good morning everyone let's get started on november 18th 2025 regular board meeting of the folk county commissioners and would everybody stand for our invocation and please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance good morning i would invite you to pray with me heavenly father your word reminds us to come to you in prayer with thanksgiving so as we enter into a season of thanksgiving we thank you for your many blessings in our lives as we gather today to do the work of the people we ask that you would bring to fulfillment all that you have called us to do we pray that you would make our way purposeful and that you would give us a heart of wisdom strengthen us by your favor and grace and i ask this prayer in jesus name amen all right we have a little bit different business this morning uh randy do you want to go ahead and do yes sir i'll take over the reorganization of the board uh this is for the election of the chair and the vice chair the first item is comments from the general public regarding reorganization of the board um this is limited to items two three four and five if you wish to speak on the reorganization of board i ask you to come to the podium state your name and address for the record and you will be given three minutes seeing no comments at this time i will take a motion for the new chair commissioner santiago second all right i have a motion to second for uh commissioner santiago as the new chair all those in favor by stating aye all the all those opposed like sign motion passes congratulations commissioner santiago and at this time i will turn turn over the meeting to commissioner santiago as new chair we got a switch that's up to you all now you want to stay there till we come back okay okay taking me right out of here no time wasted thank thank you my fellow commissioners for the vote of confidence i appreciate it very much and i look forward to um this year uh being the chair and helping out in different aspects of the county so this time we get to elect the vice chair so if i would have a nomination and nominate uh bill braswell as vice chair uh second okay uh bill braswell i have a vote and a second all in favor aye opposed so it is unanimously accepted congratulations bill he doesn't sound too happy about that i i think now we go to the adoption says resolution authorizing banks to honor and cash warrants signed by new chairperson and the clerk effective november 18 20 25 second i have a motion and a second any discussion hearing none all in favor opposed motion carries we move on to the recognition and of the outgoing chair so would you follow me sir whatever you want give it to good morning commissioners and good morning guests this morning it is a privilege for me to recognize our uh commissioner wilson for his outstanding job that he's done as a leader for the counter commission he has uh touched on a lot of things a lot of issues and has accomplished a lot during his tenure as chair first i would like to thank you for your leadership and your commitment to our county from taking the lead in dealing with the legislative matters to hosting our polk county day in tallahassee in march you have made sure that our priorities were heard from heading up our annual board meeting and leading us through the budget session and community investment program priorities you've continued to support the issues that have been most important to the commission and our community but most of all we like to thank you for your passion and dedication to polk county and our residents so thank you commissioner wilson for your role as the um chair of the commission would you like to say a few words if you'll let me of course i will but thank you martha uh madam chair and it's been an honor uh i tell you what working with these people uh that are on the board and our staff in this county it has really been an honor and it makes it a lot easier the past year you know we always have our ups and downs but you know working together we get through it and we work hard to like i just said making this county better so you know i appreciate the opportunity and i appreciate uh uh you know working with you martha to make yours as good as it can be so thank you very much everyone thank you it's over there congratulations switch give us just a moment we're kind of reorganizing here do you have a better vision thank you at this time we are here for public comments concerning agenda items uh amber do we have anything thank you at this time as i call your name you may come forward stephanie yokum please state your name and address and you have three minutes uh stephanie yokum president of the polk education association address 7 30 east davidson street bartow um i would like to say good morning and happy american education week um i am not only the president of the polk education association i am a polk resident a homeowner a taxpayer a teacher and most importantly a proud mom of a seven-year-old that goes to his neighborhood traditional public school your vote to move this much-needed long overdue millage referendum to the supervisor of elections is not just part of your job as a county commission but you should be in solid support of strong public schools in our community while our state representatives at all levels are defunding public schools to funnel billions of unaccountable tax dollars to private schools for-profit charters like idea and homeschool entities we are proud we as proud polk residents and voters must make the decision to fund strong public schools through this ballot initiative strong public schools are the foundation of democracy giving students the knowledge and critical thinking skills to participate in meaningful civic engagement and become valued members of our shared society this only happens when we can negotiate meaningful living wages for everyone who works in our public schools every dollar raised by polk taxpayers for teacher and school-based staff salary increases will be infused into our local economy as polk county public schools is the largest employer in our community i would also urge this commission to use their political and relational capital to lobby our state elected officials with our school districts and our unions to fully fund our public schools instead of a self-serving ask that truly does not help real people to change statutes so you don't have to wear this millage referendum as an albatross around your next the next election cycle starting in january you will enjoy a salary for your part-time work on this board of just two thousand dollars less than the average teacher salary in polk county and twice as much as the average support staff person is paid in polk county public schools this millage referendum is necessary and i encourage you all to be on the right side of supporting polk teachers and staff polk educators are watching for your support maybe some of us should look to drop one of our other jobs or side hustles and run for your job so people who believe in public education with their actions sit on this board fifty one thousand three hundred five dollars starting in january would be a lucrative part-time job for an educator and commissioner wilson i said what i said and i still stand behind those words here's your opportunity as a board and individually to prove us wrong don't just move this to the supervisor of elections begrudgingly because you have to support your teachers and school staff support strong public schools and proudly stand up and support this miller millage referendum which is much needed in our county thank you thank you please refrain from clapping thank you yes well i can say this and uh i was never i'm not against this i'm not against any teacher i want to try to i want things to be better uh how it went down was uh what i was kind of against and with some of the just like you just heard everyone uh some of the uh the tone and and uh you know being that way but uh i just say that i think this thing is right where it needs to be and uh we got accomplished what we wanted to get accomplished so the people of this county knows where it comes from thank you ma'am thank you i have cat nickel god if you would uh state your name and address i would appreciate that 105.5 west east circle bartow um i am addressing you today as a lifelong resident of polk county public school polk county florida and a graduate of polk county public schools as well as a mother of students who are have one has already graduated from polk county public schools and one is currently attending he's a senior only graduating this year and as well as a teacher in polk county public schools and so what you may or may not be aware of is the algorithm that is used to determine the funding that comes to polk county public schools we are still funded as a rural district according to the state of florida and most of you have been entrenched in this county long enough to know that we have not been a rural area for quite some time and so this is a major issue that i would like to use use to see you use your political clout to try to make an impact on our legislators to address but in the meantime with 446 posted instructional vacancies in polk county public schools we need something to recruit and retain high quality educators we need support staff we need teachers we need secretaries we need custodians bus drivers cafeteria workers everything across the board and we are having a really hard time making that happen with the funding that's coming from the state i appreciate you placing this back on the ballot i understand that you were concerned about the message of where this was coming from and because i deal with our public all the time i understand that people aren't necessarily paying close enough attention to know where things are coming from but i will echo the sentiments of miss yocum and say that as soon as y'all have placed it on the ballot and passed that i would like to see each and every one of you support this publicly this is something that is much needed for polk county public schools thank you very much thank you i have matthew connie please don't don't applaud i have matthew i think it's crowley taller than that good morning commissioners my name is matthew crowley i live at 9071 thomasville drive winter haven florida like i said my name is matthew crowley i'm a special education parent educator here in polk county a father and someone who shows up every day in our schools because our kids deserve stability and support i want to start with something very real i make sixteen dollars and sixty cents an hour that's what we pay to people who work directly with our most vulnerable students the ones who need one-on-one support de-escalation patience and trained professionals to help them learn safely that wage is the reality of our district and that's why i'm here today because the level of funding polk receives our schools are in desperate need of more resources we cannot recruit and retain the qualified educators or students depend on teachers paras bus drivers everyone who makes a school day possible people aren't leaving because they don't love the work they're leaving because they can't survive on the wages and comparing polk to neighboring counties is simply unfair those counties have higher property taxes and millage referendums that give them tools that we don't currently have they're operating with more resources and our kids should not be penalized for that difference that's why placing this measure on the ballot is so important not to predetermine an outcome but to let the people of polk county themselves decide what kind of school system they want this is democracy this is local control and that is responsible leadership as elected officials you should be proud to trust voters with this choice proud to give families educators and taxpayers a real voice in shaping our future proud to plant the seed for the tree we may never sit under but our kids will our children deserve qualified committed educators our educators deserve wages that respect the work they do and polk county deserves a school system that reflects its values and invests in the next generation today you have the opportunity to take that step and i know you have to please put the measure on the ballot and support it publicly let the community decide thank you thank you i have diane i think is dress clear hello my name is diane dress clear i live at 1108 bar toe road in lakeland and i am one of those highly qualified educators that polk county recruited from out of state back in 2017 and since then i've seen my wages stagnate while my cost of living rises every year my family and i have to discuss do we continue staying here and hoping that everything will get better and wait it out or do we leave and add to the problem that you guys have of a shortage i was recruited in 2017 because you had an employee shortage of qualified educators and that is still the problem at my current school we have long-term subs in every department who are not qualified to teach what they're being asked to teach right now there's a substitute in my classroom trying to figure out how to teach ap psychology and ap us history in the same day and i guarantee you they would not be doing well if i did not leave something behind i teach my students in government that the most impactful level of government that they need to pay attention to is their local government like this county board you guys can have the most impact on this county and this community and you can put the power of supporting our public schools back into the hands of the voters the same voters that you trusted to support and elect you you can trust them to support their public schools and care about where their money goes thank you thank you we have meg gadley please state your name and address you have three minutes good morning my name is meg gadley and i live at 2050 san marcos drive in winter even i am a proud teacher of polk county public schools i'm here today because the millage directly impacts the future of our classrooms our students and our ability to keep strong teachers in polk county a school millage isn't just a line on a tax bill it's a dedicated revenue source that strengthens our entire school system this millage would generate millions of dollars in stable reoccurring funding for polk county public schools that revenue is essential it closes gaps left by inconsistent state funding and allows our district to plan responsibility instead of cutting programs or stretching already thin resources for teachers like me and those that are sitting in classrooms today this increased revenue means competitive pay that helps us recruit and retain i had two teachers leave polk county last year because they were making more money outside i said i understand go i can't let you stay where you are not loved and supported right now too many teachers leave polk county to leave or leave the profession entirely because they cannot afford to stay every time an experienced teacher walks out the door our students lose the millage provides the revenue needed to keep excellent educators in our classrooms this funding also improves the learning environment increased revenue means updated resource modern technology and access to instructional support that helps our students succeed without these funds the teachers end up filling the gaps out of their own pockets this funding also improves the learning environment excuse me increased revenue means updated recent nope sorry where am i going um additional revenue for the millage also supports critical roles our parent educators our mental health counselors our safety officers and our behavior specialists this position makes our schools safer calmer and more effective allowing our teachers to focus on instruction and students to get the support they deserve whether someone personally supports the millage or not they shouldn't be not disagree sorry there should not be disagreement about this the voters of polk county have the right to decide your duty is to move the ballot language forward so the people can choose whether they want to increase revenue for our schools invest in their teachers and strengthen opportunities for their children i'm asking you please let the voters of polk county have their voice thank you thank you next is laura allgood good morning my name is laura allgood and i reside at 3660 wellington place in bartow my name is laura allgood and i am a 24 year proud veteran music educator for polk county public schools and i am here today to urge you to push the millage referendum to the ballot it is a decision that the voters in polk county get to make over the years as a veteran educator my salary has not been sufficient to support and keep up with inflation and the cost of living in polk county poor funding and bad legislation has made it difficult to pay teachers a livable wage in polk many struggle and are working two jobs because of this funding provided to polk our schools are in desperate need of more money to recruit and retain qualified educators and our students deserve high qualified educators in our classroom we cannot compare ourselves to neighboring counties with higher property taxes and millage referendums we should be proud you should be proud as an elected polk official to place this measure on the ballot and i urge you to do what is right and allow this referendum to be placed on the ballot thank you thank you next i have michael havey or haye my name is mike haye i live at 2908 vintage view circle in lakeland i am a 29 year veteran of the polk county schools i have been a teacher i have been a head football coach i have coached weightlifting i have been a social studies department chair i have been on school advisory committees and i'm currently the i represent the high school teachers on the bargaining committee and some other roles within the union i'm actually not pro union typically but i joined the union out of necessity a few years ago and i've learned a great deal about what goes on in the polk county public schools and then this is a breaking point in my opinion for the polk county schools and for polk county on an educational standpoint because quality of life is going to be very poorly impacted if we do not find a way to pay the teachers and the coaches and the band directors and the chorus instructors and anybody else that works with the children in extracurricular activities um you're not going to be able to keep the good teachers here they all have hillsborough orange county or some other state on their mind right now this summer i was offered a job in hillsborough county that would have paid me twenty two thousand dollars more than in polk to go to a middle school in polk county that's a lot more money and i decided to stay at this point only because i had to get my daughter out of chair practice at five o'clock and it would have been difficult with the times in hillsborough county to get there on time to pick her up that also would affect the bottom line of my retirement numbers when i finally retire and that is what is also on the minds of the teachers here in polk county i would like to see the mindset change here instead of doing everything on the cheap how about if we strive to be excellent in polk county and be good in academics be good in athletics be good in fine arts and spend the money that it takes recruit the teachers take care of them honor them respect them and fix the problems that are going on in the polk county schools if you would travel to other counties you can see the difference in the facilities you can just take a look at a school in neighboring counties and see the landscaping versus what's going on here that we're not even i used to be on the teacher paint crew during the summer in polk county i don't even know if we're painting the walls in the schools very much anymore i don't think we can afford it i don't know what the schedule for that is but we used to paint them all all the time on the teacher paint crews as far as the coaches are concerned you're having trouble keeping quality coaches even thank you sir we appreciate it thank you next i have tamaris i think it's rough tamaris yeah good morning my name is tamaris rot i live at 5713 sands point drive in lakeland i am um a three-year teacher and my husband has been driving a school bus for the past eight or nine years um so i am a esc inclusion teacher at a middle school so i go into multiple classrooms to help the students with ieps that needs extra services to be able to make the grade to be successful and in my school alone in several of these classes that are considered inclusion classes with the majority of the esc students in there there are long-term subs and in these classes the behavior can be out of control because the long-term subs even though they're doing their best they do not have the experience or the training to work with these students with the special behavior plans and the extra needs and due to the funding that we currently have to pro county public schools we are in dire need of additional resources to hire and retain qualified educators and like i stated earlier my school currently has multiple substitutes attempting to teach core classes without having a background in the subject area they are doing their best they show up daily they do what they have and they try to do their best um but the students are not receiving the level instruction that a certified educator could provide for them so a lot of these students in the classes with the long-term subs they're behind the other students in the classes with certified educators not because the long-term subs aren't trying their best it's because they don't have the education or the background to be able to provide the students with the education that they need with the services that they require to do their school days thank you thank you next we have bob nickel good morning my name is bob nickel i live at 1054 medina drive in winter haven florida i'm an ese inclusion teacher at boone middle school in haynes city dr santiago's old stomping grounds and i'll tell mary pat that she said hello and she had a birthday last week but i'm not going to say how old she is or i said happy birthday yes and it's always good to see the kodak number four up there i'm telling you i think you're the only person i've ever voted for mainly because they drove a nascar a stock car so uh but i'm here this morning to ask you not only to place the school district tax referendum on the 2026 ballot but to actively support it nearly 60 percent of polk voters approved the environmental lands tax in 2022 if polk voters know where the money is going they don't have a problem and the same goes for voters in other parts of the state in collier county 84 percent of voters approved a school tax referendum in 2024 nearly 60 percent approved the tax in marion county nearly 70 percent of voters in hillsborough approved the tax 72 percent voted for a school tax in orange county those are huge numbers and guess what on the east side of the county we're now losing staff to orange county and on the west side we're losing staff to hillsborough so i urge you don't just place this measure on the ballot support it voters won't be mad that you place this referendum on the ballot they'll be glad that you support education thank you thank you we have christy kirkland good morning i'm christy kirkland 28 28 gary lane lakeland florida i am a parent of two polk county graduates a former student from kindergarten all the way through my graduation and currently a teacher i remember sitting in my elementary classrooms sharing worksheets because we couldn't afford copies i remember having no textbooks in high school except for the class set because again the district couldn't afford to replace lost books currently as a kindergarten teacher we were sharing workbooks making it seem that we were collaborating but it was the only way we could actually get the work to them now we have science teachers in high schools that are unable to buy the cadavers and the chemicals that they need to run labs and experiments veteran teachers in 2010 and 2011 had a reduced salary by about $2,500 now from 2008 to our current standing there's been an average increase overall of 4.8 percent for two veteran teachers so we're talking $2,600 from 2008 to now that is the difference for a 23 year veteran it's asinine we sit in a county where people have the ability to pay this we have a county that's able to support we have a taxpayer demographic that's willing to support we need your support as well please place the referendum on the ballot thank you thank you we have patrick bentley my name is patrick bentley i live at 305 paradise island drive in haynes city florida um here to echo a lot of the statements you've heard from a lot of us educators we're not all right and while there are things about education that you as the county commissioner do not control putting forward this millage referendum to help us see a raise to help us continue working in this county is something in your control if you ask any educator anyone at any school i guarantee either their spouse makes up most of their income their partner makes up most of their income they have a second job they are pulling three to four extra gig jobs or in my case you have multiple roommates to help cover your cost of living we cannot keep doing this every year in fact almost every month i say goodbye to one of my colleagues because they cannot continue living and working here some of them choose to go to hillsborough some of them choose to go to orange county some of them choose to go to the private sector that is paying substantially more than we are i urge you to publicly support this and publicly make sure that people understand what this millage restaurant room goes to and how it will support us because as long as we are supported and we are funded we support the county back we're not spending money in other counties we're spending it here if we have money to spend and we do not yet thank you thank you at this time is there anybody that wishes to address the board on a agenda item please come forward if not then i will close the public comments concerning agenda items bring a board i think some board members want to say something we'll start with you commissioner i appreciate that thank you first i want to thank each one of you that spoke today um i don't know mr mink will cover it you know as far as the bocc goes we are voting just by statute it's administratively a a vote that we do right there's not a uh opinion section for us to say yes or no this is administrative for us to go through for me uh last year being a newly elected board member and my wife being a former polk county educator what i was curious of on this particular referendum was more information about it and no i don't watch every school board meeting as far as recording wise but i thought from my public perspective when i went home and was telling my wife about the referendum she said well i don't know anything about that either so i think from a school board message you know education to the public is key at least to understand what's coming up and obviously yeah the voters will decide in november whether to approve this or not when it's on the ballot that's very clear and i'm sure today we'll vote that through but hearing the messages today come from each one of you for one miss nichols i appreciate the compassion that you had and also the nature in which you delivered your message because that comes through a lot clearer to a lot more people when it's not tense and it's not as emotionally charged or mean sounding really right we look for ways to be better as humans and we look for ways to be better as as elected officials and as parents and everything else that we lead in life so i hope the superintendent hyde and the elected members of the polk county school board are listening today to this meeting for the fact that there's quite a few issues that exist within the polk county school board that the commission here can certainly not fix and in my opinion the passage of the one mill if successful in 2026 doesn't fix all the concerns that you guys had when my wife was an educator to have administration come around and tell her to take signs off of walls for high frequency words because it wasn't allowed for the current curriculum that's not right let the teachers teach and so with that i'll just say that you know there's lots of avenues that exist and that influence what goes on within the school board school concurrency you know if there's not enough money being produced from the state requirement for there to be a proportionate share from developers building new developments and having new schools and more students more pupils in classrooms you know go after the school board to work with legislatures to hopefully help from a state level get it into more of an even playing field of what's necessary to provide the level of education that our kids deserve and that all the teachers deserve from a pay perspective and you know leave it with this we certainly i think we should invest in the teachers and we should invest in the students offer paying benefits that are not only competitive but as we've done as a board and i would encourage the school board to do the same you know for our firefighters for law enforcement even for our county staff we strive to be world class we want to be the destination employer as much as we can and i would really task the polk county school board to roll up their sleeves and find out a way to do that because again hearing what i've heard today even the one mill doesn't even begin to touch all the areas that you guys have addressed but i do certainly appreciate your time thank you thank you anybody else okay commissioner trotman thank you again thank you all for being here you know i too am a mom a taxpayer a former special education teacher and i have a child that attends public school and i was the one that asked for this to be pulled off the consent agenda when it initially came and i did that because i think it is a firm responsibility of this board to ensure that the public understands the process and i do believe we've accomplished that and there were some comments that came up you know that this has been discussed for months and i'm going to tell you that none of us sit here and watch the school board meetings as i'm sure the school board doesn't sit and watch our meetings so this board has taken two weeks to discuss this process under the responsibility that i know i feel that the the public deserves to know what is happening and the more clear we can make that process the better that it will be for everyone i am glad that i'm not superintendent hyde and i have the issues to fix that i will tell you have been communicated to many of us since this has come up somebody mentioned the word if the voters know where the money's going they will approve it well i'll tell you right now there appears to be a lot of distrust about where the money is going but they do want to see teachers stay and children to be able to get a good education so i i wish for great success on this um and i will say from the very beginning no one on this board ever said that we had a desire to this for this not to be on the ballot we had a desire to ensure that the public understood the process so i can say you know we will support this going on the ballot we don't have a choice in it but our choice was made to ensure that the process was understood thank you well i'll i'll say a few words also um as you know um commissioner troutman said no one on this board from the beginning said we do not approve of this especially me since my career is embedded in education i've been in education polk county public schools since i'm not going to say how long because you're going to go wow but i've been around for a long time and some of the issues issues that have been stated here have been issues that i've been hearing for for many many years but let me just be clear um i support education and everything about education i have two children that are teachers you think i don't hear what's going on they tell me so i know exactly what you're talking about but i also sit on a chair that i am um and i mean an actual chair not being the chair that i am responsible for what goes on in the commission and one of the one of the biggest responsibility we have is fiscal responsibility so you have to understand when this was brought to our attention two weeks ago or so and we have been since i've been a commissioner and i've stated this the last time we talked about this since i've been and this is my going into my eighth year we have never raised property taxes millage rate on the contrary we have decreased them and this is the year that we didn't do anything with them so when all of a sudden we get this information not your fault i said i just blame that on the process that we have to increase the millage rate by 1.1 millage rate i think it's 0.1 right 0.1 millage rate it blew my mind i i couldn't understand it how someone is telling us to uh to do that so that's what our concern was and i want you to know i support education i support the teachers i just wanted to make sure that i had the correct information i still don't like the process but i want people to know that i support the the education and that i will um you know vote for this even though people are still going to think we the commissioners raised the military because commissioner troutman like you said information people don't read all that information than what you think so they're going to keep looking at us as once the culprits for raising the military this year um so anyway i wanted to make those comments and be sure anybody else yes just to follow up on that too the passion that's here in this room this morning and i've not attended the polk county school board meeting but i may actually in the future now if there's more influence you guys can have on that great if not then vote different people in next time around i don't know what to tell you else than that because if the system and this is going to sound coarse but from what i'm hearing today it sounds like the system is badly broken for polk county school board and if it's that broken again one mil of property tax is like throwing a squirt gun on a forest fire you're not going to get there so from the union for the individual teachers whomever has a voice use that be empowered go make a change and actually find something that provides our teachers our administration and our students the value that they deserve here in polk county thank you well i want to take this moment to welcome uh superintendent height i don't want to pass that opportunity he's there so thank you for coming superintendent hi i know how your schedule is very busy but we really appreciate you being here with us and also i want to um welcome the school board members that we have here i don't know how many do we have i see two two or three raise your hands if you're a school board member there you go because i know what kind of job that you you have leading the school system so thank you for being here all right we yes and just one more comment because it was made that it was felt that we weren't showing respect to the school board what has been made clear is that i hope in the future that if the school board or we have something that we truly do communicate with each other um this was a situation where i think we a lot of the communication wasn't as good as it could be so back to the basics of reaching out to individuals and as you said using your own relationships or political capital to make the process work better okay thank you i think i did close we can move on am i correct yeah okay so uh moving on to approve consent agenda i have a motion i have a second any discussion question hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries county comptroller mrs betterfield good morning today we have for you to approve and ratify payroll checks number zero four three zero eight through zero four three two three totaling twenty thousand four hundred fifty four dollars and sixty cents we have two thousand nine hundred ninety eight direct deposits in the amount of four million six hundred fifty two thousand two hundred seventy four dollars and ninety nine cents and those are dated november 14 2025 we have wire and electronic fund transfers of 22 million nine hundred one thousand six hundred ninety eight dollars and seventy five cents dated november 4th through november 17 of 2025 we have invoice checks numbered four nine four zero seven five through four nine four five ninety totaling seven million nine hundred thirteen thousand eight hundred ninety two dollars and sixty cents those are dated november 4th through november 17 of 2025 for you to approve and ratify please motion for approval second i have a motion and a second any discussion hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries thank you we also request the approval of your minutes of your regular board meeting that was held on november the 4th of 2025 so moved second i have a motion and a second any discussion hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries anything else miss butterfield yes thank you madam chair some good news um we recently refunded some of the county's outstanding bonds as you remember brought forward a resolution for you and so um just a couple of weeks ago we were able to successfully refund those bonds they were the um public facilities refunding bond series 2014 uh in the amount of approximately the 39 million dollars the time period was not extended for the debt so there was 10 years left on those bonds and we left it at the exact same um completion date so we weren't extending out that debt and we were able to as we marketed those bonds um with the county's financial advisor and the underwriters the team including county attorney mink and others um it was successful the bank of america was the underwriter and they did a lot of pre-marketing workforce and on the day of the sale we actually had more subscriptions for the bonds than we had bonds available however there were some in certain maturities on the curve that were not filled so the underwriter as part of their um really agreement with the county they stepped up they and they bought those bonds for us and we were still able to achieve over 3.1 million dollars in savings by doing the refunding which is about seven a little over seven percent of those refunded pars which is fantastic our our bar threshold is usually at five percent to look to see if we want to do the refund refunding of the bonds so i just wanted to say congratulations we have those savings and um thank you to the team which included many from my office the clerk and comptroller's office the county attorney county manager's team with budget management and then of course again all of the team that we put together the county has um to accomplish this so good news thank you well thank you very much moving on we're going to go ahead and tour county attorney mr randy ming yes ma'am item f1 is to adopt a resolution calling for the school board of polk county referendum on november 3rd 2026 general election ballot on the school board of polk county florida authorization to impose an additional one meal adverbal tax annually on taxable property in polk county for school operating purposes beginning july 1st 2027 ending june 30th 2031 as you're aware the polk county school board passed a resolution directing the board of county commissioners to call to call the school board referendum to add the one meal the resolution recognizes that the duty of the board of county commissioners is ministerial ministerial in nature and the board has no authority to alter the board referendum and it is requested for you to approve the resolution motion for a rule i have a motion and a second any discussion my only discussion is is that i hope that this will be our first and last as we hope that this process is visited by the state legislature thank you anybody else okay seeing none anymore um all in favor all right oppose motion carries thank you madam chair at this time we'll go f2 it's approved these last two items f2 and f3 are placed on the regular agenda to allow a commissioner to recuse himself it would be consent um due to the fact they're non-controversial and their routine matters um f2 is approved amendment number one to agreement number qg 010 between the florida department of environmental protection in polk county regarding a restoration project at the lower saddle creek and peace creek canal and it's recommended for approval and i think yes yeah madam chair i have to recuse myself on this item for uh have a working uh relationship okay thank you um who motioned it i did okay motion second um any discussion all in favor all right opposed motion carries thank you madam chair and f3 is to approve the conservation easement with hgs llc doing business as res environmental operating company um regarding the same project and it's recommended for approval madam chair i have to recuse myself also on this for working relationship second we have a motion and a second any discussion hearing none all in favor all right opposed motion carries and that's all i have madam chair thank you uh mr county manager bill beasley good morning madam chair members of the board members of the viewing audience the manager's office will have three items for board consideration this morning item g1 is really a good news item especially in light of the board's priority commitments to public safety item g1 is to request the board to accept a federal emergency management agency 2024 staffing for adequate fire emergency response grant a safer grant to add 50 additional firefighters to the current polk county fire rescue staffing complement this action will reflect creating these positions in the current 2526 budget and the requisite budget resolution to establish the required grant matching funds this past september the federal emergency management agency notified polk county of its pending award of the 2024 safer grant opportunity for which polk county has been seeking for the past several years this grant opportunity will allow polk to add 50 additional firefighter positions to the ranks paid mostly with federal monies over the next three years the grant performance period will begin in march of 2026 and conclude in march of 2029 for the first two years of the grant performance period the federal government will pay 75 percent of all annual costs estimated at 4.1 million dollars with polk county paying 20 of annual operating costs at one estimated at 1.4 million dollars during the third and final year of the grant performance period the federal government will pay 35 of of annual operating costs estimated at 1.9 million and polk county will pay 65 of all annual costs estimated at 3.6 million the total federal government funding commitment to polk county over the grant grant performance period totals about approximately 10.3 million dollars while polk county's matching commitment will total about 6.4 million dollars these 50 additional firefighting positions will bring the total polk county fire rescue staffing complement to over a thousand employees in one division upon approval of the requisite budget resolution a budget will be established within the special revenue grant fund in order to address the county's required matching grant funding commitment those county matching funds will be transferred from the general fund reserve for cash balance forward so madam chair members of the board i think in keeping with the board strong priority commitment to public safety i would request the board to do one approve the 2024 safer grant award as proposed by the federal emergency management agency by authorizing miss holly newton the polk county fire rescue financial administrator to accept the grant on behalf of the board to approve the additional 50 firefighter positions within the polk county fire rescue division and three request the board approve the proposed budget resolution in order to amend the fy 25 26 budget to account for the unanticipated revenues totaling approximately 5.5 million that would reflect 75 percent share by the federal government and 25 percent share by polk's local match i'll make that in the form of three recommendations madam chair any questions could you go over those recommendations one more time uh recommendation number one is to approve the 2024 safer grant award as proposed by the federal emergency management agency by authorizing miss holly newton who is the polk county fire rescue financial administrator to accept this grant on behalf of the board number two is to physically approve the additional 50 firefighter positions within the polk county fire rescue fy 25 26 budget and three request the board approve the proposed budget resolution in order to amend the fy 25 26 budget to account for unanticipated revenues that total approximately 5.5 million that will reflect 75 of that share from the federal government and 25 of that share from the local polk match and question bill i know we've had one of these grants before it's been about eight years ago it's been that long yes sir it's been 2017 i think it was we played it out for three years i think then commissioner braswell it was a four-year journey the feds have tightened up on that a little bit and now it's a three-year journey we've only had the one i thought we i thought we subsequently got another one no i we had the last one was in 17 but we've had one or two prior to 17 all right and i see this is uh uh some overtime budgeted monies in here were we out on overtime um let's say year over year or a year over two years okay hey good morning commissioners and congratulations uh madam chairman chair woman uh real quick so overall in 2024 to 2025 year in from last week until this week actual overtime is down 22 and our actual mandatory overtime in a year's time has gone down uh 81 81.5 so 82 percent so that is go ahead and so the the the 25 or whatever it was the first number that is voluntary that's and that's don't we figure that's always going to be there there's always going to be a level of overtime just not always a level of mandatory overtime that's correct yes sir so this is voluntary of it correct that's people working uh and some of that leads to and you know in part of your your commitment in february when we had those 72 positions to help with that overlapping resources for vacation sick fmla xyz but there's still that appetite that we need to maintain and in that 20 percent i mean the young guys want to work overtime correct that's the bottom line make a little extra money i get that um but on the the what was the 19 of um mandatory overtime is that is that in one job description is it that's overall as an organization so total mandatory in one year since 2024 until fiscal year 2025 we dropped at 82 percent which which which function has the most mandatory overtime and are we are we working harder on fixing that problem than the others that i could get you that i would say it's anything to do with the paramedic classification but that paramedic classification spawns uh spans over different ranks so you know you have the single cert paramedics and then you have firefighter engineer and captain but a lot of it the majority of it would stem from actually the having that certification as paramedic okay thanks anybody else okay um so we need a motion oh we have a motion nope okay motion for approval second uh any more discussion questions hearing none all in favor all right motion carries i i think we need to to go back i think um we were specifically looking not just a general motion but three parts with the first part being that we approve i believe the motion care covers all three because that's the recommendation so and normally we only have three things but the recommendation you don't have to do it for all three recommendations am i correct madam clerk so all that motion cut carried all covered all three the first i'm just hearing was yeah approve it as presented which included and we have those three specific recommendations noted in the minutes okay yeah that's the way i understood it also so motion carries moving forward the next one madam chair members of the board another item number g2 another good news item i believe item g2 is to request the board approve an interlocal agreement between the city of winterhaven and polk county as it relates to the acquisition and long-term protection of the astute financial land trust property located on the eastern shore of lake pansy and to accept a dedicated conservation easement that will preserve the county's long-term interest in that property this agreement will reflect a one-time county reimbursement to the city of winterhaven in the amount not to exceed six hundred thousand dollars the city of winterhaven and polk county have been in in dialogue about the merits of an interlocal agreement that would acquire and preserve approximately 153 acres along the east side of lake pansy a property known as the astute financial land trust this property is bordered by us highway 17 on the east and u.s highway 92 on the north lake pansy and the adjacent lake rochelle are listed as impaired water bodies by the florida department of environmental protection like pansy is impaired for biological functions for aquatic life and lake rochelle has nutrient impairments for nitrogen total phosphorus as well as aquatic life impairments as the florida department of environmental protection is the permitting entity for the federal national pollutant discharge elimination system they have expressed a strong desire for both the city and the county to work cooperatively to improve the water quality in these impaired water bodies as each entity currently and historically has been responsible for a portion of the pollutant loadings to both lake pansy and lake rochelle from their respective municipal separate storm sewer systems the proposed interlocal agreement establishes the partnership between the city and the county and outlines the roles and responsibilities of each party the negotiated property purchase totals one million four hundred thousand dollars inclusive of all fees and closing costs while the city has closed on this real estate transaction the county's negotiated reimbursement commitment will not exceed six hundred thousand dollars consistent with the proposed interlocal agreement the city will hold title to the property and grant polk county a conservation easement in order to protect the county's long-term interest the city will also be responsible for law site management and any future enhancements to the property given that this property protects significant wetlands that filters surface waters between lake pansy and lake rochelle and the protection of these wetlands is critical for water quality and flood water management within the city of winter havens chain of lakes complex this acquisition has been endorsed by both the county's stormwater technical advisory committee and the county's conservation land acquisition selection advisory funding for this property acquisition initiative is available in the parks and natural resources stormwater mstu fund so madam chair members of the board i think consistent with the board's commitment to water quality and environmental preservation initiatives i would request the board approve the proposed interlocal agreement with the city of winter haven and authorize the issuance of funds totaling six hundred thousand dollars payable to the city of winter haven to accept the proposed and to accept the proposed conservation easement all of which is in connection with the city's acquisition of the astute financial land trust property so moved i have a motion and a second any discussion or questions see none all in favor all right opposed motion carries final item madam chair members of the board item number g3 is to request the board approve a consultant services authorization with ae com technical services to provide construction engineering and inspection professional services in connection with the spirit lake road roundabout project this action will reflect a total expense not to exceed eight hundred and forty six thousand one hundred and thirty two dollars and seventy five cents over the construction duration of the project the spirit lake road roundabout project is included in the current community investment program for the roads and drainage division final design and right-of-way acquisition phases of the project have been completed the bids for construction have been received and the construction start date is planned for january of 2026 the construction contract award is expected for board consideration in the first or second meeting of december of next month the project construction completion has been set at 492 calendar days the proposed consultant services authorization is to provide construction engineering and inspection services for approximately 17 months these services will include the staffing complement of a senior project engineer a project administrator and field inspectors in order to monitor all relevant construction activities the construction engineering and inspection services will also include the work of a certified testing laboratory in order to verify all site conditions and that construction materials are in conformance with contract specifications this project is included again in the roads and drainage adopted fyi 25 26 community investment program as funding for this project is budgeted in the transportation trust fund so madam chair members of the board i think in keeping with the board's commitments to roadway infrastructure improvements where feasible and prudent i would request the board approve csa number 2025-032-01 with aecom technical services incorporated at a cost not to exceed eight hundred and forty six thousand one hundred and thirty two dollars and seventy five cents for the provision of required construction engineering and inspection services all of which is in connection with the spirit lake road roundabout project motion for approval second i have a motion and a second many questions or discussion hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries that's it madam chair thank you uh commissioner schrautman yes i uh ask for the reappointment of matthew swingle as a member of a member of the lakes advisory committee a three-year term for november the 17th of 2025 through november 16th of 2028 i have a motion and a second any questions hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries that's it nothing else no ma'am okay moving on to commissioner wilson yes ma'am madam chair i have a reappointment also with linda m schultz as a member an alternate member of the polk county planning commission for a three-year term january 3rd 2026 through january 2nd 2029 thank you i have a motion and a second any questions or discussion hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries and i don't have anything else nothing else commissioner brasswell i don't have anything but uh i will move to appoint kyle kyle is it kyle kyle uh rickner to the polk county lakes advisory or access advisory committee for the three-year term november 17 2025 to november 16 2028 second okay i have a motion and a second any question or discussion hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries anything else nothing else and commissioner scott thank you madam chair uh just two things one i want to take this time i know the next board meeting we have dale henderson will no longer be here at polk county he's moving on to city of miami so i just want to say a big thank you for bringing mr world-class excellence to our solid waste department and i think we have certainly grown a lot as a county to better serve our residents and everything solid waste from garbage to hurricane debris and everything in between so certainly appreciate his uh time here in the county although it's short it was certainly very impactful and that we will certainly miss him and he's got big shoes to be filled the second thing i had was just to provide a very big thank you to all the staff has completed my first year on the board here i've certainly been blessed with a lot of knowledge and intelligence across the county every single division there's 28 if i have the number correctly but certainly all of them are are very valuable to me and i do appreciate the support you've given to me as the commissioner and hopefully this thanksgiving get some time off share it with family and for those residents businesses and my fellow commissioners uh you guys have a happy thanksgiving as well thank you thank you is dale here no he left he was on a conference call he's still doing his duties so i was i was texting him somebody please saw him that we're very upset that he's leaving we can't stand in his way of course but we are upset that he's leaving we do want to wish him the best thank you for bringing that up i already tried to woo him back you know but he's got he's got things it's okay we certainly appreciate it i can say one thing commissioner scott when you said it's going to be hard to fill his shoes he's got some big shoes absolutely yes sir big man yes sir well unfortunately we can't vote on that because it would all be a no i told him we had to vote on it dale we're talking about you you you you mr happy and we're very sad that we didn't have to vote because we would have said no that's first time we smile in a year please know that we're upset when you talk to us okay i'm humbled first of all and i had to do a quick conference call but turned around came right back in um i'm extremely humbled i think i know i know that because of my staff and because of your leadership the solid waste division is in a much better place than it was two and a half years ago we have set the stage for world-class performance and you've heard me use that term many times both at the landfill and with our collection operations my team my my contractors all know what to do moving forward if it wasn't for that i would be personally in a much different position but i want to thank you once again for your leadership and allowing me to do the job that i love and i've done my entire career and i think the residents of poe county the businesses of poe county are going to benefit from what we've done with the solid waste division moving forward so thank you thank you thank you i got one thing to say all i know is since you've been here i don't think i've gotten two emails about garbage it has been dead quiet which is such a relief thank you very much we wish you lots of luck thank you i also want to say happy thanksgiving to everybody especially to my colleagues and if you're traveling safe travels as you know this is the busiest time on the roads or the airports and things like that so be please be safe in your traveling we're going to move on now to our public hearings madam chair we have one public hearing before we begin i'll just go over some general procedures i remind everyone if you wish to speak on in the public hearing section you need to fill out a speaker card and give it to one of the communication staff we ask that you please turn off your cell phones 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 the topic individual speaking during the public comment section of all of the matter will be strictly limited three minutes the board is experiencing these matters and they will discern what's legally relevant to an issue and what's not information irrelevant and repetitive only serves to frustrate and necessarily prolong the day's business commission expects civility at all times during all public hearing speaking out of turn shout out for an audience district of sounds or utterances while another speaking are unacceptable when you will be asked to leave the chamber's remainder day commissioners item number 01 is a public hearing to consider the adoption of ordinance of the pope county board of county commission establishing the mandatory milestone inspection program as explained to the board during the board agenda review this ordinance is required by florida statute house bill 913 requires that local governments to pass this ordinance it basically creates an inspection process for uh... buildings uh... with three habitable stories or higher uh requiring them to be inspected every 30 years or respected 30 years than i think every five years afterwards uh uh it's recommended for approval and i stand for any questions uh this is a public yes ma'am so if you have uh any comments about this please come forward you're given three minutes uh amber do we have anyone okay we have none so i'll close the public hearing bring it back to the board motion for approval i have a motion and a second uh any discussion any questions hearing none all in favor aye opposed motion carries thank you madam chair that's all the public hearings we have for today wonderful we move on to the request from the general public um amber we have some yeah um i have on my list colleen harrison is colleen here good morning my name is colleen harrison and i own the property at 3321 margo burt road we purchased our property four years ago and knowing that the road was dirt but we're under the impression that the owner of the road george burt that owns i believe it's discount realty was in negotiation to develop the property across the street from us and that he was going to pave the road he has not done that um he there are three streets that make up the subdivision jj manor roy burt and margo burt he finished the first two and when he finished this the one directly behind us he installed a large pipe that diverts all of the road from a canal off of night station road onto our road it literally washes our road away it's completely impassable six months out of the year you have to have a four-wheel drive to get to your property we are unable to receive emergency services no ambulance no fire truck nothing like that during that time there have been instances where an elderly man had covid and the ambulance was not able to get to him they had to walk the stressor down to him load him up and walk him out to the ambulance it's a serious problem um i have a video showing the devastation one that happens if there's time enough to um for you to see that um we ask that you mr bird is in the process negotiations i have heard from the county and neighbors that he is trying to develop the property that's vacant across the street from us we ask you please do not allow him to develop that property until he brings that road into compliance um he did promise to do that 30 years ago and he has not done that at the very least we ask that you have him repair the road and maintain the road i'm sorry i'm very upset there's people that that can't even get to their home six months out of the year there's several options eminent domain which i know is probably not going to happen there's an order of take back that you can take possession of that property back and maintain it to give us the services that we pay for on our property taxes um or at the very least require mr burt to do what he said he was going to do 30 years ago when he was granted permission to develop this property fix it and maintain it thank you mr me chair may i i believe if i understood correctly that's a private road correct that's my understanding this is a private road and so the comment about getting the services that they pay for on their taxes um it's they're not paying for the road to be maintained by polk county and not getting that correct correct we can't use the tax money to be used for a private road okay any other thank you next on our list is danny ballard danny ballard i live at 33 30 margo burt road uh that is almost to the end next to sutton road i've lived there 10 years and i had to actually shovel mud out from in front of my driveway to get to sutton road which was only 100 foot people at the end of the road had to park their cars on nights on uh sutton road and wave mud to get back to their property the canal she's talking about there's a canal that runs under night station road runs along the end of jj manor roy burt and margo burt all the water from there comes down through there it makes margo burt into a lake also there's a swell between the houses on margo burt road and roy burt road and that comes right into margo burt road also it makes a it makes a like a lake i've seen it actually like a lake and this is not just hurricane season this is this is uh when we have heavy rains i live in a flood zone x my house is in it don't flood but it's the road the road turns into a river people call a haul dirt in they'll hold dirt in during the summer and all and then in the winter or whenever the rain starts all this dirt washes to sutton road and it's in front of my house then and i have to actually dig it out to get my cars in and out it's on top of the uh stuff i paid two thousand dollars to have uh concrete stuff brought in uh asphalt stuff brought in and and we brought a tractor level it all down well when it rains that dirt that they brought in up there covers my stuff and it's right on it's like a foot deep there something's got to be done with it uh we're just getting all the water uh the isapacho river floods it comes up through into the woods behind us and actually comes in on margo burt road and runs back down again i had swift mud come out they spent a half a day with me looking at it never heard no more like i said i've been there 10 years i've seen it it's every year it's not just on hurricanes uh i am a veteran i am a disabled veteran a wartime veteran and i and i can't go out and keep digging out ways to get in out of my property so i'm asking you all to see what you can do about it thank you madam chair for me yes garvis are you able to no no you're good it's just for for jay you want to come in just a second um as far i understand this is a private road so that's a topic of private ownership and we don't have access to it as far as the drainage goes is there anything that's around this area that is county maintained that is an available point of relief for these residents or is it all on private property good morning commissioners jay jarvis roads and drainage director i am not aware of any easements that exist that would make them public and the responsibility of the county in this area besides what's along the public roadways the drainage systems along those so i am not aware of anything that exists and as far as these residents go for paths moving forward if they're able to get unanimous support amongst all property owners could they work with the county to provide easements to us to assist in some of the drainage maintenance yes if they were able we would be willing to consider taking easements if they were connective we wouldn't take one here one there type thing but basically if an easement was acquired along the entire um whatever drainage system then that would be something the county would definitely consider okay thank you okay thank you i think commissioner scott one other thing we can look at is that i heard allegations that the water there's a um water being directed that way based on work culvert pipes and stuff we need to look into that and just make sure there's that's all been permitted and done correctly so that adverse impacts to neighboring right so if there was some action he'd take where he's diverting the water and he didn't get the proper permits we may be able to look into some type of vibration and if we can just get the residents over here speaking and set up with mr jarvis just so they understand the pathway forward on the drain adjustment possibility i'd appreciate that as well thank you anything else okay next is k bork yes ma'am good morning commissioners my name is k bork i live at 1133 brook road in fort mead thank you for allowing me to speak to you again today we have been attending the commission meetings for the last several months speaking to you about animal welfare issues we've shared statistics that indicate the polk county animal shelter is the shelter with the fourth lowest save rate in florida at 58 the three shelters with lower save rates killed less than five percent of the number of animals as polk county in 2024 the documented conditions at the shelter are far below the standards that we should accept i'm frustrated that even though you hear the statistics in our testimony and some of you have even visited the shelter you said that you're happy with the job the sheriff is doing with animal control services it's disappointing and quite perplexing that our board of county commissioners as well as the sheriff's team are fully aware of the issues and the way to address them but are unwilling to consider the proposals put forth or even engage in constructive dialogue with those who are both educated and practiced in animal welfare methodologies as a resident of polk county i'm saddened that we are not doing better for the animals who find themselves in need we are far from world class in this arena we can see the results of the of of a good manager in the case of mr henderson that you all just talked about in the solid uh solid waste area we could be that we could have that same excellence in the animal control area if we would utilize some of the suggestions that we've put forth we must move toward a more fiscally and ethically responsible animal welfare model a model in which support programs such as temporary foster housing food pantries low-cost spay and neuter and community cat programs help keep pets in homes or communities and out of the shelter this is far less costly than housing animals in a shelter and then killing them when resources run out we need a model in which the sheriff has ordinances that limit backyard breeding and provide for community cat programs which will reduce shelter intake numbers this is a commitment to animals lives backed by data strategy common sense programs and community engagement it is about community problem solving so the shelter becomes a safety net not a place where lives are at risk the work ahead is about partnership with the community who wants to be part of the solution we are asking again for the opportunity to work with you and the sheriff to create an animal welfare advisory committee to provide input to the county commissioners and the sheriff on gaps that prevent polk county from improving animal welfare and propose solutions to fill the gaps as well as provide a comprehensive plan for implementation there's no need to reinvent the programs they're working in counties all over the place we just need to figure out how best to adapt them here in polk county we as a community a county need to move away from the ways of the past and utilize proven methods that will enable the residents of polk county to be proud of the way we treat our animals thank you thank you next is kristin alberg good morning um ditto on what she said my name is kristin alberg and i am at 651 altamira circle and that's actually in seminole county i drive about yeah i drive about an hour and 45 minutes to get here because i have a love for animals i always have the reason why i'm here is because polk county has one of the highest kill rates so it's not hundreds of animals that are being killed per week it's thousands um kudos to the gentleman that was speaking earlier about the the household hazard waste and the landfill being fixed and stuff like that but why is it that i've spoken to over a dozen people that have adopted cats and dogs whether it's a kitten or a cat a puppy or a dog and they're in the vet within the first week because they're sick because they have cancer within a year it's because everything that's burning at that hazard waste whether it's batteries paints chemicals it's all going in there why because as i stressed the last time i was here there is no circulation inside that animal shelter none there's no ac there's none if you have been in that shelter you will see cats on their back sweating you will see dogs in the heat laying on concrete with bowls of water yes they do have it but that water from the heat is hot so when the dog goes to drink a little bit of water and someone from the shelter or the inmates go to feed the dog and the dog is agitated i don't blame them but guess what that dog's going to be euthanized because he's on a high risk and i'm sure everyone up here has had a pet before and i'm sure you've lost a pet before and i'm sure you've experienced tears imagine adopting a pet from pole county and losing it within the first week because of that hazard material imagine going into that shelter and seeing animals without food without water without air conditioning nothing but yet the people next door that work at the shelter have beautiful air conditioning i've seen it i've taken pictures i've been inside i've witnessed it so it's not like i'm coming here speaking out of my you know i've been inside the shelter i've left with tears it's hard for me right now not to cry i will drive an hour and a half or two hours until changes are made they get ten dollars per cadaver cat where's the money going let's put it into something let's put it into ac let's put it into some air some air thank you thank you uh patricia jacks or jack race good morning my name is patricia jakes and i live at 378 in verary drive auburndale florida um good morning commissioners i'm here today on behalf of miss cecilia jennings a long time mulberry resident and on behalf of my rescue organization cat rescue alliance when this crisis began miss jennings was cited and fined 25 per day simply for feeding the cats she has cared for on her property for years even though there was no ordinance prohibiting feeding her cats she was told she could not feed them yet no agency would help her remove or rehome them the only solution she was offered was to let them starve or kill them my rescue organization stepped in and i personally accompanied her to the court in mulberry the judge agreed to drop whoever she was that drop all the charges on the condition that we continue assisting her with spay and neuter services for the cats living in her yard we are continuing to fulfill these requirements the cats were sterilized ear tipped and brought into compliance however the harassment has still continued recently one of her neighbors who openly dislikes cats trapped one of her already neutered clearly ear tipped cats and called animal control despite knowing the cat was part of a managed colony animal control forced miss jennings to pay like a 200 250 fee to have the cat released this is punitive unfair and deeply discouraging miss jennings is being targeted simply because her neighbors prefer dogs over cats she's a senior citizen who has acted responsibly and compassionately yet she was punished financially punished as a community that values both people in compassion we should remember that even scripture speaks clearly on this responsibility the bible teaches in proverbs 12 10 the righteous care for the needs of their animals this principle is foundational not that caring for animals is not a crime but an act of righteousness so i ask this commission is polk county truly at peace with a system that punishes residents for living out compassion even compassion supported by our own faith traditions there is a better path forward we need consistent policies regarding ear tip cats we need protection for responsible caregivers we need accessible spay and neuter resources so that residents aren't penalized for the county's lack of infrastructure organizations like the street cat project and cat rescue alliance are doing the work on the ground reducing unwanted litters with my own money by the way um you know no donations come in here so again i ask when will the county acknowledge this ongoing crisis and work with us towards a humane moderate and effective solution and how many more cats must be trapped find starved and euthanized before that happens thank you for your time and consideration thank you mrs jakes we have uh debbie hicks debbie here yes i am here debbie hicks 236 alderman road i'm not going to waste your time or my breath they have said a lot you know where you know where i stand but i'm waiting for any new commissioners to come on board so i can repeat what it is i would like to see happen since we know that the facility is ancient doesn't work and the management's not very good saying that have a blessed and happy thanksgiving i will see you in december thank you miss hicks next we have brother anthony lawrence or bishop lawrence as he's known i love our great nation i really do i love america i'm just telling you i do grace peace and mercy be it unto each and every one of you from god our father lord jesus christ our blessed savior to our commissioner congratulations my dear sister uh san dago and all you great people again i love this great nation that we live in and as i was sitting there listening i thought about the state trooper i went to uh plant city get some strawberries and i was speeding and so the state trooper pulled me over and and uh rightly so and so uh when she gave me the ticket i said hey hey would you like to have some strawberries she said sure she took some strawberries praise god and uh i was guilty though but i was guilty and i didn't have a bad attitude about it so i was thinking as everyone was coming up uh beloved that um we live in such a great nation where we can come with our concern but yet not be bitter not to be uh saying nasty things towards each other but to uplifting what our desires and our concerns that we may work together to solve those and i want to say thank you for being this patient i think about dr costello when i first came here back in the 90s dan costello i was just being nosy because i'd never been in the building before and um as i walking out he stopped me and say reverend lawrence reverend lawrence thank you for being here with us and the lord has blessed me since then that i'm so highly blessed to meet such great people as yourselves other great people i think about mike c hunter when i was sitting there how he would he's an educator retired educator him and other great educators that just you know they were concerned about their salary and everything also but yet they loved their job they the love of their job was more important than anything else and so i was thinking about all those people who made sacrifices even today that we don't hear nothing from but yet they love their job working with our children we love our county that northeast section is growing so fast by leaps and bounds but we love our county and believe me i know beloved a lot of you that's in leadership position already have concerns about a lot of issues that you hear from this podium with people and i want to say thank you all for being who y'all are and my prayers and my support for our county i even our sheriff greater judge he's doing a great job the sheriff department doing a great job and as i get ready to take my seat no i'm gonna leave y'all as i get ready to leave y'all y'all must understand that polk county is growing by leaps and bounds beloved please hear me and and and so it kind of takes time for us to do a lot of things it's not that we don't have concern and highway 27 i mean it's just we're growing and i thank god for the growth that i see love y'all and have a wonderful thanksgiving and a wonderful christmas and may our father and our god continue to keep and bless each and every one of you again thank you thank you bishop lawrence i just want to say thank you for everything that you do in our communities and with the people and the work that you do is very special especially in the northeast area these people know that it's the fastest growing area in polk county i i never i never miss a chance to say something like that and we have a lot of issues that we need to especially with infrastructure that we're working through but i appreciate the the fact that you um work with the citizens and and help them out and things and and always communicate with us what what are the needs so i appreciate that very much thank you madam chair if i may yes i appreciate the uh the kind words there but just the message to those that come up and spend your three minutes i know i've been on that side of the room i've had three minutes you've got to get a lot of stuff in sometimes but the way that you deliver a message is often more impactful than the words that you state and so for miss hicks and for miss nickel they're two constituents that i can say in the past have said words that are meaningful but delivered them in a meaningful and kind way the institutes change when you come up we can be the human punching bag all you want to be and we'll take it right that's part of our elected duties not officially but it's unofficially part of what we do but if you really want change pretend like you're walking up to a stranger on the street that you've never spoken to in your life before and pitch your idea persuade them to want to make the change versus if i just walked up you on the street and started attacking you verbally you probably get defensive or you walk away or shut down right so just keep that in mind but i certainly appreciate those that have come up and been very professional about it thank you great great words thank you mr ibercumby name is ibercumby 2737 gibson and galloway road thanks for the direction mr scott um i want to first i want to comment about the school board stuff um once again i've been up here many times i've talked about school board we have a we have a decision-making body here we have a decision-making body of school board why can't we collude a little bit maybe put things together for instance these parks that everybody keeps wants to put on every street corner instead put them on some of the school school grounds where they've got the land to do so and it sits there doing nothing but enough about that i want to talk about um our beloved attorney we were here four weeks ago i brought miss this iso with me just for recognition maybe you remember her face the minute she got up here and gave her name and address mr mick was on the computer trying to investigate her and actually embarrassed her put her whole private life out in public now you're the boss you are the most powerful person in polka county right now sitting in that chair you're the one that should be managing that the chamber i mean the charter itself it states that he answers to you answers to the board but you specifically right now i want to talk about the other project real quick you just did four or five items up here every one of them every one of the decisions you made was made made upon their recommendations the county manager and county attorney you recommend nobody did any research i bet i bet not one of you went looked at any one of that any of that paperwork other than what he's told you here in this meeting and of course behind closed doors friday that's behind closed doors folks because we don't have an opportunity to talk at all in there period so there's no reason at first even go there that's behind closed doors trust me it's not expert take communications but nobody believes in itself anymore there's an intersection a brand new subdivision ross ross creek it's right there decent road those folks have went through numerous projects in the last 15 20 years years every project that comes up they're promised they're going to have a red light put at that intersection on kathleen road and decent road so now you put a project in here once again they come out of their their driveway or out of their entrance across two two busy lanes go into a turn lane that's supposed to turn into decent road and have to make a u-turn to get back north or south of town what kind of sense does that make folks we had nothing to say about it you never even read the the paperwork for it i'll guarantee you because it was expedited everything goes through real quick no matter what thank you mr abracombi appreciate it yes just to speak specific to the decent road and kathleen interchange that has been a very priority project for the county that does involve multiple entities including csx which unfortunately does take some longer lengths of time in those projects so that red light will occur but unfortunately again there's only so much we can do on the county side to speed that up but we are certainly encouraging csx to move quickly with that so we can bring that i go to the intersection weekly so i'm very familiar with it and yes it is easier to go to first street and come back out on the kathleen versus trying to fight to go across decent so we are aware of it and we're working on that unfortunately we can't build everything before it comes and so it's one of those that we certainly are working towards thank you thank you we have kevin noble thank you for having me back commissioners um my name is kevin noble and i live at 2345 outdoor slope road in bartow and i'd like to bring up the discussion of um semi traps the semi truck traffic it it has increased over 50 percent on outdoors road that number it it's on this this up to 50 semis a day and that number will go up and say without church loop road the road i live on there's 10 semis and i'm not in on april road it's over 50 semis and that number's gonna go up yeah i've been on and for the for the bicyclists it's unsafe it's unsafe for them since at one time one semi was behind me and i came back close to a to getting hit he wouldn't remind me on double yellow line he could have hit me from behind i could have been hurt or even killed and and and then and i can't set that so for instance um i think that um we need one of these we need those signs all lake wolves road has them so i feel that these three roads outdoors road outdoors loop road and april road they need them signs we need to divert them semis off we need to send them to stay with 60 you was 17 98. the bicyclists they need we need make we need to make safer for them and adam and to be honest with you that um because i said my that one time i could have lost my life and adam you know that summer could have forced me out the road and i could have fell off and then i could have got injured real badly and had to go back to the hospital there's that one time i i was i was in a i was in a bike accident myself and that's no fun and i had had to be hospitalized for for like eight hours that's not fun either yeah because i broke my jawbone so therefore so for the five cycles we need to make it safer it says if we don't if we don't fix this soon and then the semi-trap is going to increase we don't and we don't know we don't want no more semis on on these three roads i'm mentioning it's just it's far too dangerous it's too dangerous the bicycles we need to make it safer for them and for the for the cars but for them they do not need to be on on outdoors road after loop and eight foot road absolutely not yeah yeah so so therefore if you could if we could address this issue and make the road safer and get the semis out of here that that would be greatly appreciated so um i understood that um a few years we're going to get a new toll road so so therefore just please address the issue and let's get semis all these two rural roads and let's let's make it safer for the for the bikers and for the cars around us thank you thank you mr bisley can we uh look into this uh with the roads i believe i'm not familiar why there's so many semis on these two local roads but maybe you do yeah yeah it's you know there's probably i'm not saying it's not a bad problem but it's a lot less than what it was right in the middle of citrus uh you know a lot of groves out there a lot of things change in the years uh but there's still there's a lot of you know traffic moving out of that area uh you know there's a lot of roads not as many as they were but that's the problem there's still a lot of citrus being picked not nowhere near as much uh there's some stuff going on in alter and connersville and alters i mean alters and uh that's that's where it's coming from and uh stop it all i don't know if you could do that is there a benefit maybe to a speed reduction would there be a opportunity for that or is that not helping the issue madam chair i think mr noble showed uh a speed uh feedback a kind of sign and maybe maybe there are some specific locations within that corridor where a couple of those might be appropriate along with a targeted enforcement initiative on the part of the so what happens is there's a lot on that area there's no there's really no homes you know for a little bit and all of a sudden you run into three or four homes and you know and that's the only roads that are out there other than dirt roads but we'll be glad to take a look at the target the feedback signs that he back signs as well as a discussion with the so and some target enforcement we'll look into it mr noble thank you for bringing that to our attention uh any other person wishes to speak uh to the board please come forward seeing none then we close the general public and i think that's it we're gone hold on let me get this first time hold on