##VIDEO ID:iXc6z-r-ydk## commissioner dollison here commissioner Mercer here commissioner Daner here mayor proam Yates here and mayor bson here we will have an invocation by Dr Steve uh Negley of First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven and we'll be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Vanessa Castillo MMC city clerk please stand if able thank you Mr Mayor let's bow before God In Prayer wonderful God As We Gather here tonight we remember the people of Southern Califor California we remember the people of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee we remember not only the citizens but their Municipal governments as they deal with tragedies as they come to us we thank you God for sustaining us through the storms of 2024 and for the work of our city employees and all involved in our government God as we move into 2025 we pray for your blessings upon this city we pray for this commission that tonight will elect leadership we pray for our city staff who are so diligent in providing for our safety and our care and we pray for the citizens and residents here the people who call this place home and make Winter Haven a better place we ask you to bless us this year bless this night bless this Commission in their work we ask in Christ's precious name amen FL flag United States of America to the IT stand one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice good evening honorable mayor and Commissioners we have a a number of presentations that we're going to offer this evening our first is a proclamation for Anna Maria Ruiz perea and I believe that miss perea is here if you would like to come to the podium while I read your Proclamation Proclamation reads as follows whereas Anna Maria Ru Ruiz perea a dedicated student leader and exemplary citizen has demonstrated exceptional commitment to academic Excellence leadership and community service and whereas Anam Maria relocated from Colombia and has embraced her journey with a steadfast focus on personal growth business Acumen and government Affairs and whereas Anam Maria achieved the distinguished honor of being selected as the governor of Florida girls State through the auxilary the American auxiliary program showcasing her Visionary leadership and dedication to Civic engagement and whereas her tireless efforts include significant contributions to organizations such as future Business Leaders of America Deca formerly the distributive education Club Club s of America and various Civic programs as well as over 182 hours of community service to benefit the elderly homeless and underserved and whereas Anna Maria's achievements including her role as an advanced international certificate of Education Cambridge scholar taking one year to receive her Cambridge diploma student representative of the Business Academy board an internship experience with Al Ruiz water LLC exemplify her EXP extraordinary work ethic and her Innovative Spirit now therefore Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida does hereby resolve that Anna Maria Ruiz perea be recognized and celebrated for her outstanding accomplishments and commitment to making a meaningful impact in her community and Beyond in witness whereof he is here and to set his hand and caus the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be AFF fixed this 13th day of January 2025 signed Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor ATT test Vanessa Castillo city [Laughter] clerk two simple words encapsulate the depth of my gratitude thank you these words are more than polite Expressions they represent the foundation of who I am I wouldn't be here today without the incredible people who have stood by me through life's most demanding challenges to my teachers my parents my friends my loved ones and the 300 remarkable girls who share our vision and passion for a sh change thank you each of you has held my hand helping me build love and believe in a brighter World while lifting others to shine alongside us I am profoundly grateful to my w Haven family for hosting me and giving me the chance to give back to our community has given me so much this pin I pin pin I work today is not just a symbol of Personal Achievement it represents my commitment to being the voice of others and honoring the hopes entrusted to me every dream you shared every hope you have placed in me has a purpose and it is my mission to bring them to life to today I Rise for all of you for everyone I love and for those who need needed us with una awaring love and discipline and I will continue to prove that anything is possible lastly I'm grateful to our beautiful city hall for hosting us and to everyone who came today together let's continue to show that hope and commitment can transform our community into the very best version of itself thank you [Music] let me just bring all that the mayor Commissioners while they're uh they're gathering for their photo I do think it's important to not I believe that this is the first girl State Governor that we have had from uh our area ever [Applause] you can fill in up on the steps too if you'd like so we get everybody into the photo please one two three two right over here two one than [Music] you still [Applause] Anna mayor and Commissioners our second uh presentation this evening is a proclamation recognizing Martin Luther King Jr day we have members of our Unity commun uh committee that are here in the front row and I think Miss Parchman are you going to receive the uh proclamations this evening with your with members of your committee if you want to come forward our Proclamation reads as such whereas Dr Martin Luther King Jr devoted his life to the pursuit of Justice equality and non-violent social change becoming a Guiding Light for the civil rights movement and inspiring generations to fight against discrimination and inequality and whereas Dr King's vision of a bear with me and whereas Dr King's vision of a society built upon the principles of love unity and respect for all people resonated deeply within the values of the City of Winter Haven and his legacy continues to guide our Collective actions toward towards building a better more inclusive future and whereas the City of Winter Haven proudly celebrates the life and achievements of Dr King on Martin Luther King Jr Day recognizing his unyielding commitment to equality and the Monumental impact of his work in fostering unity and understanding across our nation and whereas the observance of this day provides an opportunity for residents of Winter Haven to reflect upon Dr King's teachings rededicate ourselves to his dream and engage in meaningful acts of service to honor his enduring Legacy and whereas the City of Winter Haven remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding Dr King's dream and by creating opportunities for Meaningful dialogue and collaboration to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to thrive and whereas during MLK week a wreath will be laid at MLK Park in memorium of Dr King's dream serving as a powerful symbol of Rememberance and inspiration for the entire Community to honor his vision and in his commitment to equality now therefore Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida does hereby recognize January 20th 2025 as Martin Luther King Jr Day in the City of Winter Haven and urges all citizens to join in honoring Dr King's Legacy by participating in the activities and events hosted by the MLK steering committee that reflect his principles of love unity and equality and to recommit ourselves to building a community that celebrates diversity Fosters in inclusion and up lifts all people in witness whereof he is heing to set his hand and cause the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be affixed this 13th day of January 2025 signed Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor ATT test Vanessa Castillo city clerk thank you City commissioners thank you to the City of Winter Haven Anna Maria is a prime example of exactly what Martin Luther King was talking about building a better future that's inclusive and brighter for our children and this committee has worked diligently to make sure that those efforts are recognized each year including this year so I want to give you a rundown of the um activities that we have planned for the week and open imitation for everyone to attend um of course tonight we're here for the proclamation so we're very excited to be here thank you for having us tomorrow night um we have Story Time with Martin and so that is Tuesday join us for story time with Mar parting at the Winter Haven Library from 3: to 4:30 this is a free special event that features inspiring readings by author Matthew hail followed by a creative crafts and celebrate unity and hope with the children who are in attendance it's a family-friendly event designed to educate and Inspire our youngest community members on Wednesday January the 15th we have our day of service um we asked for individuals to have the opportunity to submit and participate in various service projects across the community whether that's helping your neighbors helping in schools helping in your community in one form or another is what we're looking for this day exemplifies Dr King's call to action life's most persistent and Urgent question is what are you doing for others we encourage everyone to get involved and make a difference on Thursdays January the 16th we have our wreath land ceremony and movies with Martin so the morning will start off at the with the wly laying ceremony at 10:00 a.m. at Martin Luther King Park this is an annual event that honors Dr K King's enduring vision of equality Justice and peace following the ceremony because we know you're going to be cold um we will have some delicious Refreshments that have been has been donated from Starbucks Chick-fil-A and Panera so please come out and join us for that ceremony in the evening join us for movies with Martin at 6: p.m. at the Ritz Theater we will be screening the powerful F film till um which highlights themes of justice and resilience thank you to the Winter Haven um thank you to theater Winter Haven for graciously donating the use of the Ritz Theater and concessions for everyone to enjoy for free so please come out and join us at 6 pm at the Ritz Theater on Friday January the 17th this is our Unity lunch guys get ready because this luncheon is about to be a beautiful event for the entire Community we're going to gather um at nor Mayo Hall at 11:00 a. we have a keynote speaker that will be Elder Jimmy Thompson um who will share a message of unity and inspiration here we will honor the four 2025 Local Heroes that have been selected by the committee and we are so excited for that and uh tickets are still available they're $20 so please come out and enjoy the festivities with us in honor of Dr King's Vision once again on Saturday January the 18th we have the parade and so the parade will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. along Martin Luther King bulevard the parade will feature Local Schools organizations marching bands and will celebrate Dr King's dream of un unity and inclusivity once again parade applications are closed at this time however we invite you to come out and enjoy the parade with your family on Saturday to wrap up the festivities Saturday January the 25th we have the Martin Luther King community breakfast this breakfast will begin at 9:00 a.m. at Nora Mayo Hall this is a free event for the community once again that is being hosted by the concerned citizens of Winter Haven this is a wonderful time to fellowship and reflect um as we honor Dr King's Legacy so we welcome you and encourage you to come out and participate in one all or many of these events and also bring a friend along with you thank you so [Applause] much e more one two right over here one two three all right thank you guys what Mr Mayor I'm gonna ask uh MJ carnavali our Deputy city manager to present our next Proclamation all right we have our Florida Arbor Day Proclamation and I believe members of our urban forestry Advisory Board and staff are going to receive this so we have with us Shannon carnavali who is a member of our urban forestry Advisory Board Savannah W Stanley who is a member of our city team and Britney Hart who is our Public Works director whereas in 1872 J Sterling Morton proposed the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees and whereas this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska and whereas Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world during the local tree planting season and whereas trees can reduce the erosion by wind and water cut Heating and Cooling costs moderate temperature extremes remove pollutants reduce storm water runoff produce oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife and whereas the City of Winter Haven is committed to promoting ecologically sound urban forestry principles as evidenced by being nationally recognized as a tree City USA for more than 30 years and where as trees and Winter Haven increase property values and enhance the economic vitality of business areas while beautifying our community and whereas trees wherever they are planted provide a source of joy and spiritual renewal while standing as both literal and metaphorical pillars of our community now therefore Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida does hereby Proclaim January 17 2025 is Florida Arbor Day in the City of Winter Haven and urge all citizens to support efforts to keep our Urban Forest healthy and sustainable in witness whereof he has here and to set his hand and caused the Seal of the City of Winter Haven Florida to be affixed this 13 day of January 2025 Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr mayor attest Vanessa Castillo honorable mayor and Commissioners thank you for your continued support of the city's Urban Forest this year marks 31 years of being recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a tree City USA in the 16th year that the city will receive the Arbor Day Foundation growth award which is a award that is given for continuously going above and beyond to improve the urban Forest practices your adoption of the urban Forest management plan last year has led to the upcoming canopy enhancement project which you heard about from director Hart at your workshop on Wednesday this will lead to many more trees being planted in Winter Havens public areas but as you probably know many of our trees need to be in private land as well excuse me to that end this year we will be holding our 10th Annual tree giveaway for Florida AUB day 2003 gallon trees of various Florida friendly species will be given away this Saturday January 18th from 11 A.M to 300 p.m in South Central Park as in previous years each participant will learn how to properly plant care for and select the best species for their yard we hope to see you all there after the parade and hope that you find a tree for your favorite place thank you again for your unwavering support for winter Haven's Urban forest and for this Proclamation [Applause] today and Commissioners I want to also introduce Zach Strang who's the chair of our urban forestry advisor word I missed him uh the beginning right over here one two three one two awesome thank you [Applause] mayor and Commissioners our next uh presentation I'm going to ask um as our staff comes to receive these recognitions we'll do a a group photo with all of them this is truly a team effort what we do here in Winter Haven um and so to want to try and capture a photo of all them together with you that are involved in this each year uh since last year when this will go and this will continue going forward as you know we have our six strategic pillars that make up our uh strategic plan for the City of Winter Haven and each year we recognize an outstanding initiative or an effort that was taken on by the city whether that's at the commission level or by staff that exemplifies that strategic pillar and has a lasting impact towards the outcomes we hope to achieve so normally we would do this in December but with a short month in terms of commission meetings we've moved this to January so I'm going to invite these individuals forward by pillar area and I'll explain to you what they're being recognized for or the project that's being recognized so our first pillar is in area of quality of life and the project being recognized is our state Housing Initiative partnership and representing this effort is Diane Durr who just recently retired from the city and uh Cedric Cox who you've heard from a number of times as you know these individuals were part of the team that helped distribute approximately $1.8 million of ship funds to that are designed for affordable housing and housing assistance within our community that effort when when they started we had a tremendous amount of of funds that were there that we needed to to use and through a marketing campaign they have put that money to work and are making a huge impact on our community our second pillar is community safety this uh recognition goes to a team of the Tanya aers our safe neighborhoods director uh Le they're coming from across the hall and she has members of her damage assessment team following hurricane Milton one of the things that we have to do right away in order to meet our FEMA requirements for project assistance program assistance is to do a damage assessment of every structure in Winter Haven and that is an awful big area of 42 square miles this team completed the entire damage assessment in less than three days far ahead of what would be expected and they work diligently as soon as the as soon as Safe Light Came Upon Us they were out doing damage assessment to ensure the safety of our community so you have representatives from the police department from planning and growth management from safe neighborhoods from Public Works Code Compliance who who all worked on this and we're grateful for them our next pillar is responsible government and for this one we recognize the team of CJ Scott Allan weeks and Katrina Hill if they can come forward uh we're recognizing their effort to prepare one of what I think is one of our most impressive documents and and Brandon is with us as well um Brandon I'm surprised you can still walk Brandon just competed in the Dopey challenge at Disney so he's run more miles in the past four days than most of us cover in a couple years um glad to see you're still standing so the budget and brief document as you know this is a very important document that communicates to the public what our budget lays out as that 500 plus page document zeroed down to four pages that are extremely beneficial communication tool in the Strategic pillar of environmental stewardship I'd like to recognize Mark bombard and one of our newer staff members Cassidy King I think is here as well this is for the acquisition of the Bradco Farm property that was completed in late December of 2023 this is the first major linkage in our effort to establish the sapphire necklace so this 370 acre piece of property will be a a legacy property for the citizens of of Winter Haven um this will be a a Nature Park when it's all said and done and be an integral part of our water infrastructure in the area of infrastructure we'd like to recognize um members of our Public Works streets division Mike Mo and Josh who I don't know who is here I think we some Child Care issues this evening but Britney Hart the director of Public Works is here this is in response to the efforts made this year with our transportation Improvement program we spent the money that was allocated for our improving our pavement Assets in the last year more than the city has ever invested in rejuvenating and and reestablishing our roadway system they rejuvenated 18 miles of roadway five miles were micr surfaced and approximately 15 miles of roadway were were paved this year and that didn't include any of the roadway projects that we were doing independent of that so that is the largest investment that the city has made in improving our roadway and I will just say that from a tip standpoint and a road pavement condition index and MJ can correct me if I'm wrong I don't think we have anything that is in that poor or failing State anymore you may remember we started this we had had assessed all those roads we are out of that hole so we are now at the point of improving those that are in the fair condition in really making the reinvestment to keep all of our roads in the in the top level of of good quality um the last one that we have is for economic sustainability this is kind of an interesting one because it's not in economic sustainability where we normally see projects in Eric's Department this is we're going to recognize Julie Adams Scott isers Richard tank Arts who I don't believe is with us and our dear friend Dan chzn from theater Winter Haven if you all could come forward this is for the acquisition of the Ritz Theater so when we talk about economic impacts as I've said many times the whole effort to acquire the rich theater while it's a 100y old facility that we want to restore and and rejuvenate it's really about an economic engine for Downtown Winter Haven so we're grateful for the work that they did in in helping us uh inspect that building and Dan has taken the lead in a lot of the renovations in programming I know you've been to a number of events and you have another opportunity as we said this week so we're grateful for that partnership so that is our um those are the the team members that have completed or engaged in projects that we think are going to have a lasting impact towards our outcomes in those strategic pillars normally we give out all six of those Awards we have a seventh award that we want to provide this evening and this one is our um I gotta look and see our our uh Legacy leadership I forgot the name of it I apologize and we're presenting this one to you as the city commission so the Legacy leadership award is tied back to your adoption of the city of winter Haven's first ever strategic plan that will carry us from fiscal year 25 through fiscal year 29 a significant accomplishment on behalf of you five you have set the bar for the commissions that will follow and we're grateful for your leadership so these plaques will remain on display in those various [Applause] departments and on behalf of myself and our entire team thank you for your leadership and allowing us to uh to engage in this way that concludes our presentations as you make your way to the DI I will do one and this present this is not an agenda item but it is very fitting for this evening uh as you know we have have gone through a lengthy process over the past several months to fill a vacancy a forthcoming vacancy in one of our most critical positions and that is the fire chief for the City of Winter Haven I'm happy to introduce to you in in person this evening Chief Drew newbrand Drew uh Chief newbrand started with us last Monday he is still here so that's that's always great when they show up for the second week uh he had a full head of hair when he got here and I'd like to give Drew just an opportunity to introduce himself to you I know you'll get meet and spend a lot of time with him during what we expect will be a very long tenured career with us but Drew feel free good evening mayor City commission um I'm excited and honored to kind of stand in front of you as your newly selected fire chief uh for this community over the past week uh I have introduced myself probably about a thousand times so pardon my brevity with it we'll get some opportunities over the upcoming weeks to sit and chat and talk but I really wanted to explain that um I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to lead the men and women of the fire department uh we have a lot of great employees that I've met over the last week um and we're going to build a culture of Excellence that is going to resonate across the city um it'll be visible you'll see it you'll feel it um and I'm really grateful for the opportunity that was presented for me I look forward to working alongside each of you um and all the department directors in the room um so we can ensure that we've build a strong and Safe Community for everybody uh I live and I play in this community um and I'm really grateful to be able to add to be able to serve at this level in here so thank you guys for the opportunity um I look forward to it and I appreciate it thank you sir thank you [Applause] drew mayor and Commissioners is is Chief newbrand had said you know he lives and works in this community it's great when uh he has a long tenur career with with many other agencies most recently with the city of hanne City also with REI Creek and with Winter Park during his his earlier years um he lives right here in Winter Haven proper and has for a number of years despite working in some other communities so whenever we hire somebody that already has the learning curve down they they they know our community they know the assets they know the the infrastructure they know the the various landmarks and locations that is coming in with a just a a great opportunity ahead of him so we're grateful for that and with that I'll turn it back over to you Mr Mayor all right thank you um I see a group of uh Representatives here from the youth uh football league we don't have anything officially on the program but because I gave a welcome last year and I know that y'all won the Super Bowl so uh they're here I know I see Bon Bonita Miller back there so would y'all just come forward and present so that we can recognize [Applause] you w look at all that trophies it's a lot of hard work good evening mayor and City [Applause] commissioners residents of Winter Haven we are the Winter Haven Wolverine Youth Sports League the conference we play in is Mid Florida football and cheerleading conference where we've been a member of that conference since 2002 um we like we would like to come before you to present our coaches and the children and some of their accomplishments and year uh 2023 and 2024 for our football season 20 2023 head coach desar black um and his and his staff along with the flag football team won the Super [Applause] Bowl and our senior level was runner up in the 2023 Super Bowl Bowl which was held in Daytona Beach Florida yes for we are football and cheers so for uh 2023 cheer season our cheer coordinator Tamara Turman Truman and all five levels of coaches won first place with Mid Florida cheerleading uh competition in CMI [Applause] Florida also in the spirit Championship competition the junior level won the Best Of The Bay Grand Champions which was held in Tampa [Applause] Florida in year 2024 cheer season our cheer coordinator Charice Riley and her staff completed the season with all levels winning the mid Florida cheer competition they came in first place and was awarded grand champion in all levels in ponana on October 19th 2024 the ladies competed in the spirit Championship which was held at po State College on November 17th of 2024 the baby wolverines first place and Grand [Applause] Champions Mighty Mike wolverin second place Elite Wolverine first place and Grand Champions overall the uh Wolverines won the most spirited [Applause] group uh cheer continued the cheer group attended a third competition on uh December 8th of 2024 Spirit championship in champ in Tampa Florida again winning first place and Grand Champs [Applause] 2024 football season all levels flag Mighty mes peewees Juniors and seniors Advanced to the second round of the play playoffs which was held in rocklet Florida on November 2nd 2024 head coach head coach ter uh Terell fur furo who's not with us tonight and his staff um and the flag team won Mid Florida Super Bowl championship and head head coach Ted sharp and the senior team [Applause] won uh won the mid Florida Super Bowl championship which was held in New sub new subna beach on November uh 11th of 2024 on December 7th through 14th 2024 head coach de desw black and staff in the flag team attended united youth football league National Tournament this tournament was held in Plant City the flag team won na the national championship title by defeating Texas 12 to [Applause] zero we are proud of our coaches and the children we uh serve in this community and their accomplishments we wanted to share with the City of Winter Haven who we represent at the Northeast complex um we want to thank you the city uh leadership for giving us the opportunity to serve the youth in our in our community cons uh sincerely our president Berita Raleigh all right we would like to have a picture with you all come on on and I would also add that three residents of uh Winter Haven serve on Mid Florida uh executive board [Applause] Str what your not good was good we're more focused on helping kids awesome wonderful [Applause] dedicated [Music] peoplek you Mr Mayor if I could have appointed Personal Privilege I'd like to uh ask the commission and the Leisure Services Department to find a way to put all them first place championships on the fence out there at the Wolverine football stadium that'll be a good [Applause] thing all right okay we have no developments of notes um Commissioners you have the uh minutes Mr Mayor yes motion to approve five sets of minutes uh minutes from November 12th 2024 regular City commission meeting November 20th City commission agenda review session November 25th regular City commission meeting December 4th City commission agenda review and December 9th regular City Commission meeting minutes as presented thank you I will now close the commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to any of these minutes may do so at this time seeing none Clos the public hearing reopen the city commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor let it be known by saying I I posos this by the same sign he none the minutes are adopted we have no comments from the audience we have no no second readings all right we're now in the reorganization of the city commission C attorney thank you Mr Mayor commission and as you know uh the first meeting in January is when the city commission does the reorganization of the meeting as set forth on the agenda right now we have the election of the mayor for the city commission for the upcoming year and um at this point I will open the floor for nominations for mayor of the City of Winter Haven I nominate Nathaniel bertong Jr for mayor City of Winter Haven very good hearing anything are there any other nominations all right hearing none I'll receive a motion to close nominations for mayor for the city of witer Haven for 2025 motion to close any other discussion any comments from the audience seeing none all those in favor of closing the motion please say I I those opposed very good uh now uh we have one nominee Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr I'll entertain a motion to approve him as mayor for the City of Winter Haven for the year 2025 is there a motion on that yes I make make motion for Nathaniel bong Jr very good are there any comments from the audience seeing none any discussion all those in favor of the motion please say I I those opposed motion carries mayor you are meeting but I think before we do that I do have the opportunity to do some swearing in for you if you'd like to do that yes everyone can hear us yes very good if you please raise your right hand and repeat after me hi Nathaniel J bong Jr hi Nathaniel J bong Jr do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support protect and defend that I will support protect and defend the Constitution and government the Constitution and government of the City of Winter Haven of Winter Haven the State of Florida the state of Florida and the United States of America and the United States of America that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified to hold office to hold office under the constitution of the State under the constitution of the state and that I will Faithfully perform the duties of Mayor and I will Faithfully perform the duties of Mayor of the City of Winter Haven of the City of Winter Haven on which I am now about to enter of which I now about to enter so help me God so help me go very good every year I thought I was going to be the only person with ble here this is myct Da every year we we bestow on the mayor the official mayor's Medallion which is engraved with the names of a number of Mayors over the years and so it is my privilege and honor to put this on Mayor Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr again in recognition of the distinct honor of serving as mayor of the City of Winter Haven Florida for the 2025 [Applause] year City do you have anyone that you wanted to take pictures we want do that now my family members oh Jason Ser one more awes right over here JoJo Jason is it JoJo mayor I would just like to say to my Commissioners uh thank you than you for this extreme honor um I've been elected the mayor several times and each time is a sobering uh experience for me making me realize that it's not something that just happened we work and we work together and I appreciate you all having the trust in me to be your mayor I will do my best to uphold the values the principles in the spirit of being mayor of the city of w Haven representing you and our citizens to the best of my ability I thank my family members of which I didn't know were going to be here that have come from far and near to be here tonight and so I thank you all and to my wife of over 55 years who has been under the weather for the last seven days I appreciate her being here plus she has a heavy heart because her sister passed away this weekend in Norwalk Connecticut and also to my two nieces who lost their father uh this past week and so we've got two funerals that are going to take place in the next two weeks and so uh I thank them for being here tonight and uh love you all and God bless you God bless my Commissioners staff and God bless the citizens of Winter Haven and these United States thank you all right John you may continue thank or do you want me uh Mr Mayor that's up to you uh certainly you can no go ahead go ahead I I I combined a few items of business on the agenda but we'll we'll move right forward all right it is now uh my distinct honor to um open the floor for nominations for the mayor proem for the City of Winter Haven for the year 2025 I nominate mayor protm uh commissioner Brian Yates very good any further nominations if I don't hear any further nominations I'll entertain a motion to close nominations for mayor proam motion close any discussion any comments from the audience all those in favor of the motion to close nominations please say I I I those opposed motion to close nominations is closed we now have on the floor the election of mayor uh for mayor protm for 2025 commissioner Brian Yates I'll entertain a motion to uh elect commissioner Brian Yates is Mayor Pro 10 for the 2025 year there's a motion made any discussion any comments from the public all those in favor of the motion please say I I any opposed it is my distinct pleasure to say that that mayor proem is for 2025 mayor protm Brian Yates very good [Applause] and it will be my pleasure to swear in the Pro for the year 2025 you please raise your hand and repeat after me I will do it as slowly as I can I Gates iates you Solly swear you swear that I will support protect and defend I will support protect and defend the constitution of government the constitution of government of the City of Winter Haven of the City of Winter Haven the state of Florida the state of Florida and the United States of America and the United States of America that I am duly qualified to hold office that I'm duly qualified to hold office under the constitution of the State under the constitution of the state and that I will Faithfully perform and that I will Faithfully perform the duties of Mayor proem the duties of Mayor Pro of the City of Winter Haven the City of Winter Haven on which I'm now about to enter which I'm now about so help me go off [Applause] [Laughter] thank you thank you very much and of course also execute his would you like to make a few comments Mr Mayor and mayor proem I have John I'm I'm allow him to make some comments All appreciate the nomination and appreciate the the fellow Commissioners and making it unanimous um you you really don't never miss a day mayor so I I don't anticipate moving out of this seat uh for the year um but I'm here if you need me thank you all all right John thank you Mr Mayor commission it's not my uh my distinct honor to be able to present plaques make sure I do this by the by the order of business all right Mr Mayor it is my honor now to present you with this PL and for the benefit of the audience this plaque is presented to Nathaniel J Birdsong Jr in recognition of your dedicated Service as mayor to the city of Wen City commission for 2024 20 2 I'm presenting this to you today this 13th day of January 2025 in deep appreciation and recognition of your services as mayor for the last year thank we can have come forward please it is my distinct pleasure and honor to present you with the plat which is as follows presenter to bride Yates in recognition of your dedicated Service as mayor of protown to the city of wi Haven City commission for 2024 2025 presented this 13th day January 2025 for the last year thank you very much Mr Mayor that concludes uh the ceremonial portions of our meeting all right we're now down to um the on reassignments Commissioners you've seen the assignment do we have any changes none can we do it by unanimous consent John a motion is fine if you want like to do that oh we have to have a motion I would just I think it would be helpful for the record entertain a motion Mr Mayor yes motion and approve the city Commission liaz on appointments as presented thank you I will close the commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to address these uh appointments may do so at this time seeing none closed the public hearing reopen the city Commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor say I I oppos this by the same sign hearing none the alignment is adopted all right Commissioners we have the uh consent agenda Mr Mayor yes motion to approve the consent agenda as presented in its entirety thank you I will close the commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to the consent agenda may do so at this time seeing none close the uh public hearing reopen the city commission meeting all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I post this by the same sign hearing done the consent agenda is adopted in its entirety all right we have resolutions our resolution r2501 would you read by Tio and the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor resolution R-25 -1 a resolution approving that certain plat entitled Harmony on Lake Eloise phase 4 for filing and acceptance of dedications in accordance with chapter 177 Florida Statutes with specific conditions providing for the administrative correction of scers errors and establishing an effective date the general location Harmony and Lake Eloise phase 4 is generally located west of West Lake Eloise Drive North of Harmony and Lake Eloise Phase 2 subdivision thank you thank you City uh manager good evening mayor and Commissioners for USA Real Estate Group is requesting final plat approval for Harmony on Lake Eloise phase 4 this is a 57.2 acre subdivision track which will contain 322 building lots and 12 common Lots all drainage conveyances and storm Water Management areas within this uh this area will be maintained by the CDD a performance bond in the amount of 1,983 9307 has been submitted to the City of Winter Haven to cover the cost the remaining infrastructure items to be completed which include earthw work sanitary sewer potable water reuse water storm water management Paving and Engineering certification Harmony on Lake Eloise phase 4 was developed according to the requirements contained in PUD ordinance 06-12 the subdivision meets the minimum requirements established by this ordinance Additionally the subdivision is consistent with the adopted neighborhood Suburban future land use water service will be provided from the Winter Haven water system and Wastewater will be treated at at wastewater treatment plant three access to the subdivision is from Lake Eloise West Drive the roadway has sufficient capacity to serve the subdivision upon buildout this is an approval of a final subdivision plattin is not specifically defined as a goal or strategy in the Strategic plan however it is generally aligned with the economic sustainability and responsible government pillars using an estimated taxable value of $300,000 per lot the subdivision will have an estimated taxable value of 96.6 million and will generate approximately $637,000 per year in city and uh City adalum revenues at the current millage rate of 6.59 Staff recommends the city commission approve resolution R 25-01 thank you thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes motion to approve resolution r2501 thank you I will now close commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to r2501 may do so at this time seeing none I will close the public hearing reopen the city commission meeting any a discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I postes by the same sign hearing done resolution r2501 is adopted resolution r2502 would you read about title on the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor resolution r- 25-2 a resolution approving that certain plat entitled Villar phase 7 for filing in accordance with chapter 177 Florida Statutes with specific conditions providing for the correction of scor's errors and establishing an effective date General location subdivion is generally located north of Thompson Nursery Road realignment and south of Eloise Loop Road thank you thank you city manager mayor and City commissioners vmd LLC is requesting final plat approval for vamar phase 7 this is a 10 18.7 acre subdivision uh single residential subdivision contains 393 building lots and seven common Lots internal roadways will be dedicated to the vamar Community Development District or CDD all water reuse and Sewer utilities will be owned and maintained by the city while all drainage conveyances again internal roadways and Street lighting will be maintained by the CDD a performance bond in the amount of $391,500 those include earthw work sanitary sewer poble water storm water management and Engineering certification vamar phase 7 was developed according to the requirements contained in PUD ordinance 02172 additionally the subdivision is consistent with the adopted neighborhood Suburban future land use water service to this subdivision is from the Winter Haven water system and Wastewater will be treated at wastewater treatment plant 3 access to the subdivision is from Cunningham Road in County Road 653 as as well as the new Thompson Nursery Road alignment again this is a approval of a final subdivision platin not specifically defined as a goal or strategy within the Strategic plan however it is generally aligned with the economic sustainability and responsible government pillars using an estimated taxable value of $300,000 per lot this subdivision will have an estimated taxable value of 1179 million and will generate approximately $777,000 per year in City adalum revenues at the current millage rate of 6.59 Staff recommends City commission approve resolution R 25-2 thank you thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes motion for to approve resolution r2502 thank you I will close the commission meeting open the public hearing anyone wishing to speak to R 2502 may do so at this time seeing none close the public hearing reopen the city commission meeting is there any disc discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I opposes by the same sign here done R 2502 is adopted r255 would read by ton the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor a res resolution R-25 d05 a resolution approving that certain plat entitled Intermodal Corporate Park phase three for filing in accordance with chapter 177 Florida Statutes with specific conditions providing for the administrative correction of scor's errors and providing for an effective date General location subdivision is generally located the southeast corner of logistics Parkway and Intermodal drive thank you thank you City uh manager mayor and Commissioners whip 6 qbl LC is requesting FL final plat approval for Intermodal Corporate Park phase three this is a 56.96 acre tract again generally located at the southeast corner of logistics Parkway and intermetal drive the plat is a commercial plat that contains one building lot and two tracks all proposed Lots currently consist of undeveloped lands there will be no dedications to the city as a part of this plat Water Service to the subdivision is from the Winter Haven water system and Wastewater will be treated at wastewater treatment plant 3 there's adequate capacity in these systems to serve the subdivision access to the subdivision is from Logistics Parkway and Intermodal drive there is sufficient capacity on Logistics Parkway to accommodate future development in the subdivision again this is generally aligned with our economic sustainability and responsible government pillars approval of the plat will not directly impact current revenues from this property however additional adval and utility revenues will be realized upon development of the vacant lot staff's recommending approval of resolution R 25-5 we do have Representatives here in case you have any questions for them Mr Campbell is the attorney representing this Mr Jim Ford is uh associated with the property both are here I will tell you that this is also aligned with a uh Florida commerce grant that we have just received authorization from the commission to apply for to create a rail spur that will come off of the existing lines to the east of this property we did receive word that that Grant is in review at this point with Florida commerce so we're anticipating hopefully hearing something back from them in the not too distant future so we recommend approval again of resolution r255 thank you thank you Commissioners Mr Mayor yes motion to approve resolution r255 thank you I will close the commission meeting open the Public Public hearing anyone wishing to speak to R 2505 may do so at this time seeing n Clos the public hearing we open the commission meeting is there any discussion all those in favor of the motion let it be known by saying I I oppos by the same sign hearing done R 2505 is adopted we have uh one ordinance uh first reading we will not be voting tonight the second reading will be on January 27th ordinance 02504 which read by title on the City attorney thank you Mr Mayor ordinance number 0- 25-4 an ordinance extending the corporate limits of the City of Winter Haven Florida so as to include therein additional territory lying contiguous and adjacent to the present boundaries of the City of Winter Haven Florida describing set additional territory repealing all ordinances in Conflict here with providing for the administrative correction of scrimer errors and providing unaffected date General location for Parcels generally located approximately 1,218 feet north of old Barto Lake Wales Road East of mlan Road and approximately 1,333 feet west of Gary Street the area covered by this request is 93.4 five plus or minus Acres thank you thank you city manager mayor Commissioners gain Inc requests the commission Annex four Parcels totaling 93.4 five plus or minus AC at the location described by the City attorney petitioner seeking indexation for the purpose of obtaining City Utilities for the future development of this site current taxable value of the subject property is approximately $1,483 based on the city's current tax millage rate of 6.59 Mills expected annual tax revenue will be just over $75 per year however additional revenue is to be expected upon development of the property again this is one of those that is not specifically laid out within our strategic plan but does does align with Excuse me our responsible government strategic pillar staff recommends the city commission move ordinance 02-04 forward for second reading thank you thank you as I stated the uh second reading will be on January 27th however if there's anyone that would like to comment question or have any answers on this particular aordance I will entertain that at this time Commissioners anyone from the public all right moving right along all right we have no new business um the next we have the commissioner L on reports but what I'd like to do is the procurement manual amendment number two I'd like to have that come forth at this time certainly thank you Mr Mayor bless you so Winter Haven ordinance 0 22-25 was adopted July 11th of 202 2 and it established the first revision of the city's procurement manual since its original passage in 2012 with this revision further edits and amendments may be made administratively and provided to the city commission for information within 60 days of the effective date and shall also be filed with the city clerk this amendment number two included the following items with respect to the city's related party disclosure form this is a form that would be completed by employees upon their entry into our Workforce and then again in every year uh that became a little unnecessary is there there were not changes that needed to be uh that would necessitate that form done every year so that language was deleted and what has been added is that that form will be completed upon being hired and thereafter upon accepting a position of influence or purchasing Authority so we'll get that when employees start with us and if they if they uh have a change that would need to be noted on that it will be filed at that time and if they take on a position of purchasing Authority We Will We Will capture that at that time as well the second item is under asset control procedures so we have a very well-laid out policy within the procurement manual that speaks to how the city donates property that is no longer needed um whether that's a a piece of equipment or a vehicle that is no longer needed within our Fleet we did not have a policy that allowed us to accept donations from the outside coming in we did have a group at I believe it was at Lake Ashton I keep losing my my thought on that one so Lake Ashton that they had purchased some uh very nice outdoor fountains for use within their community that they did not need these were brand new items and they wanted to donate those to the City of Winter Haven so we did not have a policy for that we created one and so that has been added to the um to the procurement manual at this time so these changes are are noted as such and you have a copy of the the redline version of the procurement manual um we are providing these as delineated uh these were approved at my level on December 9th 2024 and they are respectfully submitted here for the just for the City commission's information and I'll be happy to answer any questions I think I saw Bethany Owen was with us our procurement offers officer as well if you have any questions for her Commissioners any questions and that does not require a motion of any sort okay mov right alone commission uh Lon reports commissioner danler okay a lot of time has passed it's our last meeting so but I'll go quick um had recently we had our Arts culture and Heritage meeting at the rich theater we're now going to go and take our show on the road and have our meetings in various places around the county Dan chz was there and put on a good show and um and uh we are next meeting I think is going to be in Barto somewhere uh also went to leadership pul County and actually gave greetings because you know mayor Pro Tim you're wrong he actually wasn't me uh but leadership P County I think it was class 14 so they keep marching right along so um Winter Haven of course at the ribbon cutting I'll let the mayor talk about that in a little while what a what a happy day that was for us to go out there and cut the ribbon for the Winter Haven rack and Cultural Center very proud to be out there and good turnout by the by the crowd had had a good audience and um very just that's just a good thing that we're doing there also attended the manora lighting I think we're all there for that um also had an fmit meeting this is the the Florida Municipal Insurance trust over in Tampa and uh I really do enjoy those meetings and had dinner with the mayor of longbo key and some others and um this and they were all lamenting the price of insurance and hurricanes and this that and the mayor of longbo key who is going to be the next upcoming president of the Florida League actually she said this is the first time in the history of longbo key that have a net migration out of out of Longboat Key and then the mayor of Cape Coral was there and said same thing's happening to us we have more people leaving and coming in and it's a combination of things but a lot of it has to do with affordability and insurance and people are just sick of the Hurricanes but it's finally people are starting to move out more than more than to come in and also they told us that in Longboat Key 80% of the houses there are owned by investors and not by individuals rentals and that kind of stuff so those are just some interesting numbers that we had um going way back Main Street Winter Haven had their Christmas party at Maritime we haven't talked about that that was a good time and of course silver properties uh had their party at the their Christmas party at the at the um Dairy down and last but not least I want to say congratulations to mayor bird song once again you're going to do a great job I know I know your family's proud I'm proud the city's proud everybody's proud of the job you're doing and congrats look forward to a really good year and same thing with you Brian with mayor protim um congratulations you guys are doing a good job and keep it up and you know keep representing us well as you as you go about your business and thank you for your willing to serve so keep it up thank you that's it thank you commissioner doson uh a lot of the same uh activities I was able to attend that uh commissioner had uh shared tonight and uh it's my first opportunity to be at the uh lighting of the manora uh that was really interesting really enjoyed that very festive uh just a warm uh wonderful event and learned something there that night as well uh also want to um congratulate uh mayor berong again for your service Meritor service for many years and also to uh Pro Tim uh Brian yakes for uh your outstanding service as well I do um it was exciting to be a part of the uh ribbon excuse me not ribbon cutting but the groundbreaking for the uh the new uh recreational and Cultural Center uh just being able to stand there and kind of see kind of the outline of what is going to be uh I I think it's going to be an amazing asset to our community that uh we will certainly enjoy and be very proud of for many many years to come it was exciting here tonight to see the uh the Wolverines and uh many know in in the community that uh that that goes back very deep in the culture and our history uh a lot of a lot of people were very proud of the being marching Wolverines and part of that Wolverine history and um also was able to share uh today uh Ruby Tuesday opened again I had a reopening and uh it was quite exciting they redone the place entirely inside and uh very nice including the bathrooms and all that uh I did take time to partake of the salad bar enjoyed that and uh was able to get on with my day uh I do want to welcome our new fire chief uh we're excited you coming aboard look forward to working with you and meeting you and getting to know you and uh certainly uh our uh thoughts and prayers to all those in Southern Cal California um you know watching that is just uh something that it seems almost uh unbelievable that uh something so horrific has happened and the tragedy uh and the loss of life and uh um you know that has uh really impacted that area I think like never before and so I I I know that's going to it's going to come back stronger and better but also I think it reminds us too that we're living in such Changing Times and uh heard reports about even redoubling our efforts even in Florida because we too suffer sometimes those issues of fire and uh having necessary resources and whatever is that is that is needed however he in this case we recognize that uh this was something that uh I believe that was well beyond man's capability to sometimes uh handle and manage so uh we always have to recognize that there is a greater power that is uh in control of all things so our prayers again to all those who have been impacted and for those uh responders First Responders you got to be ex exceptionally proud of each and every one of them for the work that they've done and all those officials who have to step up do the hard work thank you very much M Mr Mayor can I I I want just a quick explanation to my Commissioners at the agenda review session y'all saw me I was quite um I had other things on my mind my son lives in LA and he's in the middle of all those fires and he and I were talking that very night about his Escape Plan and what to put in his go bag and he called me in the middle of the meeting so I had to step out and talk to him and then he called back so actually I left my iPad here and everything so that's what happened I didn't want y'all to think I was dishing or anything but I was in the the middle of the whole fire thing you know 3,000 miles away with with my youngest boy who's right out there living in it now so that's what happened did he suffer any damages or anything huh did he suffer any damages no he's in an apartment but you know think he'd evacuate he's got to figure out where to go you don't have any people out there so he's got got a figure out where to send him all right I want to say welcome to the new fire chief I'm sure we'll meet again um also uh congratulations to the mayor and the mayor Co um um wanted to thank the recreation um Department Leisure Services um for all the Christmas events I attended a lot of them I it's been a long time ago so I've forgotten some of the names of them but anyway um and I also did the rec and culture center and I did the manure lighting um and a few other things so I'm not going to go through the whole list again but um when Mrs um Perez um mentioned the FBA struck a note I used to compete in those events in FBA uh futes Business Leaders um and um I was pretty good in winning in our district competitions but when we got to the state it's a little bit more difficult and I did place twice in the state for Mrs future business executive so yeah it's so congratulations yeah that's a long time ago so long time I represented the south Florida Community College Avon Park right that's it that's it may protim good evening well again appreciate the vote of confidence uh as mayor protim and also congratulations mayor um not a lot I can mention that hasn't already been mentioned up here so I'm I'm going to give you my wish list for 2025 why not right and these three things I've talked about before but I really want to like take them to the next level and and try to to really get some get some balls rolling on these three items specifically amongst everything else for 2025 but um one thing that we haven't talked about lately and the uh Statewide initiative failed but that is a local clean air ordinance for our public parks and and City spaces um I just that's something I think that's that we need to be proactive on as a city and and need to be uh taking the the steps there and that is being drafted uh mayor Pates Julie Adams who serves as the president of the Florida Recreation and park Association has acquired sample um documents from other cities and is working with City attorney's office and we hope to be bringing something to you for consideration very soon thank you yes sir um second thing was an item that I mentioned at the agenda review last week um but that is the school bus landing pads definitely want to try to get that as a something for all future developments um to require them to have that that school bus Landing Pad uh space and then uh last and and something that you I've mentioned many times up here and I I you know just want to see those developers agreements come forth with teeth anytime we attach some affordability to the development developers agreements just want to make sure that those folks are held accountable when they're um receiving taxpayer funds uh to go towards their their developments so those three things are are I got a long list but those are those three are at the top of the list for 2025 we will do everything possible to deliver on those certainly thank you all right welcome Drew we are glad to have you um great job T in your selection process thank you sir team effort um I had several things that that have already been uh mentioned but uh there are a couple that I I I would like to one in particular uh the ribbon cutting at uh at the Northeast culture center um I've been up here over 20 plus years and I have to say that uh I know personally firsthand that we've been talking about that Northeast cultural center for at least 10 years longer than that and it went from one thing to the other but I have to say I am extremely extremely extremely happy and satisfied that our staff this time was able to put together a plan that would give the impact and do the job that we needed to have done and so I just wanted to publicly thank you I've known the staff for the last 20 years so my hats are off to you all because you brought it across the goal line I think y'all can understand that y'all scored the touchdown so I wanted to just highlight that there were several other things the TPO the TPO disadvantage leadership poke the manur light uh Central Florida Regional plan planning Council the frer uh Council one thing about the frer the frer I just want to explain that to you uh the central Florida Regional planning Council there are like over 10 of those in the state the state is divided up into uh Regional planning councils each Regional planning Council has three Representatives that sits on a state uh Planning Association and I represent the central Florida Regional uh planning Council now that Association is just an association an association has no real governmental or nonprofit or for profit standing this year they've decided that they're going to incorporate the fracker organization into a 501c4 non profit and so we voted on that uh at the meeting that was held uh this past Friday in Tallahassee and so I think that's a a major major thing um attendant the Ruby Tuesday uh repurposing the the renovations it looks beautiful and so I'm very pleased about that and so I have a lot of other things but they've already been mentioned and they have happened and so so we going to move on thank you City attorney good evening thank you mayor commission congratulations to the mayor mayor protm also welcome to the chief of fire chief it's great for him to be here met last week and he's uh like we said he's still here that's great I look forward to a long tenure um nothing else this evening thank you thank you city manager thank you Mr Mayor and again congratulations to to both you and mayor protim Yates for the support of your fellow Commissioners and and the roles that you hold uh with Chief newbrand coming on board obviously that means that Chief Emery is is getting closer to his retirement uh we will celebrate his retirement at the end of this month and I believe that is on your calendar so if you have an opportunity to stop by and say thank you to Chief emry he has certainly done a outstanding job for us and keeping our community safe in all the different roles he served with us we will have a swearing in and oath of office ceremony for chief newbrand I believe the date of that is February 4th and that should be on your calendars that will be a public event that we hold you've been to those uh that we've done in in during your time here so we look forward to celebrating his his swearing in at that time I believe that's all I have for this evening looking forward to seeing a lot of you at the events this week for for to commemorate ml yes thank you Deputy city manager just a congratulations mayor Birdsong and mayor proom Yates that's it for tonight thank you clerk I Echo everyone's comments congratulations deputy city clerk back there nothing to see all right so we're down to the end Mr Mayor can I one point of of just I wanted to make um I mentioned this earlier and I forgot to make a note of it but I I do want to just take a personal Point here and recognize um Brandon with our our finance department Brandon can you stand up for us so what he did this past week is pretty amazing Brandon handles all of our grant compliance and management for the City so he's got a pretty heavy job with the city and we are going after more and more grants but um he did compete this past week he got up Thursday morning and went to Disney and ran a 5k before most of us were on of bed and then he showed up here at work he went back on Friday and ran a 10K and uh didn't come back that day but the next morning he got up and ran a half marathon and if that wasn't enough on Sunday he ran a full marathon and at uh 8 o'clock this morning he was right back here at work and that is a tremendous accomplishment it's a great Testament to what we're trying to inspire all of our employees to do about being healthy and living Healthy Lifestyles and I just want to congratulate him on such an outstanding accomplishment I just want to know if you are training for the Tampa Bay Bucks don't expect that from us bring that one up all right emergency B is not receive for the agenda a motion to ajour we stand ajin