Board of County Commissioners on 2025-01-14 9:00 AM - Jan 14, 2025

Is there a second? Second. There is a motion and a second to approve the agenda. All in favor? Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Commissioner Capps, is this an old line? Yes. Okay. We are going to begin with proclamations. We're going to begin with Celebrate Literacy Week. She left. You have to read the proclamation now. You must be Kiana Kelly. Ma'am. Yes, she is. Good morning. Good morning. One second. She's going to announce the proclamation first. I'm going to read my little blurb for you. Go ahead. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Sorry. No, you're good. Martin Reads seeks to increase awareness and community engagement surrounding literacy in Martin County. Children who aren't able to read by the third grade are more likely to drop out of high school, engage in criminal activity, and experience poverty as adults. Martin Reads is dedicated to increasing the literacy of our children to 90%, but no less than 70% by the year 2030, with robust partnerships in the community. Celebrate Literacy Week is being recognized January 27th through the 31st. And the board encourages all citizens to join in the effort to increase literacy and support the youth of our community with action and advocacy. And here to accept, we have Kiana Kelly, who is the Martin Reads Coordinator with the Children's Services Council. Good morning, everyone. First, I want to share. I have a gift for everyone. These are little trucks. And the reason you're getting a truck is because the theme for Celebrate Literacy this year is building a foundation, and it's constructing foundations for literacy for success, right? So I want you guys all to have this little reminder on your desk that we are constructing readers that are going to be leaders. This is the future of this county. This is the future of our society. So last year, I came here, very new, very fresh, and asked for the proclamation for Celebrate Literacy Week, more so as to create awareness, right? Martin Reads is the grade-level reading campaign that is housed with Children's Services Council. So Children's Services Council, which has been around since the 1980s, 1989, and they are a funding organization. We fund a gazillion organizations in this county, and one of the foundational principles of Children's Services Council is to build strong families and to have strong families. And in order to have that, you have to have great, brilliant children, right? And so we, last year, I came here, and I didn't have good information to share with you regarding how our literacy was doing. And I want to just share with you briefly what has happened from January to January. So from January to January, we have had the reverse visioning, which literacy advocates and people in the community that were esteemed came together, and we were able from that to build a partnership. And a partnership has been developed with the Education Foundation of Martin County as well as the school district, and that has enabled us to have our first lab school. So Port Salerno Elementary School, which is also an avid school, which is also a Title I school, is our first lab school. And in that school, we have two, well, we have funding for two literacy coaches, which are there to increase the support for the teachers there from K through third. In addition to that, we were able to have the sentence screening, Sentence is a film that was produced by Steph Curry. Many people were invited. It is available now streaming on Peacock, and that film really showcases what is happening with literacy, why we're in the position that we're in, and what we need to do to get out of it. And we had a panel that spoke directly to the issues that Martin County has regarding literacy all the way up through adult literacy. As a result of Sentenced, we were able to get 50 or so people that said, hey, I want to volunteer. I want to be a part of the solution. And as a result of that, we were able to get the Executive Roundtable together, which is a coalition of leaders in our community. We have the House of Hope. We have Banner Lake. I don't want to name everyone, but we have the Executive Roundtable has been put together. And from that, we are in the process of streamlining the volunteer process for the school district as well as out of school so that most of our children that are struggling, if not all of our children that are struggling, will have a consistent adult to practice their literacy with. So we are super excited about, I think that's a lot of gains in less than a year. We have also gone up 1% in our literacy efforts, but I don't want you guys to focus on percentages. When you look at this construction truck and you think about us, I want you to think about the concept of the idea or the idea of what does it take such that we create strong, intelligent, productive, compassionate citizens. That's what literacy is about. Literacy is not about a test. It's not about a score. It's not about an assessment. It's about who is going to be making decisions for us when we're in our 80s and 90s, right? And that's what we want. And I want to bring up Candace, which she's here from the Education Foundation, just because I appreciate her coming out here. But we have been working tirelessly together doing the book bonanzas, going around to the different schools and seeing the kids get enrolled in New World Readers as well as just getting them excited about literacy. Did you guys have any questions? I love your passion. I'm very excited about it. And I have the big truck because it's going to keep me focused. But you guys all have the little truck. And anyone who wants to have additional time, I've reached out to all of you guys. Oh, I'm sorry. I would be very remiss if I did not tell you. Celebrate Literacy kickoff event, which is January 25th. We have partnered with the City of Steward. And we will be hosting from 1.30 to 4.30 a free event. Bubba Coos, which is a local business here, they're going to be providing the food. There is going to be entertainment, activities. The kids are going to get free books. They do have to register. They can register on our Facebook. There's also an Eventbrite link as well. So we want everyone, as many people as they can, to come out and get excited about literacy and for kids to see that literacy is a tool for life and that they're going to need it, whether it's play, whether it's work, whatever it is. And any of you great guys and gals, if you want to do a video or a snippet showing why reading is important to you as a leader and how it's impacted your life, what some of your favorite books are, I would love to get that from you guys and have it for our social media and just have it for the kids as a reference point. I think it's important for them to see the leaders modeling why reading is important. Hi, Kiana. I'm a former reading teacher in the county school system, Sarasota County. I did teach reading. There weren't many of us, so they shuttled me around to five schools. I was sort of a gypsy teacher, but it was fine. I'm reading endorsed by the state of Florida also, so I do understand the frustration and the pain of students that graduate from high school. And I taught high school and cannot read. It's not the cat jumped over the lazy dog. It's critical thinking, of course, and making sound decisions. I will be at that event. It's already on my calendar because I think it's so important. Readers are leaders. You cannot discount that at all. So I applaud you. It's not an easy quest, but I'll be there. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Thank you. Not at all. Hold on one second. One more smiling. One, two, three. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, please. Our next proclamation is one noting Human Trafficking Awareness Month. And here to accept the proclamation is Lynn Barletta. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which human beings are controlled, abused, and exploited for profit through labor and sex. And child sex trafficking is the fastest-growing crime in the world. Children have become the primary target of traffickers and predators, as reported by the Florida State Alliance to end human trafficking. Florida Faith Alliance is providing awareness videos and curriculum for children of all ages and for teachers to join the sweep of awareness in Martin County. In observance of January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the board calls upon all residents to support the elimination of human trafficking and help empower schools and citizens to recognize the signs, turn in tips, and save lives. Go ahead, Lynn. Good morning, Chairwoman Hurd. Good morning, Commissioners. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Rob Gluckman. My wife, Dr. Michelle Lubman, and I own Treasure Coast Urgent Care and Employee Wellness here in Stewart. We have been strong supporters of Lynn's Florida Faith Alliance since its inception. Just to give you a quick background about Lynn, she's been involved in the human trafficking sector as an advocate for the past 15 years for victims. She's assisted with multi-county, multi-agency stings, where she's provided tips that have caught, you know, a whole lot of criminals. She's also very big into educating many of the business sectors on recognizing the signs of a trafficked victim. And lastly, Lynn was just awarded the 2024 Ashley Moody Community Advocate of the Year for the entire state of Florida. So it's my pleasure to introduce Lynn Barlatter to you. Thank you, Rob. Chair Hurd, thank you. Commissioners, we're here to speak about the fastest growing crime in the world, child trafficking. We bring awareness of child trafficking into five counties with plans to go statewide. And of course, we work with the local sheriff's department, FBI, and Homeland Security. Now, I want to say that porn and sexting and sextortion is the fastest growing gateway to trafficking in every public school. In Martin County, over the last year and a half, there have been 13 arrests for trafficking, child exploitation, including porn, and three school employees, two teachers for sexting minors, a high school janitor for having violent infant porn. The worst our sheriff had ever seen. The janitor and the man he was working with were convicted with 1,700 years of prison. Because of awareness presentations, as Rob says, we've been responsible for four arrests. We were running, they were running four homes from Martin County to Lake Worth prior to the pandemic. Also, a man who was luring children into his van with ice creams at the bus stop. There have been five arrests for infant porn, and a man in Jensen Beach was arrested in 2024 for taking photos of neighborhood children and using AI to strip their faces, put it on child porn, market it worldwide, which can later be used to sextort the family and the child through face recognition. Now, most notably, last month, December 2024, Stewart Police arrested three men for going after a child by offering gifts for the purpose of grooming. Thankfully, they were arrested just in time. We also helped to rescue two children out of a Roblox game vault. They were being exposed to unspeakable virtual sexual violence because a local grandmother attended one of our awareness presentations. They were rescued. Understand that the arrests and convictions all involve child porn, as most arrests do. 88% of all pornography now shows violent scenes, and pornography is the only unregulated industry on the face of the earth. The good news is that Marne County, Florida Faith Alliance, and Indian River School Districts, employees and students are experiencing live trainings and powerful videos in curriculum. We are affecting over 70,000 children, 7,000 employees in 2025 across two counties with plans to grow. We work with Florida House Representative Toby Overdorf, and we helped to get Bill HB3 just passed. And the good news is that Pornhub, one of the largest porn industries in the world, has just pulled out of Florida as of January 1st. So our call to action, that's a big win. So our call to action to commissioners is to join the Ashley Moody 100% Club, which is a very simple club that's going statewide. And you have a note there from Toby Overdorf to ask that you join also and train all your employees in a very simple online program. And it's a free program, and it's a good way to get your employees who are engaged with your community to be able to recognize the signs and know what to do. And so I provided you with links, and I will email you this packet so that you can just easily go to the links. And our second call to action is to attend our Day of Defense in depth, how to protect children. And I really want to thank Commissioner Campy. He has been championing this cause for a long time, and you attended our Day of Defense on Saturday. Thank you so much. And also, Commissioner Vargas, I know that you're a champion of this also. I know all of you care about this issue. So I want to thank you. It's time to unite and fight child trafficking. And we all say together, not on our watch. Thank you. Our next proclamation is one celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Martin County. And here to accept that proclamation is Evan Anderson. It all began in 1924 when residents of Stewart, located on the north end of Palm Beach County, created a committee to take necessary steps to establish a new county during the 1925 session of the Florida legislature because they felt they were politically underrepresented. Fast forward to 2025 as we celebrate the centennial of Martin County, an amazing place to live, work, and play, complete with a vibrant arts and culture scene, strong local economy, and beautiful waterways. This year-long centennial celebration provides residents and visitors a unique opportunity to reflect upon the area's rich history and cultural heritage and to celebrate the thriving, successful community that Martin County has become. And here to accept, we have Evan Anderson, who is our Historic Preservation Board Chairman. Looks like good morning. Good morning. The commissioners and Madam Chair, Evan Anderson. You may have already said some of this, so you may have stolen some of my thunder, but I wrote a little blip. Petitioned by local businessmen who had the foresight to recognize the area's many offerings and need for local representation, Governor John W. Martin agreed, and Martin County was founded on May 30, 1925. You may not know this, but Martin County was formed from portions of existing St. Lucie County for the north portion of the county, and Palm Beach County on the south. In the roaring 20s, our area boomed with thriving agriculture, growing vegetables, citrus, pineapple, and cattle farming as mainstays, along with having, quote, the best fishing and hunting to be found anywhere in the United States. Still considered the sailfish capital of the world, many things have changed, but not our standing as a great community and our appreciation for the natural resources we consume and enjoy. A hundred years later, here we are working to preserve and learn more about our past. This May does not only coincide with Martin County's centennial, it's also National Historic Preservation Month, that's May. Martin County also celebrates its Preservation Month in May through the many free events put on by local businesses and volunteers at our county's historic locations. To those of you watching the meeting today, please, please keep this in mind and go out and explore some of these events in May. Flyers and schedules will be available both online and at the area's libraries and public facilities in April. Let this be our best year so far, and let us work together to preserve the many reasons people want to live and raise their families here. Thank you for the opportunity to declare that 2025 is our Martin County centennial. Thank you very much. Next on our agenda is public comments. You will have three minutes to express your thoughts to us. The first public request form is Jeff McLean, followed by Gail Goldie. And just as a reminder, at 2 minutes and 45 seconds, you will have a beep that leaves you 15 seconds to conclude your comments. Thank you, sir. Good morning. I have never seen an HOA override city, county, state, federal laws, or zoning. I am looking for the board to stand up for the small business in Martin County. I am reaching out to the board today in regard to an issue I am having as a small business owner here in Martin County. My company is MPW Filter Worldwide. We distribute air, oil, and fuel filters worldwide for marine vessels of all sizes. We are looking to bring two more lines of manufacturing to Florida since 90% of our business is marine related. The problem we are having is that we purchased a building in an LI zoned area on Jack James Drive. The HOA is telling me what we can and cannot do inside my own warehouse. I was approved by Martin County as marine and marine manufacturing wholesaler and approved by the fire marshal. When does an HOA know more than a zoning and fire marshal? The HOA is trying to ensure the building as man caves instead of the intended use as LI zoned buildings. In Martin County, man caves are zoned GC, general construction. An LI business cannot move into a GC area, but a man cave can move into a light industrial area and change the zoning and the rules. It is like putting a teenager in a 55-year-old community. It doesn't work. In an LI usage area, it should only be business use. By letting these man caves come in, they are hurting a small business person now because the warehouse spaces are so overpriced that the average business cannot afford to operate within the county. So now they moved up to an area that is more affordable. What does a man cave give to the community regarding? Nothing. A small business creates sales tax, jobs, and sells to local clientele. Man caves are an extension of residential use and do not belong in an LI zoned area. Look what just happened two doors down from my warehouse. The feds just busted a marijuana grow inside my building because they said they were using it for storage. Another man cave in my building was using his warehouse as a shooting range until he shot through the building and almost hit somebody. The HOA never reported this to local enforcement because he was on the board. An HOA is used for common areas, which is outside the building. An HOA cannot tell you what to do inside your home, so why should they have the right to tell a small business what to do inside? Thank you. I've talked to a few of you. You know my predicament. But this is an ongoing thing in the marine industry. We cannot afford to stay here because of everything. And these man caves are overtaking everything and even zoning. Your time is up. Thank you. Thank you. Gail Goldie is next, followed by William Corbin. I'm sorry, before you begin. Commissioner Vargas. Okay. Proceed. Thank you. Happy New Year, commissioners and staff. First, I'd like to say I wish you all a happy and a healthy New Year and good decision-making in 2025 with God's help. The situation surrounding the Bright Line station grant application raises concerns about the integrity of the decision-making process. In recent articles by several news outlets, the focus was on communication from County Administrator Don Donaldson to City Manager Mike Mortel. The letter highlighted a specific clause in the interlocal agreement between Martin County and Stewart that requires the city to support efforts to secure grant funding for a new train station. Donaldson's message also implicated that the county might pursue future actions should the city fail to endorse this initiative. The city has yet to issue a formal letter of support for the proposed train station. One critical legal question. Is the interlocal agreement still in effect since the county first relieved Bright Line of its contractual obligations, thus altering the agreement? It seems overly optimistic to believe that a mere letter from the city could sway the Department of Transportation's assessment, which should be grounded in objective criteria like need and financial viability, not wishful thinking and political gambits. Since it's doubtful that such an aggressive request for funding will be granted, is the county plotting its next move? The notion that a potential lawsuit from Martin County against Stewart stemming from the city's reluctance to advocate for the project hints at more strategic maneuvering that could imply a troubling ulterior motive. The county preemptively threatened lawsuits when the city rescinded its agreement with Bright Line and has since desperately searched for a basis. Such actions resemble extortion and suggest that there may be a deliberate attempt to manipulate political dynamics, undermining the straightforward grant application process. Because of this behavior, the idea of a preconceived plan to coerce the city to participate financially, possibly obligate it to $45 million, does not seem far-fetched. It is critical to prioritize transparency and fairness in the process, rather than allowing political manifestations to dictate outcomes. Why are we indulging in legal posturing instead of focusing on genuine community needs? It is truly appalling that the county has even entertained the idea of suing the city, which threatens to deepen divisions within our community. Neighboring officials are supposed to cooperate and get along, not bicker, over political differences. Stewart's residents are not just city citizens, but part of the county, sharing resources, challenges, and a collective future. The thought of local governments treating each other like adversarial parties is... Ma'am, your time is up. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. William Corbyn is up next, followed by Robert Aronson. Good morning. Good morning, Commissioners. I hope you're doing well today. William Corbyn here, Executive Director for the Business Development Board, Martin County. I've got two matters I'd like to make a comment on. The first is regarding the Warehouse and Condo Association issue that the gentleman before me spoke about. The second comment relates to Agenda Item No. 25-0221, Approval of Commercial Lease with Daher Aerospace. So first, briefly, I'd like to piggyback off of Mr. McLean's earlier comments. Mr. McLean, as you know, is owner of MPW Filter Worldwide and finds himself in a difficult situation with the Condo Association, where his business is located. I understand and can appreciate that municipalities oftentimes tread carefully as to the level of involvement in disputes of this nature. That being said, I urge you all to please strongly consider directing county staff to review the zoning rules and regulations as they relate to what are known as man caves, and look into what can be done to prevent situations like this from happening in the future. For my second comment, I'd like to respectfully request your approval of the commercial lease with Daher Aerospace. The BDB had the privilege of working with them when they first arrived back in the summer of 22, a family-owned business that's founded in France. They manufacture aircraft, produce aerospace equipment, and provide logistical and supply chain services. Now, although it has several facilities throughout North America, the company credits its acquisition of the facilities at Witham Field with solidifying its position as a Tier 1 supplier for aviation companies like Boeing and Gulfstream. The storied history of Witham Field, its proximity to Cape Canaveral, its strategic location to a redundancy of shipping options all helped seal the deal for Daher. Fun fact, the state of Florida Forest Service recently bought two Kodiak planes, which are manufactured by Daher to help fight forest fires. Daher also had a display at the Stewart Air Show and conducted a career pathways workshop and demonstration session with local students interested in the aviation industry. And just last week, it was announced that Canada will be using two newly purchased TBM 960 aircraft from Daher to fight wildfires during the 2025 fire season. For context, these planes cost nearly $5 million. I also wanted to briefly highlight the significant economic benefits this project will bring, $30 million of capital investment and 180 high-quality jobs with an average salary of $86,000, which is a direct payroll impact of nearly $15 million annually. There are also additional ripple effects to local suppliers and service providers. Their investment is projected to support about 425 regional jobs when accounting for indirect and induced employment, significantly bolstering the county's workforce. Once operational, they'll continue contributing to the county's tax base, generating approximately $1.5 million annually in state and local tax revenues through employee spending, business operations, and related economic activity. This project, it represents a strategic investment in the county's economic future. It's more than just a facility. It catalyzes sustainable economic growth, job creation, and community prosperity. Thank you for your service today to the community and for your consideration of the proposed lease agreement. Thank you. You're welcome. The landing. Mr. Aronson will be followed by Dottie Lancey. Good morning, commissioners. Good morning. Good morning, Ms. Vargas. Good morning. I had sent Ms. Vargas an e-mail. The highest thing that I have felt from you is that you said you were going to walk my property, and I haven't felt like that since Woodstock. That's how high I got from you. Because that looked to me like you were going to help me. Because the former commissioner didn't help me. And that's why my wife had a brain aneurysm and an nervous breakdown, because we weren't able to build our house for 37 years in Sugar Hill. We're the only house, a piece of property, with floodlands, wetlands. Out of 100 homes there, we're the only one. So I basically asked you to help me fix it, because the water drained onto my property. And I'm not accusing any engineer or whatever, but it's a fact, because my brother-in-law has been here several times, and the former commissioner did nothing. Said he'd call him. Said he'd get back to him. This is the time I was taking care of my wife. To find that you can't build your home because of wetlands, after 37 years of basically trying to build your dream home, was unbelievable. You know, it was just, you know, one out of 100. And then I was told that someone in the community got a political help, which I don't know about yet. But, you know, that's why you investigate things. But I call the internet the devil's tool, because that's what it is, the devil's tool. But I really would like to find out what's going on with the property, my property, and that they haven't cleared it in 38 years that I know of. The dredge has never been dredged. And all the water went onto my acre in the cul-de-sac. So that's it. I know how you are with your three minutes from the last time. That was cool, you know. Get out. But, I mean, it's, this is serious stuff. This is, this is not something that is, you know, okay. You know, you have a $50 million deal at this train station, and that brought flashback to memory. Because when I was a teamster, the Italian guy took $50 million from a company. So they did a three-page, full-page ad in New York. I got the money back, because that's the type of guy I am. I mean, I went after the guy. They said, oh, he's a mafia guy in Italy. Well, he paid, he got the money back, thanks to me. And I got a big. Sir, your time is up. Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Commissioner Vargas. Yes. Hi, Mr. Aronson. Thank you so much for coming. Very briefly, I finally was able to sit down with some of our directors here at the county yesterday. Of course, you know, we had the holidays, and it's really skeletal here, and I'm pretty chock-or-block with meeting a lot of folks and giving them the time and going to events that I have to do. So you'll be hearing from us imminently. All right. Right? So that's what I can say at this point, just to be able to let you know that we appreciate your trip over here, and I do appreciate your concern. All right. And in that email, I said I'd take you to lunch. Someone says, you can't do that. Why not? Well, you know, you walk the property, you want to go to lunch? You know. Thank you. That's how I work. I have no enemies. Thank you. Dottie Lancey is next, followed by Linda Smith. Good morning, everybody. That's a hard act to follow. But anyway, I'm Dottie Lancey. I'm from Hutchinson Island. I live over there, and I'm a member of the Hutchinson Island Preservation Initiative, or better known as HIPPY. And anyway, I'm here today because I wanted to make you aware of a project, and this project is being proposed in the Riverwatch community on Hutchinson Island, and it is about to be certified by FDOT. I mean, so not FDOT, but the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and it concerns a dredging in a perpetual conservation area. It's an easement, I guess they call it a perpetual conservation easement, and it borders on the Indian River Lagoon, and it will allow gasoline-powered boats to navigate through this easement. Although this easement is technically in St. Lucie County, it is adjacent to the mosquito impoundment in Martin County. It is a very environmentally sensitive location and a birthing place for manatees. And I did bring a picture that was taken by a resident of Riverwatch, and it shows, this was taken last week, it shows a manatee there, a manatee mother with her calf. And this lady in the development there does go around in her kayak a lot and does take pictures. And I noticed your calendar out here, and this picture, if you can see it, looks very much like the easement that I'm talking about. It's very pristine. People go out there in their kayaks, and it is in danger of being dredged. If it's allowed to precede the seagrass, there will be destroyed, and it's just starting to grow again in this region, and further pollution will negatively affect the water quality in the Indian River Lagoon. Of course, the pollution is not going to stop in St. Lucie County. It's going to affect the whole lagoon right into Martin County, too. Our organization, as well as other many conservation organizations, like the Guardians of Martin County and the Indian River Keeper, have been making every effort to stop this project. We believe it is illegal since the conservation area in question was established in perpetuity. And also, the plan calls for disposing the sludge from the dredging onto Martin County property there in the Mosquito Empowerment. We have obtained a letter from the Public Works Department in Martin County here objecting to that part of the project of putting the sludge in our area. I don't know exactly how, but I hope the commissioners will support our efforts in preventing this harmful project from happening. Thank you very much for the time. Linda Smith is next, followed by Tammy Mazzotta. Good morning. Linda Smith, I do live in Jupiter, but as a Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee Chair, I represent members and supporters in Martin County as well. And I stand, Sierra Club stands with Dottie on this issue that she just brought up. It is in Port St. Lucie, so I wasn't expecting to talk about it here. I want to welcome the new commissioners, and it's a pleasure to meet you folks. I look forward to working with all of you and your constituents on environmental matters. I've been reviewing your 2025 legislative program draft, and there's a lot in this that I think we can work together on. If there are any proposed changes, since it's a draft, I hope it's only to strengthen it. We all support funding for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or SERP. We also support the acquisition of conservation lands, including Palmar, which impacts Martin and Palm Beach counties. And Martin County's Blue Way is so very critical. Water is a critical issue all across Florida. Septic conversion has long been a priority for the Sierra Club, and important to preserve and heal our waterways. Along with reducing biosolids in our waterways, we need to reduce and eliminate fertilizer runoff during the rainy season in the hurricane season. We also need to increase native plant planting. Dedicated coral reef and resilient coastlines in the Indian River Lagoon and the Loxahatchee Preserve Initiatives are all obviously no-brainers. Many, if not all, of the priorities will impact our water quality. The Sierra Club also supports improving public transportation, but not so much expanding roadways. If you build them, they will come. And so we encourage development in the urban core and infill in existing open properties and use them more effectively, not expanding into farmland and open space. Urban infill taxes do not pay for the infrastructure increases. Buildings on remote farmland and open space actually cost more to all of the Martin County residents, not good physical policy. And finally, please support SB 80 proposed by Gail Harrell to protect our state parks. This needs a companion house bill at this point and support by all senators and representatives. We need to make this bill veto-proof to protect Jonathan Dickinson's state park. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Tammy Mazzotta is next, followed by Kathy Whitehouse. Happy New Year. Welcome. So, I just have a few things here. I want to tell you all, the meeting in December, November, I don't know, the last meeting, it was canceled and I didn't realize it until it was too late. Safe Barcelona had a Christmas jamboree at Pirates Cove Resort, and it was phenomenal. I wish I would have had the information to you ahead of time, but this year, I'll make sure that everyone is aware of it. It turned out to be phenomenal. We had food and music, Santa Claus, we had a snow pile, we had raffles, the kids got free stockings, pictures with Santa, I mean, it just went on. Save our Salerno Facebook page, it's got a lot of pictures, you can go check them out. It turned out to be a really great event. And we're excited to do another one. I have a question about the tiny homes that are supposed to be going in in the area. There's some confusion. I have people asking me questions and I have no answers. A clarification of what's actually going on right now, if they're on hold, if they're waiting for some kind of permits. If I could get some kind of answer on that, it would be great. And then, New Monrovia, Mr. Stokes told us last year that we would have an answer in December on grants. There's been no word at all on any kind of grants if they went through for the subject to sewer. So, if we could get some kind of answer, find out if we got any kind of grants, that would be really nice. And, let's see, I've noticed a lot of complaints and emails to you about the meeting times. I do agree. If we could work out a meeting time, even if it's, the people are not asking for every night meetings. If we could throw in an evening meeting once a month and a morning meeting or whatnot. One of the girls actually did a lot of search on other commissioners and commissions that do meetings at a later time for their communities. And then, I have a question about the NAC meeting money being used for the paving of Georgia's Way. We're not saying that Georgia's Way doesn't need to be paved. So, it's like $57,000, but there seemed to be no transparency in there. There was no public input whatsoever on the spending of this money. And, like I said, we're not saying that it shouldn't be paved. But, how about, like, we have new Monrovia's subject to sewer we've been waiting on for over 10 years they've been waiting. And, we're waiting on grants. So, how about grants on these new projects, like the mooring field or the pavings. And, use that NAC money and our tax money to do what's been waiting the longest. Fix what's broken before we add more. And, other than that, I want to let you know that tomorrow morning, Your time is up. Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. Our last request to speak is Kathy Whitehouse. Good morning. Our residents of Canada. We have 294 residents trying to turn out on a highly developing traffic area as they leave our community and try to merge onto Martin Highway. On a daily basis, we compete and deal with three scenarios. Firstly, the completion of the FDOT construction project on East Martin Highway has gone from four lanes to two from the bridge. As westbound drivers traverse over Newfield Parkway and Martin Highway, it creates a funnel effect where there is a competition for jockeying and speeding drivers to get ahead of the other guy because the lane narrows down to one lane. Secondly, across from our entrance of Martin Highway, our drivers compete with the Palm City Sod Business and Pinders Nursery. Each of these businesses have a steady flow of deliveries and outgoing product and large construction vehicles. Thirdly, from the west, a solid team of commercial vehicles, school buses, and commuter traffic are all headed toward the turnpike and points east of Palm City to Stewart. They speed along Martin Highway from the west and never confront a traffic light until they meet Newfield Parkway. The data that the FDOT has and told me was obsolete. The population has greatly increased and continues to do so with the development of Newfield Parkway. Our responses to these non-transparent claims continue to be, FDOT guidelines are not laws. Traffic studies are point-in-time indicators. They do not cover the expansive day of traffic. Further, FDOT study does not provide a forecast of the expanding traffic due to the future development and residential housing and businesses near west I-95 and that in the Newfield Parkway development. The only valuable data the FDOT traffic study provides was a clear need for widening Martin Highway and the bridge, which has been done up to Newfield. Our Canopy Creek community has gathered over 473 signatures on a petition supporting installation of a traffic light to date. We continue to gain support for the light, but need your help to protect our citizens. We are asking you, the commissioners, to help us by providing your written endorsement, perhaps some funding, and other support to convince the Florida Department of Transportation to help us. Your time is up. Thank you. And next up, and this is just guesswork, is Frank McChrystal. For the record, my name is Frank McChrystal. If my comments seem scatterbrained and slightly schizophrenic, it's somewhat purposeful. I'd like to start off by pissing everybody off with who they think are my friends by saying, hey, Dougie, we miss you already. We didn't agree on much, Doug, but I always respected you for your professionalism and how much you were always prepared and how you were really, in my mind, not the true politician because you always kind of did what you said, and there's no gray area with you. And every time I drive down Green River Parkway, the completed Green River Parkway, so that I can avoid US-1 all the way to Fort Pierce, I think, man, I fought this thing for so long, and now I use it at all times. And I'm thinking, this is the Doug Smith Parkway. Absolutely. So, Dougie, we miss you already, and hope you're doing well. Here we are, 2025. Seems like yesterday, 1998, when our town was a very quiet, peaceful town before the illegal extension of runway 1230, I guess it is, and here we are in the midst of not Republicans versus Democrats, but global elites versus populist nationalists, and you as a board need to decide where you're at. And the best representation for me is, as I drive to Indiantown, that spot just after the huge storage buildings and commercial center, there's a spot where you can look to the right and you can see this big 40-foot berm with all these pines on top of it thrown in there. They're doing a good job of transplanting native trees. They've learned that for sure. But, and then to your left, you see old Florida. As far as the eye can see, as far as your eye can see, you see old Florida, okay? And to the right, you see the elite's view of our county. We will buy all your land, and we will build our little communities, our little golf communities inside of these, and we will build these 40-foot berms so that we don't have to even pretend that you populist little people even exist. As far as Brightline, put it on the fairgrounds. But we know you won't do that because the airport interests have their plans for the fairgrounds. Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this from the public? Yes, sir. Please come forward, and when you're finished, please fill out a request to speak form. Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have it. Okay. Please come forward. Morning. My name is John Tillam. We have a piece of property. Close to the mic. We have a piece of property in Palm City that we were trying to build a dock on for the last three and a half years. We were given three different building permits. They were taken away from us. We have not received a reason why they were taken away. I gave you all a package last week regarding this. Did you receive them? Okay. At this point, I really was unprepared for this. I don't know how these meetings go, but we'd like to find out, number one, why our permits were taken away from us. There was an existing dock. They've even refused us the ability to repair the dock. We have five very large boats that are tied up without safety. The last storm that came through broke the dock in half, and one of my boats ended up in my neighbor's backyard. One of them sank because our electrical permit was taken away from us without cause. And quite honestly, I'd like just to figure out exactly what we need to do in order to get back to where we were as far as our permits were concerned. I dropped off some additional paperwork that I had earlier that will give you a better idea of what is happening with us, with the building department, specifically Jeff Daughtry and Mr. Donaldson. We have not been able to receive a straight answer from any of them, other than that our property is too small to do what has already been done, which was to rebuild a dock that was already there for the last 25 years. So, with that said, I thank you for your time. And if possible, I'd like to get back the original copies that I gave to the bailiff. Thank you, Mr. Tellum. Thank you. Commissioner Campy. I am familiar with your story, sir. I will have – it's a much more complicated story than you're presenting, but I will arrange a meeting with our staff and you. Thank you very much. Would anyone else like to address this this morning? In case we will go to Commissioner Comments. Commissioner Vargas. Hey, I'm thrilled to be back, 2025. In early December, I attended the Florida Association of Counties conference in Tampa that was aligned with the Institute of County Government and partnership with the University of Florida. And some of the topics that we covered – ethics, public records, sunshine laws, workshops – what's the purpose for setting a standard for public officers and employees, promotes transparency, objectivity, which in turn provides a method for public reporting, promotes confidence in government, and the primary duties of county commissioners. At that particular conference, I also attended new commissioner boot camp. It was a whole week, just chocker block full of information, and we were able to garner a lot of information, how to be a successful county commissioner, and enables one to develop a personal philosophy of government. It distinguishes us also between making policy and day-to-day administration, in addition to our manager. We embrace teamwork, and routinely with fellow commissioners, staff, and members of the community. We show value and respect to everyone. We maintain the integrity that has been placed in us for our position, and we do appreciate the public and your comments. Don't be afraid to say, I don't know. Ask for help when you need it, and this is what we're asking you to do. And ask for opinions, and listen, listen, listen to everyone. In mid-December, I attended a Western Lands Workshop presented by 1,000 Friends of Florida. It was really informative, and I'd like to thank the guardians of Martin County for hosting this event. I also attended the Martin County Business Awards December luncheon. It was presented by the Business Development Board of Martin County, the Partners in Economic Leadership, working with strategic partners, not just for Martin County, but the City of Stewart and the Village of Indiantown. These are economic and chamber partners, developers, real estate partners, capital finance, education, federal and state regional partners. There was a few companies that stood out and did win awards. One is Parker Smith. He's a graduate of Project Lift, which is amazing. A young entrepreneur. He founded his business at 16 years old. He has a marine services business, so he provides mates, captain services, washing, detailing boats. A young man that is going places. Another one is Security Solutions. New entrepreneur. It specializes in retail theft to prevent it, that is, counterfeit currency, refund fraud, and fraudulent receipts. We just had a busy retail season, so I'm certain they were called upon. Another one is Trench Diggers. Two fellows. They're newcomers. They have handheld gas-powered outfitted with single dual blades. Another one is called Grind Hard. It's a company to watch. It found a solution to national security. So what does it do? It manufactures ammunition, expanded into Indiantown. Unfortunately, most of the ammunition has been manufactured overseas. So what they did is they felt, because it was such a threat from foreign governments, and especially today we have to be aware, they have the copper casings to primers from arms industry, and the manufacturer of the year, aircraft manufacturing, parts for aircraft for nearly every U.S. military or NATO fighter, and we want this on U.S.A. companies and our grounds, not overseas. So, you know, the thing is that these entrepreneurs, whether they're new or newly minted, they're developing their models for students, running them for manufacturing jobs after high school education. When I taught, I thought everybody had to go to college. I have since changed my philosophy. I'm very big on Votec, and certainly if you can have some sort of a residency within a company, more better. So the headquarters, oh, we also have another manufacturer, headquarters for a fragrance manufacturer, and it created a sense for automotive, home, commercial use. Over 90% of the clients are international, so we're becoming an international known town, community, and county. And also we have them serving companies that cannot obtain the products, and they're tapping us over here. Day after New Year's, I was one of the elected officials to throw a first pitch for the senior softball at Langford Park, and also our Sand Dune Cafe on beautiful Jensen Beach had a fire early New Year's Day. There are additional restroom facilities there, and our Parks and Recreation Department is working to enhance this area, this beautiful area of Jensen Beach. I'll reserve my other comments for later, after. I just want to leave you with one thought. Ideas have consequences or benefits. Bad ideas have victims. Thank you. Commissioner Capps. It's been a very busy time since our last meeting on December 10th, because in December we only have one meeting. So I wanted to mention a few things that I've had the privilege to be involved in in the last month or so, just to bring some attention to these organizations. On December 21, I had the privilege of attending a dedication for two Habitat for Humanity houses in Petway Village in Hobes Sound. And I see Mike Redling out here. He's the director of Habitat for Humanity, and it was great to be at that event, and we welcome these two new families to Hobes Sound. And then on December 22, I had the privilege of administering the oath to the new Hobes Sound Chamber of Commerce Board, which is an organization that I've been active in for many years, a great group. On January 2, I joined Commissioner Vargas at Langford Park in her district in Jensen Beach to throw an opening pitch for the Treasure Coast Senior Softball Association. And I was quite concerned about whether my pitch would go okay, because I haven't done that for many decades. And somehow I lucked out and threw a decent pitch, so I was grateful. On January the 7th, we had the privilege of attending the swearing-in of our new sheriff, the ninth sheriff of Martin County, John Budenseek. And I'll mention Commissioner Campy. He's one of District 3's finest from Hobes Sound, and he's a friend of mine since childhood, so he's a great guy. And we look forward to his leadership of the sheriff's department. On January 10, I got to speak to the Jupiter Island Residents Association at Town Hall on Jupiter Island about matters affecting District 3, the southern part of the county, and that was a great discussion. And then lastly, on January 10, I took a tour of Martin County Fire Rescue, which was really a fun afternoon. District Chief Scott Fisk was my tour guide, a real nice guy. We visited the Port Salerno Station, which I learned is the busiest of all of the, I think, 12 fire stations in Martin County. It's actually one of the busiest in the country, surprisingly, for a fire station, as far as the number of calls they received. We visited the Hutchinson Island Station, which is Martin County's newest fire station, right across the street from Indian River Plantation there. And we visited the Lifestar Hangar at the airport, which is the helicopter that transports people to trauma centers. Boy, what important work they do. And it just seemed to be a really top-flight organization. We visited the training facility and the fire buildings at the airport, where they'll be training up the new fire recruits. And then we witnessed a heart attack simulation event that really took me by surprise. One of the firemen, just out of the blue, began to pretend that he was choking. And it looked real. At first, I believed it. I mean, he fell down. It was like, you know, regurgitating. And he was replaced by a dummy on the floor. And then there was a whole group of firemen that surrounded this dummy and performed all kinds of medical procedures. They had an enormous amount of equipment. Everybody had a job. And there was another guy who just kind of stood up telling everybody what to do. And it was an amazing display of professionalism and skill. I was quite taken by it. And then we ended that tour with going over to the lifeguard offices at the beach at Jensen Beach. I'm sure many of you know where those offices are to see their very important work at educating the public about how to be safe at the beaches and performing those rescues when needed. So those are some of the things I've been involved in in the last month. And I just wanted to bring some attention to those groups. Thank you. Commissioner Campy. Thank you. Happy, healthy new year to everyone. A couple of things. Quickly, we have an Eagle Scout recipient, a young lady, believe it or not. It's the second one, I believe, in Martin County's scouting history. Her name is Catherine Steele. Her last name might sound very familiar to some of us. Her dad is a judge. Normally, the county issues proclamations to Eagle Scout recipients. The timing on this particular one, based on the holidays, got away. Her Eagle Scout court of honor will be held prior to our next meeting. So I would like to make a motion that we craft a proclamation for Ms. Catherine Steele on the achievement of her becoming an Eagle Scout. Second. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you. That allows us to create that proclamation prior to our next meeting, and I appreciate that. Two exciting opportunities for our residents in Palm City coming up this week. Once a month, I do something called Dish with the Commish, where I have a member of the public. I've had the sheriff, both our previous sheriff and our new sheriff. I've had state representatives, I've had members of our county staff, I've had Congressman Mast come, and we spend a very informal hour or so having a conversation and do questions and answers. This month, my very special guest is Sandy Thurlow, Martin County's historian. The reason we're having her this month is she has just recently, with her daughter Jackie, published a book of Martin County's history. She's done several. She's done Jensen Beach and Sewell's Point and Hutchinson Island. Her name is very well known throughout the county. She just published a book on the history of Palm City that is available, and so she and I will have a conversation about her life, how she became our historian, what her passions are, and specifically about the book with Palm City's history. She's got a lot of, it's a beautiful book with illustrations, it's hardcover, it's gorgeous, she'll have some available that day. It's this Thursday, so this week, on January 16th, it starts at 8 a.m. in the Charlie Layton Community Center, just over the Palm City Bridge, immediately on the other side of the Palm City side of the Palm City Bridge. It's free, open to the public, it's got a little bit of a continental breakfast, you'd spend about an hour and 15 minutes, and you'll get to hear from Ms. Thurlow. The other event that we're having is the first, and what I'm hoping is a series we're calling it, the Patio Playlist. It will be monthly music at the patio at Palm City Place, which is relatively still new, I would count it as new, it's on Map Road in Palm City, directly north of the Palm City Fire Station. This Friday, January 17th, we're having Indiantown's own A. Martin County resident, Carla Holbrook. She's a wonderful performer, she has a solo act, she's in a jazz trio, she also has a girl band. She'll be performing that evening from 7 to 9, under the gazebo there, we're calling it Stars Under the Stars, but we're also going to start at 6 p.m. with a couple of food trucks along the sidewalk there, so you can bring your own chair, your blanket, you can pack a picnic lunch, or there'll be a couple of food truck options, or if you'd like, there's several restaurants in the area that you can take takeout, come, listen to music, hear Carla, you will, if you don't know her, take my word for it. She's got a beautiful voice, puts a beautiful show on, so that starts at 6 p.m. this Friday and goes till 9, and then again, Dish with the Commish this Thursday, the 16th, starts at 8 a.m. and goes to about 9.30, and I'd love, you're all invited to come. Both events are free, and we're just highlighting some of our local talent in some of our beautiful locations. Thank you so much. Thank you. Commissioner Heather, Etherington. All right, he sounds like a great place to celebrate my birthday. See that, happy 50th birthday to Commissioner Heatherington. And as far as birthdays and gifts, we got a great, fantastic, Martin County got a holiday gift that I think none of us could have possibly hoped for. This holiday, Governor DeSantis and the Cabinet approved a conservation easement on over 5,800 acres of land in western Martin County, Bull Hammock Ranch. It's a beautiful piece of property. I had the pleasure of kind of running around that property growing up, so that was through the Rural Family Lands Program, and a couple years ago, I remember being in Tallahassee with Wilton Simpson, and he was very, very excited about the Rural and Family Lands Program, and I think that's exactly the direction that we need to be going. I'm so happy they identified property in Martin County, and any time we can balance agricultural productivity and conservation, environmental preservation, I think we're winning, and it's an absolutely amazing way to protect our western land. So I appreciate it. I think we should send a letter to the Governor and the Cabinet thanking them for that beautiful gift. I agree with you. Me too. And that's all I have. Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. I was going to bring it up, too. It's called Bull Hammock Ranch, and it is owned by the Carlton family, has been for decades, and there isn't a better-maintained, sustainable ranch in Martin County or anywhere in Florida. It's beautiful. Well, commissioners, we began our latest Martin Cares class on this past Thursday. You're all aware of Martin Cares. What you may not be aware of is that in the past, we began each of the Martin Cares classes with a presentation by each commissioner, and we ended that practice maybe five years ago, something like that, and I think that the residents really enjoy hearing directly from the commissioners, so I would like to suggest that we begin again each of those classes with a little presentation, information provided by the Board of County Commissioners. I would ask that the presentations be limited to 30 minutes, no more than because these classes run on really, really strict schedules, and if we go over, it completely ruins the schedules, and we frequently have field trips, so we have to maintain schedules, but I think that that would be a nice addition to our Martin Cares classes, and we have two new commissioners who I think it would be good for the public to get to know you, and I think that's a great way to get to know you. Commissioner Vargas. So that would be all five commissioners at each Martin Cares? No, one at a time. One at a time. One at a time. All right. So it just started last week, so I'm not so sure that they can be retrofitted for this Martin Cares class. Maybe the next one is in March, so I just wanted to float that option and see if it met with your approval. Sure. I think that's a good idea. It was that way in the past. I think it gives the Cares people an opportunity to have a little, like you said, you know, a little bit of time to meet with us individually, meet us individually. Yeah. There are an awful lot of new residents in Martin County, too, and a lot of these people have been here fewer than five years, and so it's a great introduction to their local government. Also, about, I think it was about 10 years ago, this board majority made a decision to take away the community redevelopment area from the five commissioners to appointed NAC members. I thought it was a bad idea at the time. I think it's a worse idea now. I think that it's absolutely essential in terms of transparency and predictability and accountability for the board of county commissioners to act as the CRA. No one is more familiar with our communities than the commissioners are, and as it is, we don't have any exposure to the projects that are being prioritized in the NACs. All we do is give perfunctory approval for their budgets. We don't know what the projects are. We just rubber stamp the budgets each year during our budget review, and I think that that's a disservice to our communities and to our residents, so I would ask that you consider that we, once again, take up the responsibility for the community redevelopment area. Commissioner Campy. Thank you. I don't mean to. Would you prefer me to wait until your comments are all done? I think you and I were the only two commissioners that are still here that were part of that process of that transitional period. I know that there is a difference of opinion, and I respect your opinion. I disagree with it, but I respect it. I think that the concept to refresh people's memory, or like you said, people that weren't here at the time, the Board of County Commissioners would be having their regular agenda. There would be a couple of CRA, the Community Redevelopment Agency, agenda items. We would say, oh, we're going to adjourn as the Board of County Commissioners and reconvene as the CRA. We would spend approximately five minutes running through a couple of agenda items, and then we would reconvene back as the commission. I thought that was the least amount of transparency. When you create a situation where, and I know that you disagreed even back then, I remember, which was a respectful disagreement, the concept of having additional opportunities for members of the public and in the case of the CRA Board members are very tuned in to their individual communities. They come out of the NACs to sit on the agency. It creates an opportunity. They meet in the evenings or in late afternoon. It creates an opportunity for residents to have another chance to hear about projects. They start at the NAC level, then it goes to the CRA level. And if your concern is that as the commissioners, we're not hearing enough about the projects, I would suggest we increase the level of information that is presented to us, not eliminate the CRA. I don't know how that would add transparency. The folks, you know, I am obviously very familiar with what's happening in Palm City, and I'm somewhat familiar with what's happening everywhere else, but I wouldn't want to trade, you know, my local knowledge for a countywide ability to know all of the projects. If there is concern that the projects are being approved at the CRA level and we as commissioners don't feel, even if one of us doesn't feel that they're tuned in enough with what these projects might be, then let's hear about them during the commission. And these, I think, would also be sort of disrespectful to the folks that have donated so much time, dedicated so much time to not only participating in these organizations, but learning and knowing the projects. I go to my NAC meetings locally. I've been to a couple others, but I try to stay in my own backyard for the most part. I have attended CRA meetings and sat as a member of the audience and learned. These are folks that are passionate about their communities. I'll use Julie Priest as an example, Rex Centel as an example. They have decades of experience right where they live with projects. I would not want to, I still want to have a say, but I wouldn't substitute my knowledge of what some of these folks are living, whether they live there as residents or work there as business people. I hear your philosophy, and I think maybe what we would need to do before we throw the baby out with the bathwater is ask that we have more information about what they're up to, not eliminating them as a board. Thank you. Commissioner Hethering. I don't have to repeat all that, but I agree just about 100% with Commissioner Campy's comments, and I have a great working relationship with Golden Gate. There's a lot of engagement. We finally have our NAC almost full and communicating very well between the NAC, the CRA board, and commission and our District 2 office. So I think just more information would be more transparent, and I agree completely with Commissioner Campy's comments. Commissioner Vargas. Yes, Chairwoman Hurd. So you're proposing that we eliminate the NAC and just have the CRA. Say again what you're proposing. The NACs would remain, and the CRA was always under, we were the CRA, the Board of County Commissioners was the CRA, because we're the ones who were elected to spend, to allocate tax dollars. Yes. So about 10 years ago, that decision was made to sever our decision-making and instead to assign it to unelected NAC members to create a CRA that was composed of seven members of the NACs. All right. So the NAC would remain, the CRA would be dissolved, Board of County Commissioners elected to make the decisions because of the tax dollars that are being spent, we'd be more in the know of the projects. Is that correct, that are being discussed? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. I'm not asking for a decision. I'm just saying that we should, I think we should consider it. So I'll bring it up in another month or so. You'll have time to, ample time to consider the alternative. Thank you. Thanks. Mr. Donaldson. Yes, just I have a couple things. And first of all, on the Martin Cares, we'll come back with you all with some options. One option might be to allow you to speak at the end of the day, then you can go over as much as you need. Because sometimes the public has a lot of questions, and I know that 30-minute time frame sometimes. Plenty of time. I think it used to, I agree, I think it used to be five or ten minutes, half an hour, you can, that's a long, and that's coming from me, a half an hour is a long period of time. It used to be ten minutes. Well, I won't describe examples of what's happened in the past, but I was just, we were just brainstorming. I personally prefer the morning. Now we might actually deal with the reality. Prefer the morning than the afternoon. But anyway, we'll come up with some options for you. Then the next thing is I do have an announcement, and this is required due to a public process of Miss, which Miss Elisa Elder can further describe if necessary. But this is a notice of public hearings and community meeting for designation of a brownfield. And so I'm making this announcement because we have an applicant who's made this, is going through the brownfield process, and through this statutory process we have to make a public announcement prior to public hearings. So just as a quick background, we have a property owner in Martin County. It's been used as an industrial waterfront for many years, and they're looking to have it designated as a brownfield. There will be a series of public hearings and public community meetings. This is not the county's project, but it is a process by which we are obligated to make this announcement. So I'm going to read this into the record. And, again, the title is Notice of Public Hearing and Community Meeting for Designation of a Brownfield. 9,670 Southeast Marine Way, LLC, is requesting that the Board of County Commissioners designate the property located at 9,670 Southwest Marine Way as a green reuse area, also known as a brownfield. Pursuant to Florida Statute Section 376.80, there will be two public hearings before the Martin County Board of County Commissioners. They will be held on January 28, 2025, and February 11, 2025 at the Martin County Administrative Center located at 2401 Southeast Monterey Road, Stewart, Florida, 34996. Beginning at 9 a.m. or soon thereafter, as the matters can be heard. There will also be a public community meeting held by Ferreira Construction on behalf of the applicant on January 23, 2025, at 5.30 p.m. The community meeting will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott, address 7615 Southwest Lost River Road, Stewart, Florida, 34997. The community meeting is being held for the purpose of affording interested parties the opportunity to provide comments and suggestions about the potential designation of the property as a brownfield. All members of the public are invited to attend and participate in both public hearings and the community meeting. That concludes the notice. There is no action by the board taken. This is simply the requirement for providing a notice to the public in accordance with state statutes. Anything else? No, that's all I have. Thank you. Ms. Woods. Thank you. Then let's take a 10-minute break. You're on. Thank you. We will now take up the remainder of our agenda, which begins with let's take up Consent Pull 14. Are we ready to take that up? Do we have Mr. Gazelka? We do. We need to do that first. No, we don't. We'll do that after. Yeah. This was pulled by Commissioner Blake Capps. Do you want to explain why you pulled it? Yes. I just wanted it explained a little bit. I think it's big news in Hope Sound when we're getting a traffic light on US-1. And I think the residents of Cambridge and Ridgway will be glad this is going in, I would suspect. And I'll make a couple of comments after our engineer speaks as well. Okay. This is actually a signal that's been a long time coming. The Poinciana Gardens people have been- Would you introduce yourself? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Michael Griselka, the county engineer. This has been a long time coming. The Poinciana Gardens people have been petitioning for a signal going on decades now. Um, the opportunity arose with the MacArthur Golf Club. For MacArthur Golf Club is building the Constitution Avenue between US-1 and Circle Street. With that and with people across the street and with the Dollar General now, a signal becomes warranted at this location. So we've moved forward with the signal. Um, we're actually repurposing portions of the old signal that were at the fire station down the street that got decommissioned. Um, and currently we've already gone to contract. Um, you go- the board has authorized the contract for construction. So they are online, I believe. The last I heard was towards the end of February for putting in, um, bases and stuff for the- for the new mast arms. Great. Fantastic. Great. Uh, I thought I would just mention a couple of things about traffic lights. You know, a lot of people, uh, might say, well, I would like to have a light, uh, at an intersection close to my house. And, and they might think that it's just in the purview of the county commissioners to, uh, to install one of those. The first thing I noticed was the cost of a traffic light. This, the, the cost of this one is $1,083,000. So that's something to remember. And then also, I think it's important to remember that FDOT is often the agency that is approving these lights. Is that correct in this case? Yes, that is correct. Right. It says it really wasn't a kind of commission decision. I'm glad they're doing it. But just for future reference, when someone else might want to have a light, it, it oftentimes involves the FDOT and their ultimate determination on the matter. And I thought I would ask our accounting engineer just maybe to give us a couple of highlights as to what justifies having a light. You know, when, when, when does the FDOT think one is appropriate? The FDOT has a process of, uh, warranting a signal. It deals with projected, um, existing background traffic flows, projected traffic flows. Um, basically that's what it's all, it's all based on the existing traffic flows and projected traffic flows for that intersection. And they also have safety, um, concerns that get rolled into it as well. Good. Thank you. Any other questions about the Constitution Ave signalization? Then we'll move on to, uh, Consent 16, which I pulled. And this is a request to lower the speed limit on Cove Road, which is currently posted at 40 and 45, down to 40 and 35. Um, um, this posted speed limit in Rocky Point, where I live, which is all residential, is 35. And I, it's, it's, uh, incongruous for me to, to believe that anybody is making a recommendation that the speed limit on Cove Road be the same as the Rocky Point residential, uh, posted speed limit. Um, I am the slowest driver that you've ever met. I rarely go drive the speed limit, or rarely drive over the speed limit. And yet, on Cove Road, I always drive the speed limit, or more, just because it seems like that's the correct posted speed. So I am wondering why we are being asked to make this change, and who's, who's, how is it being justified? Yes, ma'am. Uh, for the record, I'm Michael Grzelka, the county engineer. The, through the PD&E process with the, the, the DOT, they take everything into concern. And traffic safety is one of the big items that goes in when they're, um, studying new road segments. So, this one, due to the, um, past, um, accidents and records on this road, that was some of the things that came out in Martin County's Vision Zero initiative to, uh, reduce traffic accidents and stuff. And it's not really a big, big change. Currently, the Cove Road is 45 from Canter to Ault. It's 40 from Ault to Avalon. And it's 35 from Avalon to US1. This, the, with the addition of the two roundabouts that are, that are proposed within this study to also help slow down the traffic and, um, avoid more accidents. There's a roundabout proposed at, um, Traybell's entrance and a roundabout proposed at Ault Avenue. So, what we're only changing, really, is from the 45 speed limit between Canter and Ault is dropping to 40, which is really necessary to facilitate the roundabouts. But when are the roundabouts going to be constructed? With the, with this whole project. This, this, this is not a, uh, this is not, we're not dropping the speed limit like today. This is when the road gets widened and this is all the future, um, once the road is widened and the roundabouts are in. When, because this, this also talks about the, the road being, uh, expanded from two lanes to four lanes. Okay, so this is not a project, this isn't a change now. This is a change that's going to be executed in 2028 or something. Whenever, yeah, whenever the, the project is built. Are you okay with that answer? I, I, I, I, do they, do they always make these changes 10 years in advance of the construction? What, what they're asking for is the, um, approval of the typical sections that they, that they've identified as. And along with those typical sections and the, the proposed roundabouts, they're asking to then reduce the speed for that section of road at that time. Okay. Any further questions? No, I, I was going to make a motion to accept staff's recommendation on consent agenda, item number 14. We haven't approved any of the consent agenda, so you want to do the whole thing? I'll do the whole thing. We'll bundle it. There's a motion to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you. We will now move on to, uh, let's do B and C one. You want to do those, Ms. Gordon? This is industrial development authority appointment. There is one appointment to be made. Donna Gordon for administration. There was two applicants. Mr. Matthew Abes received two votes. Mr. George Gattuso received three votes. Is there a motion to appoint Mr. Gattuso? Motion to appoint Mr. Gattuso? Gattuso? There's a motion. Is there a second? Second. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. B and C two is a vacancy on the community redevelopment agency at large member. There are three applicants. We were asked to select, well, wait a minute. Well, actually, there's a whole bunch of appointments that need to be made. So there's a staff recommendation for about six different things. There are terms we're going to expire on the community redevelopment agency. There's three applicants for one position, the at-large position. And you all gave me your voting sheets. And Mr. Chuck Smith received five votes. Okay. And then Michael Riedling for the RIO, Rexintel for Old Palm City, Cynthia Hall for Jensen Beach, and Sadia Safarides for Golden Gate. Motion to accept those appointments. And then, oh, sorry. Second. Any other comments, questions? There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. And then you're asked to appoint a chair and vice chair to the Community Redevelopment Agency for the calendar year 2025. Okay. Rexintel is the current chairman, and Robert Krebs is the current vice chair. Commissioner Campy. Have they, may I speak to Ms. Corris? Good morning. Good morning. Has the CRA board proffered any recommendations of who they would like to see in these positions? Generally what happens, commissioners, is that the vice chair would move to chair, so that would indicate Robert Krebs, he's the Hope Sound member, be appointed as chairman. And then it usually reverts back around to the other members for vice chair. So they didn't make any particular recommendation. And I will. I would elevate the vice chair to chair, and I would make a recommendation that Mike Redling from the RIO. Donna, are you shaking your head no, Donna? Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just double-checking myself. He serves on the CRA, correct? He does. I would make a recommendation that he become the vice chair. Second, Matt. There's a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you. Shall we move on to public hearing number one, which is a public hearing to consider adoption of an ordinance amending Chapter 111 by creating Article 8 regarding registration fees for sex offenders, sexual predators, convicted felons, and career offenders, and a resolution establishing the registration fees. Good morning. Good morning, commissioners. Senior Assistant County Attorney Melissa Petrick. I have next to me Detective Polizzi from the Martin County Sheriff's Office. She is one of the detectives that handles registration of sex offenders and other felons. Also behind me, I have Sergeant Spencer, who she is with the Special Victims Unit, and Captain Werner, who oversees of various departments, including the Special Victims Unit as well. So I'm here today, Board, because we are looking for the Board to consider an adoption of two sections. It would be for Section 111.160 as well as 111.161. What this is about is 160 are the definitions regarding sex offenders, sexual predators, felons. There are certain individuals within Martin County that are required by law to register with the Sheriff's Office. These registrations are set up by statute. These registrations require updating email addresses, updating employment, and as well as updating residences. There are certain parameters that must be done in the sense of registrations, whether it's yearly or monthly or quarterly. It is all dependent on that particular offender and what the item is that has to be registered. So what this ordinance is looking to do, because the Sheriff's Office has to expend time, money, and resources when they register these offenders, they actually go out to the field. They have to verify where they live. They have to push notifications out to the general public. This ordinance is looking to establish registration fees through the issuance of a resolution. Their minimal fees, I believe it's approximately $25, that is before the Board, they range from anywhere from $25 down to $10. And these amounts are merely to cover the costs that the Sheriff's Office is incurring as a result of registering these offenders. So in regards to what is before you today, the Sheriff's Office, with the approval of the County Attorney's Office, is asking that the Board adopt these new ordinances. And that would be 111.160. And as I stated, that includes the definitions of the different types of offenders that are required by law to register, as well as Section 111.161. And that ordinance discusses the different types of registration, as well as the implementation of this fee. I do have one ministerial error to address, and that was in 111.161, subsection G, under penalties. And that was just that Florida Statute 125.69 to be changed to 162.21. It was just a different section of the law that gives the authority for the implementation of fees for failure to do this. So with that, I am asking that the Board adopt this ordinance with the change and also to adopt the resolution. And that resolution establishes the amounts of the initial registration, the yearly registration, the periodic, and a change of address that requires personal verification by the officers of the Martin County Sheriff's Office. And if anybody... Mr. Campy. Thank you. First off, thank you for doing this work. I know it's very difficult work to do. When I was reviewing the agenda item, I was surprised by the number of individuals you have to deal with in Martin County. Am I correct? And it's 400, give or take? Correct. Yeah, so I think that that's a big responsibility with a lot of people. It's not like a dozen people. And I'm sure you don't have a tremendous staff that goes around to do this work on top of all your other responsibilities. I think creating a fee that these folks would have to pay makes perfect sense. And it's important because, you know, I remember in the general vicinity of where I live, there was a situation where someone had sort of rented a place to someone else and that person, you know, these people don't readily come forward and say, here we are. It's more of an investigative. And you have to track these folks. I thought when I read the item, I thought, okay. And then when I got to the fees, I thought they were remarkably low, $25 and $10. So I, of course, would make a motion to accept your request. If anything, I thought they should have been more money. But if that's what you're asking for, then that's what I would support. Thank you. Thank you for your work. Commissioner Vargas. Yes, I have a question. And I see that, yes, I understand about the fees that you're going to be implementing initially. It says here under G that if the person, and I'm paraphrasing here, fails to pay $500, will be subject to a fine of $500. So they don't pay the $500. What happens then? So like any county ordinance, when somebody, there's an ordinance and somebody violates the ordinance, they can be issued a citation. This is just like with our animal cases. If someone, if there's a dog bite, someone gets an ordinance. Likewise, if an offender doesn't pay or refuses, you know, and if they can't pay, they still have to register. The sheriff's office will keep the running tab of what is owed. The sheriff's office, which has their discretion to do, can actually issue a citation for failure to comply with an ordinance. It is not a misdemeanor. It is a civil infraction. It's not a penalty in the sense of it's not another penalty against just a sex offender. It is merely a civil infraction if the officer chooses to issue a citation against the offender. Okay. And if the offender is working, is there garnishment of wages or? So what happens here is when the officers come in in regards to the fees, part of their responsibilities is to ask them about their employment and their sources. You know, essentially that's a source of income. If they can't pay, then, yes, they can keep the running amount that's owed, and then they can, the sheriff's office can go forward through civil enforcement and try and recoup those charges. I mean, that would essentially have to be another civil suit if the sheriff's office decides to do that. So it's really a promise to pay, that type of thing. And this is throughout the United States? If they move to another state, I'm asking? Yeah, yes. They are required to register throughout the United States. And you exchange information? For the most part, yes, ma'am. I mean, each state is different. Each state has different fees. Each state has different registration requirements. No, no. What I was referring to is you exchange information that they owe this money to Martin County. Do you have a database or anything? I mean, that could be done. But in terms of, like, a national database on the fees owed, there are fees that would be owed only to Martin County. Not, I don't, in saying if the person moves to, let's say, Georgia, Georgia can't enforce that lien against them. It's up to the sheriff, just like whenever we impose any sort of lien on somebody, we can try to seek it down here. I mean, that's up to the discretion of the sheriff's office if they want to notify the next jurisdiction, saying, hey, this person owes money over here. But that would be their discretion whether or not they wanted to do that. Yeah, I understand because they tend to migrate, right? They tend to move around, yes, ma'am. They do. Yeah. Thank you. Any further questions or comments? Depending on any public comment, I'll second. I'll second the motion. Any public comment? Any further comments from the commission? There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Department Quasi-Judicial 1. Request plat approval for Newfield Crossroads Phase 1A1 project. Commissioner Vargas, any ex parte disclosures? No, it's been filed. If I have anything. They've been filed. Mr. Campy? If I have any, they've been filed. And Commissioner Hetherington? If any, they've been filed. And if I have any, they've been filed. Let's see. Have you submitted all your records to the clerk? Attorney, a copy of my work history and the agenda item to be filed as Exhibit 1. Are there any interveners? No interveners. Seeing none. Proceed. Excuse me, Commissioner. Oh, yeah. We have to swear in witnesses. If you're going to be providing testimony in this agenda item, please stand and be sworn. Raise your right hands. Do you swear or affirm the evidence you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Now you may begin, Mr. Sinnott. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Commissioners. I'm John Sinnott, Senior Planner with Growth Management. This is a request for PLAT approval for Newfield Crossroads, Phase 1A1. The PLAT is to be consistent with the Newfield Crossroads, Phase 1A1 final site plan, which includes 36 residential lots, two civic areas, and associated infrastructure on an approximately 7.17-acre site. The subject site is a portion of the approximately 139-acre Crossroads Neighborhood Phase 1 Master Plan and is located northeast of Southwest Newfield Parkway, formerly known as Southwest Citrus Boulevard, about 0.7 miles south of the C-23 Canal in Palm City. Included is a request for a certificate of public facilities exemption. This is a request by the property owner, Mattamy Palm Beach. As part of this application, minor technical changes were required to the Phase 1A1 final site plan to achieve consistency with the PLAT. These minor changes were approved on December 16, 2024. This shows the location of Newfield Crossroads, Phase 1A1, in relation to Southwest Newfield Parkway and the C-23 Canal. The site's located just under a mile south of the C-23 Canal in Palm City. This hashed area shows the boundaries of Phase 1A1. It's just over 7 acres in size. This is an example sheet from the PLAT. Phase 1A1 includes portions of Southwest Creek Street, Southwest Prairie Avenue, as well as internal alleyways. Southwest Prairie Avenue connects to Newfield Parkway. Phase 1A1 is their model row. It consists primarily of single-family detached dwellings, along with some fee-simple townhouse units. Review of PLAT is not required by the local planning agency. Final action on this application is required by the Board of County Commissioners in a public meeting pursuant to Table 10.5, F9, LDR, Martin County, Florida. Development review staff have found the application to comply with all applicable regulations and the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan, as detailed in the attached staff report. Staff recommends approval of the Newfield Crossroads, Phase 1A1 PLAT. Staff recommendation is to move the Board receive and file the agenda item and its attachments, including the staff report as Exhibit 1, and move the Board approve the Newfield Crossroads, Phase 1A1 PLAT, including the contract for construction of required improvements in infrastructure. That concludes my presentation. Questions for staff? Seeing none, would the applicant like to make a presentation? The applicant doesn't wish to make a presentation. No, but they can make themselves available if you all have any comments, I believe, or questions. Okay, I have questions. Have you been sworn in, sir? Okay, would you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm the evidence you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Please identify yourself. Good morning. Carl Albertson with Madame A Palm Beach LLC. One question I have is I noticed that these lots, the dimensions of the lots are not given, and I see that some of the lots are as small or even smaller. One, some of them are four hundredths of an acre. Some are smaller. So what exactly are you, what's the minimum lot size, and what are you building on these lots that are four hundredths of an acre? This is primarily our model park, which is out there built, and it's a combination of townhome lots, which I believe are the 30-foot lots. And we have villas, and then we have the different size single-family lots. This area has a, it's not all consistent size of lots because it is the model park. So we have lots that would accommodate the townhome lots and the single-family lots, and they meet all the setbacks and the lot coverages per the approved site plan. What's the smallest lot that you're asking us to approve by platting today? It looks like, as you said, the .04 acres. I think that would be intended for a townhouse unit. What are the dimensions of that? The dimensions are noted here. It would be 20 feet by roughly 77.5. Is there any setback on the 20 feet? The setbacks are established by the transect zone, according to the final site plan. Are there setbacks? There are setbacks, yes. Do you know what they are? Off the top of my head, no. Again, it's TND, so they are set further up towards the front of the street, but the garage is accessed off the alleyway. And for these townhouse units, obviously, they would have a party wall, so there would be a zero side setback for these particular units. Well, except that they're all the same size. So what happens on the two ends where there isn't a shared wall? Lots are two feet wider. Oh, I'm sorry. There's two feet of setback on the side setback? The lot area is 22 feet on the exterior units compared to 20 feet for the interior units. So, staff, is an exception being made for this, that we have a two-foot side setback? I don't recall the particular side setback for the end units. It might be between three and five feet from that end property line. It's like it's two. Good morning. I'm just seeing how this is applying with all of our regulations. Good morning. Peter Walden, Deputy Growth Management Director. The final site plan is in compliance with Article 11 of the new field. They have their own setback criteria development standards, and it is in compliance with Article 11. These lots are narrow because they are actually designed to accommodate townhouses. Commissioner Vargas. Yes, I've been out to see the site, the models, and the lots are extremely narrow. I think you could hand somebody sugar. Is that what you do today still? A cup of sugar, they're right there, and there are no shared walls on here, correct? They're just freestanding. Well, on the townhome buildings, no. If you were at the model park and you were at our sales center and walked to the left, there was a townhome building. So the townhome buildings, if it's a five-unit building, those five units are attached. They share a wall with each other. The single-family homes and the villas, they are detached, and there will be a physical separation between the walls. Yeah. It just seems like there are some questions that need to be answered here, and I'm following your line of questioning, and we don't have all the definitive answers. Could we table this until we, you know, this has been approved? I do have the approved final site plan, which would show the setbacks more in detail. So, for example, looking at more of a detached, single-family detached building over here, this lot 26, I believe the side setback on that lot would be three feet, and a front build-to zone, if you will, between 6 feet and 18 feet from the street right-of-way line. And the setbacks fall within the county requirements? Yes, per Article 11, the planned mixed-use village code. Part of the appeal of Newfield community and this new urbanist design aesthetic is to have, you know, more of a denser development that results in, you know, walkable neighborhoods, walkable streets, a greater sense of community, some would say. So if the board decides, we can have some informational things come forward in the future if you'd like to go through the Newfield code, but the code has been found in compliance with Article 11. All the development standards have been very much gone through. It meets the standards. It is a more compact development standards than you're used to seeing, and that is by design. And I'm not sure where we're headed here, but it is in compliance with the code that is adopted in Municode. Commissioner Campy. Can I hear from Mr. Donaldson first, Madam Chair? I think it's just real important to go through that Newfield was, it created its own form-based code. So it has a, it is the county's code. So they took the zoning that was created for Newfield, created a form-based code, which approved and created the whole concept of Newfield. So it has its own chapter, if you will, in the zoning. And the process of where we are today is that the, you approve a master plan that gives you the overall structure. And in this case, it's different than a PUD in that the form-based code specifically designed all of the layout of the community so that it is now, the term of art sometimes we use is by rights. So they have a very strictly defined approval process in terms of how they meet the zoning requirements of Newfield. So the next piece of it is you approve the final development plan. And the plat is the last piece that allows the developer to sell the lots in accordance with the plan. And the plat has to meet all of those other subsequent pieces. So that's where we are today at the end of the piece is really is the plat is the final instrument that allows the property to be final subdivided. And so the zoning questions in terms of ZEPACs and things are what you approve when you created the code. So we certainly can provide information on it, but we are based upon, and Ms. Elder can fill in some of the nuances of it, but the form-based code is unique in the fact that it's the first one we've done in Martin County, but it does establish a very strict criteria on what can and cannot be done. And essentially the roadmap has been laid down and approved, I guess is what I'm saying. And then so the plat has to follow all of that. It can't deviate from what was previously approved. And if I can extrapolate a little bit further, the code is much more destructive than normal code where you just have setbacks that you have to adhere to. These have build-to zones where you have to have a front and rear setback that is adhered to. The form of the building is actually dictated, and the criteria is very specific as to how the placement of the buildings, the form of the buildings, how the building interacts with the street, how the parking interacts, and everything else. It's much more detailed than our normal Euclidean zoning code. Commissioner Campy. Thank you. Yes, I know it's like taking a drink from a fire hose for some of our new commissioners, but those of us that have been here through this process when this was originally presented and debated and adopted and approved all the way up through to Tallahassee, we've been out there. I believe all of us have been out here to look. It is a unique kind of design concept for us in Martin. I think we have to be careful that if you have questions, as staff has recommended, the opportunity to discuss those questions. But I certainly don't want to get involved in a situation of delaying, based on looking for additional information, delaying these approvals. This is almost just sort of like a touch base at this point. The process is well on its way. This is a project worth hundreds of millions of dollars with hundreds of employees waiting for approvals. It's a very Swiss watch-type timing that is required of this. And I know that the process, even when it's handled exactly appropriately, is frustrating for certain developers in terms of the timing to continue to move the process along. So with that in mind, I would make a motion after public, if there's any public comment, to make a motion to accept staff's recommendation of approval, letting the applicant know that if my colleagues have questions, maybe they need to have, you know, instead of coming to the office, invite them out to show them exactly, here's what we're talking about, this is what this looks like. I have had the opportunity to go out and take a look. It's unique, but I think it's fantastic. Agree. Second. Ms. Eldridge? Elise Elder, Deputy County Attorney. I would just add on to what Commissioner Campion, Mr. Donaldson said. Under the law, the board's legal obligation is to approve the plat. It's a ministerial task by the board once the county surveyor determines that the plat is in accordance with our land development regulations and our plan, which I think he did in this case. So then under Florida law, your job is really ministerial to approve it. And like Mr. Donaldson said, this has already been reviewed to make sure it's in compliance, including the setbacks with our LDRs and our comp plan. That's all. Is there any public comment? I just must say there isn't enough information here for me to make an informed decision. You know, I'm used to looking at plats, and these are, if this is the way that this is going to be done, then you have to provide more information for me to be able to understand what you're proposing. Because just simply saying that there's a four hundredths of an acre parcel doesn't give me enough information. You know, if there's all this specific information that's available, I want it to. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Opposed? That motion passes four to one with Commissioner Hurd dissenting. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioners. We'll take up the next item, which is departmental quasi-judicial number two, which is a request for plat approval for the Newfield Crossroads Phase 1A2 project. Do you have any ex parte disclosures, Commissioner Vargas? None has been filed. Thank you. Caps? If I have any, they have been filed. Commissioner Campy? I filed and I had none. And Commissioner Hetherington? If any, they've been filed. And if any, they've been filed. Let's see. Is anybody going to, if you're going to provide a testimony, please stand and be sworn in. Raise your right hands. Do you swear or affirm the evidence you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Are there any interveners? Have you provided all the necessary paperwork to the clerk? A couple of my work has been turned in as an exhibit. Aye. Go on. Excellent. Please introduce yourself and provide staff report. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, members of the board. My name is Luis Aguilar, Principal Planner for the Growth Management Department. I'm presenting a plan application for a property owned by Marami Palm Beach, LLC. This is a request for a plan approval for new fuel crossroads, Phase 182. Phase 182 includes agricultural and farm uses, including a farm operations building and related civic space on an approximately 4.85-acre site. The subject site is a portion of the approximately 139-acre crossroads neighborhood Phase 1 master plan. This is the project location. The subject site is located northeast of southeast Newfield Parkway, approximately 0.7 miles of the C-23 canal in Palm City. The canal will be around here. And this is the project location with the new fuel crossroads Phase 1A, which is the grade area. Review of plots is not required by the local planning agency. Final action on this application is required by the Board of County Commissioners in a public meeting. The development review staff have found the application to comply with all applicable regulations and the comprehensive growth management plan as detailed in the attached staff report. Staff recommends approval of the new fuel crossroads, Phase 182, PLAT. And we recommend to move the Board receive and file the agenda item and its attachments, including the staff report as Exhibit 1. And move the Board approve the new fuel crossroads, Phase 182, PLAT. This concludes my presentation. Questions for Mr. Aguilar. I do. So this is a PLAT for agricultural and farm uses, including a farm operation building and related civic space on this 4.85-acre site. Can you show me where the farm operation building is, where the farm uses are, where the agricultural uses are, and where the civic spaces are? Well, that is part of the master plan. Let me see if I'm able to find it. So the area that we are discussing today is this one over here. Let me see if I can remove the – it's going to remove – okay. So for me to show you that, I will have to show you the master plan. But we are here today to approve just the PLAT. But, you know, all the information you're requesting is in the master plan. But I can show you what we are discussing, which is all this area over here. So the PLAT – this is a PLAT of one parcel. It's basically a boundary PLAT. There are no individual sites within this particular PLAT. So it's one common area controlled by the Manami Homes. So there are no individual lots for the farm operation or anything like that. It's one parcel. So it's not going to show any site criteria other than that one parcel. Beg to differ. What I'm looking at is they definitely look like they're PLATed lots to me. Can you go to the final site plan? Do you have that? You want me to put this on the camera? I see unplatted stuff around the borders. I see that there's PLATed stuff inside. Tract Canal C2, 0.26 acres. Tract Canal C1, 1.73 acres. 1.86 acres of something, 0.13 acres of something. I don't see any civic. Paying attention. Do you have this site plan? There you go. Okay. So there are easements and encumbrances in areas around this particular site, but you can see that it's all for a common area use. There are no individual areas that are going to be conveyed. It's all part of the project. It has an event lawn space, common areas, common community gardens, greenhouses. They're all shown on the final site plan. Please state your name for the record. Peter Walden, Deputy Growth Management Director. So I understand that in the last agended item that we were approving the PLAT because we have to in order to be able to sell lots. So if we're not selling these lots, if they're part of common property, then why are we approving this PLAT and what exactly are we approving? Okay. So it would be great if the applicant would step forward. He hasn't been sworn in. Right. Come forward. Yeah. You'll be sworn in again. The property is being divided up and by state law. If it's been more than one lot subdivision, it needs to be PLATed, and that's why this area, I believe, is being PLATed. Commissioner, may I? Paul Schilling, Growth Management Director, for the record. So this application is simply plotting geometry, which is the land we have on the screen. It is simply for that purpose to legally describe that area. As you know, within the land development regulations and PLATing requirements, there are requirements to PLAT land if you do not meet those exemptions. So this is simply just a PLAT of the 4.85 acres. Okay. We are the applicant in. Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm the evidence you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, or nothing but the truth? Tell me what we're looking at here. Can you scoot it over just a little bit to the left? And state your name for the record. Carl Albertson, Mattamy, Palm Beach, LLC. Get over to Creek. So this is the main entry when you come into our model center. The first building you're going to see on lot 2, which is designated as Civic, is what we call the CSA building, and that is where there will be the produce that's offered for pickup to the residents and anyone that becomes part of the CSA membership to obtain the produce that's grown on the farm. The area behind it is an open lawn that's going to be used for events. Lot 3 that's designated there is basically like a demonstration garden. They're basically raised beds that the on-site farmer shows on how it demonstrates how to plant different types of vegetables. The building behind it is going to be the main farm building, which is currently constructed. And that is going to be where the farm operations are and also provide some event space that can be utilized by the residents. Then behind that we have the farm, which is building number 3. You're going to have your farm club barn, and that is basically where there are supplies there that the residents can use. Everything behind this is area that residents can do their own plantings and have a little space where they can plant their vegetables and go there and tend to them, get help from the farmer on how to make sure they're growing adequately. And the rest of it is civic, C1, and C2, just open space at this point in time. Okay. Staff dias. Mr. Griselka. For the record, I'm Michael Griselka, the county engineer. The two C tracks that are on there are the canal tracks for the master drainage system, which gets broken out and is going to be maintained by the CDD. So they're breaking out portions of what's part of the master drainage system as opposed to what is farm operations, so that the CDD will be maintaining the master drainage system. All open water master drainage system is maintained by the CDD. And then the farm operations is more of a homeowner's responsibility. Okay. Any questions for staff or for the applicant? Would anyone from the public like to address this? Donaldson. For the information, CDD stands for Community Development District, and it is a method by which the entity pays all the property owners within Newfield or pay for the maintenance and operation of everything owned and developed by the Community Development District. Commissioner Canby. Thank you, Madam Chair. Having had the opportunity to go out there and see some of these buildings that are mentioned on this plan and how beautiful the project has come along. This, even if you're just driving by on Newfield Parkway, you can see most of this from the roadway. I think it's sort of a new way, a new lifestyle choice for some people. The farm is like community farming. It's been done elsewhere. I've seen this done elsewhere, and I know that this was integral to Knight Kiplinger's view of what he wanted for this community kind of coming together. You can drive by and see the buildings. They're gorgeous, and I would be happy to make a motion to accept staff's recommendation. Was that a second? Yes. Commissioner Capps. I was just going to say that I appreciate the fact that they have this big community garden. I think that's a cool change from the traditional golf course model for a homeowner's association. And nothing against golf. Ed's dad was a professional golfer. But I think the garden concept is really interesting and appealing, and I applaud you for doing that. I think that's a nice feature. Any further questions? Yeah, just in the future, please provide me with more information when you're asking us to approve these very, very detailed, opaque developments with not enough information. We will. Thank you. Our consultants do a presentation to rehash the site plan. That is the basis for the flats. Thank you. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. We'll take up Department 1. Is that what's next? That's Office of Management and Budget Items, which require board approval. Good morning, Ms. Murley. Good morning. Stephanie Murley, Director of OMB, here to present four items on the OMB item today. Our first item is a permission to accept the Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. This is for the Martin County Sheriff's Office requesting the acceptance of a grant award of $25,564 for funding to offset costs for the Martin County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit and Agricultural Environmental Unit, and there is no cash match required on this grant. Our second item is a permission to accept the FY2425 Spencer Educational Foundation Summer Internship Grant for Risk Management Student Intern. Our HR and Risk Division is requesting the acceptance of a grant award for $7,500 to fund a student intern which will expose young professionals to the field of governmental risk management, and there is no cash match required for this grant as well. Item number three is a budget resolution to allocate a contribution from the Coastal Conservation Association or the CCA for the Boy Scout Island Shoreline Project. We are in receipt of a contribution from the CCA in the amount of $50,000 for the Boy Scout Island Shoreline Project. This $50,000 will be allocated towards numerical modeling and a feasibility study to evaluate alternatives for restoration and protection of the island. We request a budget resolution and the amendment to the CIP sheet to recognize this unanticipated revenue stream. And the last item is a request to amend the Charlie Leighton Park Capital Improvement Plan or CIP sheet. The Parks and Recreation Department is proposing the reallocation of some currently budgeted funds with the active parkland impact fees and budgeted ad valorem capital from other parks projects that have longer project initiation schedules in order to advance the Charlie Leighton Park project. We are requesting the reallocation of $600,000 that was previously allocated for multi-purpose fields at Citrus Grove Park and also $700,000 in active parkland funds from the Sand Dune Cafe project that will be redirected. It will take at least two more years to secure all of the permits for Sand Dune Cafe and to leverage current funds. We are requesting that reallocation of that. And that's all I have for you today. I have questions on number four on the request to amend the Charlie Leighton Park CIP. Sure. And that is, tell me about the additional fields in the new field development. When they're going to be, where they're going to be, what promises that they're going to be built in a certain time? Good morning. Kevin Abate, Parks and Recreation Director. My understanding is the new field project is, as Mr. Donaldson alluded to, is its own separate little function. They require to provide the county a full master plan to meet level of service requirements for the county. They did have an impact fee credit to do that. So the funds for the old Citrus Grove Park was to put an old soccer field there. We have since many, many years ago, because this project is seven years in the making for Charlie Leighton Park since 2018. We have since re, we had an old softball field over at Lance Corporal Park that we turned into a new field, a new soccer field. And we're accommodating the teams over there. So the space requirements over at Citrus Grove Elementary are just not conducive for another field. And my understanding is that New Field has recently approached us in the last couple months. They're going to be developing on top of their New Field Park additional ball fields at their own expense on the opposite side of Citrus Boulevard. So that's in addition to the required master plan that they owe the county. When are those fields going to be provided? I don't have a date. I know that the first field that they're supposed to build for New Field Complex is based on, I believe it's the first, after the first hundredth home is constructed, and then that will be open. So it's a phased approach, from what I understand. Because they have a county, a board-assigned development agreement that requires that. Yeah. Also, the $700,000 from the Sand Dune Cafe, we're going to not permit the Sand Dune Cafe for two years? So the cafe is fully funded for design and permitting. Now we are working with the design team to move through a CMAR construction management at risk model going forward. So we have full design money. That's not going to stop this project from being designed. We have met with the design team, and Public Works has officially taken over the project on behalf of the Parks Department. So we're going to accelerate that in lieu of the fire that just happened over at the restroom facility. So we are moving as quick as we can to get those necessary permits in order, which will probably take minimally 18 months because it's approximately to the coastal construction line in the Sand Dune. And construction money for Sand Dune Cafe? What I intend to do is to bring forward a revised CIP sheet for the FY26 budget, 27, and so on and so forth. We'll be coming off several projects for the Parks and Recreation Capital Improvement Program. We'll be wrapping up Indian Riverside Park and Charlotte Layton Park and other products where we can reallocate existing funds over to the CAFE project as a whole, because it's not only the CAFE, it's the restroom and storage facility and the deck itself. It's a kind of a combined project. And I'll be bringing forth a funding strategy that will include active parkland funds, some general fund dollars, some bed tax dollars for Dune crossovers, and I'll come up with a full program. And over the next few years, it'll kind of, or 18 months or so, it'll kind of redevelop as a funded project. Commissioner Campy. Thank you. I just wanted to lend a little clarity to the Charlie Layton Park and say thank you to Kevin and Kevin and the other folks that worked on this. I actually inherited this project from Commissioner Dieter Lizzie when I took office originally in 2008. I still have a old, yellowed board design plan of what was supposed to take place 20, nearly 20 years ago. That project that Mr. Abate was mentioning will increase boat trailer parking, which is desperately needed. It'll also be the next in a phased approach of rehabbing all of our boat ramps. Charlie Layton Park is a very busy boat ramp. We get a lot of traffic from our neighbors to the north that it's the closest one for them to get into. And before you say, well, you know, it should be only for Martin County residents, based on the grants that we've received, it cannot be. We'll also be adding additional parking. Parks and Rec, a couple of years ago, did a very nice job on rehabbing the Charlie Layton Community Center and the restrooms there. It's been a phased approach. If you're not familiar with the area, it's also on the southern portion of the property where the Treasure Coast Rowing Club has successfully been operating out of on a smaller kind of a footprint. They have hundreds of kids that utilize the program from all the schools and adults. We're going to give a portion of the property back to them. It's currently a soccer field, and we have a no net loss for soccer fields. And as Mr. Abate said, we have found space at Justin Wilson Park to create a multipurpose field, I think the concept involving new field is more there was an original plan back in 2012 that when the baseball field facility was built at Citrus, that to the north would be two additional multi-use rectangular fields that, after a change in philosophy, turned into a stormwater retention pond. And the reason that there is a deal in the works with Newfield is the fact that when we were all out there, Mr. Abate and I, and we knew that Newfield was going to need that same kind of space, we were able to make a deal that allowed them to build those fields closer, as Kevin said, to was Citrus, now it's Newfield Parkway, right across the street from where these would have been. So that's a western Martin County, western Palm City thing. The field space that is currently at Charlie Layton Park is underutilized. It's not the best use of that property from a county perspective. The field will stay in place. We'll put a sort of a little bandstand or something in the center. The lights will stay in place. The, for many, Palm City in particular residents, they have no access to the river. And that access that we've had there is not only underutilized, I think it's like not utilized at all. And we're going to put some new boat launch there, like a kayak launch and some fishing opportunities, some picnic tables and a gazebo. It'll take that piece of very valuable Martin County real estate and really elevate it to its best use. And we have been working on this version of it for about seven or eight years. And I appreciate that we are finally now at the doorstep of getting it done. The NAC and the residents have had an opportunity to participate in the process. And Kevin and Kevin have been very clever, as they have many other times, in maneuvering finances around to continue to move projects to fruition. And I thank them. And I'd make a motion to accept all of it, especially number four. Commissioner Vargas. Hi. I had several discussions with Director Abate. And he assured me, and he showed me on spreadsheets, and we talked it through, that monies would be available for the Sand Dune Cafe at the time when you can start building, but that everything will continue to go forward, the design, as we move along closer to the 18 months. So that was important, you know, to me also, specifically because it's in District 1. Any further comments? I think that this Charlie Layton Park improvement is a fine one, but I can't justify spending $1.3 million that were allocated to other projects in order to accomplish it, because there's no way to refund these. We don't have $700,000 sitting in, you know, some magical fund for the Sand Dune Cafe. So I don't know how you're going to fund Sand Dune Cafe. And I'm also not, we have no guarantee that the additional ball fields are going to be built at Newfield, except they said they would. Apparently, we don't have a contract. So I'm not going to support that. So I would prefer that we divide these into one through three, and then four. I make a motion to accept one through three. Is there a second? There's a motion and a second to approve one through three. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. I make a motion to accept number four, understanding and appreciating that our folks that have crunched the numbers feel that they can do it, and I appreciate it. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Opposed? Opposed. Opposed? That motion passes three to two with Commissioners Vargas and Hurd dissenting. Thank you. Thank you. May I also ask that we revisit this again for? It's done. I mean, we can put that on a, no, we can put on a future agenda with no discussion. We're just not going to, yes, I get that. But, I mean, this is moving forward with design, Sand Dune Cafe. So we could take another look at this as we move forward. I mean, if Newfield does complete this promise of building ball fields, then that will take up that. And also, if we're pulling back on what we're going to be spending at the park in Palm City. Well, I know that officially these projects will appear on our capital improvement plan, which we look at in May. I don't know if we're going to be planning on looking at them any time before then or not. We've already approved the park's budget for 2025. Yes, Mr. Donaldson. I would suggest that we would review this in detail with the capital improvement plan, or if necessary, maybe shortly before we do the capital improvement plan. I think Mr. Abate can give an overview of the plans for the Sand Dune Cafe and some of the financial opportunities with their revenue stream on some of the parks projects that could help mitigate the projects approved today. At a minimum, Commissioner Vargas, I would recommend that you get with the parks people and have them review the spreadsheet again. Commissioner Campy. Just for clarity's sake, we approved today moving forward. We're well past, at least for Charlie Layton, we're well past the planning. We are ready to move forward with the project. And remember, the boat trailer parking lot and the boat ramp is well beyond the scope of just the park. It's a multi-use facility for all the residents, and we're moving forward with construction. So that's what I meant about it being done. I will advocate strongly for the Sand Dune to have its funding because all of us represent every park. As you represent the Palm City Parks, I help you in Jensen. So when I first saw the numbers being crunched, I'm like, oh, I had a conversation with Mr. Abate. And we discussed, you know, I don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul, but we're not doing that in this case. But I don't want to think that three or four months from now we're going to talk about Charlie Layton again, because I'm hoping in three or four months he'll come forward with an update on how far along we are with construction. Mr. Abate, how do we get this far in this with a $1.3 million deficit? So Charlie Layton Park is a capitalized project. It's the board's CIP program for boat ramp improvements. That's part of it. So the Charlie Layton Park project that was approved today is the boat ramp and the park improvements. And so as we move forward with projects and funding and we look at available funding, like in this case, park impact fees was a good use of it because it's shovel ready. It's we've been working on this project for over seven years, but more aggressively through all the permitting through DEP and getting and we were just awarded a $585,000 fine grant in the fall. So we matched it. And so and so to kind of when we got to the final project scope with the peers and the pavilions and the gazebos and the parking and the roadway through the park, the total cost was $4.4 million. And so when I look at the budget, the total budget for the parks department, we look at for example, Citrus Grove funds have been sitting in there for over nine or 10 years, unused, untagged. And well, well knowing that Newfield is going to do something. They're required to do it in their own master plan according to their development agreement that this would be a good use of those funds. And then finally, with the active park impact fees, but to Mr. Donaldson's point, I'm actively working on our FY26 CIP program that will include a funding strategy for the Sandu Cafe and now the restroom replacement. And I fully expect we'll have insurance proceeds. I fully expect that we'll have more funds and impact fees as we go along each year through the county. And I will have a strategy for for all of our projects that we have for the parks department. Any further questions? Commissioner Vargas. Yes, I understand what Director Abate is saying. We talked about this because I certainly didn't want to have any money taken from Sandu Cafe to put to a park in Palm City. It is expensive, the park in Palm City. That's a lot of money. Absolutely. A lot of money. I understand what Mr. Abate has said, that he is taking funds that have not been used, put to good use, shall I say, for about nine years, and allocating them elsewhere. However, the funding cannot cease because we want to put the boat ramp and we want to expand some fields out in Palm City. People come to Martin County for the beaches, and this must be at the forefront of our decisions. And I urge everyone on this board to consider this. So we definitely could have another sit down. We will. And he's very thorough. And I found nothing that was untoward that I felt that there might be something lacking. I'm not so certain about Newfield, though. If there's nothing written, just promises, then it doesn't have to be done. So according to what you've said, Chairwoman, heard. So that's my statement insofar as Sandu Cafe, Jensen Beach facilities. Yes, we're going to have hopefully some insurance money that might make a dent in the cost of transforming our area. Anything else? Let's break for lunch. How do we want to come back? One-thirty, is that good? Most of our mother, then our father, then our father. Okay, we are back on Department 2, contracts that meet the threshold for board approval of a million dollars or more. Ms. Brotherton. Christy Brotherton, Chief Procurement Officer. I have two contracts for your consideration today. The first is a continuing services agreement for generator, maintenance, and repair. This contract has a maximum not-to-exceed value of $1,500,000 with a maximum not-to-exceed term of five years. Staff is recommending that the contract be awarded to the two highest-scoring firms, which is 360 Energy Solutions and Genset Services, and move that the board authorize the county administrator or designee to execute all documents related to this request. And the next contract is a continuing services agreement for food, food services items, and cleaning supplies. This contract has a maximum not-to-exceed value of $5 million with a maximum not-to-exceed term of five years. And staff is recommending that the board award the contract to the two lowest responsive and responsible bidders, which is Allure Hospitality Suppliers and Cisco Southeast Florida, and move that the board authorize the county administrator or designee to execute all documents related to this request. And that concludes this item. Any questions? Ms. Brotherton. I move staff's recommendation and for approval. Second. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you. On to Department 3, which is state and federal legislative programs. Good afternoon. Commissioner Kaffs, is that a light? No. Hold. Steak? Thank you. Start with the state program. So the purpose, I'm Sarah Powers, legislative coordinator for the record. The purpose of the presentation today is to go over our state and legislative federal, or state and federal legislative programs. These documents, we've, I've been handed them. They've come down over the years. This is our platform that we use in Tallahassee and D.C. It's kind of the expressed consent of the board to let us lobby on issues that reoccur every session and every year in D.C. So, like I said, we provide these to our delegation members, our lobbyists, and that gives them kind of a guide to 2025 priorities. And we'll start with the state. Table of contents. Nice new picture. So, of course, our local bill request was approved by the delegation last week. So that bill should be getting filed any day now and working that through committee weeks and session. Some of our priorities, of course, we've combed through and cleaned this up, some of this language up, but, of course, comprehensive Everglades restoration plan, conservation land acquisition, septic to sewer conversion, biosolids, coral reef funding, and resilient coastlines programs. These are reoccurring programs. And some new FWC is asking for an increase this year in their budget for the reef program, which would then, in turn, help us out. The National Estuary Program and the Loxahatchee River Preservation Initiative continue to be priorities. Opposing unfunded mandates and supporting home rule, water quality and natural resources. This is kind of our miscellaneous water things that we see reoccurring every year at the state level, and some statements on human services and public safety, as well as economic growth and tourism. Narissa revisits this every year and helps us kind of edit where Visit Florida is and, you know, bed taxes and all of that. Infrastructure, recreation, and transportation. At the end, I'll kind of go through a list of some things that we've identified that we do need to add. That includes some bright line language in the, or rail language in the state program, as well as the federal. So there's that last line, some test language that we've put in there as in the draft version. We can tweak it. And then. Before you leave this, the state, I'm on page seven, which under biosolids. And the first sentence says support land acquisition for biosolids. Let's take that out. Yep. So we've come up with some draft language support. So take that out. Support funding for capital projects. Oh, wait. No, that's bright line. Sorry. Support alternatives to the land application of biosolids, excess nutrients from land application of human waste from wastewater treatment, effluent term biosolids, reach surface waters, and continue to increase the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. Okay. Good. On to federal. So this, this document, again, has remained mostly unchanged as our priorities have, have remained very similar over the years. So, of course, again, SERP, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, is in there. Passing a word to act is always important every two years. IRL South Phase 2. We were, when we were up in D.C. That was one of the points we were already advocating on. Beach restoration and inlet management. Again, a reoccurring federal funds. The National Estuary Program remains a priority. Back to the reefs, NOAA's Reef Act, as well as working with FWC at the state level. But another big one, conservation of land acquisition, with light of our recent sales tax passage, making sure that that is included in there. And that's all I have. Just bring it back to here. So some things that we've identified that we would like to add to the state program, we'd like to add support for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. I know Commissioner Hetherington brought it up earlier that that was used to purchase Bull Hammock. So obviously, we would like to include that into somewhere, right here, in the state program. And also, we could draft a letter of support, or a letter thanking the Governor and Wilton Simpson for Bull Hammock, yeah, for that purchase. And so, you know, continuing supporting us here in Martin County. I don't know if that needs to be a separate motion, but okay, perfect. We'd like to add support for SRF funding, something that we're kind of missing out on at the state and federal level, so just making sure we add that into both of our programs, that we support funding of that. And that's the State Revolving Fund, which we use in our assessments to help lower the cost to our citizens and to our projects. So that's one. We talked about changing that language of biosolids to make it make sense. And again, adding Brightline to the state and federal program. It does, at your direction, we don't have to have it say Brightline. It could say, it says Rail right now, but we can make that more specific. And we've already applied for federal grants. I don't know that there's any state dollars, but if it comes up, at least we have it in there. And then adding a line item supporting ship emergency funding for post-disaster recovery. And so on the rail, the projects that are obviously very important to us is the station has one piece of it, the other is the replacing of the railroad bridge, which we've supported significantly. And if in the future, if there's anything related to, you know, noise abatement or things like that, we might include in kind of our priority. But certainly the trestle replacement is still a critical support and, of course, our station. So those are what we plan to advocate on the federal and state side. It's principally been federal at this point in time, but there are times when the DOT also comes into play, the state DOT. Any other additions? That's all I have on my list. And, you know, if there's anything you want me to add from there, I'd be more than happy to listen and add those in. I heard that we did get another appropriation for the railroad bridge. So there was a couple of appropriations. And I think currently the rail is working with the Floridian and Navigation District as a local sponsor for part of it as well. And so we would just be we would be supporting those other local sponsors as in the activities. OK. And also the Orlando Brightline station was completely funded by the state. Who funded it? FDOT or was it a legislative appropriation or it was a big appropriation and it was all the state? Yes. I'm not I'm not 100 percent sure on that. I don't know. No, I don't have that off the top of it. We'll find out, Commissioner. Look into it if there's money available. Let's find it. And lastly, what's up with the farm bill? John, you're on. I was going to say, I'll turn that over to I mean, to John. I know the answer, but John Mayall, Environmental Resource Administrator for Martin County. Just at the end of the Congress, they renewed it. They put a CR in for a year. So they have until I think September, October before they need to start getting something put together. I'm sure committees will be working on the draft. But right now, they're just wholly focused on the budget resolution and the tax bill that's due up in April. And well, actually, they're still focused on restructuring. But but they've just in the last couple of days kind of created that timeline for themselves. So up until May, it'll all be budget tax and then an energy bill that has to go through. So probably July, they'll start working on farm bill, hopefully to pass something by the end of the year. Because we used agriculture money to buy allapata. And we would love to be able to to avail ourselves to that funding once again, and just restrict it to governments for cert projects. I know. We're I know we have our lobbyists on that for sure. OK, good. Commissioner Capps. Yes. And speaking with our county administrator, Don Donaldson, yesterday, he told me of an interesting thing that happened in Washington when I guess Commissioner Hurd and Don were up there. And it had to do with Mr. Hurd and yeah, John and Sarah. I thought I'd like to hear the story told again. It had to do with the northern Everglades component in the word of bill and how it almost was not in the word of bill. And but you got it back in at the last minute. It is. I thought it was noteworthy because I did mention it at one of your new meetings, but I'm sure it kind of flew through the air as to just it was significant. And I thought it was just important to reiterate what a little Martin County was able to do and really the three that were up there and Commissioner Hurd and and John and really the collaboration with a multitude of of congressmen and senators. And I think Lois Frankel helped from down south and and Senator Scott was a big instrumental in it. And so, you know, I I'm telling it secondhand and I just knew it was an amazing story from my own personal experience up there. So, John, I'll let you tell the story. It's so much, you know. So I'll start with some context. You know, we take these trips to Tallahassee and to D.C. We always create agendas. We have our bullet points and talking papers and things we want to advance. Sometimes we don't have a like a super germane apropos argument. But I don't think I've ever made a trip where something didn't come up that made it very worthwhile. So that that was the case for this one for certain. So we got up on our first morning. We were briefing on our our meetings for the day. And I got a text from the executive director of South Florida Water Management District, Drew Bartlett, saying, hey, we're to drop last night, which means that the committee staff released the word of bill that was going to go to the floor. And this is at the end of like it only has like a week left. Right. So this is at the very tail end. It was as often the case. It was put off to the very end. And and it's several hundred page document. Staff were reviewing it and they did not see the Lake Okeechobee Component, a reservoir project included in the word, which authorizes that project to become part of SERP. It would make it eligible for funding and it would also pave the way for the state to make its investment in it. It was a huge problem that it would wouldn't be in word. It really probably would have killed the project. It's a two billion dollar reservoir that stores water north of the lake. It also allows that water to move back from the lake to this reservoir. You can send it east and west from from there through the Kissimmee River outlets to provide water supply for ag. And anybody downstream of that reservoir would be a beneficiary of that stored water, including the St. Lucie River, which would be spared harmful discharges if that reservoir was was built. So something definitely something we supported when we talked to our you know, we have kind of elder states figures in our lobbying team up there. They said, well, we'll shoot for twenty six. And and Drew's like, no, we can't. We have to do this now. And so everybody kind of took on their role and started making phone calls, figuring out where it was stalled out and then putting in place the the calls and the letters and the right delegates to get it moving from place to place. And within twenty four hours, it went from kind of stale at the White House Office of Management and Budget. They didn't have any feel any pressure to get it done before the end of the year. And statutorily, they didn't have that pressure to being in a I mean, just the steps that had to go through. OMB had to send it to the headquarters for USACE, which is the Corps of Engineers. Chief of Engineers had to review it, sign it, send it on to the committee staff that puts together the word of bill. They had to amend the word of bill that they had ready for a vote. And then the leadership on the House and Senate side had to accept the amended version. And then by the weekend, it was already done. And they had later that week approved by both floors the new version. And then the White House signed it into law shortly after the new year. So really saved a couple billion dollar project that benefits all of South Florida. There were several NGOs that were also there for the task force meeting that we we regularly attend. And but when the when Drew Bartlett was reporting this out to his governing board in December or in January, a couple weeks ago, us, the Everglades Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, which is a huge lobbying organization for water quality and stuff, where we're mentioned specifically for our role in that, you know, sometimes we're just making people aware of a problem. You know, that's often the case. I know last year in Tallahassee, we had a similar thing where there was just something that wasn't right. And we just had to tell people. Well, I do appreciate having a smart and humble team, but you guys kind of did an amazing thing. So I just that's why I had to brag about it, you know. So anyway, thank you. Any other questions for me or any other any other additions or changes that need to be made? Looks good. They want a motion. Oh, with the amended changes, I'll make a motion for staff's recommendation of approval with the amended language added by Ms. Powers. Second. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor. I opposed that motion passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Hey, you're going to have to go up to Tallahassee soon. There's a special session. If it happens. Next is Department 4, permission to use construction manager at risk, C-MAR delivery method for the Southeast Dixie Highway stormwater and streetscape project. Good afternoon, commissioners. Susan Cora's Office of Community Development. And I just want to say, I think I might deserve a little slack because I have to follow John Mail and that's really not fair. You know, I don't have a story like that. Anyway, the Southeast Dixie Highway stormwater and streetscape project was approved as a capital project in our fiscal year 25 CIP for the agency. This is a large multi phased project that includes stormwater and drainage work from Southeast Bridge Road to Southeast Saturn Street on Dixie Highway includes post office alley and all of the side streets of which there are seven. The updated streetscape design will allow for wider sidewalks, increased landscaping, parking alongside streets. We plan to underground utilities and this is going to allow for easier and more effective redevelopment of the vacant parcels and the underdeveloped properties that are there now. I'll say a little bit about C-MAR if you'd like to hear that and why this project works for that method. Okay. A multi-phase construction project on these streets is perfectly suited for the C-MAR process. The construction manager will provide plan and phasing review comments during the design phase of the project instead of providing change orders that typically develop using the design bid build process. So the construction manager comes in at the beginning or close to the beginning. On this project we have a conceptual plan already so they would start with the design phase of the project and move along and what that does is it provides value engineering kind of at the beginning of the project instead of waiting until further in the process. This method provides a project schedule and detailed cost estimates earlier in the process which assists the agency in planning our funding accordingly and decreasing construction fatigue for the residents and businesses in the construction area. It also allows us to procure long lead times in advance to reduce construction delays and increase cost. The early plan review logistics and coordination of this work by a construction manager using the C-MAR process we believe will be crucial to the success of this process. So I am here according to the purchasing manual to ask for permission to move ahead. Questions from Ms. Coris? Comments? Commissioner Capps? Move approval. Second. This looks like a great project. Yeah. There's a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. Next is Department 5, a presentation on the Witham Field Strategic Business Plan Update. Mr. McBean, good afternoon. Good afternoon, Madam Chairman. Good afternoon, Commissioners. So this agenda item is a presentation on the Strategic Witham Field Business Plan Update. So this business plan update is initially updating the 2010 airport business plan, which is obsolete in today's business environment for the airport. The 2010 business plan was published after Florida Department of Transportation published their guidelines for airport business plan. And the 2010 business plan is also heavily based on the impacts of 9-11 on the aviation industry as a whole. So this business plan is going to bring the airport's business environment to where it needs to be in this update. In addition to that, there's going to be a pair airport benchmarking where the airport's going to compare itself business-wise to other airports in the region, and a financial review and assessment, including a marketing plan as well. So the four main pieces of the business plan update is a stakeholder engagement. This is where we go out to internal and external stakeholders to kind of get their opinions on the airport business plan and the airport as a business environment as a whole. In addition to that, we're going to do the analysis and an assessment. That's where we look at the financials of the airport, our grant dollars, the self-sufficiency status of the airport, and see if there's any changes that we could make there. There's going to be the business plan development. That's the actual writing of the business plan document. And in addition to that is the implementation program. This is where we will create an actual roadmap for the business plan to take the airport from A to B if that's necessary, if that's the direction that the board decides to go in. This slide is just a brief timeline for the airport business plan update. As you can see right now, we're in the internal and external assessment, as well as a stakeholder engagement workshop. This is just a public kickoff presentation on the business plan. The commission will have an opportunity to provide more comments during additional workshop sessions. And just to add more to the business plan, the business plan is being funded by FDOT and the airport enterprise fund. It's about $250,000. 20% of that is coming from the airport. And the rest of that is coming from the 20% of that is $50,000. And the rest of that is coming from the Florida Department of Transportation. I'm here to answer any questions that you might have on the business plan update. Questions on the airport business plan? We, we had, yes, thank you. We had spoken about, uh, talking with other businesses besides Daher aerospace. Uh, I know there are a lot of number of flying schools there to be able to increase the revenue. Have you been able to look into that? Uh, not just yet commissioner. And we will look into that as we progress through the business plan. And if you could please get back with us. Yes, commissioner on that. I appreciate that. Yes, commissioner. Thank you. Mr. Campy. Motion to accept the presentation as presented plan. Uh, the recommendation is to hear the presentation. That's it. Yeah. I've heard it. Thank you, Mr. McBean. Thank you. Stay where you are. And you're joined by Mr. Poprowski. This is approval of commercial lease with Daher aerospace. Yes, commissioner. So we have Mr. Sebastian Poprowski here, the airport sub council. Uh, this agenda item includes the approval of the commercial lease between Daher aerospace and the Martin County Board of County commission. As some of you may know that, uh, Daher was a successful respondent to a 2024 RFP. Uh, Daher intends to make a foreign direct investment of about $30 million initially, which will increase the $80 million over time. The intention of Daher is to relocate their final assembly lines for the TBM and the Kodiak model aircraft here in Martin County. Um, the benefit of that is the retention of 400 jobs that's existing at Daher, as well as adding 180 jobs for the final assembly line production, uh, process at Daher. In addition to that, the county will also benefit from tangible personal property taxes. Um, as you know, this, this item has been delayed twice due to a review process with the FAA, but at this time we're comfortable moving forward with the item. And the recommendation is that the Board of County commission approves the lease with Daher. Any questions, I'll, I'll be willing to answer those. Mr. Campy. Thank you. Brief presentation. Um, several of us were, uh, had the privilege of being at the opening when the Daher family and the folks from France came to announce and to take over that, that site. And it was a remarkable day filled with a lot of big plans. As you can imagine, a lot of businesses that are coming to town, they're excited. They talk about what we're going to do this and we're going to do that. And they did it. They lived up to the very lofty expectations that the community had for them. They are a remarkable company that, uh, brings, as you had mentioned, and then the business development board was here this morning to talk about indirect and direct financial benefit, but they are also great stewards of the community. They're very involved in all sorts of, uh, educational programs, chamber programs. Uh, I couldn't have asked for a better partner to come to Martin County for them to now see a, an opportunity to increase their operations here is a complete win for us. As you mentioned, they have 400 employees currently, and they're going to look to bring in what, another hundred and 80, 180. Now, some communities would look and say, well, you know, 400, 500, 600 employees. That's not such a big number. In Martin County, that's a tremendous number. For argument's sake, multiply it by 10 and where you would see things like that happening further south in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Um, they also bring a benefit to the airport without additional, um, takeoffs and landings. That's correct. And so it's exactly what it should be. Uh, I'm thrilled that they chose Martin County because I'm sure they could have gone wherever they wanted. And, uh, I'm honored to make the motion to accept their changes in the lease. Thank you, commissioner. Commissioner Hetherington. Briefly, I would just add onto that. That's exactly the aviation and marine industry. These kinds of businesses are exactly the niche kind of, uh, business commercial businesses that Martin County wants, and that will help us into the future, take the burden off of residential taxpayers. So I would gladly second the motion. Thank you, commissioner. Would anyone from the public like to address us? Anyone from Dyer would like to speak to us? Afternoon. Afternoon. Tyson Waters from the law firm of Fox McCluskey here on behalf of Dyer. I just think, um, it's been wonderful working with staff. A lot of hard work has come into this lease, and there's a lot of excitement about what this is going to mean for both the airport and Martin County. And we thank you for this opportunity. And again, we have some representatives here if you'd like, if you have any questions for them. But thank you. Merci beaucoup. Yes, commissioner Capps. Um, initially we talked about a $30 million investment. Yes, commissioner. That was what was outlined in the RFP. I suppose a lot of that is in the buildings that will be replaced. That is in the demolishing and the construction of the new final assembly line buildings, commissioner. Yes. And those buildings won't be owned by the county. You know, I mean, they're built by someone else and we're going to be the owner of them. Yes, commissioner. Right. And that's interesting. And then the the old buildings that are being replaced are in poor condition. Yes. Yes, commissioner. I think they were there since just after World War Two. They served Grumman. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Any further questions or comments? If not, there's a motion and a second on the floor. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioners. Brings us to the end of our meeting. We have time for commissioner comments. Commissioner Vargas. Okay. I'm grabbing notes here. Um, yeah, I really would like to have a motion consider for any future projects or development on ordinance addressing, uh, sale and storage of patrolling products that they must be at least 500 feet away from residential areas that did come up last meeting, uh, in, uh, December. Um, and I've had quite a few people sending phone calls, sending emails and requesting that we consider to have an alternate on the BOCC meetings. As somebody mentioned this morning, later in the day, starting later in the day. I mean, a lot of folks have to work and they really want to be participant. They really want to be engaged, uh, but they just can't do it financially. Um, so I'd really appreciate that. Also have had a number of, um, concerns, uh, reach out to us about signs on major thoroughfares throughout Martin County. And of course, some people say, well, they're only lifting my signs, not the other. I know how that feeling is. I really do. It's still fresh, but I assure them we're equal opportunity sign snatchers in this County. Um, if, if there's any way that we might have maybe the sweep like every two days with the department that handles that, at least it won't look as if, well, you know, the junk guys sign is still there a week later, but my sign for roofing is still, or my puppy sign or, you know, whatever it is. Do you know what I mean? I, they must have some, some sort of, uh, schedule or something there. I don't know, but we're getting these phone calls. So I really need some help here, you know, to, you know what I mean? We banned those signs. We call them snipe signs. We banned them. Um, one year when I was running for office, which I thought was wonderful because I consider them litter. Um, and I also have to put them up myself, which I also don't like. And I thought that was really terrific. Just banning them all together. Remember we weren't, if I remember correctly, I agree with you, what you said, the signs are a lot, uh, not necessary even in campaigns. If nobody did, it would be terrific. But I thought there was a first amendment kind of state statute or something. We were not allowed to stop those signs from happening. I think there, I Sarah Woods County attorney, there were two issues. There was the, the free speech first amendment issue, but that is not the case within our right of ways because that's consistent. So those, there were two different issues. So I'm not sure commissioner heard how long ago that was. So it may have, I remember we had to amend our sign regulations to comport with the Supreme court decision, but we still pick up signs that are on county property. Right. And there are plenty of them. In addition to those that are hanging on, I assume county owned fencing, you know, which ones I'm talking about, they're all over and the events have already passed. So they're starting to get weathered. I mean, you know, if they're out there and they got their truck. So our, our code enforcement folks, obviously we, we can arrange their priorities there. You know, we don't have a staff. They do not go out there every day. You were usually our, our generally our code compliance is more complaint driven than on routine. Although we do go through the CRAs on specific times based upon request. But we can, I'll get with our building official and talk and get back to you on if we want to do a schedule around the whole county on, uh, whether, uh, you know, we can accommodate that on a routine basis, uh, or how frequently we can do it without interfering with our inspection schedule. Right. Well, I, I, I know that, that they do sweep during campaigns daily. You know, that for a fact, you know, the campaigns are always a difficult, uh, time. Uh, and we also have at times signs that disappear that our staff were not involved. And, um, you know, we would always take them to the, uh, building department and, and put them back by, uh, you know, the dumpster. And then the, um, I know Mr. Overdorf can use his name because we talked to several times about his signs disappearing and then he couldn't find them at his, at the dumpster because we don't know who was taking the sign. So it is, uh, you know, the campaign season has its own, um, sensitivities that we're aware of, and we will try to endeavor to do a, a more accurate and, uh, professional job. That's fine. But I appreciate again, those signs that have been there forever, you know, I mean, no, we, we, we just want to keep our county different than other places. So whatever, they were great. And they came out to see me when I was standing in the dump, trying to find my signs. They were great. They even helped me pull some out, you know, I'm just saying, but let's just clean up. FDOT also maintains, they do their state roads. FDOT. And they used to make, put the signs in a big pile by the turnpike entrance in Palm city. But in the last year or so, they take them all to Fort Pierce. You're not supposed to put them in the right of way anyway. Anywhere. Yeah. But you know, when it's campaign season, Commissioner Vargas is not wrong. They, they're all over the place. And the ones that are well events that are months after they happen, their signs are still up, but there's always enthusiastic supporters who find a place to put them. That's true. That's true. All right. So about the motion about the benzene. Okay. So the, the question is, is there the zoning change? It did come up when we had the item. And so staff can bring an item back on, on that zoning change. We will bring, you know, there are, um, we'll have to prepare an impact on what that would do to, um, um, you, the existing or properties that are currently able to have gas stations. And, um, and with the Burt Harris and other things, uh, um, it may be, we'll just determine what, uh, what the impacts can be and how, how successful we can be at it. So we'll bring that back to you. And I'll get with gross management on when that can be done. So if that's a priority of the board, we can, we can, um, get it done. I'm interested in that. Sure. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Anything else? Don't, don't forget about the folks that want to participate too. I, that's a, that's a, that's a five of you thing. Yeah. I was on the board when we, there was pressure to have night meetings and there was pressure to have meetings in all the districts. And so we're public servants and we're obedient. And so we did all those things. We had night meetings. We had meetings in every district and by about the sixth or so meeting, there were absolutely no, no people in attendance. We were the only ones there and it cost a whole lot of money to take this show on the road. Okay. So that was in the district. What about here? We did it everywhere. We did it. We did it at the, nobody showed up. It was, it was a failure. It, we, it was, and we spent a lot of money finding out that it was not going to work for us. Yeah. It's amazing. City of Stewart has four o'clock on. So, and they have a reason for that. Yeah. I'm not, you're next. I'll wait till my turn. Yeah. One thing I think that's different about the County is because we have 160,000 residents, when a controversial issue comes up, the number of people that can end up coming here to speak at public, you know, at times can be three hours of that, right? Uh, public speaking. So I don't think it serves anyone's interest to have meetings going late into the night because people end up leaving because they're tired. And, and, and you, the idea is to try to get more people there, but it's not working because people actually leave because they're exhausted. And I think that's probably the case in the past when they, when this was tried in the past. Am I correct? Aren't the budget hearings in the evening? Well, the final approvals are at five o'clock and no one shows up for those either. Right. Statutorily prescribed. Yes. Mr. Campy. Thank you. I, I'm glad that topic came up. I obviously received the same emails and I thought about what they do in other municipalities. I'm not opposed. I remember what commission heard saying. A lot of folks say, well, you know, we need to have these meetings at night so we can attend, but then they don't. But that being said, that was a while ago and I would not be opposed to, uh, at least doing a recap of what the municipalities, uh, you know, the counties in the, you know, Palm beach, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian river. Let's see what the rest are doing, uh, how they're doing it. I know that when I was a chair, we did take, when Indian town was still part of the county. I did move, take the show on the road, and we went out to Indian town. And, um, for a daytime appointment, uh, commission meeting there, and actually other than our staff and the, and the beautiful kids from the Hope Rural School who sang, there were no other residents there. I'm not opposed to having a nighttime, uh, beta test to see if having it in the evening would work. I do remember that, uh, when we started at nine o'clock in the morning, back in the days when we met three times a month, we were here sometimes until 11 o'clock at night. Uh, we had, uh, and, and commissioner caps is not wrong. If you get here at six o'clock at night, even with the city of Stewart meetings, the biggest complaint I hear, and I watched their meetings, they had a couple of meetings that went to like one or two o'clock in the morning. And so remember, if you're having your staff throughout the course of our meetings, we have staff that are participating through the day. If they're working their entire day, and then they're working into 10 or 11 o'clock at night, um, that has to be factored in. So I'm not opposed to giving it a try to see, but it, it really, you can't say, okay, you know, the second meeting in February, we'll do it because if, if the public's trying to prove a point, they'll come. But what if on that agenda day, there's not really anything of consequence that would bring out a crowd. But I agree, as commissioner heard said, we are public servants. If the public is requesting that we try a nighttime meeting, I'm not opposed to that to see if it'll work or not. But I don't know how you would verify a success of a nighttime meeting, because if the agenda didn't have anything of consequence, or the opposite, if people, you know, 100 people showed up just to prove a point. I don't know. That's why I'd like to see what the other community, I think St. Lucie County meets in the evenings. They do. Yeah. So I'd like to know, maybe our staff can speak to them and find out how to, what's the logistics of that? Yeah, I know what they do is they have a workshop in the morning to go through all the lengthy discussions to try to abbreviate the night because they'd otherwise your hearings would go for a long time. So there are some different strategies, but we can certainly, we can certainly come back with a report on how other people are doing it. It all, you know, you know, well, I want our public to understand that we hear them if they're making suggestions, recommendations, or complaints that we hear them. We don't just be like, okay, whatever. So we're asking our staff to review that and see what's the feasibility of it. Commissioner Hetherington? I would just say in that feasibility to bring back what that means for staff time, additional full-time employees, overtime, a fiscal analysis. I wasn't here when you met at night, but I can imagine that would be very expensive having staff do their job during the day, be here at night. I personally don't care what time of day we meet, but I would like to take all that into consideration because if we're going to need to hire new FTEs and overtime and things like that, that should be a consideration. I wonder if we could, wonder if we could also consider when looking at other jurisdictions, like how active the residents are in county government affairs. It seems to me like we have a very active citizenry, and that's a wonderful thing. That's why we're such an awesome county. But there are a lot of people that take interest in county government here, and a lot of people that come and speak, and they like to have their time. And I kind of wonder if it's an unusual level of participation. And maybe some of these other local governments don't have as many people who want to participate as we do. And that might mean that our meetings are going to be going very late into the evening on a regular basis. So that would be my concern. You know, and the wear and tear on the staff, you know, going till 11, 12, one o'clock in the morning. Because, I mean, look at this meeting today. This is a relatively brief meeting, and it's 2.15, you know. And, I mean, we've been here since 9 o'clock. And, right, that's true. That's true. But this is a short meeting. The last one was till 5.30, right? So. Yeah, I understand about the financial aspect of having employees here and also keeping them here, paying them overtime. I don't know if their schedule can shift. So if you're working the meeting, and I may have asked Mr. Donaldson about this before, can they shift to a later time like you're on a second shift for this particular day, this particular meeting? I don't know. Just trying to find different ways to be able to say, hey, we heard you, and then get the word out. We are going to have the meeting on such and such a date at this time beginning. Do you know what I'm saying? And also, is it possible if you do have quite a lengthy agenda, and there's some items that really don't need to be tackled, could they be moved off and pushed off to the following? Do you know what I'm saying? So the. A couple questions there, I know. So in terms of, you know, the policy of the board, if you want to have meetings at night, we will adapt. We will find a way to make it happen in terms of how we schedule folks and, you know, what you do with, you know, some of us are, are salaried employees, and it doesn't matter what, whether, you know. So the, I think it would be more about the efficiency of, of your operations, really about you all being able to make good decisions is what's most important. And so that first answer is if, if we will make it happen. So whether, whether time of day, however many hours it's been, I, is the, the others have said, I, I do routinely remember when we were first adopting our land development regulations, a midnight meeting was a regular occurrence. And that was from nine to, to midnight for many times. And so, and, and so shifting things around when, when, when county government gets busy and you have a lot of projects, especially on the regulatory side that have essentially statutory requirements, there are times when we can't push them off. You can, or you have many meetings stacked up where pushing them off just makes one, the next meeting even busier. So I think that's certainly possible, but it, it generally what we wind up pushing, pushing off is your own internal items, which would be a parks discussion or something like that to deal with the required items, which often take the most time, public hearings and, and, and, and the like. So, um, in terms of managing the actual agenda, there are, there are some things we have control of, but there are a number of things that come before you that are just a consequence of, um, um, property owners and others, uh, contracts or with the hair or others that just, they, they have timelines and we don't have a choice. So, um, uh, so the, in answering your question, the first is that, yes, we can accommodate a night meeting we've done in the past and we, we can do in the future. I think the suggestion of looking around and how others are doing it, we can do that. Call the Florida Association of Counties and see how they, how the other counties do it. But, um, um, and, uh, and whether or not it was, uh, you know, how, how the strategy of how we connect with our citizens is, is, uh, always evolving and trying to adapt. And I think that's, uh, uh, we're open to, to, to, to the will of the board. How do you get the word out? You know, so the, you know, today, uh, you talked about how do you get the word out? And of course that I think is just an overall challenge with, with any entity, any entity today. And that is, um, you know, the newspaper is not what people are, are going to anymore. Um, even online subscription services. And so you're challenged with, you know, one, it's all demographic based on, you know, uh, you know, you know, a boomer like myself, you may still be able to get by newspaper, you know? Um, but, um, uh, otherwise is it, is it, um, uh, Facebook and then, you know, my book is old. Yes. Well, again, I'm, I'm moving down the line. So give me a chance. And that, so anyway, so your challenge is how do you get the word out? Because even, even in our projects that we have in a, a neighborhood of, uh, Golden Gate, if you remember, we had various town meetings, we have advertisements, all those things. And then when we go under construction, we have people right on the road to come and say, I never knew about this. And so getting the word out, I think is ultimately all of our challenge, but social media is the, and all of those avenues of electronics are how you're trying to do it. Um, and, uh, we have a great media group, but they don't always reach new customers. And, uh, you know, you have, um, those, uh, social or our own platforms, our own website, which we're always trying to change and our staff do a good job of it. But, um, you know, once, once people lock into their media, they're sort of in their own echo chamber. And so I don't have a good answer for you than other than describing the frustration we have on anything that we have, which is how do you reach the public with, um, whether we're having a meeting or we're trying to discuss a project. And, and so quite honestly, um, part of what we rely on is you all, you know, um, talking to your friends and neighbors, us going out and meeting with, um, interest groups like we had, uh, you know, the, the hippie group is an example. Sometimes they have meetings and so, or HOAs. So staff meeting with the public, using social media, all those platforms is how you get the message out. Um, but when you change the structure of a meeting like this, um, we would do all we could to, you know, notice to the newspaper, notice to, you know, try to get some television coverage if you could, um, and, uh, and just hope people get it. You know, that's a, um, I know, I know that's not a, uh, the answer you probably wanted to hear, but that's the reality we live in is that how any government today and you Florida associate County, everybody talks about is how do you get, um, people engaged, um, uh, with what you're trying to achieve. Now I will say that, uh, commissioner caps is correct. I've always found Martin County always have some citizens that are engaged. Um, um, and, uh, so I don't think we'll always have somebody here, but, uh, maybe not always the, uh, everybody we would like. Right. That would follow along the 20% rule, which is, you know, in every organization. But, uh, what about, uh, the database for the registered voters? I mean, couldn't we, you know, people have emails and just do a blast out there and don't discount Facebook. That is very effective. I can tell you that. Oh no, I like it. I was just busting his job. Yeah, no, leave him alone. Facebook is good. It's good. We use that. I mean, it's sort of, we have, but in terms of, you know, uh, you know, mailings and things like that are expensive, you know, and getting access to mailing email lists, blasts, those types of things are, um, uh, uh, you know, what the, what the, uh, um, tax collector has and other things is, uh, uh, we do mailings on occasion. Those are expensive. Um, No, I'm talking about, you know, social media, you, you have their, you know, email or, you know, you put it out there somehow. I guess that's a Laura question. Yes. That's a Laura question. Okay. Well, she, she'd be the gal and I'm going to a tech conference. So I'm going to ask that question. Good. We know if there are any other questions on tech related. Thanks. Mr. Capps. Yeah. Uh, on the issue of evening meetings, I think we ought to look at the start time and end time of the meetings in the last couple of years and, and then average it out. And I think you're going to find that the average meeting was at least five hours, maybe six or seven. Does that sound about right to you? If you had to gut check that six, seven hours, eight hours and ask yourself, how are you going to compress an eight hour meeting into a three hour evening so that people get home at a reasonable hour? And it seems to me like that would lead to a feeling of, uh, being rushed. Everybody's rushed. Uh, I would love to make some comments, have some more explanation on an issue, but we're in a hurry, you know, so we won't be able to say anything. Let's just have a motion a second, quickly approve it. Boom. We're out of here. I mean, you're going to feel really rushed when you're trying to compress a seven hour meeting into three hours. Uh, there's just no way to do it. I don't think so. That's my, oh, and then when it comes to public speakers, you know, some people might say, well, let's cut down on the number of public speakers, cut it down to one or two minutes that I think people have a right under Florida statutes to speak at public meetings and you cannot cut them out. If, if there's three hours of public comment, it's happening whether you like it or not, even if the meeting starts at six o'clock and you can't get to business until nine 30 because you've had three and a half hours of public comment. I just don't, I don't see it being practical. That's the truest form of public participation is the public comment. I'm not interested in, I think certain school districts, they say we're going to have an hour's worth of public comment. Well, if you have four hours worth of public comment, that's our actual job is to listen to the public. I've always felt that if someone came, took the time to come here to address us and it's sometimes nerve wracking, people are nervous to do it. That's what we definitely should be doing. And if there's three hours worth of public comment, that means the topic is really important, you know, and then to make it any less three minutes is, you know, it seems like an eternity for some folks and sometimes it seems to go by real fast. So, yep. Okay. I agree with Commissioner Campy. Thank you. So, you know what to do. Find out what, what the other Board of County commissioners are doing and let's have this discussion again when we're armed with some facts. That's right. That's what we'll do. Okay. At the conference. So, Commissioner Campy, comments? I'm all set. Thank you. Commissioner Hetherington? I'm all set as well. Mr. Donaldson? I have two things. First of all is, as Ms. Okie with our tourism has, we've got a gold standard for our Leave No Trace, which I guess we're the first in the state of Florida to get that designation, which is, you know, her continuation of numerous awards for that program. And then, and finally, and most importantly, you have Carolyn Breda won the Excellence Award for Risk Manager Safety and Human Resources, recognizing outstanding leadership in the claims process for injured workers. It's presented to individuals who positively impact the outcomes and ensure injured employees receive the best care and treatment. So, that's one of our, Carolyn Breda has been with us a long time. She does a great job for us. And so, if you see Carolyn, thank her for her great efforts and her award. Would you explain Leave No Trace? So, the Leave No Trace is, is about, and that's, we, it's a program about when you explore natural areas and the, you know, the, the concept of, you know, leave only footprints. But it's more than that. It's about education, how you actually inform the residents. It provides, and, and, it's not, and how we manage the land. It's a whole comprehensive program. I'll have Narissa and, and our ecotourism come and, and meet with you on it. Because it's, it's a significant program that we marked upon, started a couple of years ago. And it, it, it, we, we cover all our habitats from, from the ocean and, and our estuarine world to our hiking in the, in our, in our natural lands. And so, they have various programs on each one of those areas. And, and it also deals with those that have impairments and how they can get around and what kind of access we have for them. So, it's a, it's really quite a comprehensive program. And, and the fact that we got the gold standard award means that we just don't have one trail with one piece of information. It's a comprehensive program that also integrates with our hotels and our local citizens participate. Very nice. Ms. Woods. Thank you. As you know, last fall, we started our application for the Bright Line grant agreement with the Federal Rail Administration. We sent out emails to all of the municipalities in Martin County for letters of support. It's one of the criteria that the grant will be graded on. We responded. We received letters of support from every municipality in Martin County with the exception of the city of Stewart. They failed to take any action one way or the other. It never even came to a vote. So, because we have, as you all are probably aware, we have a 2023 interlocal agreement that where the city and the county agreed to each support each other in applying for grants. For the Bright Line station, it, that, that agreement, that interlocal agreement has not been rescinded or in any way modified. It still sits as a viable interlocal agreement. So, pursuant to that, county staff sent out a letter on January 7th requesting for a letter of support from the city of Stewart in accordance with the requirements of the interlocal. My understanding from, I requested what occurred last night at the city of Stewart's meeting and I heard back very thankfully from the city attorney and was advised that the issue has, was died. There was never a vote. There was an attempt to get a letter, a vote on sending the letter and that died and then there was an attempt to even place it on the agenda and that has died. Therefore, that ends the matter. They're, they're not responding to us. So, um, in accordance with Florida law, I'd like to bring a, um, dispute resolution authorization agenda item. This is under chapter 164. We'll be, that's how government, local governments are supposed to resolve their differences. It's not suing them. It's a, it's a dispute resolution where we take various steps and try to come to consensus. Um, and I'd like to bring an agenda item back at the next meeting. I believe it's the 28th. Um, and we, I can outline what that is and then I will also present a resolution for your consideration of whether you'd like to, um, invoke that process. Do I have questions? Not that I can bring that back. So you bring the resolution back and then the dispute resolution goes forward. You just need us. Yes. And what I will do because I want to make sure everybody understands it is the agenda item will outline step-by-step how the dispute resolution has gone. We've used it in the past with the city of Stewart. Okay. So if you bring the dispute resolution forward, you have so many other municipalities that are in agreement that have submitted a letter of support for you to make application, it's our sister city. I mean, why would we continue if they, they're not, you know, there's a lot of questions about it. We have the discussion about, we haven't finished our discussion. Um, but I, you know, I, I would, I would be more genial. I definitely would be more genial with city of Stewart. I mean, you can bring what you want forward in the next meeting. I'm not saying Sarah, but you know, yes, ma'am. I, do you know what I'm saying? I don't know what else to do. They won't even consider it. Um, or they haven't been able to even consider it. I, I have not watched the, the meeting again. I am not an advocate of, of disputes with our local governments. On the other hand, um, like with all of our agreements, I would like at least like to ask them to honor their commitment. And I haven't been able to get a response. I will say from the standpoint of the effect on the grant, um, the city of Stewart is the most important letter of support because that's where the train will be. The train station will be located. And that's where the greatest economic benefit will be placed. I, but beyond that, I respect your opinion, of course. And, and we need to, if we're going to have this discussion, which we need to have had this discussion, um, we need to advertise it so that the public says, sure, it was on the agenda. It was right there. It was, yeah, we want to give transparency. Yes, ma'am. I'm all for it. Thank you. Anybody else? We're adjourned.