CC04-01-2019MinLONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
April 1, 2019
6:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Ben Paris
Deputy Mayor Matt Morgan
Commissioner Abby Shoemaker
Commissioner Richard Drummond
Commissioner Brian D. Sackett
Dan Langley, City Attorney
J. D. Cox, City Manager
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
David P. Dowda, Police Chief
Mike Peters, Fire Chief
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Paris called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital will be sponsoring the
"Concert in the Park" event series starting Saturday, April 6,
2019 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Reiter Park, 311 West
Warren Avenue. The first band will be Skin Deep and this is a
free event.
B. The "Downtown Longwood Food Trucks" will be held on
Thursday, April 11, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Reiter
Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
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C. The "Downtown Longwood Cruise -In" Car Show will be held on
Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the
Historic District of Longwood.
5. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
A. District #5 Presentation of the Business Person of the Month
Award for March 2019 to Mr. Joshua Vickery, Founder and
Executive Director of Central Florida Community Arts, 250 SW
Ivanhoe Boulevard, Orlando.
Commissioner Sackett read a brief biography on Mr. Joshua
Vickery and then presented him with the Business person of the
Month Award for March 2019. Photographs were then taken.
B. Recognition of Deputy Mayor Morgan's Completion of the
2019 Institute of Elected Municipal Officials held January 25-27,
2019.
Mayor Paris read a letter from the Florida League of Cities, Inc.
and presented Deputy Mayor Morgan with his Certificate of
Completion. Photographs were then taken.
C. Proclaiming the month of April 2019 as "Water Conservation
Month".
Deputy Mayor Morgan read the Proclamation and then presented
it to Ms. Susan Davis. Photographs were then taken.
D. Presentation of the Beautification Award to Longwood Historic
Society for the work done at the Historic Civic Center located at
135 West Church Avenue.
Commissioner Shoemaker presented Mr. Butch Bundy, President
of the Longwood Historic Society with the Beautification Award.
Photographs were then taken.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation.
Judi Coad, 1695 Grange Circle, Longwood. She said Resolution No. 19-
1498 meets the residential compliance approach revised to adhere and
match the criteria set in the Land Planning document under the Charter
Section "Residential Neighborhood Protection", Objective one - Policy B
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and C, which has been provided to you. First, this is to be overseen by
our City Administrator. The term aggressive does not mean reactive. The
current reactive policy requires the residents to be the policing arm of
the city, pitting residents against residents which has not worked. I have
seen this first-hand by having a neighbor threaten my family and having
to file police reports concerning this issue. Eventually, guns were
involved at this residence which informs you that someone, because of
the reactive policy, could seriously be hurt doing the city's job. The lack
of oversight by Code Enforcement has allowed many projects to be done
within the residential areas that require permitting to protect the owner,
as well as the city. This is just the opposite of how Code Enforcement
should work. It does not require an officer to spend their time driving
through neighborhoods all day long. This is a management issue, not an
enforcement issue. An additional officer is in the budget to right the ship
in this department. The issue of vehicles causes a maintenance issue too,
not an enforcement issue. Home Owner Associations (HOA) versus non-
HOA residential areas are also a non -issue, because all residential areas
require the same treatment and service. HOA areas, however, may help
you reduce your workload. Residential versus the commercial per this
resolution is also night and day. Both deserve the same type of service.
Code Enforcement's job is to protect both types of properties. There will
always be complaints which is the nature of this job, which I would not
want. As it stands, the residential areas are being swept under the
carpet. Having an active system of dealing with all properties for
enforcement and education is what our city needs to have in place. Per
the attorney, I ask if you are allowed to override the comprehensive plan
without first changing those rules.
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District #5. Commissioner Sackett said he has lived in Longwood for 30
years, and has seen the Longwood Fall Festival, the Easter Bunny, Santa
coming through town, the Christmas Parade, and even Lyman getting
active with the community, but has never seen anything so spectacular as
the Pirate Seafood Festival this weekend. There were thousands of
people, and parking spaces were filled to the brim. The excitement,
along with the weather, of everyone coming in from all the surrounding
cities was great. The pirates, the ship, the mermaid, the food, everything
was spectacular. It was a great moment to live in Longwood, and I am
proud I was able to be there for a few hours. I wouldn't have missed that
for the world. He thanked Chris Capizzi and Ryan Rinaldo and their staff
for a job well done.
District #1. Commissioner Shoemaker said on March 22"d, I attended the
inauguration of Dr. Georgia Lorenz as the third president of Seminole
State College. The ceremony was very well attended, and I look forward
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to her positive and enthusiastic leadership. I earned vocational
certifications and an associate degree from Seminole Community College
long ago. I am in awe at the strides the college has made and will always
remember the old campus filled with many wonderful memories for me.
On March 23rd, I attended Cornerstone's Open House, where a near
complete foundation Tiny Home was displayed. The home was very nice,
well insulated, and very well built. On March 25t", I met with Mr. Cox for
his annual review. We spent a couple of hours covering all that he has
accomplished and his future plans. Overall, I am very pleased with his
management of our city and blessed we have a City Manager with such
ability, enthusiasm, and knowledge. On March 30t", I attended the Pirate
Seafood Festival. This was a superb event and thank you to all involved.
Reiter Park absolutely shined with happiness, people and joy. I also
noticed for the first time, signs for parking along Church Avenue that said
Event Parking. I thought this was great, and we had a very large
attendance, so this was helpful. The lines for food were very long. I
ended up getting one of the last seven crab cakes left at the vendor 1 was
at. This Saturday, April 6t", from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. is
Commissioner Drummond and my Leadership Seminole Fundraiser,
"Raise the Roof Family Fun Day" at Crossroads Corral. There will be face
painting, pony rides, and a snow mobile from the Sheriff's Department.
District #2. Commissioner Drummond said the Seafood Festival was a
unique event that really set Longwood apart. The weather and the crowd
was amazing. He thanked everybody that worked so hard to put on this
event, and he heard a rumor that maybe we could expand it to two days
if we can do it again next year.
District #3. Mayor Paris said he also attended Dr. Lorenz's swearing in
ceremony at Seminole State College. I am also an alum of that school.
That is where I first got a taste for politics many years ago, so it has a
special place in my heart. On March 24t" through the 26t", I took a trip to
Tallahassee, and one of the things talked about were Tiny Homes. There
is actually a big initiative and movement to make Tiny Homes a statewide
occurrence that takes care of the workforce and housing issues across
the state. We will be watching that closely. It is good to see those kinds
of movements, but bad when you start taking away home rule. It is
important to watch this, and it is good to know that we were not the only
ones thinking about the Tiny Homes as they move forward. On March
29t", I attended the UCP Charity Poker at the Palace Event that our City
Attorney helps put on every year. It was a great event and well attended.
It was bigger this year than last year, and it raised a ton of money. It is
my favorite charity event that I go to every year, and I cannot stress how
great of a cause it is. I will ditto the rest of the commission about the
Seafood Festival on March 30t". It was an amazing festival with
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thousands of people. We were competing with Altamonte Springs having
their International Food Festival, and we held our own. I never thought I
would say this two years ago, let alone this year. On that same day, I
went to the Kids House of Seminole County's Yacht Rock Revue
fundraiser. This is a great event, and it makes me feel good to be part of
this community. On the 30th of this month, we will be coming on the one
year anniversary of our City Manager, Mr. Cox. In October, when the
executive staff and employees received their raises, Mr. Cox did not
receive a raise. I would like to see a discussion about giving our City
Manager a raise for his one year anniversary on the next commission
agenda.
District #4. Deputy Mayor Morgan said on March 19th, he had a meeting
with Parks & Recreation, Leisure Services, and with a Mrs. Catherine
Spicer of Kaleidoscope Venue for the Arts. She is a new business owner
who has opened up an art factory on the outskirts of the city and wants
to be more involved in the community. We are trying to figure out how
to create an Art Walk at Reiter Park to add some culture and diversity to
our city. I was named to be a part of Advent Health Community Advisory
Council, which was an honor. Advent Health is looking to do a lot within
the community. When there are brand changes that is usually what
happens. These corporations are looking to put money behind projects
and charities to get their own brand awareness out there. As a city, we
need to take advantage of that and put it toward things we need help
with here. On March 215t, I had a Tri-County League of Cities meeting in
the City of Edgewood. On March 23rd, my family and I went to the Tiny
Home Open House. On the 25th and 26th, I went to Tallahassee and had
various meetings with different representatives throughout the state. I
updating them on the different things what we are doing in Longwood
compared to years past. Within one year we were able to hold
entertainment acts and have new businesses like eateries and a medical
marijuana dispensary. You really want these representatives to be aware
of these things. I was very impressed by Mayor Paris picking the
legislators brains and commending our city for the amount of success we
have had in such a short time. I also went up there to get state funding
or grants for anti -concussion helmets. Deputy Mayor Morgan believes
that within the next five to ten years we will see Pop Warner go away and
the kids playing flag football instead because of these concussion
problems. On March 27th, I had a Parks and Recreation Meeting with
Chris Capizzi and Ryan Rinaldo to talk with them about getting a Public
Relations plan together for our concert series we have coming up. I want
to push this positive momentum we have going for us. I also met with
Lyman High School to introduce Mark Romagosa from The Sharing
Center, who wanted to donate toward the anti -concussion helmet fund.
want to thank Butch Bundy who is here and who donated to this fund
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right before the meeting started today. Additionally, I had two meetings
about the upcoming Charter Advisory board candidates from my district.
Deputy Mayor Morgan went on to say he had received a letter from a
seven-year old girl who he will be honoring at the next meeting. He also
attended a Lyman basketball game of students versus faculty, a Wayne
Densch Gala, and the Seminole County Opioid Council meeting. He said
he is a very proud, thirteen year recovery drug addict himself, and one of
the things he is looking forward to see is a state requirement not allowing
addicts, who have been released from rehab, the choice of being put on
Methadone or Suboxone. Methadone is highly addictive, and if I had
made that choice, I would probably still be addicted to this day. You
really should not be letting the addict choose. He met again with Leisure
Services to see the breakdown of the Splash Pad's fence to get to its
filtering system. Mr. Rinaldo is making sure our kids are getting the
cleanest and safest water possible. He videoed this process and will
make sure it is put up on the City's website and Facebook page when the
time comes for the official opening. Deputy Mayor Morgan said we need
to start thinking about next year's budget and what we are going to do to
continue bringing in amazing bands, comedians and other types of
entertainment acts we have not yet thought of. We have to figure out
where we are going to get the funds for that. He mentioned an idea
about partnering with Advent Health, South Seminole Hospital, and
Publix, for a sponsorship deal. These are opportunities we have that we
have never had before and need to take advantage of them.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the February 18, 2019 Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for March 2019.
C. Approve an increase in the amount of $23,000 to purchase order
#19000058 for Emergency Vehicles, Inc. for preventative
maintenance and mechanical repair service.
D. Approve a Field Use Agreement between the City and the
Longwood Babe Ruth Baseball League of Seminole County, Inc.
for the use of the City baseball and softball fields.
E. Approve waiving the Longwood Community Building rental fee
in the amount of $560, excluding the attendant fee of $25 per
hour, and still requiring the deposit of $250 for the Seminole Soil
& Water Conservation District event, which will be held on April
29, 2019.
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F. Approve a donation in the amount of $2,000 to The Christian
Sharing Center from the State Law Enforcement Confiscation
Fund to support the sharing center's ongoing efforts to provide
resources for families and individuals in need and prevent
homelessness and the consequences of homelessness.
G. Approve a purchase order in the amount of $20,210 to Advent
Health Medical Group — Central Florida for annual firefighter
health exams.
Mr. Cox pointed out that on Item 10D Longwood Elementary was
noted in the agreement and was removed. The one being signed
this evening has been updated.
Commissioner Sackett moved to approve Items 10A
through 10G as presented. Seconded by Commissioner
Drummond and carried by a unanimous roll call.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 19-2153,
amending Longwood City Code Chapter 14 regarding Animals.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 19-2153 by title only.
Chief Dowda presented the Item
Mayor Paris opened the public hearing.
Jean Williamson, 1415 Arborhouse Court, Longwood. She said
recently there was an incident in the city where a neighbor's dog
was killed by another dog. Through research, she found that
Seminole County and Longwood do have different regulations.
One of the major points is that Seminole County adheres to the
State law which indicates that vicious animals are handled
differently than the way the city handles them. The city declared
an animal vicious, and could not live in the city, if it had attacked
another dog or an animal. Seminole County regulations do not
have that stipulation. It was quite a problem to get that resolved,
and she is somewhat concerned about that particular application
of Seminole County.
The City Manager suggested that staff come back and readdress
this after the Public Hearing.
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No one else spoke in favor or opposition to Ordinance No. 19-
2153.
Commissioner Sackett moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Drummond and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Chief Dowda said the recent changes to Seminole County's
Chapter would implement not only dangerous dog rules and
hearings, but also specifically addressed vicious animals, including
dogs. It would address Ms. Williamson's incident.
Mr. Langley said we are adopting the Seminole County's new
code, so that is what applies. Whatever the county requires for
the process is the process we would follow. The county would be
enforcing this.
Discussion ensued about the details of the code and its
application to the City of Longwood.
Commissioner Sackett moved to adopt Ordinance No. 19-
2153 as presented Item 11A. Seconded by Commissioner
Drummond and carried by a four -to -one (4-1) roll call vote
with Deputy Mayor Morgan voting nay.
B. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No.19-2154, a petition
for the vacation/abandonment of a portion of a drainage and
utility easement at 860 Bucksaw Place.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 19-2154 by title only.
Mr. Kintner presented the Item.
Mayor Paris opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
opposition to Ordinance No. 19-2154.
Commissioner Sackett moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Drummond and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Drummond moved to adopt Ordinance No.
19-2154 as presented Item 11B. Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Morgan.
Discussion ensued regarding the location of the easement.
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Motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
C. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 19-2155, which
grants a Non -Exclusive Franchise for the collection of
Commercial Solid Waste and/or Recovered Materials to JJ's
Waste & Recycling, LLC.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 19-2155 by title only.
Mayor Paris opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor or
opposition to Ordinance No. 19-2155.
Commissioner Sackett moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and carried by a
unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Sackett moved to adopt Ordinance No. 19-
2155 as presented Item 11C. Seconded by Commissioner
Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. City Commission to review a request from Oakwood
Construction and Development for a lot split at 143 West Bay
Avenue.
Mr. Kintner presented the Item.
Commissioner Sackett moved to approve SD 02-19 for a lot
split at 143 West Bay Avenue to create two lots with the
following conditions:
• At the time of building permit submittal, the
applicant shall provide a recorded shared access
easement and related agreement for the shared
driveway.
• All utility equipment shall be provided to the rear
of the primary structures.
• Any existing non -conforming structures from the
new lots shall be removed from the property.
• Accurate surveys and/or plans shall be provided for
the recording of the lots.
Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote.
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B. Based on Commission discussion at the March 4th Meeting, read
by title only and consider adopting Resolution No. 19-1498,
which establishes a Code Compliance Policy for the Community
Development Department.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 19-1498 by title only.
Mr. Cox and Mr. Kintner presented the Item and answered
questions.
Commissioner Drummond moved to adopt Resolution No.
19-1498 as presented Item 1213. Seconded by
Commissioner Shoemaker and carried by a three -to -two
(3-2) roll call vote with Deputy Mayor Morgan and
Commissioner Sackett voting nay.
C. Hear a waiver request from Cory Fairbanks Mazda to exceed the
signage allowance per Sec. 58-191 of the Longwood City Code for
three 30-day back-to-back Temporary Use Permits (TUP 03-19)
for a Construction Sale event starting on April 2, 2019.
Mr. Kintner presented the Item.
Commissioner Shoemaker moved to approve Item 11C as
presented. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and
carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Cox thanked Chief Dowda for filling in for him at the last meeting.
Regarding the condemned shed, we are awaiting quotes on that
currently. We believe we have identified a potential site for the Flea
World sign. If there are any concerns with us moving forward with that
site, please contact me before Friday. Otherwise, we will move forward
with that site and put plans together for the installation of it. Regarding
the Lewis House, there is some interest from someone who lives in the
Historic District. Ideas were discussed and generated, and the owner of
the property will put together some ideas and send them over to us. The
lighting on Rosedale Avenue is still waiting on Duke Energy pricing. Reiter
Park has rock in the stream bed now, which does sharpen up the look.
They are currently regrading some small areas, correcting the drainage
issue, as well as splash pad issues, and some electrical issues. We are
hopeful they will be completely done by the end of the month. They
were asked to put their invasive work on hold while we were setting up
for the Seafood Festival. The tennis and basketball courts received brand
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new asphalt, and are now in a curing phase for the next 40 days. We do
have plans for a Pickle Ball Court, and after that, the fence around the
court will go back up. Mr. Cox passed out paperwork regarding our
Property & Casualty Insurance. Regarding Ronald Reagan Boulevard
(County Road 427), they will soon be starting the brick work. He said
Whispering Oaks went before the Special Magistrate and was found .
guilty. There was a fee of $100 per day imposed as long as_they remain in
violation. They gave the property owner until May 15th to hire a
contractor and bring all permits and make all changes that were .
necessary. There were a number of other properties in the same area
that were also fined $50 per day for every day they were in violation.
Mr. Cox said regarding Code Enforcement, he appreciates everyone's
thoughts on that. It is not an easy thing to do. He wants us to try to be
unified in support of what we vote for. He appreciates us setting a date
for the appointment for the Charter Review. We have a couple of
gentlemen in the Police Department working on public relations, so I
called them and gave them a one day notice and said we want to put
together a campaign to recruit people to help spur interest in the Charter
Advisory Committee. They put that together in one day. He
congratulated Jeff French, who was recently promoted to Utility Field
Supervisor. He shared having departmental reports for each of the
departments throughout the year. The Commission will hear the things
they are working on. This will begin in May. The first one will be the Fire
Department. He gave kudos to staff regarding the Pirate Seafood
Festival. It was estimated there were about 5,000 to 9,000 people. The
cartoon graphics were phenomenal. He thanked the Citizens on Patrol,
for traffic and parking control, and the Certified Emergency Response
Team, for their Relief Station. At the next meeting, one of the highlights
will be an easement agreement with American Industrial Center.
14. CITY ATTORNEYS REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo has received three completed Board Applications and emailed
out eight to individuals interested in serving on the Charter Advisory
Committee. She said at the end of this week she will email everything
received up to that point to the Commission for their review.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Paris adjourned the meeting at 7:51 p.m.
Matt Morgan,7 ayor
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