under one network. There's something for everyone. First up is Northport. Now Madison and I will rotate hosting this fast-paced news-driven podcast to bring you the latest city updates, event previews, and important information all in one quick listen. Think of it as your
weekly guide to staying in the know about what's happening in Northport. Next, we have Northport Stories. Laura and I will share heartfelt and inspiring tales from around our community. stories that showcase the people, places, and moments that make our city special. And
don't worry, Voices of Northport isn't going anywhere. I'll continue bringing you even more personal stories and interviews with residents who shaped our city. And last, but not least, Northport Living. Cody and I will also rotate hosting this show, which is all about tips, events, and lifestyle ideas to
help you make the most of life right here in Northport. Whether you're looking for familyfriendly activities, ways to get involved, or helpful home and garden tips, Northport Living has you covered. With breaking news, heartfelt stories, or practical tips, the Northport Podcast Network is your
go-to source for all things Northport. Make sure to subscribe to the Northport Podcast Network wherever you listen, and join us as we celebrate and connect with our amazing community. Northport Now will be released bi-weekly. Northport Stories and Living will be monthly. A
schedule will be available on social media and our website. 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. Childproof, 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. 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 degrees all year long. I just want you to have a good time. We have safety covered. Lifeguards here, staff all day, every day when
we're open for you to enjoy. 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. I'm Stacy Losio. I am the emergency management coordinator for the city of Northport and I'm going to be talking about having an evacuation plan. It's important to have an evacuation plan ahead of time. And it's very important to write it down because that way you
can have it somewhere present where everybody in your family can see it and keep it fresh in their minds. And you want to also share it with people in your family or your neighbors so that they know what your plans are ahead of time and how to get a hold of you or where to look for you after a disaster. for your evacuation plans. Uh you should
have multiple routes to get to the location you're planning to go to just because traffic-wise traffic on 75 might be gridlocked. There could be some very good back roads to get to where you're going uh that could get you there more quickly without being stuck in traffic. When you're making an evacuation plan,
we usually tell you four different things. You should stay home if you are not in a zone that's being evacuated and if your home is built to withstand the forecasted storm. If you can't stay home uh and you evacuate, your next option
should be to go to a friend or family's home that is outside of the evacuation area and is structurally sound to withstand the storm. Third option would be go to a hotel. They're much more comfortable than our evacuation centers. Fourth option would be to go to one of our evacuation centers. Sarasota County
has 12 evacuation centers. Those can be found on their website. I'm Stacy Losio. I'm the emergency manager for the city of Northport and I'm going to discuss first responders after the storm. So, it may take a while for first responders to get to after the storm and that's due to a
variety of reasons. One being we pull first responders off the roads when tropical storm force winds are sustained for their safety. That is a standard usually across the state and other states that have hurricanes as well. So, we will have a backlog of calls that have come in during the storm that we
will prioritize based on urgency and they'll be responding to those as well as the calls that are currently coming in if they're urgent. Also, the roads might be flooded. There might be debris in the roads. Our tactical first in teams will be going out right away to clear the roads of any hazards uh so
that our vehicles can get through and respond as quickly as possible. Just keep that in mind when you call after a disaster for assistance. We are coming You are very important to us. We care about our residents and their safety, but it may just take a while for us to get to you depending on the conditions
of the roads. Turn on your Good afternoon everybody. Today's Thursday, June 5th, 2025. It's 400 PM. We're in city chambers, and I call the city commission regular meeting to order. Commissioners present.
Commissioner Dval, Mr. Langden, Mayor Stokes, Vice Mayor Emerich, Commissioner Pro. There's a quorum for this meeting. Also present, we got city manager Fletcher, interimm city attorney Goolan, Assistant City Clerk Pal, uh, board
specialist Lane, and I'm assuming, police chief Garrison and Chief Titus back there somewhere. No, fill it in. All right. Deputy Chief Amanda, would you like to lead us
in the pledge since this is a special time for you? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. Need a motion to approve the agenda. Please move. Got a motion by Commissioner Langden, seconded by the vice mayor to approve the agenda. Let's vote. And that passes five to zero.
Uh, city clerk, any public comments? Yes, sir. Bridget Grassman. Good afternoon. I have a situation going on at Warm Springs, the
lake. For over 20 years, I worked there. I was a lifeguard. and an um aerobic instructor. So after the city opened the springs again, I many people always ask me when are you going to teach again? We
want you back. So I talked to Devon who is a manager activities manager and I decided to start off as a volunteer. I wanted to see how it goes because I'm 20 years
older and I'm like, "Oh boy." Anyway, it was successful again just like before. The people loved it. It's beneficial and I ran. After two and a half months of
volunteering, I decided I want to get compensated. I spent hours getting the music together. I buy the batteries. I take my precious old age time out. I'm worth it. So now I
gave Devon a not a twoe notice that I would stop unless we talked about getting paid or compensated. Anyway, he said, "No, in order for this to happen, the people have to pay for the class." Now, this is
not like a swimming pool. This is a lake. People are 500 people are going around the lake and me teaching what happened during my class. I'd start off maybe with 10. They'd get the idea, oh,
something's happening here. And in 5 10 minutes, I'd have 30 people and over 40 people. And plus, everybody had fun. So anyway, in order for them to get
paid, this pay for the class I find is really ridiculous. But 20ome years they got it free and I'd like to see that come back to the spring. People have enjoyed it. The
children joined my class. Um the n the dynamics changed when I want to get compensated. So the other thing is it's like an advertisement for the spring. While I'm teaching the class, sometimes I turn turn around,
people are clicking and it's they're taking pictures of the class. Now these people are from all over the world and it's a great advertising. So it should be back to
having um it restored where the people don't have to pay just go and enjoy the water aerobic class and have fun. Amen. Very Pam tokars.
Hi Pam Tokars. know I can never let a good public comment go to waste. As you can see, I was part of the Northport government class and I'm here to graduate. I just want to say it was a really great experience and I did enjoy it, believe it or not. And I just want
to commend all the city employees. They did such a fantastic job, the police department and the fire department with the amount of training. Sy's park knocked it out of the park with their presentation and I really enjoyed it. And kudos to Jane for putting Mo in
such a great um class for everyone. And I'm breaking decor. I want to offer a round of applause for such a great Thank you very much. Uh Ken Wells. Hello. So, I've been here since 1973 with the Springs. I just want to say
kind of supporting Bridget because we're neighbors. She tells me what's going on. I used to notice how happy people would be doing that class. Plus, they got out of the middle so I could swim more freely. The great boo. So, I think
I talked to Bridget about this. She doesn't need to get paid money. Just let her teach the class and let her stay for an hour afterwards. Put her on on, you know, on the job. It should be easy. This would be such a boon for you. Look, all all
bodies of water are better if we can move in it. People love to dance. It's not just aerobics, okay? Some people swim, some people walk, some people float, some people kick, but aerobics is at another level. It would be so good for you. You can advertise something. What can you
advertise now besides the quality of the water, which some people don't think it's anything. Some people think it's a lot. But everybody loves to move in the water because there's no gravity, especially the older we get. I want to say on behalf of Bridget, she's the most popular person since the early 2000s
when she started doing it. Everybody comes up to Bridg. So if you reinstate her, you'll be doing a good thing for the community, for the people that go to the springs. Thank you. Thank you very much. That is all, Mr. R. Alrighty.
Uh, next up, welcome new employees. City manager, your item. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would like to welcome down our human resource director, Miss Christina McDade, to introduce the new employees for the city of Northport. Hello everyone. For the record, Christine McDade, human resources
director. Um, it's always my pleasure to welcome our new employees today. I would like you to stand up when I call your name. Got several folks from the city manager's office. We have Katya Sutherland, a marketing and engagement manager. From development services, I
have George White, code enforcement. We also have a familiar face, Miss Trista Campbell returning. From finance I have Mariss I'm sorry Doherty contract administrator. Oh from HR we have Ner Canun staff
position from parks we have Deborah Shay an executive assistant. We also have Edward Collins a groundskeeper too. In police department, we have Steven Cambria, a police officer. Courtney, a crime scene
technician. Courtney from public works, Britney Young, staff assistant. Also from public works, I have Nathan Hatch, a solid waste equipment operator. And finally, for utilities, I have Alexis Jenna, a staff assistant,
too. and Caleb Jacobs Jackson collection and distribution tech traininee. So on behalf of the city, I wish you all the best success in your roles. Thank you. Let's move on down. We're on to
proclamations and recognitions. Beauty. I was going to let you go. All right. All righty. All right. First up, we have presentation of certificates to the graduating class of Northport
University. You're going to do these. You're going to do them. And then I'm going to introduce you. Go ahead. Okay. Thanks. For the record, I am Jay Nagen, city um community engagement coordinator. We're thrilled to recognize the Northport
University class 2 graduates. NPU was created to give the public a behind-the-scenes look at our city departments programs and initiatives. For eight weeks, participants got to tour our facilities, meet our team, and have their questions answered. This is our second class of graduates from MPU.
We have been overwhelmed by the positive response so far. We've already have people on the waiting list for the next class. Clearly, Northport residents want to participate and learn more about local government. I'm also excited to share that MPU is nationally recognized. We recently earned a
national award for community engagement and will be back here at the commission next month to be recognized. We had a very engaged group of residents and business owners from all kinds of backgrounds. in class 2. We hope that they'll stay engaged with us, whether it's serving as a volunteer or ambassador out in our community, signing up to join one of the city advisory
boards, or even running for office and one day sitting up here as commissioner. This year's class also included two seats for city employees. This was a great opportunity for them to gain a better understanding of our organization and to bring knowledge back to their departments and their day jobs. Later
this summer, we'll be launching an NPU teen edition in partnership with the Teen Court of Sarasota. For any residents interested in joining MPU, you can learn much more about the program by visiting northportfl.gov/university. You can also sign up to receive notification when registration opens for the class in the
fall. Now to our graduates. Congratulations and thank you for taking an interest in your community. We hope you come away with a better understanding of how the city of Northport serves its residents. I now turn it back over to you, mayor. When your name is called, please come up to
receive your certificate and your alumni pin. You're all invited to join us for ice cream afterwards to celebrate after the meeting. Oh, and please stand up here. I think I told you all that. You can stay up here, please. I broke
your mic. Did you? Get out of here. There we go. Alrighty. First up, Lorraine Barco. Not here. She doesn't graduate. 0 for one, Phil.
William Bambert. Thank you very much. Stay up here. Amanda broke. There's Amanda. and a girl. Congratulations. Money in detention for this one. Oh boy.
Lance, no relation. Only only one per family. Lizzy Camp. Congratulations, Matthew Dill. Boy, this this was some class. I don't know if you can call the class or not.
Congratulations. My Eagle. Wow. Congratulations. Thank you so much, Jason Edwards. Congratulations, Daisy Erdman. Kathleen Garrett.
Congratulations. What was that? Almost knocked her off her feet there. My kisses tend to do that. I see that okay this Maria Lawrence congratul ratulations. Thank you, Carolyn Milligan.
Michelle Moore. I'm so excited. Congratulations. Get up. Yes. Thank you. I know. She want to make a speech. Okay. Michael Pelffrey. Josh Smith.
They let him graduate. I just want to know if I get one of those kisses. Katherine Snider. John Thr. Did I get that right? Yes. Congratulations. Pam Tars no
skipping. Congratulations and Robin Vakai. She heard about your kisses. On behalf of all, congratulations. Thank you. Well done. You might have to angle
in the middle. Get your good 45. Ready. And three, two, one. All right. James or president. Okay. Who do we have from the uh code enforcement division? Anybody from code enforcement here? Come
on down. Here they come. The black shirts. Who wants to do this? Not you. Code enforcement. This is Duv Falls. It's right up his
alley. Told you I'm the last one. So I was the I was the next to last one to know. I have a Northport proclamation here. Whereas code enforcement officers provide for the safety, health, and welfare of the citizens in this
community through the enforcement of building, zoning, housing, animal control, fire safety, environmental, and other codes and ordinances. And whereas code enforcement officers are responsible for improving neighborhoods
and the quality of lives of the residents in the community. And whereas every day assisted by support and program staff, they attempt to provide quality customer service to the public for the betterment of the community. And
whereas too many times their efforts go unnoticed even after code compliance has been accomplished due to their efforts and expertise. And whereas code enforcement officers are dedicated, well-trained, and highly responsible
individuals who take their jobs seriously and are proud of their department and the local government within which they serve. And whereas the Florida Association of Code Enforcement, FACE, has declared the first week of
June to be set aside by local government to honor and recognize their code enforcement officers. Now therefore, we, the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim
June 2nd through June 6, 2025 as code enforcement officers appreciation week in Northport, Florida in accordance with the statewide observance of the same and encourage citizens of Northport to join this city commission in expressing the
appreciation for the dedication and outstanding service provided by the individuals who serve as our code enforcement officers. In witness whereof, we have here unto set our hands and seal of the city of Northport, Florida to be affixed this fifth day of
June, 2025. And I have an addition to that. We only have five in code enforcement officers in this city and they cover a lot of ground. They deserve
a hand just for that. Thank you very much. I'll just be brief. Um the men and women behind me are code enforcement. Um they do a very tough tough job sometimes under some difficult circumstances because we get it from every angle from
within the city with residents sometimes the commissioners because people are bothering them and then flows downhill. I just want to thank the commissioners the mayor the vice mayor Mr. Fletcher my immediate supervisors Elena
uh Lori and Gabriel for giving us the guidance and the direction and hopefully soon we will have a few more people. We are hiring another uh inspector. He's going through the processing processing. Hopefully, he'll be here in a couple of weeks. Uh and then going forward, we
hope to have some more down the road if things work out. So, um the people that are up here generally are very young in this business. They the the all the inspectors are Josh. Raise your hand, Josh. Josh has been here for just a year. Gavin, I think now, too. Um every
Michelle's been here the longest. She's the uh she's worked for the public works before she came here. Trista worked here before. She's back. And Leslie on the end. Leslie's our little spitfire. I had to hold her back. She thought she was going to speak today, but hadn't stopped that. She she she runs me pretty good.
So, thank you again. We appreciate it. And we'll see you out there. We're trying to make the city better uh better place to live, bring business in here, and grow the city. It's got a lot of potential. We just want to see that be uh achieved. So thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for what you do. Thank you. All right. mixed up. Uh, solid waste division. Come on up. Yeah. I guess she gets to do this one for me. Mal, right?
This one's all yours. Thank you so much, sir. You're welcome. see what I have to put up with. It's my honor to give this proclamation. Whereas the nation celebrates the week of June 17th as
National Garbage Man Day. And whereas according to the center for disease control, the eradication of many diseases in the western world is due in large part to higher public sanitation standards resulting from effective
garbage disposal. And whereas the men and women employed by the city refuge collection and hauling industry in the community make significant contributions to the safety, health and welfare of citizens. And whereas the proper
collection and disposable disposal of waste and recyclables is vital to preventing disease, litter, and dump heaps. And whereas refuge haulers contribute to a tidy and clean community. And whereas the city of
Northport values and celebrates hundreds of trash collectors, dumpster haulers, sewage workers, street cleaners, and all others employed in the sanitation industry to serve residents and local
businesses. And whereas the city will have programs to formally and publicly thank these employees that serve the community. Now therefore, we, the city commission of the city of Northport, Florida, do hereby proclaim June 16th
through June 24th, 2025 as National Waste and Recycling Workers Week. I'm sure. All right. So, thank you commissioners. Thank you for sure. It's a It's a dirty
job. We all know it, right? Someone's got to do it. Thank you, Commissioner Langden. But, uh, let's get started with this. I have to pass this along. We lost a friend in the city of Venice. Okay. He was he was a Sway superintendent there.
His name is Bob Moroni and uh it breaks our heart that we lost him a couple weeks ago and he lives here in Northport and he's been here all his life. So, it's pretty sad. So, I just wanted to pass that on. But, Garbage Band Day started in 2011 and here we are. 2011 it
started. Uh John Rwood, he started this out of Jacksonville, Florida. And right now it's all over the world. All over the world doing jack uh garbage man day. But if it wasn't for this staff right here, I'm the luckiest person alive. I'm blessed right here. All the hard work
they do dedicated. You're welcome, Diane. But uh on a serious note, the people that couldn't be here today, I just want to share this with you. This is from a resident. And we receive these all the time, every month. So many of
these. and I have to share it with you. So, the driver noticed a gentleman cutting up lots of styrofoam in his driveway. And little did he know, the residents was having a minor medical event and was struggling to cut up the styrofoam to get it in the garbage tote. The garbage driver was running the route
in this neighborhood, seen this man, yelled in his truck, and told the gentleman, "Be right back." The driver went out of his way, turned around, came back, helped the gentleman out. The gentleman calls, right? He's so emotional. Okay. He said he's lived
there for 15 years. Never has he any has anyone ever helped him in the way he was helped today by this driver. He was very moved by the kind of professionalism that was presented. And that's what Solid Waste is about. That's what we're about.
Professionalism dedicated to the city. And we love the people. So, if you happen to see or speak to them on the week of June 16th, please tell them thank you because it means a lot. Thank you. Hey, Frankie, we need to cue Alice's
white song for you right about now. neighbor. Do we have is Jeremy Anel here? Ryan's here. There you go, Ryan. Go ahead. All right. You want to do the honors? Sure. If you Yeah.
I guess not. Don't. All right. So, this is for recognition of 2025 greenest citizen award. Uh the award went to Jeremy Anel. Some of you might know his wife, but um I just want to say a couple words that she had to say about him and
obviously the community had to say because this is based on individuals in the community recognizing who they think should be the greatest citizen. We don't have anything to say about it. It's the community and they compile them. Without our wonderful communication staff, none of this would happen. They went out of
their way to do a lot of good hard work to get this back up on the website for the community to vote. So, I really appreciate all those efforts year in and year out to help us out with this, but I just wanted to say a couple words. He was unable to be here today, but Jeremy Anel has been the cub master for PA 257
for four years. In that time, he has taught over a 100 scouts the power of protecting nature and being a good steward to our planet. He takes kids on camping and hiking trips, showing them the importance of protecting our planet, instructing them on in essential
survival items and how to leave no trace behind. Not only is he instilling a deep love for nature in the next generation, he also lives that mission daily in his work as a soil conservationist where he works with local farmers to implement conservation practices to improve farm
yields and feed our country. Not only does he help to teach teach people the kid and kids how to be greener, but he practices what he preaches with a membership in people for trees, installing solar solar panels on his home, planting Florida friendly
vegetation, and creating a protective sanctuary on his second lot for gopher tortoises. Jeremy Anel truly is our 2025 greenest citizen. So, I appreciate commission recognizing him today. Thanks. All right. And finally, we have
presentation of certificates and awards earned in government communications program through the Florida Municipal Communicators Association. And uh so let's get everybody down here. Northport Police Chief of Staff Josh Taylor, communications manager Jason Barlone,
Deputy Communications Manager Madison. And anyone else from communications who wants to come down here to do the honors? Yes. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh we're here to recognize the outstanding achievements of both the
communications division and the police department. Um both of which earned the certificate of excellence from the Florida Municipal Communicators Association. This is the third straight year that both teams have won this uh uh achievement. Um it's the highest level of professionalism and excellence that
we can achieve. It's basically our accreditation um through the state of Florida, an organization that serves all cities and counties um and communications teams. We also had some individuals earn their individual certificates um police chief of staff public information officer Josh Taylor.
Public Thank you. Um and both myself and public information manager Madison who couldn't be here. We each earned our individual certificates. Um, in addition, thank you. In addition to that, at the FMCA
conference this year, um, Northport Police Community Engagement and Recruiting Specialist Britney Cameron took home the FMCA's 2025 communicator of the year award. Congratulations, Britney, um, for her excellent work in enhancing the
department's presence on social media. Um, in the past year, uh, the city also earned two outstanding awards from the FMCA this year. Uh, one was for best podcast for the Voices of Northport podcast series that we've been doing to capture oral histories of longtime
citizens. Thank you. Um, and then we also won an award for best in-house marketing campaign, which was for the launch of the Asella online permitting system and all the marketing and communications that we did around that program. So uh please join me in applauding these exceptional communicators for being recognized by
their peers in the government communications field and for their commitment to professional excellence. Well done. You're awesome. Congratulations on terrible terrible criminal. Yeah. They shot together.
Congratulations. Congratulations. All right. That's it. Back up. After you stop. All right. All right. Assistant city clerk, do we have any final public comments?
Pay attention, sir. No, sir. I thank you much. Well, if there's nothing else, it's 4:36 and I adjourn this meeting.