CC08-15-2022Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION
Longwood City Commission Chambers
175 West Warren Avenue
Longwood, Florida
MINUTES
August 15, 2022
6:00 P.M.
Present: Mayor Matt Morgan
Deputy Mayor Tony Boni
Commissioner Abby Shoemaker
Commissioner Matt McMillan
Dan Langley, City Attorney
Clint Gioielli, Acting City Manager
Michelle Longo, City Clerk
Ryan Bruce, Police Lieutenant
Chris Kintner, Community Development Director
Shad Smith, Public Works Director
Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director
Priya Persaud, Accounting Manager
Absent: Commissioner Brian D. Sackett (Excused)
1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Morgan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. OPENING INVOCATION. There was no volunteer invocation speaker
present at the meeting,therefore a moment of silent meditation was
observed.
3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Mayor Morgan led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following
announcements.
A. The Senior Matinee will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2022,
from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Longwood Community
Building, 200 West Warren Avenue. This month's feature is Dog.
B. The City of Longwood and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office
will host an International Overdose Awareness Day Event on
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Saturday,August 27, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.,at
Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue. This is a free event.
5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS
A. Proclaiming August 31, 2022,as Overdose Awareness Day in the
City of Longwood.
Mayor Morgan read the Proclamation.
6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None.
7. PUBLIC INPUT
A. Public Participation.
John Austin, 695 Chelsea Road, Longwood. He gave accolades to the Car
Show held in Longwood and noted he spoke to Commissioners who
attended. He said he has been a resident of Longwood his whole life and
has lived in Devonshire for fourteen (14) years. There has been no
paving, and they have a deficient paving and drainage issue. He was
happy to see all the other streets being paved in front of Rock Lake and
behind there. He said he needed somebody's opinion on why it stops at
the historic Longwood sign. He said somebody has literally put a line
there, and what differentiates his neighborhood being in historic
Longwood from the ones that are not, that is being paved and they have
been paved three (3)times in these fifteen (15) years he has been here.
His neighborhood has not been paved once and he took pictures. He
thanked the Commission for recognizing and looking at the pictures. He
has a concern about his paving issues. He said he pays his taxes and his
neighborhood pays. It is deficient and, on a standard, it is seven (7) years
you would pave every street. He is in the paving industry and demolition
industries. His street has no record for twenty-two (22)years and he
would like someone to recognize that.
Ryan Rainaldi, 417 Tullis Avenue, Longwood. He said he was there to
seek an opportunity to have another day in court, so to speak. He has a
vehicle trailer dispute with Code Enforcement. He missed the Special
Magistrate hearing, in which he was going to try to dispute some of the
things because his brother died from an overdose and was unable to
make the hearing. He has since received a lien on his home and he has
not received any paperwork. He thought he would have to have a bill
before he could actually get a lien.
Mayor Morgan noted if the Commission wanted to address any of the
items brought up during Public Participation, they may during their
Commissioners' Reports and encouraged the participants to stay.
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8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
District#5. No report.
District#1. Commissioner Shoemaker asked Mayor Morgan if he could
email her contact information for the Opioid Overdose Awareness Event
scheduled at the end of the month in Reiter Park. She wished to donate
to that group. She asked if Mayor Morgan could email the contact
information directly to the City Clerk.
Commissioner Shoemaker said on August 6 she attended the ribbon
cutting for Juvee Hall along with Mayor Morgan, Commissioner McMillan,
and the City Clerk. She said the business is much more than a bike shop
and she is very excited to have this opportunity for city residents. Also, a
gentleman who was inspired by the City's successful pump track asked
for more information, and the City Clerk assisted him. Commissioner
Shoemaker considered this a superb compliment. She also attended the
surprise birthday party luncheon for Mr. Gioielli on August 8. She
thanked Ms. Cartagena and the staff involved in the event. On August
13, she checked out cool cars and stopped by the Longwood Historic
Society where Deputy Mayor Boni was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers
as part of the monthly Car Show in Longwood. Mayor Morgan was
helping with the concession stand. She was happy to see downtown
Longwood occupied and everyone enjoying camaraderie on the
weekend.
District#2. Deputy Mayor Boni wished Mr. Gioielli a happy birthday and
mentioned he was surprised when he walked into the luncheon. He
reported during the past week, he started Leadership Seminole, and he
made it all the way to the top of the 40-foot climbing wall. He said it is a
great program and he gets to talk with fifty-six (56) great Seminole
County leaders.
Deputy Mayor Boni said regarding the Longwood Car Show, he would like
to give a shout-out to Greg Conner who is a Longwood resident and the
winner of the Cancun trip that was raffled off by the Historic Society. The
raffle raised $750 to go towards the new roof on the Bradlee-McIntyre
House. He cooked a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs for a great cause.
He also gave a shout-out to Brett Mason, owner of Hourglass Brewing,
who celebrated his 10th anniversary. The event featured bands, food,
and beer. Deputy Mayor Boni said he was happy to have Hourglass in
Longwood for the last ten (10) years and is looking forward to the next
ten (10) years.
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Deputy Mayor Boni asked Mr. Gioielli to have someone call Mr. Austin,
who spoke earlier during the Public Participation, to discuss the situation
with his road.
District#3. Commissioner McMillan said the Public Works Director is
already talking to Mr. Austin in regard to his road. He also was familiar
with the line in the asphalt which Mr. Austin referred to because that was
where his bus stop was when he was in high school. The line is where the
city ends and the county starts.
Commissioner McMillan said the past weekend he attended the Florida
League of Cities Conference on behalf of the City of Longwood. There are
new officers, the president,Jolien Caraballo,Vice Mayor of Port St. Lucie,
Greg Ross the First Vice President, Mayor of Cooper City, and Michael
Blake the Second Vice President and Mayor of Cocoa. He also noted the
Sixth District Directors, which is the district Longwood is in, are Nathan
Blackwell Mayor, St. Cloud,Joseph McMullen Commissioner, Oakland,
and Rosemary Wilsen Mayor Pro Tem, Ocoee. He said there was a report
from the Advocacy Committee from the last session and one of the
successful priorities involved a chemical on old military bases passed this
year through the state Legislature, and it apparently affects a lot of small
towns. He said there were two bills on cybersecurity including the Local
Government Cybersecurity Act which requires employee training.
Another bill altered the public records law to create exemptions for a lot
of cybersecurity issues so you cannot just request cybersecurity protocols
in a public records request. He noted these were two of the items the
League supported. He reported on a Florida Hometown Heroes Housing
Program which assists with down payment and closing costs for frontline
community workers who would be police and fire in the purchase of
homes. He explained the program is to allow officers to live in the cities
they serve when it is really expensive to live in some of the areas. He
gave credit to state Senator Jason Brodeur who sponsored one of the bills
signed into law clarifying a state exemption on tree protection
ordinances. He did see something on the agenda changing city code
related to tree protection. He said "danger" is redefined as an
unacceptable risk to the structure and refers to objective best
management practices for tree risk assessment. He added cities want to
save trees but then a homeowner wants to take a tree down because
they are afraid it is going to damage the septic tank or the roof and they
are told they cannot because the City wants that tree there. He
explained this state law preempts that and allows that exemption if there
is a danger to the structure, then the homeowner has the right to take
down the tree.
I
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Commissioner McMillan stated there was a resolution thanking the city
of Lakeland and outgoing President Phillip Walker for his service as
president, October 17 to 23 is being proclaimed as City Government
Week, and they encouraged members to participate in "My City, I'm Part
of It, I'm Proud of It" activities. Another resolution honored and
celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Florida League of Cities which
was founded in 1922. There was a resolution encouraging Congress to
reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program. He also reported that
154 municipal officers received the Hometown Hero Award recognition.
During the conference, he attended the four-hour Ethics Training which
he found helpful. He also attended the Legislative Policy Committee
Meeting on Land Use and Economic Development, and he submitted an
application to join that committee. Other sessions which he attended
included Home Rule regarding relations between the cities currently and
the legislature, How Cities Implement New Laws and basically how not to
get sued, Council Relations between the City Manager and the City
Council or Commission, and Promoting Local and Regional Economic
Development through the EDA. He also attended the Tri-County-Gold
Coast League of Cities Breakfast and both business sessions featuring
motivational speakers and awards. In addition, a 100th Anniversary Gala
was held and in attendance were representatives from most of
Longwood's sister cities in Seminole County including Oviedo, Winter
Springs, Casselberry, Altamonte Springs, and Sanford. He attended
another session about the Behavioral Health Access Program from Coral
Springs. It is a new protocol and they have a website for the public on
how to deal with trauma.
Commissioner McMillan reported on "the true,the good, and the
beautiful". For "the true", he related to the Florida League of Cities
Conference regarding home rule. He explained municipal governments
were chartered by the state and were given powers by the state including
Longwood's own charter but the state can come in and change what
cities can and cannot do. There is always a risk that the legislature can
act when a city does something that is ill-conceived and then all cities
suffer the consequences for it, and you end up having everyone in the
state change their ordinances. For"the good", he saw local pride when
he attended the Juvee Hall ribbon cutting along with fellow
commissioners and the clerk. He thought it was great a local business is
expanding in our city. For "the beautiful", after returning from his five-
day trip he took his dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and could
see the evening over Westlake and Hidden Oaks and it looked very nice.
District#4. Mayor Morgan said he was asked to attend the Celebration
of Life for the beautiful, three-year-old who was recently lost. It was one
of several reasons he was unable to attend the Florida League of Cities
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Conference but he has attended the last four (4) years. He thanked
Commissioner McMillan for representing Longwood at the conference
and for his report back to the Commission.
Mayor Morgan referred to a recent incident at Lyman High School
involving a teen carrying an unloaded gun in his backpack. He did receive
some serious complaints from parents saying we need to make our
schools safer and in his own opinion you can never make our schools safe
enough. He noted the City does not oversee our schools it is the
Seminole County School Board. He commented what happened is proof
positive how important the School Resource Officers (SROs) are at Lyman
High School. He thanked on behalf of the Commission SRO Officers
Karina Guerrero and Mitchell George. Later that evening, Mayor Morgan
met with Principal Mike Hunter and Barb Albright of Lyman Athletic
Boosters. They plan to release to the public that January 14 will be the
new date for a Pro Wrestling Fundraiser event sponsored by Mayor
Morgan at Lyman High School at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium. The event will
feature current wrestling stars as seen on TV along with him coming out
of retirement one more time. Tickets will be $10 and all proceeds will go
directly back to the Lyman High School Athletic Department. He thanked
Ms. Albright and Principal Hunter for their assistance.
Mayor Morgan said on August 8, he attended a Citizen Awareness and
Participation Plan (CAPP) meeting at the Longwood Community Building.
He strongly advised residents to attend these meetings so they may be
aware of upcoming development projects in the City. He commented he
did not see any residents present at the meeting adding notices are
usually mailed to people in regards to CAPP meetings. He reported
attending a Leadership Seminole Alumni event on August 11 welcoming
the new class and mentioned Deputy Mayor Boni is part of that class. He
said he is proud of Deputy Mayor Boni for taking this class which is not
easy and requires one full Friday a month.
Mayor Morgan reported attending the 10th Anniversary of Hourglass
Brewing in Longwood. He thanked owner Brett Mason and his wife Erin
who also used to work with his son Jackson on his speech and
occupational therapy. He recognized Hourglass Brewing as a contributing
community partner of the City. He was invited to First Baptist Church,
and unexpectantly at the end of the service, he went to the front to be
blessed by the entire congregation. He said it was a powerful moment
and was grateful the church had even thought to do this. He also
participated in the ribbon cutting for Juvee Hall, a new bicycle shop,
located at 209 East Palmetto Avenue and owned by Ronnie Bonner. He
commented Mr. Bonner already has a bicycle manufacturing company
across the street called Sparky's, and during the COVID lockdown, he was
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a leader in the country in bicycles being produced. He thanked Mr.
Bonner for continuing to keep another one of his businesses in the City.
Mayor Morgan presented the newly updated smartphone app for the
City of Longwood and reviewed the highlights. He thanked Mr. Dunn for
an outstanding job on the creation of the smartphone app.
9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA. None.
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approve Minutes of August 1, 2022, Regular Meeting.
B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for August 2022.
C. Approve the Monthly Financial Report for July 2022.
D. Approve a purchase order in the amount of$572,275.97 to
Middlesex Paving LLC for milling and resurfacing services in the
area of Grant Street, East Church, and Warren Streets, and the
Longdale Avenue and Harbour Isle Subdivision.
E. Approve the Seminole County Public Schools 2022—2023 City of
Longwood and School Board of Seminole County School
Resource Officer(SRO)Agreement.
Commission Shoemaker moved to approve Items 10A
through 10E as presented. Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Boni and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
11. PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 22-2220, a
Longwood Development Code Amendment amending Article I
General Provisions and Article VI Signs to update standards for
signage.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 22-2220 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item.
Commissioner Shoemaker moved to close the public
hearing. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Boni and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Commissioner Sackett absent.
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Deputy Mayor Boni moved to adopt Ordinance No. 22-
2220 as presented. Seconded by Commissioner McMillan
and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
B. Read by title only and adopt Ordinance No. 22-2225, a
Longwood Development Code Amendment amending Article I
General Provisions,Article II Land Use Districts And Overlay
Districts, and Article V Supplemental Standards, allowing
accessory entertainment uses.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 22-2225 by title only.
Commissioner McMillan moved to close the public
hearing. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Boni and carried by a
unanimous voice vote with Commissioner Sackett absent.
Commissioner McMillan moved to adopt Ordinance No.
22-2225 as presented. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Boni
and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
C. Read by title only, set September 7, 2022, as the second public
hearing date, and approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 22-
2227 which expands allowances for tattoo parlors and other
general updates to the Longwood Development Code.
Mr. Langley read Ordinance No. 22-2227 by title only.
Mayor Morgan opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor
or opposition to Ordinance No. 22-2227.
Commissioner McMillan moved to close the public
hearing. Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and
carried by a unanimous voice vote with Commissioner
Sackett absent.
Mr. Kintner answered questions and went over tattoo locations
that were grandfathered in and the number allowed in one plaza.
He explained the applicant who spoke at the last Commission
meeting wanted to locate his tattoo business in Longwood City
Center which is in the general commercial zoning. The two
existing businesses, one right outside the Historic District along
State Road 434 and another on U.S. Highway 17-92, are
grandfathered in under the current city code. He stated the code
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only allows tattoo shops in the industrial district in a multi-tenant
center. The proposed change is to accommodate the applicant
from the last meeting to where tattoo businesses are only
allowed on State Road 434 between Rangeline Road and Ronald
Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427), and on properties four (4)
acres or more. He stated it was a minimal increase in the acres
and only one property meets that definition right now, which is
the Longwood City Center. In addition, the area under the
proposal is adjacent to an industrial area so it is not entirely
allowed in the general commercial district without restrictions.
Discussion ensued on the not having a city full of tattoo parlors,
the strict process to make sure only a small amount of properties
can open such a business, not having a cap on the number of
businesses allowed, and how multi-tenant centers generally have
restrictions against competing businesses within the same genre.
Commissioner McMillan moved to approve Ordinance No.
22-2227 and set September 7, 2022, as the second public
hearing date. Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and
carried by a three-to-one (3-1) roll call vote with Deputy
Mayor Boni voting nay and Commissioner Sackett absent.
D. The City Commission to hear a public request for a Special
Exception (SPE 03-22),to allow a work trailer to be stored in the
front driveway at 460 Tullis Avenue.
Mr. Langley stated this is a quasi-judicial matter and anyone
wishing to speak on behalf or in opposition to this Special
Exception (SPE 03-22) is requested to stand and be sworn in. He
then swore in those wishing to speak. He stated in these quasi-
judicial matters the Commission will make its decision based on
the criteria in the Code and apply the facts and evidence that are
presented to determine if the applicant meets the criteria of the
Code. He said the staff documents the criteria in the staff report
and will provide their recommendation.
Mr. Kintner presented the Item and said City Code Section 86-83
requires trailers and recreational vehicles to be stored or parked
in a side or rear yard behind the front line of the house. This
particular issue was the result of proactive Code Enforcement
action and resulted in the initial notice. At the June 20 meeting,
this issue was discussed by the Commission regarding the
potential creation of a pathway for owners to petition the City for
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approval to store trailers in the front yard under certain
circumstances. The result of the discussion was that staff would
maintain the special exception process as the pathway to do that
rather than create a new process. The applicant has expressed to
staff that they have exhausted all efforts to store their work
trailer along with the utility vehicle that is housed on it in a legal
manner. He pointed out in the agenda packet there were
photographs of the impediments that the applicant has described
that have impeded them from storing on the side of the house as
well as photographs of the neighborhood. Staff sent out sixty-five
(65) letters to property owners within 500 feet of the applicant,
and they received written objections from two (2) of them. He
explained the special exception process is a case-by-case
evaluation so this issue is unique to this property and this
property alone, does not create a blanket exemption throughout
the City, and does not change the code throughout the City. He
explained that staff has reviewed the request against the criteria
in the code and went through them. He noted in granting an
application for the special exception one of the options available
to the Commission is putting restrictions upon their approval of
the special exception if it is approved, that are unique to the
property, approval, and applicant. He went through the staff's
recommended conditions they felt were elements unique to this
property, and proposed a number of conditions that have been
reviewed with the applicant who agrees.
• Should the property be found guilty by the Special Magistrate
of another code violation, the special exception shall be
considered expired.
• The special exception shall apply only to the specific trailer for
which the request was submitted. Should the current tenant
leave the property, or should the tenant take different
employment to where the trailer and utility vehicle are no
longer necessary, the special exception shall be considered
expired.
• The trailer and utility vehicle shall be parked in a dedicated
parking area immediately to the east of the driveway, and as
close to the house as is reasonably possible.
Mr. Kintner said he received an email from Commissioner Sackett
that morning and in the email, he mentioned he had concerns
about parking in the front yard and he might consider parking in a
second driveway.
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Mr. Langley asked for disclosure of ex parte communications by
the Commissioners.
Mayor Morgan and Commissioner McMillan disclosed they
received an email.
Deputy Mayor Boni disclosed he received emails and then asked
questions regarding the applicant's trailer whether it would be
parked on the grass or on the east side of the driveway.
Mr. Kintner answered that would be up to the Commission, and
noted there is an area close to the house as shown in a
photograph in the agenda packet. It is parked on the grass to the
side of the driveway.
Deputy Mayor Boni responded he agreed with Commissioner
Sackett regarding vehicles parked on the grass. He understood
the special exception is only for this address, 460 Tullis Avenue,
any other violation nulls and voids the exception, and this
exception does not carry over with any other tenants or
homeowners. He also asked Mr. Kintner to explain about gated
communities and Homeowner Associations (HOAs) and how their
rules and regulations abide by versus the City rules.
Mr. Kintner replied staff had the same concerns and saw
comments on social media about people being concerned if the
special exception was citywide. He said HOAs are unaffected by
this exception because there are deed restrictions that people
agree to abide by. He added this exception only allows parking in
the front of the property. He said according to the standards the
Commission uses to make its decision, there would be an
expectation that properties in the future that come to them for
case-by-case would keep those in mind. He explained that
uniquely in this case the criteria ask the Commission to consider
the potential impact on future decisions, however, each of the
individual future decisions is the Commission's alone.
Deputy Mayor Boni said his understanding is this special
exception is restricted to a specific vehicle and trailer and with
this exception, the applicant is not allowed to bring a fleet of
vehicles or trailers and park them on the lawn, and if he changes
out the vehicle or trailer he has to come back for a new exception.
Mr. Kintner responded his understanding was correct.
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Commissioner Shoemaker disclosed her ex-parte communication
was she received an email and had no discussion with the
applicant.
Discussion ensued regarding this special exception is specific and
does not open anything to anyone else in the City, the exception
is tailored to a particular vehicle in a particular location, concern
about harassment issues if someone decides they do not want a
trailer in the neighborhood, if there is another violation the
applicant can repair it wiping away the violation,the Commission
has the authority to require a paved driveway or gravel for the
trailer, and there is no code violation for a parked vehicle on the
grass.
Mayor Morgan opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor
or opposition to the Special Exception.
Deputy Mayor Boni moved to close the public hearing.
Seconded by Mayor Morgan and carried by a unanimous
voice vote.
Commissioner McMillan moved to approve the Special
Exception as presented with the following conditions:
• Should the property be found guilty by the Special
Magistrate of another code violation, the special
exception shall be considered expired.
• The special exception shall apply only to the
specific trailer for which the request was
submitted. Should the current tenant leave the
property, or should the tenant take different
employment to where the trailer and utility vehicle
are no longer necessary, the special exception shall
be considered expired.
• The trailer and utility vehicle shall be parked in a
dedicated parking area immediately to the east of
the driveway, and as close to the house as is
reasonably possible.
Seconded by Commissioner Shoemaker and carried by a
unanimous roll call vote with Commissioner Sackett
absent. II
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Deputy Mayor Boni asked Mr. Gioielli to have someone contact
Mr. Rainaldi, who spoke earlier during Public Participation, about
his issue and walk him through it.
Mr. Gioielli replied he had a brief update regarding Mr. Rainaldi
during his report.
12. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 22-1606,which
amends the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget to appropriate funds
for Construction in Progress Projects under the Public Facilities
Capital Project Fund.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 22-1606 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item.
Deputy Mayor Boni to adopt Resolution No. 22-1606 as
presented Item 12A. Seconded by Commissioner
McMillan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
B. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 22-1608,which
proposes updates to the City's fee schedule for the Community
Development Department.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 22-1608 by title only.
Mr. Gioielli presented the Item.
Commissioner Shoemaker moved to adopt Resolution No.
22-1608 as presented Item 12B. Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Boni and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
C. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 22-1609, authorizing
the City of Longwood to participate in a joint submittal of a
"Safe Streets and Roads for All" (SS4A) Regional Planning Grant
in partnership with MetroPlan Orlando and other agencies in the
region.
Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 22-1609 by title only.
Mr. Smith and Mr. Gioielli presented the Item.
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Deputy Mayor Boni moved to adopt Resolution No. 22-
1609 as presented Item 12C. Seconded by Commissioner
McMillan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote with
Commissioner Sackett absent.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Mr. Gioielli addressed Mr. Rainaldi's issue and noted staff can educate
and bring him up to date on the process to apply for a special exception.
He said staff's position supported by the Special Magistrate is Mr.
Rainaldi has been in violation and therefore he has been assessed fines.
He said there is an opportunity for staff to approve a reduction in the fine
amount but Mr. Rainaldi does not meet the criteria by virtue of the fact
he is under$1,000 according to a recent change the Commission has
approved. If Mr. Rainaldi is interested in applying for an exception, staff
can support him with that but that does not automatically make his fines
go away. He noted Mr. Rainaldi has been in violation for months and he
had an opportunity to correct it. There may have been some
miscommunication of mail but Mr. Rainaldi was at the Code Hearing
when he was found to be in violation. Mr. Gioielli thought Mr. Rainaldi
was at the meeting tonight asking the Commission for consideration to
waive his fees. He can if he chooses, apply for a special exception.
Mr. Gioielli also noted Mr. Rainaldi missed a Special Magistrate meeting
and he indicated there was a death in his family at the time. He also
noted Mr. Rainaldi was properly served either by certified mail or hand
delivery by the Code Enforcement Officer.
Mr. Kintner explained Mr. Rainaldi has come into compliance so he does
not need to apply for an exception. Mr. Rainaldi's only request is he has
a daily fine that went into effect in June and that brought the total to
$550. When he came into compliance after the Special Magistrate's
order, the fine became a lien on the property because he did not come
into compliance within the specified period of time. There were two
magistrate meetings, the first one heard the case and found Mr. Rainaldi
guilty in April and the second one which he missed, was in June when the
Special Magistrate issued an order to impose the lien. He also explained
the miscommunication; a letter was mailed to him informing him of the
special magistrate order and he received the wrong letter. He called to
inform Code Enforcement and he received a corrected letter telling him
he had a certain amount of days to bring the property into compliance
and it was brought into compliance but there was no call for inspection as
required by the special magistrate's order. Mr. Rainaldi's contention is
the issue was resolved sooner and should not have become a fine. Mr.
Kintner explained the process and how they got to the lien amount. He
explained compliance checks that were performed by the Code Officer,
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there was no evidence to support he had complied, he did not call as
required, and how this time period make up the total number of days he
was out of compliance.
Discussion ensued on the number of days out of compliance, the gap
when the property was assessed and when the inspection took place,
inspection dates of the Code Officer, and estimating compliance between
June 14 to June 20.
Mr. Langley noted this would not technically require an item as this issue
does not meet the resolution requirements for an application. He did ask
if the Commission was looking to make a motion to address the fine
reduction that evening.
Deputy Mayor Boni replied yes.
Mr. Langley said the Commission has the authority to make a motion and
they have the request from the applicant and no one else is affected.
Discussion ensued on making a motion, days out of compliance, and the
circumstances of his situation.
Commissioner Shoemaker made a motion to reduce the fine to
$100 to be paid within 10 days, and if not paid the fine returns to
the original amount. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Boni and carried
by a three-to-one (3-1) roll call vote with Commissioner McMillan
voting nay and Commissioner Sackett absent.
Mr. Gioielli said there was a different Sergeant of Arms at the meeting
that night since Chief Dowda was away. Lieutenant Ryan Bruce was filling
in and recently finished his 25th year of service as a police officer of the
City of Longwood. Mr. Gioielli and the Commission thanked him for his
service.
Mr. Gioielli stated the following day was the Health and Wellness Fair for
city employees and would be held at the Longwood Community Building
from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and invited the Commission to visit.
Mr. Gioielli reported Small World Park is under construction and the
playground equipment is being updated. Staff anticipated the park being
finished that week. He also stated the proposed city budget for 2022-
2023 is being finalized and will be presented for the first reading at the
September 7 Commission Meeting. He noted September 7 is a
Wednesday and Monday, September 5 is Labor Day the Commission
elected to move the meeting to Wednesday.
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Mr. Gioielli reported the pickleball courts are finished and the park is
being prepped and beautified. This includes some landscaping, painting,
and pressure washing, and noted they have elected to put in new asphalt
along the driveway that leads to the concession stand and a new water
fountain that is ADA compliant. All of these things are being done in
advance of the ribbon cutting for the pickleball courts on August 26 at
5:30 p.m.
Mr. Gioielli stated Shotski's Sports Bar has been cited for a code violation
for loud noise bothering one of the residents, and staff anticipated the
business going to the Special Magistrate for that violation. He also
thanked Seminole County Chairman Bob Dallari and Mayor Morgan for
their teamwork on an important conference call with one of Longwood's
residents involving a need to switch from septic to city sewer. They were
able to create a plan that was to everyone's satisfaction. He also shared
with the Commission that Chairman Dallari noted the City is hands-on
when working with the residents and he loved working with them.
Mr. Gioielli wanted to make the Commission aware of a magazine called
Sunshine Artist which is very well known. The magazine ranked the City
of Longwood Arts and Crafts Festival No. 36 in the nation in the classic
and contemporary craft category. He added there will be a certificate
forthcoming.
14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. No report.
15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT
Ms. Longo said as a reminder, our next meeting will be held on
Wednesday, September 7th, and will be the first public hearing for the
millage and budget. She noted for the meetings in September, the public
hearings for the millage and budget are the first items addressed on the
agenda after the invocation and Pledge. This year the presentations for
the Key to the City will be on both September 7th and 19th. There will be
a slight change to the agenda and the millage and budget Public Hearings
will be placed after the Community Announcements and Proclamations/
Recognitions so the Commission can have the presentations of the Key to
the City Awards before these items. This change will still keep in line with
the statutory requirements of placing the millage and budget items on
the agenda as the first substantive issue discussed. She also said there
will be two upcoming ribbon-cuttings that should be on everyone's
calendar. The first is on Friday, August 26th for PES Solar, located at 685
South Ronald Reagan Boulevard, and will be held from 11:00 a.m. until
2:00 p.m. Details of the event and its agenda have been shared with the
Commission. The second is on Wednesday, August 31st for Leaf Medical
Group, located at 450 West State Road 434 starting at 5:00 p.m. She also
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I stated the candidate qualifying for the 2022 General Election in Districts 3
and 5 will begin on Monday, August 22nd at noon and end on Friday,
August 26th at noon during normal business hours. All interested
candidates must qualify during this period and the election will be held
on Tuesday, November 8th.
16. ADJOURN. Mayor Morgan adjourned the meeting at 7:49 p.m.
Minutes approved by City Commission: 09-07-2022
Matt Morgan, Mayor
ATTEST:
c e go MC, R
ICity Clerk
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