CC08-18-14MinLONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue,
Longwood, Florida
Ml[N1UTIES
August 18, 2014
7:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Bob Cortes
Deputy Mayor Joe Durso
Commissioner John C. Maingot
Commissioner Brian D. Sackett
Commissioner Mark Weller
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Jon C. Williams, City Administrator
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
Troy Hickson, Police Chief
William Gulbrandsen, Fire Chief
Pam Barclay, Finance Director
Sheryl Bower, Community Development Director
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Cortes called the meeting to order at 7:00
p.m.
2. OPENING INVOCATION. Commissioner Sackett gave the invocation.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcement.
A. Senior Matinee will he held on Wednesday, August 20, 2014
from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., Longwood Community
Bunlding, 200 West Warren Avenue. This m,onth's feature is
Grudge Match.
E
PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
A. Presentation of the 2014 Key to the City Award to Mr. Michael
Towers.
Mayor Cortes deferred the presentation to the September 3, 2014
meeting due to Mr. Towers being unable to attend.
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Deputy Mayor Durso read a Proclamation in recognition of
Graham Zusi and his many accomplishments in the game of
soccer, and presented the Proclamation to his parents. Photographs
were then taken.
B. District #3 Nomination of the Business Person of the Month
Award for September 2014.
Mayor Cortes nominated Omar Furniel, Longwood Weddings,
LLC for Business Person of the Month for September 2014.
Nomination carried by a unanimous vote.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS
A. District #3 At Large Nomination to the Parks & Recreation
Advisory Board.
Mayor Cortes deferred the nomination to the next meeting.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Presentation. GMB Engineers & Planners, Inc. will be giving a
presentation on Florida Central Commerce Park Alternatives.
Mr. Babuji Ambikapathy, of GMB Engineers & Planners, Inc.,
2602 East Livingston Street, Orlando, Florida gave a presentation
on the Florida Central Commerce Park. He stated he did a study
for Seminole County and the City of Longwood, to figure out how
to reduce the congestion at the intersection of State Road 434 and
Florida Central Parkway. This also included the intersection of
State Road 434 and County Road 427, and the road between
Highline Avenue and County Road 427. He explained the
different alternative options that were handed out to the
Commission. He noted they used a transportation model called
The Central Florida Regional Planning Model, and they made sure
the model reflected what was out in the field currently and the
program improvements. He said they compared the daily traffic
for all the scenarios, as well as the cost estimates, which were
provided by the. County and City. He said the costs vary between
$640,000 up to $4.4 million dollars. These costs do not include
any property acquisition or wet lands mitigation.
Discussion ensued regarding which option would be most cost
effective and the challenge with Bennett Drive. Alternative 2B
was the choice that Mr. Ambikapathy recommended.
Mr. Smith, Assistant County Engineer, Seminole County said
when they looked at Bennett Drive, part of the challenge is the
railroad. He said they could not have another crossing to the
railroad too close to the North Street crossing. He also stated it is
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hard to add another railroad crossing. He said they did not do a
socio-economic study for the industrial complex. and that would be
in their best interest to get an economic benefit from whatever
happens in this area..
Deputy Mayor Durso asked why Mr. Axnbikapathy chose
alternative 2B instead of alternative 4. He said when they worked
with staff, they realized there are plans for the western part of the
City by Highline Drive.
Mr. Ainbikapathy said it was a close call between alternative 2B
and 4, from the traffic perspective to variations, as well as costs.
Alternative 2B and alternative 4 can be further studied to see
which will be the most advantageous to the City.
Mayor Cortes said he met with Mr. Blackadar over a year ago to
try to find alternatives to see what the County can do to alleviate
traffic on State Road 434, while increasing visibility through the
industrial area. He said they looked at High.lihe Drive and sated
Mingo Trail does not have connectivity to Florida Central Parkway
area. He said the Highline extension would bring it into
Commerce Way and connect. He said he understands if they did.
the Wilma. to 2B, but if they did alternative 3, the connection to
Dog Track, they -really do not need 2B. He said there may be some
contamination at the end of County Road 421 and Dog Track.
Mr. Smith replied and stated that is true, and if they come straight
through, it really floods in that area. He said from their initial
assessments in that area, it is actually a flood plain, so it gets
complicated; it's one of those hidden costs.
Mayor Cortes asked if the County would be interested in funding
some of this in the future, or is this something that the City of
Longwood would be responsible for.
Mr. Smith said at this time, they do not have anything planned in
their next ten (10) years and that it would ultimately go to the
Board of Commissioners if they wanted to fund it.
Mr. Williams asked if the Commission want to follow the
recommendation of alternatives 2B and 4, and have staff on their
side; re-engage with Mr. Blackadar and Mr. Smith to develop some
additional proposals to look at some of those unknowns to bring
back for consideration in the future, as opposed to looking at all
the alternatives that are presented..
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Mayor Cortes said 2B does open up connectivity to the industrial
park, but he does not see how it reduces traffic surrounding the
area more than the Dog Track does.
Mr. Ambikapathy said by making a connection to County Road
427 to the East, they are reducing the congestion at State Road 434
and County Road 427. He said it is a highly congested
intersection.
It was the consensus of the Commission to pursue alternative 4..
B. Public Participation.
Cheryl Bryant, 335 North Ronald Reagan, The Wild Hare. She
said they are really excited about the Farmer's Market. She said
they have a lot of terrific local vendors coming and it will be a
splashy, jazzy addition to Longwood. She said the City staff has
been very supportive in getting this started. She asked if the
Commission would consider a different name for the market. She
said what sets their market apart from others in Central Florida is
this market is near the station and is a green market. There will be
no Styrofoam or plastic T-shirt bags and they are billing
themselves as the greenest market in Central Florida. She asked if
the Commission would consider the name, The Green Market at
Longwood Station.
Commissioner Sackett moved to name the market The
Green Market at Longwood Station. Seconded by
Commissioner Maingot and the motion carried by a
unanimous vote.
Ms. Bryant said she and her partner Collette have three (3)
businesses in Longwood; The Wild Hare, Collette's Clinique,
which will include the Longwood Station Commercial Kitchen,
and an endeavor they are working on together. She said it is a
business incubator, which will be helping small businesses that
cannot afford to have their own kitchen to be able to do things the
right way and meet the guidelines of the County, State, and the
City. She said they are really excited about providing Mom & Pop
businesses that make jams, breads, soaps, etc. a place to be able to
do that. She said while they worked on this, they ran into a lot of
stumbling blocks with the City in trying to get this done. She said
Ms. Sheryl Bower and Ms. Lilly Sexton were great to work with.
She said they had two (2) meetings with the city to get
information. She said it took three (3) weeks to obtain information
that should have taken only a few days, so they are hoping to help
keep that from happening for businesses in the future. She said
they would be happy to help the City change some of the ways
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they do things and to be a part of that. She said after they
�. developed a budget, midway through they were told they had a
utility impact fee for a building already standing of $2,227. She
said that is not such a big deal for a WaWa, but :for a tiny business
like they are, that is a lot of money. She said they asked how they
came up with this, and got it reduced to $1,200. Her question was
why wasn't it $1,200 to begin with, and why didn't they know
about that from the beginning. She said they couldn't get the
permit issued because they couldn't find out what they had to do.
She said there were changes in what they had -to do and in. what
had to be paid. She said they were told the impact fee had to be
paid before the permit could be issued. After coming back several
times, they were told if they gave their guarantee they were going
to pay it, they could get their permit. She said it was a bit of a
struggle to get this going, so they would like to be part of the
solution.
Mr. Williams said they have a Pre -Development Inquiry (PDI) for
current business owners who are wishing to expand new
businesses or developers that wish to come in. He stated this is the
first he is hearing of these issues and said before they have a
response to those issues, he would like to meet with staff to
understand why the changes. He said they will certainly look into
it to provide some efficiency in streamlining the process. He said
there is a requirement for some additional fees being paid for a
change in use occurring. He said he will meet with Ms. Bryant and
discuss this with her.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District 941. Cominissioner Weller said he wanted to thank his fellow
Commissioners that helped him negotiate last week"s 'League of Cities
event. He said there are four hundred ten (410) cities, towns and villages
throughout Florida that are looking for economic development. He said
the City of Bonita Springs was actually paying finder's fees to individuals
that knew of businesses that were considering relocating. He said it was
something they should look at.
District #5. Commissioner Sackett said the League of Cities was very
specific this year to what he was looking for and what their City is looking
for. He said there is a company called PaveDrain that has a permeable
concrete that is about five ($5.00) dollars a foot. He said another company
was called Compliance Comlections, who track down :foreclosed property
owners and Orlando uses them. He said the Ethics Workshop turned out
to be a bust because they need this after the first of January. Urban
Administration is the committee he was on, and said when they put liens
on properties, they talked of adding a non -ad valorem as a special tax
�-- assessment instead of as a lien, and they have more success of getting
responses and paybacks. He said doing it through the tax department
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instead of a lien seems to have some payback. He said David Nour talked
about the need to get involved with people who are moving into the
community who are the millennial's. He also provided a re -cap of the
other speakers. He said he stayed for the meal Saturday evening and met
with Tesla Motors. They told him they were having problems with
moving to California, and he told them about what is on Highway 17-92 in
Longwood. He said they are emailing him back with an interest, which he
will forward.
District #1. Commissioner Maingot said there was a tremendous
variation in choice for all of them to participate in at League of Cities. He
said he was looking for things he could bring home and make use of to
further develop creativity, business development, and how to think out of
the box. He said he was impressed with the city of Bonita Springs and
their City Manager, Carl Schwing, who had a tremendous amount of
creativity with how he approached many challenges. He passed along his
information to Mr. Williams.
District #2. Deputy Mayor Durso said adding to the conference for the
League of Cities, he wanted to talk about Cyber Security. He spoke about
a Department of Defense hacker who works for a number of firms,
penetrating systems. He said it would be beneficial for the City and
businesses to have him come and speak. He encouraged the Commission
to sign up for the Advocacy Committee and reach out to Ms. Kathy Till.
He said he sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and he
learned that water will be the big issue this year, specifically, water re -use
and storm water. He said he wants them to put themselves in a position to
take advantage of this in Tallahassee for the next legislative session. He
said there will be funding. He received a letter from Congressman Mica
regarding LYNX funding and S,unRail stops. He would like to get an
overall update at the next meeting about where they are with those issues.
District #3. Mayor Cortes said he was sorry he missed the League of
Cities event and thanked everyone for their reports about it. He said he
will be attending the Mayors and Managers meeting tomorrow and will
bring forward information at the next meeting.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
Mr. Williams added Item l0E Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance
Grant (JAG) for all units of government within Seminole County Fiscal
Year 2015. He said this is to be added to the Consent Agenda.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved for Item l0E to be placed on the
Consent Agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried
by a unanimous voice vote.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
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A. Approve Minutes of the July 29, 2014 Work Session, July 29,
2014 Special Meeting, and August 4, 2014 Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly ]Expenditures for July and August 2014.
C. Approve the Monthly Financial Report for July 2014.
D Approve the utilization of a credit in the amount of $53,548.72
with Rep Services, Inc. for the purchase of exercise equipment
for Reiter Park and playground equipment for Raven Park.
Added on: E. Approval of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice,Assistance Grant
(JAG) for all units of government within Seminole County
Fiscal Year 2015.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved to approve the Consent Agenda now
updated with Item 1.0E. Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 14-2040, which
readopts Chapter 74, "S"tormwater Management" of the
Longwood City Code.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 14-2040 by title only.
Mayor Cortes opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
in opposition of Ordinance No. 14-2040.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt: Ordinance No. a4-
2040 as presented Item 11A. Seconded by Commissioner
Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
B. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 14-2041, amending
Article II, Chapter 86 (Parking, Stopping and Standing).
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 14-2041 by title only.
Mayor Cortes opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
in opposition of Ordinance No. 14-2041.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
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Commissioner Maingot moved to adopt Ordinance No. 14-
2041 as presented Item 1113. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Durso and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Read by title only, set September 3, 2014 as the public hearing
date, and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 14-2043,
which proposes the purchase of an integrated financial and
operational software system, authorizes a multi -year
maintenance and support agreement and authorizes the
issuance of a purchase order to Edmunds & Associates, Inc. in
the amount of $149,366.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 14-2043 by title only.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved to approve Ordinance No. 14-
2043 and set September 3, 2014 as the public hearing date.
Seconded by Commissioner Maingot and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
13. CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
Mr. Williams said during the Commission Meeting of August 4, 2014,
Deputy Mayor Durso requested a discussion on CRAs. He had staff reach —'
out to the Florida Re -development Association specifically, Ms. Carol
Westmoreland, to invite her to do a presentation. They hope to be able to
do that at the September 3rd Commission meeting, but there are some
questions regarding the date and previous commitments. He said as soon
as she is available, they will put her on the agenda.
Mr. Williams stated Chief Gulbrandsen wished to address the
Commission.
Chief Gulbrandsen said he was able to participate in a long-standing
tradition that started before his employment, which was the National Night
Out. He said they had a great turn -out. He did some research as to the
intention of the game, and the trophy is supposed to be a travelling award,
but the only "travelling it has done has been to the presentations and then
back to the Fire Department for the last seven (7) years. He showed Chief
Hickson what the trophy looks like and said there were some spaces
available for names left.
Chief Gulbrandsen presented Chief Hickson with a crying towel.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT
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Mr Langley said previously they had a discussion about moving forward
with foreclosure on the Code Enforcement Lien for 1100 Autumn Brook
Circle. He sent out a demand letter and got a response from the registered
agent, who claimed he is no longer affiliated with the company, and went
through a personal bankruptcy, and asked to leave him alone. He did title
work on the property, and it is in a pending mortgage foreclosure that has
been stagnant for about a year He said an answer was filed by the
property owner He said they have to look at the cost benefit analysis and
after spending legal fees if it will net them any great resolve. He spoke to
Mr Williams about this, and he said they are both recommending not to
pursue the lawsuit because of the cost benefits analysis. If they went
forward, they could potentially beat the bank to a judgment and force the
sale of the property quicker with the hope someone will buy it and fix it
up If no one bids on it at the auction, they become the owner of the
property subject to the mortgage. He said they are not responsible to pay
the mortgage, but they would be the owner without netting any cost
recovery out of that. He is not sure it is worth it.
Deputy Mayor Durso asked Mr. Langley are you saying when they assume
the property and when they sold it, that mortgage would transfer to the
new owner
Mr Langley said it would, and the mortgage is probably substantially
more than the value of the property
Commissioner Sackett said he lives two houses away from this property,
and the house is valued at $0, it is just the land it is on. He said it is totally
termite -ridden and is a dangerous house in the community He said"it has
to be knocked down and asked how they pursue that.
Mr Langley said they can have the Building Official look at -it and pursue
some sort of condemnation.
Commissioner Sackett said that was done over a year ago
Mr Langley said he can reach out to the bank that is foreclosing the
property to see if he can get any result from them.
Deputy Mayor Durso moved that they take the recommendation of
the City Administrator and City Attorney and not move forward on
a foreclosure proceeding and additionally ask the attorney to move
forward in contacting the bank to move forward with
condemnation proceeding to get that house taken down. Seconded
by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call
vote.
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Mr Langley said regarding the Sean Law property, they are still waiting
for the re -sodding. It is supposed to be done this week. He received an
outline of a proposal that has not been fully evaluated yet.
Mayor Cortes asked the attorney if they can make the re -sodding time
sensitive.
Mr Langley said he did not extend the deadline for the answer He said it
has expired. He said he would have to move forward with a Motion for
Default, and that in itself could take a month or more to get a hearing on.
He said he could try to impose a deadline to the attorney that if it is not in
by the end of the week as promised, they are not going to be as lenient as
they would like us to be.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo reminded the Commission about the Ribbon Cutting for Once
More Resale, located at 610 West State Road 434, which will be held on
Friday, August 22, 2014 at 5.00 p.m.
16. ADJOURN Mayor Cortes adjourned the meet' gat 8.00 p.m.
Robert Cortes, Mayor
ATTEST:
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