all right everyone would you please take a seat let's get started uh get started on september 16th 2025 regular meeting of the board of county commissioners would everybody please stand and we'll do the implication and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance please good morning i would invite you all to pray with me heavenly father your word reminds us not to be anxious about anything but to always pray with thanks about everything so today we thank you that you are always near and that you always hear us as we face the challenges both as a nation and as a community that are before us today we ask that you lead us in wisdom and truth help us this day and always to do what is right and what is just for the good of all who live in work in and visit this county that we call home and i ask this prayer in jesus name amen all right at this time uh public comments on anything on the agenda do we have anyone that wants to come up and speak on the agenda we do not have do not have any okay no papers up here i just wanted to make sure thank you uh okay we need to approve consent agenda and we don't have we don't have any presentations or recognition so we're just getting down to approve the second got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries miss butterfield good morning today we have for you to approve and ratify payroll checks zero four one seven zero through zero four one nine eight in the amount of thirty four thousand eighty one dollars and seventy one cents we have two thousand nine hundred and fifty nine direct deposits in the amount of four million three hundred and seventy nine thousand two hundred three dollars and ninety cents those are dated september 5th of 2025 we have wired electronic fund transfers of eighteen million seven hundred ninety one thousand dollar ninety one thousand fifty four dollars and ninety cents and those are dated september 2nd through september 15th 2025 and invoice checks number four nine zero two four three through four nine one zero six six and those are totaling eleven million one hundred forty four thousand thirty four dollars and ninety eight cents dated september 2nd through september 15th of 2025 for you to approve and ratify please second got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor oppose motion carries we also request the approval of the minutes of your regular board meeting held on september 2nd 2025 please got a motion in a second all in favor opposed motion carries all right mr mink you got anything uh mr beasley good morning mr chair members of the board members of the viewing audience the manager's office will have two items for board consideration this morning item number g1 is to request the board to approve a three-party agreement for the use of state housing initiatives partnership program funding ship funding in connection with the proposed grove manor phase two apartment complex to be located in the city of lake wales today's action will represent a one-time state investment not to exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars in august of 2023 polk county housing and neighborhood developments office issued a request for proposal soliciting experienced and qualified developers to apply for county funds to develop affordable rental housing these funds were targeted specifically for rental units serving low income populations in september of 2023 the board authorized staff to enter into contract negotiations with the smith and hensie affordable group for the development of the grove manor phase two complex again to be located in lake wales funding for this project has been reserved through through polk's ship partnership program allocation in an amount again not to exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars this three-party agreement between polk county the neighborhood lending partners group and the smith and hensie affordable group outlines criteria for state funded loan in the amount not to exceed one million five hundred thousand the county has determined that the most efficient method of providing the required loan underwriting closing and related services is through the neighborhood lending partnership group an entity well experienced in underwriting subordinate county loans for multi-family affordable housing projects to expedite closure of the three-party agreement the county manager will execute all required and necessary documents on behalf of polk county including but not limited to closing funding and loan administration documents as well as subordination agreements and agreements imposing restrictions on the units to be funded with the loan proceeds funding for this low-income affordable housing initiative by way of the state housing initiative partnership program allocation is budgeted in the county's affordable housing trust fund so mr chairman of the board i think consistent with the board's commitment to various affordable housing initiatives i would request that the board approve the proposed three-party agreement obligating polk's ship funding in connection with the proposed grove manor phase two apartment complex in the amount not to exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars and to authorize the county manager to execute all documents on behalf of polk county in connection with this loan so mr chair i make that formal recommendation to the board second motion in a second any further discussion all in favor all right those motion carries mr chair we do have a representative from the smith hensie group and as a representative from the city of lake wales i didn't know whether they wanted to say just a couple quick words uh in closing because you're getting ready to get busy now hello uh rick crogan with smith and hensie affordable group i just want to come before you and say thank you very much for your continued support on this project and the other projects we've done in polk county specifically grove manor apartments in winter haven you provided 2.3 million dollars in that project and that was recently completed it would not have been completed without your assistance and we look forward to moving forward with grove manor completing it in four phases and putting you know up to 300 units of affordable housing on that piece of property mr kirkman again we would like to thank the commission uh for assisting us in this matter uh affordable housing is greatly needed in this area and uh we're excited so thank you again thank you sir and good luck thanks gentlemen uh mr chair second final item from the manager's office this morning item number g2 is to request the board to approve the second amendment to the existing power line road northern extension phase one infrastructure agreement this will be a one-time cost increase not to exceed three million two hundred and fifty thousand four hundred and ninety dollars in the interest of relieving traffic congestion along portions of state highway 1792 and state highway 27 in march of 2023 the board approved a 10 million eight hundred and five thousand four hundred and forty seven dollar infrastructure agreement with the developer to extend power line road from south boulevard northward to its proposed intersection with state highway 1792 a distance of approximately 1.2 miles the proposed new roadway construction would reflect a four-lane divided highway the initial roadway design and construction cost estimates were developed based upon the best available engineering estimates alignments and intersection grades envisioned at that time based upon subsequent competitive bidding performed by the developer and through the course of jointly resolving field conflicts regarding needed grade changes having encountered unsuitable soils and the need to address added fdot required improvements at the intersection of state highway 1792 that would include an added turn lane drainage improvements and utility relocations a proposed amendment number two is now necessary to complete all remaining road work proposed amendment number two is not to exceed three million two hundred and fifty thousand four hundred and ninety dollars and will reflect two million eight hundred and eighty nine thousand three hundred and twenty four dollars for needed field construction and limited engineering support plus three hundred and sixty one thousand one hundred and sixty six dollars for project contingencies funding for this proposed commitment will be available beginning october 1 2025 in the form of cash reimbursements for 75 percent of anticipated cost and impact fee credits for 25 percent of anticipated cost county funding for cash reimbursements will be available within the adopted roads and drainage community investment program budget specific to the developer agreement account so mr chair members of the board i think consistent with the board's commitment to address transportation mobility issues where feasible and across all areas of polk county especially along polk's northeast roadway corridors i would request the board to approve the proposed second amendment to the existing power line road phase one roadway infrastructure agreement at a cost not to exceed three million two hundred and fifty thousand four hundred and ninety dollars do we have a motion motion for approval and a motion and a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries that's it mr chair all right commissioner troutman commissioner braswell nothing yes i'd like to say a few words if you don't mind i i know that last week was a very hard week for a lot of us with two major events that took place one was the assassination of charlie chris and the other one was the 9-11 remembrance and in reference to charlie chris's assassination not only did affect nationally globally but also at home so my my prayers go out to everyone that has been affected by this and continues to be affected by this um my prayers go out to the family erica charlie chris is charlie kirk i'm sorry yes charlie kirk thank you i want to make sure that that's correct on the things um the prayer prayers for his wife of erica his family um the the the you what is it the um uh you now you now you've confused me totally how's that but his wife his family his friends uh the the family turning point family all of those that have been affected so i just wanted to say that um i just want to say that our prayers are with everyone on that and then the 9-11 that also coincided right after that that was a really hard time to remember close to three thousand people that perished during that time and and in reading about it and looking at it not only those people that were born right after that or at that time or right after that don't have a lot of remembrance of that and also our nation has grown over 70 million people during that time it is it is a time for us to remember that we can never forget and it is our responsibility to make sure that we tell the story of 9-11 uh acknowledging and recognizing all those that perish for the sake of of america so that terrorist attack was um devastating and it continues to affect all of us in in big ways so i just wanted to take those moments um chairman just to kind of express my feelings and to say that we need to be in continuous prayer for these people that have been affected by these two horrible horrific events that have occurred in america amen uh commissioner scott i'm good thank you and i don't have anything either so let's move on to expedited hearings i believe yes mr chair before we go to expedited hearings i'll do the public hearing general procedures we ask that you please turn off your cell phones and other devices that may distract from the public hearings please adjust the microphone and state your full name and address for the record before you begin begin speaking on a topic individual speaking during public comment section of a matter will be strictly limited three minutes the board is experiencing these matters and is able to discern what is legally relevant to an issue and what is not information that is relevant and repetitive only serves to frustrate and necessarily prolong the day's business the commission inspects civility at all times during all public hearings speaking out turn shouting out from the audience despairful sounds or utterances while another is speaking are unacceptable and you will be asked to leave the chambers for the remainder of the day if any person decides to appeal any decision made by the board with respect to any matter considered today you will need a record proceedings and that for such purposes you may need to ensure that verbatim record of the proceedings is made which record includes the testimony evidence upon which the appeal is to be based which you must gather at your own expense anyone in the audience who wishes to speak and present testimony today must be sworn in all testimony given during public hearings shall be deemed to be sworn at this time if you're going to address the commission or speak on any case today please stand raise your right hand and answer out loud to the following question do you swear or affirm that testimony or evidence you provide to the commission today is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth thank you at this time we'll go over expedited hearing procedures expedited hearings are held pursuant to resolution number 2022-089 expedited hearings are used when no opposition was present at the planning commission hearing the applicant agrees to the expedited hearing and recommendation of the development review committee is for approval expedited procedures are the following after staff briefly introduces the case the hearing will be open for public comment if anyone speaks during public comment the applicant will be given the opportunity to respond at the public comment the board will consider the land use case at any time full presentation for staff can be requested from a commissioner the applicant or members of the public all documents attached to the agenda item are deemed part of the record of the land use case unless removed from the list of experts by motion of the board all individuals on the list of experts attached to the agenda item are deemed experts for the purpose of the land use case and one other matter mr chair i would just like to remind the general audience if you're going to speak please fill out a speaker card and give it to um communication staff or you will not be called up to speak and this time i'll turn it over to miss bennett to present the expedited hearings good morning chairman commissioners for the record shonda bennett with the land development division uh for the land development division you have four hearings today that we request you take action on first three are expedited hearings first is a small-scale conference plan amendment ldcpas 2025-14 it's on 26.21 acres it's south of mulberry and east of state road 37 it's on cozart road which is a private roadway you can see the parcel on the right hand side currently there's a water body but the land use is business park center you can see industrial on both sides east and west the request is to go to industrial uh so cozart's on the north side there are railroads on the east and the west side of the parcel so it uh to us it made sense uh in terms of compatibility and also consistency with the industrial land use designation staff recommends approval the planning commission vote was seven zero all right any questions ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to speak on this matter please come forward and give us your name and address and you'll be given three minutes i don't believe anybody don't have anyone speak so i will close the public hearing and bring it back to the board for a motion second got a motion in a second all in favor opposed motion carries thank you second case is a land development code text amendment it's your second reading on this case so action is required or requested ldct 2025-12 it is a text amendment to uh the southeast polk selected area plan and chapter nine of land development code to allow retail home sales off-site for the industrial land use designation to allow it as a permitted use p it is permitted in other um use tables in the county the the main one for the uh in in chapter two of the land development code staff recommends approval planning commission vote with seven zero approval any questions ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to speak on this but we don't have anybody signed up for this one do we amber okay i'll close the public hearing and bring it back to the board got a motion in a second all in favor aye opposed motion carries your last expedited hearing today is another land development code text amendment ldct 2025-16 it's chapter four of the land development code in the juanita neighborhood plan and it is to allow heavy machinery equipment sales and service in industrial as a conditional use level two which is similar to out how it's allowed in the other use table in chapter two of the land development code again this is second reading staff recommends approval planning commission recommended approval as well seven zero any questions for see none ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing i don't believe we have anybody signed up close above public hearing and bring it back to the board motion for approval second got a motion and a second all in favor i suppose motion carries this is a regular public hearing item it's a small scale conference plan amendment ldcpas 2025-7 it's the goldenrod lane conference of plan amendment on 17 acres from pre-development of regional impact to residential low and it's in the utility enclave area and it is south and east of mirigold avenue and this is a context aerial and i know commissioner santiago asked at the agenda review where the high schools proposed and i've outlined that in blue on the screen so it's not too far from the property and also commissioner troutman you had asked about the density in the surrounding area the land you surrounding it is pre-dri that's what was given in adoption of the comp plan because that just made sense because it was point sienna but the lot sizes the sample size i took a few lots the lot sizes range from seven thousand square feet to a quarter of an acre that's in line with residential low it's a closed up aerial you can see goldenrod goes through the middle of the property what you see surrounding the property that white is some open space greenway that's currently owned by uh the associated point sienna villages the master homeowners association in point sienna so this would be the land use map if it was approved today residential low the sub-district always defaults to one if the applicant has not submitted a district change on the point sienna map this is what it would currently is designated for as a school site and the way to change that is through a conference plan amendment which you're hearing today this is an area i'm sorry ground shot looking east on goldenrod the site is on both sides of goldenrod this is looking south goldenrod would be behind the person taking the picture and this is looking west and this is also looking east you can see that goldenrod could continue however there is a piece of property between goldenrod and pansy lane that's not owned by the applicant so therefore this road will not connect to pansy lane we cannot require that connection in terms of impact assessment uh it's it's got a decent distance from fire and ems the schools however are over capacity for elementary and high school but the good news is they're building a high school close by and uh but when they actually come in for the level two review the engineering site plan will address capacity for schools toho has reviewed the particular project and provided information on connection to water and sewer staff does recommend approval planning commission recommended approval with one um or six one uh approval uh it's consistent with the surrounding land surrounding density of the residential lots uh since the road's a local road it's not uh meets state statute for schools these days it might have been 1970 when point sienna was uh first permitted so it's consistent with the comprehensive plan and land development code and i'll stand for any questions questions i do have a question as far as the way that it's currently provided then it would only be used for a school is that correct i guess what else can be done with the property as it sits now without the approval today what are the uses that that would qualify for no other just just a school yes and there's no plans in the future for like i mean you said the elementary is over capacity this would never be used for an elementary school site is that what i'm understanding the new high schools proposed to the southeast but this doesn't have anything to be done for an elementary school correct the um the representative from the school board was at the planning commission for this hearing and he stated that it doesn't meet state statute for a school of any kind anyone else ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing uh we amber say you know we don't have anybody to speak on this so we'll close the public hearing and bring it back to the board for a motion motion for approval second got a motion in a second all in favor aye opposed motion carries thank you good morning uh scott lowry real estate services support manager i have one item today the county has received a petition from ariberto otero jimenez and sharon otero to vacate portions of platted unopened and unmaintained rights away shown on fields map of survey of the town of lofman lying in section one township 26 range 27 map filed in 1924 depicts various rights of way and alleys throughout the plot which are presumed to be public due to a lack of dedication to the contrary the petitioners requested the vacation of portions of alleys lying adjacent to their properties which i'm highlighting in the area here in order to deter public usage and assemble with their properties during review of the area was determined that the requested area would leave a remnant section which is over here to the west uh so it was requested to be added uh to the to the vacation uh less a portion uh along old lake wilson road for possible future expansion of that roadway all of the adjacent property owners were contacted and no objections were received uh the appropriate utilities and county divisions were notified and also have no objections to the proposed vacation staff recommends the board adopt the resolution to vacate uh platted rights of way as shown on the fields map of survey of the town of lofman as fully described in the legal description contained in the petition and the resolution and i'll remain standing for any questions any questions ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to speak on this matter uh and you don't because we don't have anybody signed up so i'll close the public hearing and bring it back to the board second got a motion and a second all in favor all right opposed motion carries thank you mr chair last item for public hearings is 03 public hearing public hearing to cacera adoption of a resolution providing that the proposed polk county ag center serves a public purpose i believe the board is very familiar with the ag center and is recommended for approval all right any further discussion ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing and i think we have uh commissioner sharpless signed up come forward and state your name and address and we'll give you three minutes yes sir thank you commissioners um my name is justin sharpless 4832 avon street lake wells florida i come before you um today as the vice chairman of the polk county school board as well as a on the board of directors of the polk county youth fair i i come in to speak in support of this resolution i appreciate this commission's work uh on the ag center thus far um and you know this is going to be an amazing facility for our students as well as our uh families um and it's going to help you know bring you know heads to beds right heads and beds to our county and economic development so i appreciate you all and all the hard work you've done and i strongly encourage you to vote for this uh resolution thank you we thank you and we're excited about it too and we'll be getting in touch with you here before long that's where we're at thank you sir oh and randy the reason we're doing this is to make it eligible for grants yes sir yeah money and that yes sir this is one of sales we have to do yes sir thank you anyone oh that was it all right uh i believe we yeah that's what i'm gonna say yeah yeah we'll close the public hearing yeah we get back to the board uh i'm gonna close the public hearing and bring it back to the board while we have a motion uh motion and a second didn't we yes okay all in favor aye opposed motion carries all right and did we have anybody signed up okay at this time we uh open up for general public and we have here miss richards come on down how are you cassandra richards 2357 freelander road lake west florida i have good news steve logan called me and he and i had a conversation um i know that you all approved freelander and tangelo and i know we asked about the other roads but after i spoke to steve we put our heads together and we came up with solutions i told him to go ahead with the freeland and tangelo because we need it desperately and the other roads we'll cross that bridge when we get there that's the best option to do i'm working on the people that lives on that road to come to the county commissioner's meeting and let you know exactly what goes on on that road because i'm not a sports person although i live in a community i need their help as well because some of them get up and go everywhere else they want to go early in the morning if this is important to them they need to be here that's just my way about it i'm wants to be fair about everything and the next thing is i'm still trying to work on that walking trail out there i'm always trying to work on something so you all will see me up here many many many many many times for my community thank you thank you ma'am uh diane borders my name is diane borders my address is 2224 evie street in lake wells in the howland park manor community i want to thank you all for what you all have done so far in our community as far as approving the calming device and the speed bumps on tangelo and freeland the road um in the howland park manor community because it's it's greatly needed in our community my question now is just when are we going to start with this to apply the speed bumps in the community because people are when they drive through our community they have no respect for our community the neighborhood all the children so we really really need that in our community and i don't want it to be like what we did for the what you are not you all but what was done for our drain fields our drainage on the road out there they started out working on the drainage out there on a couple of streets and we still have some streets that has not been touched with the drainage out there water still selling in the road now that the rainy season is here we're back with this road drainage problem so i don't want that to be like that drainage um so i'm just asking that we don't stall too long for something that's needed so great as far as those speed bumps on tangelo and freeland the road and again i thank you all for what you've done thank you ma'am sure if i may yes ma'am do you mind seeing uh mr jarvis who's in the back room jake can you raise your hand if you can see him just let him know about the drainage issues because if we've started something and haven't finished it we definitely want to make sure we address that but he'll uh he'll be able to help you out or not thank you all right i believe that's it so everybody have a great day and we're adjourned you