are as code
inspectors >> to verify that the methods they're using is accordance to code. The products they're using is what was submitted and approved accordance to code. That's kind of the way I approach the inspections as well. You know, I'm not not here
necessarily to fail you. We just got to make sure it's done correctly to >> what's been approved and the code. I'll do everything I can to help you pass or get through your inspection. And it's not just one person walking through and signing off on things. There are multiple inspectors, different trades,
all looking at different pieces of the same project. >> There's dozen plus inspectors across the trades. And you can have several trades here at one time doing inspections. There could be eight or 10 inspections in one day across the trades. >> Oh wow.
>> A lot of detail, a lot of effort goes into these projects. For sure. >> How you make them safe and durable. >> That's right. Yeah. But at the end, that's where I was going. It's It's all about safety. >> And the people doing this work don't just walk into it. It takes years of experience, training, and testing just to get there.
>> Taken seven tests since I've been here. >> Seven. >> Seven. >> Wow. That's a lot. >> So, it's a very thorough process to really test your background. It's just not where anybody can just come in and say, "Oh, I'm going to be a building inspector."
>> Right. Sometimes people don't see all the background work that goes into getting to where they are. They just see the person in the role and think, "Well, they just walked into it yesterday." Like, not quite that easy. >> On a house like this, you start to see how that plays out in real time, step by
step. >> I always like to take a walk around the outside just to make sure there's no issues >> on the outside. Everything is sealed, caught. closed up for a dry shell.
Windows are installed, sealed, water barriers in. >> And a lot of it isn't complicated. It's just knowing what you're looking at. >> Generally, just walking in, step back for a minute, look and see what you see. See how the wiring, plumbing, framing,
how everything is installed, neat, clean. Start checking the trusses. All the trusses have tie down straps to keep them in place in case of our wind events. They have loadbearing walls that have strapping requirements as well.
That's what the inspections are for. We're not here to be the police or to be the bad people, right? >> We're here to help keep the project moving and rolling correctly and in accordance to code. >> None of this is guesswork. Everything goes back to a plan. This is all the
documentation that we look at throughout a building inspection throughout the entire inspection process from the ground up. The approved set of plans to trust engineering to energy calc,
as you can see, labeled roofing, off-ridge vents, overhead garage door, swinging doors, swing doors, windows, windows, windows. All your product approvals laid out. They're all approved through the DBPR and the Florida system and have their Florida product approval
number. >> And then you get down to the level most people never see the spacing, the fasteners, the way things are actually put together. >> This shows us the references that it's approved, installation instructions, how things are supposed to be anchored, and
that's the things we're looking for all along, such as when they're putting shingles on the house. You know, how many nails go in each shingle, right? >> You know, we watch for that. How many screws go in the windows to anchor the windows? How far apart are those screws? Is the window impact resistant? Doesn't
require a shutter. If it's if it's not impact resistance, then by final building inspection, we're looking for provisions to make it provisional to the zone that we're in with protection. >> Once one phase checks out, it moves on to the next and slowly it starts to look
like a home. The next after the framing inspection will be the insulation and then you really start putting the inside of the house together. >> This isn't a one-time check. They're coming back again and again all the way through. >> We have as building guys, we have 12 to
14 inspections just depending. And with those inspections, if each one of them passed, it would be 12 to 14 times. or if we go through a partial inspection or if the inspection fails, we'll be back. So, at a bare minimum, 12 to 14 times
throughout the process. And that's from the time ground is broke to the time it's ready to move in. >> By the time you get to this point, it's down to the details. This one window calls out for no more than 4 inches out of the edge
and no more than 12 inches apart down the sides and across the top. It's just a quick inspection. You're perfectly 4 in out off the edge. And they put these 10 and a half
10 in apart. They kept a 10-in spacing throughout. Same way with their mullion in the center, they have 10in spacing throughout. So, you like it when a contractor keeps it tight, uniform. You can look across once you've measured
one, you can look across and see that the rest are uniform and in line. >> This work makes sure everything is safe, even if you never see it. We start this from the ground up and we're here through uh the process as the house is being constructed from start at the
foundation all the way up through the final building inspection after everybody else is through so the end customer can get their certificate occupancy. >> All right, I want to thank Drew from the building division of our development services department. He allowed me to tag along with him today for commercial
and residential building opportunities that are in process. I would like to say that first of all, this was a Tennessee guy and a North Carolina guy coming to Northport and coming together for great purposes. And the one thing I learned today was that the details of the plans
take a lot of different hands involved for it to be successful. Whether it's mechanical, electrical, plumbing trades, not one person does it all, but they all operate off the same set of design work. And it takes all of them to do their work independently to come together for great finished product. I want to thank
them and I will see you on the next job. Hello, Jerome Fletcher, city manager, city of Northport on the job today with the natural resources division. Let's go. Before a residential lot is cleared, our natural resource division visits the site to look for wildlife and trees that
need to be protected. >> On this site, we happen to have some gopher tortoise burrows. Okay. Uh and there's some few steps we could do to help uh mitigate any kind of impact to those tortoise burrows. So, over here we have a tortoise burrow >> um that is excluded. So they don't
necessarily have to remove the tortoises to build. If there's enough room, they could provide exclusionary uh buffer for the um for the building. You leave it in place. So with the apron and then the shape of the burrow, you could tell it's kind of a D-shaped like you would see a tortoise shell shape. So there's kind of
rounded on the top, flat on the bottom. Okay, that's how you know it's a tortoise burrow. So when we see these uh we report it back to the the builder and they have to get a um a gopher tour survey by a authorized gopher tour tortoise agent and that permitting is
done through the FWC. >> Uh this silt fence is actually put up not for erosion but for uh >> it general business item E26-0887. Um discussion and possible action regarding Oh, we did that one already.
Never mind. Uh, we're at 26-0889. I just liked it. I wanted to revisit it. I mean, we did good. Um, discussion and possible action regarding a transfer in the amount of $1,000 from commission contingency to the community assistance
special event assistant program to support fee assistant request through fiscal year 2026. City manager, you got anything to add to that? >> No, sir. >> All righty. We're moving on to commission questions and discussions. >> Wasn't this supposed to be from city
manager? So, >> I asked if he had anything to add, sir. I mean, >> he said no. >> Yeah. I thought the transfer was supposed to be from his department. >> Oh, well, we can. >> If you wanted to, sir. >> All right. Got any public comments since we have no intelligent commission
comments over here? >> All right. I'm going to request a motion. >> I'll make it. >> Go ahead. I move to approve a transfer in the amount of $1,000 from the commission contingency to community assistance special event assistance
program to support fee assistance request through the rest of fiscal year 2026. >> I'll second it. I have a motion on the floor made by Vice Mayor. What she said, seconded by Commissioner Stokes. There's
nothing to that. Please vote. That passes five to zero. Moving on to 26-0948. Discussion and possible action regarding the environmental land acquisition
program and addition of two properties to the land acquis acquisition property list. Parcel identification number 09-4407 137 located on Garrison Avenue and 1
131233580 located on Langlas Drive. City manager. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We do have a brief presentation from Stefan Caleb, our Northport Resource Division Manager. Thank you. >> Good afternoon, Commissioner. Stefan
Caiff, Northport Natural Resources. All right. Should give me just a moment to >> Thank you, sir. That was very good. >> Adjust the slide. >> Question. Okay. >> Oops.
>> Oops. Not sure why the slideshow does not start. Let's try this again. This should be better. Time's up. It wasn't in full screen.
>> It vanished. sometimes. Let's try this. Okay. >> Thank you. All right, much better. I'm so sorry about that. Stefan Kale of Natural Resources Manager,
Development Services. The goal of this presentation would be to go over the land acquisition program and to update our commission with some of the most recent changes and updates.
So uh today we'll also summarize recent activities, report on the parcels previously approved by commission as well as present information and request possible direction regarding two additional
parcels with potential willing sellers. So the purpose of the program, as you're well aware, to proactively identify, evaluate, and acquire environmentally sensitive lands
as well as preserve the natural resources while supporting the ULDC and the comprehensive plan, enhance ecological integrity, public health, and community resiliency.
promote biod diversity and protect existing ecosystems. Other other program purposes include improving the quality of life of our residents and providing economic
benefits through property value tourism and future reduction of flood plane management costs. Quick summary of the process of land acquisition, nomination, evaluation,
appraisal and due diligence, approval and finally funding. The background of this program includes the program criteria that starts with ecological evaluation
for natural resources such as heritage trees, listed species habitat and hydraologically connected systems. Commission direction prioritized flood plane protection focusing on wetlands,
floodprone parcels and other sensitive natural areas. Staff has initiated outreach to confirm willing sellers for some of the top ranked parcels previously approved by commission.
And the program is transitioning into potential procurement for these parcels. As the program is out there in theformational space, Northport
residents are reaching out to us actively, acquiring about the program and bringing up their properties to our attention for potential acquisition.
So a key point and goal of this program is maintaining public trust trust excuse me through public information and transparency. Our new web page was created several
months ago. Anformational video published. Interactive mapping tool added to our web page. Social media posts released. tailored outreach efforts and the opportunity for our residents to
conduct in-person meetings with our staff for additional information. Few words about the website. So the the web page, excuse me, it was launched with clear goals towards
conservation priorities and participation guidance. There's anformational video that's available on the website that goes over the benefits of this program. It serves as a central source for
updates to our residents and it includes simple, easy to understand information. As mentioned earlier on the web page, we have our mapping tool and that's an interactive tool where
residents can easily find out about some of the existing parcels within our city limits that are under protection or some form of preservation. And we're planning to add
our uh future acquired properties on that uh mapping tool to continue enhancing the transparency of the program and for allowing the owners to understand easy easily which parts of
our city are under current or future protection. So under the program, we have sent 10 letters of interest to property owners within the first year of priority
parcels. Two owners have responded directly following the initial outreach. Then follow-up letters have been sent as well to the nonresponsive owners within that first tier of 10 top parcels.
And then following that the second year outreach has already begun actually about two weeks ago. And we are also identifying additional parcels through uh the
property owners reaching out to us and sharing their interest of learning more about the program and potentially selling their parcels to the city. So, we have the Nona Springs parcel
which is one of our top parcels of interest and a letter of interest was sent to the owner of that property. Um, one of the key criteria for the property are of course the exceptional
ecological value. It contains a natural spring wetlands as well as some other archaeological significance um values of exceptional contribution to what we may acquire.
The owner actually followed up with us and they expressed interest either in a potential trade or sale and they are now willing to meet. They did reach back to us a matter
of fact yesterday. So we are working on uh scheduling a meeting with that owner and their selling agent to find out more about their requirements and what they do see in order for making
this potentially um important acquisition deal a success. So, we are also in touch with our friends with Sarasota County, their environmentally sensitive lands programs
manager and uh we are seeking guidance from them as they have been doing this for a very long time and uh I would say that we're coordinating on quite high level as of now.
a second parcel of interest. It's um in the to the northern part of our city and this parcel contains some wetlands. The owner expressed interest as the
property is currently for sale and uh the property is also mapped within the flood plane of the city. So, it supports flood plane protection and long-term conservation goals. So, another owner contacted us following
the launch of our land acquisition web page with a property approximately 3 acres of size. Almost 90% of that parcel contains wetlands and it's a high quality undisturbed
system that we we will definitely be interested in. It's hydraologically connected to the Makahhatche Creek corridor and as I mentioned earlier uh there's strong ecological conditions
to make this a strong candidate for future acquisition in my opinion. And one more parcel the owner contacted us uh very recently.
The site's almost entirely wetlands nearly 100% that's more to the east of the city and it's hydraologically connected to existing um system of ditches and canals
and it could uh it currently functions as part of the city's um con water conveyance system indirectly. So it has um it would be a potentially
challenging parcel to develop due to the uh wetland coverage and the sensitive habitat on that parcel. So, a few of our next steps that we would like to take. Uh, we want to continue with the owner outreach,
continuing to follow up with our residents, coordinate with our real estate team to advance acquisition of parcels with active seller interest, seek commission direction on two of the
additional parcels that I mentioned earlier with the uh, two willing sellers uh, Burke and McDonald. and continuing to evaluate newly identified willing seller parcels.
Last but not least, provide updates to to uh you our commission summarizing significant progress or any program changes. For this item, I have two options for
commission to consider. Option one would be the approve approval of the addition of the two properties to the land acquisition property list. Some of the pros are that we would be responding favorably to willing sellers who are
proactively contacting the city with ecologically valuable properties. This option also captures newly identified ecological values such as
highquality wetlands and hydraologically connected systems. This option strengthens regional connectivity builds program momentum as well. Some of the cons are or one con that came to
mind is that it potentially shifts some of the staff time focusing away from the previously approved properties of interest. Option two, do not approve the addition of the two properties to the to the land
acquisition list. Pros advances acquisition for parcels previously approved by commission. maintains focus and staff time on second tier initially approved properties of interest and supporting more predictable
process. Collins may delay or miss opportunities with willing sellers who are actively seeking to work with the city. And this option could also limit flexibility to acquire high value
parcels not originally identified. As a summary, their benefits and drawbacks with each option. Option one reflects newly emerging acquisition opportunities. identified through recent
public engagement. Option two, it continues the established acquisition track based on the previously approved parcel list. Both options advanced conservation, storm water resilience and ecological protection. The question is
how would we like to prioritize our resources and there's the tra tradeoffs that relate to that but uh in a way so far my opinion is that we're very thankful to see some exciting
properties that we might be able to acquire as part of this program. Thank you so much for your time and I would love to answer any questions. >> Commissioner Stokes. >> Yeah. Um, thank you for the presentation. Um,
you know, my only question, I mean, I, you know, I've been a big advocate of this. Uh, you know, I I pushed hard to get $2.5 million into last year's budget, and I hope there's about a million at least in this year's budget. Um, what I'm wondering is, you know, we've identified
properties or we're in the process of identifying those that, you know, that address conservation, storm water, ecological issues, but do we have a strategic plan here? Do we have a real plan? Do we have a mission? Do we have a set of priorities? Because we're going
to reach a point where properties are going to be identified for purchase because there's willing sellers. They're going to come before us and people are going to ask, including us, why this property? Does it lend itself to not just ecological and
environmental concerns, but also address storm water management issues? We're going to have limited resources with which to devote to this project. And so to me, I I see the need to have
more of a focused strategic plan. So when properties come before us, we're not just saying, "Oh yeah, this looks like a good one. Let's do it." It's the same criticism people gave us on our CIP projects. Like seems like every other week you guys got a new project that's like all of a sudden a priority. Think
we need to have a strategy. We need to have a methodology like we have with our capital improvement projects. It's very systematic. It's strategic. It's thoughtful. And and now we're following that process. think we need to do it here because, you know, I I figure in
fairly short order we're going to start seeing some properties and we're going to be like, why this one and not that one? Why that one and not this one? And so, you know, I don't know if you want to comment on it or if anybody wants to comment on it, but it's certainly an
observation I've I've seen as we talk about these things from time to time. >> If I may, sir. Thank you. Thank you for bringing this up, Commissioner. Absolutely. We do have a grand plan here. We do have a strategic objective
and it would essentially be to utilize our resources to the best of our ability to acquire parcels that are absolutely top tier of ecological value for our city and our community. This is why each
of these parcels presented to you um they have went through a rigorous review process where each of these have been evaluated for a variety of functions uh from the listed species to flood
plane wetlands which could be quite important in god forbid um an event of excessive rainfall or storm. So we also pay attention of where these parcels are. We are considering um from wildlife
corridors to close to um adjacent to other areas to where wildlife species can expand their range. And because of all these factors, we grade these parcels accordingly, which ultimately
leads to the list that were presented to commission. >> Did you wish to add Miss Barnes? >> Good afternoon, commissioners. Lorie Barnes. Um, I just wanted to clarify that yes, the list was brought before
commission with the ranking and the commission approved the list and provided us direction. So, the purpose of the meeting today was to give you an update on where we are with communicating with the owners and how successful we've been in identifying
willing sellers. And again during that process, the two property owners who were not on the list reached out to us regarding acquisition. Um I think you'll you'll see by the presentation that you know we have successfully identified
several property owners on the first tier list of 10 properties who are willing. Others have been non-responsive and may not be willing. So, these two additional property owners um because of the ecological value we believe are worth pursuing, but ultimately it's to
the commission if you would like to um continue on with the approved list and pause on these two additional properties until we've gone through the process with all of the property owners on the original commission approved list.
>> Why didn't these two show up on your list? If I may sir, uh simply we have many uh numerous parcels that are currently undeveloped. And although we have dedicated
significant time, we had to do a curbside inspection for each one of these where we would evaluate the conditions from the roadside. and simply we still had limited resources. So to the best of our
ability we were able to come up with a a strong number of 35 more or less and simply it would be uh an excessive challenge to go over every
vacant parcel in our city. We definitely prioritize some of the largest parcels and some of the ones that are the most significantly ecologically important. >> Why would you now recommend that we include these two when you didn't
identify them to begin with? And now what led you to believe that these two parcels are parcels that we should consider while redirecting resources away from those that are already on the approved list. Other than the fact that
two property owners decided they want to get rid of the properties, >> we do have willing, potentially willing sellers, which turned out to be more of a challenge that we've anticipated earlier. As
deputy director Barnes mentioned, only two owners have followed up with us from the first 20 parcels as of right now, more or less. So that is telling us that
um finding willing sellers is not always an easy task. And upon close review of these parcels and a curbside inspection, we determined that these certainly meet our criteria. And also I wanted to
explain to commission that several other homeowners have reached out to us with properties in mind. However, they simply did not make the cut. They were not ecologically what we were looking for. So those are not even
part of this presentation. >> Thank you. >> Real real quick. All you're doing is trying to expand the list. You're not You're just putting these two properties on the list for consideration. You're not taking anything off the list and replacing these. >> Correct, Mr. Mayor.
>> Okay. uh vice mayor >> and um I'm assuming we might see these properties come back at which point we want to buy them. Correct. We would have to approve the purchase. >> Yes, that's understand. Just so that we
all know. >> Um what's the current zoning of these two parcels? >> For the uh two parcels, I need to verify that. Um I I am not certain. >> Yeah. Miss Lori, do you know?
>> Yes, ma'am. Based on the location, the geographic location in the city, they are highly likely to be agricultural estates. They are in the northeast quadrant of the city. >> Um >> Northwest
come back with a potential purchase and sale. Um I'd like to have the zoning confirmed. >> Um yes, ma'am. Both of these look like beautiful parcels. They're large. What's our balance in the budget for
property acquisition? And will these properties sort of suck up all those available dollars, which is a different way of sort of coming at what Commissioner Stokes was saying. Are we sort of preluding? And and let me just
say, we have 10 properties. only two wanted to sell. The others are really not interested. I have no problem in adding to the list on those conditions, but I just want to make sure we keep enough elasticity
in our budget that if one of those eight property owners in tier one comes back that we're able to respond to that. So, any rough idea of, you know, what's what's the balance in the fund and >> Well, as of right now, we have $2 and a half million dollars
budgeted in fiscal year 26. There is a budget proposal for an additional million in 2027. Um we have not expended any of those funds as of yet. >> Okay. >> Um we will be when we move forward with
the willing sellers that we have um expending funds for appraisals. Now, when it comes down to um you know, how much funding will be available for future acquisitions, we'll give you a balance sheet every time we bring a
property to you for um approval to move forward with contract for purchase. >> So, we have a sense of where we're at. Yeah. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Yeah. Okay. Good. Um Oh, I'm having your problem there. I had one other thing and it
>> Well, good. I can move on then. I guess. Okay. I >> Commissioner Pro see don't give me two chances. >> Thank you, Mayor. I pledge your incentive to to plan to acquire
environmentally sensitive land. And uh as it relates to the funding of acquisition of uh those lands, uh I do remember that the tree fund when we reclassified that it would it did
include or does include um the portion of money that we collect to acquire environmentally sensitive land. Um and so to address uh Vice Mayor
uh concern. We do have those money, right? But u my question was um or is appraisal value those are large parcels. But when you do appraisal, do they take into account that it's flat zone or wet
land that significantly reduce the uh appraised or fair market value? Um, do we take that into account? And that's what probably prompted these owners to reply to you because they they're not
really buildable or if they are, it would cost them so much money to mitigate. So from my understanding, the appraisers still take to some extent the fact that
uh there are wetlands on that parcel which makes them a whole lot more challenging to develop. But I also understand that appraisers not they don't necessarily focus on the ecological aspects of these properties.
I am not 100% certain about that part of the process to be honest with you. Um and it's something that will be we'll evaluate as we get there. >> Uh Commissioner, yes. Um we we will hire
an independent appraiser to evaluate these properties. They take into consideration a myriad of factors including zoning, development potential, um flood zones, wetlands, uh comparable property sales in the
area. Um so they won't discount the fact that there's a wetland on the property. However, they're not likely to drill down into what would it cost for mitigation to build a house on those properties? Could a house be built on
those properties if if there was no mitigation? Is there land area available for for that um particular construction? Um, but I think that you'll find that they will, especially for those properties up in the northwestern
quadrant of the city, they will find comparable properties uh that also have wetlands that they evaluate um the recent sale of as part of their appraisal. >> That's good to know. Thank you. That's all. Vice Mayor.
>> Yeah, I remembered. Quick quick the the two willing property owners in tier one. How large are those properties? >> They're approximately so I have the I have the size of the uh
second one which is approximately 6.7. >> Sorry, not these the two willing sellers we have in the tier one list. So the two willing sellers, potential willing sellers in the tier one list, one would
be eight approximately 8 acres of size and the other one would be approximately 6.7 acres. So these are the two large >> of tier one. Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> I'm all set. Commissioner Stokes,
>> just quickly, it would be worth noting that obviously the county has a uh environmentally sensitive land fund as well. So to the extent there are parcels that come before us, you know, that that we see strategic value in acquiring, if
our allocated or budgeted funds for for these, you know, these particular acquisitions are limited, we may be able to reach out to the county. you know, that's an area we've collaborated on before and and you know, they're they're pretty, you know, when it comes to being
concerned about environmentally sensitive lands, they they do have a good head on their shoulders when it comes to that and they've they've shown it by by pumping money into those properties. So, they they can be a good partner. Thanks, Mayor. City clerk, public comment.
>> There's none. >> All righty. I'll take a motion. >> I'll do it. >> Go ahead. I move to approve the addition of parcel identification numbers P ID094471307 located on Garrison A and 1131
233580 located on Langley Drive to the land acquisition property list. >> Second. Have a motion on the floor made by Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner Stokes. If there's nothing to that, please vote. And that passes 5 to zero. Moving on to
item H26-0970. Discussion and possible action regarding dissolving or suspending the historic and cultural advisory board. Ms. Fost, this is your item. >> So, if y'all remember, we did suspend this board back in November 2022 for
about a year. Before we brought it back, we had a a meeting with um some residents who felt that they could be on the board and and get things going again. But they have since dwindled down to just one more member. Again, they um
commission did provide them direction to create a I believe they yeah commission provided direction for them to create a policy on the process and criteria for historic designations and development services did go to their very last meeting that they had to
explain to them the things that they are able to do and cannot do um regarding that policy and then after that is when it dwindled down to just the one member. So, I don't know what the commission would like to do with this board at this point. >> Don't we have it in the books on we have
to have a certain amount of members to have an active board? >> No. >> No. So, we can have a lone ranger board. >> They can't meet with one member. >> Oh, well. Okay. So, you got to have at least two. >> Yes. >> All right. Uh, anybody questions?
>> Any public comment? >> We have one. Cheryl Cook. Sorry. I would like to What? >> Oh, I thought I thought Vice Mayor was gonna say something. >> No. Okay. >> Oh, thank God. Go ahead. >> I would like to comment on the future of the historic and cultural advisory
board. I understand the board has struggled with vacancies and achieving a quorum. However, I do not believe that by itself justifies dissolving a citizen advisory board that serves an important purpose. The agenda notes that the board submitted three memorandums regarding historic site designations and was directed to develop a policy and
criteria for future designations. Rather than asking only whether the board fulfilled that assignment, I believe we should all al also ask whether it was given the support, guidance, and membership needed to succeed. Citizen advisory boards are an important part of good governance. They provide residents with an opportunity to share their
knowledge and experience while strengthening the connection between the community and its government. As Northport continues to grow, it is important that we preserve not only infrastructure and economic opportunity, but also the history, character, and identity of our community. Responsible growth should include preserving what
makes Northport unique. I respectfully ask the commission to consider reforming and revitalizing the historic and cultural advisory board rather than dissolving it. If we value citizen engagement and good governance, this is an opport opportunity to demonstrate that comment, that commitment.
That's all for public comment, but I did want to add one thing that um we can always create a task force for any projects that the commission feels that this board, >> you know, could do to help benefit the city at any point that we want to if there's a specific project and that
might be an opportunity as well. >> Well, once you have members Yeah. >> Yeah. I've I've got a motion in mind. So, I mean, I'm ready for a motion. I'll make it here. making me work today, mayor.
>> Absolutely. This is what I'm thinking. I would move to direct the city clerk to draft a resolution to temporarily suspend the historic and cultural advisory board for consideration at a future meeting and direct the city clerk to continue
recruit recruiting qualified applicants to fill existing vacancies and support the board's continued operations in accordance with the city code. >> We can't suspend the board and then also continue operations at the same time. Well, I mean you Okay, so take off the
continued operations, but I want you to continue recruiting members for the board. >> But if we if we suspend it, >> right? And then once you have board members, we can reactivate it. >> Okay. >> Because isn't that what we pretty much
did with the debt management board? We don't have enough members to enact it at this at this time. debt management. We decided not to accept applications at this time until we had >> until we had something. This is pretty close to the same thing in my opinion.
We don't have the membership. We have the actions but we don't have the membership. So until we have membership suspended until we have, you know, three, four members to where they're ready to rock and roll. That's what I'm looking at. I mean, it
it saves us from dissolving it. to say no. But we're still working on trying to put the pieces together to have a historic board. That's what I'm trying to do. >> Good with that. >> It's up to the commission, sir.
>> With my verbiage is what I'm saying. >> Yes. If you could repeat it just one more time since you had it. >> All right. >> And then we have Commissioner Stokes on the board also to comment. >> Okay. I said, I move to direct the city clerk to draft a resolution to temporarily suspend the Historic and
Cultural Advisory Board for consideration at a future meeting and to direct the city clerk to continue recruiting qualified applicants to fill existing vacancies. That's it. >> Commissioner Stokes, do you want a
second for discussion? I don't want to second it, but if someone seconds it, I have something to say. >> Okay, >> you can second it for discussion. You don't have to vote in favor of it. >> Well, all right, then I'll second it. >> Discussion
>> for discussion. I mean, twice we've gone round with this. Um, again, it goes to I think a larger question. We don't really do anything to recruit advisory board members in this city. like all we do is
advertise them. We don't recruit them. We don't work at it. Nobody's that I know of is assigned the responsibility of going out there and try to stir it up. I've actually got three members who want to go on the debt management board when the time is right. I recruited
them. I went out. I researched who I thought had the credentials and then, you know, the objectivity to serve and the willingness to serve. If we're going to do something like that, I'm all for that on across the board on our advisory
boards. But to keep this advisory board alive or to to dissolve it and then say we're going to go try to get more people, I think is like I don't even know how that happens since there isn't anything we do to try to recruit. So all
we're going to do is keep it up on the board so you read it every time it comes up at a meeting. But I don't see that that makes any sense. This got killed twice. The handful of people who came here and talked about how important this potential board would be did nothing.
No, nobody stepped up. Nobody did anything. So I I just I don't see the value here. Let's just move on already. You know, if we want to have a discussion about advisory boards and how to fill them, I'm all for that because we don't do a very good job at it
presently. I mean, we don't do anything to advocate to get out there and recruit. If if we want to do that, we should do that. >> Mayor, if I may. >> Well, if Vice Mayor, if I may. >> So, go ahead. >> So, we do other things besides me reading it in here, we do put them on
social media. We do give you the pamphlets to take to newcomers day, those type of things. But the aspect of how you're saying to actually physically go contact people, we don't do that. But I will say with this board, the people that we had come out for the meeting with the commission before we decided to
to on suspend it, those were our key historic people in the city. It was Joan Morgan, Chris Sterner, those people who had very, you know, passionate about this. Um but I think that their interest with the things that they were trying to do and I don't know all
the details because I don't understand it but um when development services came out there were so many things that they wanted to do with these historical sites and updating changing uldc that they legally could not do. So I think that kind of eliminated that aspect of it
which Chris Sterner was the last one who did withdraw from the board. Um so I will say that and we are going to have a workshop and I'm hoping for September to where we do discuss advisory boards because even with this board their roles and
responsibilities do not really we don't have a lot of historic stuff here. So it's not something that's like keeps them you know occupied as a full-time board type of thing. Um, you know, I think unless commission is
going to give them tasks to do, there's not that strong of a purpose for this board. We did give them the timeline before that fell to the wayside. We did give them this one. The things that they have been talking about since they were brought back are the same things that
they have been talking about for the seven years that I have been here. And that's the tarpentine docks, the you know, just those those same designated sites. So unless they're going to get another purpose and get some commission direction on what we want from them,
then it's just a board with members that are going to sit there. And even if we get enough members, by the time we get them to meet again, those members will probably fall off, you know. So it's hard with all these boards to get these members if they're not. Since I'm
holding the gavl, I will discuss um I'm I'm thinking that if if we were going to do anything to continue this board, city clerk, I'd like whoever said make it task oriented, give them a task
because my my general sense is the things that the really passionate people want to work at really aren't substantive for the city in a historical sense. So,
we do have a motion on the floor made >> and I'd still like to comment on it >> by the mayor and it's seconded by Commissioner Stokes for discussion and I guess we're discussing. So, go ahead, Mayor. >> And and this was my secondary reason on
why I wanted to keep this board semi alive because I do have a task in mind that we could possibly give to them about a historic capabilities. We have just approved rebuilding Warm Miller Springs. We're
going back to go ahead and restructure all of those buildings within a historic manner. We have the um cycllorama out there. There could be like a timeline of hey this is the way it was.
the board can work through the reconstruction of the springs and this is how it's going to look this that and the other and it is a working example about the history of Northport and the resiliency of Northport and that's why I didn't want to kill it completely
because Warm Mill Springs is history. It's been here you know forever but it's been like uh capitalized since the early 50s. So that's that's a lot of years of history just in Warm Mill Springs and then it
could branch out to other things. That's why I didn't want to kill it completely because there could be some ideas coming forward on oh wow this look at what this project is doing right now. That's that's my reasoning. >> The way we did the veterans park we got so much interest in board members for
Veterans Park and that was for a specific task for them to do and a specific time frame to where it sunset once that was completed. You may get more people by having a task force that is, you know, specific to one thing. Because if you have these boards where
you have members that are just passionate about just one thing, it drives other members away because they're only talking about the same thing over and over again. And I've seen it with some of these boards that that the other members, they just >> So then what would you would suggest
then? dissolving the historic board and creating like let's say a Warm Mill Springs historic task force something like that >> like that. Yes, sir. >> Okay, that'd be fine with me. I got no problems with that. I just I don't want to lose sight of the history of Northport
>> completely. You know, there's so much out there. >> So, do you want to withdraw your motion if it's okay with your seconder and rephrase a motion? >> Yeah, I I can do that. Are you okay with that? >> Absolutely. I didn't agree with it.
>> Give it another hit, mayor. >> All right. I move to direct the city clerk to draft an ordinance dissolving the historic and cultural advisory board uh for consideration at a future meeting. That'll be motion one. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second that.
>> Okay. No, you're you're in charge. >> Now I got to do that. Yeah. We have a motion on the floor made by the mayor. Would you repeat that, city clerk? I didn't get it. >> Do you want to repeat that, sir? >> Yeah, it's written down.
>> Cultural advisor consideration at a future meeting. >> Okay. Seconded by myself. So, if there's nothing more to that, let's vote. And that motion passes 5 to zero. >> All right. Now, I'll make the second motion since I'm here. I make a motion
to direct the city clerk to bring a agenda item to discuss uh possible action to creating a Warm Mill Springs historic task force at a future meeting. Is that good enough for you, city clerk?
>> Yes. >> Okay. We have a motion on the floor to bring back uh for city clerk to bring back an agenda item to discuss creating a warm mineral springs historic task force
>> made by Mayor Emer seconded by who seconded that? >> I'll second for discussion. >> Okay, we have Commissioner Stoke seconding for discussion. Go ahead, sir. Um my inclination is to allow Parks and Rex
to initiate this process. You know, they're the ones tasked with um renovating this property and and um and and the buildings on it. Uh they are the focal point for this. Um I think it's
wonderful to have community input. I think it's wonderful to have a historical and cultural uh input to this process, but I think it's their it's it's it's their their you know their
project. So I'm not sure that like we need to or should do that. I would rather just like I think they already heard if we all agree. I think that's something that they've probably given some thought to as well because after all they're the ones going to be putting
this whole thing together. So why are we like oh we're going to form some task force that's going to now have third party input. Let them do it. They're hopefully they're going to get a lot of input from a lot of different parties. They probably already are with regard to this project. So I just don't see why
we're doing it. Well, well, again, I think the motion is to bring back an agenda item to discuss it. I would certainly invite parks and wreck to work with city clerk and and come back with some recommendations.
Yeah, that would be okay with you, director. Just say yes, Sandy. >> You cannot direct staff vice mayor. through the city managers, of course. >> Yes. >> I sometimes get ahead of myself,
>> but when we did, and this is for city clerk, when we did the circle of honor, didn't that go through your office or did that go through parks and wreck? >> It was both. And it was also it came from if they were underneath the parks and recreation advisory board, but at that time commission had a specific
project they wanted them to do. So, we can bring this back when I bring >> and then we can have a longer discussion and see who holds the keys to it. That's fine. That's what I wanted to do. Just have a discussion. >> Okay. Motion maker. The mayor. Second.
Commissioner Stokes. If we've beaten that to death, let's vote. >> And that passes. >> That motion. >> Go ahead. I'm sorry. I'm just used to it. >> That motion passes five to zero. >> All righty. Thank you, ma'am.
All right. Down. Any final public comment? >> Cheryl Cook. >> I would like to further address ordinance number 2026-15 and the creation of the activity center 6 and 10 infrastructure district. I would like to comment on the designation of this item
under the strategic pillar strategic plan pillar of economic development and growth management. I question whether this truly represents growth management. Growth management requires more than facilitating additional development. and it requires careful planning, infrastructure coordination, responsible
timing and cooperation among all affected governments. Northport made significant changes to its approach to growth management in 2017. If the city is now identifying this as growth management, then I believe the con conversation should include the surrounding jurisdictions that will be affected by this growth in
infrastructure. That includes regional partners such as Sarasota County and perhaps Dotto County. Because transportation networks, water resources, environmental impacts, workforce needs, and economic development do not stop at city boundaries. True growth management should involve regional coordination and
shared responsibility. If this project is important enough to create a new infrastructure district, establish new assessment mechanisms, and potentially shape future development partners, then it should also involve a broader regional discussion. I encourage the commission to ensure that this is not
simply growth promotion but responsible growth management that protects the long-term interests of Northport residents. And that's all. Mayor, >> thank you. We go on to commission communications. Commissioner Pro, you're first. >> I have none. >> Good. Vice Mayor, >> I have nothing. Mayor.
>> Wow. Two for two. I have nothing. Three for three. Commissioner Stokes. Commissioner Deval, >> I recently attended the Chamber of Commerce, >> Chamber of Commerce uh candidate forum at the BFW. I also attended along with
Commissioner or Vice Mayor Langden the uh El Primo Pizza Typic program for Special Olympics. That's it. >> Thank you, sir. City manager. >> Yeah, thanks, sir. Thank you. >> Um city attorney, thank you. City clerk.
>> All righty. Uh it is 3:51 and we are done >> coming into the site so there's no other impacts to those tortoises that are still in the area. So they're required to put this up during building. If they don't and tortoises come on site during building, that's stop work and they have
to stop and redo it again. Once wildlife is protected, the team starts looking at the trees on the property.