morning everyone uh i want to call to order the october 7th 2025 regular board of county commissioners meeting would everybody please stand for the invocation and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance good morning i would invite you all to pray with me father god you make a way through hard times when there doesn't seem to be a way through you provide hope when we feel hopeless and joy when we feel discouraged you guide us with love and strength thank you today remind us that you are near and draw our hearts closer to you and i ask this prayer in jesus name amen all right amber we're gonna have some hey good morning everybody good morning county commissioners uh mr beasley mr mink and all the directors and everybody in the audience especially good morning pope county fire rescue and all the community that is here and that is online hey i got a unique opportunity today to present this cast accreditation and you might ask yourself what is cast cast is the commission of accreditation of ambulance services and pope county fire rescue obtained cast in 2017 and then it's a every three year renewal on that we just had a new renewal and we passed with flying colors and as you can see on this slide is it there but on the next how do you quit was i supposed to click it oh okay on the i just did this for you i know the stuff but anyways uh in the united states in the united states there's only 180 accredited uh accredited ems services transport services and that's 180 out of the out of thousands that are in the united states we're 100 there's 180 of them like i said we've been a cast accredited since 2017 when they came here they do an on-site visit and we also send them a bunch of information and i can honestly say i didn't have a lot to do with that that was a lot of the ems division and the office of medical direction and they send all this literature from our files to all our training how we store stuff everything like that and then they actually come here and do an on-site visit they visited the stations the trucks and the crews they were very impressed with everything that they did see um and i can honestly say i had nothing to do with any of that that was with the crews that were in the field and it's an awesome opportunity that this is going to be a two-for-one here for pope county fire rescue at this meeting we actually have crews if crews you want to stand up real quick these are the men and women that actually got this cast accreditation so thank you very much sean smith had nothing my command staff or i had nothing to do with that that's what the hard work that they do every day day in and day out 365 days 24 hours a day is what they do but uh when we did get this award we actually received a perfect score on that which is unfounded uh the cast accreditors that were there there were some of the premier of the premier because we're such a big organization and they said that they've never been an organization that was so well put together and organized as us and that we were probably in the top two to one percent that they've ever been a part of so uh it's a huge accomplishment and it really goes to all the men and women that are out there every day it's nothing with me and or the command staff but uh thank you and i want to give this opportunity to present this to the county commissioners and uh chairman rick wilson um i think dr banergy is here if he would like to step forward maybe and say a few words i'll give him the opportunity and for those that do not know he is the director of our medical services while we're waiting for him um first of all congratulations but i think you know when when i've mentioned numerous times how accredited our police forces poll county sheriffs i think that's what separates them from the men separates the men from the boys the training the constant training you get it right every time and i think you know we are we are definitely headed in the right direction and you're doing a great job well good morning thank you for the opportunity to present uh there are 180 credited correct 180 out of 23 about 22 000 ems agencies in the country so we're doing pretty good job uh we're well supported by you thank you uh and we just continue to strive to provide the best care for our citizens and our visitors of poll county so thank you if i may i just want to say also congratulations congratulations to that team excellent job and well done and you make us very proud so we really appreciate it uh like like commissioner bradwell said uh this this really indicates excellence in our community so thank you so much for that okay good morning everyone it is i am amber smith communications director it is my honor and pleasure to tell you a little bit about two of our poll county fire rescue crews uh when our crews get dispatched to a call they know what kind of call they're going to but they never quite know exactly what they're going to what to expect until they get there um whether it's a run-of-the-mill delivery or one that involves cpr on a newborn our poll county fire rescue crews are well trained to handle whatever comes their way to uh we have two examples of these calls that happened recently one involved the highland city station crew of firefighter emt madison bennett firefighter emt daniel banks and firefighter paramedic george gibson if you three would please come down to the front here so when the crew arrived at the home of kaylee and marquise hartle they found kaylee in active labor it was so active that four minutes later baby theodore was born it was a quick delivery the hartle family is here today and kaylee would like to say a few words to our crew miss kaylee if you would like good morning so i just want to say this crew honestly was incredible um i was planning on a home delivery and the baby came much quicker than expected my midwife did not make it so we had to call 9-1-1 and we do live right down the street so they got there in record timing i would say um but they did an incredible job of just helping me to feel comfortable during the time and you know being there for support whenever when i needed it kaylee if you and your family would like to come up we'd like to get pictures of you all with the crew and the commissioner standing behind you all thank you we got another one amber i believe we got another one we do oh yes we do because that's just how good our crews are our next call involves one of our hayne city crews of firefighter emt edward snell emt gustavo mora and firefighter paramedic brandon harris if you all three would come down so when this crew responded to the home of crystal and alex o'connell o'connell o'connell sorry um crystal was also in labor and when baby dominic was born he was not breathing um emt gustavo mora immediately began cpr and continuous cpr until baby dominic started breathing and then the crew transported him to a local hospital and we are pleased to share that both mom and baby dominic are doing well and they are here today as well and both crystal and alex would like to say a few words this is crystal morning um i just wanted to say thank you to the crew standing in front of me without you guys and i've told you this so many times we wouldn't have our baby boy here um we did not plan for a home birth and um so it was the scariest thing for me and when he came out and he wasn't breathing that was the second scariest thing um but you guys didn't give up on him and i don't remember a lot but i remember saying please don't give up on him and you didn't and um he's here he's healthy he's expected to be you know reaching all of his milestones so i thank you all so much for caring for my family the way you would care for yours thank you i'll just follow by saying you guys are heroes um this boy wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you three today so you took care of my wife you took care of my son so thank you thank you you can get the family to come and get photos with um with the crew and the commissioners behind and that's baby dominic wow well i'll tell you what that's pretty amazing yep so we do have one more thing and then i'll let you this is this is too emotional for me i tell you this is this is this is great news this is wonderful great way to start our meeting if the crew could just stay there for a moment we do kind of have a surprise presentation um at this point i would like to call up advent health heart of florida chris jacobs and yes they're up there too um they are here on behalf of advent health heart of florida to present a life-saving award to the crew wow julie would you like to say anything all right well i just have to say this that's where all the hard training comes in we have a great great crew that works you know just tirelessly to be the best there is and that's what we're proud of here at polk county all right thank you is that pretty much all you got amber all right all right we didn't have anybody on uh comments on the agenda items so we're gonna go approve the agenda second got a motion and a second all in favor all right opposed motion carries miss butterfield good morning good morning today we have for you to approve and ratify payroll checks zero four one nine nine through zero four two three three in the amount of forty seven thousand six hundred seventy five dollars and thirteen cents we have five thousand nine hundred eight direct deposits in the amount of eight million eight hundred seventy five thousand eight hundred ten dollars and seventy nine cents those are dated september 19th through october 3rd 2025 we also have wire and electronic funds transfers of seventy six million six hundred seventy six hundred seventy thousand eight hundred and sixty seven dollars and twenty six cents dated september 16 through october 6th 2025 and invoice checks numbered four nine one zero six seven through four nine two three four three totaling twenty eight million two hundred seventy five thousand one hundred seventy nine dollars and 32 cents dated september 16th through october 2nd 2025 for you to approve and ratify please motion for approval second got a motion and a second any further discussion uh all uh all for approval motion for approval excuse me get emotional yeah i got i got a motion with the baby uh oppose motion carries all right we also request approval of your minutes from several meetings number one your regular board meeting that was held on september 16th of 2025 and then your two budget public hearings that were held on september the 8th and september 15th of 2025 second got a motion and a second all in favor aye those motion carries if i could mr chairman just want to bring um take a moment and highlight an effort in our office um this month is domestic violence awareness month and i want to take this time to realize the impact that domestic violence has on our community last year there were over 4 600 injunctions for protection filed in the polk county clerk's office um these numbers kind of remind us why it's important about raising awareness of domestic violence i want to thank um larry williams who's here with peace river center we partner with them and have a great relationship that's a resource for those seeking um injunctions for protection that we can refer them to um we uh a person can file an injunction for protection in our bartow office we also have a diy center but they also have the ability to go online without ever stepping foot in our office and use the tools available um there's kind of interactive tool that they can use to answer questions to actually file that injunction for protection and not have to come down to the office here in bartow um so i just wanted to uh bring this important issue to us i know that you support this issue in raising awareness and i want to thank our dedicated staff back in the office because it takes a special type of talent to work with these people in a time of need and to be able to provide them with assistance and the resources that they need to hopefully um navigate through the process so thank you thank you ma'am all right uh randy you don't have anything do you all right mr beasley good morning mr chair members of the board members of the viewing audience uh i'll have four items for board consideration this morning could i ask tabitha beale to kind of come to the podium with her loved one and i want to take a just a privilege just a moment to mention a couple folks in the audience gay sharp is here gay is the current division director for the parks and natural resources division been with us a long time gay this is actually i think your last formal meeting a reason to be here so um thank you for everything you've done you found this place uh and you made an improvement in everything you've done in the 30 plus years you've been here gay you're leaving it better than you found it your predecessor is here today jeff spence is in the back of the room jeff is the former prior to gay parks and natural resources division director jeff likewise for you jeff thank you for being here you too left this place better than you found it so talk about succession planning and the history that that that that exists here but item g1 mr chair is to request the board to confirm the appointment of miss tabitha beale to serve as the next director of the county's parks and natural resources division the polk county charter does specify that the county manager's appointment of executive service employees is subject to confirmation by the board of county commissioners and as such i have appointed miss tabitha beale to the position of director of the polk county parks and natural resources division effective monday october 27 2025 with over 20 years of experience in environmental leadership miss beale brings a strong background in stormwater management conservation public education community engaged and community engagement she's worked across governments non-profits and community-based organizations to develop and lead successful programs that protected polk county's natural resources while promoting public access and environmental awareness miss beale began her career in environmental conservation as a research and monitoring biologist with the nature conservancy in 2002 she's led citizens initiatives like the florida scrub jay watch across six central florida counties coordinating over 150 volunteers and fostering partnerships with the state governments local governments and federal agency as well as non-profit organizations in 2005 we were blessed to have her join our team she joined the polk county parks and natural resources division as the environmental land stewardship coordinator where she managed popular public preserves including the circle b bar reserve she developed and led environmental education programs reaching over 8 000 students annually supervised staff and volunteers oversaw restoration projects and secured five million dollars in grant funding to support educational and environmental initiatives and in her spare time in the years between 2016 and 2019 miss beale served as the executive director of the lakes education access drive which was a non-profit dedicated to the protection of polk's 500 plus lakes in this role she expanded public awareness and engagement through community programs and educational events as well as successful fundraising events since 2018 miss beale has served as the land and water natural areas manager for the polk county parks and natural resources division where she leads a team of over 30 professionals and coordinates the efforts of more than 150 active volunteers her responsibilities include overseeing daily operations strategic planning and community investment programs for stormwater and environmental lands her office has secured over 50 million in grant funding led county-wide strategic initiatives and built partnerships across departments municipalities and community organizations in an effort to support conservation recreation and environmental stewardship miss beale earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology with a specialization in ecotourism from purdue university and has completed graduate studies in ecology and wetland science she's also earned numerous certificates that include sort of being a certified public manager a certified supervisory manager as well as numerous environmental certifications that include being a prescribed burner a master naturalist instructor and a certified interpretive guide interpretive guide tabitha has also played a key role in county-wide strategic planning and serves on several advisory boards including the florida stormwater association the gopher tortoise technical advisory group and she is involved with the heartland uh i think it's it's the heartland cooperative invasive species management area team her work has consistently focused on aligning environmental protection with community priorities and as such she is widely known and has strong uh regional statewide and even southeast united states support across many local agencies non-profit organizations as well as many volunteers the parks and natural resources division director position is an authorized position in the fy 2526 budget the existing appropriations are sufficient to cover the negotiated salary of 148 000 plus estimated benefits of approximately 60 000 so mr chair members of the board uh let me back just a minute there are two other people in the audience i want to kind of recognize especially one of those but julie adams with winter haven are you here julie thank julie stand up please if you don't mind and jason harga with bartow uh these two individuals have been have never been more strongly supportive of people like tabitha uh and thank you for being here thank you for showing your support and thank you for participating and one of you participated on the interview panel said thank you for doing that so mr chair uh it is it is it is my honor and it's a privilege um to ask the board to to confirm my appointment of miss tabitha beale uh as as polk's next parks and natural resources division director to be effective october monday october the 27th 2025 all right we got a motion in a second any further discussion if i may chair yes sir so i just want to say as a new commissioner coming on board uh miss sharp you were absolutely incredible as far as the welcoming feeling that i got the compassion that you had for the staff and you've always had apparently because that team over there was great i learned so much in such a short window of time and i know doing an on-site uh interview and all for the staff was kind of different but i really felt so proud of the department and the division that you built and i know miss beale you've been incredible in the interactions that we've had and your expertise i mean i've worked years with consultants that you by far just surpassed them in so many ways so i know the division will be in good hands miss sharp very very humble thank you for all of your dedication and thank you for kind of taking me under your wing and teaching me about all the stuff because i never realized how much we really do as a county and specific to your division you know there's a number of different uh items that we have to do on a regular basis to serve this community so i greatly appreciate that and certainly look forward to miss peels leadership in the future mr santiago yeah tabitha i look forward to to working with you in the future you have really impressed us with all the information that you brought forth um and we trust your expertise and your leadership thank you and gay i just want to say you've been a solid leader for many many years here uh and i appreciate it everything you do and and of course you have taught tabitha quite well uh and prepared her for her position so i know you will be celebrated in the next couple of days so i just want to say thank you very much for everything you've done for us commissioner trapman um gay and tabitha i've shared this with you but i want the public to know as i traverse this county in my efforts to serve here there were two people who this community always spoke positively about and it was gay sharp and tabitha beale and in the times of which polk county is experiencing growth and conservation is so important people literally saying your praises so thank you for your service to this community gay again as you know manager beasley said you have left it better than you found it and in that you've also left us with a great person to carry forward so thank you to both of you and we look forward to the years to come yeah don't worry i'm not going to do a gay sharp trivia quiz like i did the other day but congratulations you deserve it you've done a great job tabitha um one thing i really like about how you do things when you come to agenda reviews your your briefings to us covers a lot of really technical stuff and you you do such a good job of explaining it you know on our level uh making us understand what's important what's not important and your your presentations are just really good thanks you know uh i think everybody's touched on a lot of stuff here and it and every every bit of it's true you know tabitha i'm real excited what we're going to be doing from here on out i've been excited for what we all been doing with you and gay and and your people but you know gay uh gay is you know i've known her all my life and uh she has done an while she's been here an amazing job all you'd have to do is look around this county and you can see it everywhere every day and uh you know we we have a lot going on in this county uh with parks and that conservation and it's a lot of work and y'all do a great job you know gay you're going to be missed i know you're looking forward to you know doing what you want to but and and and thank you for what you've done for this county and this is just another area that we have we shine in earlier it was our fire and rescue at all the pope county is amazing we are so blessed to live in this county with the people that we have here working here and making this county work i'll put it up against anybody but thank you thank you and thank you okay did we we got a motion in a second your turn you're not there yet but we're fixing to put it there all in favor all right opposed motion carries congratulations tab for your turn so first of all i am deeply honored and humbled to accept the position of parks and natural resources division director this moment represents not just my journey but the shared work that you guys have just touched on with gays leadership jeff's leadership and this entire team and this division that i've been working with they're a dedicated and extraordinary team and the community that's committed to preserving and enhancing the natural and cultural treasures of polk county first i want to give thanks to my faith which has guided and grounded me through every challenge and opportunity to my mom and dad who are likely watching pg tv from indiana this morning thank you for your love and support um you've instilled in me a love for the land a solid work ethic and a responsibility to serve one's community my husband michael dorman thank you for your understanding and grace through long hours and unpredictable schedules to my children mason and zoe you're my greatest accomplishments you inspire me daily to ensure a cleaner healthier and more vibrant world for generations to come to my work family and colleagues you truly are family to me thank you for your dedication creativity and collaboration um mr beasley mentioned a couple of our community partners that are here i am blessed to call them as the extension of our work family like i feel like it truly should be here in polk county all of the cities and county working together to achieve one goal we've achieved incredible results from restoring lands and improving water quality to expanding access to parks and safeguarding public health our parks lakes and natural areas are more than beautiful spaces they are critical infrastructure and essential to public health community well-being and the economy parks encourage our physical activity reflection reflection and connection with nature helping residents of all ages lead healthier lives while mosquito control works tirelessly to ensure these spaces are safe and enjoyable protecting our community polk county is a rich heritage culture and a stewardship of the land the history center preserves the that narrative that defines this place from the early settlers to generations of ranchers and growers whose deep respect for the land has shaped our environment the culture of agriculture is one of caring for the land conserving water and nurturing soil this is a legacy we shall carry forward i want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the county leadership um mr beasley mr mink mr taylor mr bode in the back and the commissioners for your vision trust and continued support of our parks and natural resources your commitment allows us to innovate grow and provide meaningful experiences to the current and previous directors like jeff spence but also our current directors our municipal partners community leaders and volunteers i've learned so much from each of you i truly value your passion and the conversations to overcome challenges and finally to gay sharp our outgoing director my mentor my supervisor for more than 20 years thank you i shouldn't have turned around and looked at her just then um your leadership has taught us that true stewardship means caring not just for the land but for the people who live and work on it you've shaped my approach and inspired all of us to serve with integrity purpose and heart as i step into this new role i'm reminded that our work is about legacy ensuring that future generations have the same opportunities to connect with nature learn from it and find peace within it we will continue to build partnerships advanced innovation and strengthen community connections all with the same care and conviction that we have that have brought us this far so thank you all for your trust collaboration and shared commitment to the people the land and the legacy of polk county it is a privilege to serve alongside you thank you congratulations mr chair i've got uh three more items but uh gay sharp would you get you want to address this board in any way this is your last public meeting kind of hurt she didn't but i would i think she does that's why i didn't ask yeah i appreciate this opportunity but i can tell you it's been the support of the commissioners over time that have really helped us grow like we've grown in the past and i'm very passionate thank you thank you thank you all right next mr chair members of the board item number g2 is to request the board approve a professional services agreement with the slam collaborative group for phase one architectural and engineering services in connection with the proposed courts and county annex building phase one services will reflect a one-time expense not to exceed 494 337 polk county has completed the public process to solicit proposals from qualified architectural firms for the updating of the 2014 courts facility master plan to include county administration master plan components that will be reflected in a proposed annex facility envisioned to be constructed adjacent to the main courthouse complex in bartow on the site of the former lawrence w crow detention facility rfp 25 185 was issued and five architectural firms submitted technical proposals in may of this year the board approved the selection committee's recommendation and authorized staff to conclude negotiations with the slam collaborative negotiated phase one professional services include providing overall master planning services space programming efforts cost estimating and site evaluation and analysis services these phase one services will reflect a comprehensive review and update of the current and projected space needs of the 10th judicial circuit and the polk county administration services with the primary goal of articulating the occupants and space needs within a proposed court county annex facility uh and and to project space needs for future courtrooms and ancillary space within the 10th judicial uh courthouse in bartow bartow it is anticipated that phase one services will be completed within four to four and a half months however the agreement will remain in effect until all phases are complete an amendment to for the phase two services which will include related design permitting surveying preparing bid documents and construction administration will be brought back to the board upon completion of all phase one efforts funding for these phase one professional engineering and architectural services is included and available in the county's general capital improvement fund so mr chair members of the board i think given the board's continued commitments towards public safety inclusive of the criminal justice system within polk county i would request that the board approve the proposed agreement with the slam collaborative group for identified phase one architectural and engineering services in connection with the future courts and county annex building at a cost not to exceed four hundred ninety four thousand three hundred and thirty seven dollars second got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries mr chairman yes ma'am if i could i just wanted to say thank you um we appreciate the support as the county continues to grow the demand on the services of the the judicial system which includes the clerk's office we've got our judges state attorney public defender it is certainly um finding its way to the facilities end of it to actually provide the space needed to be able to continue to serve so we appreciate your commitment to this and look forward to the space needs uh county manager beasley thank you i know you're putting the group together to actually provide input so that we can hopefully have not only an annex that uh serves what we know is uh facing us now but many years into the future thank you thank you ma'am all right mr beasley did we take a vote on that did we take a vote oh did we get a motion in a second yeah okay uh okay i couldn't remember and then why is everybody telling me no i this has been an emotional morning just that baby it just changed everything oh yeah you're using that for an excuse oh lord have mercy uh okay mr chair members of the board item number g3 is to request the board approve a piggyback agreement with lucy rx health solutions incorporated to provide pharmacy benefit services for the polk uh health care plan members today's action will reflect an annual reoccurring expense to the polk health care plan of approximately seven million nine hundred thousand dollars polk county uh currently uses that lucy rx health solutions previously called citizens rx to provide prescription drug program management services for approximately 5 500 residents enrolled in the polk health care plan these services include retail pharmacy network management claims processing mail services formulary management as well as the payment of claims to participating pharmacies for prescription drugs purchased by the polk health care plan members the polk health care plans original prescription drug program agreement was the result of a 2017 rfp and when that agreement ended in december of 2022 the county utilized a pinellas county agreement and ended into a piggyback agreement with citizens rx covering the period of january of 23 through september of 25 the health and human services division community health section identified the pinellas county that that pinellas county had again solicited for these similar prescription drug program services for its 8 000 indigent health care plan participants resulting in a current agreement with lucy rx health solutions since the pinellas county agreement is for the same services the health and human services division is requesting to again piggyback the pinellas county agreement with lucy rx to continue to provide these types of services notably due to the large scale of the pinellas county plan pinellas county was able to negotiate more favorable pricing and rebate terms than those in our current agreement these improved terms are projected to yield annual savings of approximately 379 000 the estimated annual expenditure under the new agreement is 7.9 million dollars and is inclusive of the projected project savings the term of the proposed piggyback agreement is from october 1 of 2025 through september 30th of 2030 funding for this community health care initiative is available within the indigent health care fund so mr chair members of the board i think in keeping with the board's commitment to community health care initiatives i would request the board approve to approve the proposed piggyback agreement with the lucy rx health solutions incorporated organization in order to provide pharmacy benefit services to eligible polk health care plan members at an estimated annual expense of approximately seven million nine hundred thousand dollars motion for approval got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries mr chair final item item g4 can i ask larry williams to come to the podium up here larry is the i think under your title is chief executive officer of the peace river center item g4 is related to the peace river center it is to request the board to approve a contract with the peace river center for personal development for the proposed purchase of two property parcels inclusive of one vacant building from the city of lakeland this action will reflect the property purchase component not to exceed one million two hundred eighty thousand dollars and three hundred and twenty thousand dollars reserved for building renovations the total agreement with the peace river center is not to exceed one million six hundred thousand dollars the peace river center contracts with polk county to provide behavioral health and primary care services to qualified low income residents services are provided in locations in bartow as well as lakeland the peace river center owns three buildings in close proximity to one another located off of gilmore avenue in lakeland where they currently provide community health care services while the peace river center owns the respective buildings the city of lakeland owns the land on which the peace river center buildings occupy and there is an existing ground lease for the three buildings between the city of lakeland and the peace river center as part of the community health care initiative as documented through the polk's community needs assessment program completed several years ago the peace river center submitted a proposal to polk's community health care program requesting consideration for cooperative funding that would supplement existing state funds to purchase the existing property parcel from the city of lakeland and uh to purchase another standalone adjacent parcel and vacant building also owned by the city of lakeland the peace river center funding application reflects one million two hundred eighty thousand for the purchase of the two parcels and one vacant building with 320 000 reserved for those that building's renovation needs the peace river center total request to polk county again is not to exceed one million six hundred thousand this agreement will become effective october 1 2025 with all acquisitions and renovations to be completed no later than september 30th of 2027 this funding request was presented to and is recommended for approval by the citizens healthcare oversight committee funding to support this community behavioral health and primary care initiative is available within the county's indigent health care fund so mr chair members of the board i think consistent with the board's commitment to community health care services inclusive of behavioral health and primary care services i would request the board approve the proposed property purchase and building renovation agreement with the peace river center in an amount not to exceed one million six hundred thousand with caps on the property purchase and the building renovations as previously stipulated and i know larry wanted to say a couple of words larry and i have talked about the board's inquiry based on friday's agenda review larry you want to add anything to that yes sir good morning uh mr chair members of the commission uh just a couple of things uh to reiterate what um mr beasley said we see 250 clients a day out of this um outpatient facility where we do meds management outpatient therapy uh we we have primary care and substance use disorder uh treated there we're at a room we're right in the middle of where polk vision and the county did their community needs assessment and quite frankly we need to expand the state is going to make a five to six million dollar investment peace river center is going to make another 1.2 million dollar investment just in the buildings the buildings were built in 1970 and need to be updated we need to have one point of access to make it easier for your constituents to come get treatment at our facility um also by owning the land i know one of the questions was by by owning the land it opens up different opportunities for funding for peace river center not only that but owning the land secures peace river center has been around for 77 years we're in a 60 we're in year 60 of a 99 year lease with the city do i think city management or city commission is going to kick us out of this lease i don't i don't know what's going to happen over the next 39 years of this lease um and we're sitting in the middle of some prime property right next to um joker barchett stadium um public's field um they're building a new um dorms up there and training center thank you and what if they want to build a hotel right where we're at right um it's three acres i don't know that you get a big hotel like you get some more dorms there but i need to secure um this investment for peace river center um today and not wait 39 years to see what's going to happen the contract has a the lease contract has a six month out uh with or without cause so um there's some stipulations with or without cause but i don't want to spend any of the state funding the federal funding the county funding fighting a lawsuit with the city do i think the current administration and commissioners would do that absolutely not i just don't know what the future holds the city at this point is willing to sell the property both the three acres that these three buildings you see on the monitor sit on 1831 1835 and 1825 gilmore and then they're willing to sell their parks and rec building because they've moved on um at 2000 gilmore avenue that's almost an acre there it's about well it's actually about three quarters of an acre with a 5600 building so this 1.2 million dollars would allow us to buy all the land that building and then that building has some hvac problems it has a little bit of drainage problems and and we've estimated the renovation to that building at 320 000. so that's why i'd ask you to support this acquisition of this land all right all right i believe we need a motion mr chair may i ask i i know it's a 1.6 million where is the funding coming from the indigent health care fund okay thank you and it is part this strategy is part of the drawdown funds that we had presented to the board on our annual basis yes ma'am yeah mr chair one other just a question this on the one uh image that we had that had the parcels identified it wasn't clear they are capturing the entirety of these three buildings with the associated parking so there wouldn't be anything that would be impeding future success us you know purchasing these parcels now from the city gives you full access to make it very user-friendly correct absolutely yes sir commissioner as a matter of fact i've talked with the city manager he's reconfirming with staff we've already had engineer civil engineers look at all this exactly how we would survey this property out of course we're not going to spend the money to do that if we can't buy the property but you know we have had the civil engineering part of this done and and we're looking at we would have total access to all three buildings all four buildings if we purchased both but yesterday would give us total access to our property and we own from this view the picture on your left um i'm sorry the middle picture we own everything to the right or east all the way down because we have a vacant lot and we have apartments that we own this would allow us also to own that whole city block we have other services on it on a different part of that block okay thank you anyone else just want to say thank you you gave us some explanation i know friday you had to leave so but thank you for taking the time to provide that before today's meeting and the commitment that you know we need to make as a community for behavioral health is extremely important and so thank you for bringing this forward right thank you i'm sorry i had to leave yeah move for approval second got a motion and second any further discussion all in favor all right those motion carries that's it mr chair all right commissioner troutman none at this time i don't have anything commissioner santiago i do i have an appointment of someone that we all know quite well so i appoint i recommend or a motion make a motion to appoint cassandra richards as a member of the sidewalk advisory committee for the three-year term october 1 2025 through september 30 2028 second got a motion in a second hmm okay got a motion all in favor aye opposed motion carries does this mean a sunshine violation would occur if she comes up and complains to us about we got to look at it it'd be a good probably a pretty good deal to do yeah i think she wants to come up and say something am i correct cassandra oh okay before she gets here i just want to say you know for those that are watching or those that are here i think this is a perfect example of when you take the time to get involved how it opens up opportunities and us as a community to continue to have your input on a more meaningful basis so thank you for caring about your community enough to be here week after week after week after week yes the floor is yours miss richards uh first you know me my address 2357 freeland the road lake bus florida i would like to say thank you to jay he did get his guys out there to get the speed bumps only had one who was upset about it and decide he's going to speed from one speed bump to the next but he'll get over it you know that's the process but i do want to say that it said me that my children are not here but i understand their job i have a daughter who's a director for the polk county district schools and one this time of year she's a counselor at a high school so there's a lot they're doing and one working in the migrant program my son he's all over the united states refereeing wrestling so i understand all of that i'm proud of them and i know they're proud of their mother i have to piggyback off my parents because my grandfather always say he quotes a lot of quotes and one was children have never been very good at listening to their elders but they have never failed to imitate them i imitate my father who was a pastor and he was a police officer code enforcement and my mom was an educator as well so i have to piggyback off of them because i too worked in law enforcement ten and a half years and i worked with special need children 25 years almost on the verge of going back to work with them because i missed them dearly i want to say thank you for this opportunity to work with the sidewalk advisory committee because i want to learn about the county what they do how it operates and i want to be a product of the county this is polk county i live in polk county i love polk county i was born in polk county i love my community or shall i say the community in which i live i love it and i have a vision for them i have so much more that they just don't know when i tell them we have to put our boots on the ground we have to put our boots on the ground in highland park community i say thank you commissioners i will do my best oh we know to lift you up at the highest thank you ma'am we appreciate it nothing else right now okay uh commissioner scott i just wanted to say a big thank you to um you know firing ems we had the presentations earlier but really it goes to show how much effort those men and women put into training whether they're on shift or not i mean literally are continuously learning and preparing themselves mentally to execute without a second thought when they go out to a call and you don't have any time to reference a book or you know as an engineer they always told you in college if you couldn't remember it don't worry you can refer to the book on firing ems you don't have that kind of benefit so just a really special thank you for that and i know myself and chief smith are going out to a community tomorrow i'm just a public engagement and it really does show that we care as a county and i think the steps we've made with the fire and ems to better that department and give them the facilities and the staff they need is so well invested i appreciate that from all the commissioners supporting that thank you sir and i don't have anything uh either so but we've got some labor appointments and miss commissioner sandiago yes i make a motion to appoint brian yates as a member of the tourist development council effective october 23rd 2025. got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries i believe you have another one i also make the motion to appoint gene or eugene or eugene well we know him as gene comrade as a member of the tourist development council to fulfill the remainder of katherine kate johnson's lego land from lego land four-year term which ends april 30 2027. got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye aye opposed motion carries all right thank you ma'am all right and we're going to move into expedited hearings uh mr zisco please you're up mr chair before going to expedited hearings i will go over 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 speaking on a topic individuals speaking during public comment session 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 expects civility at all times during all public hearings speaking out turns shouting out from the audience there's several sounds or audiences 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 to appeal any decision made by the board with respect to any matter considered here today you will need a record of proceedings that for such purposes you may need to ensure that verbatim record other 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 audience who wishes to speak and present testimony today must be sworn in and all 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 the testimony or evidence you provide to the commission today will be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth and mr chair i would like to remind anyone who who's going to speak on the matter please sign one of the speaker cards in the back and hand it to a communication staff member going over to expedite hearing procedures expedite hearings are held pursuant to resolution number 2022-089 expedite hearings are used when no opposition was present at the planning commission hearing the applicant agrees to the expedite hearing and recommendation of development review committee is for approval expedite procedures are the following as staff 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 a full presentation for staff can be requested from a commissioner the applicant or a member of the public all documents attached to the gen item are deemed part of the record of the land use case unless removed from the list of experts by motion the board all individuals on the list of experts attached to the gen item are deemed experts for the purpose of land use case and at this time i will turn it over to mrs ziskill thank you mr mink good morning mr chairman members of the board members of the audience my name is ben ziskill i'm the land development director there are three items on today's expedited public hearing agenda item number n1 is an expedited public hearing for case ldcd 2025-5 bowling green district change to consider a sub-district map change from rural cluster center residential to rural cluster center commercial on approximately 1.02 acres the subject site is located on the west side of us highway 17 just north of the hardy and city of bowling green boundary you can see the site in yellow on the screen above you the applicant is requesting a change from the sub-district of rural cluster center residential to commercial due to the fact that the property is located on highway 17 and is only one acre and the viability of building a residential property a residential project on that property is deemed unfeasible so they are requesting to change this to commercial this item appeared before the planning commission and you received a unanimous recommendation of approval this is an adoption hearing and following any questions or comments from the board or the public staff is recommending adoption any questions for ben ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to speak on this matter please come forward and state your name and address and you'll be given three minutes amber saying we don't have anybody signed up so we'll bring it we'll come back to the board for a motion got a motion in a second any further discussion all in favor aye opposed motion carries item number n2 is an expedited public hearing for case ldcpas 2025-20 willow oak fire station to consider a small-scale comprehensive plan map amendment to change the designation from residential suburban to institutional on approximately 2.15 acres to facilitate the construction of a new fire rescue station in the willow oak community the current fire station is seen on the screen here is just to this is on the south side of willis road just to the west of willow oak road and you can see it's a relatively small site or quite small site the intent is to build a new fire station just to the northeast of the existing fire station at the northeast corner of willow oak road and willis road this item also appeared before the planning commission and received unanimous recommendation of approval and following any questions or comments from the board or the members of the public staff recommends approval all right uh you got a question from yeah so that says 4.57 this is 2.15 is this part just part of the parcel that will be the fire station or i believe that i believe that is a typo the the actual size is is 2.15 acres anyone else all right ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to speak on this matter keep please come forward seeing that we don't have any we'll bring it back to the board for a motion second got a motion and a second all in favor aye opposed motion carries mr chairman item number n3 is an expedited public hearing of case ldct 2025-13 non-phosphate mining exemption to provide an exemption to the approval processes for non-phosphate fill material excavation associated with an approved phosphate mining plan the intent here is that as a property that contains active phosphate mining wishes to excavate fill material or use a borrow pit to maintain their site and to enhance their gypsum stacks that that is a part of their best management practice practices and their ongoing mining operations this would provide an exemption from them having to appear before the planning commission or the board to to conduct those site management activities so it's a very narrow exemption again it's for non-phosphate excavation on sites that are approved for phosphate mining this item did appear before the planning commission and received a unanimous recommendation of approval this is first reading today so following any questions or comments from the board or the public no action is required and this will appear before you again in two weeks all right uh anybody have any questions on it all right so we make no action and so we do need open a public hearing yes uh ladies and gentlemen this is a public hearing if you wish to come forward and speak on this matters miss amber's shaking her head that we don't have anybody so i'll close the public hearing and bring it back to the board for there's no action needed for nothing so we can move to now well i got to say this i've been here six years going on seven and i believe this is the first time we haven't had a public uh non-ex but out of public here yeah sure is all right all right well now we're going to move to uh general uh request from the public for opportunity to be heard and we got a few okay first one i got up is uh elisa moreno hope i got that close okay you tell me please state your name and address please and you'll be given three minutes okay my name is elisa moreno my address is 3439 avenue f northwest and winter heaven florida um good morning all the members of the commissionary meeting first of all thank you for the support you gave us on the previous occasion the people behind me and i have been presenting all the families affected by the cheeky sound business located on winter heaven although it is true that thanks of the actions of code enforcement we were able to recover peace in our neighborhood this peace unfortunately only lasted three months since after that again they began to make noise and absurd levels and with offensive and appropriate music affecting our daily lives this noise are 24 hours a day seven days a week without showing empathy for the neighbors especially on friday and saturdays since this use of the business is a meeting center to show off their speakers and consume alcoholic beverage until late night this noises are produced by competition vehicles with more than 50 speakers that are practically used for just behind our yards without any accosting protection in their facilities making our doors and windows tremble in this neighborhood there are early people in dedicated state of health and children who cannot go to bed quietly to attend their schools because without per warning the noise can start at any time of the day or night it should be noted that following the indication of code enforcement we have repeatedly called the police they tell us that the people of the business insist that they have permission to be making those noise a very important point to note is that after the last action of code enforcement the owners of cheeky sound business has been sharing videos to social networks mocking authorities and incitating people in the community to turn on the value of their vehicles feeling untouchable by the authorities these videos as well as others in which you can see the noise caused by the business in a perfect clear way we brought them with us to deliver them to you so that you can have them as evidence as well as a letter signed by the other affected neighbors who couldn't attend today due to work commitments we are more than 30 people affected in more than nine homes we want your support please please help us recover the peace of our homes and families since it is not fair that we are going through this in our own homes these videos we were not able to show them unfortunately because they have bad inappropriate language and also sexual content that is important to show you in this moment but unfortunately we're not able to do it but they will deliver it to you thank you so much is is this the business on avenue g yes sir yeah these guys how can we not shut this down i mean i go by their regular uh going into winter haven i got you know my windows up the ac's on and my whole truck vibrates when i go by there um yes sir and and and i think we're going to get an answer to that but if if there's something we can do agree fire chief needs to go inspect it somebody there's a wasn't there a sanitation issue or like a septic wasn't there some septage issues there or am i thinking of another good morning yes autumn fenton code enforcement director for polk county so we have worked several cases on this we're going to have to work closer with the sheriff's office i believe um so under the noise ordinance even when we bring a code enforcement case i mean it's going to only just render like daily fines if they don't want to stop doing whatever the activity is they're doing like you said it it comes and goes and i've been in the neighborhood i've walked around the block met with some of the residents but for the sheriff's office whenever they respond oftentimes they're under the impression if the business is there then it's allowable for the land development code and they're not familiar enough with understanding that if they're in violation of an ordinance then then they're in violation of you know they're not allowed to do that activity so we're just going to have to have a better discussion about that and see how we can go about helping to resolve that because i know some of the deputies that work that area and they are familiar with it but a lot of times if there's an approved land use for an activity then the code does state that they're not allowed to do that noise here to the substation just down the street it's very possible yeah we need to get on top of that i'll i'll follow up and have a meeting i'm not sure if there's a new codes case on that or if you've recently called something in but i will i've been calling sorry the police but they say they have the right to do it if they don't do it more than three minutes but if they do it at night for only one minute they already wake me up and my children's yeah i'll meet with the captain at that substation and we'll get a better understanding of how we can work and and try to get that resolved and i'll talk with our sheriff personally and see what we can get done thank you so much i just want to know you said that they stopped for three months yeah because they had a code enforcement if they did it in that three months they will have a fine so they knew it and they knew it and they say that they know that three months were over so now they can start doing it again yeah something needs to be done with this 30 30 families if you watch the video they are laughing about that situation that they don't care paying a fine of five thousand they can't even pay ten thousand they don't care all right sorry and in these situations it would be a recurring violation so the fine would be higher if they're doing it and it's considered irreversible and irreparable so we can actually go up to fifteen thousand dollars a day for each why don't we just double that can we do something about right in here double that thirty thousand a day somebody would have to change the ordinance that's us but you can continue to pile if they violate correct yes ma'am oh i'll just we are at the max at fifteen thousand with the state who said the state statute the state statutes oh okay so all right thank you okay thank you so much thank you it's ridiculous uh suzanne lisa liso is that oh that that's you again that's somebody else oh that's somebody else sorry yeah here she comes suzanne liso yeah i got it kind of close state your name and address and you'll be given three minutes hello my name is suzanne lizio i live at 2334 creeks crossing drive in lakeland florida and i've been working with james abercrombie about some concerns in the community and he has asked for several copies of um legally binding contracts in regards to hunt park and i can't find any you know in the documentation he's been provided i can't find them um i'm curious so who's responsible for enforcing the merits of all the contracts as far in regards to all the parks um there was no evidence of pre-construction meetings um i could only locate a quote i located a quote from rjr for the pope county parks but then there's only a bid a po and invoices totaling 531k for the the uh fencing for all the parks or just the parks on hunt park um which is eight fields in a football field um there's no description of where the fencing is going you know we're paying 531 000 just for one park it's got eight fields and one football field and then we it doesn't just there's no description of what's being done with that fencing once it's removed um so i'd like that information and are all the seven parks that are going to be worked on on one contract or separate contracts because there's i can't find any contracts um i've got about 2 000 pages if someone wants to sit down and help me look at this and help me just you know discuss it with me give me the information i greatly appreciate that um everything here ma'am is is you know public records you can whatever you're asking for you can get and uh so just go through that path and i've gone online i can't find a signed contract if someone can give me those numbers you know though there's hundreds and hundreds you've been down this road many times on this park and uh uh you know it's that i know this for a fact that uh everything that has been requested has been give out that as of my knowledge and uh so it's public it's public records and like i said i've got i've been going through it i can't find a signed contract for hunt park all right well like i said it's public records i i can't tell you where to go look at it for but you know who can uh public records how do we want to handle this i'll be glad to yeah handle this sweetie county attorney i've talked enough about you and um i mean and before before miss miss it's on my understanding you're represented by an attorney at this time is that correct no miss jane ground no i'm working with james james well she she's she sent me he is a he yes he is here mr abercombi yes no jane graham oh i said james no so you're not represent you don't know uh jane ground i'm working with james no is your husband chris worker eason no okay no sorry i must have the wrong individual okay we'll be glad to reach out and uh and maybe set a meeting and because i frankly we have annual contracts that that do work in multiple parks there's not you're not likely going to find but we'll be glad to sit down and explain to you what we what we have okay i mean i have people work here and i'm not seeing a contract i'm seeing you know purchase orders absolutely and they're usually driven by annual contracts what's that or continuing contract purchase orders are driven all right what we'll do hey set up a meeting and we'll you know make your call to mr beasley's office or whatever and we'll go from there okay and then i have one more thing to add on a different subject um can code enforcement look at the passing zone in front of creeks crossing on galloway you've had several accidents where people hit the wall in front of the development uh has anybody has anybody called code uh code about it no idea supposedly the board of directors and that has but would be the roads and drainage yeah yeah yeah that'd be roads and drainage wouldn't it yeah yeah that's who you need to get a hold of okay all righty and i will contact you william thank you that's mr beasley thank you all right uh cassandra you've already spoke you don't want to come up again do you okay all right mr abercumby james abercumby for the record 2737 gibson and galloway road you people are crazy likewise i went i was at the commission meeting or the the the um committee meeting friday correct yeah yeah you get there right all right i was not able to speak period nope you sure could i'm at this meeting today this is the only time i get to speak correct you went through a whole venue this morning of all public record public business the citizens have nothing to do with what you have been through this morning all the contracts everything you're talking about it's all moot it's all hidden from everybody this contract is hidden i'm telling you there's one there's a proposal in here at the very bottom of the proposal the contractor is responsible for getting rid of the trash what does that mean there's 50 000 linear feet of fence they took down what'd they do with it where's the money for this did they take that money and put it in their pocket is that what they did do you care obviously not it's our money we paid for that fence to start with that money could be used for other place other things in that park or any other park now you want to continue to call me a liar i've got the paperwork right here and what i've asked for i have asked for that contract at least four different times in this paperwork and of course she she plays her games with me and sends me a blank contract not what i'm looking for not for a signed legitimate binding contract i want to know who's responsible for taking care for the applying for the fence doing the fence i want to know who everybody's involved there's no names involved as well there's some uh appraisals or estimates on it the estimate is once again the one that says that uh the the uh they supposed to take away their own trash that's not trash that's recyclable that's money in our pockets in the county you're a big one for for uh saving the county saving the citizens money that's a that's a big part of their money that that you put in your pocket not you personally i'm not saying that i'm saying it's in this it's in this it's in this system somewhere in this system somebody's got that hundreds of thousands of dollars whatever it is 50 000 feet linear feet four foot fence eight foot fence it's gone where is it why can't i get an investigation going on we thank you mr yeah i'm not sure you can address this we just tore down the lawrence crow building across the street we didn't sell the concrete that came from it we didn't sell the rebar the contractor that did the job took care of it we don't care what he did with it we don't care what the contractor who cleaned up the park did with the fence it's part of the contract he cleans it up he gets to keep it he can do what he wants we paid him to do it same thing with every other contract where we have something torn down removed they keep it it's theirs that's part of the contract process so i don't know what you can't understand about that uh but that that's the process and this isn't a back and forth you're done city of lakeland just pour down all right we thank you sir and they're like i believe that it's tore down i said that's enough i said that's enough mr abracumby now we're not going to sit here and argue with you we're not going to sit here and argue with you so thank you sir all right i believe that's it so uh everybody have a great day and we are adjourned