--------- [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. We're going to give it just a a 30 second. For the record, uh, Commissioner
Lockheart drove here today. She did not take scout. [laughter] >> Thought about it. In hindsight, >> in hindsight, she would have been Yes. >> I probably would have been on time. >> Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here today. Let me start by
saying happy holidays, merry Christmas, all of the things that you may celebrate. We plan to have a wonderful meeting today and I'm going to start by asking David Williamson from the Central Florida freethought community to give us an invocation. Good morning, Madam Chair,
commissioners, and thank you for the opportunity to join you today as we enter a season filled with many different celebrations. Homes across Simol County are preparing for the holidays rooted in a range of traditions, each carrying its own story of hope, renewal, and connection. With
that shared sense of unity, may we take a moment to appreciate the diversity of people this body serves and the many ways they seek meaning, comfort, and joy. This week, the world also marks International Human Rights Day. It's a reminder that every person, regardless of background or belief, deserves
safety, fairness, and the chance not just to live with dignity, but to thrive with it. Those principles guide strong communities and public service as well. Let this moment of reflection invite us into a mindset of understanding and care, of compassion and collaboration.
May today's discussions be shaped by clear thinking, thoughtful listening, and a commitment to the well-being of every resident, business owner, and visitor to Semino County. May our choices reflect the simple truth that our community is strongest when everyone feels seen and most of all valued. Thank
you for your service. Thanks as well to the county staff for theirs this year. I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year. >> Thank you so much, sir. Santa, would you mind leading us in the pledge >> algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic
for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, gentlemen. We're going to move on to awards and presentations and proclamations. First is a proclamation
that will be read by Commissioner Lockheart for our um veteran of the month. >> Good morning. Uh, commissioners, I move the following proclamation of the Seminal County Board of County Commissioners recognizing United States Navy Petty Officer First Class Richard
Kitchen for his outstanding service to the United States and Seminal County. Whereas the brave men and women of our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force demonstrate a resolute spirit and unmatched selflessness, reminding us there are few
things more American than giving of ourselves to make a difference in the lives of others. And whereas throughout our country's history, generations of service members have answered the call to leave their families, their jobs, and put their futures and even their lives on the line to valiantly defend our
nation. And whereas for many service members, the sacrifice has ended in permanent injury or death. Yet, their spirit remains in the continued preservation of our freedoms and the promise of liberty. And whereas there are more than 30,000 living veterans in Semino County who served our nation in
times of peace and war. Through their service, they kept America strong. And whereas Petty Officer Richard Kiten served the United States Navy from 1968 to 1989 as an electronic technician, earning both submarine and surface
warfare qualifications. Throughout his career, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Citation, and the Meiritorious Unit Citation. Petty Officer Kitchen spent most of his service conducting testing and evaluation for the Trident D5 ballistic
missile program, a crucial component of the United States. And whereas Petty Officer Richard Kitchen relocated to Orlando in 1989 where he worked for Associated TV Repair, his final employment before retirement was with AMC Theaters, where he served as a
facilities manager. And whereas Petty Officer Richard Kitchen has continued his lifelong commitment to service well beyond his military career. And for many years, he has volunteered his time in partnership with local restaurants to organize and distribute toys to more than 50 children annually, ensuring that
local families feel supported, valued, and remembered. For the past 10 years, he has embraced the role of mall Santa at the Alamont Mall and has also appeared as Santa throughout the southeast. In addition, he enjoys participating in 5K runs, completing
roughly 25 races each year. Whereas Petty Officer Richard Kitchen has brought great credit and distinction upon himself, the United States of America, the United States Navy, and Semino County. Now therefore, be it proclaimed that we, the Board of County Commissioners of Seminal County,
Florida, express our gratitude, admiration, and respect for Petty Officer Richard Kitchen for his outstanding service to the United States, Navy, and the residents of Semino County. Be it further proclaimed that this proclamation is presented to Petty Officer Richard Kitchen along with
our sincere congratulations and recognition as Seminal County's veteran of the month adopted this 9th day of December 2025. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> There we have it. >> CONGRATULATIONS. [applause]
>> [applause] >> Petty Officer Kitchen, if you'd like to say a few words, we'd welcome you to do that. We have a second proclamation. We're going to read that next, and then we'll do pictures right after the second proclamation. But I would welcome you to the microphone. I'm without words.
>> I do it all over again and I thank you for the recognition. I love doing this and I would probably go back and redo it again if I could. Petty Officer, we are blessed to have
had you of service. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for your service. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Our next proclamation is a resolution honoring the retirement of assistant county manager Melanie Coons. And based on our history together, I'm going to
read this one. Commissioners, I uh offer the following resolution of the Semino County Board of County Commissioners honoring the retirement of assistant county manager Melanie Coun. Whereas Melanie Coun, Melanie Lung Coun began her
distinguished service to the citizens of Semino County in April of 1998 as the principal analyst in Semino County support services division, demonstrating exceptional professionalism and commitment from her first day. And whereas in May 2000, Melanie was
promoted to manager of the support services division where she skillfully oversaw land management, contract administration, public records and retention, risk management, and benefits. Yay, because everyone likes to manage benefits, providing [snorts]
consistent leadership and guidance. And whereas Melanie was appointed director of central services in January of 2011, assuming responsibility for human resources, information technology, and fleet, and facilities, where her thoughtful leadership and
forwardthinking approach strengthened critical county operations. And whereas in January of 2015, Melanie was promoted to assistant county manager where she continued to serve with dedication supporting numerous departments, programs, and initiatives
with insight, skill, and unwavering dependability. And whereas throughout her remarkable tenure, Melanie was instrumental in supporting and advancing a multitude of countywide initiatives and projects, including state and federal legislative affairs and charter review commission.
two county redistricting efforts, the development of a new county courthouse and county annex, and the establishment of the county's urban bear management area, among other significant accomplishments. And whereas during her nearly year-long search
dur during the nearly year-long search process for a new county manager, Melanie played a vital role in ensuring continuity and stability pro providing steadfast support to several departments and leadership teams and commissioners
in case less we forget. Whereas after 28 years of outstanding public service, Melanie now looks forward to a well-earned retirement, spending more time with her husband William, daughter Danielle, son Christopher, and her cherished grandchildren, while also enjoying
travel, focusing on health and wellness, and reconnecting with friends and loved ones. Now therefore, be it resolved that we, the board of county commissioners of Semino County, Florida, do hereby extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Melanie Coun for her extraordinary
service, dedication, and lasting contributions, which have strengthened the organization and positively impacted countless employees and residents. Be it further resolved that this resolution is presented to Melanie Coun with heartfelt congratulations, admiration, and our
warmest wishes for a joyful and richly rewarding retirement. Adopted this ninth day of December, 2025. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I I Melanie, I don't know what we're going to do without [applause] you.
>> [applause] [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. Good morning. And this is emotional for me. I don't think I can read what I wrote. You're really [laughter] I can't read it. For the record, Dominique Drager, not Melanie Coons. Um,
[laughter] wow. This is the last time I'll be saying that at a BCC meeting. Thank you all so much for the thoughtful retirement resolution. It's hard to believe this moment has arrived. Standing here today, I find myself reflecting on one wonderful chapter that is closing and another that is just
beginning. When I first joined Semino County in 1998, I never could have imagined the journey ahead. I still remember those early days, learning the ropes, meeting dedicated employees, and quickly realizing that local government isn't just about policies and paperwork. It's about people, community, and
service. Over the years, I've had the privilege of growing alongside this organization, serving in many different roles. There were challenges, of course, but the work was always meaningful and deeply rewarding. In February 2015, I was honored to become assistant county manager, a role that allowed me to
collaborate with every department on initiatives large and small that have helped shape the community's fabric. Through that work, I gained [snorts] a deep appreciation for the passion, professionalism, and commitment our employees bring to serving the public. Together, we have accomplished a great deal. I've also had the privilege of
learning from an exceptional group of county managers, Gary Kaiser, Kevin Grace, Cindy Cotto, Jim Hartman, Nicole Marts, and now Darren Gray. Each brought their own leadership style and wisdom, and I am grateful for the guidance they provided. And I've been equally honored
to work alongside so many dedicated commissioners. Dick Vanderweed, Carlton Henley, Daryl Mlan, Randy Morris, Brenda Kerry, Mike McClean, John Haran, Grant Malloy, and our current esteemed board. Each of you has played a key role in guiding Semino County forward, and it
has been my privilege to support your efforts. Looking back, what stands out most aren't the projects or the policies. It's the people, the friendships, the teamwork, the laughter during the long meetings, and the shared sense of purpose that made Seminal County such a fulfilling place to build a career. To my colleagues past and
present, thank you for your collaboration, your support, and your friendship. To our leadership and elected officials, thank you for trusting me with the opportunity to serve. And to my family and friends, thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and for reminding me there is a world beyond the office
walls. As I step into retirement, I do so with deep gratitude and tremendous pride in all we've accomplished together. Semino County will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you all for the memories, for the trust, and for the journey of a lifetime. >> [applause]
>> Thank you, >> commissioners. If I could have you join me on the floor for pictures. [applause] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]
[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> So Melanie is the queen of institutional knowledge and I can guarantee you that we will continue phoning a friend for a while after she leaves here
without a doubt. We ready? >> I think next up is the county investment advisor, Scott. We look forward to hearing all of the insights that you may bring to us this morning.
>> Okay. Well, it's the day before the Fed meeting. Tomorrow the Fed meets. Today and tomorrow the Fed meets. And uh we we should see government source economic data up and running within weeks. We get the employment report for both November and October or
at least the uh non-farm payroll portion of that uh the week after the Fed meeting, which is not entirely convenient as far as the Fed's concerned. Uh it sounds like President Trump has made its decision on the Fed chairman's replacement and it looks like
it'll be Kevin Hasset. Uh which I think the market is is trying to decide whether that's the best move or not. Trump sort of floated that early to see if the market's going to like it or not. And I I suspect he will be the guy because he's going to carry the much
lower interest rates in 2026 forward for for the president. uh Supreme Court is expected to render a verdict on the constitutionality of the reciprocal tariffs this month. Uh could be could be any day that will be eventful. I'm not even sure how the market's going to take that one way or another, but it is on
the agenda. So the twoear note yield usually this goes back one year. So you can see yields were higher nine months ago, 10 months ago. They're they're now quite a bit lower. That's an anticipation of rate cuts of course.
Current investment options, as you can see, they've continued to to move lower. There's a lot of volatility right now. The market is priced entirely for a rate cut tomorrow. Whether or not that happens, um, I think it will because the market actually gets what the market
wants in the near term. So, there's about a 90% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut tomorrow to the overnight rate. And because that's so high, it it will most certainly happen. The question is what happens after that whether there
are more rate cuts coming and I I think the key is going to be in the labor market data. So a week from the Fed meeting again we get two months worth of payroll numbers. Um if you look to the private sector employment data you've
had four out of the last six months have been negative for ADP which is uh pretty remarkable. We haven't seen that since the pandemic. There's there's another uh source called called Revelio Labs which they actually tried to duplicate the
non-farm payroll numbers and they've actually been negative for the month of October and November. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if a week from now we got two straight months worth of negative payroll data which would actually move the needle again. So maybe we get a a week's worth of breathe easy
and then we get all that labor market data and things look like the economy is not in nearly as good a shape as we did the week before. So um yields are mostly reflecting that at this point. Uh the portfolio yield
uh because of the timing of this meeting this happens every year. I have not seen the the uh the report set yet to be able to to calculate our data going forward.
But uh it appears to me that the uh November 30th portfolio yield is between 410 and 415 just so you can get a sense of what your portfolio is yielding. Recent transactions that were approved at the last meeting were uh a a palm
term which basically is a is a longer locked in pool yield to November of 2026 at a 478. Two treasuries were purchased to June of 2027 and May of 2028 at yields of 351 and 344.
Uh recommended purchases and you're you're you're in front of a lot of your tax flows. So, the next time we meet, which interestingly enough will be a day before the January Fed meeting, um you you'll have a lot more decisions to make. But for right now, in terms of
liquidity, um we've I'm recommending two purchases, either treasuries or agencies. Um I I do want to mention one thing, and that's that we had a lot of agencies once upon a time, and very few treasuries. Now, we have a lot of treasuries and very few agencies. Um it's because there aren't a whole lot of
agencies available, and the spreads are just not there. So, treasuries with full faith and credit make the most sense. I'm recommending um again July and June of 27 and 28. Yields are roughly between 355 and 360. And that should essentially wrap us up
for the year and I'll be back at the end of January to have another discussion about what to do with your tax monies. But any any [snorts] questions that you guys might have. >> Thank you, Mr. McIntyre. I do want to ask you to explain how the transition of the Fed chair works.
>> Okay. So, Chairman Pal's term as chairman ends in May. He's actually a a Fed governor. So, theoretically, he could stay on for a while longer as the same way you guys do with with your rotation. Very likely he's going to
leave. Um that means that there will be an appointment. That appointment will be more doubbish. In other words, more inclined to vote for lower yields. Kevin Hasset, assuming that he is the the nominee, will uh go through a process where we have to be approved. But in the
meantime, between the time that he is a nominated and the time that he takes office as chairman, that five month triumph frame will mean that he'll be essentially a shadow chairman. That's a little bit disruptive to the market
because every time Pal decides something and Pal's interviewed by CNBC, you're gonna Kevin Hassid is going to be interviewed as well and Kevin is going to question I shouldn't refer to him as Kevin. I don't know him, but he he is going to be asked the same questions and he is going to um have a very different
take on it. So, some people are a little bit concerned about the idea of the shadow chairman that the two different sides, they're going to be always uh countered to each other for a period until things settle in, I assume, with with him taking office and in May as the chairman.
>> Thank you. >> Sure. >> Commissioner Zimbau, >> thank you, Madam Chair. Um Scott, thank you very much. What's your take on we're now seeing the highest default rate on car loans especially in the subprime market um as well as about seven basis
point increase in second quarter in defaults of mortgage loans. >> Yeah, I referred to this before. Another good question. So um you know in terms of of the mortgage rates that the the Fed can only lower the overnight rate.
The longer end of the curve reacts to inflation expectations, everything from the national debt. Uh mortgage rates are based on the third, I'm sorry, the 10-year. So, um you got to think to yourself as you're an investor, are you interested in investing in the United
States and and hoping that you'll get your money back in 10 years? And there is a there's a risk premium that that gets built into that 10-year yield, a little bit more yield if you're going to buy that. And that reflects mortgage rates as well. Also, if you're cutting rates when the inflation rate is 3%. Um,
you're you're potentially stoking additional inflation. There's also expected to be back this year. People are going to get bigger tax refunds this year. There's this idea of the possibility of a dividend premium being paid to people. All of that puts dollars into folks pockets. Um the flip side to
your question is completely different and and the idea there is that we have a K-shaped recovery um whereas the 10% the top 10% of making 50% of the purchases and essentially driving the entire economy the uh lower
end of the K refers to the other half United States who is is is living dayto-day bill to bill. So, um, the idea of of defaults rising, you do have large defaults. Everything from from credit cards 90 days past due to automobile
loans 90 days past due to student loans being passed due. Uh, is is going to be this tugof-war that we have and really gives economists the opportunity to have a really good narrative one way or another because there is no right answer. We're going to have to see how this all unfolds.
Um, my guess is that the economy is not as robust in in 2026. I think that, you know, a healthy economy has a very strong middle class and our our middle class is is not as strong as it was. >> Great. Thank you.
>> Thank you, board members. If there are no further questions, I'll entertain a motion. >> A motion to implement the recommendations of our financial adviser based on the report submitted today and recommend the clerk implement said board recommendations. >> Second. First and a second. All those in favor? >> I
>> opposed. Thank you. Thank you, Scott. Happy holidays. >> Same to you. >> Travel safely. >> Same to you. >> Ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the portion of the program where we're going to talk about the consent agenda. There will be public comment opportunity prior
to our consideration of the consent agenda. If you would like to speak, please fill out a yellow form and hand it to Miss Drager up front who is uh managing the forms. It looks like she may have a couple up there already. If you have not turned in a form, you will
not be called on to speak. And I'll turn it over to our county attorney, Kate Lour, to read the public participation requirements. Thank you, Madam Chairman. Good morning. Florida law provides that members of the public shall be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard on propositions before the board of county
commissioners except when the board is acting on emergency or ministerial matters or conducting a meeting exempt from the requirements of the sunshine law. Individuals shall be permitted 3 minutes each for public comment or 6 minutes when the individual is an official representative of a formal
association or group. The chairman may modify the maximum time for public comment and her sole discretion when appropriate. Public comments on quasi judicial or other public hearing items will occur during the board's consideration of those items this afternoon. Public comments on pending
procurement matters or on non-aggenda items shall not be permitted at this time. Members of the public desiring to make public comment must fill out a speaker form and present the form to staff and forms are available in the lobby. Madam Chairman, thank you so much. So, the public comment for this
morning will be related to the consent agenda only. And commissioners, uh, we're going to be looking at items 4, 4A, and 4B. Just calling that out to your attention through 24. County manager, do you have any revisions that
you'd like to present? >> Thank you, Madam Chairman, and commissioners. Yes, a couple. And thanks for uh reminding we have had two additions, 4 A and 4B, to call to your attention. Also, I'd like to pull item 24. I'm just looking to get more information. Uh, that's regarding the
bikewalk central Florida agreement. I'm looking into that a little bit more and I will uh be bringing that back to the board. >> Commissioners, are there any items that you would like to pull? >> I'd like to pull 19. >> We're pulling 19. >> Any others?
>> No, ma'am. >> Commissioner Constantine, >> I was just ready to make a motion. Go for it. >> I will move the approval of the consent agenda items. Constitutional. >> Mr. Constantine. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> We didn't do public comment. >> You're right. >> Look at us. So, vice chair, thank you
for that. And I heard some choking going on down there. So, that would have been a clue as well. Dominique, would you mind calling out the first three? How many forms do you have? >> Yes, ma'am. There are seven forms all for item 19. >> Yes. First three are Bill Hyde, Abby
Sanchez, and Kimberly Mchugh. >> All right. And with that, so you know who's on deck. We would love for you to start your way down. And with that, uh, board member, >> 19 minutes, not >> Yeah. Yeah. 19. >> I'd like to pull 19 for discussion.
>> Yes. So, please discuss. >> Okay. So, um, first of all, if I could take a little point of personal privilege because, um, the arts are very near and dear to my heart and my life. And for those of you who may not know, um, my mother is a, um, 30 plus year art
educator, uh, 30 years in the classroom. Uh, she retired. She decided retirement wasn't for her. So she decided to go back to work um writing art curriculum for primary, secondary, and post-secary education. And the arts were so
important to her and to our family that she spent a month in Africa teaching children um about art. So note that everything that I am about to say comes from that lens. um incredibly supportive of the arts and believe um that at 83
after having a stroke she is able to function as well as she does because of the impact of the arts in her life. And it is one of the things that she still hits with a stride like you wouldn't believe. In fact, she still has classes in her studio at her home where she
teaches um twice a week um because the arts are hardwired in her brain and without that she wouldn't have much to to be focusing on right now. So I am we are very blessed. Um, and I think that
there are multiple public studies that show that a community that has cultural public arts programs thrives and both socioeconomically and and otherwise. So that's my lens. And with that, the reason I'm pulling this is because I
want to make sure that there that we are using taxpayer dollars as best we can so that the money that is allocated is going to the programs that this board intended them to go to. So, this has had a lot of different iterations over the
years. Um, I was here as a staff member with Miss Coons um, for many years and I remember when we gave all of the county taxpayer dollars to United Arts down in Orlando and we didn't feel that we really got much return on that investment and the board decided that we would take all of those seminal county
taxpayer dollars and give them to seminal county cultural arts programs and then we decided we would do our own grants program. And Mr. Dur and his team spent a boatload of time, effort, and
energy um saddled with figuring out who would get these grants. Um and then we said, well, you know what? Maybe that's not the best use of our staff's time. Let's give the money directly to Seminal Cultural Arts Council, who is the designated by this board entity to
receive the license plate funds that come from the state of Florida. um let's just give them the funds and let them distribute them is in the grants because they are closest to the agencies that are are providing the services.
So when I we started asking questions about this and I I I thanks so much to Gekuna who was able to provide the documentation for me. I have more questions that I need to have answered because last year of the 56 we gave $56,000 according to I think the
information we were given to Seminal Cultural Arts Council. According if I'm reading their budget documents correctly, only 14,000 was given out by the agency in grant funds. I want to know if this is the best way for us to utilize these funds so that we
can have more of the dollars actually reaching its intended purpose. Um, that is why I'm pulling this item to ask for more time, to ask for more information, do some comparative what we did prior, what we're doing now. Is there a better
way to do this? Um, and so I just want anyone who's planning to get up here and and speak. Obviously, you have the right to do that, but please understand, I'm asking for it to be pulled to be brought back at another board meeting, not to vote against it, um, but because I I feel personally I need more information.
So that's where I'm coming from. >> Mr. Zenower, >> I I concur. I [clears throat] also have some very similar questions that I gave to the county manager earlier. So I'm I'm okay with that if if that's the pleasure of the board. >> Any further discussion before we
[clears throat] hear public comment? >> Madam Chair, uh it's always good to get more information. If the board feels we need more information, that's great. Uh I have no issues with that. But uh since Commissioner Laka talked about her mother and I know her from the time that
I've been interacting with her from the art side, uh she's a very gifted artist and you're very fortunate to have her as a mother. So just wanted to add that >> there's no further discussion. We'll go to public comment.
Dominique called the first one. It's Mr. Hyde. I can recognize the first one. My name is Bill Hyde, 2379 Oddly Street, Oto. Um, so my question is before you start my clock is are we voting on this today or are we pulling this for future?
>> We the vote will be to pull it for future as suggested. So that will be what we're voting on. That being said, since there's a vote on it, publicly a vote. Okay. Okay. Um, my name is Bill Hyde. I live at 2379 Odley Street in
Ovido. Um, I hadn't intended to speak today on this because y'all all got my email. But two things are very dangerous. One is that you publish, you know, the agenda for me to read and the second thing is is I have lots of coffee in the morning. So
you you so so you all pretty much know how I feel. But I want to go back to uh a few months ago. you. This board um increased my taxes quite a bit. Not once, not twice, but three times. I didn't say anything, but I listened to
them. And I when I listened, all I heard was we can't cut anything. We're spending all of your money as close to the bone as we possibly can. So, I didn't say anything. A month ago, um, I
went over the agenda that you so graciously let me read, and there were a lot of items going out for grants and approvals of agreements with various community agencies um, that all provide
services. Um, I read through them. I didn't say a word. There was a lot of buzz about it in the social media though, believe me, I can tell you that. But I heard very clearly that all of the
items that were on that agenda were for health, you know, people's health, putting a roof over somebody's head. Um, it was for uh domestic violence and those were all great. I didn't say a word about that.
But then I read this one and I got nothing. I have no gripe with community arts. I mean, I live in Ovido. We have an icon right down there on Central Avenue and Bob Delari has known him for longer than I have. Um, guy that that's
that does ceramics in the community and and spreads the spreads the word. But as I read this, this is went from6 $56,000 to like $73,000 in one fell swoop. And I can't read all the numbers because I
don't have access to it, but it looks like this is mostly for salary, maybe for like one person. Well, your your your money is not going to what you just talked about. What you talked about was our tax money going to the grants to
provide arts, but it looks like this is going to just salary. I will remind you that there are other advisory councils in this county that don't have any paid staff that do a lot of direct good and I will bring up obviously the veterans
advisory councils that that get no money and and actually directly impact people's lives. Not that the arts aren't wonderful, but that's not putting food on people's table and it's not giving people uh immunizations or providing uh
assistance for de domestic violence victims. Thank you very much for your time. I got my three minutes exact. >> Thank you. >> Well done. >> We appreciate that, >> Madam Chair. >> Abby Sanchez. >> If I may just follow up [clears throat] uh with Mr. hide.
To be fair, a lot of those previous ones you had referred to that were on prior agendas, those are pass through dollars both federally and state, which are not our local dollars that we were mandated to to send to those entities. We have the discretion of who gets that and
that's about the extent of it. Just wanted to make sure that was put on the record. >> Thank you, board member Sanchez. >> Good morning everyone. I'm Abby Sanchez. my address 107 Bay Hammock Lane, Longwood, Florida. I am uh 10 years been
on the school board as chair, vice chair, and you name it, everything else. And um I also serve as on the seminal cultural arts council as one of the board of directors. My apologies for our president not being in attendance, Anthony Armadilla, as he is undergoing
surgery right now orthopedically and he apologizes for not being here. >> [snorts] >> Um, we appreciate our 31 years with you and everything that you have given us and the support that you have. And Amy, thank you, Commissioner Lockhart, for
sharing what your mom has done and continues to do in our community. each and every one of you. I know um I listen to your thoughts and and know each and every one of you feel pretty much the same about how critical it is to keep the arts alive and what it's done has
done for our underserved community and everything it does for everybody and from visual arts, culinary arts to architecture to graphics design. I can go on and on and on to film. It has helped our children feel valued. It has
helped them build self-esteem. It has helped them in every which way. And when you were talking about going to Africa, I just got back from Africa and we're helping the Messiah tribe. And to see their eyes lighten up and find their gift and their self-esteem and build
their growth and understanding all the things that they can do. And with so much technology out there right now, I want our create kids to have that creative feel. I want them to be able to have that balance and feel valued and
it's extremely critical for that. So I am so believe so much that the arts need to be funded and the cultural arts program has blossomed so much and we have done so much for the community within
scholarships to grants to camps you name it. And I know you received numerous emails as well from different people through the community. And um I know you you received our budget and understanding and you want to have time to look over that. So I appreciate that
and I appreciate everything that you do. Thank you so much. >> Board member Sanchez, before you leave, would you just clarify whether it's this organization that's doing something in Africa or >> that was me. It's just something separate that I'm doing. My own wanted to make that sure that was on the
record. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, >> Kimberly Mchugh. Are there speakers after that? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Can you call them out? >> Stephen Young, Sharon Baddy, Don Eps, and Virginia Poe.
>> So, you guys are on deck. Thank you. Kimberly McHugh, 2520 Dakota Trail from Park, Florida. Good morning, commissioners. Uh, my name is Keley McHugh. I serve as the PTSA president at Lake High School. I'm here today to speak in support of the simil culture
arts in county's investment in the SEAC. This investment makes a real measurable difference for students and families across Simino County at Lake High School. SCEC funds are being used to support our winter art festival up
coming up this Saturday. Um I afforded uh invitations to each of you. This event showcases student musicians, visual artists, and performers across six schools in Simone County. It brings together families, teachers, and the broader community for a completely free
event. For many students, this is the first time their creative work has been celebrated publicly outside of the classroom. That moment matters. Through SEC investment, also SECPTA receives funding to support our
reflections award ceremony. Similar investments have supported PTAs throughout Simino County. These opportunities help students feel seen, valued, and encouraged to keep creating. The return on this investment is clear.
The arts builds confidence. They improve student engagement and communication skills. And for st some students, participation in the arts is what keeps them engaged in school and motivated to succeed. If Simol County withdraws investment in
SEAC, the impact will be immediate. Student opportunities will be reduced. Community events will disappear in a proven support system for arts education will be lost. I respectfully urge the board of county commissioners to continue investing in the similar arts
council and in students and families who benefit from its work every day. I would also like to personally invite each of you to attend the Lake High School Winter Arts Festival and see firsthand the return on your investment. You'll see students sharing their talents,
standing a little taller, um realizing that what they create has values. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, >> Steven Young. Hi, good morning. My name is Steven Young. I'm the president of Simol County Council PTA and I'm a resident here in
Simol uh in Sanford specifically and I have the honor of representing the Seminal County Council PTA in an organization that is deeply committed to supporting every child's potential. Simmon count Simony Council Council PTA was honored to receive a grant funding
from seminal cultural arts council earlier this fall. We will use this funding to implement a memorable award celebration this spring that marks the culmination of the PTA reflections art program. This event will bring student artists and their families from across
Simino County together as we shine a spotlight on our youth who've created artwork that reflected the this year's theme. I belong. Why do we invest our time, talent, and financial resources and reflections?
Because this program provides an opportunity for young people in our community to express themselves artistically. You can take one theme and interpret it a million different ways, and they are all the right way. Our students find their voice when they create films and
compose literature. They choreograph dances and compose music. They take photographs and create paintings, sculptures, Lego structures, and self-portraits. The art our young people create allows us to see the world through their eyes with all of its
challenges and opportunities. SEC PTA stands with National PTA and amplifies its belief that the arts, music, literature, dance, drama, and visual arts are central to learning. Infusion of the arts in elementary, secondary, and continuing education
curricula is key to the development of students. Like National PTA, we support programs that promote public awareness of the arts and arts education, which is exactly what the Siminal Cultural Arts Council does. We are grateful we have
SCAC here in our community, opening doors to possibilities for people of all ages to find themselves in the arts. The arts matter in Semino County because our children matter in Semino County. Thank you for your support, commissioners. That's all I have. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much, >> Sharon Baddy. >> Can I get his >> Good morning. Oh, really? Stating? >> You can move that down. >> Good morning. Uh, my name is Sharon Batty. and the PTA president at Sterling Park Elementary. Not sure if I should give you the school address or my
residence cuz I practically live at the school. The school address is 905 South Eagle Circle. Yes, I have that memorized. My home address is 1400 Fairway Oaks Drive. Um, I'm here as the PTA president and a resident uh in favor of this bill. Um, I had a whole speech
prepared, but I do better off the cuff, so I'll just pull from here a little bit. Um, one of the things that I heard uh Mr. Hyde say was it doesn't put food on the table. Um one thing I would like to comment is that uh in fact it does.
Um and it's not just based off of salary uh in regards to what this what seminal cultural arts does. Um if you look at the AE5 they've proven that it boosts the economy. Arts help bring in people
not just from our county but from other counties. and the other county people actually uh spend I have a percentage 34% of attendees come from outside the county and spend more than twice as much as local residents nearly 70% of those
visitors say the arts was their main reason for coming. So although I do also not particularly like paying a lot of taxes, I'm with you there, Hyde. I am in more favor of paying the taxes to put food on the table. For instance, we're a recipient um of the grant this year and
it was our first time because we unfortunately hadn't applied before. Um they are giving us money to do a 50th anniversary mural for our school. That mural will put food on the table for the artists that will create it for us. That mural
will show the kids in our school what art can achieve in an already depleting amount of money that's going to funds in the arts at school. Um my PTA board members and PTA members are here in unison speaking out that we want this to go through. As you said, Miss Lockheart,
your mom was an art. I just saw on your Facebook page all the lovely food you put on there. Um I would like to be invited to the next Sunday dinner, please. If you make the mac and cheese, I I'll put it out there. Commissioner Bob, you take photography. You you you beautiful portraits. You know, art
touches you firsthand. Even Mr. Constantine, Commissioner Constantine, you just got a life lifetime achievement award. Congratulations, by the way. And that I bet that bronze eagle looks good on your desk, doesn't it? And that was done by an artist. So, yes, I want us to be very particular about how we go about
this. And I I I commend you, Lockheart, for wanting to look at it and go, let's make sure this is going to the right way. That's what we should do for everything. So maybe a few other items should be looked at as well, but um don't take it away from the arts, please. Yes, let's have accountability,
but let's as you've heard from here today, a lot of our PTAs are benefiting from that in an already growing hard economic time. We allocate $10,000 of our money just to go to food for the kids at our school. You know what I'm saying? Like look at other things that
need money, too. We have kids who are eating off the floor in the cafeteria because they're not eating at home. And I understand that that's not on the agenda right now and that's not what we're talking about, but I would be remiss if I didn't sneak that in there somewhere. Um, thank you. My time is over.
>> Thank you. >> God bless you all. >> Thank you, >> Don Eps. Morning, Madam Chair, members of the board. Don Eps, Seminal County Historical Society. We're a 501c3 that supports a museum of central county history and historical preservation.
Over the past number of years, we have joined with the arts council to support uh numerous local artists uh exhibiting within the museum in various different formats. I would uh urge you to continue
support as this is beneficial to our county. Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Virginia Pope. >> Who's the next speaker, please? >> Deborah Bower. And that will be our last speaker. >> Thank you.
>> Good morning, commissioners. I'm Virginia Poe. I live at 108 River Oak Circle, Sanford, Florida. I live on the Wikiviver River where 46 goes across the river. And as a side, I would say thank you for all the beautiful landscaping.
It's just really wonderful. Um, I am the chair of the city of Sanford's public art commission and I'm here to just say that we support your support of this council. Um, art enriches everyone. The
public art commission in Sanford puts up murals. We do all those beautiful box wraps all the way downtown and we do sculpture. It enriches the community. It brings people to the community. And it also enriches the people who work in the
community. They see the artwork every day. So, thank you for your time and consideration. Obviously, the public art can announce council endorses this. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Deborah Bower.
>> Good morning, commissioners and chair. My name is Dr. Deborah Bower. I'm the executive director of the Seminal Cultural Arts Council. The address is 230 East 1st Street, Sanford, Florida 32772. Um, I want to make a few statements just to clarify a few things for the the
point of the record. First of all, SCAC has been a longtime partner with Seminal County and as our board secretary, uh, Mrs. Sanchez said, we look forward to partnering with you and continuing that partnership. First of all, the the question I think that has come to me
most often because I've stood before you several times this year on behalf of SCAC already, but what is SCAC? What do we do? What do we get from the county? Who do we get from? How do we do what we do? And the answer I have come to
realize in the 11 months because I took office in January of this year. So, we've had the transition from our previous executive director, Donna Bundy, who was there for almost 13 years. I came on board in January. And the number one thing that I found out is many people don't they knew about SEAC,
but they didn't know what we did. And that's something over the last 11 months that I have worked very hard to let people know. For example, we are not an advisory board. We are not like the historical commission. We are not like the Veterans Affair Commission. We have actual responsibilities that have been
delegated to us from the county, from the community, and we work to fulfill those through a 501c3 board of directors. That's the first thing. The second thing is we strongly believe in transparency and we welcome questions. We want to provide this information to
anyone who asks. So on behalf of our board of directors and our president, Commissioner Aramandia, I invite each of you. I would love to sit down with you, answer any questions you may have so that you understand that the money that has come to SCAC from the county
commission has stayed in Semino County. It has gone to artists, other artistic, arts and cultural nonprofits. And we want to give you the evidence of that. Some of which you see here today because for example, we've awarded just in the
last three months 28 thou almost $28,000 in grant money. Some of which came from the state, some of which came from you all, some of which came from our private fundraising because we do take that challenge very seriously. We want to stand on our own two feet as much as possible. But during times of
transition, these can be uh and having questions asked is never a bad thing, but we do want to have the opportunity to give you the information. And I also welcome this. The public can always go to our website. Our contact information is there. I invite people like Mr. Hyde
to ask questions. so that we have a clear understanding and accurate information is being put out in the public because much as we all know people get a tidbit of truth and then through the telephone game things start to change and before you know it myths truths and inaccuracies can be
compounded in the press and I'd like to see that avoided. So I look forward to partnering with you over the next month. Hope I can address any questions, comments or concerns and I'm here should you have further need. Thank you. >> Thank you Merger. Are there any other speakers? >> No, ma'am.
>> With that, we'll close public comment and I'll I'll come back to you, Commissioner Lockhart. >> Yeah. >> Um, so just a couple of things that are on top of mind that I'd want staff to be thinking about in terms of what I'm thinking I'd like to have come back and
some of the ideas and frankly going back and reading our minutes from the 2023 meeting um when we made the decision to give SEAC additional funds on top of the funds that we had already been giving them in 2023. I think it was an additional 20 some odd thousand dollars
because we split the 46 between Wayne Dench and SCAC. Um, but Commissioner Constantine made a very uh wise suggestion during that discussion and I don't know that we followed it, frankly. We probably should have. I'm I'm giving
I'm giving you credit, Lee. He suggested that perhaps we look at putting a percentage or a dollar amount of the funds that the county is giving that those be required to be used toward grants. And I I think my response was I
don't know that we need to micromanage, you know, big brother telling, you know, private sector what to do even though it is, you know, taxpayer money. I get that. That's something maybe we might want to go back and look at again. Maybe looking at the idea of having it be a matching grant. Um just thinking about
this from the perspective of not just because we've done it this way, but how can we do it better? Um how can we encourage more public participation? Um because I think every nonprofit that we support, we have said whether it be the homeless shelter or any agency that
comes before us for um funding uh for community assistance funding, the the ongoing theme is how can we help these organizations stand up so that they are doing more of the support of their own organizations and not the taxpayers of Semino County. That is the ultimate
goal. Um, so with with that, I will also ask not just that we bring back this item at the So my motion is to bring back this item at an upcoming board meeting and let staff determine what that board meeting what the timing needs to be based on when you can gather all the information. So that's my motion and
then I have another comment. >> Uh, I will second that motion. Um, without going into everything, Commissioner Lockhart, I I think for me it's more about seeing documents, financial documents. I can make some extrapolations based on that uh how that money is being utilized. So, I'll
support bringing this back and letting staff, you know, gather that information, letting the council supply those documents and we can have everything before us to make good decisions. >> Commissioner Constantine, >> thank you very much. On the motion, I just I just feel uncomfortable
I'll support the motion, but I feel uncomfortable about keeping it at some future meeting. I know that uh I I am very supportive of the arts as I believe all of us are and I think that we should make sure that we get the right amount
of money the right suggestions in the hands of those that are required to do the job as soon as possible. So >> if you like I could amend the motion to make it date specific as the second meeting in January and and at the same time I believe we have the Wayne Dench
agreement >> coming. So if we could do both of those agreements on the same agenda >> and that would be January 27th. >> Second agrees. >> Thank you. >> 27th. Okay. So to January 27th. >> Any further discussion?
>> I'd like to add that I think I did ask to see the budget and I think the budget was shared with everybody. I would tell you that the budget does not include enough detail from my perspective. It simply has one line item called grants for I think it I'm doing this by memory but $13,000. I need to see the grants
spelled out. I would also tell you that I'd like to see multiple years of budgets. I would actually be delighted with five um because I think we need to see what was happening before we made the change and what's happening now. I'm thinking that five gets us there. That math may
not be right. U but I and I think they need to be detailed line item budgets. I think the I think we are here because there is not enough transparency and I think going forward we need to solve that issue and transparency doesn't mean that we put something on a website. It
means that something that's on the website spells it out in detail. Even the board item didn't have enough transparency in it quite frankly which is how we got here. Any further discussion? Nope. >> All those in favor of the motion I I
>> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. All right. Thank you. >> I'm so sorry. So, here was my other comment. Can we please do the same thing for Wayne Dench. The same questions that we're asking of SCAC. I want to be fair and consistent and also ask those for that same de level of detail for the
other [clears throat] arts organization that we're giving money to. And I already talked to Katherine Townsen this morning and she knew I was going to ask. So, nobody hurry up and text her. I told her >> no texting needed. All right. With that, we still have a consent agenda to
approve. Commissioner Constantine. >> Thank you. And with that, I will move the approval of the constitutional amendment, constitutional officers consent agenda item four and the county manager's consent agendas uh item 4A, 4B
through 23 with the exception of 19. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second. So 24 was left out because it was pulled. So it's with the exception of 24 as well. >> Correct.
>> We approve that. First and the second to agree. >> All those in favor? >> I >> opposed. All right. Moving right along. That takes that takes us to a work
session on septic tanks. What could be more invigorating? >> Don't leave now. This is when it gets really fun. >> PTA doesn't want to stay for the septic tank discussion. So this will be Johnny Edwards, utility director with Kim Orinberg,
environmental services director. And we really do say it in just we are very appreciative of all the work that you do to keep everything going in the right direction. >> Thank you very much. And good morning, chairman uh and commissioners. Um we appreciate the opportunity to present
your favorite topic, septic tanks, uh this morning. Um, and joining me, uh, again, presentation by committee, we have, uh, Dr. Ree, Dr. Robert Reese of Reese Consulting Solutions and CHA Consulting. Uh, your environmental services director, Kim Warrenberg, and myself, your utilities director, Johnny
Edwards. Uh, our agenda today, um, we wanted to talk about the purpose of this presentation. Uh, Dr. Reese will providing be providing some background on septic tanks. Uh Kim Orberg will talk about advanced septic tank uh the status of our program. Uh and then I'm going to
talk about septic to sewer. Uh first looking at uh the total program uh potential cost estimates for what it might take to comply with uh state requirements. Uh and then all of these together will uh help provide some focus and context for the next item. And just
that is our our first potential septic to sewer project. Uh and then we'll talk about next steps uh and um seek board direction as we turn it over to the board for discussion. And with that um the purpose of the background again to
update the board on the status of our septic to sewer program and advanced septic tank programs. Uh and again at the end of the presentation we will seek board direction on our first septic to sewer project. With that we'll turn it over to Dr. Ree.
Good morning, chairman, commissioners. As uh Mr. Edwards said, I'll give background on septic to sewer. The uh first element here, just the the 101 I'll I'll say is when uh waste water is generated within a residence uh that has
a septic tank. It it will uh make its way to that septic tank, which is a buried container. Um it holds the waste water long enough to allow the solids to settle and the liquid is drained into the environment. Um there's significant nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient uh
element to that uh leeate that enters into the environment and it will percolate through the groundwater into the aquifer and if there's connectivity in which many cases in central Florida there is uh that liquid will wind up in our springs and um contribute to
utrofication and issues with flora and fauna. From a regulatory standpoint, the state has a a statemandated watershed protection program. That program uh is specifically the basin management action
plans. Uh each of the BMAPs uh purpose is to restore an impaired water body by reducing the uh introduction of nutrients and pollutants into that geographic area. And septic tanks have been identified as a major contributor
uh to the nutrient pollution. Also, the state legislature has focused on the springs and identified 30 outstanding Florida springs, OFS's that require additional protection. And a priority focus area, PFA, is a subset of
a BMAP where uh there's greatest concern about pollutant introduction and known connectivity pathways between the groundwater and the outstanding uh Florida spring. There's a whole hodgepodge of uh lines you see on the
image to the left, but I I want to call attention to three of those. One, of course, the black boundary of uh the geography of Semino County itself. Uh and then there's a purple boundary in the southwest bottom left corner of this image, which is the Waka Springs and
Rock Springs BMAP. The spring is Waka and the river is the Wakiva. they get used interchangeably, including myself, but uh Kim Warrenberg does a fine job of reminding me um that the BMAP is the Waka uh BMAP and it has a priority focus
focus area within it uh for the Waka Spring and that is the orange boundary on the again on the bottom left of the screen and you'll see that priority focus area encompasses the northwest corner of Seminal County and that's the yellow square that you see. To the north
is the Gemini Springs BMAP that encompasses a portion of Valuchia County and Semol County. And it also has a PFA, a priority focus area, but it's up in Valuchia County to the north. There is just an overall BMAP piece that's in
yellow that's in Semino County there in the northwest corner. I point those out from a if we look at the regulatory framework around those two geographies within Seol County, the 2016 Springs and Oxford Protection Act triggers action
required in that southwest corner, that square that we see in yellow uh in this image. uh and it defined requirements for improving outstanding Florida springs and it requires that seminal county have that remediate septic tanks within that area and the county has
until 2038 to do so. It is specific to parcels uh of 1 acre or less of which there would be a septic tank already existing on there. Um the uh regulatory requirement is to remediate that.
Subsequent to that, in 2023, House Bill 1379 was passed that noted that if there was a um priority focus area within a BMAP, that remediation was required
within the entire BMAP geography. So, while that previous piece of legislation that I mentioned did not capture the county's portion of the Wakiva Springs, I'm sorry, the Gemini Springs BMAP that we see in yellow here. This bill did
capture it. So, there is a requirement to remediate the existing septic tanks in this area in yellow also by 2038. And again, this remediation is for parcels that are 1 acre or less that have an existing tank.
So let's speak to remediation options. We took a look at this uh last year when we came before you. Uh certainly from an environmental standpoint, the transferring from a septic tank to central sewer has significant and maximum benefits. Uh in that instance,
that's because the waste water is conveyed to a treatment plant for advanced treatment. The other option is h having an advanced on-site septic treatment unit. There's still a tank, but additional equipment uh that supports increased um reduction in in
nutrients right there on site at the parcel. There's some pros and cons between uh both of those options. On on the pro side for going to a treatment plant through central sewer, it uh eliminates the direct discharge to the the groundwater. Um the treated
wastewater can be reused uh for beneficial reuse, minimal homeowner maintenance, increased property value. A lot of things we're we're quite familiar with when we switch from septic to central, but there is that monthly sewer bill that comes with it. There's high capital costs for conversion and there
is temporary roadside related construction. Flipping over to the on-site advanced treatment unit option, there is less temporary roadside construction, possibly lower monthly maintenance costs. Um, but you're not eliminating completely the pollution into the
environment uh on the order depending on the type of unit used on the order of 65% reduction versus um complete removal of the nutrients from the environment. and the homeowner is responsible for maintenance and in many of the cases these systems do have an electrical component to it, a pump or a blower. Um,
so they need to maintain that. In the case of the proposed program with for the utilities department, both options are anticipated to be utilized and we'll talk a little bit more here momentarily about that. Let's talk quantities of of tanks.
Looking at the Wakai uh PFA, uh the inventory that's been completed for the number of tanks estimates that there's 3,850 tanks outside of city municipal boundaries, which are this responsibility of the cities themselves. So, we're talking outside in this
instance of Altimont Springs uh municipal service boundary and the the county's geography within that PFA. The utilities department uh has 2,932 that uh expected to be remediated. Within the Sunshine Utilities Service
Area, within their utility service area, there's an estimated 768. And then within the Altomon Springs Water and Wastewater Service Area outside the city boundary, an estimated 150, and that reaches our total there. on the right, uh, the Gemini B map and PFA. Um,
there's an estimated 1,19 within the utilities department area, 118 in the Sanford water and wastewater service area, 32 in FGUA service area for a total of 1,259. There's been engineering analysis on the
Wakiva PFA to assess the suitability of central sewer as a means of connecting up uh those parcels. And uh within the uh utilities department's area from an engineering standpoint, not from an
economic standpoint, um it looks like the vast majority of those could be reasonably connected up to central sewer. there's about 73 parcels that it felt like it it just wouldn't make sense to to do so that they they should be granted the opportunity to do uh
advanced septic on the Gemini uh side. That split that engineering analysis is has not yet been completed. And with that, I'll turn it over to Miss Orberg. >> Thank you. [clears throat]
>> Good morning. Um thank you. Uh, for the record, I'm Kim Orinberg. I'm the environmental services director and I am here to talk very briefly about our advanced septic um programate. Um, the grant allows for a reimbursement
of up to $10,000 per unit and it will be paid directly to the resident um once the work is complete and we have had verified it. Um, at this point the program is currently voluntary. Um it's
only for uh existing uh conventional systems located within the Okaiba priority focus area and on residential uh homes less than an acre. So now for the overview and steps. Um
the goal of this program besides um helping offset the cost is for us to provide information on the various types of systems because there's multiple to help our residents make informed decisions about their options and the
and the requirements for each. We also want to make sure that the reimbursement process is as smooth and simple as possible. And of course, we want to make sure that the installations are um are done properly and the systems are functioning the way they're supposed to.
So, and with that in mind, we've been working with the um Semino County Department of Health. You all know be sending out direct mail owners. You have uh septic tanks. Uh you need to convert them to advanced and compliance with the state requirements. Uh the second
bullet, we could say, "Hey, we want to convert all of these septic tanks onto central sewer system." Or the third bullet, a a combination of those two previous options. So we want to look at cost estimates that evaluate um you know, the potential costs uh for
compliance. And the the third bullet here, uh compliance is not cheap. Um and the way of unfunded mandates. Uh this is a pretty large one. Um just to to walk through the table real quickly, the top row um reflects the number of tanks in
the Wakiva area that from an engineering perspective could be eligible for septic to sewer. Uh in the blue column um accounting for numerous variables uh we provided bookends a range of potential costs from 218 to $34 million to convert
those to central sewer. Um on the lower end of that range, um you're looking at approximately $75,000 per tank to convert to central sewer. Um in the purple column, uh we also took a look at bringing reclaimed irrigation
water back into these communities uh during the construction. We know that uh there's not enough supply of reclaimed to bring it back everywhere, but we provided a range of cost estimates. So between the blue and the purple um you know, it may be reclaimed in some places. um um and not having reclaimed
and others. Um and in the green column, we wanted to look for comparison purposes of the cost of advanced septic tanks. Um from what we understand from the Department of Health, they're seeing a range uh between 20 and $40,000 to convert a conventional septic tank to
an advanced septic tank. We've seen a contract recently in uh Lake County that suggests that $20,000 is um a a reasonable estimate. Um, and looking at the next line in the Gemini area, costs go cost per tank uh
go up a little bit. And I I'll say as high as in the purple column, $28 million to convert those tanks, bringing back reclaim. You're looking [clears throat] at a cost of almost $190,000 u per tank conversion. Um the advanced
row, you see a couple items down. Again, those are the the 73 tanks that Dr. Reese mentioned in the Wakiva area. that would be um exceedingly challenging uh from an engineering construction standpoint to put on central sewer. So they would be likely candidates uh for
conversion to an advanced septic tank. Uh and then we total um total the columns down at the bottom. So that's a lot. Um those are some large numbers and we ask the question, okay, why is septic to sewer so expensive? Uh with new developments, utilities are
typically installed first. um you got a contractor working in a dirt field. Um they put the utilities in um first and the costs are spread across the cost of the home, say in a new subdivision. U with septic to sewer construction, you're looking at rebuilding a road, um
requiring excavation of the road, rebuilding the road, installation of sewer laterals from somebody's home through their yard, maybe landscaped areas um out into meet that gravity main installed um near or under the road. advancement of septic tanks, new pump
stations, treatment capacity costs, and contractors know they're doing construction in an occupied residential area, and that presents a host of challenges all on its own. Uh so, so we asked the question um how can this possibly, you know, how can we pay for
septic to sewer and wanted to provide a couple examples. The first example may be somewhat extreme, but we asked the question, what if the owners of these affected septic tanks um fronted or or paid the costs uh for the conversion of septic to sewer? Uh the assumptions we
list off to the left again, compliance by 2038, we said, what if we divided these tanks into four uh separate projects over time? Uh we made the assumption that there's no new grant funding um to to support these septic to sewer projects. And again, u being paid
by the affected um property owners or septic tank owners, the results for compliance with the state law, um yielded a range of between $400 and $1,254 per month for 30 years. Um it has been quite some time, but my first mortgage,
I will tell you, was in that range. Um and that is that is I I think anybody would agree more than [clears throat] most family budgets can afford. And again, this is not a recommendation. Um, this is just an illustration for uh the ex expanse of of this cost. Um, nor
would we recommend necessarily putting a line item on a water bill. Um, so that's not great. Um, those costs, uh, we wanted to look at how can we get those costs down. Um, so the next option we wanted to look at is okay, what if we had all of our utility customers help
fund the septic [clears throat] to sewer program. Um similar analysis um similar assumptions, no new grant funding, uh the same deadline, but we have uh 46,000 give or take um existing utilities customers that we could bring into the
fold. And the results of that analysis is getting the monthly payments again for 30 years down to a range of 31 to $113 uh per month to comply with the state law. Um just as a comparison, our average utility bill uh is just over
$100 a month. So even the reduced cost from from a percent increase perspective is substantial. All right. So we wanted to provide some perspective, some context on the cost of septic to sewer um and wanted to look at
our first potential project. Uh typically when we talk about septic to sewer projects there are three s three three sources of funding. Uh we have homeowner participation the local government or utility uh may contribute funds and there may be grants or
appropriations from external sources. Um just talking about the first two and we'll get back to homeowner participation in just a moment. Uh we have grant support um $10 million grant from D with a 50% match requirement. Um that grant does have a schedule
associated with it. We've been talking with D about amending that schedule. Um we have a couple other appropriations listed. Um but to utilize the the $10 million grant from D, we're looking at a minimum of about a $20 million um $20
million septic to sewer project. Um that would be 12.6 million from the external funds and $7.4 million from county funds. We already have uh approved in our CIP budget uh a little over $9 million. Um so we have enough to handle
a $20 million project with some scope and um bid contingency. Um but like I said, I'd like to get back to homeowner participation for just a moment. Um, if a utility installs a gravity sewer main adjacent to a lot,
um, the Florida statutes and county code currently say that that resident or septic tank owner is required to connect to that main. Um, so these are requirements both on the state and local level. Well, what would that cost? Um, we look at we have a capacity fee, our
utility of just over $3,000. um that is just to connect and and that is the same fee that would be required for new development. Every home in a new development um pays that and we have a development pays for development um
policy in the county. Um the next line that a homeowner abandoning a septic tank would be looking at the construction cost to physically make that connection. Um those costs we estimate in the range of $6,000 to $10,000 um per connection to abandon the septic
tank and actually run the sewer lateral to the main. Um so the total total homeowner expense looking out of pocket for this would be in the range of $9 to $13,000 u per tank. And by comparison, uh the advanced septic tank program, uh that
Kim mentioned, uh even with the grant, those homeowners are looking at being out of pocket somewhere between 10 and $30,000. Um so to try to organize uh some of these numbers u and make them a little bit more digestible, we did another
table. Um and option one in this table we just looked at. Okay, what if we're doing uh we want to utilize the grant from D and we're meeting the match. Um so we're just talking about the grants and the currently budgeted utilities funds um for just over $20 million. We
estimate uh we could do approximately 267 tanks um remediate that number of tanks. Uh we provided a range in options two to four uh five to 15% 5% would cover just a little bit more than the capacity uh fee that we mentioned
earlier. Um option four 15% um would cover a little bit closer to what the advanced septic tank um owners would be looking to be out of pocket. Um for those additional funds, we could add
you see 1326 or approximately 40 tanks to increase the scope of a septic to sewer project or [snorts] we could use those funds to pay back the water and sewer fund for the match component of option um of the $20 million project. Um
to the right we provided just kind of a menu a range of monthly or annual payments over different payback periods uh for for what the costs of the owner the homeowner participation uh could be in this scenario. So before we conclude the presentation
we wanted to talk briefly about next steps. Um staff uh in the absence of direction otherwise plan to continue to apply for grants and appropriations to help pay for this. Uh we do plan to schedule a septic to sewer work session
next year to come back and um talk a little bit more about the total program for compliance with the state requirements um and bringing back updates uh that may be available. And then the last item um in January we're scheduled currently to talk about our
draft master plan CIP one uh to look at the needs of the utility and then two we can talk about different scenarios that include allocations for septic to sewer. So with that um this is our final slide.
I did want to read the the three um decision points that we have for the [clears throat] board uh and then turn it over to the board for discussion and direction. Uh the first is whether or not the board uh wants staff to proceed with the first septic to sewer project and the Wakiva PFA to utilize the
existing D grant. Um the second question would be whether the board wants um to seek homeowner participation uh through either an MSBU or a special assessment district. And we didn't get into detail on this, but these are a couple options
for how those assessments um could occur at MSBU. The county has several MSBU programs where um they seek um residential um they seek a residential vote uh and get the residents interest um first. I think a special assessment district would be more um from a
leadership perspective, this is what is going to be required. Um and and that could come through a special assessment district. The last uh bullet is if we are going to seek homeowner funding uh skin of the game from the septic tank owners, uh does the board want us to
return that to the water use and sewer fund or utilize that to increase the scope of the project to remediate more tanks as indicated in the table below. Um so that is a lot. I greatly appreciate your patience in this presentation and with that um we are
concluded. >> Thank you very much. Great presentation. Thank you to the entire team. I will point out that they did come with a contingency plan in the lack of direction. They're still going to do stuff. I heard that loud and clear. But my goal today is to get you some
direction. How about that? There is an opportunity for public comment on this item as well. So, if you wish to make public comment, please turn in your forms. I see none in your hand right this minute. So, I'll turn it to the board for discussion. >> I'm happy to kick it off. I was just
anticipating that Commissioner Constantine would kick it off, but maybe we'll end with him. Commissioner Zam Bower. >> So, there there's a lot to digest here obviously. [clears throat] Um, and the last slide is answered part of my question about the special assessment
district. Um, based on the numbers, I I would say that 99.9% of our residents not cost effective. They're not going to write a check. They
don't want to finance for 30 years for $400 to $1,300 a month. Uh, none of us want to do that. So my point being there is I think it's very important that [clears throat] first let me say I think we all agree we want to help clean the environment. We
want to be kind to the environment, want to get the nutrients out of the water, etc., etc. That comes with a cost, but it's also mandated by the state, not this county. The county has to follow. So I think it's important the messaging
is that this is statemandated. It's not the county coming in and saying you have to do [snorts] A, B, and C. We're following what the state requires us to do. The health department,
what interaction are they having? Let's say I'm in this area now and I come in and I need to pull permit for replacement septic tank. Are they identifying at that point, oh by the way, you're in this particular area,
you're going to have to meet this criteria by this date. And what options am I given at that point? If we know, can I go back to what I have? Can I obviously I could go to the
enhanced septic treatment system. Uh lacking any laterals. I can't hook to septic. Um so how are they handled? How are they messaging when somebody comes in for a permit? >> So, um, if they meet the criteria and they're in the PFA and, um, they look at
I think the the state, uh, mandate or regulations allows for I think if if there's, um, a, uh, plans for, uh, septic, I mean, sewer to be coming in within the next 5 to 10 years, then they then they will, you know, they're
they're contacting us and and talking to our staff, you know. So we've been interacting with them. Um so if there's not any plan then they will allow um them or they will require them to upgrade their systems to these advanced systems. So that's we're we've been
working with them on that and um you know it's been a little bit up in the air because we haven't gotten uh the board's approval to move forward with the pilot project but um so that will help us as far as identifying moving forward with that. But if they're
outside of that, then they then they have to do the upgraded systems. >> Okay. Thank you. So, Madam Chair, for what staff has asked for direction, I I I would be fine moving forward with the pilot project initially. Uh I think that
gives us it'll give us some experience of what we're going to deal with across the rest of the county in those areas we have to do it. Well, I'm I'm assuming we'll discover pickup, speed bumps, errors, and all those things that we could utilize to do a better job later. Uh, I
would very much like to understand uh what an MSBU or special assessment district would look like and what that means to people uh from a cost standpoint. Uh, I also would be okay for uh residents who want to participate
that that money go back in to help do further projects of this magnitude. Um, all that said, I don't think it's an easy answer. It's a heavy lift financially. It's a heavy burden on our residents. Um, I I quite frankly don't see how the
state accomplishes this in the in the timeline that they've said it's going to occur. And of course, the other thing we know is technology continues to advance. Uh each and every year there's a new advanced septic system treatment that comes along or somebody's new great
idea. But even if we go that route, you're two to three times what it looks like for a standard septic tank. Um and I will say the majority of our residents will not be able to will not be able to afford to pay that. even if they went to the bank
and got a loan. Who wants to pay $400 to $1,300 a month? Um, that that's a problem. So, that's my my my direction for what it's worth. >> So, just u for purposes of making sure we understand that direction, the cost
associated with the MSBU or special assessment district, you want a further analysis beyond what's already been provided. I want to know what that's going to look like to cost for each and every member >> specific to each member. >> Correct. What's the homeowner's cost if
there if there is an MSBU or a special assessment set aside? Um what does that look like? >> Understood. I'm getting a yes down there. Commissioner Delari. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh got a couple
questions because I think there are some issues here that we're not yet discussing or exploring. First of all, between the Wakava and the Gemini Springs, Wakava is two and a half times the size of the uh Gemini Springs with connections, correct? So, which one
is more impaired? Which one is more [snorts] of an issue than the other or are they both at the same level? >> Um, from from the regulatory standpoint from the states, uh, Wakiva was established as a highest priority one. We're in the PFA for that. The reason
I'm asking is that wasn't covered on your slides. Next is with the Wakiva, what percentage is Semino County in that area because if you look at the aquifer, it doesn't know jurisdiction lines. It doesn't know
what city or county it's in. It just looks at the area. And so Semino County is a small portion of it. How much of a percentage is in Semino County? I think as far as the PFA, it's probably a third to a half of the PFA. Um, and
and the the other entities, which is mostly Orange County, um, is under the same kind of regulatory compliance. >> Okay. >> Sure. That we were going to make that deadline and all the county commissioners that point were told by
and septic. It really shouldn't be about homes even though we talk about the homes. It should should talk about a typical home with x amount of bathrooms or fixture units because depending upon the size of the house, either the septic system is going to grow or shrink depending upon how many restrooms. So
with the homes that you're talking about, what is the size of that house loading? Because a house with five bathrooms are going to require a bigger septic system than a house with two bathrooms. >> Correct. And and as far as I know,
that's what the range that we were given by the by the health department. So it's >> was 20 20 to 40,000, although we've gotten some that were a little bit lower estimates from from Lake County that they're moving forward with their program. But um that range, I assume,
covers, you know, a range of bathrooms. >> Okay? Because when people are looking at this, they're all going to get sticker shock like Commissioner Zimbau talked about. But if they have a smaller house, >> even though it's sticker shock, it's a smaller sticker shock comparable because of the loading of the restrooms.
>> Correct. >> Okay. So then the next thing I don't see in your slides is on and m operation and maintenance because with the advanced systems if it's not maintained on an annual basis it's not going to
work. So how do we police that? >> That's being done and we're coordinating with but that's being done through the the health department as far as I know. So that's why our staff has been working closely with them. Are they are they going to make it mandatory that they maintain it? >> I believe [clears throat] that they do,
but I would need to check to make sure. >> You could check that. That'd be great because the maintenance on that is very high. >> Uh I actually checked with a couple homeowners and it's annually anywhere between $1,000 to $1,400 a year. That's an additional cost just for the
maintenance. And then if something breaks, they have to replace parts and pieces. So the price even goes up even higher. So, the cost that we're looking at, there are some hidden costs here that we're not even addressing yet. So, I'd like to get additional information
on what the uh enforcement issue is, how we're going to be doing that, and how is the O andM going to be doing on that, and what is the actual cost of running this thing on a month-to-month basis, because it's not just put it on the ground and forget it.
There's an actual cost per month. >> Correct. >> Okay. And What is the if it's not maintained what happens to the aquifer at that point you know does the does we make our numbers is the numbers what happens if it's not
maintained >> then I guess we would not see the reductions that we're looking for so >> okay so then with the pilot program that we have that the funding for I have no problem moving forward with that >> but all these other options we still
need a lot more information before we go there. And I'm not at this point willing to give you direction because there's not enough information and I'm not going to saddle a resident with x amount of dollars per month if we don't even know
what the on andm's going to be and that's going to be a big issue. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. >> You're welcome. Yes. So, um, I agree that this is going to be a huge amount of sticker shock and messaging is
going to be incredibly important. I also have experience having served on the school board for a number of years with the state coming out with mandates that only had repealers or tweaks to a year or two later because they realized
that the mandate was not reasonable. We sort of took a posture after getting um burned, I'll call it burned. We wanted to be eager beavers and be the first ones compliant just like Yankee Lake. And we said we're going to we're
going to be leaders and we're going to get this done and we're going to be the first ones to implement it. And then they withdrew the requirement after we'd done all of the training and the staffing and the funds and and so we took we took a posture that um we
phrased minimally compliant >> for future um mandates that came out that seemed like maybe someday, maybe next session, maybe someone will have a stroke of uh reasonleness and and we'll see this, you know, get modified. I have
a very strong feeling that that's potentially what could be happening here. So, I'm not in any huge rush um to be the, you know, spending all these funds and giving our citizens heart attacks. I don't want to waste the grant funding.
Um I also don't want to impose this on a neighborhood. I think if we're my personal opinion is if we're doing a pilot project, it needs to be a community that has elected and voted through like similar process like our MSBU process that they want to go through this because this isn't just
money. This is a your everything is torn up. Your [snorts] world is turned upside down. um the construction, the the upheaval. I mean, it's you think we had a hard time when WOW came through laying fiber and some sprinkler heads were
broken. I mean, this is not this is going to be ugly. And I think that we need to make sure we're doing this in partnership with whatever community we would pilot with. That would be my if we're going to pilot, that would be my thought that they have to be on board
and and it has to be self- selecting. Um, it it's it's just it's just totally mind-boggling to think that we're going to do this to our residents.
Don't want the vakiva to run green. I don't right like we all like Commissioner Zenbower said at the very beginning, we want to be environmentally sensitive. We want to to be do the best that we can for our springs and and for our natural places, but um at what cost
and and I'm this is a tough pill to swallow. I don't know if that gives you the direction you're looking for or not. >> Madam Chair, I have a question if I can follow up Commissioner Lockheart's comments. >> Can you tell us the the grant money? Is is it time sensitive? >> Is there a time limit on that? I believe
there is, isn't there? >> Yes. Well, there Yeah, there is. There is a schedule tied to the D grant. You know, we've been talking to D about amending that schedule. Um, so we'd like to get back with them later this month and and amend it. Um, >> but what's the current deadline and what
are they talking about? Possibly. >> Well, so so the current deadline would have us completing preconstruction services at the end of this year. So, so clearly that's that's not going to happen. So, we have to amend the schedule. [clears throat] Um, and just based on feedback from today, you know,
we can talk to D about what is a reasonable time frame to complete pre-construction and then go through bidding and construction. >> Yeah, that's what Paul Harvey calls the rest of the story. >> Um, okay. Well, that that may change my
direction a little bit. So, thank you, >> Commissioner Constantine. >> Well, thank you, Commissioner, and and other commissioners. I I wanted to wait for I know you all thought that I was just chomping at the bit for this, but um
um I'm going to pro maybe shock some of you to say that I agree with you >> with the comments that have been made. And I'll tell you, >> but I I have a different a different, [clears throat] you know,
it I have an advantage in the fact that I've seen these numbers before. and um Dr. Ree and and staff, thank you very much for everything that you've done because this is it's not me saying this anymore, okay? And I've been
saying this because I knew this was this day was going to come. And by the way, I'm sorry that I left a few minutes early. I had to visit our sanitary sewer system. >> [laughter] >> TMI.
>> Um, but let me let me just and and please let me just give a few minutes because I haven't said anything yet, but when I first saw these numbers and when I was appropriate when I was chair of environmental preservation back in 2009
and 2010, there were 20 2,900,000 septic tanks in Florida. So, you think these numbers are mind-boggling? We're only talking about 4,000 in Semino
County's system, 2.9 million. And there were a lot of different things all the way from going to sanitary sewer everywhere to um whatever else we could do at a
minimum. And you all have known that I in some cases in some places have gotten a black eye because I suggested an inspection system once every five years.
That was quite frankly the least of everything else that had to be done to do this because look at the page that they brought back to you on the, you know, in the background as far as the pros and cons. We're talking about the
water we drink and Florida's waters are one of the most it is our economic engine. Our water systems, our rivers, our streams, certainly our springs. And this was
this is a catastrophe coming down the pike >> that that we can kick it down the curb to the people that are going to p follow us and to the generations that follow us
and we'd be making a grave error and absent leadership. 2.9 million septic tanks and the and everybody that you ask will tell you they're taking care of theirs.
>> Everybody. But do you know how many septic tanks in that year 2010 with 2.9 million septic tanks were inspected voluntarily? 17,000. Less than 1%.
And the [clears throat] program that requires people to in that that that voluntarily inspect their septic tanks is when you add a bathroom or a bedroom to your home. And when you add a bathroom or a
bedroom, you allow at that point the DO now the DP to come into your house and check the septic tank. And so you think your septic tank's working or you wouldn't invite them in to do that because you're going to add a bedroom and therefore you're going to
need more capacity. More than 50% of those weren't working properly. >> So recommendations I'm I'm giving a history because I want you to know where I keep asking where I'm coming from. >> Maintenance leak. >> Yeah. And that I thank you. So what we
have now is, you know, where we are and we're just a very small microcosm of the bigger picture. I, you know, I concur with all of you that we can't, we can't impose this on our citizens because it's too big, too
much, too large. And at some point, the legislature is going to have to bite the bullet and do what's right, which they should have been done done all along. And whether it's 2038 or 2045, it's
coming, guys. It's coming. So the the the thing that oh and I wanted also to tell most of the septic tanks in in Florida because it was done in the boom of the 80s and 90s were over 30 years old. The
life expectancy of a septic tank is 30 years. So a lot of people are going to come up and get that sticker shock whether we do it or not. And in fact I think that one person called up and said hey I got to replace my septic system. When are you going to get a sanitary sewer? That just happened a couple of
days ago. Okay, saying all that. We know that the cost of the extending lines is is just too expensive now. Um but we got to start we got to start somewhere. And and that's what we try to do with
with the inspections. Of course, it fell like Commissioner Lockheart said, they come back and they change it sometimes. So, what is your direction for staff commissioner? >> Let me I'm I'm I'm getting there. I have to lay the preface, please. So, I think
we can take steps. Clearly, the first step is we need to proceed with the first septic to sewer project. We've got to do that. We have existing grants. I know that there are you you've said we wanted to do it voluntarily. I know there's some places that are asking for it that have talked
to you all right now. So, I know we can do that. So that's important. I think the second thing we need to really consider even if it is only 65% and I've said this before but now that you see the numbers maybe you all will will think about this. We need to look
at any new project putting in advanced septic tanks everywhere because it's going to come down the pike to everybody. We also need to look at certainly anybody that has a septic tank that fails having to replace it if they
cannot get sanitary sewer as is required by law if it's within their reach to get the advanced septic tank. Those are things that that are you know easy easy fruit. And then the last thing that I would say
cuz these guys have to continue to explore the grants and have to continue [clears throat] to look at other alternatives and there there will be as commissioner again Lockhart said there's going to be alternatives hopefully. We've got to look at RME. It was
something that I suggested a long time ago in the legislature. I think that there is a modified RME res regional maintenance entities. There are some things that can be done. I know Lake County has did a little
modified one where it's actually and you'll appreciate this an insurance policy of for your septic tank that we cuz the legislature has not taken away the ability of local governments yet to
come up with innovative and creative solutions although they probably will someday but this is something that we can do to work and the staff knows about it. We've talked about it numerous times where we start looking at how we can put
together an RME first for the people in the Macy in the Gemini area but then potentially everywhere economy of scale. It'll cost a whole lot less if we are able to get companies to put together um
or to work with companies to put together a a a type of insurance policy voluntarily. But people will see the benefit of it voluntarily and then it can go there. It's very similar to what we did in Altoont Springs when we did the apricot project. We we did that and
here's here here's the thing and I just want to tell you why I told you about the 2010 when we discussed this and everybody talks about the maintenance and everything when we did this [snorts] the companies the private companies when we were working with them on this RME
and the inspection program said unlike some people that were the naysayers said we would use this as a lost leader the septic the the inspection type thing is not going to be expensive because they will use it as a loss leader if we
can work with them where people like Rotorooer and others you know smaller and bigger said you know we'll inspect it we'll probably charge less than $50 that was then and you know but the real problem is people are afraid of what
they're going to find okay but I think that those are the three things we need to do start the process um look at advanced uh everywhere. I'm not saying do it now, but look at it and see if we can implement that because
both for new project new systems as well as um as well as existing that break down if they can't get sanitary sewer and then look at a program of of regional maintenance entities to start
protecting these septic tanks along the way and stop the pollution because folks, you know, we can't live without water and we are polluting shooting it every day and it's going to cost us more if we don't start now.
>> Thank you, Commissioner Constantine. Any comments with regard to any of that? Commissioner Zumbbo, >> I'll try to keep it brief. >> Thank you. >> Um, [clears throat] of course, many of you know my district probably 998% of it is all on septic and
being the rural area. You know, septic system is comprised of multiple components. There's a drain field, there's a septic tank, there's a single chamber, there's a dual chamber, depending on the lineage when it was built. The septic drain field in most cases dictates the size and the amount
of bathrooms that are in the in the thing. I I would not be a fan of if a drain field >> needs to be replaced that we automatically force someone to upgrade the entire septic system. Uh so I I would I would want to see more about
when that is triggered. uh a drain field versus septic tank being bad type routine. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to clarify, you know, this is mostly for pro for for properties under an acre.
Those that larger than an acre, many of them in your most of them in your area >> would not be as effective because you have the drain field because it can spread because it will not pollute as much. That's one of the reasons we said it in the inspections back then, one
acre or less. So, we're not looking at 10 acre lots and five acre lots. >> But again, in my district, we still have a lot of quarter acre half acre under 1acre lots. >> So, gentlemen, can I offer this opportunity? I think if the if the direction is to bring it back staff to
bring back information with regard to the opportunity to create that requirement then staff needs to evaluate this discussion with the technical experts and bring it back to us. Is that fair? >> Yes. >> That's what I'm trying to say. >> So I'll give you my direction. I do
think we should proceed with the first septic to sewer project. I think it should be somebody that wants to do it. Otherwise you'll never hit a deadline. I mean, you just you you won't be able to execute it if the if the neighborhood is not willing. I do think there should be some level of homeowner participation
because there is some level of homeowner participation in a septic tank. Absolutely. >> And we can pretend that the current septic tanks, old school septic tanks, I've owned many of them, don't require monthly maintenance. It's not that they don't require it, it's that we just don't do it until the big bill comes due
and we ignore that for as long as we can and just let it leech into the ground. That's how it works right now. It's just that we're not paying our fair share for those folks that are on those systems. I don't have a recommendation with regard to the spread and the scale, although I
think it's well done and I think bringing back that type of detail will be extremely helpful. Um and I do think that anything that is returned back into uh the organization from that needs to come to remediate additional tanks not
to go back into the current utility using program. >> Madam chair make additional suggestion as well if it's okay with the board and also look at other outside partners that we can partner with outside agencies that we can partner with.
>> Thank you. Do you feel like you have enough direction? >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> I just have a question. Where are our seven cities that are within these um PFAS or whatever? Where what are they doing? Are they required to do anything or is this something the county has to do?
>> They are required. As [clears throat] far as with Wakiva, it's Alamont and I don't believe I think they have a very small number of septic tanks within their city boundary. Um the Gemini is the newer one that's been um expanded.
Um and so uh Sanford and Lake Mary and I think um Dr. Reese had it on his slide. They have some but they are those are their responsibility. So it's not account. >> Yeah, I'd love to know what they're doing. >> I I could tell you springs requires you
to hook up to sanitary sewer. >> Done. It's done. In fact, when I bought my house on the lake, I found out that my the previous owner had never hooked up and I went ahead and hooked up to sanitary sewer. But there is no how I think they said 150
>> total and that's outside the city limits. I think there's, you know, Alamont Springs does that in the Wakiva area now. Um, >> they have 12. That's on slide number 66. I did want to ask the chairman when you mentioned you know what the direction you did include them looking into things
like RME and other things. >> I did not I did not supersede any of it is not my role to supersede any direction given by other commissioners. I simply gave my suggestion >> in your suggestion was that I didn't hear I got that down.
>> Yeah. But I thought that it was kind of like, you know, >> no, her statement was, "You've heard the conversation here. Please good. >> Take all that back." And >> she included all our statements. >> All of your statements are included. And then I gave mine which was specific to the direction they're asking for.
>> I was less curious about the number and what they're actually doing. >> Yeah. The city of Altoont Springs has applied for a grant here this year and their intent is to obtain co-unding and address the septic tanks within the municipal boundaries which are separate from anything that's
discussed here. So they are seeking to remediate through co-unding supporting that effort. >> What is co-unding? >> Getting a grant or an appropriation u to offset the cost to the utility and the homeowner. I don't know the specifics of whether they intend to uh have the
homeowners participate, but relative to a program, they have initiated efforts to to get some grant monies to be able to move forward and remediate those uh tanks within the city municipal boundaries. >> I think it would just be helpful for us to know where we are in the scheme of
how much we're offering to do. >> Got it. >> Sorry. Thank you. >> All good. >> Thank you very much for your presentation. Good job, Ch. Can we take a fiveminute recess? >> If you must. Five minute recess.
>> So, we will be back here at 11:36. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> 5 minutes is [music] up.
I got none. >> Got none. All right, I'll call us back to order. >> We are on to the next item. Uh, item number 26, basin studies. Again, this is an opportunity for public input. So, should you think you'd like to speak on this, please fill out a form, and I'll
turn it over to John Slott. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, for the record, John Slott, director of public works. Uh, thank you all for um the opportunity to come speak to you today on our uh basin study. This is one of three basin studies we will um groups
that we will bring back to you in the coming uh couple three months. Now um this one you'll happen to be around what we affectionately call the east county basins which act actually are in the central seminal county. So don't ask me
why just happens to be that way. Uh we'll have our newly minted uh uh chief design engineer uh Joe Lefaso come up and walk us through the presentation. We're also joined by our consultants from both Geioentech and Arduro that um will be here to answer any of your
questions. In addition to this presentation and the remaining presentations on the uh 13 basins within the county, we will also um bring back the storm water master plan which is the composite document for all of these basin concepts. So today we will go
through an overview of the basin uh studies. We'll talk to you a little bit about the timeline we've been on on these basin reviews. Um the key thing for the board here is we utilized this time for the 16 basins within the county. We studied 13 of them. This was
a big bang approach. The one thing I think we learned as a team is that we really don't want to do a big bang again. Uh it it takes a significant amount of time. It takes duration. We have a lot of um residents and you yourselves, the board and and staff that utilize this information. So, moving
forward after this, we will be coming back to you at the end once we've encapsulated all 13 basin approvals to change that method to an always ready method. So, we will engage a consultancy to keep all of the basin models up to date. So, we are quote unquote always
ready versus a big bang approach. So today we'll show you what we grouped as uh basins groups one uh A, B, and C. Show you some next steps and then uh we'll ask for requested action. With that, I'd like to uh bring up Mr. Lefaso
to move us through the presentation. >> Thank you, Mr. Director, Madam Chairman, fellow commissioners. Um to begin with for these basin studies as a program, you know, we ask what is a drainage basin? And that is a is also known as a watershed. It is a large area of land where all the streams and the rainfall
drain into the same common body of water. And it usually will take the name of that water body. Um so it's going to consist of surface water like lakes, streams, reservoirs, wetlands and underlying groundwater. So now why do we study basins? Well, we
study them because they provide essential insights for managing our water resources. Helps us to assess the flood risk, develop effective flood control measures and to maintain water quality at safe and sustainable levels. So, how do we then use that study? Well, it's actually part of a whole process that we have. You know, we use those
basin studies to identify areas that are problem areas and then those are developed into concepts and then those concepts migrate into the storm water master plan. And then from those they become projects in that master plan which are approved projects that are then used to design improvements
throughout the county to help with our storm water issues. So we use some key terms here to help describe what we're looking at in the basin study. So a key term is level of service which is essentially describing you know the level of inundation in a given area based on an ABCD grading
scale. And then also we evaluate that level of service during particular storm events. So whether you have a 100red-year storm or a 10-year storm, we're looking to see what is your level of service in an area for that event. Um then once we have all that information, we develop some concepts. Once we
identify problem areas, we then rank those concepts and we rank them using this scale that seminal county has developed as part of our storm water master plan and it has these seven criteria and that is how you combine your score in each of the seven and then you get a
number and that is the score for the project. So our approach here is we have 13 out of 16 basins currently studied. They are divided into groups. As the director was saying, this is the last time we're going to sequence it in this manner.
After this, we're going to do sort of a continuous update approach to the models. Um, the current studies began in 2019, and the group of basins we're going to discuss today are those in the gray on this map. Um, this is an overall timeline of our
basin study program. It began in 2019. As I said, um, between then and now, we had public meetings and incorporated those comments into the basin studies. And today we are at the 9th of December 2025. This is the BCC meeting. We're here to discuss the East County basins.
So, we'll begin by doing East County Basins groups A and C. Those are Soldiers Creek, Greek, Little Lake Hal, and Lake Jessup Basins. Uh, the Soldiers Creek basin is 19.8 square miles. It includes unincorporated seminal county but also portions of the cities of Castleberry, Longwood, Sanford
and Winter Springs. There are a total of seven project concepts and a total of 848 subbasins that compose this one Soldiers Creek basin and 180 of them are closed subbasins. [snorts] Now a closed subbasin is a subbasin that does not have any means of draining out of it to
the adjacent water body. And so that's a topic you just keep that in your mind as we go forward. Um, so the other thing to keep in mind is that the project concepts are developed for the areas of the basin that are in unincorporated seminal county. So we're still working with our partners in our seven cities,
but these pro these concepts are developed specifically for the unincorporated regions of the basins. So moving on, Greek, it's 11.4 square miles. It includes Altimont Springs, Cbury, Longwoods, and Winter Springs. It has one project concept, 566 subbasins,
and 77 closed subbasins. Uh the Little Lake Howell Basin is 4.3 square miles. It includes Castleberry and Winter Springs. It has a total of five project concepts with 153 subbasins, 31 of which are closed. And then the largest of this group is Lake
Jessup Basin. It is 63 square miles. It includes Lake Mary, Obito, Sanford, and Winter Springs. It has a total of nine project concepts, 210 subbasins, 8 593 of which are closed.
As an overall timeline for this packet of basins, the studies commenced in 2023 in which we also held a public meeting that year and we completed our data collection. In 2024, we had the basin model development completed as well as the LOS analysis completed and then the
initial draft of the basin study was submitted for review. In 2025, they submitted a final draft basin study based on our comments. We held a second public meeting and now here we are before you today at the BCC meeting asking for approval to accept into service.
So these four basins were prepared by our consultant Geiointech. As part of their scope for the east county basins, Soldiers Creek, G Creek, Little Lake, Howell, [clears throat] they would prepare the scope of work, which is to develop a
hydraulic model to do floodation mapping, flooding assessment, deficiency identification, project scoring, recommendations, improve project prioritization, and to evaluate the conceptual capital improvement projects to serve to alleviate flooding.
So jumping right into it, the results uh for the Lake Jessup wershed, what we're showing here is the Lake Jessup FEMA flood map as it's currently displayed on the current FEMA firm maps from 2007. As part of our study, we looked at the
updated flood inundation based on our current modeling. So here at the bottom left we show a table which gives the changes overall to the number of parcels within the flood plane to the total number of buildings within the flood plane and to the total square area
within the flood plane. And it's important to note that in these updates some parcels came in that weren't in previously. Some parcels that were in are out and then others you know it was they were in to begin with and they remain within it.
And then moving on, this map shows the Lake Jessup Basin proposed, you know, concept project areas. Um the the important thing to note is that the concept areas were identified early on as we did the level of service analysis.
And then once we identified the areas, we prepared those initial concepts for how to treat each area. And then once we got that concept to a point where we could use that scoring rubric to evaluate it, then we ranked them by order of priority. based on the score. So that far right column where it says
project priority that is the order in which they would be built if the lake Jessup we go through Lake Jessup and constructing these in order of priority. Um and so the other thing to note is the small asterisk adjacent uh the flood mitigation project also has a water
quality benefit associated with it as well. Moving on to Soldiers Creek. Uh again this is the extent theme of flood map and then this slide will show the change based on our current modeling with the same data presented. So again total
parcels, total buildings and total area and then here is the concept areas same system. So again the far left column is the order in which the concept area was identified based on our criteria uh for like level of service. And then on the
far right is once we developed that concept far enough along to understand that you know the sort of mitigation treatment that we [clears throat] would need as part of these projects. We then ranked it using the rubric. Moving on to Greek you see the FEMA flood map and its current state. We can
see our projected changes. And then we can also see here the one concept area. And this is where it's important to understand again as I said you know these areas are really developed. These concept areas are in the unincorporated portions of the basin. So we can see this basin is 90%
incorporated which is why there's only a single concept identified within it because the unincorporated area is so small. Moving on to Little Lake Howell, you have again the current FEMA flood map, our updated flood inundation map with
the changes as described and then the concept area map. And this is another one where that again that south clustering of the concept areas is because again 90% of this basin is incorporated as part of winter springs or Castleberry. Uh the second group which is east county
basins group B which is a single basin of how creek um this is the location of that basin. It is 54 square miles. It includes the city of Altimont Springs, Castlevo and Winter Springs. It has a total of 13 project concepts. 315 subbasins and
eight closed subbasins are in this. Now this is important to note that these are only the portion of the Howell Creek basin which is within seminal county. So how creek actually extends the basin itself is larger than what's shown here. It actually extends south into Orange
County and you'll see that in just a second as we move on. This is a timeline for this. It is identical to the east basins group A and C timeline. the two were companion projects and so they were brought along essentially along the same timeline as before.
So moving into that more specific breakdown of the How Creek WHED. Um again you can see on this map in the black outline is the entirety of the basin and it extends south into a significant portion of Orange County and
it has you know several water bodies within it like Lake Howell, Hell Creek, Bear Gully Lake, Bear Creek, Red Bug Lake. So this is a significant large basin south central seminal county that has again multiple you know cities such as Orlando and Winter Park, Maitland, Eatenville. All of them are contributing
to this basin from the south. This is the current FEMA flood map. So again showing those areas in the 2007 firm maps that are within the flood plane. And then this is the map that's showing our projected changes with the bottom table showing you know again the
number of structures the parcels and the increase in the inundated area. And now this basin was such an extent we actually split the projects onto two slides using Tuscilla road as a point of division but the breakdown is exactly the same. So the project number on the
left is the order in which it was identified during our LOS evaluation process. And then on the right is the ranking once we were able to develop the concept to the point where we could use the rubric to score it. And again this is the project areas now
east of Tuscilla Road. And now our next steps going forward. Um these basin studies themselves we will provide to development review for use as best available information during permitting. And then we also will submit this to our partners at FEMA for their use in updating their firm maps.
Um in addition, the remainder of the program will be concluded in January 2027. So starting on January 13th, we're going to bring the Lake Monroe and Big and Little Econ Basin groups to you for a similar presentation and approval. And then the same thing in the second meeting in January for Big and Little Wakiva and Yankee Lake basins. And then
once all three of these basin study groups are approved, we will use them to then finalize the county storm water master plan, which we anticipate being completed in the first half of 2026. At this time, our requested action is for board approval for acceptance into service of the basin studies for East
County basins group A, B, and C as recommended by staff. I'd like to thank you for your time and we open the floor to any questions. >> Thank you. Fantastic presentation, Commissioners. Commissioner Zimbau, >> as it pertains to uh the other
government entities, the cities here [clears throat] in Semino County as well as Orange County and its municipalities. What level coordination has been occurring there during this process and where are they at in this stage? I know Orange County has already done a great
deal of studies on their side, but how's that interacting with the cities in Orange County going at this point? Are they in lock step with us or are they [clears throat] doing side by side work or we ahead of them? What's happening there?
>> So, what I'll say is you're correct. Everyone is in the process of studying these and we do coordinate with them. Um, we have great interest from our cities such as Winter Springs to coordinate with them on projects. Um as for Orange County and uh Winter Park and those um we do discuss with them but
there's not been any firm commitment one way or the other as to these as to you know joint projects or anything like that at this time >> but we're monitoring whatever projects they're doing. So whenever they have projects, we have projects with them whenever they impact like um ours when we have an overlapping jurisdiction where we touch we do coordinate on those
projects but there is no um in terms of the storm water there's no significant joint storm water project in coordination at this point. >> Okay and I think I heard you are going to be fine on as this information comes
in. So at this time we are providing the information to FEMA as part of their process. They are in the process of doing the map revisions themselves at this point. We have not made formal requests for LOMARS to them at at this time. >> Do you anticipate doing so at some some
juncture? >> Um it's you. >> Thank you commissioner. So, um, our our intention would be to get direction from the board to the county manager if this board would like us to pursue the map revision as a county. Be happy to pursue
that. Um, we do know that FEMA right now is working on several and will at some time come back and do it. So, it depends at the board's discretion if the county would like to lead those public discussions or if we would like FEMA to lead those public discussions.
>> Okay, fair enough, sir. And this may be more of a question for uh Tim Jackson here. county manager may have the same. >> What portion of this is being funded by the infrastructure sales tax >> and well that and that's the whole
purpose of um identifying the projects because when we bring the stormwater master plan back to you all we have as you know we identified um certain percentage for storm water projects and then we'll review that with the board and then you can prioritize uh those projects for us.
>> Good. That that's what I expected. So good. the the Lomar is is is an interesting discussion we've had on this board previously and and I would tell you that um at least my opinion is has changed since I
arrived here uh from the standpoint of what we what we have experienced in the last 5 years with flooding uh and identifying and it's it's a double-edged sword. Mhm. >> Uh people get I think it was well stated that you're finding properties that are
in the flood plane now that shouldn't be and there's others that aren't that should be. Um and we [clears throat] just went through approving not long ago a a joint project which we purchased in my district um properties through a FEMA grant uh to take that off the market so
it doesn't become an ongoing problem. But we do have ongoing problems within the the county. Uh areas that continue to flood. Um and I'm a fan, I think, of making sure everybody gets the transparent information of you're in the flood plane
or you're out of the flood plane. You weren't in, you are now. That's going to be a FEMA level determination. Uh we're just feeding the information. Um, so I would be a fan of making sure that information all gets to FEMA and and making that
request on behalf of our citizens. >> Thank you, Commissioner Zimbau. Anyone else? Commissioner Lockhart. >> I think again the way that we message and communicate with the community on that is going to be significant. Um, I I would throw my hat in the ring on moving
forward uh with the Lomar just because it's when you have new data and when you know better, you do better, right? And so I think it would be important for us to do that. >> Um, great work. Glad to be able to get it
all done. Love the new mindset of having this on a continuum. I think that's great. Um, really appreciate that. It's it's good work. So, thank you. Thank you to our consultants, >> Commissioner Delari. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, uh
well done. And being that this is the first time we really got into all the basins, I do realize as well as the other commissioners, this was a heavy lift. So, again, well done. And I do like the idea of continuing moving forward and updating as as a regular
process. Uh we talked about the seven cities, but we did not talk about the agencies like DOT or the turnpike. I know the 417 uh there's going to be some storm water work done on that as well. Uh I just want to make sure that we're looking at that to make sure their
projects are in our basin because there was a level of commitment from the turnpike. We do have the correspondence from them several years ago that says that the work on the 417 if there are mitigation projects they'll be in Semino County and we need to make sure that
we're working with them on that as well as DOT and with the priorities that you're going to be presenting to us. I would like to know how they affect the seven cities and if the cities are participating. >> Thank you Madam Chair.
>> Mr. Constantine. Well done. And u I also throw my hat in the ring to move forward. >> Thank you. U my comments with regard to the president. First of all, very well
done. I do believe that we need to push FEMA to update. There is a lot of confusion with regard to, oh, I'm not in a flood zone, so I don't need flood insurance, etc., etc. any better information that we can have out there for our citizens is is uh
truly valuable. I do think it would be worthy of clarifying that priority for the sake of anyone listening that the priorities will change as these all come together and move forward into the plan. I think you said that, but I'm going to
repeat it because at some point we're going to have somebody that stands here and says, I was it's a high priority and you haven't done it. it is a high priority in the isolation of it that little area alone. So, uh just a clarifying statement. With that, I'll look for uh a motion.
>> Motion move forward as staff's requested. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All those in favor? I >> opposed. >> Thank you. Thank you very much for your presentation. Any anything for the good of the order
before we close out the morning hearing? None. Meeting meeting adjourned until 1:30. >> [music] Part: 2
Ladies and gentlemen, I see 1:30 and it is officially time to start our afternoon session. Uh, first I'll look for proof of publication. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I.
>> Thank you. Any exparte? uh communication to disclose? >> None. >> I have one. >> I have one and I'll hand it down to uh >> and I'm sorry, no expatate communication. >> Okay. So, I hear five nuns for the
record. And uh the first item up is item number 27, Palmer's subdivision rightway vacate. And this is going to be presented by Caitlyn Abgar. Caitlyn, >> Madam Chair, if I could interject, we
should read the rules for quasi judicial procedures. >> Yes, we should. I skipped that. Thank you. >> No problem. >> And you can interject any time you'd like. >> Well, I don't know if you want to give me that amount of >> You be careful with that one of attorneys. You'll be here for a couple hours.
While the board welcomes comments from all persons with an interest in these proceedings, Florida law requires that the board's decision in quasi judicial actions be supported by competent substantial evidence presented to the board during the hearings on the applications. Competent substantial evidence is such evidence as a
reasonable mind would accept as adequate to support a conclusion. There must be a factual basis in the record to support opinion testimony from both expert and non-expert witnesses. Persons presenting testimony may rely on factual information that they present, information presented by county staff,
information the applicant presented, or on factual information included in the county staff report to support their testimony. All persons who present written materials to the board for consideration must ensure that a copy of such materials is provided to the clerk
for inclusion in the board's record of the proceedings and the official minutes. Madam Chairman, >> thank you so much. And I'm going to give a shout out to Miss Apgar, who actually sat reluctantly before she walked up, giving me the clue that I had forgotten something. So, please take it away.
>> Thank you. Caitlyn Avgar, Planning and Development Services. The applicant, Constance Silver PE, with Tri Civil Engineering Design Studio, who represents the owner, Jesus Image Incorporated, has petitioned the county to vacate and abandon an undeveloped
portion of an unnamed right ofway in the Palmer subdivision plat as recorded in plat book 2, page 41 of the public records of Seminal County, Florida. The right-of-way area subject to the vacate request is located approximately 1,200 ft west of Cypes Avenue between
the south perimeter of lot 15 of Palmer subdivision and along the north perimeter of lot 22 of Pal Palmer subdivision. The owner of lot 15 and lot 22 is Jesus Image Incorporated and will acquire portions of the vacated rightway
abudding those properties. Vacating the right ofway will not affect access to adjacent properties and therefore does not result in adjacent parcels becoming landlocked. Lot 15 and lot 22 are located within the city of Sanford municipal limits. Therefore, land use, zoning, and site
development approvals are under the city of Sanford's jurisdiction. However, the adjacent paper rightway proposed for the vacation is under Seminal County's jurisdiction and does require review and approval through the county. This request complies with the requirements for vacating a right ofway
under section 35.184 of the seminal count county land development code and the authority of Florida statute 336.09 and 336.10. Staff requests the board of county commissioners adopt the resolution vacating and abandoning an undeveloped
portion of an unnamed rightofway in the Palmer subdivision plat as recorded in plat book 2, page 41 of the public records of Seminal County, Florida. That concludes my presentation. >> Thank you very much. We'll go to public comment. Is there any public comment on this item? >> No, ma'am. >> All right. Thank you.
>> What about the applicant? >> Oh, thank you. Applicant, would you like to speak? Hi, I'm Constant Silver. I'm just here uh in case anybody has any questions about the application. >> Terrific. Thank you so much.
>> And there's no public comment. >> Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We we that if you have a public comment, we need you to fill out a form, but your public comment would be to us, not questions to the applicant. Thank you. All right,
Commissioner Zimbau, this is in your district. It is in my district and I will move to approve the resolution vacating abandoning an undeveloped portion of an unnamed rightaway in the Palmer subdivision plat as recorded in plat book two page 41 of the public records of semino county Florida for
properly located property located approximately 1200 ft west of Cypes Avenue south of East Lake Mary Boulevard second >> we have a motion and a second commissioners is there discussion hearing none I'll take uh U of all those
in favor. >> All those opposed. >> Motion carries unanimously. >> Thank you, Miss Abgar. >> The next item. >> Yes. >> Was there public comment? Did Did that individual fill out a form? >> No, ma'am.
>> Okay. >> And she did not fill out a form. Uh next item is 28 comprehensive plan amendment and this will be David German senior planner and this time it is David German >> and this item was continued from the
111825 meeting. Mr. German. >> Thank you. David German, Senior Planner Development Services. I'll be presenting with Nasa Borer, deputy county attorney. This item is a proposed amendment to the
seminal county comprehensive plan to implement the 2021 school interlocal agreement for public school facility planning and school concurrency, expand options for
transportation services, and provide a definition for microtransit. The item has been reviewed at previous board sessions, transmitted to the state, and is being brought back for adoption today.
The 2021 interlocal agreement was formally adopted on December 9th, 2024 and requires this amendment to the comprehensive plan to update definitions and the level of service and facility standards to reflect current school
district practices and procedures. Additionally, the agreement requires the county to incorporate the school district's 5-year capital improvement plan, which was done by reference to the school district's
budget book, which houses their capital improvement plan. The amendments to the comprehensive plan related to the school ILRA are intended to create consistency with the school district practices and achieve
compliance with the agreement. The other updates in this amendment are due to the expansion of the transportation system in Semino County Scout. The county's new microransit system is being added to the comprehensive plan through new language
and a definition. This includes a definition of microtransit in the introduction element and language to specify funding sources in the transportation element. There was also a minor correction to the transportation
element, deleting a reference to an unadopted plan. These changes are consistent with the plan that the county voted to implement for the new microtransit system and its funding. At the August 11th, 2025 board meeting, the
board of county commissioners voted to enact the 5 cent fuel tax. Adopting the proposed updates by January 1st, 2026 will make Scout eligible for funding by the fuel tax. Semino County staff transmitted these
amendments to the state department of commerce which was approved the amendments with no official comments. However, the state provided technical assistance comments related to certain policies that may be more restrictive or
burdensome. As discussed at the last meeting, the board responded to the state with a letter requesting specific reasons for the comment. As of the time of this meeting, the county has not received a
response. I will pass the presentation to Nasa for comments related to the state's review. >> Good afternoon, commissioners. If you'll remember the letter that we received, I'm I apologize. Na Barker, deputy county attorney for the record. The letter from the from Florida Commerce
that we received basically said, "These are not comments that are actionable from the state. They're not comments that just because we're giving you these comments doesn't mean that you have to change anything. They're just suggestions. And after further look at the technical comments, they only
referenced three different policies and didn't say why or how they had come to the opinion that these policies may be more restrictive or burdensome under the new Senate Bill 180 language. We had a
meeting with the school district. Um you will find a memo in our uh in the end of the agenda packet for this matter um that summarizes why each policy referenced does not uh will not result
in being more restrictive or burdensome to developers that come in. We feel strongly that that these are okay to pass and the state um is incorrect in their analysis of these policies. they don't maybe truly understand the effect
of them. Um, I'm happy to go through each one, but they are in the record for the agenda. So, at the pleasure of the board, I'm happy to discuss them further. >> Board members, does anybody feel compelled to have her go through each one of them? I >> I do not >> each one of the suggestions.
>> Yeah, >> I think we we are we are well aware. >> Hearing none, you're well aware. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome, Mr. German. Does that conclude your presentation? Yes, that concludes my presentation. >> So, I think the next slide has the requested board action. Board, I'll ask
>> for a motion. >> Any public input? Any public? >> Oh, public input. >> Comment. >> No, ma'am. >> No, ma'am. >> Great. Madam chair, I'll make a motion to adopt the ordinance amending the seminal county comprehensive plan by revising
the introduction transportation, public school facilities, intergovernmental coordination, and capital improvement elements to implement the 2021 school interlocal agreement. >> Second. >> Any further discussion? I would just say
my review of that document um was a convenient CYA from the state in my opinion. I don't think they're going to weigh in either way. >> No. >> So I think we're absolutely correct moving forward.
>> Any further discussion? >> I would just like to clarify for the record that Commissioner Lockhart's motion includes the >> transit transit and provide a definition for microtransit. Just for the record. >> I was I was still hung up on 2021. >> My apologies. >> We're finally here.
>> We're fine. Thank you. >> We need to start the next one. >> All right. Thank you for that clarification. I'm going to call for the vote. All those in favor? >> I >> opposed. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. We're
now going to go to the county attorney's report. >> I have no report today, chairman. >> Good job. >> Amazing. county manager. >> You don't get l that lucky with I just have a couple items. >> Um just wanted to to congratulate our
animal services team. Last Saturday the Simino County Animal Services hosted another successful Paws and Claws event. The team provided nearly 100 vaccinations and microchips, helped more than uh 20 pets find new homes, and captured close to 250 Santa uh photos
with families. So that event continues to get uh bigger and bigger every year. Um, also want to congratulate Steven Lerner. Uh, just to let you know that he was awarded the 2025 leader of the year by the Central Florida Disaster Medical
Coalition and he was just awarded that. So, great kudos to Stephen. He always does a great job for us. And then once again to congratulate Melanie. Is she still here? Oh, Melanie Coons for your 28 years of service. Uh, appreciate your commitment to Simol County and to the
residents and business owners. So that's all. Oh, and happy holidays. >> Thank you, Kate, for whispering happy holidays into Darren's ear to wish us happy holidays. So it comes from Kate as well. >> It was very sincerely from me as well.
>> Oh my goodness. All right, the next item on and there's several items on the agenda. It's items 29 through 34. And there is a document that's been handed out just in case you haven't reviewed this in advance. I believe everybody did and I have cleared
it with the county attorney that instead of reading all of these appointments and reappoints that we can take one motion with a second to appoint all of them. They are in the board book for the record. >> Motion to approve the slate of appointees to the appropriate boards as
listed on the document before us and I'll be happy to >> hear Gray was absolutely right. It's an was an amazing event that and uh it was truly amazing to see and I don't know how many animals were um adopted out but when I was there towards the end of the
day I think they told me it was like there was close to 25 adoptions and uh it was >> pretty nice to see. So >> it's just as we all know Mr. Hyde was here a little bit earlier today and uh he asked
me to bring this up so he didn't have to stick around. The uh uh reats around re national reach across America day is going to be December 13th and it's going to be uh at the Boston Hill Cemetery as well as the Veto
Cemetery. And I wanted to make sure that we gave everyone the flyer so that everyone had it. And uh Mr. Hi. Just to let you know, I did what you requested, so you could have gone. I'm glad you left early.
Not that you're not welcome. You are welcome, but it's always good to uh have you here. The other thing I want to talk about briefly is uh I received a phone call uh from one of our residents in the Chiliota area uh regarding access links. uh they have a
special needs child and one of the issues that they had was that uh when access links is called upon and they have a reservation and they go to pick up their child, the amount of time that it takes because of all the different stops
from where the child was picked up to where the child was dropped off took hours. And uh I just wanted to make sure that we should be talking and I know we have a representative from links uh commission. >> I'm representative on links. Excuse me.
>> I'm I I'm on the representative on links. I'm not a representative from links. I just want to make sure that's really clear. >> I realize that what I'm trying to say is that >> I know you represent us on links, okay? and I don't want to have this conversation
outside of the public forum because we don't know what could potentially happen. So, I wanted to make sure that we have a little bit of dialogue here. First of all, I want to thank our staff. Uh Darren, your staff has been very helpful. Uh we've put uh the parents in touch with the staff and they're trying
to get them connected to Scout and I think that' be a great uh alternative and uh so far they seem to be very happy with the dialogue they're having with our staff. But I wanted to make sure that we know what's happening uh with
going on at access links and the irresponsibility on my part that I can hear from those parents that they spoke to the driver and they said well it's just the way it is. talk to someone at corporate or headquarters or I don't remember exact words that you told me
but it's upsetting to hear the frustration from the parents perspective about they have >> okay >> the parents have >> okay >> and they're not satisfied >> okay >> that's why they called since I represented Chiliad area they called us
and I didn't want to just refer them to our representative on links uh I referred them directly to our staff and I think that staff has done a phenomenal job helping them through that. And so I just wanted to bring that up. >> Thank you. >> And then of course, >> if I may, may I inquire on that?
>> Sure. >> You're going to try to transition to scout. >> Scout doesn't go to Chiliota, >> right? >> They're going to try to see if they can do something along those lines. >> But let let staff work through it. >> Okay. >> It's you don't know what we don't know
yet. And they're trying to work through all of that right now. >> What I do know is Scalp don't go to Julio. I understand that. >> I know that >> that's a a very good pickup. Commissioners in Bower, I >> mean, if it's going to go there, they come on out to Geneva and pick my folks up. >> Here we go.
>> I I realize that, but I think they're in good hands with staff. >> Thank you. >> And then I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays. Uh I know this is our last meeting before the end of the year. Uh merry Christmas and forward to working with everyone next
year. and my report. Madam Chair, >> thank you very much. Commissioner Zimbau, District 2. >> Thank you, Madame Chair. Um, first, everybody, my my colleagues and those in the audience and those that are tune in, I wish each and every one of you a merry Christmas, happy holidays. Uh, safe and
I hope you get to spend time with your family and your friends celebrating u the festivities and you do it so in a safe fashion. Uh in Geneva, December 19th, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., we will have the village of Geneva's um lighting of
the lights. Uh you can pick up a map at the Geneva Community Center at 161 First Street in Geneva. So, basically, it's a tour to go see all the different lights through the Geneva rural area. And then you'll end up at the grand finale which
is going to be hosted by Horsepower Ranch for entertainment and uh light orves and so forth. So if you all have nothing going on, come on out to the country and help us celebrate for that. And of course uh this Saturday, December 13th, uh 12 to 4:00 p.m. uh is the St.
Lucia Festival, which will be held over at the Museum of Seminal County History. They've asked me to moderate that uh this year. So hopefully I don't let them down and do a substantial and proper presentation for them. And of course the
Sanford parade. I know maybe some of you are attending the Sanford parade or in the parade. >> Commissioner Constantine. >> Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Um very briefly, we uh do have a uh today um very excited that Career Source of
Central Florida opened a new community hub here in Semol County at the Seminal main campus of Semino State. Um Keth that was over in Tampa. Uh Miss Johnson was there as well as
Commissioner Lockheart. The Florida Association of Counties did put together their legislative priorities, which is basically fighting all the beautiful legislation that's coming down the pike. Uh, and um, all of which they want to
transfer home rule to Tallahassee so they can run every city, 400 cities in 67 counties in 60 days and forget about their issues that are statewide, but worry about our issues. And uh but that but it was a very very um good meeting.
And the only other thing I just wanted to say today is that it is um national pastry day. I hope we get some uh good pastries later on. And that uh the uh want to also u wish all of my friends in
the Jewish uh community uh happy Hanukkah on the 21st. >> That's it. >> Thank you, >> Madam Chair. Yes. >> I missed one thing on my report. >> I knew it was too good to be true. The gravity of that was too good to be true. Commissioners, >> it'll be real quick. Thank you. If I
could ask staff to bring it up on the overhead. >> I wanted to share with with my colleagues. I've shared this with staff. Um pictures of two Florida Panthers. Um what appears to be a large female um and
a juvenile. These were taken uh on the Orange County side of our line over between the Rybolt property and the um uh property of the Clayton's which is on
one of our purchase lists uh along the Econ River on the eastern side of the Econ River. So, I thought you would enjoy seeing these that uh we do have these animals in our our community and as many of you may know. Um, a lot of
these panthers have a roaming home area of several hundred square miles. So, some neat pictures there. >> Yes. Good wildlife. So, thank you. >> You're welcome. You're welcome. Commissioner Lockhart, District 4. >> Okay. So, I'm going to have to ask for
clarification. When we did the the slate, was it these? >> Okay. So, our individual board appointments for our the volunteers who were appointing to boards. Are we doing those as a part of this? >> That is this. >> Okay. Then, let me make sure because
there was one. Isn't that funny? It was in a different format and all I saw was district names and I'm completely misunderstood what it was. Good to be with other county commissioners from around the state and hear about things that are going on and how we can help support one another. Uh I took a tour of the supervisor of elections office on
December 2nd. Um great to see is really excited. Um one of the the items that was pointed out by the representative from freebie on the panel is that this is a was it was I was honored to be invited. Commissioner Her was also in
attendance. Um lot lots of folks uh from around the the community also attended the Mayfair Country Club ribbon cutting on their new um clubhouse. um was a really really cool event. You there were a lot of people who were a
part of envisioning that remake of of that building and they're not that building and they're not here anymore. And so some you know memories were shared about um and honor was given to the people who had that those visions. Um and the I think the most
incredible and and moving um part of the event um there was is the gentleman that works at Mayfair. He's a um he's a shotgun starter. He's a starter. And his name is Willie Miller. And he started catting and working at Mayfair when he
was 15 years old during a time of segregation. And he wasn't allowed to go into the clubhouse when he was a young man working there. And he was the one that cut the ribbon on the clubhouse that he was never allowed as a child to
go into. It was just a very I mean there wasn't a dry eye on the tea box. Um it was just a wonderful event. So many people from all walks of life there because it's more than just a clubhouse for the city of Sanford. It really is a tremendous piece of history and a and a
hub for for that community. So um shout out to Progress. Um coming up uh we have have the Parade of Lights downtown Sanford um Saturday at six o'clock. That's always a fun event. Um, also want to ask uh you all
for for consensus. I I'm feel like the county manager and county attorney probably could do this without it, but I want to bring it up and make sure that you all are aware. I had an opportunity to speak with our um US Senator um Scott uh yet yesterday. I guess it was just
yesterday and shared with him um some of the communication that we have had with um the currently appointed CFO >> or lack thereof. Well, our communication to him, uh, having been the former governor of this state and knowing, um,
the processes very very intimately, um, he was a very good person for me to be able to, um, share some of our concerns and thoughts. And it occurred to me that on on all of that communication, we copied in many cases our Florida
delegation, but we didn't think about our federal delegation. And I wanted to make sure that the board would be okay with us sending out an additional round, maybe an entire packet to our our federal delegation so that they know what's happening back at home here too.
>> Is that true? >> Absolutely. Sure. >> Okay. >> Um and that is all I have. Oh, no. Rosenwald uh Rosenald community meeting tonight at six o'clock. U give an update from the um
the collage companies. They are the um project manager. Our staff will be there. RTOR Christian Swenson I think is going to be there. No, never mind. Chad Wilsky is going to be there. Uh Trisha Johnson will be there. We've got the whole team
coming together to answer questions and talk about what the community can expect in these next couple of phases moving forward. Really uh great opportunity that will be at Milwe Middle School tonight at six o'clock. If you are hearing this and want to come out and be
a part of that meeting, we would love to have you. We did send out postcards. We put out social media and we hope that um everybody who wants to be there will be there tonight at 6 o'clock at Milwe Middle School. >> Thank you. That's the end of my reports. >> Is that the end of your report? >> That's the end of my report.
>> All right. I will uh I will be as brief as possible. I did uh do a tour of the Paige Jackson Paige Jackson Cemetery. And if you have not been and done that, I would ask that you do. Uh I did attend
the Florida Guardian Adlightum holiday party, which is always uh near and dear to my heart. That is the volunteers that stay with kids that are in the system helping to advocate for our most vulnerable children. And and Amber
Patrick does a wonderful job with the shoestring budget and it's an it's amazing. Um, I did attend the Lake Mary. I give a shout out to Lake Mary because that was well attended. It was well done. It was really big. It It's like there's a lot
of components to it. So, you could literally go back there two or three times. Paw and Claus was an amazing event. The Santa Claus that was out there s as Santa was out there had his own um service dog with him which was
also really cool. So the stress of the holidays creates the need for a pet to be nearby. It was amazing. And uh his work was you you think putting kids on Santa's lap is a challenge. This is an amazing process that that he did. He was
wonderful. I can't say enough good things. And also to our staff. Um I also want to throw one thing out there uh that I well a couple things. one that I want to point out and I'm going to move into chairman's report and that is this
is something that I think we all look at but don't think too much about and I just want to call it to attention and this was Lori Bailey Brown's quarterly grant report 104 active grants totaling $ 109 million as we close 2025 and as I think about
the year that we've been through and the impact that we've had in the community and the amount of work that our team does to get grants 29 were awarded Ed, and that doesn't sound like a lot, but it was 37.9 million. So, $38 million. Nine were not. When you have a hit rate
of 29 versus nine not, that is amazing success story that we really don't brag about often enough. And there are still 20 applications pending and four in progress. So, I wanted to give out a shout a shout out to I know grants touch
every department, but that work is difficult. It's difficult to get them. It's difficult to administer them, but it extends the dollar in our community significantly and shouldn't go unnoticed. And then I do believe that on December
1st, Commissioner Zimbau got a letter saying that he won that that uh they were congratulating our own Andy Wanthour, public information division manager for her uh investment in uh
doing extensive uh training and she graduated from the program and they were offering a thank you to us for investing in her and to her for passing with absolute wild success. So, a shout out to our team for all of those decisions.
And with that, and hoping that there's no more of things that you guys left out of your reports. >> I did remember something, but then I thought, "No, it's okay. I don't need to do it." >> Okay. All right. Uh I'll move on to the uh calendar. We do have a request for a
change to the calendar. I have a document in my hand uh that I think Darren do you have one on your hand? I have one >> and it is a slight change and this is with regard to the June
budget hearings and this is at the request of commissioner Zimbau and we have moved to June 9th during the BCC normally scheduled day so there will not be a conflict with anybody's schedule the constitutional officer session
and then on June 10th the following day it will be budget work session three. And so that second meeting, the week of June 23rd, was eliminated. The June 23rd, which is a normal BCC meeting, was left on the agenda, we'll use that as
needed since we'll be meeting two times the week before, but it was left on there. So, we didn't unbook your calendars. So, I'll ask since this was not previously socialized, is this okay with everyone on the board? And I think Darren, you spoke to everyone.
>> Yes. So, we're good. >> Yeah. >> Good. >> I I would just say yes, I am good. But I think we we need to be at least I am comfortable enough that if something comes up and I find that I can't be here for one of these meetings if we still
have a quorum. I'm I I feel comfortable just saying, "Hey, I'm really sorry. I've had something come up that I absolutely must do." Because I know we all pri have to prioritize all the other things going on in our lives. Um, and this is of course the biggest priority behind our our families is serving the
citizens of Semino County. But, um, I don't I don't expect to come back and say, "Hey, I've had something come up. Please move the meeting." >> So, and Madam Chair, >> are you good with that? I mean, are we all I'm more than okay with that? And I know that we have something uh a budget
work session tentatively if needed for July 14th. I will not be here July 14th. >> Yes. Yes. And our goal is to not need it. >> It's just >> on the spirit of >> I need to share that. I I appreciate you. >> And that's a BCC as well. >> Yes. But I Yes, that is exactly what I'm
speaking to is if we have something. It's okay with >> I want to make sure that I articulate that because you brought it up and I just want to let you know we'll be here on July 14th. >> Thank you. >> All right. With that, I say we have a final calendar for the year. Invites will be sent out if they've not already just for the revisions.
>> Do you need a motion? Motion to approve the calendar as presented here today. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. >> All right. The next is the 2026 BCC appointments.
And I think we'll do that in one motion. The board uh the board appointments do need an approval. The chairman's appointments do not need an approval. I would not mind if you did them both. Madam Chairman. >> Yes. >> Like to make a motion to approve both the board appointments that you
presented as well as the chairman's appointments that you presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Just one one uh item on the BAV board. We just need to designate one of those as the chairman. >> Yes, we we uh were requested by the
clerk's office to designate one as a chairman. I would love it if Lee Constantine would chair the the board. Commissioner Constantine, are you good with that? >> Since I never have, then you know, I'll step to the plate. >> Thank you. >> Any further discussion?
>> It's brutal. >> Is it? >> No. >> Don't scare me like that. >> No. The clerk's team and the property appraiser do an amazing job of >> So, Madam Chair, I'd like to end the motion as presented with the caveat that Commissioner K's team would be the chair of the VAB.
>> Awesome. Thank you. Second. >> Second agrees. >> All right. All those in favor? I >> opposed. Thank you. All right, we've come to public comment. Do we have any public comments for the good of the order? >> Yes, ma'am. There's one speaker, Gail
Hair. >> My My name is Gail Hair and to >> feel free to pull that microphone over closer to There you go. think I'm not a tech person. Um, I'm here because my name was on the list of one of the committees that the
advisory committee for the animal services and to I think this is the 18th year that I've served on it and I wanted to say that's what I want to say thank you for to all of you. >> Well, thank you. >> Thank you for your service. Chair, we
thank you for your service and it wouldn't be without we we wouldn't have created that support if it wasn't for the volunteers that came here and asked us to do it. So, we appreciate you. >> Thank you. >> I think that brings us to a German.
>> Thank you very much. Happy holidays everyone. >> Whatever you may be celebrating. Yay.