Loading...
CC02-01-2021MinLONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION Longwood City Commission Chambers 175 West Warren Avenue Longwood, Florida MINUTES February 1, 2021 6:00 P.M. Present: Mayor Richard Drummond Deputy Mayor Abby Shoemaker Commissioner Matt McMillan Commissioner Matt Morgan Commissioner Brian D. Sackett Dan Langley, City Attorney Clint Gioielli, Acting City Manager Michelle Longo, City Clerk David P. Dowda, Police Chief Chris Kintner, Community Development Director (Zoom) Shad Smith, Public Works Director (Zoom) Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director Judith Rosado, Financial Services Director CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Drummond called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION 3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Commissioner McMillan led the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following announcements. A. The Mid -Florida Mustang Club's 34t' Annual Mustang and Ford Round -Up will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the Historic District of Longwood. B. The "Downtown Longwood Food Trucks" will be held on Thursday, February 11, 2021, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue. C. The "Downtown Longwood Cruise -In" Car Show will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2021, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the Historic District of Longwood. CC 02-01-2021/1 5. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS. None. 6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None. 7. PUBLIC INPUT. A. Public Participation. None. 8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT District #3. Commissioner McMillan remarked today was the anniversary of the Columbia disaster. He said the Challenger was a fatal lift-off accident; the Columbia was supposed to land at the Kennedy Space Center and broke up over Texas. He memorialized the crew Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon. Commissioner McMillan reported on his theme "The true, the good, and the beautiful" and mentioned the truth being science, facts, and numbers. He received an email a couple of weeks ago regarding the Finance Department receiving a Certificate of Achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association. He said we rely on those numbers to make the decisions we make as a Commission. When we are given good information, we can make good decisions. He applauded their hard work. As far as "The Good", he and the Commission attended the 35th Anniversary celebration for The Sharing Center last week. He thought it was a great symbol of voluntarism and neighborliness that they had been in this City for 35 years. He noted Sheriff Lemma along with business and faith leaders came together to talk about supporting the homeless community and how they are leading and expanding in that aspect. He said, "The Beautiful" is the category for aesthetic. He mentioned food and said it can be beautiful when it smells and tastes great. He reported attending the Battle of the Food Trucks and said there were many great offerings there. He gave high marks for the event. He noted the annual Battle of the Food Trucks event is bigger than our monthly food truck events. Lastly, he mentioned receiving compliments throughout the community and at the Chamber of Commerce Board meeting he attended last week, on Longwood doing it right. District #4. Commissioner Morgan reported attending the Seminole County Opioid Council meeting on Thursday the 215t. He said with many members and the virus, Zoom meetings were difficult to get everyone to take part. It was great getting everybody back together. He reported attending Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy's Elected Officials conference call on the 28th. That same evening, he also attended The Sharing Center 35th Anniversary celebration. He said it was a great opportunity to see their history and the different partners in our community that have stepped up. He commended Nina Yon and The Sharing Center for going above and beyond in getting different partners involved. CC 02-01-2021/2 Commissioner Morgan reported attending a press conference the next morning at 8:00 a.m., with Attorney General Ashley Moody and Jan Edwards from Paving the Way, a Non -Profit Organization fighting against Human Trafficking. Later that afternoon, he attended an all -male panel at the University of Central Florida on what men can do to fight sex trafficking. He noted that young girls see how overly sexualized today's society is and the sexual exploitation on social media. He said this is where the child traffickers prey and groom their prey. He, along with two other current WWE wrestlers, spoke on hype rsexualization and how men talk about women in general. He provided examples of how to limit this hypersexualization and said it was a great conversation and he was honored to be a part of it. He noted the other part of the conversation was about young boys being scared to talk about being sexually molested. He hopes having three wrestlers talking about this will help young boys become less afraid to talk about it. He thanked Paving the Way Foundation and United Abolitionists Stop Human Trafficking for organizing the panel. Commissioner Morgan thanked Representative Scott Plakon for co -sponsoring House Bill (HB) 149: Students with Disabilities in Public Schools. He said HB 149 is important and he has been working on it for four years. It gives them the ability to implement video cameras in our Special Needs classrooms. Some Special Needs kids cannot talk and report if a teacher does something to them. He noted that having cameras in our special needs classrooms helps parents of children who cannot communicate with them and protects the teachers from lies parents may tell about them. He thanked Mr. Plakon for sponsoring this Bill. He advised you could also follow a similar Bill, Senate Bill (SB) 192: Students with Disabilities in Public Schools by Senator Lauren Book and Senator Ray Rodrigues. Commissioner Morgan reported on the Girl Scout Troop 437 from Longwood completing their Silver Award by supporting Safehouse of Seminole in Downtown Sanford. They collected items to put together 13 starting -over kits for men and women who have recently left abusive situations and are preparing to begin a new and safer life. He said Safehouse Seminole is an organization that helps abused women, children, and men who are trying to get away from their abuser. They provide housing for victims to feel safe and protected. Their goal is to help victims of domestic abuse start over again. Their programs help these individuals rebuild their lives. The Girl Scout Troup 437 has raised awareness and collected donations for these starting -over kits. These items help an abused victim start over again in a new place. He suggested awarding the Girl Scout Troup 437 with a Certificate of Recognition. It was the consensus of the Commission by unanimous voice vote to award the Girl Scout Troup with a Letter of Recognition. Commissioner Morgan said he was called to Lazy Acres Lane by families who live around the area. He said this is in unincorporated Longwood and governed by CC 02-01-2021/3 Seminole County. He noted the concerns were about protecting the 52 uninterrupted acres of land from the Seminole County Trail that will be going through Longwood Hills Road. He got them in touch with Commissioner Amy Lockhart of the Seminole County Commission. Their goal is to possibly get a blockade around the area. Commissioner Morgan commended and thanked Mr. Capizzi, Mr. Rinaldo, and the Leisure Services team for a great job at the Battle of the Food Trucks event. He said it was a good turnout and everyone seemed to be having a great time despite the weather. He noted the change to the vaccine in Florida. He said he posted this on Social Media and received complaints about those who do not live in Florida receiving the vaccine. The State of Florida has changed its course and residency is now a requirement to receive the vaccine. District #5. Commissioner Sackett suggested Long Pond Road becoming a part of Longwood. He said properties back there are gorgeous and he encourages them to have a sit down with us about coming into our City because we could take care of their needs and protect their property. Commissioner Sackett reported attending the Battle of the Food Trucks. He said the modified cupcakes were sold out by the time he got there. He reported on a horrible accident on State Road 434 near the old Chambrel at the Uniformity Shop. He said that is a dangerous intersection. He explained how the accident happened and noted there were no deaths. He said there is a stop sign there but he is not sure how often they stop because they tend to rush out to State Road 434. He asked if a driver has the right-of-way to a U-turn while taking a right out of the stop sign on State Road 434. Mr. Gioielli confirmed Commissioner Sackett was correct and noted a sign has been added to the intersection coming out of the old Chambrel reminding drivers of the action to yield to drivers making the U-turn. Commissioner Sackett reported The Sharing Center wanting to have him on their Board. He said he will be moving in that direction. He thanked Mr. Gioielli. He said Lyman High School wanted to know what was going on with Wood Partners on Dog Track Road. They gathered for a meeting to partner and are developing a package for the residents that move in. Wood Partners is figuring out parking and traffic and they want to work with Lyman High School. They took an initial step to meet each other to see how they can work together. He said Chief Dowda stepped into an event at Lyman High School with the construction of the new VocEd building. It has created a traffic hassle, particularly on Ronald Reagan Boulveard (County Road 427) for drop-off cars. There is one way in for buses and one way in for cars. Children are being dropped off on the street to run over to the curb and cross the street through traffic. Other children are parking in the Wood Partners property. It is unsafe and something could happen there with traffic. Today, Chief Dowda put to practice a CC 02-01-2021/4 way to help the traffic situation. He received two phone calls stating it was a better way of getting their kids to school. He noted baseball sign-up was this Saturday. He mentioned getting his second Moderna shot today at Orlando Health. District #1. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker advised that being a tax accountant does not give her much to report on or much fun to have in January. She said her W2's and 1099's were done as of today. She commended Acting City Manager, Mr. Gioielli who has followed up with many residential complaints the past couple of weeks and our Building Inspector Mr. Kersey, for his professionalism. She said he has a hard job and thanked him for following up with our new neighbor on Bay Avenue. She said Longwood is coming around and we have so many things in the works. We are taking off like wildfire. She reported attending Lake Mary's Shred-a-Thon. She explained what the event was and suggested Longwood have a similar event. District #2. Mayor Drummond reported attending the Mayors and Managers Meeting two weeks ago along with Acting City Manager, Mr. Gioielli. He said the meetings are still through Zoom and they talked about the CARES Act. He advised Seminole County is doing a good job of disseminating money and making sure people and businesses that need help get the financial aid they need. He thanked Mr. Gioielli for attending that with him. He reported attending Leadership Seminole's Government Day two weeks ago with different representatives from the county and a Mayor's panel. He said he was able to participate with the other Mayors of Seminole County. They discussed the challenges, issues, and successes they have had in each of their Cities. He is amazed everyone in Seminole County including cities and the county government get along quite well. He reported attending the Light the Way Celebration at The Sharing Center and said it was great and Community Leaders, politicians, and churches attended. He said The Sharing Center recognized all of the churches that came together 35 years ago and first put this effort into motion by sponsoring them. They are now getting ready to expand the Oasis where they take care of the homeless. They are going to add more showers, washers, dryers, and computers. He explained the functions of the Oasis and said it is a wonderful organization and we are lucky to have them in Longwood. Lastly, he reported attending the Battle of the Food Trucks and said he had never seen a crowd like that. He said there were many people, the City did a great job, and the food trucks spanned from Ronald Reagan Boulevard to Reiter Park. 9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None. 10. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve Minutes of January 18, 2021, Regular Meeting. B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for January 2021. CC 02-01-2021/5 Commissioner Morgan moved to approve Items 10A and 10B as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. 11. PUBLIC HEARINGS. None. 12. REGULAR BUSINESS A. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1548, which amends the fiscal year 2020/2021 budget and authorizes funds to cover purchase orders which rolled from fiscal year 2019/2020 for Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Projects or Grants, to true up fund balances and make other necessary adjustments to the budget. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1548 by title only. Ms. Rosado presented the Item and answered questions. Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-1548 as presented Item 12A. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. B. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1552, which amends the fiscal year 2020/2021 budget to recognize gain on the sale of a capital asset. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1552 by title only. Ms. Rosado presented the Item. Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-1552 as presented Item 12B. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. C. Read by title only, set February 15, 2021, as the public hearing date, and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 21-2196, amending Longwood City Code Chapter 18 - Buildings and Building Regulations. Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 21-2196 by title only. Mr. Kersey presented the Item. He noted and explained the changes made to the City Code were to reflect the most recent state adopted version of the Florida Building Code and why these changes were made. He touched on costs related to these changes, and the removal of some code sections now require a licensed architect or general contractor to do the plans. There will also be more requirements for builders and residents. In turn, this adds cost CC 02-01-2021/6 and time to the projects. He noted he and his staff are going to work to enforce them as effectively and efficiently as they can. Discussion ensued on Section 18-64 - Appeals. This was a new section in the City Code to have the Land Planning Agency serving as the Appeals Board. Mr. Kersey also explained the requirements for soffits and answered questions. Commissioner Morgan moved to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 21-2196 and set February 15, 2021, as the public hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner Sackett and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. 13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Gioielli reported a reduction of active COVID cases, current hospitalizations, and the positivity rate. He said we are hopeful this is a trend that will continue so that our residents can stay healthy. He also reported the Federal Consolidated Relief Act is going to provide $14 million to Seminole County, allocated to assist those with rental homes. He noted there are qualifications based on median income and as soon as Seminole County has their portal open, we will advertise so that any of our residents in need can take advantage. He mentioned vaccinations in Seminole County are almost at 35,000. They are doing about 850 a day at the mall at Oviedo with mobile sites continuing to rotate around the county. Mr. Gioielli thanked the Finance Department and Ms. Rosado for their Certificate of Achievement for Excellence through the Government Finance Officers Association. He reported the Pennies for Park account currently has $957.66. He said we have updated the Major Projects on the home page of the City website. There will be two links. One is going to show development updates and the other is going to show infrastructural projects. Mr. Gioielli announced the Blue Collar Union is planning to vote on their proposed contract this Friday. He said if they vote to approve, he will bring the contract to the Commission at the next meeting this month. Mr. Gioielli mentioned an email that staff and the Commissioners should have received from Ms. Cynthia Payne, the new owner of 212 West Bay Avenue. She is interested in opening up a salon and separately, but on the same property, a wine bar. He said that while that seems appealing, there is a City Code that prevents her from doing so. It is a violation to have a business that offers on -premise consumption of alcohol within 500 feet of a daycare, school, or church and 436 feet away from her front door is the Friends Preschool Academy. He said while he would not suggest the Commission consider making any single exception, he thought her question brought a broader topic to consider having a conversation on. As staff facilitates the Commission's priority of increasing businesses in the City with a CC 02-01-2021/7 special focus in the district, he thinks there may be other times we would hold back or not provide opportunities to businesses that wanted to come into the district because they were too close to the church on Church Avenue or the daycare. He said while he realizes this Ordinance is in place to offer some level of protection from having bars on every corner, he thinks the Commission would maybe want to have a conversation and have staff propose language changes that while still offering restrictions, would also offer flexibility for future growth. He noted that if the Commission was to move forward with allowing development at the Police Department property, any business interested in coming into that property would be restricted if they sold beer, wine, or liquor. He suggested the Commission talk about this and staff could provide suggested language if a change was desired. It was the consensus of the Commission by a unanimous voice vote for staff to bring back proposed code language changes for their review. Mr. Gioielli said there has been a high demand for the City's Senior Matinee event. He met with Mr. Capizzi who felt he could restart the Senior Matinee with COVID safe items in place. He mentioned a conversation about the need to cancel the Easter Egg event. He said that instead of having children gather and touch the Easter eggs, they have come up with a drive-thru event that allows the children to still receive gifts and they think is a safe alternative to still host the event. 14. CITY ATTORNEYS REPORT. No report. 15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT. No report. 16. ADJOURN. Mayor Drummond adjourned the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Minutes approved by City Commission: 02-15-2021 A S� City Clerk Richard Drummond, Mayor CC 02-01-2021/8 1