Okay. Good evening. We'll go ahead and call to meet order this uh city uh we're agenda review meeting. Uh we need a roll call, right? >> Yes. Commissioner Dolison >> here. >> Commissioner Mercer who's not present. Commissioner
>> here. >> Mayor Prom Yates >> here. >> And Mayor Birdong who is not present at this moment. >> Okay. With that, we'll have uh invocation and pledge and then we'll go on into ordinances and we do have a few second
readings. So, we'll hit the highlights of those. Any specific changes? Thank you. Uh Mr. Mayor Prom. So, your first ordinances uh this can be 2530 and 2531. This is a land use and a zoning uh
ordinance associated with annexed parcel. the corner of the intersection of 8th Street Northwest, which is also US Highway 17 and Avenue X Northwest, generally due west of the Lakeside Cemetery. Um,
this parcel was annexed in July of 2025 and that petitioner intends to develop this with 3600 ft of adult daycare. There's been no changes since first reading. Um they're requesting to assign neighborhood support future land use and
commercial highway C3 zoning uh to the parcel. So no other changes on that since first reading. And that applies to both 2530 and 2531. >> Thank you. Any questions on those items, gentlemen?
Seeing none. 2532 and 2533. Very similar. This is future land use and zoning. This is associated with the parcel that the city annexed again back on July 28th, 2025
located at 400 or 5004th Street East Wanita. Uh it's adjacent to the city's wastewater treatment plant 3, which on the image you have before you is going to be the developed property to the right of the parcel. Um,
our intent is to use this property for uh future needs of the Winter Haven Water Department and the uh requested land use is institutional. The requested zoning is public institutional.
One thing, and there's been no changes since first reading on this, but again, one reminder of this is that um Fourth Street East, as as you see noted at the top of that parcel, basically stops at the upper leftand corner or what would be the northwest corner of this
property. So, one of the benefits of the city acquiring this property originally was to be able to connect Fourth Street all the way down to Pard Road to give us a secondary access into the wastewater treatment plant. Do we own that that piece that's in between the water plant and the
>> Yes, we do, sir. >> We own that one. All right. >> Future WA future Pard Road water production facility. >> Okay. With uh Mayor Birdong has arrived, so
we'll let him take the reigns back over of the meeting. >> Which one are you on? >> We're at 9E, sir. >> 9E. Yes, sir. So, uh item 9E and item 9F, these are companion ordinances
that deal with uh land use and zoning. This is pertaining to property. AJ, if you could advance it one for me. So, this is somewhat the northwest roadside corner of the Bradco Farms property that the city acquired
uh back in 2023. Um, so the city is the petitioner on this and is requesting the land use change from neighborhood suburban and neighborhood support future land use to
institutional future land use and to reszone portion of the parcel from single family residential small lot and conservation to public institution. Uh, this is about 10.25 acres that we're working with. This is generally the
upland portion of the overall 370 acres plus or minus that the city acquired. The intent of the acquisition of the total property was to create uh wetland um restoration aquifer recharge uh projects that will help our long-term
water supply. And the upland portion was intended to be acquired for development of the new water department um campus. That'll include approximately a 36,750 ft admin building, 24,699
square foot warehouse and the associated parking areas on that campus. Uh earlier this year, the commission had approved um work to connect utilities out to this site for that future development. Nothing's changed since first reading on
this. Uh, and again, both ordinances, the first pertains to land use, the second pertains to zoning. >> Quest quick on that one. >> So, since the first reading, I've actually had some of the residents reach out reach out to me, the ones uh specifically on the west side of this
across from across the street there. So, and and I I kind of get their point and I think they're they're very concerned, but just so I've got a better understanding so I can kind of properly explain to them what they're going to
see when they look out their front window. Will they see a bunch of water trucks and water equipment? There it is. >> There we go. That'll help see a parking lot.
So, you basically have the entrance is um south of the uh the closest residential property to the west there. Um the buildings are set farther back in
and I would uh I'll defer to Mr. Labby as far as what the landscape buffering would need to be along Buckeye Loop Road. Yeah. So, um, mayor, commissioners, there there is a landscape buffer required along Buckeye Loop Road. I
believe it's a type-C buffer, um, between institutional and and the residential across the street, um, which is basically an an overstory tree, an understory tree, and and multiple shrubs per uh, every 100 ft. Um, however, I
would note that the buildings as as city manager pointing out are generally set back between I'd say 100 and 300 feet back from the property line. So that and there's significant uh land area along the frontage of this parcel. Um
certainly an opportunity to enhance the landscaping along the front should the city choose to do that as it's our project. Perhaps a few of um Commissioner Dancler's trees, >> a lot of the trees, >> but all 300, right?
>> Or or a lot of those trees. >> Yeah, a lot of them. >> I mean, that was actually I was just thinking that like a lot of the trees could could really line that front to where you're actually pulling in to where you think you're pulling into a wooded area almost and you're you get past the trees and you're not. So that
>> Yeah. And I would you I don't know without knowing that Berm requirement verbatim in other areas over historically you know establishing BMS that build that area up and planting the BMS creates a a visual buffer as well.
any runoff I assume would we try to get that to run off out to the wetlands right to try to get >> well it's I mean we're still in that preliminary um I guess creating the design build criteria but this being a water
restoration project overall on the property it would seem most logical that any storm water you're capturing you're trying to retain on site and push towards the the wetland treatment areas you anticipate the buildings being like
metal buildings or typical municipal buildings that are kind of boring or something a little more art deco a little bit cleaner? What are you thinking? >> I think based upon what we're seeing here and and again this is yet to be fully vetted out in design, but costwise and functionality, you know, metal
buildings with some type of lower facade. As you can see there, they're using probably a CMU brick or some type of decorative finish up to typically three to four feet high. Um, you know, if you think about I'm trying to think of building that's that's newer in
Winter Haven, Tucker Paving is probably the newest structure like that that is, you know, these are not of that magnitude, but um I think that that gives you a good idea of what metal buildings can look like now. And certainly we don't want
something that's going to be an eyesore given its placement in direct connection to this nature park and water restoration areas. We want it to blend in. >> Does it have to be a like a hurricane proof like maybe a
relief center for hurricanes? People go and hide or stuff. >> It wouldn't be a shelter but it would be designed such that we are able to maintain operations during hurricanes. Um, you know, water department, their restoration work is essential. And so
being able to get employees in and out of here, if we have to overnight staff, it has to be designed in a way that we're we're able to do that safely. We can we get extra money if we make it a relief center if we're building something? I mean, wonder if the government would give us an extra couple million if
we turned it into some sort of a >> I can't I can't answer that at this time. I'm throwing it out there. We don't have a rec center out that area that part of town. >> Are are metal buildings actually good shelter? >> I think it's depends upon how they're
they're built. Sir, it's what the wind rating would be. Um, you know, the the closest shelter that we have in this area is going to be, I believe, JW Elementary. >> Oh, JW is. >> Yeah. But they're typically a block structure. Okay.
When when do you think we might see a proposal? Then this is this is going to be the go-to at this point. So the existing water buildings and payment buildings and things like that. Do you envision, you know, those shifting and doing
something else with those? How far out do you think we might be before we see something on those? >> Mark, can you come to the podium and speak to that? Good evening, commissioners. >> Make sure the mic's on if you would, please.
>> Now it's off. Now it's on. Okay. Um I I I didn't quite understand the question, sir. What was it again? >> So, this is going to be our main hub going forward. So, that's going to make some of our other spots that are associated with billing and water and services are are not needed anymore in
that capacity. So, I was just kind of curious when we might see what that some proposals might be for those properties or or reuse of those properties into something different. >> So, we're trying to schedule to um hopefully be um housed in the new
facility um by July of 27. Um the our current admin facility and operations building is down on 4016th Street Southeast or Southwest. Um, I would imagine that would probably be after it's vacated would probably be
up for put up for sale. I know there's some developers in that area that are looking for it. Um, um, also customer service associated over here in the annex will be moving to that facility, too. And I'm not sure what that vacated space over there in the annex would turn out to be.
>> Okay. >> Yeah. the the long-term intent was to to move the utilities operation out of what I describe as the old Hill Nissan Automotive Center there. Just it's it's not sufficient for we have people stacked on top of each other and heavy
equipment, you know, in and not ideal facilities there. So, being able to house facilities all together creates some greater efficiencies for us. Customer service, you know, would have a presence here. Most of what we're doing
in customer service now is online and via phone service versus walk up customer traffic. Um and certainly creating opportunities for um uh continuation of some level of that service here in the heart of downtown is
something that we want to explore. So we have multiple options. >> Yeah. And that was really my curiosity was that Sixth Street property specifically and seeing, you know, what that was. You know, that that's going to be a highly soughtafter piece of property and we we control our own
destiny on on that. So, just anxious to kind of see what that might look like going forward. >> When we when we choose to dispose of that property, um I would expect we would do an RFP type process. we own it.
So that comes down to what is somebody willing to pay for it and what is the intended end use of it similar to what we did with social security building several years back um so that it it doesn't get developed as something that is not truly compatible with with the
growth patterns and the development patterns in that neighborhood. >> Quick question. Do the do people still come down and pay their water bill every month? Do they come in drop bring in checks? There is there is quite there's still some traffic um walk-in traffic that's about a hundred customers a day over
there right now. Um not all of them are uh paying their bills. Some of them are are looking for other places but others are just have questions and uh but right now the traffic is about 100 u >> 100 people a day. You you would you ultimately try to direct them out there instead of try to keep
>> Yeah, I I I could foresee maybe a kiosk here to make payments. Uh I think there's a kiosk there now. Um, so the people that are are are the walking pedestrians that to pay that are coming over to pay the bill. So they don't we aren't putting them in any inconvenience. They can still pay from that from here there, but everything
else would be transferred over there. >> Okay. We're definitely trying to shift people more to the online presence. Um, some people still, you know, we changed the hours. In fact, we're still u assessing those changes. I think we implemented those September 1st of this year. We reduced the number of hours
that we have uh for walk-in traffic next door. Mondays are the the heavier days. Um and so they're they're I think 10 to three on Tuesday through Friday if I'm not mistaken. Um and and that has been received well. Traffic, you know, that
has helped direct more and more people to the online services that we have, the chat bots, you know, using technology to make it as easy as we can for folks. Is that it? >> All right. Consent agenda.
>> Yes, sir. So, the first item for you this evening for consideration Monday evening will be an appointment to the city's urban forestry advisory board. That board's comprised of seven members, two of which are to be at large members to represent commercial and an environmental organization of interest.
We've had two members depart from the EUAB. So, we have two vacant citizen member seats. Uh Arlland Arbiter has submitted an application for consideration. Um and then following review and interview process, Mr. Arbiter was presented to that board as a
as a candidate to fill CIT citizen seat number one. that term of that seat expires in February 26, at which time renewal for an additional three-year term will be considered. So, this is getting someone into that seat, fill out the the remainder of the term, and then likely
seek reappoint at that time. We still have one more vacancy uh for a citizen on that seat. We continue to solicit applications for that. So, we're recommending Mr. Arbiter be appointed to citizen seat number one. >> 10B.
10B is a interlocal agreement with the Pulk County Board of County Commissioners uh regarding a conservation easement for the astute property. So in in July of 25, the city authorized staff to proceed with the
acquisition of what we refer to as the astute property. This is up on US7 North before you get to um 92 and before the the Ford uh northernmost parcel there. It's a heavily wooded area somewhat
north of Brigham Road and south of 92. Um about 152 almost 153 acres uh purchased for that is $1.4 million and we expect to close actually we closed this week. We closed Monday of this week
on that property. So we now own an additional 153 acres of environmentally sensitive and significant property. Um the county has agreed to share in the cost of that property acquisition by reimbursing the city $600,000 in
exchange for the conveyance of a conservation easement over the property. So this interlocal agreement formalizes the shared investment and establishes the framework for the long-term protection of the site through a recorded conservation easement. The county will hold and enforce the
conservation easement while the city will retain ownership of the the land and serve as the primary land manager responsible for the maintenance, stewardship, ecological management. So, this is, you know, part of the the process for this the county to reimburse
us. The 600,000 um of the 1.4 million that p property was purchased for requires the conveyance of this conservation easement. and that's consistent with what our long-term >> um use of the property is. >> So, I guess it's it's just more or less
for us to get some money because basically we're going to do conservation anyway. And so, I just >> and we had strived to have all this done in advance of the closing. Um the the closing I want to say it's challenging but had certain nuances that we couldn't
get the conservation easement done in advance of the closing uh due to the timing of county commission meetings, city commission meetings. So city attorney worked closely with the property owner and the county attorney's office to facilitate this process. >> And I just will inform you um that the
uh the board of county commissioners yesterday at their meeting approved both the interlocal agreement and the conservation easement. And I had delivered to my office this morning fully executed originals of those documents. I'm holding them. I'm going to carry them with me to the meeting Monday night. So once you all approve
it, you can sign them. And they were executed by the new board chair for the board of county commissioners, Martha Santiago. So I had them in hand. >> Oh, okay. All right. >> That's I did just want to say that's this is a significant um element that the closing on that
property. You heard me say during the state of the city, you know, over 500 acres of environmentally sensitive lands have been acquired by this commission um in the past really two and a half, three years and this 154 acres is a big 153
acres is a big piece of that. >> Uh next item is item 10 C. This is going to be the uh award of contract continuing contracts for planning and engineering services specific to airport projects. We released RFQ240
in August of this year seeking proposals from firms qualified to provide continuing planning and engineering services for airport related projects. We received proposals from six firms. The uh professional services committee finalized the rankings of those firms
and selected the top three which are Hansen Professional Services Inc., Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering LLC and Mosen Design Group Inc. or MDG. Uh recommendation for the award of the continuing contract
services was posted in late October and we had no protests received in response. So, we're going to recommend that the commission authorize the city manager to um negotiate with those three top firms um the uh the agreements necessary for
continuing services at the airport. >> Okay. >> Item 10D. I'm sorry. Did you have a question with that, Mayor Prom? >> No. >> Okay. Oh, I thought I heard a question. I'm sorry. Item 10D. Um, this pertains
to the land lease made between the city of Winter Haven and Blue Line Aviation LLC in September of 2023, as well as the temporary land lease between those parties that was entered into in April of 2023.
On se and I need to read through this one because it's a little more complex and and and has some nuances. I want to make sure we we give you the the full picture on on September 15th of this of 2023, city entered into the a land lease
with Blue Line for approximately 2.8 acres to construct a new training facility. Um this was going to be on the west side of the the new terminal which is just off of of 92. The effective date established deadlines and milestones for
construction of planned improvements. A first amendment was executed in May of 2024 and it revised and expanded the lease property to grow from 2.8 acres to 4.9 acres. So, it just made the least property larger. A second amendment was
executed in August of 24 and it extended the time requirements for construction of the planned improvements on the property for an additional 12 months from September 15th of 24 as well as extending the grace period for payment of rent. The amendment required all
planned improvements to be completed by September 15 of 2025. And when we say completed, that means that there would have been the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or its functional equivalent. So buildings are up and they've been certified for occupancy, good to go. So in light of the fact that
the construction of the proposed improvements on the lease property were not completed within the time frames noted in the land lease as amended and in considering the public benefit associated with the completion of that permanent project, I along with staff
particularly Mr. Troy Haidel, our airport director. We met with Blueline Aviation, and I see Aaron is here, who's a representative of Blueline. Thank you, sir. Uh to consider a third amendment to the lease agreement. So, some of the key terms and conditions outlined in this proposed third amendment include Blue
Line will be required to begin making monthly lease payments of $2,758.25 beginning in September on September 15 of 2025. So this past September and that will continue until the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or functional
equivalent after which monthly rent increases to $5,516.50 monthly and adjusted annually by CPI adjustments. So basically what it says is construction hasn't begun on there. to maintain that lease, you're going to
have to pay a fee that is a reduced fee every month until the certificate of occupancy is issued. And once that's done, then it goes up to the the $5,516.50. In addition, Blue Line must submit a city of Winter Haven building division application for construction. So, our
typical building permit application associated with the permanent project on that leased property. and they must do so no later than January 15 of 2026. So little more than two months from a little less than two months from today, they have to apply for a building permit
to to move forward with the the project. Once that permit has been issued and there's not a set time in which that permit will be issued because there's reviews and there's you know uh requests for clarification and the like things that happen in a permit review but once
it's reviewed within 45 days of that issuance they have to commence construction. So they can't just get a permit and sit on it. they have 45 days to get shovels in the dirt and start start working towards the project and and proceed continuously.
Construction of that project must be completed within 18 months following the date of commencement. So permits issued have to start within 45 days and once you start you have 18 months to get the certificate of occupancy. Upon the issuance of that CO, Blue Line
will have a 20-year term of occupancy with two additional renewal terms of 5 years each. Failure to meet any of those milestones results in termination of the agreement of the lease. So, if there's not a
permit that's applied for by January 15th, then the lease is terminated. If they apply for a permit and the permit's issued and they don't start construction within 45 days, the lease is terminated. Separate from that lease, I mentioned this temporary land lease. So, you
remember when um Blue Line came to town, they they needed temporary facilities. So, they have portables that are on the east side of the apron outside the the terminal. That agreement uh is is would is extended so that it will now expire upon
the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the bigger project. As that lease exists today, the temporary lease, it's set to expire in April of 2026. Well, if they're doing all the other things, they need a place
to be. So, we included an amendment to that temporary lease agreement. So, in that regard, they'll be able to maintain the temporary lease agreement while they're advancing the larger project. However, if they miss one of
those milestones, that temporary lease will expire either on its original expiration date of August or I'm sorry, of April 28th, 2026 or 60 days following the missed
milestone, whichever is later. For clarification, if a permit's not filed for by January 15th, that temporary land lease will expire April 28th, 2026. If they get the permit permits issued
and they don't start construction within the 45 days and they miss that milestone, then 60 days later, the temporary land lease will expire. This will result in an additional $2,758.25
per month in airport revenue beginning September 15th. Thereafter, the monthly lease payments will increase to $5,516.50 being thereafter the issuance of a co. Um, in addition, Blue Line must pay a
sum of $8,274.75 in cleared funds representing the rent for the months of September, October, and November 2025 as a condition precedent uh to the approval of the this these amendments.
So, um I'm I'm pleased that we were able to, you know, address um the situation that we were facing. It was uh had good conversations with with Aaron and with uh Mr. Walters and the team with Blue Line, um to negotiate this out. They
were accepting of that and I believe we have the signed lease agreements amendments u that they have already executed for the commission to consider. So, any questions with that? >> I have a question. Go ahead. >> So, John, you know me, I'm always
thinking worst case scenario, of course, if all of a sudden they're and I wish them nothing but success. I like Blue Line. I love what they're doing and I we just hope they make millions of dollars out there and train a lot of people. However, they're halfway through. They've got buildings coming up and hits
the Shan. Next thing you know, everything's come unglued and we have to terminate the lease. Do we have to buy their assets or do they since it's lease land how does that work with a with with a half-built building? >> We are requiring them as part of this uh land lease agreement to get us the
necessary bonds performance bonds and statutory bonds as if it were a public project. So we would have something to look to to collect on and to then finish the improvements. Okay. >> And those improvements would remain on the property. They're part of the real property >> and that's part of the lease performance
bonds. Okay. Yes. That's it. >> That's it. Thank you. >> Next item, uh this simplest one on the agenda this evening. Um this is travel and training for myself and deputy city manager Carnival to attend the Florida City County Management Association
winter institute that will be held in the very end of February uh in Daytona Beach, Florida. Part of our continuing education in public administration. Item 10F. This is uncollectible
uncollected accounts receivable. So this is an item that comes before you annually at the conclusion of each fiscal year. Accounts with delinquent balances outstanding for over one year or longer are presented to the commission for approval to be removed from the active accounts receivable
reports. Our balances for 20 fc year 24 include $243,4767 in utility billing and $14,89010 in miscellaneous billing for a total of $258,297.77 in the utility billing. Um this is
obviously associated with with water and garbage accounts. The write- off for utility billing decreased by $25,621 over the prior year. Uh customer service continue to make efforts to collect those outstanding balances on pass to accounts and are actively reviewing
collection policies with an emphasis on leak adjustment policy, solid waste collections, and close monitoring of payment plans. During uh this past year, the city contracted with online information services to assist with debt recovery solutions. Again, reminder that
removal of delinquent balances does not forgive the debt. So, we continue to go after those. Somebody defaults on their utility account, they come back in to open up a new account if they have an outstanding balance that has to be cured
before they can get uh reestablished with an account. In fiscal year 25, the period that just ended this past September 30th, the city collected eight $11,468.92 cents from accounts that were previously written off. So, we continue to pursue
that. On the miscellaneous billing, this is uh billing for invoices um customers for various fees or reimbursements such as damaged property, false alarm response fees, employee training reimbursements. Um, and so staff's recommending the
commission authorize removal of these accounts uncollected for longer than one year from the active receivable registers. Again, this is a routine thing. Those of you been on the commission, we we bring this to you every year. We continue to
pursue those outstanding amounts. >> Any questions? >> We have no resolutions. >> Uh, one more under um consent, Mr. Mayor, which is >> the rental use. Yeah, the fee schedule. So, uh, want to commend, uh, parks and
recreation culture director Julie Adams and Scott Eers and the team for bringing this forward. So, Chain Lakes Park is scheduled to commence full operations on December 5th, 2025. We're looking forward to a great uh, ribbon cutting out there, a beautiful facility. Um,
world class without a doubt. staff's been working closely with our our key partner uh Visit Central Florida to confirm availability and schedule tournaments throughout 2026 to finalize that booking process. A fee schedule and facility rental use policy
is required. The proposed fee schedule has been vetted and and reviewed with visits Florida Central Florida sports staff and is based on comparative analysis of similar facilities in the area. It's based on three categories of users. So, we have public events, visit
central Florida events, which are uh will receive various discounts through years one, two, and three. Remember that visit central Florida and the TDC contributed about $12 million to this project. And then we have co-sponsored government agency and nonprofit events
that are eligible for a 20% discount. Um, all rentals will be guided by the facility rental use policy that is included in your packet. And this aligns with use policies for other other city facilities. Also has some specific additions related to this particular
park such as the prohibition of metal cleats. Obviously, we're dealing with artificial turf fields. We also don't allow any shelled seeds or nuts that in an effort to protect that turf. And you have people out there spitting sunflower seeds all over the place. That has a
long-term negative impact on the turf. Um the conservative estimate estimated revenue based upon the current proposed fee schedule is $355,500 with known bookings booking commitments
in year one alone. So um this is this is a if you haven't seen it, I can't wait to get you out there when we do the ribbon cutting. Um if you have a chance, if you're going to Chick-fil-A or Panera or Starbucks or the Fieldhouse, drive by and just take a look at it. It is world
class and will be um a destination sought by tournaments throughout the country. I have no doubt. >> Mr. Mayor, I was I I will concur with that. I was down there this Sunday and I was um amazed. I was trying to get out there and hike or do some jogging and
gates are closed. So, they do do you guys keep the gates closed at night and open up in the morning or how does the trail work out there, the jogging trail? Um Scott or Julie want to address that. the the the the gate system is such that we can close off the fields specifically, but Scott can give a
little better clarity. >> Currently, the gates are closed because it's still an active construction site. We we've had some uh guys show up and, you know, hidden balls and shag and fly balls out there. So, the uh the park itself will be locked until it's actually handed over to us. The trail
should be accessible once we receive ownership of it. Um you know, >> all the time. >> All the time. Okay. Okay. The park will the park will be locked. Um >> yeah, you can close off the baseball portion, all the common areas of that and leave the trail open and
>> the trail entrance will be on that on the far left side over by by that condominium complex. Is that where you'll enter the trail or follow the trail through the park? >> Yeah. So, on the on the uh the northeast corner where you have the parking lot behind Chick-fil-A and and Panera, there's an access to the trail there.
You can also access it um from the uh Southwest. >> So you'll be able to enter there, go all the way around and come right back to it. But that's the only in and out. >> Yeah. >> Be that right there by >> and you can get on it at any point. >> You can get on at any point. And as the
uh the new parking lot is developed, there'll be additional access points there as well. >> You won't be able to enter it through the park. That's what I'm trying to get to. >> No, the the So the right now the the goal is to separate the park from the trail. Yeah. >> Um because a lot of our renters are going to have an admission. So, we want
to make sure that we have one point of entry where they can collect their uh their fees. >> But the trail is going to be very popular. I can tell you right now >> it is. The trail to me is one of the most beautiful things out there along that restored shoreline. And Commissioner Dans, I'm sure you observed
it and any of the other uh commissioners if you've been out there, the number of gates, um drive-thru gates throughout the property, some that are electric, some that are what we call camp gates that allow us to close off specific parking
areas so that when we have a theater production, a baseball tournament, something happening in the fieldhouse, we can designate specific parking areas and close off others. to safeguard that parking. If there's a a volleyball tournament in the fieldhouse and they
need to preserve parking on the front side of the building for a theater performance, they can actually close that off and prevent cars from going in there throughout the day. And again, just tremendous planning and and uh gates are pretty cool,
>> but they're not manual, right? You can do them with a machine or >> some are manual, some are are with a a a like a almost like a garage door opener. So the the theater's going to love you for that. They That's that they're really they really appreciate that. Absolutely. I can tell you that right now. >> Is the parking there more than adequate
for the facility? >> Oh yeah. Well, I when with the what we've added, you know, certainly we're adding 3 some 320 350 spaces. That was a change where you just approved. you know, if you had a huge baseball
tournament, you know, one of these 96 or 100 team volleyball tournaments, a swim meet, you know, something on the small stage, something on the large stage, it's going to still be tight, but the the likelihood of that happening with
just we we all anticipate, you know, the conflicts that can happen with over scheduling. So, our staff works closely with Visit Central Florida to mitigate that ahead of time. >> But some of the prohibitions that you have mentioned, uh, such as the, um, the
cleats and the, uh, sunflower seeds, how are you going to police that or prohibit person? >> It's got changed. >> Uh, commissioners, I just wanted to speak also just kind of take a step back on the parking management planning. So
over the last year, year and a half, we've been working really closely with our partners at Visit Central Florida that do all of the bookings for both the diamond sports, which now we have with baseball and the fieldhouse facility. And they've actually delved into the typical attendance for not not just
athletes, but spectators as well for these events so that we can although we can't hone in on it perfectly, we can get a better estimate of what we're looking at when we have a fieldhouse event and a ballpark event happening at the same time. Then we can also work with our partners in the theater and our
team with aquatics to get a better idea. And that's what we've done so that proactively over the next year out that we're booking, we know ahead of time typically what each of these events, whether baseball operations or fieldhouse operations will bring so that
we put ourselves in a better position from the get-go with parking management. And then I'm sorry, what was your next question? you have some uh prohibitions or uh with regards to uh >> cleaned with the you know seeds with the
sunflower seeds and that kind of thing I guess to preserve the turf. >> Yes sir. >> So and that's vitally important. My question is how do you >> police that? How do you keep >> we'll have staff staff will be out there. A lot of uh the benchmark groups that we spoke to don't staff until
there's a certain threshold of people that are coming expected to come to facilities or certain amount of teams and tournaments. We staff always uh that's to to take care of not only the people at the event but our amenities as well. And so we'll have roaming staff that will be present that we have
trained and worked with on what we're looking out for and also just a way that we can talk to our partners about how we can prevent that. And we'll also we've worked with Visit Central Florida that when we have tournament operators like um the group that's coming in in December, we've already alerted them.
We've gotten notification out to them to the coaches to the teams that are going to be attending. So, we frontload that communication as well. Hey, this is this is your turf grass. This is not your natural grass. These are the things that we will not be allowing so that we don't have any parents or hopefully we've done
as what as good as of a job as we can to to frontload that communication so we don't have anybody upset when they come in the park. >> There's also a wide variety of signage correct throughout the entire park >> covered >> security. So uh uh for for events how
how do you manage that >> security you mean like our partners in police department or >> Yes. you know who who actually will be >> will the police department be there some regularity with the events. >> So what we do is we put out a notification to our teammates in PD and
if we have an event that is going to draw a certain amount of people and we have thresholds that we have for each of these spaces then we ask for increased presence. If there is an event at the fieldhouse that requires police presence we know that they're just across the
parking lot if we do need them. But we just we work with them on a weekly basis to establish where we're going to have higher than normal groups of people and especially since this is a new amenity for us, we're working uh again to frontload that communication and planning.
>> In addition, Commissioner Dison, you know, when this facility is not in use, it's secured. It's locked down. Um because you don't want to, you know, these are multi-million dollar fields that you have out there and you know, somebody gets out there randomly without
that doesn't want to pay attention to the rules can cause a tremendous amount of damage. So we can lock down that entire facility and then you also have cameras throughout that allow us to monitor >> the large green space though. Julie, what what will that what potential can what can that be used for? So, we're
hoping that that can serve as an open space for play for the community. We could program that space for movie nights on the green, things of that nature. Nothing super athletic or recreational will be programmed in that
space, but more of a um an environment for people to congregate and come together. If there's a tournament, maybe both of our facilities have tournaments or there's just a lot going on on the space, that could be a picnic area. That could be a space for younger kids to go play while older kids are playing the
the organized sports. So, a sense of neighborhood and belonging. >> No, no vehicles or anything on that space. Is it >> other than our our own vehicles that we would use special purpose or golf carts or something like that for maintenance, our Toros, we would not allow vehicular
traffic through that area. And that is there is there special lighting for that now or is it uh to be added >> that is in future plans that is not going to be currently a a lighted area. >> Quick question. Julie, do you have large vacuum cleaners since there's no clay
out there? Y'all going to vacuum that place? Is that how you're going to clean it? Are you going to just sweep it or >> do you have a contact at Hoover or what are you saying? >> No, I'm just I'm just sitting there thinking there there's no clay. So, how are you going to, you know, clean up those things once in a while? So, we have some specialized equipment that the
team has gotten specialized training on that do the cleaning and and the the required maintenance to keep the the turf up to where it should be for for the maintenance and use that it's going to get. And we're working on I actually have Stephen Mike uh Shiml with Athletic
Fields and Parks and Grounds here tonight if you have any super specific questions because they won't let me drive it yet. But uh it is prescribed maintenance that's done to ensure that the infill is redistributed correctly after a certain amount of hours. So that
um actually just kind of talking about how much we love what we do. I was talking where is he? He's back there. Mike Shiml. He was saying that uh even during construction, some of the guys that are are on the either construction team or something may have had seeds and
he was out there picking them up with his hands to make sure that they didn't get into the turf because this is our new baby and we want to keep it new as long as possible. So, um there there is equipment there's attachments to this equipment that we have that's specialized to be able to clean, treat and preserve the turf.
I guess curiosity. Uh turf is it much faster because it creates a much faster game, >> you know. It just it depends. It depends on how well if what you're comparing it to. If you're comparing it to natural turf, it depends on um the speed of the clay, what the clay is made of. I mean,
there's a lot of determinants that go into that. Um it can be a faster game, yes. Uh but it's also a consistent playing surface which is is desired in in most areas. >> It's faster. >> Is it water? Water water doesn't create
more hazard to it when it's if it's raining or >> it has a drainage system built within each of the fields built underneath. And so that's one of the beautiful parts of having this artificial turf is that the rain doesn't slow us down. >> Yes, sir.
>> Fantastic. When is that going to be complete? December 3rd is when we have our ribbon cutting and our first tournament starts uh two days later. >> We waste no time. >> Fantastic. >> Exciting. Anything else?
>> Nope. Ready to move on to ordinances first reading if you are. >> So, um and I'll ask Eric to to help me with this, but your first ordinances are 2536 and 2537. This is Vimar Dev LLC and Cunningham
Investors LLC are the petitioners. They're requesting to amend the future land use map on a parcel and portion of another parcel from neighborhood suburban future land use to neighborhood support land future land use and to reszone that same parcel and a portion
of another parcel from PUB zoning to commercial highway C3 zoning. This total is 46.21 plus or minus acres. This is located in the Villimar subdivision located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Thompson Nursery Road and Cunningham Road. Um what you're
seeing is the Thompson Nursery Road realignment coming through there. And the uh uh Cunningham Road, you can see that used to be referred to as Rialto Drive, I believe it was. That was renamed by the commission uh short
several months back. So the petitioners proposed to develop this portion of the property with commercial uses uh as opposed to residential. The max a maximum of 5,3118 square ft of commercial could be developed on this site.
Um the surrounding property or the subject properties is located north and south of Thompson Nursery Road realignment which is an arterial road that when completed in 203031 will ultimately connect from US Highway 27 to the intersection of Highway 17 and State
Road 540. Uses surrounding the property include Lake Grass and drainage and retention to the north as you can see there. um Lake Reed and the Terteranova subdivision to the east and the Terteranova and Villimar subdivisions to the south and the Villimar subdivision
to the west. We included in your packet information on the infrastructure. Uh the neighborhood support future land use is consistent with the property's frontage on an arterial road in close proximity to the intersections with collector roads. The requested C3 zoning
district is consistent with that neighborhood support future land use designation. Uh planning commission heard this on November 3rd during their regular meeting and voted to recommend approval. There were two members of the public that spoke with concerns about traffic flooding and potential crime. Uh
staff's conclusions were that the neighborhood support future land use and C3 zoning district is consistent with the property's frontage on an arterial road in close proximity to the intersections with collector roads and that the city's 2035 comp plan encourages commercial uses to focus into
nodes centered around key intersections within the city. Further supporting this request is the presence of 1,792 residential units in the Villimar subdivision alone and the presence of 1,000 plus additional housing units within a short distance. The proximity
of those neighborhoods to this proposed development has the ability to reduce the number and the length of vehicle trips onto the surrounding roadway network through a more compact development pattern. and there is sufficient infrastructure capacity to accommodate the maximum theoretical
development under C3. One of the things we talked about in the strategic planning process and that we underwent in 2024 was when you have development when you can put commercial nodes with that to create more of that quasi
village concept so people aren't having to travel as far to access commercial. I don't know that we have any sense of what would go within this commercial property as of yet, but its proximity along Thompson Nursery Roads realignment as well as uh proximity to the
residential around there makes sense in terms of supporting all of that traffic and and residential activity. >> Okay, >> Eric, was there anything beyond that that we know with this property? >> No, sir. I think you nailed it. And the
next one is just dealing with the zoning. >> Yes, sir. >> So that's straightforward. So go to 12c. >> This is um a little unusual. So this is uh an amendment to the Winter Haven Code through ordinance 2539. It's in response
to the condominum condominium building collapse that happened in Surf Surfside, Florida. You recall the Florida legislature passed legislation addressing the safety of condominiums in cooperative association buildings with the passage of House Bill 913 that
occurred during the 25 legislative session. That bill requires local governments to add language to their code addressing structural repairs for condos and cooperative association buildings within a specified time frame. to comply. Section 5-24 will be added to
chapter five of the city's code. This section will require those condominiums and cooperative associations which are required by law to perform milestone inspections to schedule or commence repairs for substantial structural deterioration within 365 days of the
building official receiving a phase 2 inspection report. Um there are seven condominium and cooperative associations located in the city which are subject to milestone inspections. These are those that contain buildings of three or more
habitable stories in height uh which are required at 30 years of age and every 10 years thereafter. So we have 10 I'm sorry seven buildings here within Winter Haven that that fall within the requirements. Um, so staff's recommending the commission approve this ordinance that
will amend the current code. >> Any questions? All right, next one. The next three pertain to um ordinances that speak to budget amendments. So the
first one being 2540. This is kind of a special one. The city received a bequest in the amount of $258,879.7 from the estate of Velma Sewell Daniels. Velma Daniels is a longtime resident of Winter Haven, had a business just to the
north or to the east of us here at city hall, the art cottage. She was also an avid supporter of the Winter Haven Public Library. So to properly record this contribution, the current fiscal year budget will be amended to reflect an increase in the library fund other
contributions revenue account and make the funds available for library related expenditures within the library fund. So staff recommends the commission adopt the ordinance 2540 which will amend that budget uh in the amount of $258,879.7
and increase the libraries funds other contributions revenues account offset by a corresponding increase to the materials expenditure account. So, Miss Daniels thought very highly of the library and in her will upon her passing, a significant portion of her
estate went to Winter Haven Public Library. >> And that's a a big gift. It really is. >> But I wanted to make sure I understand. It's not going into is it going into like the general fund for the library or is it going to the foundation? >> It goes It doesn't go to the friends. It goes to the library.
>> No, we have a foundation that that that is managed by Gibwell over in Lakeland that was started. No, this comes directly to the city. >> Jane, do you know if it goes to is it does it go into the uh is it going to be used for just for regular daily
operations for the the library or is it going to be for special projects and because there's a big difference. The the foundation has about a million bucks in it. It's run by Gibwell and they give us they give us money for the bookstore and stuff.
>> We won't use this money just for our regular um at least that's not our hope. So we're kind of exploring what we can do now to kind of honor her the spirit definitely she was a supporter of literacy of writing and just arts in general. So um we don't have any definite plans for it because again it
was an unexpected windfall but um >> but it's not going into the foundation is what I'm trying to get to. >> No no how she set it up in her will it went directly to the city. That would have been something they would have had to do before the will was written to have the estate planning.
>> Okay. Well, the foundation was started years ago by Strang. Carl Strang started it with $250,000 probably 20 years ago when his wife died or maybe 30 years ago, I don't know. And it's grown to a million dollars and we get money off it every year to to fund friends of the
library and other things. It's been a really big boon for the library. A lot of people give money to it, not just not just a straight. That's how it started. And I wasn't sure if that's what her intention was to have it go into there. Uh, so it doesn't sound like she delineated that
in her will or something. So >> it it we reviewed this and I know CJ is here too, >> but it it was a bequest specifically to the city of Winter Haven. >> There's um I think the very last attachment it's a dissolution of her estate. >> Yeah.
>> And um it specifically says the um Winter Haven Library. >> So yeah, >> the foundation's a library. So is I mean there's a lot of I don't know. I'm not going to argue with you. I'm just I'm glad we got the money. I'm just curious because most people when they bequest money in the library, they put it in the
foundation >> versus giving it to the general fund. But doesn't sound like that's what she did. >> She's pretty specific. >> I think my my concern is I think what Commissioner Dancler is alluding to is I don't want it the funds to get lost in
the general fund. And so over time the money's sitting there and it's used for this little project and that little project and then there's no substance. So I don't know if there's >> is that what >> that's what I'm getting to. Yeah. >> It goes in that foundation, you know, it's preserved and it's managed properly.
>> Are we keeping it as a like a separate GL within the general fund or >> um it's not in the general fund at all. The library has its own specific fund and if it's not spent in the current year, the 258,000, it goes into the libraryies restricted
fund balance. So it'll specifically stay there. And I don't mean the general fund. I I get it. I I meant the general fund for the library, I guess. Yeah. >> And you know, with the you have a library board, you have staff that are looking at this. They see it as, you
know, as Jane said, this is a very unexpected windfall. What can be done to en enhance the opportunities and the programs that were near and dear to Miss Daniels? um whether that's through capital investments into the building or
specific assets and equipment to to foster her interests. Yeah, that I I have confidence that between Jane's leadership at the library and and the guidance of your library board that they will they will not use that for paying
electric bills and things like that. >> There really wasn't really any great restrictions relative to it for the most part, was it? that was left at their discretion to utilize. Yeah, it was the in fact it was part of the if I remember correctly it was part of the residual
residuary of whatever you know the total was um just as a matter of discussion and my discussion is a little bit froggy today so I apologize um I uh you know in the future the city commission if that's something you want to do in the man you
know it the use of those funds are are up to the city so you know the city the city working with the city commission say manager work of city commission you could come up with you know not if you wanted to um you know but right now I
think the ask is to allow it to be recognized as a as a receivable um or funds >> again it's a beautiful gift and I just I just think if we put some of it in the foundation and not all of it I don't know I'm just it's not up to me anymore so I'm just saying it's just I just
think it'd be a good thing to do because once it's in that foundation it's it's used from now until eternity because it's going to it's managed properly and a certain percentage comes off to support various things. So, but that's not for me to decide that somebody else. But I just you know
that's you could I mean library could do that if they wanted but you probably don't want to because it restricts the money but you know whatever. I'm just saying it's thank you Velma. I knew Velma well and I appreciate that. I had no idea that was coming. >> We work closely with um I think Mr. Mark
Turner was the uh who handled that uh estate and uh city was one of five entities that the city's library was one of five entities that she spoke and felt very highly of to include in her when I first got elected. Belma had no problem
calling me up and giving me a hard time about what we were doing down here. >> I remember well >> she was she was on me all the time about stuff. So, um, next item, uh, is another ordinance amending, uh, the fiscal year that ends
September 30th, 2026. So, pursuant to Florida statutes, the commission may amend the budget by ordinance to appropriate and expend funds that are not anticipated in the original approved budget. Purchase order roll forwards represent contractual or encumbered obligations that were
approved in fiscal year 2425 but not fully expended by the end of the year in accordance with established accounting standards and budgetary control procedures. These incumbrances have been reestablished into fiscical year 2526 budget to ensure proper
accountability for prior year commitments. The total value of the roll forward purchase orders affects current year budget. However, this action does not constitute new spending. So, this is money that was set aside for projects that may have been advanced in the prior
fiscal year or had not yet been advanced. The dollars are encumbered for that. Since those projects haven't been completed, those dollars roll forward and are available to finish those projects. The total budget amendment of 58,118,80.31
reflects outstanding incumbrances as of September 30th, 2025. The amendment increases the current year's budget across various funds with corresponding funding from prior years available fund balances. if you have time and certainly I would
encourage you to look at the attachment. Um I think it's designated as exhibit A. It will show you the dollar amounts by specific fund. You'll see that the utility fund has the largest portion of these at 28.5 million. Those are major
projects that are underway that are funded in a year to advance them, but they're not able to be completed within one year. Um, but most of these are tied to projects such as the Winter Haven Recreation and Cultural Center, Fire
Station 5, um, lift station rehabilitations, uh, water treatment plants, HVAC equipment installations at the Florida Citrus Building, certain equipment purchases, uh, and the list goes on and on. But these again are projects,
equipment purchases, tasks that are underway that we started in 2425 did not complete. So the funds that were assigned to those efforts carry forward as the project continues. >> Any questions with that?
>> Any questions? And then the last one is um probably more familiar to you. And I I'll tell you on that last one, particularly for Mayor Birdong and Commissioner Dancler, you probably didn't see that as much in years prior. It wasn't until CFO Scott joined our
team that we entered we began using an incumbrance process for our budgeting and in accounting. Um hence that's why over the past two years we now have that ordinance required. The last one uh 2542 this is appropriating funds for fiscal
year ending September 30th 2025. So again per Florida statute city can amend its budget within 60 days of fiscal year end as part of the review of fiscal year 2425 staff evaluated expenditures to ensure adequate budget
authorization existed within the fiscal year in which costs were incurred. During this process, it was determined that several projects required budget adjustments to fully fund expenditures. So, the amendments are in detailed in exhibit A and those are necessary to
align budgetary expenditures with actual activity and to maintain compliance with Gazsby requirements in the city's financial policies. These changes correct budgetary shortfalls identified during the year-end closeout process and ensure city records accurately reflect
authorized expenditures of funds. Um, all budget amendments pertain to the prior fiscal year and are limited to the reallocation of existing resources with and between funds. No new or additional funding is required and there's no financial impact to the current fiscal
year's operation. So again, if you review item or exhibit A, you'll see that some of this, the first one is transfer of logistics Parkway from water and sewer to the transportation fund. You're moving money between two funds that requires a budget amendment. South
Lake Howard Nature Park, there are certain funds that are moved into that from impact fees and um and uh the general fund for sidewalk improvements. We're getting all those funds. It's all city dollars, but we're getting them
into the the proper fund for where those projects live. Uh there is one for the motorpool project, uh amendment one, motorpool road project, Lake Elbert crosswalk beacons, that was something we added into that project afterwards. And
then the sound and AV equipment for the Winter Haven Recreation and Cultural Center, which is um involving funds from the Florence Villa CRA. So just movement between the funds balances the budget out but doesn't incur any additional new
spending. And on all three of those I do want to give a just a word of appreciation to CJ and her team. Um extremely well done in preparing those ordinances and the clarity of those summaries. So if you have any questions with that between now
and Monday, we will be certainly prepared to answer those questions. Any questions? >> All right. >> Okay. New business. First item is the grant and aid application review committee. This includes the appointment of a new member and procedural
recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year um the fiscal year cycle that will be the 2627 cycle. So on September 22nd, the commission passed resolution 2548 that
further defined the GRC structure and role. Included in that resolution was a requirement that committee vacancies be advertised by the clerk, reviewed by the city manager or designate, and a recommendation come forward to the city commission for the appointment. There's
one vacancy on the committee currently uh and we receive six applications for consideration. Those are listed within your fact sheet. Uh I reviewed all of those fact all of those applications uh in detail. Uh in addition, I solicited
feedback from the current members of the GA RRC. Something that's not required within that, but I want them as members of that committee. I wanted to get their take on these applications as well. After careful review consideration, David Barry's application is being
recommended for the commission's consideration of appointment. In addition to 30 years of nonprofit experience and 21 years serving vulnerable populations, specifically in Winterhaven, Mr. Barry also pledged in his application
that if he was appointed, the mission of Winterhaven, of which he is affiliated, will not apply for any grant funding, allowing him to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. In addition, on November 6, the committee met to review their 26
process, review recommendations and guidance from the city attorney, and discuss potential refinements. They have four things that they would like to implement moving forward. One is to require that agencies applying have been in operation and providing
services to Winter Haven for a minimum of two years at the time of application. Part of the reason for that is that we had uh agencies that were formed just to apply for grant funds. They were establishing nonprofits um you know within the month sometimes
within weeks prior to the application process in order to avail themselves to those dollars. that doesn't give the committee any sense of how they're functioning and what services they're providing. They want to expand the reporting requirements to include mandatory proof
of funds spent. That speaks to funds that were previously awarded. So, if an agency was awarded $20,000 the year prior, they want proof that those dollars were spent as intended and as as applied for. They want to require that
all submitted reporting documents be both witnessed and notorized to give them an additional level of legitimacy and to implement an agency representative system for all public meetings of the committee. One of the things that has happened uh in recent
years um I think Commissioner Yates you have attended some of those meetings that committee will be having dialogue and and um and debating on on various items with an application and various people from the audience will come to the podium to speak on behalf of that
agency who may not have anything to do with that agency. This requires the agency to designate someone uh that will speak on their behalf if that committee has questions. So it avoids some of the the hearsay and the the misinformation that can come forward. Uh there is no
financial impact with this. If it's approved, we will notify uh Mr. Barry of appointment and um we will modify all of our applications uh for the application sessions that will begin late January, early February
of 26. parking garage. >> Okay. So, we've been going for about an hour and 10 minutes. I don't know if you need a break before I jump into this one because this may take a a little bit of time. >> Go ahead. >> Okay, let me get it to it. Sorry, I pulled up
the wrong one there. On October 13th of 2025, the city received an unsolicited proposal from 610 LLC, hereafter referred to as the unsolicited proposer, for the construction of a 292 space parking
structure at the northeast corner of Third Street Southwest and Avenue Cast in downtown Winter Haven. AJ, would you advance to slide one for me? Uh, so you can see roughly where that intersection is. Section 255.065
of Florida statutes, also known as the P3 statute, governs public private partnerships and the process by which unsolicited proposals are received as a means by which public entities can deliver projects that serve a public benefit in a more timeefficient and
costeffective manner. A parking a public parking structure is a qualifying project. Concurrent with the submitt of the unsolicited proposal, the applicant provided a $25,000 application fee as
provided for in the P3 statute to cover the city's costs associated with review of the proposal and subsequent construction plans, as well as construction inspection services and any other related costs. The proposal details the unsolicited
proposer's intent to design, construct, and deliver the completed parking structure to the city. The four-story parking structure is proposed to be constructed on property currently owned by Urban Action LLC, of which the
unsolicited proposer is a 50% owner. The unsolicited proposer will demonstrate control of the real property by entering into a development agreement with Urban Action LLC. The P3 statutes require that at this first dually noticed public meeting,
which will occur Monday evening, the proposal be presented to the city commission and that affected public entities and members of the public be given an opportunity to provide comments on that proposal for the city commission's consideration. In accordance with the statute, at a
second duly noticed public meeting, which will be your first meeting in December, the city commission will be afforded the opportunity to make certain findings in order to determine that the unsolicited proposal is in the public's interest. In making that determination
at that second meeting, the commission must consider the following factors. the benefits to the public, the financial structure of and the economic efficiencies achieved by the proposal, the qualifications and experience of the unsolicited proposer that submitted the
proposal and such entities ability to perform the project, the project's compatibility with regional infrastructure plans, and any public comments submitted at that first meeting. At the second duly noticed meeting, city staff will prepare in
conjunction with the city attorney an appropriate resolution for the commission's consideration and passage which will recite and contain the commission's findings based on each of those aforementioned factors and constitute a report that includes the public interest determination and the
factors considered in making such public interest determination. That report must be published in the Florida administ administrative register for at least 7 days. The res resolution will also authorize the city manager to negotiate
a comprehensive agreement with the unsolicited proposer. To assist with the review of the proposal, city staff solic solicited an independent third-party review from Walker Consultants. You may recall Walker Consultants conducted a
downtown strategic parking and mobility master plan for the city in July of 2022. November 5th, 25, Walker delivered their independent analysis of the proposal, making the following findings. The
proposed construction cost of $23,224 per space is below both the 2025 national median, which is $31,400 per space, and the Tampa region me median, which is $27,224
per space. This cost is within acceptable market parameters for a turnkey fixedpric delivery parking structure. The proposed soft costs are 21% of the construction cost and are with an acceptable market parameters of
15 to 25%. The proposed cost of $2 million for the land on which the garage will be constructed represents 20% of the overall project cost and when included increases the allincclusive cost to
$35,000 per space. The proposed parking structure will occupy a portion of one parcel, leaving the parcel's existing building and some surface parking intact. Current pro PK County appraised value for the entirety
of the parcel is $3.319 million. Depending on whether the parcel is subdivided and to what extent prior to being sold to the city, the cost is likely within acceptable market parameters for purchase. The proposed parking structure provides a public benefit by creating additional
parking space supply in a rapidly developing downtown area with significant current and planned growth. Can you advance one more for me, AJ? I believe we have an image that shows.
Yeah. So, that'll give you a sense of what they're proposing here. Staff's review of the proposal along with the Walker consultant independent analysis of same conclude that the proposal meets the requirements of the P3 statute and that the construction and delivery of
the parking uh structure as proposed the service of public need and benefits the fi defines the financial structure and economic efficiencies to be achieved. Describes the entity's qualifications and experience and demonstrates compatibility with regional
infrastructure plans. There's no direct financial impact to the city with this particular request. However, should the city commission accept the proposal and enter into a comprehensive agreement with the proposer, the total anticipated cost for
delivery of the 292 space parking structure is 10,217,496. So staff's recommendation with this item is for the commission to receive public comment with respect to the proposal and schedule a second duly noticed public
meeting for December 8th, 2025 for further consideration as called for in the statute. So at this point we're bringing forward to you the proposal. This is what they're looking to build. 292 space fourstory parking structure at
the corner of Avenue C Southwest and Third Street Southwest. Turnkey project the um the cost of the project if the commission desires to move forward with this. If you are in agreement that this
meets a public benefit and is cost effective in in terms of the delivery and the overall price, um then we would we would advance this. I've spoken with our CFO. We have
in our in our construction fund $4.5 million dedicated for a parking structure within our transportation fund, which certainly this speaks to transportation um outside of everything else that we're doing in the transportation world. Uh
there is sufficient funding uh to advance this project at the cost of 10.217 $217 million without having to borrow, whether that be through bank, bond, or interf transfers. There is funding to deliver the project.
So, with that, uh, certainly entertain any questions that you may have. Eric, Labby, John Murphy, and myself have worked on this for the past probably 90 plus days. um you know making sure that everything was intact there that the the
Walker study analyzed this um in accordance with their prior work. Uh there is in your packet the actual proposal from uh 610. It's a 43page slide presentation
that highlights all the information that I just shared with you. was this a little accelerated and as it relates to um I know that we had you know the uh looking to build a a second parking
garage uh that time frame or I don't know if that was ever uh really established. So did this accelerate the that process a little bit? >> It will certainly deliver it sooner than we could otherwise. Um >> I mean because there was some reasonable
expectation I'm assuming that uh we would perhaps need it by a certain time or I guess and I know that was contingent upon certain things being uh uh well we know another apartment building is going to be built in that area of course uh one is just
completed so and then of course the university you know having their presence there as well. So, a lot of things are kind of falling into place and I guess that's what I'm saying. Is this accelerating that just a little bit? >> I would say that it is in the sense that
so the Walker study was done in 22 and it looked at all of the parking demands that we had in play and what was anticipated to come forward. You mentioned apartment complexes. I think it's important to note that all of the apartment complexes that have been built
self-p park. So, they have parking on site. Um, and as I have been, it's been explained to me, that's really paramount for them when they're going after their financing. Even though you don't have to have parking in this downtown district, >> I assume they're required to do that
anyway, but most their financing is going to say, listen, you're paying back your your borrowing based upon rents and leases. Your ability to do that if you don't have parking is going to be hindered significantly. But what has happened in addition to that certainly South Eastern University has moved into
the uh Magnolia Exchange building. Bowen Yard has developed. Um you have Lucille's that is operating just up the street. Um long term this, you know, you have areas on this property that are
used presently for public parking, although it's private parking. And if those facilities develop uh is as they're forecasted to do, then that that public access to private property goes away and then that compounds the parking
challenges that you you you have today. This could to some extent, and I don't know how to calculate this, but if people are using the present parking garage and making their way down south of Avenue B, this certainly puts parking facilities in closer proximity to that.
Um, I think that it it appropriately positions this structure far enough away from the existing parking structure at Avenue A and Third Street so that you're you're somewhat strategically placed within the core of downtown
um and can accommodate additional growth as it happens. Millennium uh physicians just moved into the property uh to the east uh on the east side of Second Street there. So certainly this enhances parking for that. That was not a project that was contemplated back in 2022, but
has since come to be. So I think that we're seeing additional growth in the area that we perhaps didn't fully anticipate in 2022. You you know, you're going to have some growth, but what does that look like? So timing wise, you know, are you going to fill it up on day
one? No. But if you if you wait until the need is there, the land to do so may not be. And certainly the longer we wait to advance this type of project, whether it's through this unsolicited proposal
or something we do on our own, um the value of land, the cost of materials and construction is certainly likely to increase. When we built the parking structure, the the original one in 2012 2013, I want to say, Eric, we were
somewhere, I don't know if you recall, around two around three million, three to four million. Um, and what we're seeing through our own analysis of parking structures, that was about a 12 to$15,000 per space. and the costs today
um in the 30s to 50s per space. So those costs are just going to continue to to increase over time. This is I think preparing for continued growth and demand in the area and it it certainly enhances the opportunities for the
business community in that area by having secured reliable available parking. Now, overall cost, you said that the the land the the the purchasing of the land >> cost and then the building costs, >> right? So, in the in the unsolicited
proposal on page 15 of that document, um they show the land is a $2 million value. The soft cost, so design, architecture, engineering, permitting, all those things at 1.436 million. and
the construction costs of the actual building it's 6.781 million so combined 10.217 217 million. >> Can we um so just two comments. Number one, I just careful from the lesson that
we learned on the last one. If it looks too good to be a parking garage, nobody will park in it. Um, and I'm just not sure that, you know, I mean, it's beautiful, but, you know, we just let's make sure we put plenty of signage and
directional things out there that, you know, this is a parking garage and you can park in here. Um, the second thing I was just curious about was can we I know we don't currently restrict in the existing garage or other spaces for that
matter, but can we uh can we consider implementing a no overnight parking um requirement in the garage? Well, you can you can set whatever. Let me let me answer the first question first. So the
the team that they had proposed to do this project, Coleman Karsski is the architect. Coleman Karsski is housed in the middle of downtown Winter Haven. Um that is the same architect from the first building. Hence probably why these look very similar. Um I do concur that
you it has to have very clear markings that says, "Hey, this is a parking garage, not just a beautiful building." And and that's easy enough to to address. uh contractor is uh Whitehead Construction who built the very first
parking garage that we have and the um the pre-cast concrete um contractor for this if I'm not mistaken I'm looking very quickly is I believe Metramont which also did
yes which also I believe was involved in our first parking garage. I need to confirm that. Um, so these are folks that have done this type of project and and have the expertise to deliver it. Terms of parking and overnight parking,
um, you know, we can set policy as need be for that. I don't know that we have an issue with overnight parking in our parking garage to create a problem that would warrant deterring it. Uh, one of my concerns about
deterring overnight parking, um, someone overindulges and they're parked in that parking garage and I can leave my car there and Uber home or I better move my car or I'm going to get a ticket or I'm going to get towed. That's a concern that I would
have. We've had that concern on surface parking and and so we we we try and abate that as best we can. Um, we do offer in the existing parking garage, I believe it's on the top deck only, the
availability of 24hour reserve spaces because there are some residential properties in the downtown, particularly on Central Avenue and the lofts that are down there that don't have sufficient parking and so that became uh of interest. We lease out spaces uh based
upon 10% of the total uh aotment of spaces in there. I think any of those policies we just we have the opportunity to look at those. I will say that this turnkey project does not have any expectation or mandate
or requirement or condition that any of this be leased pack to the unsolicited proposer. This is 292 spaces of for lack of a better description free and clear public spaces. Um, if at some point the
city of Winter Haven felt it was necessary, and I'm not encouraging this at this time, but if commissions down the road and managers after me think that pay for parking is essential, then they have the opportunity to do that as well. So, I think all those operational
policies can certainly be sorted out based upon what the what's warranted. And I think we have a degree of flexibility here in so far as the $4.5 million if I recall correctly was taxable. It was not >> We actually I think pulled that out of the bond. I think that's CJ can you
confirm we took that from the bond >> right and I think that portion of the bond if I remember correctly was not taxexempt that we made it taxable so that we had future flexibility. But we used those funds. We transferred
them to another project. >> Oh, we did >> because we're concerned about arbitrage and we had to spend that money within a certain period of time. >> So, we used that money from the bond to advance a separate project and used the untimed money of that separate project.
We basically flipped those two. So, we didn't lose any funding, but we got out of the concern for arbitrage and how we >> Okay. a little bit in the weeds and we'll sort that out as we as we move forward >> and and I certainly understand your point on you know someone has a good
time and you know does I don't want to make but so maybe it's a 48 I I don't I don't know the answer but I guess >> abandoned vehicles becomes an issue we certainly don't want that >> well and and also my concern is I don't
want us to get trapped into a situation for example, like other projects that we looked at on Central Avenue that were going to potentially take, you know, parking and then well, why would you need to buy a parking pass because you can park there overnight? You know, I
don't once you have this amount of parking in this space, there's not a lot, but it does make all existing ground parking more valuable because well, I don't have to park a car there anymore on the ground. I can park a car in the garage. So just in that that's
kind of what's going on that going through my head and and not that that would come to fruition on this project or be anywhere near term. I'm just trying to forecast 10 years, 20 years down the road to where, you know, well, we don't
really need this ground parking anymore and, you know, this the the city doesn't get any um city just traps themselves is what I guess the point I'm trying to make. >> Yeah, I think you have you have total
flexibility in all that. I think the the gist of this is In accordance with the statutes, someone has submitted an unsolicited proposal to develop a parking structure on land that they have or can attain control of.
Um the cost is defined. The city has funds to accommodate this. long-term the availability of land of
this particular parcel and the lack of available other lands I think becomes a something that the commission needs to consider. Um and the cost of acting today versus you know waiting three four
five years I would expect that that cost increases you know 25 plus percent over that same window. So, you know, we've got the proposal, it's come forward, it's unsolicited. Hey, this is we we're interested in
delivering this project for the city. You all have the opportunity to consider that and um accept information and input from affected businesses and property owners and citizens regarding that. And
then if uh it's your second meeting, we'll have a resolution for you that if you want to move forward uh that will direct me to engage in creation of a negotiation of a comprehensive agreement to advance the project. Timewise,
um, I think from what I understand, it take about three months to get this to construction ready documents and and all the the soft costs needed on the front end and about seven months to construct.
>> The last thing I'll just add is just so my colleagues are aware up here, I will not be voting on anything to do with this. uh just out of an abundance of caution um my employer may be considered for for financing from the developer. So
just as out an abundance of caution, I think it's best for me to to not vote on this item >> and and we've looked at that to butress what commissioner or Mayor Prom Yates has said. We being myself and uh Drew Crawford and we've examined the um some of the ethics opinions and we think that
this is a situation where the mayor prom ought to recuse himself from voting but it's it's still a permitted >> um transaction >> and that's financing of the unsolicited proposer financing. >> The city is not is is not in any way
engaged in that endeavor. So that >> T is the CRA involved in any way and has this been clearly hasn't been in the CRA board yet or >> planning commission or anything like that to give us their opinions on it? Yes, sir. >> Is the CRA going to >> have anything to do with this at all?
>> There's no CRA funding associated with it. >> Okay. >> Well, it uh sounds good, looks good. I think that uh be curious to get the feedback and see what we get from that
and uh I think that'll be the way forward. Uh but it looks really impressive and I think that it will be a great addition to the area and enhance what uh what we're hoping to
uh see for the future. So great job. I I commend you all for the hard work and effort that you put uh into uh um trying to bring this to fruition. Thank you, Commissioner Dawson. I and I have to give a tremendous amount of
credit to John Murphy and Drew Crawford because P3s are very complicated. We've done one P3 and that's the res engagement we have for Bradco Farms. that's done completely different from this type of project. But these are extremely complicated um transactions
and and and processes. So they've been instrumental in helping my office navigate this. >> All right. Anything else? >> I think that's quite enough, sir. >> All right. Motion to adjurnn. So move