CC05-03-2021Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
May 3, 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
Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director
Judith Rosado, Financial Services Director
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Shad Smith, Public Works Director
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Drummond called the meeting to order at 6:00
p.m.
2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION
Mayor Drummond announced he would be submitting his resignation
and would be moving out of state for a job opportunity. He advised he
would be here through the end of May.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Commissioner Morgan led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
A. Election of Mayor
Mayor Drummond turned the meeting over to the City Attorney to
conduct the Election of the Mayor.
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Mr. Langley stated the election of Mayor occurs at the first meeting in
May of every year and is elected amongst the Members of the
Commission. He opened the floor for nominations.
Commissioner Drummond nominated Commissioner Sackett as Mayor.
Seconded by Commissioner Morgan.
Commissioner Sackett stated he accepted the nomination.
Mr. Langley closed the floor for nominations.
Nomination carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. The Lyman High School Senior Car Parade will be held on
Monday, May 10, 2021,at 6:30 p.m. and proceed through the
Historic District of Longwood.
B. The Senior Matinee will be held on Tuesday, May 11,2021, from
1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Longwood Community Building,
200 West Warren Avenue.This month's feature is News of the
World.
C. The "Downtown Longwood Food Trucks"will be held on
Thursday, May 13, 2021,from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Reiter
Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.
D. The City of Longwood will host The Sharing Center's 35th
Birthday Bash on Saturday, May 15, 2021,from 10:00 a.m.to
4:00 p.m.at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue.There will be
live entertainment,games, shopping,and food trucks.
E. The "Downtown Longwood Cruise-In"Car Show will be held on
Saturday, May 15, 2021,from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the
Historic District of Longwood.
F. The City of Longwood will host the School of Rock musical
performances on Sunday, May 16, 2021,from 10:00 a.m. until
8:00 p.m.at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue. The students
of the School of Rock will have performances throughout the
day.
5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS
A. District#2 Nomination of the Business Person of the Month
Award for May 2021.
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Commissioner Drummond nominated King's Wok III, 192 S. US
Highway 17-92 for the Business Person of the month for May
2021. Nomination carried by a unanimous voice vote.
B. Proclaiming May 2 through May 8, 2021, as Municipal Clerk's
Week.
Commissioner Drummond read the Proclamation and
photographs would be taken with the Clerk and her staff.
C. Proclaiming May 9 through May 15, 2021, as"National Police
Week"; and "Peace Officers Memorial Day".
Deputy Mayor Shoemaker read the Proclamation and then
presented it to Police Chief Dowda. Photographs were then
taken.
D. Proclamation recognizing The Sharing Center's 35th Anniversary.
Commissioner McMillan read the Proclamation and presented it
to Ms. Nina Yon and Mr. Chris Ham with The Sharing Center.
Photographs were then taken.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation.
Johnnie Richardson, 1050 Alameda Drive, Longwood. He said he
was there that evening in favor of open prayer for their
Commission Meetings. He went on to say over a quarter of a
century ago, our United States Supreme Court ruled that prayers
before public meetings do not violate the Constitution. Since then
government bodies of the National, State, and local levels have
routinely invited clergy to pray before they conduct public
business. In 1983,the Supreme Court ruled in Marsh v. Chambers
that prayers for a state legislature do not violate the
Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. That
ruling has been interpreted continually to prevent prayer before
government public gatherings such as City Council meetings as
long as there is no imposition or improper restriction on the type
of prayer that can be made to open session. It was his
understanding that Council meetings cannot just limit the allowed
prayers to be Judeo-Christian and the City Commission must be
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inclusive of all religions. He believes that the Commission
Meetings should be opened with a spoken prayer, not just a silent
one. It is not unconstitutional to have a prayer to open any City
Council meeting. The authors of the United States Constitution
were concerned about the potential power of religious
institutions to generate conflict if they were linked in any way
with the government. At the time the constitution was written,
Europe was enjoying the first period of relative peace following
many decades of interreligious warfare that had caused the
deaths of millions of people. The author of the Bill of Rights wrote
the Establishment Clause into the First Amendment forbidding
any establishment of religion by the Federal government. The
further Amendments to the Constitution as interpreted by the
courts led to the concept of the separation of church and state at
the Federal, State, and Municipal levels of government. The
governed principles were based on the following: 1) Individuals
are guaranteed almost complete freedom of religious expression.
2) Government agencies including Commission meetings may not
recognize one religious faith as more valid than any other faith or
secularism. 3)They may not promote religion over secularism. 4)
They may not promote secularism over religion. He said he
believes secularism should adopt a policy that does not
proselytize or emancipate any faith or belief or show any
preference over one religion and exclusion of others. He also
believes the members of the City Council, sitting employee, or any
other person in attendance at a meeting should not be required
to participate in any prayer or invocation that is offered. Everyone
should be treated equally and respected on however they chose
to participate or not participate in prayer or invocation. Prayer
and invocation should be completely voluntary and delivered by
an administrative and established congregation located in the City
of Longwood or Seminole County. This opportunity is voluntary
and speakers are free to offer their invocation according to the
dictates of his or her consequences. In the spirit of respect, City
Commission should request that the prayer or invocation
opportunity not be exploited as an effort to convert others to any
particular faith or belief of the speaker nor to disparage any faith
or belief different from that of the speaker. I also think we should
ask them to limit their prayers or invocation to no more than two
minutes.
Don Epps, 144 Peacock Drive, Altamonte Springs. He said he
wanted to comment on the speech that was given at the
Constitutional Convention on June 28, 1787. After four (4) or five
(5) weeks of discussion, sentiments, reasonings, and wrestling
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back and forth amongst the convention attendees, Benjamin
Franklin, who was probably one of the least religious of all of our
founding fathers, stood in front of George Washington, President
of the Constitutional Convention. He quoted Benjamin Franklin's
speech, "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live the
more convincing proofs I see of this truth --that God governs in
the affairs of men... We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred
writings that 'except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.'
I firmly believe this; I also believe that without his concurring aid
we shall succeed in this political building no better than the
Builders of Babel... I,therefore, beg to leave to move --that
henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its
blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every
morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of
the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service." He
said all across our country, local governments, municipalities,
states, and the nation, participate in this kind of activity. He
encouraged the Commission to reinstate the opening prayer and
invocation and ask the wisdom of God almighty for assurance
from heaven to help in the decisions made as they serve these
people in Seminole County and the City of Longwood.
Jesse Phillips, 1124 Duncan Drive, Winter Springs (via Zoom). He
said he was grateful to Commissioner McMillan for requesting this
discussion. He thinks it was one of those things that are good to
visit periodically. Years ago, when the decision was made to
remove this, he spoke against that, and although the decision was
not the one he wanted, he developed very good relationships
with several Commissioners. He said he commends the way the
Commissioners are going about this process. He considers former
Mayor Ben Paris to be a good friend, as well as, Commissioner
Morgan and Commission McMillan. He thinks it says a lot in
today's polarized climate that the Commissioners would
potentially revisit a decision to see how the thinking has changed.
That was a sign of good leadership and health, which, he thinks
everyone should emulate. He said sometimes it is worth having a
discussion and revisiting. He echoed the sentiments and believes
the constitution asks for this expression in the First Amendment.
He thinks this was one small way the Commission can
acknowledge where the people in the community are at and be
open, honest, and fair in diverse expression to the sincerely held
beliefs the members of the community have. He applauds
Commissioner McMillan for bringing this up.
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Jim Maloney, 255 West Magnolia Avenue, Longwood (via Zoom).
He said he has lived in Longwood for twenty-eight (28) years. He
bought his house after he finished his military service. He said
there was construction going on recently and he spent a lot of
money on windows to try to reduce the noise in the house. He
understands and appreciates that Reiter Park was going to be a
very busy place but said the bass noise that comes from the
concerts, even on Easter Sunday morning, radiates through the
house. He said he should not have to hear it inside his house. He
knows there are about twenty-five (25) homes affected by this.
He asked if there was any way to put a baffle behind the
auditorium, add a door they can close, or lower the bass. He said
that at any time the Commissioners are more than welcome to
come to his house and listen. He then thanked the Commission
for having the meetings on Zoom and said it was hard to get to
the Commission meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Rachael Carroll, 108 South Hamlin Court, Longwood (via Zoom).
She thanked the Commission for making the meeting available on
Zoom because it was very convenient. She also thanked
Commissioner Drummond for his service as Mayor and said he
will be missed very much. She said this team has been an amazing
round of Commissioners. She gave thanks for the fundraisers for
II
schools and the events at Reiter Park during COVID to get families
together during the pandemic
8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
Districts#2. Commissioner Drummond reported attending his last
Mayors and Managers meeting last week. He said it was always a
pleasure getting the opportunity to spend time with the City Manager.
This last meeting was at Top Golf and although it was not in Longwood,
he encourages anybody that has not been there to visit. He said the good
thing about the Mayors and Managers meeting was that you talk
exclusively to other Managers and Mayors of other cities.The Chairman
of Seminole County was always there and it was a great way to exchange
information. He noted that at the last meeting, they spent an extensive
amount of time talking about the mask mandate and where the county
fell on that decision. He said it looks like now the Governor is trying to
vacate that, so we will see where all of that lies in the political realm.
Districts#3. Commissioner McMillan reported attending the Seminole
County Prayer Breakfast last Friday where he spoke to Mr. Epps and
other people about putting the prayer on the Agenda. He then reported
on "The true, the good, and the beautiful". For"The true", he noted the
Census data was coming out. He said the preliminary data was released
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this past week and as they get more data,they will know more. He
reminded everybody he was on the Charter Advisory Board with Mr.
Richardson last year and he passed an amendment related to this. He
said when they get that new data they are obliged to look at it and
determine whether their districts are practically equal. He said they
would probably have to look at redistricting moving forward. Longwood
voters vote for all five (5) districts. He said Commissioners have a
residency requirement to live in one particular district and any changes
made will not change anyone already in office under the law.This was
just to make sure everything was more balanced and it will be coming up
at some point this year.
Commissioner McMillan reported on "The good" and said he had the
opportunity to attend the Grand Opening of Pantera Technical Services
on Friday, April 23. He saw good entrepreneurship and instruction. It was
sponsored by the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. He said they are
located on Ronald Reagan Boulevard and they teach certification courses
for mechanical installation and maintenance of medical gas. In certain
medical facilities, there are piping in the walls where oxygen and other
gases go through and they have to be serviced.This school has hands-on
instruction. He said it was inspiring that Tatiana and Angel did this
because they wanted to teach their son a marketable skill. It was nice to
meet them and they were having a great time.
Commissioner McMillan reported on "The beautiful" and said he
attended the ribbon cutting for RC Salon Collective, which was the facility
damaged by the accident by the Assisted Living Facility on State Road
434. It looks nice and it was a comfortable environment. He said several
cars were honking at them so he knows there was something beautiful.
Districts#4. Commissioner Morgan congratulated Commissioner
Drummond for his future endeavors and said he did a good job as Mayor
and will be missed. He reported attending the Lyman High School
Baseball Team's Senior Night on April 21. He said each year he gives a
speech to the outgoing class of Senior boys about the analogy of sports
and how you can get different disciplines and teachings through sports
that crossover into real life. He said the work that you put into something
was what you are supposed to get out of it and he was proud of the
Lyman Baseball Team and the Girl's Softball Team.
Commissioner Morgan reported attending the ribbon cuttings for Pantera
Technical Services on April 23 and the RC Salon Collective. He said they
were appreciative of having these ribbon cuttings because they catch the
public's attention and drum up interest in their business. He also
reported being invited to Lake Mary Prep for City Government day on
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April 28. He broke down the role of a City Commissioner,the policies
passed in the City, and the accomplishments they are proud of such as
streaming City Commission meetings on Facebook Live. He said now that
it was on Facebook they have more input from their residents. It is their
job to be the conduit and pick their brains on what they want to see done
in the City.The more they watch and participate in these meetings, the
better they can do their job. He also mentioned the different events at
Reiter Park and how they differentiate themselves from the other cities
with their social events.
Commissioner Morgan reported attending a resident's child's IEP
meetings online. He explained an IEP is the blueprint of a special needs
child's goals for their upcoming school year. He said his wife and him
would lend themselves out to anyone who ever needs help reviewing
their child's IEP meetings. He also reported attending Seminole County's
Prayer Breakfast on Friday, April 30. He said Lou Holtz was in attendance
and he grew up a Notre Dame fan. He advised that the Seminole County
Sheriff's Office faith-based community team will hold their National Day
of Prayer at Christ Episcopal Church, 151 West Church Avenue, on May 6.
He said it will be co-hosted by Mother Michelle Roach and can RSVP with
Nancy Cancel at ncancel@seminolesheriff.org.
Commissioner Morgan reported he would be joining Sheriff Dennis
Lemma and Nicole Dupre' of Opera del Sol on Friday, May 7, as guest
speakers of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce event at Teen Challenge
in Sanford, a faith-based addiction center that provides structure and
helps opioid addicts who must commit to staying there for a year.
Districts#5. Mayor Sackett reported attending the Farmers Market. He
mentioned the Census and said that Longwood was close to 17,000
people when not that long ago they were at 13,000. He said their districts
are old and redistricting will probably come up. He noted Babe Ruth was
coming along and better. He also reported attending Babe Ruth on
Saturday morning and said every field was being used and his grandson
hit his 12th home run.
Mayor Sackett commended Mr. Gioielli for working toward getting six(6)
pickleball courts at their parks. He said he signed up to a pickleball group
on Facebook and he gets ten (10)to twenty (20) notifications a day from
them. He mentioned Lyman High School doing very well at sports and
congratulated the Lyman Girls Softball team. He reminded the high
school graduates who were graduating this week to be safe and have a
wonderful summer. He said he was proud of their accomplishments.
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Mayor Sackett reported attending the ribbon-cutting for RC Salon
Collective and said it was nice to see them recover quickly after the
building was crashed into. He noted the end of his career in teaching was
coming up in a couple of weeks.To celebrate it, there was an end-of-the-
year 5th-grade celebration and he would be dancing and singing in the
Greatest Showman with six other teachers. He said it has been a
wonderful school year and he will miss the kids.
Districts#1. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker reported attending the ribbon
cuttings for Pantera Technical Services and RC Salon. She said she was
happy with all of the businesses coming into their City. She thanked
Commissioner Drummond for his service as Mayor.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA.
Deputy Mayor Shoemaker moved to have Item 12F handled first
under Regular Business. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and
carried by a unanimous voice vote.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of the April 19,2021, Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for April 2021.
Commissioner Drummond moved to approve Items 10A
and 10B as presented. Seconded by Commissioner
Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS. None.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
F. City Commission to consider a Historic District Grant Application
(HG 01-21)from the Longwood Historic Society for the Bradlee-
McIntyre House at 130 West Warren Avenue.
Mr. Gioielli presented the item and said the Commission has
budgeted for grant funding to support Historic Buildings in the
District.The Historic Society was going to be completing over
$23,000 in work.They were asking for a matching grant through
reimbursement of$5,000, half of the budgeted amount that was
available. He noted all the requirements of the grant have been
met.
Commissioner Morgan moved to approve the Historic
District Grant Application (HG-01-21) as presented Item
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12F. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Shoemaker and carried
by a unanimous roll call vote.
A. Commissioner McMillan requests a discussion on adding an
opening invocation to the Commission Agenda.
Commissioner McMillan presented the Item and said he spoke to
many people in the community since he first proposed this Item
back in the January meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
reviewed the previous meeting minutes related to this, and spoke
to members of the faith community and community at large. He
said the sentiment has been enthusiastically positive.
Commissioner McMillan noted there were things he forgot to
mention during his report. He thanked Commissioner Drummond
for his service and for being Mayor. He was grateful Commissioner
Sackett was Mayor and Commissioner Shoemaker was Deputy
Mayor. He said we have a great team and Commissioner
Drummond will be missed. He also was grateful for our Clerk and
Law Enforcement who were recognized during their
Proclamations.
Commissioner McMillan said he understands there were some
logistical problems in the past with scheduling but believes they
can craft an ordinance that can accomplish this task. He discussed
scheduling, what would happen if somebody did not show up, and
having the silent meditation as backup, as well as, the appropriate
means by which they can limit participation to those with a
connection to the City of Longwood. In addition, accommodating
a wide array of people to alleviate the anxiety of the involvement
of out of State interest groups. He believes this should be about
their community coming together.
Commissioner McMillan said Longwood was founded as a small
community with five (5) different churches and E.W. Henck
offering land from his homestead to several different
denominations who wanted to build churches because he
understood the role that faith organizations play in our
community. He also believes the Global COVID-19 pandemic has
impacted us all. He said faith organizations like The Sharing Center
and American Muslim Community Center have answered the call
supporting public health measures, offered vaccinations, and
supported those who have been economically dislocated by
lockdown measures while at the same time enduring restrictions
on their worship activity.
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Commissioner McMillan said that as we continue to reopen our
economy and society after COVID, he hopes that we can take this
small but significant step towards restoring confidence in religious
liberty and bring our community together. One of the reasons he
selected this date was because Thursday, May 6, was the Sheriff's
Interfaith National Day of Prayer event. He said this shows what
our community was all about. He requested staff to work on an
ordinance to bring back Invocation.
Commissioner Morgan said they were faced with this back in 2017
because of Satanic worshipping groups and people that were
there to make a mockery out of Christ. They were going to have to
allow them to come in here and present. He asked how they
defend against something like that.
Mayor Sackett noted that they would have to forward a proposal
to staff and give them direction on what they want to do and
include those steps in it. He said the reason the motion was made
to end invocation was political and it became near impossible for
the City Clerk to get the consistency of the delivery of a prayer. He
noted he has been an Ordained Reverend for fifteen (15) years
and was called upon four(4)times to give the prayer. He said they
were only hearing my version and it was not inclusive to every
group that may be represented within our chambers or outside.
He said he has no problem with putting prayer back in place but
he accepts the concern of no-shows and doing a moment of silent
meditation instead. He noted it would have to be sculpted to be a
Longwood priority event. He said if it was not working after a year
they can re-discuss this.
Deputy Mayor Shoemaker said she recalls the conversation and
made the argument then, and will make it now, that she prays
during every silent meditation. She feels this was fairer, however,
the other factors are cancellations and the scheduling of the
Clerk's office. She said she likes the idea of having the backup of
silent meditation if there was a no-show as long as everyone
understands that it was also prayer. She noted her understanding
was they cannot discriminate and anyone was able to come and
do the invocation.
Mr. Langley stated they could not discriminate but could provide
some rules on how one would become the speaker, give the
invocation and the process for it. He said they could give an
expression of what the speech is not supposed to be about. He
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mentioned they were not permitted to regulate the content but
there could be limitations such as the connection to the City and
whether it was an established organization within the City limits.
He said there has to be a way of scheduling people and they had a
process in place when they did this before.There are written rules
that could be used as the foundation moving forward.
Discussion ensued about crafting an ordinance and creating a
process for invocation.
Commissioner Drummond said when this was first brought up he
was taken aback but the more they talked about it, investigated it,
and found out what was going on, it changed his way of thinking
to think that silent meditation was the way to go because it allows
everybody to pray or not pray based on what they think is best for
themselves. He said they had a lot of pushback and a petition was
started. He started talking to people and explaining why they
were doing this, and they want to limit outside agencies. He said
you could not regulate the content and the time.
Discussion ensued on how to choose the speaker for the
invocation.
Commissioner McMillan moved to have staff prepare a
resolution restoring the opening invocation on the
Commission agenda. Seconded by Commission Morgan
and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
B. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1558,which
adopts a Grants Administration and Accounting Policy.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1558 by title only. He noted a
correction for exhibit A, the first bullet point of the policy and it
should say"property" and not "properly" for the "Federal and
State grants are property authorized by the City..."The adoption
would include this change being made.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item and noted that at the April 19
Commission Meeting their independent auditors recommended
that the City adopt a policy on Grant Management, essentially
allowing for the administration of grants to be centralized, making
the audit and the accountability for grants going forward, more
efficient. He answered questions.
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Commissioner McMillan noted a typo on the first bullet point. It
states "Federal and State grants are property authorized by the
City..." and he thinks it should state, "properly authorized". It was
noted the Attorney had addressed this.
Commissioner Drummond moved to adopt Resolution No.
21-1558 with the change of the word "property"to
"properly" as presented Item 12B. Seconded by
Commissioner Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call
vote.
C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1559,which
adopts a Fund Balance Policy.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1559 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item and said the Government Finance
Officers Association (GFOA) recommends there be a formal Fund
Balance Policy. While the Commission has always made the
General Fund Reserves a high priority and strived to have a
minimum of an unrestricted fund balance of 17%, the Finance
Department wanted to follow the GFOA's recommendation and
make it a formal policy.This policy establishes a minimum of 17%
with a goal of as high as 20%to 25%.
Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-
1559 as presented Item 12C. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
D. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1560,authorizing
the execution of a Local Agency Program Agreement between
the State of Florida Department of Transportation and the City
of Longwood concerning the Cross Seminole Trail Connector
from Church Avenue and County Road 427 to Cross Seminole
Trail.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1560 by title only.
Mr. Smith presented the Item and explained that from Ronald
Reagan Boulevard down to Grant Street they will be adding
special striping to share the road with bicycles. He said there are
no other sidewalk improvements they are doing at this time in
that area. Once they get to Grant Street and go North to the very
end, they will be doing different sidewalk and trail improvements.
In general, from Church Avenue to a little past Rosedale Avenue
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they will be adding a sidewalk on the west side of the road and do
a few fixes in a few places. Once they get up to the park and
cemetery,they will be adding a sidewalk on that side also around
the park and its back entrance. Across the street, they will be
starting a 10-foot wide shared-use path or trail until the very end
of Grant Street. It will then turn near the easement and unopened
right-of-way that will take them to Timocuan Way, which is a
County road and we already have agreements with them. We are
also fixing the sidewalk up and down Timocuan Way.Those same
bicycle markings will be up and down the road until the Seminole
Cross Trail on General Hutchinson Parkway. He said it was a pretty
neat and exciting project because it connects our park and Sunrail
station to get to the trail. He then answered questions.
Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-
1560 as presented Item 12D. Seconded by Commissioner
Drummond and carried by a unanimous roll call vote.
E. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1561,authorizing
the City of Longwood to join with the State of Florida and other
local governments as a participant in the Florida Memorandum
of Understanding and formal agreements implementing a
unified plan.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1561 by title only.
Mr. Langley presented the Item and said they received a letter
from the Florida Attorney General's office requesting the
Commission adopt a resolution supporting the statewide effort to
settle the Opioid Mitigation. He noted that about 100 jurisdictions
in the State are actively participating in litigation against the
pharmaceutical industry and other industries connected to opioid
crises. He said they are not in litigation in this matter as the
Commission decided not to engage in that. Several of these
pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs are in
bankruptcy.There was a rush to try and settle amongst the State
of Florida and maximize the settlement by getting all of the local
governments to buy into the state's effort to maximize the
amount of money that gets to the state, cities, and counties.The
state was asking to jump on their team to improve the
settlement. If they do that,the City of Longwood could receive up
to $12,000. Because they are not in litigation, if they vote no on
this Item, they are not going to get any money. If they vote yes,
there was a potential to get around $12,000.There are limitations
on what they can use the money for but can use it for Narcan.The
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counties have greater services they provide that they as a City do
not. He recommends approving the Item because he does not see
the downside of it. He then answered questions.
Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-
1561 as presented Item 12E. Seconded by Commissioner
Drummond and carried by a unanimous voice vote.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Gioielli expressed how much they appreciate working together with
Commission Drummond, commended his commitment to our community
and staff support, and said he will be missed. He congratulated
Commissioner Sackett on his nomination as Mayor. He reported
attending a meeting at Seminole County Commission where they voted
to extend the mask mandate and the Governor passed Executive Order
#21-101, which they are still digesting. He understands that the Order will
take effect on July 1, 2021. He said there will be more information
provided to the Commission and staff as we have a full understanding of
it.They have begun taking steps to prepare for the 9/11 Memorial Event.
He noted September 11, 2021, is a Saturday, and with the Commission's
approval, they would like to set that as their date and make sure other
organizations and other governments know they got to it first and may
invite other dignitaries and business representatives while they start to
work on what the event will include such as road closures, seating, ROTC
involvement, helicopter flyovers, speeches, Police and Fire memorials,
along with dedications including bagpipes and taps. He asked if that date
was okay with the Commission.
It was the consensus of the Commission to set the 9/11 memorial on
September 11, 2021, in the early morning.
Mr. Gioielli mentioned the receipt of the American Rescue Plan Funding.
He said he understands it will come in two installments.There may be
funding received as early as this month, if not, sooner. He proposed a
workshop once the money was here to brainstorm on getting the very
most of what they have.
It was the consensus of the Commission to hold a workshop.
Mr. Gioielli said staff has put some considerable time into learning,
understanding the rules, and evaluating facilities and the cost of
pickleball. Some facilities around Central Florida use tennis courts as
pickleball courts.There was a way to put two (2) pickleball courts on one
(1)tennis court with different colored lines but some feel that would be
complex during one of the two games. We currently have one tennis
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court at Reiter Park that has been stripped for one pickleball court. He
asked whether or not they should make the other tennis courts,
pickleball courts.The three (3) at Candyland and two (2) at Reiter Park
will give us a total of five (5).We also found some space for the sizes that
are required through the USA Pickleball Association. We are looking at
$31,000 plus the cost of fencing for dedicated pickleball courts.
Discussion ensued on where to place the pickleball courts. It was noted
this topic would be circled back to after additional feedback.
Mr. Gioielli reported there will be a public meeting hosted by Seminole
County Government at the Longwood Community Building on May 18,
2021, at 5:45 p.m. to discuss the proposed roadway improvements for
Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Road 434. He said Mayor Sackett had
expressed interest in going and the Clerk will post a Public Notice in case
anyone else would like to come. He noted they have expressed interest in
pursuing the possibility of adding the slip lane along the tracks to allow
for southbound Ronald Reagan Boulevard traffic to move unrestricted
onto westbound State Road 434. We support their position of increasing
the number of turn lanes for east and westbound State Road 434,
allowing more vehicles to get to the intersection and cross without being
held back by the train. Our issue and staff's priority has been the
beautification of the corner there. He said they want to see this project
get funded. He said it was an unfunded project and he thought that
having them pursuing it on several levels and a push during this meeting
at the Community Building would be helpful.
Mr. Gioielli reported on the gentleman who was interested in purchasing
the Lewis House and said he has not returned their calls over the last
month. He said this brings us to an important point in recognizing the
deterioration of the building on the City's property. He said they have
been in contact with the Historic Society and there may be some interest
but nobody is prepared to take that one with the amount of cost. If they
had a location to put it and the Commission was to approve that location
they anticipate it being about$150,000 to properly restore the building.
He believes that the cost includes moving it.
Discussion ensued on what direction to take with the Lewis House and
the true cost of it.
Mr. Gioielli mentioned Commissioner Morgan's dedication to Public
Relations and his goals which included helping promote the City in
general specifically City events, highlighting the City, staff, and
Commission's accomplishments,the City's important milestones, and
developmental projects, as well as creating marketing within the City and
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surrounding regional areas to try to motivate people to come to
Longwood to live,work, or play. He also mentioned the discussions they
shared included the possibility of a Public Relations firm or a Public
Relations staff member dedicated to facilitating those objectives through
social media and the media in general, as well as being involved in the
promotion of different priorities of the Commission and staff.
Mr. Gioielli researched and spoke to representatives from the City of
Altamonte Springs who have had both contract work and staff
employees. He also contacted the same company that did Altamonte
Springs'work,the Wellons Communication Group, and they provided
pricing. He researched the median income of somebody dedicated as an
employee for this work. He noted the contracted work for one event is
$425 and any work after that would be billed at$75 an hour. If they
handled social media and digital newspapers they would charge a
retainer of$850 a month which would include social media development
and coordination,weekly media posts about events and happenings in
our City, a complete editorial calendar, monitoring of social media
platforms including customer relations and crisis communication,
development and execution of a monthly newsletter, and paid digital
advertising which would be available upon request.They were originally
billing Altamonte Springs$55 to$65 an hour.Their billing rate to him was
$75.
Mr. Gioielli researched pricing for different independent firms in
comparison to an employee and said while the ranges are pretty wide, it
is a median annual income of around $50,000 to have a dedicated City
employee. He said when Altamonte Springs went with Wellons
Communication they spent $50,000 for their first annual contract. When
they added the things they felt they needed for being a larger City with
more events they were up to$75,000.They now have three (3) dedicated
staff and two (2)that have collateral duties that involve Public Relations
work.
Discussion ensued on how to proceed with Public Relations for City
events.
Mr. Gioielli reported that staff submitted a funding request to
Representative Stephanie Murphy's office for the funding of the design
phase of the West Warren Avenue Complete Streets Project.A total of
$400,000 was requested and they were notified before walking into the
meeting, by her Deputy Chief of Staff,that the project would be listed on
her project request list for review by the House Appropriations
Committee.
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14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo thanked Commissioner Drummond for his service and all of his
staff support. She said he will be missed. She also congratulated Mayor
Sackett.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Sackett adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission:05-17-
Brian D.Sackett, May
ATT T: /
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Michelle Lo o, MC, FCRM
City Clerk
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