CC03-02-2026MinWS LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
WORKSHOP MINUTES
March 3, 2026
8:00 AM
Present:
Mayor Brian D. Sackett Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director
Deputy Mayor Abby Shoemaker Jacqueline Aubrey, Community & Media Relations Manager
Commissioner Tony Boni Jammie Tackett, Utilities Division Manager
Commissioner Matthew McMillan Matthew Hockenberry, Deputy Public Works Director
Commissioner Matt Morgan Adam Bryant, Police Lieutenant
William Watts, City Manager Michael Aprile, Deputy Police Chief
Liane Cartagena, City Clerk Molly DeKoeyer, Human Resources Program Manager
David Dowda, Police Chief Brian Amberg, Deputy Fire Chief
Troy Feist, Fire Chief Cuong Tran, Finance Operations & Budget Manager
Shad Smith, Public Works Director Anjum Mukherjee, Senior Planner
Dustin Woolbright, Financial Services Director Magdala Ridore, Human Resources Director
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director Ryan Rinaldo, Recreation Manager
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director Jared Roberson, Fire Marshall
IMagdala Ridore, Human Resources Director Carlos Escobar, Purchasing Manager
1. Call to Order. Mayor Sackett called the meeting to order at 8:04 a.m.
Commissioner McMillan moved to suspend the rules. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and
carried by a unanimous voice vote.
Commissioner Morgan moved to have the meeting live streaming on YouTube. Seconded by
Commissioner Boni and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
2. CITY-LED STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP TO RECEIVE COMMISSION DIRECTION AND DEVELOP A DRAFT
CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION
A. Strategic Planning Workshop
Mr. Watts outlined the workshop as a policy-level, long-term direction session, not a debate of
individual projects, line-item budgets, or day-to-day operational issues. Intended outcomes included:
• Confirming a shared 15-year vision and vision themes.
• Identifying citywide strategic priorities and the expectations shaping them.
• Acknowledging major tradeoffs, risks, and capacity limits.
• Providing direction for staff to draft a financially aligned strategic plan.
A survey was distributed to approximately 2,000 recipients, about 200 responses were received. Key
expectations were summarized as:
• High-quality parks, recreation, and community spaces.
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• A vibrant, active downtown.
• Consistent, predictable traffic flow, walkability and safe mobility.
• Strong public safety services.
• Clear communication and opportunities for engagement.
• Growth that maintains Longwood's character and sense of community.
Commission/Staff Additions and Emphasis
• Commission emphasized demand for more restaurants and shopping so residents do not need to
leave Longwood.
• Commissioner Boni recommended reframing "downtown vibrancy" as citywide "Longwood
vibrancy," including walkable areas.
• Deputy Mayor Shoemaker emphasized resident concerns regarding tall buildings and high
apartments, particularly near residential neighborhoods.
Businesses and Property Owners Expectations
• Thriving downtown and commercial corridors that attract customers.
• Active economic development support.
• Infrastructure and mobility improvements for access.
• Predictable development standards and permitting.
• Proactive communication and collaboration with the City.
Employees Expectations:
• Clear organizational direction aligned with community priorities.
• Adequate tools, technology, and staffing.
• Professional growth, leadership development, and competitive compensation.
• Sustainable workloads as service demands increase.
• Comprehensive benefits (including affordable healthcare), and a safe, respectful workplace.
Staff Additions
• Ms. Ridore emphasized a need for a succession plan and training paths so employees can
develop and fill roles as needed.
Regional/State Partners Expectations
• Coordination on transportation and infrastructure.
• Alignment on economic development and corridor planning.
• Regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship.
• Responsible fiscal management and long-term planning.
Discussion Points
• Mr. Smith noted active participation in MetroPlan and regional bodies, coordination with
agencies, and ongoing pursuit of grants (sidewalks, complete streets).
• Mr. Watts noted the City's need to be more assertive regionally (specific reference to
state/county transportation priorities).
• Mr. Kintner cited Bennett Drive as an example of leveraging federal funding through internal
coordination, enabling business expansion.
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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Public safety performance: ISO Class 2 Fire Department, accredited Police Department, response
times, and engagement.
• Financial discipline: internal oversight and multi-year sustainability planning.
• Infrastructure planning momentum: pavement management, septic-to-sewer, stormwater
improvements, CRS participation, asset management, and mobility plan and bicycle/ped master
plan.
• Quality of life assets: Reiter Park, events, facility rentals, and historic downtown.
• Historic resources: cemetery preservation and associated records.
• Operational agility: staff retention, teamwork, and responsiveness attributed to small-city
structure.
• Permitting performance: comments noted improved predictability and responsiveness.
Weaknesses
• Limited organizational depth, concentrated statutory responsibilities, succession vulnerabilities,
and limited cross-training.
• Aging infrastructure and facilities backlog: water, sewer, and stormwater treatment plant
upgrades, public safety facility replacement needs, deferred park and facility improvements.
• Limited influence over state/county roads affecting traffic flow.
• Revenue sensitivity and legislative exposure and personnel-heavy cost structure.
• Technology gaps and non-integrated systems, manual processes, and growing regulatory
compliance demands.
• Market constraints affecting development and retail attraction (stormwater and site limits,
limited city-controlled sites, traffic and density factors).
Opportunities
• Downtown Longwood and Orlando Health site redevelopment as a catalyst (tax base potential,
retail modernization, connectivity).
• Technology modernization and unified data strategy.
• Grants, impact fees, mobility fees, alternative revenue approaches.
• Succession planning, leadership development, cross-training.
• CRS improvements, BMPs, reclaimed water expansion, CUP planning.
• Annexation opportunities to incorporate unincorporated "Longwood" areas.
• Emphasis on maintaining City-owned land as a strategic asset and explore revenue generation
via leasing and development while retaining ownership.
Threats
• Legislative changes and unfunded mandates, expanded liability, and compliance requirements.
• Cybersecurity threat environment and compliance demands.
• Inflation, capital cost escalation, and supply chain delays.
• Competitive labor market and wage escalation.
Specific Legislative/Regulatory Items Discussed
• Mr. Woolbright reported active state discussions regarding property tax reform, citing a
potential multi-million dollar impact under a scenario analysis.
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• Fire Chief Feist cited HB 929 and possible workweek model impacts, bunker gear PFAS changes,
and potential replacement cost/timeframe risks.
• Mr. Kintner cited impacts from state-level restrictions affecting local land-use controls (heigh
setbacks, certain business regulations), and possible changes to inspection frameworks.
• Ms. Ridore cited proposed changes to sovereign immunity caps and insurance and liability
exposure.
Strategic Question Framing
Mr. Watts framed the overarching strategic question as maintaining fiscal resilience while:
• Modernizing systems.
• Replacing aging infrastructure.
• Sustaining public safety excellence.
• Improving quality of life.
• Guiding redevelopment strategically while maintaining community character.
Fifteen-Year Vision Themes
• Financially strong and resilient city.
• Safe, prepared, professionally protected.
• Vibrant, well-planned city with distinct character (historic downtown, corridors, and
employment areas).
• Infrastructure that works today and tomorrow.
• High-performing future-ready organization.
• Exceptional quality of life and community experience.
Commission/Staff Additions and Refinements
• Commissioner McMillan emphasized prioritizing the fundamentals first (financial strength, public
safety readiness, infrastructure reliability, organizational performance) with quality-of-life and
vibrancy as connected but secondary layers.
• Deputy Mayor Shoemaker emphasized using City-owned properties (notably in or near
downtown) as an economic and community asset and maintaining ownership while making land
revenue-generating through leasing and development.
• Mr. Capizzi emphasized the importance of proactively planning for facility lifecycle replacement
(parks and facilities) and the competitiveness gap relative to county-funded amenities.
Control-the-Controllables Emphasis
• Commission direction to be more aggressive on:
o Grant strategy (including the possibility of adding specialized capacity)
o Annexation where feasible.
Mission Statement
• The workshop reviewed the existing mission statement and a proposed concise rewrite:
o Proposed rewrite: "Enhance the quality of life through responsive, transparent
governance, strong public services, thoughtful redevelopment, and sustainable econo
growth."
• Commission and staff generally supported the concise rewrite and recommended avoiding
terminology that may be unclear to the public.
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Vision Statement
Mr. Watts reviewed the existing vision statement and a proposed rewrite.
• Commission discussion included adding emphasis on agility/adaptability in response to change.
Core Values
• Mr. Watts reviewed existing values and a proposed "HART" framework (Honor, Accountability,
Responsibility, Teamwork).
• Discussion suggested that the existing values and the "HART" structure convey similar content.
• Direction was to avoid unnecessary additions that complicate the framework.
Five-Year Strategic Priorities (FY2026—FY2031) and Workshop Edits
Priority 1: Financial Sustainability and Risk Resilience
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Five-year financial stability plan, utility and service rate and fee evaluations, align capital funding
to infrastructure master plans, expand grant and intergovernmental funding, modernize
procurement and contract oversight, contingency planning for property tax reform, liability and
insurance risk strategy, incorporate fire staffing and pension impacts, and strengthen financial
analytics tools.
Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
II • Ms. Ridore added explicit focus on competitive compensation and benefits as part of fiscal
sustainability planning.
• Mr. Woolbright suggested to strengthen direction to diversify revenue away from property-value
dependency (charges for services, fee structure updates, non-ad valorem assessments where
appropriate).
• Mr. Smith emphasized imminent and significant pressures on utility rates and noted stormwater
fee levels relative to workload and needs.
• Discussion highlighted risks of excessive fee burden. Direction emphasized:
o Fee changes must be paired with transparency and evaluation of millage adjustments
where appropriate to balance impacts.
o Fees were described as potentially more controllable and traceable than ad valorem tax
volatility, but they require careful use to avoid public backlash.
• Fire Chief Feist proposed exploring public safety and fire assessments (capital or operating) as a
dedicated revenue model.
• Commissioner McMillan noted advantages of accountability and dedicated funding.
Priority 2: Infrastructure and Asset Lifecycle Investment
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Develop infrastructure and facility master plans, water distribution upgrades, new water plant,
Lewis House renovation, septic-to-sewer, reclaimed water expansion, stormwater modernization
and BMPs, pavement improvements, replace Fire Stations 15 and 17, construct new Police HQ
ten-year capital facilities plan, formal asset lifecycle policy for facilities, parks, and equipment,
and facility security enhancements.
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Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
• Strong direction that major capital projects require front-loaded sequencing.
• Discussion:
o Commission advocated for a five-year facilities plan due to cost escalation risk.
o Consensus direction: keep a ten-year plan but front-load the highest-priority projects
the first five years and explicitly identify what is being deferred.
• Commissioner Morgan emphasized the need to rank priorities as 1A, 1B, and 1C to reflect
urgency.
• Discussion included grant tradeoff example: state funding that requires costly specifications may
not be cost-effective. Direction was to evaluate grants based on net cost and requirements.
Fire Station 17 Context
• Fire Chief Feist noted Station 17's footprint and design limitations relative to modern apparatus
and staffing. He emphasized the operational inadequacy for current staffing levels.
Priority 3: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Sustainable staffing models and modern facilities, recruitment and retention, evaluate long-term
fire staffing models in response to legislative changes, maintain pace with technology, training
and leadership pipelines, cross-department emergency coordination (including Public Works
roles), continuity of operations planning, improve public records and body-worn camera
processing capacity.
Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
• Recruitment and retention pressures extend beyond pay to include facility condition and
equipment (vehicles, apparatus, technology, and work environment).
• Ms. Ridore noted that workforce competition includes visible capital investment by neighboring
agencies.
• Ms. Cartagena added that public records management should include records retention
modernization, noting Laserfiche discontinuation and potential cloud migration costs and
impacts.
Priority 4: Organizational Excellence and Workforce Stability
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Citywide succession planning, leadership development, workforce attraction and retention,
cross-training, integrated HR and payroll modernization, ERP, unified data strategy, cybersecurity
compliance, continuity planning for statutory functions, legislative records modernization,
public-facing brand standards, Al-assisted automation where appropriate, benefits and wage
strategy, and HR resourcing alignment.
Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
• Ms. Ridore identified payroll processing as significantly impacted by antiquated systems.
• Direction supported modernization to reduce manual processing and improve workflows.
• Mr. Dunn identified compliance and capacity needs:
o Significant workload and preparation demand for CJIS audit cycles and state
cybersecurity requirements.
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o Need for proactive cybersecurity monitoring capacity (not solely reactive tool reliance).
• Discussion emphasized single points of failure risk in small departments and direction supported
redundancy planning through:
o Cross-training.
o Process automation where appropriate.
o Staffing and structure evaluation for critical functions.
Priority 5: Strategic Redevelopment (Downtown and Corridors)
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Orlando Health site integration, downtown master plan implementation, evaluate city-owned
properties and parking impacts, address stormwater limitations and state redevelopment
constraints, enhance historic district identity and connectivity, corridor revitalization, streamline
standards, and evaluate redevelopment tools.
Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
• Mr. Kintner emphasized that vibrancy and business attraction are linked to traffic counts and
density. Direction needed on tolerance for tradeoffs (traffic, parking, intensity) versus
community character.
• Discussion emphasized uncertainty regarding Orlando Health timing. Direction supported
preparing to:
o React strategically when plans advance.
111 o Evaluate bargaining and partnership opportunities to address impacts and community
goals.
• Mr. Kintner emphasized that redevelopment vacancies were largely driven by corporate strategy
rather than local decline, and could present an opportunity for modern retail formats and
reinvestment.
Priority 6: Community Character and Quality of Life
Staff Proposed Outcomes/Focus Areas
• Reiter Park excellence and expansion, Candyland Sports Complex modernization, Clock Tower,
historic district identity, partnerships, sponsorships, implement mobility and bike/ped master
plans, park grants, cemetery preservation, digital engagement, transparency tools, native
landscaping, hurricane resilient infrastructure, and evaluate adaptive reuse for legacy facilities.
Commission/Staff Edits, Additions, Emphasis
• Mr. Capizzi emphasized:
o Lifecycle planning for high-use facilities (Reiter Park, Candyland) to avoid reactive
replacement.
o Expanded walkability and place-making potential in the downtown and Reiter Park area,
including possible park expansion.
o The parking constraint as a critical limiting factor for event growth.
• Police Chief Dowda emphasized that loss and reduction of available parking near Reiter Park
would materially impact events and public satisfaction. Direction supported proactive planning
for parking.
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• Mr. Escobar noted operational and enforcement costs of structured parking (including potential
paid parking models). Discussion recognized revenue potential but also administrative cost and
customer impacts.
• Mr. Smith noted alternatives to reduce parking pressure, including leveraging SunRail parkin
shuttles and golf carts, and long-term advocacy for weekend SunRail service. He noted poten
expansion capacity of an existing garage under county control.
• Ms. Cartagena emphasized the cemetery as both a service and a historical record asset and
supported continued preservation language.
Tradeoffs, Risks, and Sequencing Direction
Mr. Watts reviewed capacity and risk constraints to guide phasing:
• If revenue declines, services and initiatives slow or stop. Contingency planning was needed.
• Staffing constraints limit ability to take on mandates, regulatory compliance, and operational
expansion.
• Identification of non-negotiable mandates and investment prerequisites for growth.
• Disaster response cost uncertainty and potential reduction in federal reimbursement was noted
as a planning risk (debris and removal tradeoffs with staffing and operations).
Commission direction emphasized:
• The strategic plan must clearly identify what must come first, what is phased, and what is
deferred.
• Financial sustainability is foundational, without it, the remaining priorities are not feasible.
Next Steps
Mr. Watts outlined the post-workshop work program:
• Draft a clarified 15-year vision.
• Develop a five-year strategic plan structure based on workshop direction.
• Align department plans and use as the platform for budget development.
• Model financial implications and capital sequencing with Finance.
• Establish department performance measures and reporting cadence for tracking progress.
• Present the refined strategic plan at a future commission meeting for adoption and public input.
3. ADJOURN. Mayor Sackett adjourned the meeting at 11:08 a.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission: 03-16-2026.
Brian D. Sack , r
ATTEST:
Liane Cartagena, City Clerk
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