[00:00:03] ALL RIGHT, THIS MEETING IS [1. CALL TO ORDER] CALLED TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. NANCY SIKES-KLINE. HERE. BARBARA BLONDER. HERE. CYNTHIA GARRIS. HERE. JIM SPRINGFIELD. HERE. JON DEPRETER. HERE. OKAY, WONDERFUL. BEFORE WE DO OUR MOMENT OF SILENCE, I HAVE A SPECIAL REQUEST TO REMEMBER ONE OF OUR BELOVED WHO PASSED RECENTLY. HER NAME IS DOT MOORE, SHE WAS A VOLUNTEER FOR OUR ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAM. DOT WAS A NATIVE FLORIDIAN. HER ZEAL FOR HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF VOLUSIA COUNTY WAS HOMEGROWN, AND AFTER RAISING A FAMILY AND MAINTAINING A PROFESSIONAL CAREER, SHE RETURNED, SHE TURNED HER ATTENTION TO HER OWN BACKYARD, EXPLORING THE HISTORY SURROUNDING NEW SMYRNA, AND ACROSS FOUR DECADES, DOT ENGAGED IN RESEARCH, OBTAINED GRANTS, AND DOCUMENTED. PARDON ME, I'M READING THIS FROM THE INTERNET. SHE ENGAGED IN RESEARCH, OBTAINED GRANTS, DOCUMENTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES BY RALLYING A BEVY OF VOLUNTEERS, PROFESSIONALS, AND ENTHUSIASTS. AND DESPITE FORMAL TRAINING, SHE PARTNERED WITH PROFESSIONALS TO ENSURE WORK WAS DONE CORRECTLY, EMBODYING THE IMPACT OF A DEDICATED AVOCATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGIST. SHE'S BEST KNOWN FOR HER WORK RESEARCHING, DOCUMENTING BRITISH COLONIAL SITES, MOST NOTABLY THE 18TH CENTURY NEW SMYRNA SETTLEMENT. THAT WAS PART OF THE BRITISH EFFORT TO POPULATE EAST FLORIDA. THROUGHOUT DECADES OF ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH, DOT WAS AN INSPIRATION TO GENERATIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE OF THE FIELD. SHE FUNDED THE FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AWARD FOR STUDENTS STUDYING FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY, AND WE WANT TO THANK HER, AND SHE LEAVES BEHIND A PROFOUND AND LASTING LEGACY. AND SHE WAS RECOGNIZED, SHE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY OUR OWN ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT. SO WITH THAT SAID, WE WILL OBSERVE A BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, LED BY VICE MAYOR BARBARA BLONDER. OKAY, NOW, THANK YOU. IF YOU'RE ABLE, PLEASE STAND. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. I DON'T NEED THAT. OKAY. OKAY. [Additional Item] OKAY. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I HAVE ANOTHER INDULGENCE. IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, I'D LIKE TO READ A LETTER THAT I RECEIVED AT THE END OF MARCH. DEAR MAYOR SIKES-KLINE AND DAVID, DAVID BIRCHIRM, I AM WRITING TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR THE KINDNESS AND PROFESSIONALISM SHOWN TO ME RECENTLY AT CITY HALL. SPECIFICALLY BY ST. AUGUSTINE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF CARLOS AVILES, AS WELL AS THE ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE CHIEF JON MARSTON A VERY KIND FLAGLER COLLEGE POLICE OFFICER, LADDER 47, AND OTHER OFFICERS WHO ASSISTED ME. AFTER ATTENDING THE COMMISSION MEETING ON MONDAY THE 23RD, THAT WAS A VERY LONG MEETING, BY THE WAY, I DISCOVERED MY CAR INCURRED A SEVERE FLAT IN THE CITY HALL PARKING LOT. DESPITE HAVING FINISHED A 14-DAY WORK STRETCH, CHIEF AVILES TOOK SIGNIFICANT TIME TO WALK ME THERE, WORK ON MY CAR, AND HELP ME SAFELY GET BACK ON THE ROAD. CHIEF MARSTON, THE OTHER OFFICERS, AND LADDER 47 ALSO STEPPED IN TO HELP AFTER WORKING AN EQUALLY LONG DAY. IT TURNED OUT TO BE NOT A SMALL FEAT THAT OCCURRED VERY LATE THAT NIGHT, AND ALL THEIR SUPPORT AND ATTENTION TO MY SAFETY MADE A STRESSFUL SITUATION MUCH EASIER. PLEASE ACCEPT MY THANKS AND EXTEND MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE TO CHIEF AVILES. THE ST. AUGUSTINE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS CHIEF MARSTON AND THE ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE DEPARTMENT. A FEW YEARS AGO, I MOVED DOWN TO FLORIDA ALL BY MYSELF AND STILL DON'T KNOW ANYONE VERY WELL, WHICH MAKES ME FEEL IMMENSELY GRATEFUL FOR THE ASSURANCE PRESENCE OF PUBLIC SERVANTS LIKE THEM AND PROUD TO LIVE IN THE ANCIENT CITY SERVED BY PEOPLE OF SUCH CHARACTER AND CORE VALUES. ST. AUGUSTINE IS FABULOUS, [00:05:01] SO HAPPY TO CALL ST. AUGUSTINE MY HOME. RESPECTFULLY, SHEILA MCCARTHY. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS WAS A LETTER. I DON'T OFTEN READ LETTERS THAT I RECEIVE FROM CITIZENS THAT WRITE, BUT THIS IS VERY SPECIAL TO ME, AND I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE THE PUBLIC SERVANTS. SO THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITH HOPES AND DREAMS, AND WE LOVE THEM DEARLY, AND THEY LOVE OUR COMMUNITY DEARLY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT INDULGENCE. WITH THAT SAID WE WILL MOVE ON [2. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS] TO MODIFICATION AND APPROVAL OF REGULAR AGENDA. COMMISSIONERS. OKAY. CITY MANAGER. MADAM MAYOR, I DO HAVE ONE ADDITION TO THE AGENDA THIS EVENING. I'D LIKE TO ADD 3D, AN AGENDA ITEM UNDER SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS. 3D WILL BE AN AWARD PRESENTATION FROM THE VISITORS AND CONVENTION BUREAU FOR THE TOURISM EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD. OKAY, WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. I SO MOVE. DO I HEAR A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. [3. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, RECOGNITIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS] WE WILL MOVE ON TO PROCLAMATIONS. VICE MAYOR, YOU HAVE THREE PROCLAMATIONS TONIGHT, SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I GUESS I DO. OKAY. I'LL START BY READING THE FIRST ONE AND THEN INVITING ALLISON HASHA FROM THE BETTY GRIFFIN CENTER TO COME UP TO RECEIVE THE PROCLAMATION ALONG WITH MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND MAYOR. WHEREAS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH IS INTENDED TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IS WIDESPREAD AND HAS PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS FOR EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND WHEREAS RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY, AS SEEN BY STATISTICS INDICATING THAT ONE IN FIVE WOMEN WILL HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL ASSAULT BY THE TIME THEY COMPLETE COLLEGE, AND WHEREAS WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HOW TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS. AND WHEREAS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS OF ANTI-VIOLENCE PROGRAMS AT BETTY GRIFFIN CENTER ENCOURAGE EVERY PERSON TO SPEAK OUT WHEN WITNESSING ACTS OF VIOLENCE, HOWEVER SMALL, AND WHEREAS WITH LEADERSHIP, DEDICATION, AND ENCOURAGEMENT, THERE IS COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT WE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN REDUCING SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ST. AUGUSTINE THROUGH PREVENTION EDUCATION, INCREASED AWARENESS IN HOLDING PERPETRATORS WHO COMMIT ACTS OF VIOLENCE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS, AND WHEREAS BETTY GRIFFIN CENTER STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL PARTNERS AND OF EVERY CITIZEN TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EFFORTS, INCLUDING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IS, HOW TO PREVENT IT, HOW TO HELP SURVIVORS CONNECT WITH SERVICES, AND HOW EVERY SEGMENT OF OUR SOCIETY CAN WORK TOGETHER TO BETTER ADDRESS SEXUAL VIOLENCE. NOW, THEREFORE THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE HEREBY PROCLAIMS THE MONTH OF AUGUST, I MEAN OF APRIL, 2026 AS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH IN THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND THIS IS SIGNED BY OUR MAYOR. SO IF MS. HASHA CAN COME UP TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS? OKAY, AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL ME HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME? YEAH, THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR, THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS AND THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE MISSION THAT WE DO AT BETTY GRIFFIN CENTER AND THE SURVIVORS THAT WE SERVE. WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS DAY AFTER DAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IN SIMILAR FORM, I'LL READ THE PROCLAMATION FOR NIGHT SKIES, AND WE'LL ASK LIZ SMITH TO COME UP AFTERWARDS TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION. [00:10:03] WHEREAS THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF A NATURAL NIGHT SKY IS A SHARED HERITAGE OF ALL HUMANKIND, AND WHEREAS THE EXPERIENCE OF STANDING BENEATH THE STARRY NIGHT SKY INSPIRES FEELINGS OF WONDER AND AWE AND ENCOURAGES A GROWING INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND NATURE, PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE, AND WHEREAS LIGHT POLLUTION, EXCESSIVE ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AT NIGHT, HAS DOCUMENTED ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND HUMAN HEALTH IMPACTS ON COMMUNITIES, AND WHEREAS APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION, INCLUDING MANY RESIDENTS OF ST. AUGUSTINE, LIVE UNDER A DOME OF LIGHT POLLUTION AND MAY NEVER EXPERIENCE THE VISUAL WONDER OR ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF A NATURALLY DARK NIGHT SKY. AND WHEREAS LIGHT POLLUTION WASTES NATURAL RESOURCES AMOUNTING TO ROUGHLY $3 BILLION PER YEAR IN WASTED ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WHEREAS FLORIDA IS HOME TO A WIDE VARIETY OF NOCTURNAL WILDLIFE, INCLUDING BATS, BOBCATS. COYOTES, FLYING SQUIRRELS, OWLS, NIGHT BIRDS, SEASONAL MIGRATING BIRDS, SEA TURTLES, AND INSECTS SUCH AS LUNA MOTHS AND FIREFLIES THAT RELY ON DARKNESS FOR SURVIVAL. AND WHEREAS ST. AUGUSTINE, KNOWN FOR ITS REMARKABLE HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, BEAUTIFUL BEACHES, AND BIODIVERSITY, ALSO VALUES THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF ITS NIGHT SKIES, WHICH INSPIRE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO APPRECIATE THE MAGNIFICENCE OF OUR UNIVERSE. AND WHEREAS DARK SKY INTERNATIONAL RECOGNIZES INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY WEEK TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT LIGHT POLLUTION AND ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE OUTDOOR LIGHTING THAT PROTECTS AND PRESERVES DARK SKIES. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE HEREBY PROCLAIMS APRIL 13TH THROUGH 20TH, 2026 AS INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY WEEK AND ENCOURAGES ALL RESIDENTS TO OBSERVE THIS WEEK BY LEARNING ABOUT LIGHT POLLUTION AND SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR PRECIOUS DARK SKIES. AND THIS IS SIGNED BY THE MAYOR. AND IF THE MAYOR AND FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND LIZ SMITH WOULD PLEASE COME UP TO ACCEPT THIS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YOU'RE SO WELCOME. THIS WAS LIZ'S SUGGESTION, AND I THINK IT'S A VERY NICE ONE. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS INSPIRED BY THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE ADOPTING THE SAME TYPE OF PROCLAMATION AND THAT IT'S REALLY LARGELY AN EDUCATIONAL EFFORT. SO, LIZ, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS? YES, JUST A FEW. FIRST, LET ME THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR BLONDER AND THE ENTIRE COMMISSION. REALLY APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPREAD AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DARK SKIES. AND I THINK THIS PROCLAMATION WAS PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN ALMOST POETIC ABOUT THE WAYS THAT DARK SKIES CAN BENEFIT ALL OF US. MY PARTICULAR CONCERN WAS WITH MIGRATORY BIRDS. OUR LOCAL BIRDS, AS WELL AS MIGRATORY BIRDS, NEED OUR DARK SKIES, AND THIS IS A HUGE FIRST STEP. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE HAVE ONE MORE PROCLAMATION, AND IT IS VERY TIMELY. AGAIN, I'LL READ IT, AND THEN I'LL INVITE DOUGLAS CONKEY, WHO'S A REGULAR HERE, TO COME UP TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION FROM THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. WHEREAS FLORIDA'S NATURAL BEAUTY, CRYSTAL BLUE WATERS, AND WHITE SAND BEACHES ATTRACT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AND WHEREAS CLEAN AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES ARE VITAL TO FLORIDA'S ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, AND WHEREAS MORE THAN 90% OF FLORIDA'S DRINKING WATER IS SUPPLIED BY UNDERLYING AQUIFERS, AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE ECONOMY DEPEND UPON A CLEAN AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT. AND WHEREAS FLORIDIANS CONSUME MORE THAN 7.9 BILLION GALLONS PER DAY OF FRESH WATER, AND THE FUTURE OF FLORIDA DEPENDS GREATLY UPON THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER. AND WHEREAS THE STATE OF FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS IN THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE ARE WORKING TOGETHER [00:15:01] TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER CONSERVATION, AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS DESIGNATED APRIL, TYPICALLY A DRY MONTH WHEN WATER DEMANDS ARE MOST ACUTE, AS FLORIDA'S WATER CONSERVATION MONTH TO EDUCATE CITIZENS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN HELP SAVE FLORIDA'S PRECIOUS WATER RESOURCES. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE HAS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED AND SUPPORTED WATER CONSERVATION THROUGH VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS. AND WHEREAS EFFICIENT IRRIGATION DESIGN, PROGRAMMING, AND MAINTENANCE CAN CONSERVE WATER. AND THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE ENCOURAGES CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES TO EVALUATE THEIR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FOR POTENTIAL EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENTS. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM APRIL 2026 AS WATER CONSERVATION MONTH AND CALLS UPON EACH CITIZEN AND BUSINESS TO HELP PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS RESOURCES BY PRACTICING WATER-SAVING MEASURES AND BECOMING MORE AWARE OF THE NEED TO SAVE WATER. FOR THIS, THE 28TH YEAR OF WATER CONSERVATION MONTH, THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON IRRIGATION SYSTEM EVALUATIONS, AND THIS IS SIGNED BY OUR MAYOR. AND AGAIN, IF MR. CONKEY COULD COME ON UP AND MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND MAYOR COULD JOIN US AT THE FRONT TO ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION. DO YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS FOR US? MUSIC FOR MY EARS. PLEASE DO. NEVER AFRAID OF THE MICROPHONE, BUT I WANT TO, MAYOR, FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF WATER CONSERVATION PROCLAMATION, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A 365-DAY OPERATION, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT. IT'S THE 28TH YEAR, SO IT TELLS US THE STATE IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. WE KNOW THE STATE'S GROWING. WE KNOW ST. AUGUSTINE IS GROWING, SO WATER CONSERVATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND AS THE THEME IS, RAIN SHUTOFF DEVICES ARE IMPORTANT. AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU NEVER HEAR MUCH ABOUT, BUT SINCE MAY OF 1991, THEY ARE ACTUALLY BY LAW REQUIRED TO BE INSTALLED WITH ALL AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. AND I WOULD GO WITH THE OVER-UNDER ON 30% OF THOSE THAT ACTUALLY WORK NOW, BECAUSE THEY'RE EITHER INSTALLED INCORRECTLY OR OVER TIME, IF YOU DON'T DO THE MAINTENANCE, IT DOESN'T DO WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO. AND WE'VE ALL SEEN PEOPLE WATERING THEIR YARDS WHEN IT'S A THUNDERSTORM, ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T HAD MANY THUNDERSTORMS. SO WITH THAT, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT IT WAS MENTIONED, THIS IS UNIQUE, WHERE PEOPLE GO, WE'RE SURROUNDED BY WATER, WE HAVE THE MOST LAKES IN THE UNITED STATES, LOTS OF SPRINGS, BUT WE HAVE A DROUGHT, A VERY SEVERE DROUGHT. WE HAVE A PHASE TWO MODIFIED SEVERE WATER SHORTAGE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S BASICALLY BASED ON TWO THINGS. VERY LITTLE RAIN. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ANY OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRIEFS, IT'S NOT EXPECTED TO END ANYTIME SOON. AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS. AS WE ALL WERE DANCING HAPPY DANCE, NO HURRICANES, BUT HURRICANES DO PROVIDE ONE CRITICAL FUNCTION, AND THAT IS TO RECHARGE THE AQUIFER, AND THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY MONITORING WELLS, AND WE DO HAVE SEVERAL WELLS, SOME ST. JOHN'S, DUVAL, AND OTHER AREAS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA THAT ARE IN THE 10TH PERCENTILE OR LESS. SO WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT LOW ON THE GAS TANK. AND WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE THAT CRITICAL, CLEAR, CLEAN, INEXPENSIVE WATER, SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET BELOW, IS WHAT WE NEED TO PROTECT. WE ALSO NEED TO PROTECT THE ECOSYSTEMS, THE MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS THAT ACTUALLY MANDATE WHAT KIND OF ALLOCATIONS WE CAN GIVE THE UTILITIES WHEN THEY COME IN FOR THEIR CONSUMPTIVE USE PERMITS. SO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. NOW IN THAT ORDER, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT. NORMALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY GONE TO TWO DAYS A WEEK OF WATERING ALLOWANCE. NOW WE'RE KEEPING IT ONE DAY FOR THE INDEFINITE UNTIL THINGS CHANGE. THAT IS MANDATED IN LAW. IT'S OBVIOUSLY JUST SOMETHING THAT'S HARD TO ENFORCE, SO OBVIOUSLY WE REALLY ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO DO THINGS. YOU TALKED ABOUT IT IN YOUR READING THAT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS NEED TO BE MAINTAINED. MORE THAN 50% OF YOUR WATER IS USED OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE LEAKS, MAKE SURE THE HEADS AREN'T WATERING THE STREET, PUT THE RIGHT PLANTS, RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE, AND THEN ALSO INSIDE THE HOUSE. WE'VE ALL HEARD THAT RHYTHMIC FLUSH EVERY SO OFTEN, AND THAT MIGHT TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE WASTING SOME WATER. OR THE RHYTHMIC DRIP OF A SHOWER HEAD. THERE'S ANOTHER CLUE. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE IF YOU'RE SAVING WATER, YOU'RE HELPING PROTECT OUR WATER RESOURCES AND YOU'RE PROTECTING, YOU'RE GETTING TO SAVE SOME MONEY BECAUSE THE UTILITY GIVES YOU A MONTHLY REMINDER OF HOW MUCH WATER YOU'RE USING. SO IF THAT CHANGES A LITTLE BIT, YOU MIGHT GO, I NEED TO DO SOMETHING. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BASICALLY TELLING PEOPLE THIS IS IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR OUR FUTURE, BUT THE FUTURE [00:20:01] OF THIS STATE AND ALL ITS FUTURE CITIZENS. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PROCLAMATIONS FOR THE EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE HAVE ONE OTHER PRESENTATION. AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO INVITE SUSAN PHILLIPS TO COME TO THE PODIUM, AND I SEE SHE HAS BROUGHT HER FRIEND, CHARLIE ROBLES. SO WELCOME. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. SO SOON. LONG TIME NO SEE. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, I'M SUSAN PHILLIPS WITH THE VISITORS AND CONVENTION BUREAU. JOINING ME TODAY IS CHARLIE ROBLES. HE IS OUR VCB BOARD CHAIR, AND WE'RE ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED TO BE HERE THIS EVENING. THIS TIME IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE'RE NOT HERE FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, OKAY? I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR WE'RE NOT CHANGING DATES OR ASKING ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT WE'RE THRILLED TO BE HERE TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE SOMEONE FOR OUR VCB TOURISM EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR GOVERNMENT. AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR BOARD CHAIR NOW, AND HE'S GOING TO TELL YOU WHO THAT INDIVIDUAL IS, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME GIFTS FOR THAT PERSON. THANK YOU. NOW BEAR WITH ME, I JUST BROKE MY READERS, SO I'M READING WITH ONE. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE DO AS A VCB IS TO HONOR THE EMPLOYEES THAT GIVE SO MUCH OF THEIR TIME AND THEIR LIVES TO TOURISM, WHETHER IT BE IN A HOTEL, A RESTAURANT, AN ATTRACTION, OR THE CITY, OR THE COUNTY. THIS PERSON WAS NOMINATED BY CITY MANAGER DAVID BIRCHIM. WE'RE VERY PLEASED AND HONORED TO HONOR MELISSA WISSEL. MELISSA WISSEL HAS DEMONSTRATED EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP DURING THE NEW ELEVATED PUBLIC COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS. HER PASSION AND POISE DURING THE NEW MARKETING EFFORTS WAS EXCEPTIONAL. MELISSA SHOWCASED EXCEPTIONAL TALENTS AND TACTICS IN A VARIETY OF COMMUNICATION DISCIPLINES. HER ABILITY TO PIVOT AND ADAPT AND PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE WAS VERY EVIDENT BY THE NEW SUCCESSES ACHIEVED BY KNIGHTS OF LIGHTS THIS PAST YEAR. MELISSA HELPED ORGANIZE COLLABORATIONS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND NON-PROFITS, PUBLIC OUTREACH, MEDIA RELATIONS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND MANY OTHER OUTREACH TOOLS THAT WERE ALL PART OF THE KNIGHTS OF LIGHT'S SUCCESS. HER TIRELESS EFFORTS AND ENERGY WERE PIVOTAL AND A BIG PART OF THE IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS. SHE SHOWCASED HER ABILITY AS A PHENOMENAL STEWARD OF TOURISM RELATIONS AND AMBASSADOR OF GOVERNMENT PR. WHEN WE THINK OF THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE WHO EXEMPLIFIES GENUINE HOSPITALITY DURING WHATEVER TASKS SHE TAKES ON, INCLUDING NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, COMMUNITY TABLE CELEBRATIONS, AND SO MUCH MORE, THERE'S ONE NAME THAT COMES TO MIND, MELISSA WISSEL. WE ARE PROUD TO CALL MELISSA OUR TOURISM EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR. COME ON, MELISSA, DO THAT WALK. COME ON. GO UP. IF Y'ALL WOULD COME FORWARD. I KNOW THIS IS TOTALLY, NO, WE'RE INVENTING IT, WE'RE DOING IT AS WE GO. ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, PLEASE. SO THIS IS REALLY NOT MY THING, THIS IS DAVID'S THING, AND [00:25:03] SUSAN'S THING, SO I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER. I DID NOT. HE'S VERY GOOD ON HIS OWN. CONGRATULATIONS, MELISSA. IT'S WELL DESERVED AND EARNED, AND WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW OUR APPRECIATION FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR US, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH, I'M OVERWHELMED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. I LOVE MY JOB. WHOEVER WROTE WHAT YOU WROTE, I'M REALLY TOUCHED BY YOUR WORDS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S HOW I FEEL. I'M VERY PASSIONATE AND I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST, I REALLY DON'T HAVE WORDS. WE UNDERSTAND. I WAS IN THAT POSITION AT THE LAST MEETING. SO, BUT WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU THAT WE ALL DO. HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN OUR HEARTS FOR YOU BECAUSE WE KNOW THE EXTRA MILE THAT YOU GO FOR US. IT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE. AND WE'RE SO GRATEFUL THAT DAVID AND VCB ARE RECOGNIZING YOU AS THE MOST OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE IN TOURISM THIS YEAR, WHICH YOU ARE WELL-DESERVED. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY THAN ANYBODY THAT I KNOW. SO I AM ALSO PERSONALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOU DO FOR ME PERSONALLY AND HOW YOU SERVE THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR. SO WITH THAT SAID, WE'LL HAVE A PICTURE? OKAY. THAT WAS GREAT FOR A SURPRISE, AND I THINK MELISSA WAS SUFFICIENTLY SURPRISED. [4. PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS OR FOR AGENDA ITEMS NOT REQUIRING A SEPARATE PUBLIC HEARING] ALL RIGHT. OKAY, WELL, WE WILL MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. AT THIS TIME, THESE ARE MATTERS WE WILL HAVE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THAT ARE MATTERS THAT ARE NOT SCHEDULED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. ANY PERSON WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION SHOULD FILL OUT A SPEAKER CARD, AND I WILL CALL YOU TO THE PODIUM WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN TO SPEAK. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. TO SPEAK AND SHALL COMPLY WITH THE RULES OF THE QUOROM. COMMENTS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE AND NOT INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONERS. COMMISSIONERS DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM SPEAKERS AT THIS TIME. NO PERSON MAY ADDRESS THE COMMISSION WITH PERSONAL, IMPROPER, OR SLANDEROUS REMARKS OR WITH BOISTEROUS BEHAVIOR. MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE WILL REFRAIN FROM ANY CLAPPING OR DISRUPTIVE DEMONSTRATIONS OF APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF ANY OF THOSE COMMENTS. FINALLY, I WOULD ASK THAT ANY SPEAKER WHO USES THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR TO PLEASE SUBMIT THOSE ITEMS TO THE CITY CLERK TO BE ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. AND WITH THAT SAID, I WILL CALL TWO NAMES AT A TIME, AND THAT WAY WE HAVE EXTRA SEATS UP FRONT IF YOU COULD HAVE THE SECOND NAME PERSON ON DECK READY SO THAT WE CAN EXPEDITE. FIRST SPEAKER WE HAVE IS CAROLYN WRIGHT, FOLLOWED BY VICKI PEPPER. WELCOME. THE REASON THAT I CAME IS THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE WITH THE CONGESTION THAT WE'RE HAVING IN TRAFFIC WITH ST. SEBASTIAN HARBOR BEING CLOSED. IT HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR TWO AND A HALF MONTHS, WHICH HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON THE RESIDENTS OF LINCOLNVILLE. AND NOW THAT THE BRIDGE IS CLOSED, THAT IS COMPOUNDING IT EVEN MORE. AND I'M TOLD THAT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE TIME SEBASTIAN HARBOR IS GOING TO BE CLOSED WILL BE EXTENDED, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. SO I MEAN, EVEN IF WE CAN GET IT OPEN, IF THE PLANNING AND ZONING CAN DO SOMETHING TO GET UP WHATEVER DEPARTMENT CAN GET IT OPEN, SO AT VERY LEAST THE TROLLEYS CAN GO THAT WAY. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WHEN YOU HAVE TWO TROLLEYS IN LINE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE LIGHT AND THEN THEY GET OUT THERE AND THEY CAN'T GET OUT, [00:30:01] SO THEY BLOCK THE TRAFFIC ON KINGSBURY. SO I THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE NECESSARY DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO THIS. THERE'S A MAN IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM NAMED STEPHEN SLAUGHTER AND HE'S GOING TO CHAT WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU HIS CARD AND HE CAN GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHEN SEBASTIAN HARBOR DRIVE SHOULD BE OPEN. THANK YOU FOR COMING. NEXT SPEAKER, NANCY MURPHY, FOLLOWED BY VICKI PEPPER. THANK YOU. HI, NANCY MURPHY. YOU SEE ON MY SPEAKER CARD, I HAVE A NEW ADDRESS AND I LIVE IN THE CITY NOW AND I'M VERY HAPPY AS OF APRIL 1ST. I'M ALSO VERY HAPPY TO BE A RESIDENT OF COMPASSIONATE ST. AUGUSTINE AND TO REMIND OTHERS THAT WE WERE THE FIRST COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA. WE WERE THE 20TH IN THE WORLD AND WE ARE THE INSPIRATION, NOT JUST FOR THE BEGINNINGS OF WHAT'S BECOMING COMPASSIONATE FLORIDA, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN CHOSEN AS A MODEL COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY AND INVITED TO PRESENT AT THE COMPASSION IN ACTION CONFERENCE THAT WILL BE ONLINE ON MAY 13TH, AND 14TH. SO I WILL REMIND YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION. THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPASSION LIES AT THE HEART OF ALL RELIGIOUS, ETHICAL, AND SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS, CALLING US ALWAYS TO TREAT ALL OTHERS AS WE WISH TO BE TREATED OURSELVES. COMPASSION IMPELS US TO WORK TIRELESSLY TO ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING OF OUR FELLOW CREATURES. TO DETHRONE OURSELVES FROM THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD AND PUT ANOTHER THERE, AND TO HONOR THE INVOICABLE SANCTITY OF EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING, TREATING EVERYBODY, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, WITH ABSOLUTE JUSTICE, EQUITY, AND RESPECT. WE URGENTLY NEED TO MAKE COMPASSION A CLEAR, LUMINOUS, AND DYNAMIC FORCE. IN OUR POLARIZED WORLD. ROOTED IN A PRINCIPLED DETERMINATION TO TRANSCEND SELFISHNESS, COMPASSION CAN BREAK DOWN POLITICAL, DOGMATIC, IDEOLOGICAL, AND RELIGIOUS BOUNDARIES. BORN OF OUR DEEP INTERDEPENDENCE, COMPASSION IS ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS AND TO A FULFILLED HUMANITY. IT IS THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT. AND INDISPENSABLE TO THE CREATION OF A JUST ECONOMY AND A PEACEFUL GLOBAL COMMUNITY. I'M ALSO VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU THIS FLYER. IT'S NOT QUITE READY FOR PRIME TIME. I JUST GOT IT TODAY. BUT THIS IS THE LATEST INITIATIVE THAT WE'LL BE UNDERTAKING AT THE REQUEST OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHARTER FOR COMPASSION. AND ON MAY 4TH, I'LL BE OFFERING THE FIRST OF WHAT I HOPE WILL BE MANY TRAINING SESSIONS. ON TLC, WHICH CAN CERTAINLY MEAN TENDER LOVING CARE, AS WE'RE MOSTLY FAMILIAR WITH. BUT IN THIS CASE, IT STANDS FOR TALK, LISTEN, AND CONNECT. AND THE IDEA BEHIND IT IS THAT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE'LL CREATE BRIDGES, BUILDING BRIDGES. AND AREN'T WE GOOD AT THAT AROUND HERE? RIGHT? THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. VICKI PEPPER, FOLLOWED BY THOMAS REYNOLDS. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS VICKI PEPPER. I LIVE ON HARBOR VISTA CIRCLE IN ST. AUGUSTINE, AND I'M HERE TODAY REPRESENTING MYSELF AND CARE, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES FOR RACIAL EQUITY. OUR INFORMAL INDEPENDENT CIVIC ACTION GROUP GREW OUT OF ST. AUGUSTINE'S COMMUNITY CONVERSATION EFFORT, AND OUR PURPOSE IS TO SERVE BLACK AND OTHER UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN ST. JOHNS COUNTY BY IDENTIFYING RESOURCES, INCLUDING FUNDING SOURCES, AND LINK THEM WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS AS IDENTIFIED BY COMMUNITY LEADERS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE PLIGHT OF PEOPLE WITHOUT SHELTER IN OUR COMMUNITY OR AT RISK OF LOSING THEIR HOMES HAS BEEN A MAJOR CARE CONCERN. SO WE'VE LONG SUPPORTED THE CITY'S TWO-PHASED EFFORT TO FUND AND ESTABLISH A NEW DROP-IN DAY CENTER ON OLD DIXIE HIGHWAY JUST OFF 207. YOU MAY RECALL PERIODICALLY WE'VE ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THESE EFFORTS. DESPITE SEVERAL DELAYS, PART 1 OF PHASE 1, DINING WITH DIGNITY, OPENED IN NOVEMBER. AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP AND BACKING, THE CITY DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT FOR PLANNING, BUDGETING. FOR AND EXECUTING PLANS FOR THE NEW CENTER TO SERVE PEOPLE WITHOUT SHELTER AND OTHERS IN NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY. CARE APPRECIATED THE CITY FOUND THE FUNDING AND FINALIZED ALL CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS OF PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT BEFORE MOVING DINING WITH DIGNITY TO THE NEW SITE. BUT WHEN ORIGINALLY BRIEFED MID-YEAR 2025, THE PLAN WAS TO PHASE IN PARTS TWO AND THREE, THE SHOWERS AND WASHERS AND DRYERS AT THE FACILITY OVER JUST A FEW WEEKS. HOWEVER, WHEN I'D ASKED AFTER DINING WITH DIGNITY OPENED I [00:35:01] WAS TOLD FURTHER DELAYS ENCOUNTERED MEANT PARTS TWO AND THREE WOULD NOT BE OPERATION UNTIL SOMETIME LATER IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE NEW YEAR. OUR LOCAL CONTINUUM OF CARE'S EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES UNSHELTERED. MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE JOBS. HAVING ACCESS TO SHOWERS AND FACILITIES TO CLEAN THEIR CLOTHES MAY BE KEY TO THEIR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN EMPLOYMENT. THESE ADDITIONAL FACILITIES THAT THE CITIES DROP IN DAY CENTER ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE'RE ALREADY INTO THE SECOND QUARTER OF CALENDAR YEAR 2026, SO CARE IS REQUESTING ANOTHER UPDATE. AS NANCY MURPHY JUST REMINDED US, ST. AUGUSTINE IS THE COMPASSIONATE CITY, AND THAT SHOULD MEAN MORE THAN JUST A SLOGAN TO US. IT MEANS WE NEED TO REALLY DEVOTE OUR TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE TO PUT THAT WHERE OUR MOUTHS ARE WHEN IT COMES TO HELPING NEIGHBORS WHO ARE STRUGGLING IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT. AND WE NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN LOCALLY IN THE CURRENT NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. WE URGE YOU TO COMMENCE AND MAINTAIN ALL PHASE 1 OPERATIONS AT THE CITY'S DROP-IN DAY CENTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND PROVIDE THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. INCLUDES ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO ENSURE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARD COMPLETION OF PHASE TWO. IF THE CITY NEEDS VOLUNTEER HELP IN ACCOMPLISHING THESE OBJECTIVES, CARE ENCOURAGES YOU TO REACH OUT TO THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AND ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS OUR LOCAL FAITH COMMUNITY. AND I APPEAL TO ALL MY FELLOW CITIZENS TO DO THEIR PARTS, WHETHER THAT BE CONTRIBUTING FINANCIAL RESOURCES, VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME, OR SIMPLY COMMITTING RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, KINDNESS TO BUILD THE BELOVED COMMUNITY THAT DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING ENVISIONED FOR OUR NATION RIGHT HERE IN ST. AUGUSTINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THOMAS REYNOLDS, FOLLOWED BY B.J., B.J. CLADY. TOM REYNOLDS, THE LANDING. MR. REYNOLDS, CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE FOR US? TOM REYNOLDS, THE LANDING, US 1-32084. AS YOU CAN SEE WHEN YOU GET THIS, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LIGHT PRINT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW I PAID $33 TO HAVE ALL THIS PRINTED AT UPS, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO COMPLAIN. THE LADY WAS NEW. BUT ANYWAY, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A COVER LETTER ON THERE. AND THEN ON MY SECOND PAGE, I HAVE HERE. THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE ORDINANCE AND IN THIS ORDINANCE I'M ASKING YOU TO STOP THE HORSE AND CARRIAGES ON APRIL 30TH, 2026. AND YOU KNOW, JUST AS I WAS COMING IN, THERE WAS A HORSE GOING BY AND TRULY IT DEVASTATES ME WHEN I SEE THAT BIG POOP BAG ON THE BACK OF THE HORSE HITTING THE HORSE EVERY SINGLE TIME THE HORSE TAKES A WALK, THAT THING IS HITTING ITS LEG. BUT SEE FOLKS, IT'S REALLY VERY EASY, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS LITTLE PARAGRAPH ON DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, I STOLE THAT FROM FERNANDINA BEACH, AND I JUST PUT IN CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. BUT YOU SEE THIS HERE. SEE, FOLKS, THERE'S NO NEED FOR THE HORSES ANYMORE. THERE JUST IS NOT. THESE ELECTRIC CARRIAGES ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND I PRICED THEM. THEY'RE REALLY ACTUALLY REALLY NOT AS EXPENSIVE AS I THOUGHT. THEY CAN MANEUVER. THEY CAN GET OUT OF THE WAY FASTER FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS IN THAT PAPERWORK IF YOU LOOK IT OVER. AND HERE'S THE THING. THIS IS A PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT REALLY IS ANIMAL ABUSE. I BELIEVE IT'S HORSE ABUSE. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE OVER IMMEDIATELY. AND THIS IS A SOLUTION TO THAT. AN ELECTRIC CARRIAGE. THAT THING IS BEAUTIFUL. I MEAN, I'D BE PROUD TO SEE THAT IN A CITY RATHER THAN THOSE HORSES. AND ALL THOSE REASONS I LISTED, HEALTH, THE SMELL, I MEAN, TRULY. YOU KNOW, THE HORSES, THEY PEE ON THE PAVEMENT, THE WHOLE PLACE SMELLS. AND FOLKS, THERE'S JUST, AGAIN, NO NEED FOR IT. REALISTICALLY, ABOUT THE BEST CARRIAGE, I FOUND THE PRICE WAS $31,000. PLUS SHIPPING, AND I DO HAVE A FEELING THE SHIPPING WILL BE HIGH. BUT I STARTED THINKING ABOUT, WELL, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MONEY THING. WELL, OBVIOUSLY, THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY BECAUSE THEY'RE IN BUSINESS. AND SO I DID RUN IT BY THE BRANCH MANAGER AT VISTAR. AND SHE SEEMED TO THINK THEY'D HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING FINANCE FOR ANY OF THESE THINGS. BUT I HOPE YOU LOOK IT OVER, AND I HOPE THAT YOU FOLKS WILL ACTUALLY TAKE ACTION. [00:40:02] THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. LAST SPEAKER, B.J. CLADY. B.J. CLADY, WEST CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. AT THE FEBRUARY 23, 2026 PROPERTY TAX REFORM MEETING, IT WAS STATED 73 POSITIONS IN THIS BUILDING MAY BE CUT. QUESTION. WILL THIS INCLUDE THE ASSISTANT AND DEPUTY DIRECTORS? THERE'S SIX OF THEM. FROM MARCH 23, 2026 TO NOVEMBER 6, 2026, ALL TRAVEL EXPENSE BY STAFF AND POLITICIANS SHOULD BE PAID WITH THEIR INCOME. FLAGLER COLLEGE SHOULD MAKE PAYMENT IN LIEU OF PROPERTY TAXES. PROPERTY TAX DOLLARS SHOULD NOT BE USED TO BUILD A SIDEWALK AT US 1 AND KING STREET PARK FOR FLAGLER COLLEGE STUDENTS. USE STR DOLLARS TO HIRE CODE ENFORCEMENT PERSON. CITY TAXPAYERS CAN'T CONTINUE TO FUND NON-PROFITS NON-PROFITS BENCHES FOR TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD NEVER I REPEAT NEVER BE TAKEN OVER BY ST. JOHN'S COUNTY. GOVERNMENT'S INAPPROPRIATE SPENDING OF PROPERTY TAXES HAS CREATED MONEY PROBLEMS. SEPTIC TO SEWER IN THE COUNTY IS PAID WITH CITY PROPERTY TAXES, NOT COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES. NO RAISES, FREE SALARIES, NO TRAVEL UNLESS STAFF AND POLITICIANS PAID FROM THEIR SALARY. NO SIDEWALK AT US 1 AND KING STREET. HIRE A CODE ENFORCEMENT INDIVIDUAL. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE 16 PEOPLE IN THIS GOVERNMENT BUILDING THAT WANT THAT JOB. I WAS SHOCKED. TO GO ALONG WITH WHAT THE LADY WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE ALL KNOW. MAJOR REHABILITATION, NOT REPLACEMENT, OF KING STREET BRIDGE BEGINS TODAY. THEREFORE, SAME BRIDGE WITH JUST A COSMETIC FACELIFT. THIS IS THANKS TO FLAGLER COLLEGE SO THEY CAN FIX FOUNDATION ISSUES AT DORMS ON MALAGA STREET. AND WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK AND CHECK WITH THE GOVERNMENT. ABOUT THE CA251172, CA251172 ISSUE BETWEEN FLAGLER COLLEGE AND THE CONSTRUCTION PERSON THAT DID THOSE DORMS OVER ON MALAGA STREET. THANK YOU. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THIS ANYMORE. THIS WAS THE REPLACEMENT. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A REPLACEMENT. ALL RIGHT, [5. CONSENT AGENDA] THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. MR. CITY MANAGER. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, AND COMMISSIONERS, TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA INCLUDES THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ORDINANCE 2026-13, VACATING THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AT 3560 NORTH PONCE DE LEON BOULEVARD, IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR THE NEXT MEETING. WE HAVE A REMINDER OF UPCOMING MEETINGS. WE HAVE A SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING. ON APRIL 27TH, A REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING ON APRIL 27TH, AND A REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING ON MAY 11TH. WE HAVE PROPOSED PROCLAMATION 2026-15, WHICH PROCLAIMS APRIL 2026 AS MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD, SPONSORED BY COMMISSIONER CYNTHIA GEHRS. WE HAVE A SATISFACTION AND RELEASE OF LIEN FOR 111 MASTERS DRIVE, SATISFACTION AND RELEASE OF LIEN FOR 135 AND 137 THEODORE STREET. WE HAVE THE 2026 CITY COMMISSION CITIZENSHIP AWARDS APPROVAL NOMINEES. WE HAVE THE MEMORANDUM OF OF UNDERSTANDING TO ADDRESS A SCRIVENER'S ERROR IN THE POLICE UNION CONTRACT AND WE HAVE A INVOICE FOR OUR EMINENT DOMAIN OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR CONSENT AGENDA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I MOVE WE PASS THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. SECOND. ANY COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE NO APPEALS, [8.A.1. Ordinance 2026-01: Amendments to General Employees' Pension Plan (M. Breidenstein, Assistant City Manager)] NO PRESENTATIONS. WE DO HAVE ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS WITH PUBLIC HEARINGS REQUIRED. WE WILL GO, OKAY, ORDINANCE 2026-01, MS. BREIDENSTEIN, YOU'RE FREE TO PRESENT. YES, GOOD EVENING. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. MEREDITH BREIDENSTEIN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. I'M HERE TO PRESENT ORDINANCE 2026-01 FOR SECOND READING. [00:45:01] THIS ORDINANCE PERTAINS TO THE GENERAL EMPLOYEE PENSION PLAN. THE CHANGES HERE REMOVE OUTDATED AND OBSOLETE LANGUAGE THAT NO LONGER APPLY TO ANYONE WITHIN THE PLAN. IT CLARIFIES PARTICIPANTS IN THE PLAN AND IT REMOVES UNNECESSARY LANGUAGE RELATED TO NON-SPOUSAL DOMESTIC PARTNERS AS DOMESTIC PARTNERS ARE NOW ABLE TO MARRY UNDER FLORIDA LAW. THESE CHANGES WERE APPROVED BY THE GENERAL PENSION BOARD. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT IT FOR SECOND READING AND OPEN IT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WONDERFUL. COMMISSIONERS, ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT? ALL RIGHT. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPEN. I HAVE NO CARDS FOR THIS ITEM. HEARING NO ONE, PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED. BACK TO THE BOARD. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I MOVE WE APPROVE ORDINANCE 2026-01 READ BY TITLE ONLY. I'LL SECOND THAT. ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE CALL THE ROLL? MADAM CLERK, PLEASE WAIT. WAIT, I'VE GOT TO READ. GOT TO READ IT. THANK YOU. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-01, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF ST. AUGUSTINE OF FLORIDA AMENDING CHAPTER 20, ARTICLE 4 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, PROVIDING FOR REVISED PROVISIONS TO THE 1977 CITY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM PROVIDING FOR GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMINOLOGY, PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ALL RIGHT, WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL NOW. JIM SPRINGFIELD? YES. JON DEPRETER? YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS? YES. BARBARA BLONDER? YES. NANCY SIKES-KLINE? YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [8.A.2. Ordinance 2026-12: Amendments to St. Augustine Police Officer's Retirement System (M. Breidenstein, Assistant City Manager) ] ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO ON TO THE NEXT ONE, 2026-12. AGAIN. YES, GOOD EVENING. ORDINANCE 2026-12. RELATES TO AMENDMENTS TO THE ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE OFFICERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM. I'M HERE FOR SECOND READING. THIS ALSO CLARIFIES TERMINOLOGY AND APPLICABILITY OF TERMS. IT ADDS LANGUAGE TO PROVIDE FOR THE FORFEITURE OF FUNDS IF ACCUSED AND THEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME. ALSO MAKING IT MORE SIMILAR TO THE GENERAL AND FIRE PLANS. IT ADDS LANGUAGE TO ENSURE THAT MULTIPLE BENEFITS CANNOT BE RECEIVED AT THE SAME TIME. THESE CHANGES HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE PENSION BOARD AND IT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT FOR SECOND READING AND PUBLIC COMMENT. I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC HEARING? ALL RIGHT. PUBLIC HEARING IS OPEN. I HAVE NO SPEAKER CARDS. DOES ANYONE WISH TO SPEAK? HEARING NO ONE, PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED. BACK TO THE BOARD FOR DISCUSSION OR MOTION. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-12 AS READ BY TITLE. SECOND. ALL RIGHT WE HAVE A MOTION IN SECOND. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-12 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF ST. AUGUSTINE FLORIDA AMENDING CHAPTER 20 ARTICLE 6 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE PROVIDING FOR REVISED PROVISIONS TO THE ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE OFFICERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM PROVIDING FOR GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMINOLOGY CORRECTING THE NAME OF THE POLICE OFFICERS BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATION. PROVIDING FOR FORFEITURE OF FUNDS, PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE CALL THE ROLL? ALL RIGHT. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. JON DEPRETER? YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS? YES. JIM SPRINGFIELD? YES. BARBARA BLONDER? YES. NANCY SIKES-KLINE? YES. [8.A.3. Ordinance 2026-08: Amending an existing Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 24 Cathedral Place and the corner of Charlotte and Treasury Streets (A. Skinner, Planning and Building Director) ] THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM IS ORDINANCE 2026-08, AND THAT WILL BE MS. SKINNER. HELLO. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS AMY SKINNER. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT. THIS IS THE SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING FOR ORDINANCE 2026-08. THIS ORDINANCE PROPOSES TO AMEND AN EXISTING PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT AT 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE. THE REFERENCE TO 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE IS THE FORMER BANK BUILDING AND ALSO INCLUDES THE BUILDING WITH THE ADDRESS 22 CATHEDRAL PLACE, AS WELL AS THE EXISTING PARKING LOT BEHIND THESE BUILDINGS FRONTING THE CORNER OF CHARLOTTE AND TREASURY STREETS. THE PROPOSED PUD CHANGES THE USE OF THE EXISTING HISTORIC BANK STRUCTURE TO A HOTEL IN AN EFFORT TO RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE EXISTING BUILDING AND PROPOSES TO BUILD AN INTERNAL PARKING GARAGE WRAPPED WITH FRONT-FACING HOTEL ROOMS ALONG CHARLOTTE AND TREASURY STREETS, CREATING A STREETSCAPE ALONG THE STREET FRONTS. THE PUD ALSO PROPOSES ACCESSORY USES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT'S EXISTING NOW, AN ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR BUILDING MEETING SPACE, RESTAURANTS, LOUNGE, SPA, AND OTHER AMENITIES FOR THE HOTEL. THE PUD WOULD ALSO ALLOW THE CONTINUED SALE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. [00:50:04] THE PROPOSED AMENDED PUD HAS BEEN A TWO-YEAR PROCESS INITIATED IN 2023 AND THE PCB WAS RECOMMENDED IN JULY OF 2024. AFTER MANY PUBLIC MEETINGS, INCLUDING THE OPINION, HARB APPROVED IN FEBRUARY OF 2025. THE FINAL CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS WAS APPROVED BY THE HARB IN DECEMBER OF 2025. BASED ON COMMENTS FROM THE CITY COMMISSION AT FIRST READING, THE PROPOSED HOTEL CONSISTS OF 120 HOTEL ROOMS WITH A MINIMUM OF 155 PARKING SPACES TO A MAXIMUM OF 175 SPACES IN THE PARKING GARAGE. ADDITIONALLY, LANGUAGE HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE PUD TO REQUIRE A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER TO MONITOR CONSTRUCTION VIBRATION. AND A SECTION HAS BEEN ADDED TO FURTHER CLARIFY THE USE AND SPECIFIC STIPULATIONS OF THE TRASH COMPACTOR. THE CITY COMMISSION DID PASS THIS ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING AT THE FEBRUARY 23RD MEETING. BECAUSE THIS ORDINANCE IS A REZONING, WE DO NEED THE CITY COMMISSION TO STATE ANY EX-PARTITE COMMUNICATION. THIS IS THE SECOND READING IN PUBLIC HEARING, AND THANK YOU. I'M AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? BEFORE WE GO ON TO THE APPLICANT, I DO, JUST CLARIFICATION. THE VARIATIONS ARE, ONE, THE CHANGE IN USE TO HOTEL, AND TWO, ALCOHOL SALES. IS THAT CORRECT? THERE IS EXISTING, IN THE EXISTING PUD, ALCOHOL SALES IS ALLOWED BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY TO THE CATHEDRAL. SO THEY WILL BE CONTINUING THAT AS WELL. THAT'S NOT NEW TO THIS PUD. SO IT'S REALLY JUST THE CHANGE IN USE FROM OFFICE BUILDING TO HOTEL. CORRECT. OKAY. AND THE NEW STRUCTURES ALONG CHARLOTTE AND TREASURY. AND, OH, YES. IT WAS INCORPORATED IN. OKAY. AND WE DID NEED EX PARTE DISCLOSURES. ALL RIGHT. SO WE WILL START ON THIS END OF THE TABLE. EX PARTE. I'VE HAD NONE. I'VE DRIVEN BY THE SITE AND, BUT I'VE HAD NONE. I'VE HAD NO EX PARTE COMMUNICATION. NO EX PARTE COMMUNICATION? NONE. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE WILL HEAR FROM, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK? MADAM MAYOR, THE APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVE. CORRECT. ELLEN AVERY-SMITH, ROGERS TOWERS, 100 WHETSTONE PLACE HERE IN ST. AUGUSTINE FOR THE RECORD. I WOULD LIKE, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION TO GIVE TO THE COMMISSION TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE DETAILS AND CHANGES TO THE PUD. SO I'M GOING TO ASK THE TEAM MEMBERS TO STEP FORWARD AND BE SWORN IN, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO STEP THROUGH OUR PRESENTATION IF YOU DO NOT MIND. AND I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOUR FELLOW REPRESENTATIVES WHEN AFTER THE SWEARING IN PLEASE JUST SO THAT WE HAVE THEIR NAMES. ABSOLUTELY AND AS THEY MAYBE WHAT THEY SHOULD DO IS COME FORWARD AND SAY YOUR EACH OF YOU SAY YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS INTO THE RECORD BEFORE YOU ARE SWORN IN ANY WAY YOU WISH TO DO IT. I'LL START. MIKE KOPPENHAFER, PRESIDENT, FISHER KOPPENHAFER ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN, 9104 CYPRESS GREEN DRIVE. FREEMONT LADOMER, MARQUIS LATIMER HALLBACK WITH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, 34 CORDOVA STREET. JOHN REGAN, 24 PARK TERRACE DRIVE. I OPERATE UNDER THE NAME REGAN STRATEGIES. LES THOMAS ARCHITECT, 32 CORDOVA STREET. OKAY. GO AHEAD. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? I DO. THANK YOU. OKAY, AND OBVIOUSLY WE, THIS TEAM OF VERY ASTUTE AND WELL-TRAINED AND CREDENTIALED EXPERTS ARE HERE ON BEHALF OF KANTI PATEL, WHO IS THE OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED. SORRY. JUST TO START OFF, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE PUD, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE OUR EXPERTS WHO JUST CAME UP AND IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES COME AND SPEAK IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS OF EXPERTISE. SO WE WILL GO THROUGH THE CONTEXT AND THE PROJECT EVOLUTION. MS. SKINNER JUST WENT THROUGH PART OF IT. WE'VE ALREADY HAD VISITS TO PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD AND THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL. REVIEW BOARD, THANK YOU. AND THEN ALSO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE PUBLIC BENEFITS AT THE END OF THE AGENDA. [00:55:03] SO LIKE I SAID, WE WENT TO THE HARB IN JUNE OF 2022. THAT APPLICATION WAS CONTINUED BECAUSE THE BOARD FELT LIKE WE NEEDED TO GO TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD TO MODIFY THIS PUD FIRST. SO AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY, THAT IS HOW WE WENT FORWARD. WE APPLIED FOR THE PUD MODIFICATION BACK IN 2024, WENT TO PZB SEVERAL TIMES. THE PZB UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE MODIFICATIONS OF THE PUD IN JULY OF 2024. WE THEN WENT TO HARB FOR THE OPINION OF APPROPRIATENESS, AND THEN LATER ON THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. WE CAME TO YOUR BOARD IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. AND FOR THE FIRST READING, YOU MOVED TO SECOND READING, SO TODAY IS THAT SECOND READING. JUST AS THE MAYOR WAS JUST ASKING, SOME OF THE CHANGES TO THE PUD ARE LISTED IN THIS TABLE. SO THE EXISTING PUD IS LISTED ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE. AGAIN, USE IS CONSISTENT WITH THE HP HISTORIC PRESERVATION ZONING DISTRICT IS THE SAME AS EXISTING. THE EVENT VENUE, BALLROOM, THE PERMITTED SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND THE RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ON THE TOP OF THE BUILDING STAYS THE SAME. THEN WE GO TO THE MAXIMUM 120 HOTEL ROOMS, WHICH IS A CHANGE, AND A MAXIMUM OF 30,000 SQUARE FEET OF, I'LL CALL IT HOTEL-RELATED COMMERCIAL, RESTAURANTS, THAT KIND OF A THING. WRAPPED IN THE NEW HOTEL BUILDING WILL BE A NEW PARKING GARAGE WITH A MINIMUM OF 155 SPACES AND A MAXIMUM OF 175 SPACES. AND THAT'S ONE CHANGE BASED ON OUR FIRST READING THAT YOU WILL SEE IN A RED LINE OF THE PUD TEXT IN YOUR PACKAGE. ALSO, WE ADDED ENERGY EFFICIENT WATER COMPONENTS. WE ADDED THE COLOR TEMPERATURE OF THE LIGHTING JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT HARB WANTED TO HAVE IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA. OBVIOUSLY, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW BUILDING WILL COMPLY WITH THE HARB-APPROVED ELEVATIONS. THEN WE HAVE A BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. THAT WAS AN IDEA AT THE PZB THAT WAS ADDED. ALSO, BICYCLE PARKING AND EMPLOYEES CAN EITHER PARK ON-SITE OR WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM AN OFF-SITE AREA. WITH RESPECT TO THE STREETSCAPE, OBVIOUSLY THE STREETSCAPE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR PAVERS, LANDSCAPING, ALL OF THAT WENT TO HARB. AND MR. REGAN IS GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY RELATED TO STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS. THE PUBLIC TRASH COMPACTOR WAS AN ISSUE THAT WE DISCUSSED AT THE LAST MEETING. AND SO WE ADDED A LOT MORE DETAIL. WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF WORKING SO DILIGENTLY WITH OUR TEAM TO GET THOSE DETAILS RIGHT. BECAUSE WHO KNEW THERE WAS SO MUCH INVOLVED IN TRASH COLLECTION AND DETAILS OF THAT. SO, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE ARE GOING TO COMPLY WITH LANDSCAPING AND EVERYTHING RELATED TO THE HARBOR APPROVALS. SO WITH ARCHITECTURE, I'M GOING TO HAVE MIKE COPENHAFER COME UP AND START DISCUSSING THAT TOPIC WITH YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. SO WE'LL GO THROUGH THIS AT KIND OF A HIGHER ALTITUDE, AND I'M HAPPY TO GET INTO ANY OF THE DETAILS YOU WOULD LIKE TO, BUT WE CAN GO THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION HERE. SO THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE. SO WE'RE IN THE HP2 ZONE, WHICH IS A COLONIAL RECONSTRUCTION AREA. YOU CAN SEE THE SITE PLAN HERE. THE RED IS OBVIOUSLY THE BOUNDARY LINES THERE. WE ARE TAKING AND READAPTING THE CURRENT EIGHT-STORY. TREASURY BUILDING ITSELF, 22 CATHEDRAL BESIDE IT, AS WELL AS INFILLING THAT PARKING AREA THERE. THIS IS SOME OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS AROUND THERE. YOU CAN SEE, OBVIOUSLY, ON THE PLAZA ITSELF, PREEMINENT BUILDING THERE. ALONG CHARLOTTE STREET, LOTS OF TRASH CANS. MOST DAYS THERE, AND WE'RE RECTIFYING THAT SITUATION. AND AGAIN, PARKING LOT. IN THE WHOLE REAR AREA. VERY NARROW SIDEWALKS HERE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY CHARLOTTE STREET ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, AND IN THE LOWER RIGHT IS ON TREASURY STREET, WHERE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. THE GENERAL SITE PLAN ITSELF, SO THE BUILDING IN GRAY, THE CURRENT BUILDING, I COULDN'T GET MY MOUSE TO WORK, BUT ANYWAY, IS THE TOWER THAT'S OBVIOUSLY UP ON CATHEDRAL PLACE, AND THEN THE INFILL IS TOWARDS THE REAR. THAT'S IT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BUILDINGS BESIDE IT. ALONG THE BAY STREET OR THE BAYFRONT THERE, RATHER, [01:00:02] YOU'VE GOT CASA RENNA DOWN HERE BY THE CIRCLE. YOU'VE GOT HARRY'S AND THEN THE NEWEST RESTAURANT, THE SAINT, THERE. THIS IS AN IMAGE SHOWING THE AERIAL SHOT, BUT WHAT THE BUILDING HEIGHTS ARE. SO WITHIN THE PUD, WE HAVE A 35-FOOT HEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR 50% OF THE ROOF AREA AND 45 FOR THE OTHER 50 I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE'RE WE'RE KEEPING YOU KNOW ALL BUT ABOUT FIVE OR SIX PERCENT OF THIS BELOW THE 35 FOOT HEIGHT LIMIT THERE WE JUST NEED PROJECTIONS UP FOR ELEVATOR PENTHOUSES STAIRS ETC THIS IS THE FLOOR PLAN OF THE BUILDING ITSELF THE LITTLE GREEN PEOPLE ARE OUR ENTRY POINTS IN VEHICULAR ENTRY IS ACCOMMODATED ON CHARLOTTE STREET ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DRAWING THERE, AND WE HAVE THE PEDESTRIAN OBVIOUSLY ON CATHEDRAL PLACE AND OFF TREASURY AS WELL. SECOND FLOOR PLAN AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE GARAGE IS WRAPPING, IS WRAPPED RATHER BY THE HOTEL ROOMS AND THE THIRD FLOOR AS WELL. THE FOURTH FLOOR YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE THERE WE'VE GOT THE ROOFTOP, YOU KNOW, FEATURES AND AGAIN, AGAIN, SOME OF THAT IS JUST POPPING UP EVER SO SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE 35-FOOT HEIGHT LIMIT. AND THEN THAT CENTRAL AREA IS THE ROOFTOP AMENITY, WHICH BARB TOOK A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT. AND WE WENT BACK AND FORTH SEVERAL TIMES WITH THEM TO MAKE THAT AS APPEASING AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS THE EXISTING ABOVE AND PROPOSED BELOW LAYOUT OF THE TOWER ITSELF. AGAIN, ADAPTIVE REUSING THAT OLD BUILDING WHERE WE'RE BRINGING THAT BACK UP TO 100% IN THE 2026 STANDARDS. THESE ARE THE ELEVATIONS. AGAIN, THE BOTTOM ONE IS ALONG CHARLOTTE STREET. TREASURY STREET IS JUST TO THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE THERE. AND THEN THE ALLEYWAY IS AT THE TOP, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT FRONTS THE DIRECTORY THERE. AND THEN HERE'S SOME CONTEXTUAL ELEVATIONS HERE. THIS IS ALONG CHARLOTTE STREET AS WELL, UP AT THAT TOP. AND THEN TREASURY STREET ON THE BOTTOM PORTION. YOU CAN SEE WE'VE GOT A MIX OF BUILDINGS HERE. WE'VE GOT THE MEDITERRANEAN INFLUENCE OF THE TOWER DEPICTED IN THE LEFT-HAND SORT OF THE ENTRYWAY, THE VEHICLE COURT AREA. AND THEN THE REST OF THAT IS COLONIAL TO THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE. AND AGAIN, COLONIAL WRAPPING BACK TO THE CATHEDRAL'S PROPERTY AS WELL. COLORED ELEVATIONS OF THOSE SAME AREAS. AGAIN, HARB UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED IT IN DECEMBER. HERE ARE SOME RENDERINGS. TAKEN FROM OBVIOUSLY THE BRIDGE OF LIONS ACROSS THE WATERWAY AND YOU CAN BARELY SEE A LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF OF THE ROOF ELEMENT ITSELF BUILDINGS PAINTED IN THE SAME COLOR IN THIS AREA AS THE TOWER ITSELF SO IT'S IT'S A NICE REMINISCENT OF THAT THAT MEDITERRANEAN STYLE WE'VE GOT THE IMAGE FROM THE BASE OF THE STATUE LOOKING UP TO CHARLOTTE STREET AND AGAIN WE'VE GOT THIS IS REALLY A MEDITERRANEAN STREET CORNER ITSELF. SO WE'VE GOT THAT FIRST COMPONENT OF THE BUILDING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN STYLE. AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE THE VEHICLES WOULD ENTER INTO THE GARAGE THERE. AND THEN IT MARCHES DOWN WITH. THE COLONIAL STRUCTURES CONTINUING FURTHER NORTH DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS AN ACTUAL SHOT. SO ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE IS HARRY'S. IT WAS FROM A GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE. AND THEN THE IMPROVEMENTS OF THE STREET ITSELF. AGAIN, ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, THAT'S A GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE. THIS IS THE BUILDING SUPERIMPOSED ON THAT AS WELL. WE'VE GOT A LITTLE CORNER COFFEE SHOP HERE WHERE THESE FOLKS ARE ON THE FIRST FLOOR. THIS IS LOOKING INTO THE EXCHANGE HOTEL ITSELF. THIS IS THE VEHICLE ENTRANCE. THIS IS LOOKING DOWN TREASURY STREET FROM CHARLOTTE STREET, LOOKING BACK TO THE WEST. AND THEN THIS IS LOOKING EAST, FURTHER DOWN TREASURY STREET. YOU CAN SEE THE CATHEDRAL AND THE DIRECTORY OFF TO THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE AND THEN LOOKING TO THE EAST THERE. AND THEN THIS IS AN IMAGE LOOKING THROUGH THAT ALLEYWAY AS CLOSE AS WE COULD GET TO IT TO DEPICT THAT. EVEN THE FRONTAGE IN THE ALLEYWAY IS OF THAT RESIDENTIAL COLONIAL LOOK FOR THE MOST PART. AND THEN THIS IS THE ENTIRE BLOCK. AGAIN, AN IMAGE THAT NO ONE CAN REALLY SEE BECAUSE THERE'S OBVIOUSLY BUILDINGS IN FRONT OF ALL OF THIS. AND THEN EVEN STANDING UP ON THE BAYFRONT THERE, TRYING TO GET, YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THE GABLE END ROOF THERE. BUT OBVIOUSLY THE FRONT BUILDINGS ARE THE ONES TAKING A MORE PROMINENT VIEW. LES? OH, I'M GOOD. I WAS HERE TO POINT, BUT I DON'T NEED TO POINT. THANK YOU. [01:05:01] COMMISSIONER, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE ARCHITECT BEFORE WE MOVE ON? OKAY, GREAT. AS MIKE MENTIONED, I'LL QUICKLY RUN THROUGH THE STREETSCAPES. WE CAN GO BACK INTO ANY DETAIL YOU'D LIKE TO RUN THROUGH. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE STREETSCAPES ARE ALL HAPPENING ALONG CHARLOTTE STREET. YOU'LL SEE WE'RE DEPICTING THE STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS ALL THE WAY FROM ANDERSON CIRCLE ALL THE WAY UP TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ. IT'S BROKEN UP IN A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS. SO THE APPLICANT IS GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSTRUCTING ALL OF THE STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS FROM ANDERSON CIRCLE TO TREASURY, INCLUDING THAT INTERSECTION AT THE FRONT. SO THAT'LL ALL BE COMPLETED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HOTEL. THEN THE APPLICANT HAS MADE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FOR THE STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS GOING FROM TREASURY NORTH TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ WHENEVER THE CITY DECIDES TO IMPLEMENT THOSE. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO ANY IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAPPENED TO ANDERSON CIRCLE, WHICH ALSO IT'S RIGHT AT THE NEXUS OF THE CATHEDRAL PLACE IMPROVEMENTS AND FDOT. SO THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT ARE KIND OF RIGHT HAPPENING IN THAT LOCATION. WE DID TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THOSE PROJECTS. SO WE HAD THE CURRENT FDOT PLANS AND THEN THE CATHEDRAL PLACE PLANS, AND WE'VE OVERLAID THOSE. SO WE'RE PLANNING THOSE. ACCORDINGLY SO THAT EVERYBODY MATCHES. YOU'LL NOTE THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A SHORT SECTION OF CHARLOTTE WHICH WILL BE TWO-WAY THAT LEADS TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARKING GARAGE AND THEN HEADED NORTH FROM THERE IT IS ONE WAY AS IT IS TODAY AND WE CAN TAKE THAT ADDITIONAL SPACE. WE'RE TAKING THE CURRENT PARKING SPACES THAT ARE ON CHARLOTTE AND WE'RE CONVERTING THAT TO A PEDESTRIAN SPACE SO YOU CAN SEE WE NOW HAVE A MUCH WIDER SIDEWALK. SO THE WEST SIDE OF THE SIDEWALK. IT'S THE TYPICAL TREATMENT THAT WE'VE DONE THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN WITH THE FLUSH CURBS, COQUINA CONCRETE, STREET TREES, LIGHTS. ON THE EAST SIDE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THAT VERY NARROW SIDEWALK, WHICH YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN SOME OF THE RENDERINGS, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S KIND OF CLUSTERED UP AGAINST THAT WALL. WE ARE KEEPING THAT SIDEWALK AND KEEPING IT RAISED JUST DUE TO THE HISTORIC SITE WALLS THAT ARE IN THAT LOCATION. I DON'T WANT TO DEMOLISH THAT SIDEWALK IN CASE WE DESTABILIZE THOSE COQUINA WALLS. BUT WE'LL HAVE A LARGE GRACIOUS PEDESTRIAN SPACE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE STREET. AGAIN A BLOW-UP OF THE STREETSCAPE MATERIALS. THIS ALL FOLLOWS THE APPROVED DID PLANS. SO SAME, AND YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THAT ENTRANCE PICTURE, IT LOOKED LIKE TWO DIFFERENT COLOR BRICKS. THAT'S NOT THE CASE. IT'S ALL THE STANDARD ST. AUGUSTINE BLEND BRICK THAT YOU'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE CITY STREETSCAPES. THIS IS WHAT INITIAL IDEAS OF WHAT THE STREETSCAPE MIGHT LOOK LIKE HEADED NORTH FROM TREASURY TOWARDS AVENIDA MENENDEZ. OF COURSE, THIS IS JUST A CONCEPTUAL. ONCE THE CITY DECIDES TO ACTUALLY GO THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION, IT MIGHT LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THIS, BUT I THINK IT'LL BE SOMETHING ALONG THESE LINES. AGAIN, COQUINA SIDEWALKS, FLUSH CURBS, STREET TREES. GOING INTO LANDSCAPE, IT IS A COLONIAL BUILDING, SO IT'S A ZERO SETBACK. SO THERE'S NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF LANDSCAPE THAT'S IN THE PUBLIC REALM. WE ARE TRYING TO MAXIMIZE SHADE. THAT'S ALWAYS A CONCERN. SO WE HAVE SYLVESTER PALMS THAT ARE LOCATED ALONG THE STREET AND THOSE ARE INTERSPERSED WITH THE OVERHEAD BALCONIES. SO THERE'S ACTUALLY A FAIR AMOUNT OF SHADE, NOT ONLY FROM THE TREES, BUT THE BALCONIES THEMSELVES. AND THEN WE HAVE COURTYARDS INTERSPERSED. YOU'LL SEE THERE'S ONE, TWO, THREE COURTYARDS. AND THEN WE HAVE THOSE PLANTED OUT. WE WENT THROUGH WITH HARB THROUGH IN DETAIL THROUGH EACH ONE OF THESE COURTYARDS SELECTING PLANTS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE ERA. HERE ARE SOME OF THE PLANT CHOICES. WE HAVE OLIVE TREES AND SOUR ORANGE, SEA GRAPE, WILD DATE PALMS, AND THEN SOME OF THE LOWER GROWING PLANTS WHICH YOU'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN. BOUGAINVILLEA, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRIED AND TRUE UNTIL THIS WINTER. WE'RE HOPING WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE AGAIN. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO THE PUBLIC BENEFITS SECTION. I'LL ASK MR. REGAN TO COME UP AND RUN THROUGH THE ANALYSIS. CAN I ASK HIM SOMETHING BEFORE HE SWITCHES? ABSOLUTELY. PLEASE. I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT THE STREETSCAPE THAT YOU WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT. YEAH. I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT STARTING AT CATHEDRAL AND GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO SAN MARCO, IS THAT CORRECT FOR THE STREET UPGRADE? THE STREET UPGRADE? YES. SO THE STREET UPGRADE THAT WILL BE THAT ENTIRE STREET. THE ENTIRE STREET, YEAH. OKAY. AND THE OTHER THING IS WHEN YOU [01:10:01] WERE JUST NOW TALKING ABOUT THE TREES, CAN WE PUT TREES THAT HAVE SHADE MORE THAN JUST LIKE PALM TREES BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO SHADE? I WOULD LOVE TO. SOME TREES THAT HAVE SHADE SO WHEN PEOPLE, PEDESTRIANS ARE WALKING. I KNOW VICE MAYOR BLONDER WAS ASKING ABOUT TREES WITH SHADE, AND THAT WOULD BE A GREAT START BY HAVING THAT GOING DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET, BECAUSE THAT IS A POPULAR STREET. PEOPLE GOING DOWN TO HIPPOLYTA AND THAT AREA. SO THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD HAVE THOSE AS PART OF THAT PLAN. I AM ON BOARD WITH HAVING SHADE TREES. THE DIFFICULTY WITH PLANTING SHADE TREES IN A CONDITION LIKE THIS AND IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT IS THEY DON'T HAVE THE SOIL VOLUME. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR THE ROOTS TO GROW. OKAY. SO YOU'LL SEE LIKE ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE VIC, YOU KNOW WHERE THE BUSES PARK, YOU'VE GOT ALL THOSE SHADE TREES THAT ARE PLANTED 20 PLUS YEARS AGO AND THEY'RE ALL THE EXACT SAME SIZE THEY WERE WHEN THEY WERE PLANTED. OH, OKAY. SO, AND I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT. I WANTED TO MAXIMIZE THE SHADE. PALM TREES DO REALLY WELL IN CONSTRAINED SOIL. CONDITIONS SO THAT'S WHY WE CHOSE THE SYLVESTER IT GETS ABOUT A 15 FOOT HEAD ON IT OKAY IT HAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF SHADE VERSUS A CABBAGE PALM WHICH IS SLIGHTLY SMALLER OKAY I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD LOOK KIND OF COOL WITH SOME SHADE GOING DOWN THE STREET SO WHATEVER ONES THAT CAN DO THE BEST FOR THAT AREA YEAH THAT WAS THAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE DESIGN WAS TO SELECT THE THE BEST PLANT WE COULD MAKE GROW THERE AND PROVIDE SOME SHADE OKAY THANK YOU THANK YOU I'M SORRY. JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, IN THE PUD TEXT UNDER THE PUBLIC BENEFITS, IT PROVIDES THE DETAILS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS AT ANDERSON CIRCLE, AND THEN IT ALSO GIVES THE DETAILS OF A $464,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY FOR A COMPLETE STREET ALL THE WAY TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ, AND THAT'S TO BE PAID WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE CITY COMMISSION'S APPROVAL. SO THERE WILL BE TWO, I'LL CALL IT STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THAT CHARLOTTE STREET CORRIDOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR? I HAD TWO AREAS OF QUESTIONING KIND OF TO DOVETAIL OFF OF COMMISSIONER GARRIS' QUESTIONS. I COULDN'T REALLY SEE THE NAMES OF THE SPECIES THAT YOU'RE USING, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THEM ARE NON-NATIVE, INCLUDING BOUGAINVILLEA. YOU KNOW I'M GOING TO ASK FOR NATIVE PLANTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING I WANT TO REGISTER. YOU MENTIONED IT YOURSELF. THE BOUGAINVILLEAS GOT HAMMERED DURING THE FREEZES THAT WE'VE HAD. THAT ISN'T FREQUENT, BUT DROUGHTS ARE, AND WE'RE IN A SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT. AND TO IRRIGATE NON-NATIVE PLANTS, ALL THE FLOWERING PLANTS THAT YOU WERE SHOWING AND SO FORTH THAT ARE NON-NATIVE IS A LOT MORE CONSUMPTIVE IN TERMS OF OUR WATER RESOURCES THAN NON-NATIVE PLANTS, I MEAN THAN NATIVE PLANTS ONCE THEY'RE ESTABLISHED. SO I'M GOING TO ADVOCATE FOR NATIVE PLANTS TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE. AND I'M NOT SEEING THEM IN THERE TO ANY GREAT DEGREE. THE SECOND THING IS I GOT AN EMAIL, I THINK MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS DID TOO, AND I'D LIKE SOME FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE SPECIFICS OF THE MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED TO ANDERSON CIRCLE AND WHAT IMPACTS THERE WOULD BE TO THE HISTORIC NATURE OF ANDERSON CIRCLE. SO CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO CHANGES BEING PROPOSED FOR ANDERSON CIRCLE? NOT TO INCREASE THE TURNING RADIUS FOR LARGER VEHICLES? NO, NOT CURRENTLY. SO THE DESIGN AS IT'S SET STOPS AT THE CURB LINE THAT'S PARALLEL TO CASA RENO. LET ME GO BACK TO THAT. COULD YOU PUT THE MICROPHONE CLOSER? YES. THANK YOU. IS THAT BETTER? SO HERE'S THE LIMIT OF WORK. AND YOU CAN SEE I'VE OUTLINED WHERE IT SAYS THE ANDERSON CIRCLE TO BE COORDINATED WITH COSA AND FDOT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON RIGHT THERE. THE ONLY WORK THAT WOULD CURRENTLY BE PROPOSED, IF LET'S SAY THE FDOT BRIDGE WORK AND CATHEDRAL PLACE AREN'T READY YET WHEN THIS IS BEING CONSTRUCTED, THE ONLY WORK THAT WOULD HAPPEN HERE IS RESTRIPING. IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT TWO-WAY. THERE DOESN'T NEED TO BE ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE CURB LINES. OKAY, SO THIS WOULD ALL BE ON THE EXISTING STREET PAVEMENT? CORRECT. AND I DID LOOK AT THIS IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS. ASSUMING WE HAVE THOSE TWO PROJECTS COMPLETE, I STILL THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO STOP THE BRICK THERE AT THAT CURB LINE, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO. SO YEAH, IS THAT BETTER? YES, IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A STRAIN TO HEAR YOU. YEAH, SO I STILL THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO STOP THE BRICK STREETSCAPE AT THAT CURB LINE WHERE CASA REINA IS, BECAUSE CATHEDRAL PLACE IS GOING TO BE ASPHALT. THE FDOT INTERSECTION AT THE BRIDGE OF LIONS IS ALL GOING TO BE ASPHALT. SO THAT'S A NATURAL STOPPING POINT. BUT WHENEVER THAT HAPPENS, WE'LL WORK [01:15:01] THROUGH THOSE DESIGNS. AND THE APPLICANT HAS AGREED TO PAY UP TO ONE-THIRD OF THE COST, WHATEVER THAT DESIGN ENDS UP BEING. SO THAT'S NOT SET IN STONE YET. THERE'S NO DESIGNS CURRENTLY FOR ANDERSON CIRCLE. BUT WHEN THAT DOES HAPPEN, THE APPLICANT IS ON THE HOOK TO CONTRIBUTE. THANK YOU. JUST FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, MS. SMITH, HOW DOES THE PUD TEXT ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT'S ON YOUR LABEL, ON YOUR ON YOUR SITE PLAN HERE THAT SAYS ANDERSON CIRCLE TO BE COORDINATED WITH COSA AND FDOT PROJECTS. IS IT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED, THAT COORDINATION? BECAUSE I'M HEARING WORDS LIKE, AT THIS TIME. SO I'M WONDERING WHAT WE HAVE. IT IS. IN FACT, I CAN PUT, IF I CAN POP ON THE OVERHEAD. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. JUST GIVE US THAT LITTLE BIT OF ASSURANCE. SO IN YOUR PUD TEXT ON PAGE 15, SORRY, IT'S CRINKLED, BUT WE PUT IN WRITING EXACTLY WHAT THE IDEA IS. SO IT GOES FROM ON PAGE 15 ON TO PAGE 16 ABOUT THAT EXACT DETAIL AND THE 33% CONTRIBUTION. AND THEN GOING ON TO PAGE 16 IS THE DETAIL ABOUT CONTRIBUTING MOBILITY FEES AND ALSO PAYING THE $464,640 WITHIN 90 DAYS. SO YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE. WHAT I DON'T, WELL, I DO, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC. EXPRESSION OF WE'LL COORDINATE WITH FDOT IN THE CITY. AND IS THAT NEAT? I THINK IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO GET INTO THAT GRANULARITY. OKAY. THEY'RE MEMORIALIZING THEIR COMMITMENT TO DO THAT HERE. OKAY. AND THERE MAY, IN FACT, NOT BE ANY NEED TO MAKE ANY DESIGN CHANGES TO ANDERSON CIRCLE AT ALL. BUT WE STILL HAVE TO REACH OUT TO DOT IF IT'S THEIR RIGHT OF WAY. SO THAT'S A COORDINATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND DOT. SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY FUTURE MODIFICATIONS TO ANDERSON CIRCLE? WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THEM, BUT IF THEY WERE TO OCCUR, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS THEY'RE COMMITTING TO THAT, AND THEY'RE COMMITTING TO A PERCENTAGE OF THE COST OF THAT HERE. WELL, THAT ADDRESSES THE COST, BUT IT DOESN'T ADDRESS, WELL, I WOULD, THAT WOULD ALL HAPPEN CLOSE TO THE END OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING WHEN THE ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PHASE OF THIS PROJECT STARTS TO GET PERMITTED AND MATERIALIZE AND IT'S JUST PREMATURE FOR US TO GET INTO THAT KIND OF GRANULARITY RIGHT NOW ABOUT SCHEDULING IT AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO PERMIT IT WITH DOT. WE DON'T NEED THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL WE JUST WANT A COMMITMENT THAT'S ALL WE JUST WANT IT IN THE TEXT CAN WE GET A SUGGESTION? I THINK IT SAYS IF THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE CITY ARE READY TO RECONFIGURE ANDERSON CIRCLE CONCURRENTLY WITH THE PROJECT STREETSCAPE, SO IT APPEARS THAT IT'S THE ONUS IS ON THE CITY AND THE DOT TO SAY THEY WANT, WE WANT, WE AND DOT WANT TO AND ARE READY TO RECONFIGURE, THEN IT GOES THROUGH HOW THE IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE COST SHARED. BUT IT ALSO GOES ON TO SAY COST SHARE, BUT NOT THE ACTUAL PRESERVING OF THE HISTORIC FEATURE. WELL, AND I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT THAT IT ALSO SAYS, ROMANETTE, TOO, IF DOT AND THE CITY ARE NOT READY TO RECONFIGURE, THE OWNER WILL MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT AREA. BUT ARE YOU CONCERNED, MADAM MAYOR, THAT YOU WANT TO, WHAT HISTORIC FEATURES ARE YOU FOCUSING ON? WELL, THE ANDERSON CIRCLE IS A HISTORIC FEATURE. OKAY, AND WE WANT TO PRESERVE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY TIE HANDS. WELL, THAT'S OUR GOAL, TOO. WE DON'T EVEN WANT TO TOUCH ANDERSON CIRCLE. WE'D PREFER NOT TO. BUT WE'RE JUST MAKING SURE THAT IT'S A POSSIBILITY HERE. IF IT IS A POSSIBILITY, THE CITY WILL COORDINATE WITH DOT, AND THE OWNER OF THIS PUD WILL PARTICIPATE FINANCIALLY IN THAT. AND IF I MAY CLARIFY, IT'S ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT THEY'RE REFERRING TO IS ACTUALLY THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OF CHARLOTTE STREET IT'S THE CITY RIGHT-OF-WAY OF CHARLOTTE STREET FROM CATHEDRAL PLACE THAT IS ADJACENT OR BETWEEN LIKE THE TRADEWINDS AND ANDERSON CIRCLE IF YOU CAN VISUALIZE BETWEEN TRADEWINDS AND ANDERSON CIRCLE TECHNICALLY IS SOME [01:20:01] RIGHT-OF-WAY OF CHARLOTTE STREET THAT GOES FROM CATHEDRAL TO THIS THIS ENTRANCE TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT AND SO THE STREET IMPROVEMENTS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, OF CHARLOTTE STREET ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE SECTIONS, FROM CATHEDRAL TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE PROJECT, WHICH IS ADJACENT TO ANDERSON CIRCLE, WHICH ANDERSON CIRCLE IS SEPARATE FROM THAT RIGHT AWAY. AND THEN YOU GO FROM THE ENTRANCE NORTH ON CHARLOTTE STREET TO TREASURY STREET, WHICH IS WHERE THE PROJECT ACTUALLY FRONTS. CHARLOTTE STREET, AND THEN YOU GO FROM THE INTERSECTION OF CHARLOTTE STREET AND TREASURY STREET TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ TO FINISH THE STREETSCAPE DESIGN TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ. AND THOSE ARE THE THREE SECTIONS. AND THEN ALSO THE APPLICANT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THE STREETSCAPE DESIGN ON TREASURY STREET FROM THE CORNER OF TREASURY ALONG ADJACENT TO THEIR PROJECT SO IF THERE'S ANY IF FOR SOME REASON DURING CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOTEL THAT WRAPS THAT CORNER THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT TREASURY STRAIGHT TREASURY STREET STAYS INTACT SO THAT THAT'S HOW I UNDERSTAND IT OKAY THANK YOU AND THAT'S A LOT MORE SCOPE THAT I'M FOCUSING ON THAT ONE SECTION FROM CATHEDRAL TO THE ENTRANCE AND HOW THAT IS AFFECTED AND I SOMEHOW I GOT IT IN MY HEAD THROUGH DISCUSSIONS. THAT THERE MAY BE A NEED TO TAKE SOME OF ANDERSON'S CIRCLE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT TWO-WAY FROM THE ENTRANCE TO CATHEDRAL. DID I GET THAT WRONG? THAT'S NOT MY UNDERSTANDING. OKAY. AND I THINK WHEN WE STARTED LOOKING AT THIS TWO YEARS AGO, THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, DOT INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS OF THE WEST END OF THE BRIDGE AND AVENIDA MENENDEZ WAS ALSO BEING DISCUSSED. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT IMPACTS TO THE TWO CIRCLES ALONG THERE, BUT I THINK EVEN DOT HAS PULLED BACK FROM WHAT THEY WERE ORIGINALLY PROPOSING, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, TO NOT IMPACT AS BEST THEY CAN, TO NOT IMPACT ANDERSON CIRCLE AND THE OTHER CIRCLE WHERE THE DE LEON STATUE IS. CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? SURE. I THINK PART OF THE NOMENCLATURE PROBLEM WE'RE HAVING IS THAT THE STREET IS NAMED ANDERSON CIRCLE. THE ISLAND, DOES IT HAVE A NAME? THAT IS ANDERSON CIRCLE. WELL, THE NAME OF THE STREET IS ANDERSON CIRCLE, SO WHEN IT'S IN THE DOCUMENT, WHICH ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT THE STREET, OR ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT THE ISLAND? WHAT IF WE CLARIFY THAT TO SAY ANDERSON CIRCLE RIGHT-OF-WAY? YEAH, THEN YOU'RE NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE CIRCLE. THAT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER. COULD I SAY SOMETHING? YES, PLEASE. WHEN I SEE THE WORD RECONFIGURE, I, IF THE FLOOR. FDOT AND THE CITY ARE READY TO RECONFIGURE ANDERSON CIRCLE. IT JUST IMPLIES THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME RECONFIGURATION, AND IF WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE ANDERSON CIRCLE RIGHT-OF-WAY INSTEAD, THAT WORD RECONFIGURE IMPLIES THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE RECONFIGURED. AND IT'S THE HISTORIC ANDERSON CIRCLE, AND IT'S NOT CLARIFIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRINGING THAT UP. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING NOW. IT'S NOT THE PARK LANDS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO RECONFIGURE, IT'S THE, IT'S THE STREET. WE DON'T TOUCH THAT. WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH THAT. THAT'S CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. SO YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT MEANS SIMPLE CHANGE TO NOMENCLATURE. I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AND THE ACTUAL CIRCLE. WE WILL ACTUALLY PUT IN THE WORDS RIGHT-OF-WAY. OKAY, I THINK THAT MIGHT SOLVE IT. THAT SOLVED EVERYBODY'S ISSUE. I'M LOOKING AROUND. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. THAT WAS TEAMWORK. THANK YOU. I DO HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION ON THAT. IN DOING THIS, WHETHER WE PUT RIGHT-OF-WAY OR NOT, WE'RE NOT CEDING ANY AUTHORITY TO THE APPLICANT TO MAKE THE DESIGN. OH, NO, NO, IT'S STILL PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. RIGHT. SO WE'RE DOING THE DESIGN AND THEY'RE PAYING FOR IT. THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH, OKAY. OH, EXCELLENT. OKAY. OKAY, CAN I GO BACK TO A COMMENT FROM COMMISSIONER BLONDER, THOUGH, ABOUT THE NATIVE PLANTS? SO, AND FREMONT'S GOING TO HAVE TO HELP ME OUT BECAUSE I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN LANDSCAPING AND HARB-APPROVED PLANTS. BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PLANTS THAT ARE ON HIS SCHEDULE HERE. ARE WERE APPROVED BY HARB AND THEY ARE REQUIRED IN THIS ARCHITECTURAL AGAIN I'M NOT AN ARCHITECT OR A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS CAN CAN THE CITY COMMISSION APPROVE THE USE OF NATIVE PLANTS WITHOUT US GOING HAVING [01:25:02] TO GO BACK TO HARB IF WE WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF ON WHICH PLANTS THEY THOSE CAN BE. NO BECAUSE THE LANDSCAPE SPECIFICITY FOR MANY OF THESE PLANTS WERE TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC FEATURES THAT WERE IN TRADITIONAL COURTYARDS. SO IF THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE, CERTAINLY THE CITY COMMISSION CAN SAY, WE DON'T LIKE THIS. IT WOULD REQUIRE GOING BACK TO HARB TO TWEAK THAT LANGUAGE THEN. SO YES, IN TERMS OF THE CITY COMMISSION BEING ABLE TO SAY AS PART OF THE PUD TEXT, WE WANT TO DO THIS TO BE NATIVE SPECIES, UNDERSTANDING JUST SO THE CITY COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS SOME OF THE FEATURES LIKE THE BOUGAINVILLEA. THE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE WAS TO SOFTEN AND RECREATE SOME OF THE, AND I'LL CALL IT EUROPEAN COLONIAL LOOK. NOW, THAT MAY BE ABLE TO BE ACHIEVED WITH A NATIVE SPECIES. I DON'T KNOW THAT. BUT THAT IS WHY HARB APPROVED WHAT THEY APPROVED. CAN I RESPOND TO THAT, MAYOR? YEAH, PLEASE. THEN I DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO HARB EITHER, OKAY? WHAT I WANT TO DO IS COME TO SOME TYPE OF A COMPROMISE, AND THAT COMPROMISE CAN BE DONE BY IRRIGATION DESIGN. AND SO THEY'RE LOW FLOW OR WHATEVER THE TIMERS ARE OR WHATEVER. SO THAT THE IRRIGATION IS AS MINIMAL AS POSSIBLE AND AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THE, WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE THE ROOM TO MANEUVER ON WHICH SPECIES HARB HAS APPROVED. BUT WHERE YOU DO HAVE THE ROOM TO MANEUVER, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THOSE BE NATIVE SPECIES. WELL, AND ONE THING IN HONOR OF IT BEING WATER CONSERVATION MONTH, SORRY, IN HONOR OF IT BEING WATER CONSERVATION MONTH, WE'LL FULLY COMMIT TO USING DRIP IRRIGATION. THAT WAS THE PLAN ANYWAYS. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, WATER AT THE SOURCE OF THE ROOT BALLS. THANK YOU. OKAY. GOOD. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. WHAT'S NEXT? WE HAVE MORE PRESENTATION FROM THE APPLICANT OR WE FINISH WITH OUR PRESENTATIONS. MR. REGAN, YOU'RE GOING TO PRESENT. WHILE YOU'RE TAKING A MOMENT, MR. CITY MANAGER, I'M GETTING CONTACTED ABOUT THE VIDEO. ARE WE HAVING TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WITH OUR VIDEO? APPARENTLY IT'S GOING ON AND OFF. I DON'T KNOW. I CAN CHECK RIGHT NOW. WILL YOU CHECK FOR US? PLEASE, THANK YOU. THERE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WATCHING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. MAYOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO WAIT A MINUTE? NO, THAT'S FINE. WE NEED TO PROCEED. OKAY. THANK YOU. NO ISSUES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC BENEFITS. JUST A QUICK RECAP. THE PROJECT, AS YOU KNOW, IS A HISTORIC REHABILITATION AND A FIVE-STAR HOTEL DEVELOPMENT WITH A NEW GARAGE. AT A GLANCE, AN ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECT OF 24 CATHEDRAL, RESTORING IT TO ITS ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY, AN EMBEDDED PARKING GARAGE WRAPPED WITH ARCHITECTURALLY APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR A FIVE-STAR HOTEL. AND I WILL SAY THAT THE FLAGS THAT I SHOWED ON THAT OPENING SLIDE, THOSE ARE ALL THE FLAGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PLAY. SO THE KEY QUESTION FOR A PUD AMENDMENT IS WHY SHOULD THE CITY COMMISSION APPROVE IT? WHAT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST? AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE SPENT TIME STUDYING WHAT THE CITY COMMISSION HAS ALREADY DEFINED AS THE PUBLIC INTEREST SO THAT WE HAD A ROADMAP, IF YOU WILL. AND THAT ROADMAP IS THE HISTORIC AREA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT THAT WAS ADOPTED RECENTLY AND EXTENDED THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING, I THINK, TO THE YEAR TWENTY FIFTY FOUR. SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SHOW YOU IN A MINUTE HOW THE PROJECT FULFILLS THE FIVE STRATEGIC GOALS OF THAT PLAN OF YOUR PLAN. AND SO WE ADVANCE ALL FIVE GOALS, AND THIS IS JUST DIRECTLY FROM YOUR DOCUMENT WITH REGARD TO WHAT THE GOALS ARE. SO I'LL TAKE EACH GOAL ONE AT A TIME. WITH REGARD TO THE GOAL OF COMPLETE STREETS AND MOBILITY, THERE'S BEEN MULTIPLE PHASING OF THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS TO BUILD COMPLETE STREETS WITH A CURBLESS DESIGN THAT ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING FROM AESTHETICS TO PUBLIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. AND THIS STREET, CHARLOTTE, IS REALLY THE LAST MAJOR STREET OF THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WITHIN THE CRA. SO LET ME BREAK THIS DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO WALK THROUGH THE PATEL'S FAMILY COMMITMENT TO REBUILDING THE STREET. [01:30:01] THE FIRST SEGMENT, WE'LL CALL THAT FROM CATHEDRAL TO TREASURY STREET, WILL BE COMPLETELY FUNDED BY THE PATEL FAMILY. AND SO THEREFORE, THAT PROJECT AND THE COST OF THAT IS THEIRS TO CARRY. AND IN CONSTRUCTION TERMS, IT ALSO MEANS THEY'RE HOLDING THE RISK ASSOCIATED TO THE PROJECT AS WE HAVE ANY, IF THERE'S ANY PRICE ESCALATIONS. THE SECOND MAJOR THING IS THAT WHEN WE WERE DESIGNING THIS PROJECT AT THE BEGINNING AND WE HAD REALLY EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE PUBLIC INTEREST TEST, WE WENT BACK AND REVIEWED HOW THE PHASE 1 DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WAS FUNDED. AT THAT TIME, THE CRA TIF WASN'T POWERFUL ENOUGH TO ADVANCE THE PHASE ONE. AND SO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND PROPERTY OWNERS WORKED WITH THE CITY TO CONTRIBUTE ONE THIRD OF THE VALUE OF THE COST OF THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT PHASE ONE. AND SO WE WORKED WITH RUBEN FRANKLIN AND CAME TO A NUMBER THAT IF KANTI WERE TO ASSUME THAT, IF HE WERE TO PAY A THIRD OF ALL THE CONSTRUCTION FROM TREASURY TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ, THEN THAT WOULD BE REPLICATING THAT SAME PATTERN. AND SO THAT'S THE VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION IN AID OF CONSTRUCTION THAT WE TALK ABOUT, WHICH IS ROUGHLY $465,000. NOW, THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY WAS ESTIMATED AS A THIRD OF THE FUTURE PROJECT, AND THE PATEL FAMILY WILL MAKE THAT PAYMENT WITHIN 90 DAYS. IF THE CITY COMMISSION APPROVES THE PUD FROM THAT POINT WITHIN 90 DAYS, THAT MONEY WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CITY FOR YOU TO KEEP IN AN INVESTMENT, HOWEVER YOU DECIDE, SO THAT YOU ARE ALREADY POSITIONED TO BUILD TREASURY ALL THE WAY TO AVENIDA MENENDEZ. NOW, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE WANT THIS STREET SEGMENT TO BE CONCURRENTLY BUILT. IT WOULDN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO BUILD A BEAUTIFUL, AESTHETIC STREET ONLY TO TREASURY AND STOP AND WAIT AND WAIT. WE'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE THE WHOLE THING BUILT. THE THIRD THING IS THAT THE CITY STAFF HAS ESTIMATED THAT AT TODAY'S RATES, A HIGH SIDE ESTIMATE OF THE MOBILITY FEE PAYMENT IS APPROXIMATELY $350,000. SO THERE'S THREE THINGS COMING TO THE CITY TO HELP. ONE, A PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO BUILD MOST OF THE STREET. PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO FUND THE ADDITIONAL THIRD BEFORE YOU TALK TO ANYBODY. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE MOBILITY FEE. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT THE THEORY OF WHY THESE DESIGNS ARE WHAT THEY ARE. THEY'RE PRETTY WELL DESCRIBED IN THE DOCUMENT. WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG TIME. BUT ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS IS THAT THE HOTEL ITSELF HAS A PRETTY LOW, HOTELS DON'T REALLY ADD TO PEAK HOUR LOAD AS DOES OFFICE OR RESIDENCE OR DRIVE-IN TOURISTS. WE DID DO A TRAFFIC STUDY. I CAN TALK FOREVER ON THAT, BUT I'D LIKE TO MOVE ON TO THE OTHER GOALS. THE EMBEDDED PARKING GARAGE IS OVERSIZED FOR THE HOTEL. AND JUST AS OTHER PEOPLE USE THEIR PRIVATE LOTS WHEN THEY HAVE EXCESS CAPACITY, WHICH IS HOW WE SEE A LOT OF THE PARKING DEMANDS SATISFIED, THERE'LL BE A VALET SERVICE, AND VALETS TYPICALLY KNOW HOW MUCH INVENTORY THEY CAN RELEASE FOR SOMEONE TO PAY. SO PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY. DRIVE TO THE CASA MONICA, WE'LL PAY A VALET FEE FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THAT PARKING PARK AND MOVE FORWARD. SO IT'S NOT A PUBLIC GARAGE WITH A BLUE P, BUT IT DOES FIT INTO EXPANSION OF INVENTORY IN A CRITICAL AREA, TAKING CARE OF A CRITICAL NEED. OF COURSE, PUBLIC SAFETY, THE GOAL OF PUBLIC SAFETY. I KNOW FOR THE CITY IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO DO CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. AND WHEN WE REBUILD THE STREET, WE'LL HAVE BETTER LIGHTING, LESS TRIP HAZARDS, BETTER AESTHETICS. ALL THOSE FEED INTO PERCEPTION OF SAFETY. BUT THERE'S A REALLY IMPORTANT CONCEPT ABOUT SAFETY THAT WE SATISFY WITH THE PROJECT. WHEN WE BUILD THE COMPLETE STREET, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PROTECTING AND, IF NOT IMPROVING, THE ABILITY FOR EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT TO RUN DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET. I HAD A REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF AVILES ON THIS, THAT THERE ARE FIRE APPARATUS CONNECTIONS TO BUILDINGS AS YOU GO NORTH ON CHARLOTTE STREET, LIKE THE HILTON, FOR EXAMPLE. SO WHEN A FIRE TRUCK IS COMING DOWN, OR AN AMBULANCE, OR A POLICE CAR DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET NOW, THEY'RE IMPEDED BY THE ON-STREET PARKING. IF SOMEONE'S BLOCKING IT, THE GARBAGE CAN'S ON THE SIDE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WITH THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT DESIGNS IS THAT OUR VEHICLES HAVE MORE LATITUDE IN HOW THEY MANEUVER THE ROAD. THAT'S WHY THE STREETLIGHTS ARE [01:35:01] STAGGERED IN THE PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO DESIGN SO THAT VEHICLES CAN ACTUALLY SWERVE. SO REALLY, WE'RE VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THE CITY MAINTAINS ITS ISO ONE RATING. SO WHAT I WANT TO GET TO IS THE FINANCIAL SIDE, BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENS WITH THE DOWNTOWN PLAN WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT FROM A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW. AND ONE OF THE THINGS, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT I HAVE TAKEN A PROFESSIONAL INTEREST IN SINCE RETIRING. ONE IS LAND CONSERVATION, AND THE SECOND IS INFILL REDEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO READ A DEFINITION FOR YOU. SMART GROWTH IS AN APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT THAT CONCENTRATES INVESTMENT IN EXISTING COMMUNITIES. EXPANDS TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING CHOICES AND DISTRIBUTES THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF DEVELOPMENT EQUITABLY, GENERATING MORE TAX REVENUE, LOWER INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS, AND PROTECTING THE CITY'S LONG-TERM FINANCIAL HEALTH. SO WHAT I DID WAS A FINANCIAL MODEL. AND WHAT THE OUTCOME WAS IS THAT IF YOU TAKE AND ALL THIS IS A YEAR OLD, SO THE NUMBERS ARE OFF A LITTLE BIT BY YEAR, BUT IT'S THE PATTERN THAT MATTERS. IF YOU TAKE THE EXISTING DOWNTOWN A CRA TAX BASE. AT WHAT WE ENVISION AT LEAST A YEAR AGO FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH IS GOING UP BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING A STRONGER COMMITMENT WITH THE FIVE-STAR HOTEL CHAIN FLAGS, THIS PROJECT WILL ADD ABOUT 29% OF NEW TAXABLE VALUE TO THE CRA. AND SO WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE MODELING OF THE TAXATION, IT ASKED THE STATUS QUO COMPARED TO HAVING THE HOTEL, THE CITY WILL HAVE AN INCREMENTAL $992,000 A YEAR IN NEW TAXATION. AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, I THINK, IN TODAY'S CONTEXT OF THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, TALKING ABOUT PROPERTY TAX REFORM. AND SO I KNOW THAT'S A STRUGGLE. IT'S A MAJOR THREAT. AND OVER HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOVER THROUGH COMMERCIAL INFILL REDEVELOPMENT. THE OTHER BIG WINNER, I DID MODELING FOR ALL THE TAXATION AGENCIES, BUT THE OTHER BIG WINNER, OF COURSE, IS THE SCHOOL BOARD. AND THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL GET ABOUT $500,000. THERE IS A GOOD JUMP IN THE FIRE ASSESSMENT FEE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BUT I THEN SAT DOWN AND SAID, WELL, WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? THIS IS NEW REVENUE FOR THE CITY THAT IF YOU WERE TO TRY TO SATISFY THIS REVENUE THROUGH URBAN SPRAWL OR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE CITY'S MILLAGE OF SEVEN AND A HALF, YOU'D PROBABLY HAVE TO BUILD ABOUT 450 HOMES, 400 TO 500 HOMES, DEPEND HOW YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS IN THE MATH FOR ASSIGNMENT OF VALUE. BUT JUST IMAGINE BUILDING 500 HOMES OR 450 HOMES AND THE INCREASE IN SERVICES THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME WITH THAT, NEW KIDS TO SCHOOL, NEW ROADS, NEW WATER MINES, MORE OF EVERYTHING. AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM OF ST. JOHN'S COUNTY, IS THAT URBAN SPRAWL CANNOT CARRY ITSELF UNLIKE THIS TYPE OF INFILL COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT WITH REGARD TO THE GOAL FIVE A MODERNIZED INFRASTRUCTURE BE SAFE CLEAN AND RESILIENT FIRST AND FOREMOST WOULD BE THE COMPLETE REBUILD OF THE ROADS DOES A COMPLETE REBUILD OF THE ALL UTILITIES AND IT ALLOWS THE CITY TO FIX A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEFICIENCIES I DON'T THINK WE HAVE EVER, WELL, I'M NOT QUITE SURE, BUT THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF WATER PIPE ON CHARLOTTE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN REPLACED. THE SECOND THING IS THAT WITH REGARD TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE, MODERN BUILDING CODES. UPDATED BASE FLOOD ELEVATIONS, ALL THE THINGS THAT COME WITH MAKING A STRONG STRUCTURE. THE BRANDS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE FLAGS, WHEN YOU WORK WITH THEM, THEY ALL HAVE THEIR ETHOS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT. SO THE THINGS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LIKE LOW FLOW FAUCETS, DRIP IRRIGATION, DOUBLE PANE WINDOWS. ENERGY EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT, COMMITMENTS ON HOW YOU OPERATE ARE REALLY BUILT INTO THE ETHOS OF THE FLAGS. I THINK MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT THE PATEL FAMILY WILL PROVIDE A REGIONAL TRASH COMPACTOR. AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT AS YOU DRIVE ON CHARLOTTE IN THE MORNING, ALL THE CANS AND THE UGLINESS OF THE STREET ARE OVERWHELMING. THEY DON'T FIT WHO WE ARE. AND THIS IS A CHANCE TO ADDRESS THAT WITH A REGIONAL TRASH COMPACTOR. AND IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE TO WORK THAT OUT. [01:40:01] YOUR CITY STAFF DID A GREAT JOB WITH OUR DESIGN TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD DO THAT, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT TOUCHING THE RADIUSES OF ANDERSON CIRCLE. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, I THINK WE SPOKE TO THE POINT OF THESE ROAD REBUILDS ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THAT. THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY IS THAT BECAUSE WE WILL NO LONGER BE PUSHING PEOPLE FROM THE EXISTING SURFACE LOT NORTH ON CHARLOTTE STREET, AND IF THE CITY, I HAD HEARD FROM MR. BIRCHIRM, THAT THE CITY WAS LOOKING AT CLOSING TREASURY STREET THROUGH TRAFFIC, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. BECAUSE THOSE TWO ACTIONS, THE CITY'S ACTION AND THE PATELS FAMILY ACTION, WILL REDUCE PEDESTRIAN CONFLICTS AT ALL INTERIOR INTERSECTIONS, SUCH AS HIPPOLYTA AND CHARLOTTE, ST. GEORGE AND HIPPOLYTA. ON AND ON. I THINK THAT'S GREAT. I REALLY ENCOURAGE THE CLOSURE OF TREASURY. SO IN THE END, YOUR DECISION IS, IT'S REALLY A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR ST. AUGUSTINE. WE FULFILL AND ADVANCE AND ACTUALIZE ALL FIVE OF YOUR GOALS. WE DELIVER OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN DIRECT PRIVATE INVESTMENT INTO THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'RE ADDING TO YOUR LONG-TIME FISCAL HEALTH BY INCREASING THE VALUATION BY 29%, WHICH IS RECURRING UNTIL 2054 AT VERY HIGH LEVELS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHEN THE CRA SUNSETS, THE COUNTY GETS THEIR SHARE. AND I THINK WE WENT THROUGH THREE OR FOUR ARCHITECTURAL THEMES. IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET THROUGH HARB. THEY REALLY HELD OUR FEET TO THE FIRE. AND I THINK IN THE END, WE BUILT THE DESIGN TEAM HAVE A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL DESIGN. THAT IS VERY AESTHETIC AND FITS WITH OUR HISTORIC FABRIC. AND THEN WE ELEVATE ST. AUGUSTINE'S PROFILE AS A WORLD-CLASS DESTINATION BY HAVING OUR FIRST FIVE-STAR LUXURY BRAND. A HOTEL LIKE THIS, A ROOM IN A FIVE-STAR HOTEL GENERATES THREE TO FOUR MORE TIMES AN INCOME PER ROOM THAN, SAY, A MARRIOTT COURTYARD OR OTHER HOTELS. AND ALL THAT MONEY THANK YOU. IS THEN TAKEN AND CIRCULATES IN THE ECONOMY. IN FACT, THERE WAS A STUDY DONE IN CHICAGO THAT IDENTIFIED THAT THERE'S ABOUT 2.2 MULTIPLIER FACTOR FOR THE ECONOMY. AND SO AT THE END, THE QUESTION IS, IT'S IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST BECAUSE YOU'VE DEFINED THE PUBLIC INTEREST, WE UNDERSTAND THE PUBLIC INTEREST, AND WE WANT TO ADVANCE THAT PUBLIC INTEREST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THAT. WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE CITY COMMISSION MAY HAVE AND OBVIOUSLY AFTER PUBLIC COMMENT TO HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INPUT YOU MAY WANT TO SEEK. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT? I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE DESIGN OF THE LIGHTING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE DARK NOT THE DARK SKIES INITIATIVE IS IS THAT I DON'T MIND THE DESIGN AT ALL. BUT THE LIGHTING NEEDS TO BE DOWN, YOU KNOW, FOCUSED DOWNWARD AS OPPOSED TO SPILLING UPWARD. AND MAYBE FREMONT CAN HELP US WITH THAT. YEAH, I CAN TALK TO THAT. SO ONE OF THE, I WILL SAY ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES OF THE HISTORIC FIXTURES IS THE ACORNS, WHICH DISTRIBUTE LIGHT. THERE ARE NEW FIXTURES WHICH HAVE THAT SAME APPEARANCE, BUT THEY HAVE A FULL, SORRY, IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME, THEY HAVE FULL CUTOFF. SO THEY DIRECT LIGHT DOWN. THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING. SO THAT'S YOUR PLAN TO USE THOSE? YEAH, SO WE WILL USE WHATEVER THIS CITY IS CURRENTLY APPROVING IN DIA. MY HOPE WOULD BE THAT IT IS THE HISTORIC LOOKING FIXTURE WITH THE LED CONTROLLED LIGHT. THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE MAYOR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM STAFF? I MEAN, FOR THE APPLICANT. NO, I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT. THERE WAS A COMMENT MADE ABOUT THE PARKING GARAGE HAVING ADDITIONAL PARKING FOR THE PUBLIC. BUT WE ACTUALLY ARE LOSING SOME PARKING BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE IS A PARKING LOT THERE. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPOTS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT NUMBER IS, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW MANY IS ESTIMATED TO BE AVAILABLE ONCE THAT PARKING GARAGE IS COVERED WITH NEW PROPERTIES. I'M GOING TO LET MR. BLEVINS COME UP HERE. IF MR. BLEVINS IS GOING TO SPEAK, HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE SWORN IN. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? ALL RIGHT. NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE. I'M TROY BLEVINS, 14 RIBERIA, ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 62 PARKING PLACES THAT ARE THERE RIGHT NOW, AND THE CONFIGURATION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS A NET GAIN [01:45:04] WITH THE HOTEL BECAUSE OF THE A LIMITED NUMBER OF HOTELS THAT WE HAVE. WITH THE OFFICE BUILDINGS, WE HAVE ABOUT 45 TENANTS THAT ARE IN THERE. SO DURING THE DAY, WE HAVE ALMOST ZERO PARKING EXCEPT FOR THE TENANTS THAT ARE IN THERE. IN THE EVENING, IF THERE ISN'T A WEDDING, THEN THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE OPEN PARKING, WHICH IS MOSTLY DURING THE WEEK. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE PICKING UP BECAUSE WE'RE GOING FROM 62 TO 155. WE'RE GOING TO BE PICKING UP QUITE A BIT OF PARKING. WE WENT ABOVE THE LIMIT JUST BECAUSE WE KNEW WE WERE TAKING SOME OF THE PARKING OFF OF CHARLOTTE. THAT WAS OUR CONCERN TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A NET GAIN ON THAT SIDE OF IT. SO THAT'S THE REASON WE GAINED PARKING THROUGH THIS ADJUSTMENT. SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. YEAH, I CAN'T SEE IT, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU TRYING. YOU HAVE 65 SPOTS THAT YOU NOW MAKE MONEY ON. WELL, WE HAVE 62 SPOTS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO THE TENANTS. 40-SOME OF THOSE. I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR THIS, BUT IF YOU HAVE A FULL HOTEL AND YOU HAVE YOUR EMPLOYEES THERE, YOU PROBABLY WON'T HAVE ANY TO SELL. AND THAT WILL BE RARE, I UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE YOU DON'T FILL A HOTEL ALL THE TIME. BUT IF YOU HAVE A FULL HOTEL AND YOUR EMPLOYEES PARK THERE, YOU PROBABLY WON'T HAVE MANY AVAILABLE. SO IT WILL BE. KIND OF A HIT AND MISS TIME. WELL, AND I CAN TELL YOU OUR HOTELS RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 72 SPOTS. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, WE HAVE 72 SPOTS AT HILTON, AND THEY HANDLE, WE HAVE 72 ROOMS WITH 72 SPOTS. THEY HANDLE ALL OUR STAFF. THEY HANDLE, AND WE NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. THE TRANSITION OF THE VISITOR HAS CHANGED QUITE A BIT. A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T RENTING CARS LIKE THEY USED TO. THEY'RE UBERING, AND THEY'RE DOING THIS, AND THIS IS AT ALL OUR HOTELS. WE'RE SEEING THIS WHERE WE'RE AT THE RENAISSANCE WHERE SOME PEOPLE WERE ON THE BOARD AT THE TIME. WE DESIGNED A DOUBLE-STACKING SYSTEM TO CREATE ENOUGH PARKING. WE'VE NEVER EVEN USED THAT DOUBLE-STACKING SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE TRANSITION IN THE TRAVELER AND HOW THEY'RE. I HAVEN'T RENTED A CAR IN PROBABLY FIVE YEARS NOW, AND THAT'S PRETTY COMMON WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE. OKAY, THANK YOU. THAT HELPS. ALL RIGHT. BUT THE QUESTION WAS, IS THERE PUBLIC PARKING AVAILABLE? AND THE ANSWER IS NO, BUT YEAH, THERE WILL BE. THERE WILL BE? IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT ACTUALLY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE PARKING PLACES AVAILABLE THAN WHAT YOU'LL SEE AT THE CASA MONICA, AND THEY HAVE PUBLIC PARKING THERE. THEY HAVE MORE ROOMS AND LESS PARKING THAN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE. SO I WILL BE ABLE TO JUST DRIVE IN AND PARK? IT'LL BE A VALET PARKING. VALET PARKING. YOU'LL PAY FOR IT. YOU'LL PAY FOR IT JUST LIKE A VALET. BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY SPACES THAT'S GOING TO BE? WELL, IT'S A MINIMUM OF 155. SO I THINK WE HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 175, BUT IT'S A MINIMUM OF 155. 155, HOW MANY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC? IT'S GOING TO CHANGE FROM DAY TO DAY THE SAME AS IT DOES RIGHT NOW. OKAY. AND THAT'S THE WAY OUR PARKING LOT IS RIGHT NOW. IF I HAVE A WEDDING ON SATURDAY NIGHT, I'LL HAVE ZERO PUBLIC PARKING. YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, LIKE DURING THE WEEK I'LL HAVE 30 THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. YEAH, THANKS. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. THE PUBLIC COMMENT, I HAVE NUMEROUS CARDS. SO FIRST SPEAKER IS SUSAN PHILLIPS, FOLLOWED BY ISABEL RENAUD. GOOD EVENING AGAIN, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY VISITORS AND CONVENTION BUREAU IN SUPPORT OF ORDINANCE 202608, THE AMENDMENT TO THE PLAN UNIT DEVELOPMENT AT 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE. AT THE VCB, OUR ROLE IS TO MARKET ST. AUGUSTINE, PONTE VEDRA, AND OUR BEACHES AS A PREMIER DESTINATION, AND IMPORTANTLY, TO ATTRACT HIGHER-SPEND, LONGER-STAY VISITORS WHO GENERATE THE GREATEST ECONOMIC RETURN FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS [01:50:02] THAT GOAL AS FOLLOWS. FIRST, THIS PROJECT ELEVATES THE TYPE OF VISITOR WE ATTRACT. THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTS A LEVEL OF LUXURY HOSPITALITY THAT DOES NOT CURRENTLY EXIST IN OUR MARKET. IT POSITIONS ST. AUGUSTINE TO COMPETE FOR A MORE AFFLUENT, EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN TRAVELER. THESE VISITORS STAY LONGER, THEY SPEND MORE MONEY, AND THEY ACTIVELY SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, AND CULTURAL ASSETS. AS NOTED BY THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THIS IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF VISITOR THAT CITY LEADERSHIP HAS CONSISTENTLY SAID WE WANT TO ATTRACT. NEXT, IT GENERATES SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY BENEFIT. IMPORTANTLY, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT EXTENDS WELL BEYOND THE PROPERTY ITSELF. THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND TO GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX REVENUE, WHICH IS ESTIMATED AT $1 MILLION ANNUALLY. THIS IS ALL PAID ENTIRELY BY VISITORS AND NOT RESIDENTS. THESE FUNDS DIRECTLY SUPPORT CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY AMENITIES, BEACH RENOURISHMENT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR RESIDENTS. THIS IS A MODEL WHERE TOURISM WORKS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THIS PROJECT ALSO SUPPORTS A MORE SUSTAINABLE VISITOR EXPERIENCE. THE TYPES OF GUESTS THAT THIS PROJECT ATTRACTS ALSO ALIGNS WITH BROADER CITY GOALS, INCLUDING VISITORS WHO PARK ONCE AND EXPLORE ON FOOT, VISITORS WHO ENGAGE DEEPLY WITH OUR HISTORY, CULTURE, DINING, AND RETAIL, AND VISITORS WHO CONTRIBUTE ECONOMICALLY WITHOUT PROPORTIONALLY INCREASING STRAIN ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND LAST, THIS PROJECT RAISES THE BAR FOR THE ENTIRE DESTINATION. THAT'S OUR ENTIRE DESTINATION HERE IN ST. JOHN'S COUNTY. THIS PROJECT IS A CATALYST AS IT SETS A NEW STANDARD FOR HOSPITALITY IN ST. AUGUSTINE. IT STRENGTHENS OUR ABILITY TO COMPETE NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, AND IT ELEVATES THE OVERALL VISITOR EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE DESTINATION. AS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER MARKETS, ONE TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECT CAN INFLUENCE THE QUALITY AND EXPECTATIONS OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. SO IN CLOSING, FOR ALL OF THESE REASONS, ECONOMIC IMPACT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, VISITOR QUALITY, AND LONG-TERM POSITIONING, THE VCB SUPPORTS THIS PROJECT, WHICH REPRESENTS A MEANINGFUL STEP FORWARD FOR ST. AUGUSTINE. WE RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND APPROVAL OF THIS ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY, BEFORE WE GO FURTHER, WE HAVE NUMEROUS CARDS, AND WE NEED EVERYONE TO BE SWORN IN. SO, ANYONE WHO ANTICIPATES SPEAKING, ANYONE WHO'S TURNED IN A SPEAKER CARD, PLEASE STAND AND BE SWORN IN. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? I DO. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. AND WHEN YOU COME TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SWORN IN BECAUSE JUST BE SURE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO SPEAK TO YOU. AS PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, I WANT TO REALLY FOCUS AND SPEAK TO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE. FROM THE CHAMBER'S PERSPECTIVE, THIS PROJECT IS A MEANINGFUL INVESTMENT IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. IT IS EXPECTED TO CREATE 40 FULL-TIME JOBS AND 20 PART-TIME JOBS. LOCALLY SUPPORT LOCAL RESTAURANTS, RETAILERS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS AND GENERATE AN ESTIMATED $50 MILLION IN TAX REVENUE OVER TIME. THOSE ARE REAL BENEFITS FOR OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND FOR THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL HEALTH OF OUR CITY. THE 30,000 SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL SPACE AND THE BANQUET HALL WITH SEATING OF 300 PEOPLE ADD EVEN MORE ECONOMIC VALUE. TOGETHER THEY CREATE SPACE FOR BUSINESSES, MEETINGS, WEDDINGS, EVENTS THAT SUPPORT THE DOWNTOWN COMMERCE, SERVE BOTH VISITORS AND RESIDENTS, AND GENERATE A STRONGER ECONOMIC RETURN WITHOUT DEPENDING ON HIGH VOLUME TOURISM. THE PROJECT ALSO ADDRESS IMPORTANT PRACTICAL ISSUES. WITH 150 PARKING SPACE, IT IS DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE THE ACTIVITY IT CREATES AND REDUCES PRESSURE ON SURROUNDING PUBLIC PARKING. IT ALSO INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING IMPROVEMENT THAT MATTERS. THE BEAUTIFICATION OF CHARLOTTE STREET, INCLUDING PAVERS AT THE BUILDER'S EXPENSE, WILL ENHANCE THE SURROUNDING AREA AND CREATE A MORE ATTRACTIVE AND WALKABLE CORRIDOR. JUST AS IMPORTANT, THIS PROJECT FITS A SMART TOURISM STRATEGY. WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BRING A HOTEL OF A CALIBER NOT CURRENTLY FOUND IN ST. AUGUSTINE, IT HELPS ATTRACT HIGH-END CLIENTELE THAT TYPICALLY SPENDS MORE, SUPPORTS LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND [01:55:01] GENERATES GREATER BED TAX REVENUE WHILE PLACING LESS STRENGTH ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC RESOURCES THAN HIGHER-VOLUME TOURISM MODELS. THIS IS THE KIND OF OPPORTUNITY WE SHOULD EMBRACE, STRONG ECONOMIC RETURN IN A WAY THAT IS SUSTAINABLE TO OUR COMMUNITY. CATHEDRAL PLACE BRINGS JOBS, INVESTMENT, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT, AND LONG-TERM REVENUE. IT SUPPORTS LOCAL BUSINESSES, STRENGTHENS DOWNTOWN, AND ADDS VALUE TO THE ST. AUGUSTINE. THIS IS THE CHAMBER, SUPPORTS THIS PROJECT, AND WE TRULY ENCOURAGE YOU AND RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO ALSO SUPPORT THIS DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, SHANE SHELTER, FOLLOWED BY DAVE CHATTERTON. SHANE, DID YOU GET SWORN IN? YOU HAVE NOT? OKAY, LET'S SWEAR YOU IN NOW. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR FROM THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? I DO. ALL RIGHT, VERY WELL. GOOD EVENING. HELLO, GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. APPRECIATE YOU LETTING ME SPEAK TODAY. I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND READ THIS. MY NAME IS SHANE SHELTER. I'M AT 117 ST. GEORGE STREET. I'M A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER HERE IN ST. AUGUSTINE. I'VE SPENT YEARS INVESTING IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT PRESERVING WHAT MAKES OUR CITY SPECIAL, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING SMART, THOUGHTFUL GROWTH. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE EXCHANGE HOTEL. ST. AUGUSTINE IS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE CITIES IN THE COUNTRY. PEOPLE COME HERE BECAUSE OF OUR HISTORY, OUR CHARM, OUR WALKABILITY, AND THE INCREDIBLE LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT MAKE THIS TOWN FEEL AUTHENTIC. BUT AS OUR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW AS A DESTINATION, WE ALSO NEED TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF THE EXPERIENCE WE OFFER. A HIGH-END HOTEL LIKE THE EXCHANGE BRINGS EXACTLY THE KIND OF GROWTH THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE. IT ATTRACTS A HIGH-CALIBER VISITOR, PEOPLE WHO STAY LONGER, SPEND MORE. AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. THESE GUESTS AREN'T JUST BOOKING A ROOM, THEY'RE DINING IN OUR RESTAURANTS, SHOPPING IN OUR STORES, VISITING OUR MUSEUMS, HIRING LOCAL GUIDES, AND SUPPORTING THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS CITY. THIS KIND OF PROJECT ALSO CREATES QUALITY JOBS FROM CONSTRUCTION AND HOSPITALITY TO LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE POSITIONS WHILE GENERATING ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE THAT SUPPORTS CITY SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. JUST AS IMPORTANT, A WELL-DONE PROJECT LIKE THIS CAN ELEVATE THE OVERALL STANDARD OF DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT. IT SHOWS THAT ST. AUGUSTINE CAN CONTINUE TO EVOLVE IN A WAY THAT RESPECTS ITS CHARACTER WHILE INVESTING IN ITS FUTURE. THOUGHTFUL GROWTH DOESN'T MEAN LOSING OUR IDENTITY. IN FACT, PROTECTS LIKE THE EXCHANGE HELP PROTECT IT BY STRENGTHENING THE LOCAL ECONOMY, SUPPORTING LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES, AND KEEPING OUR DOWNTOWN VIBRANT AND SUSTAINABLE FOR YEARS TO COME. I BELIEVE THE EXCHANGE IS THE KIND OF PROJECT THAT WILL BRING LONG-TERM VALUE, NOT JUST TO VISITORS, BUT TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK HERE EVERY DAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, DAVE CHATTERTON, FOLLOWED BY JOHN VALDEZ. HELLO. MY NAME IS DAVE CHATTERSON. I'VE BEEN SWORN IN. MY NAME IS DAVE CHATTERSON. I LIVE AT 33 AMISTAD DRIVE, 32086. I'M HERE TONIGHT ALSO REPRESENTING HISTORIC TOURS OF AMERICA. SO FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. AND I JUST WANT TO BRIEFLY SHARE HOW A LUXURY HOTEL IN ST. AUGUSTINE CAN STRENGTHEN NOT ONLY OUR TOURISM ECONOMY, BUT THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WE OFFER AS A CITY. A LUXURY HOTEL DOES MORE THAN ADD ROOMS. IT HELPS ATTRACT VISITORS WHO TEND TO STAY LONGER AND SPEND MORE MONEY WHILE THEY'RE HERE. BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT IS HOW THEY SPEND THEIR TIME. THESE GUESTS ARE TYPICALLY DRAWN TO HISTORY, CULTURE, AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES. THEY'RE VISITING OUR MUSEUMS, OUR HISTORIC SITES, OUR LOCALLY OWNED SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS, AND THEY'RE TAKING GUIDED TOURS, WHETHER THAT'S WITH OLD TOWN TROLLEY OR OTHER GROUP EXPERIENCES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO THE BENEFIT ISN'T ISOLATED. IT SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ATTRACTIONS THAT MAKES ST. AUGUSTINE WHAT IT IS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE IS MOBILITY. ONCE THESE GUESTS ARRIVE AND PARK, MANY OF THEM ARE LOOKING FOR A MORE RELAXED, IMMERSIVE WAY TO EXPLORE THE CITY, NOT GETTING BACK IN THEIR CAR AND DRIVING [02:00:01] FROM PLACE TO PLACE. OLD TOWN TROLLEY OPERATES 72 PASSENGER VEHICLES THAT ALLOW VISITORS TO MOVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY EFFICIENTLY. AND EACH TROLLEY REPRESENTS ROUGHLY 20 FEWER CARS ON THE ROAD, AND THERE'S A TROLLEY STOP JUST A FEW YARDS AWAY FROM THE HOTEL. WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT WITH OTHER TOURS AND WALKABLE EXPERIENCES, YOU'RE HELPING REDUCE CONGESTION, NOT ADDING TO IT, WHILE STILL SUPPORTING STRONG ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. THERE'S ALSO A MEANINGFUL IMPACT FROM GROUP AND EVENT BUSINESS. LUXURY HOTELS ATTRACT WEDDINGS, CORPORATE RETREATS, AND ORGANIZED TRAVEL GROUPS, ALL WHICH ENGAGE WITH LOCAL ATTRACTIONS, TOURS, AND TRANSPORTATION PROVIDERS, CREATING CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE DEMAND ACROSS THE BOARD. AND FINALLY, LUXURY HOTELS STABILIZE TOURISM YEAR-ROUND, SUPPORTING STEADY BUSINESS FOR OUR LOCAL OPERATORS AND A MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY OVERALL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT ADDING ANOTHER HOTEL. IT'S ABOUT ATTRACTING VISITORS WHO ENGAGE MORE DEEPLY WITH ST. AUGUSTINE. SUPPORTING OUR BUSINESSES, EXPERIENCING OUR HISTORY, AND DOING SO IN A WAY THAT HELPS US BETTER MANAGE TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. JOHN VALDEZ, FOLLOWED BY JOSEPH CRAVEN. HAVE YOU BEEN SWORN IN? NO. OKAY. OH, NOT BEEN. DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE, THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? YES, I DO. GOOD EVENING. GOOD TO SEE YOU. YOU KNOW, I WAS REFLECTING HERE RECENTLY, AND I'VE BEEN IN THIS TOWN 40 YEARS, AND IN THOSE 40 YEARS, I'VE BEEN ON ALL THE BOARDS AND BEEN UP WITH YOU GUYS A BIT, AND BEEN HONORED TO BE INVOLVED WITH A LOT OF PROJECTS. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PROJECTS IN 40 YEARS THAT MADE A BIG IMPACT ON THE CITY. I ALWAYS MADE A QUICK LIST, AND YOU START LOOKING LIKE THE DOW, THE COLLECTOR. THAT WAS A FIGHT, BUT IT TURNED OUT GREAT, AND OF COURSE, CASA MONICA IS WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL RESULT OF RECYCLING AN OLD BUILDING AND THE MAGICAL THINGS THAT FLAGLER COLLEGE HAS DONE, LESS IS PARKING GARAGE. THE HOUGHTON GARDEN, FANTASTIC PROJECT, A LOT OF ANGST ABOUT THAT ONE, CREATING A BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND, THIS KIND OF THING, SO WE'LL SLIDE IT AROUND IT IF YOU RECALL. ALL THESE THINGS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON, THEY ALL CREATE MONEY FOR THE CITY IN THE FORM OF TAX SPACE, FOR SCHOOLS, FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BUY AND BUY SO DESPERATELY. WE ARE A CITY THAT'S FACING SOME BIG BILLS IN THE FUTURE. WE'VE GOT AN OCEAN THAT'S RISING. WE'VE GOT FLOODING ISSUES. WE'VE GOT LOTS OF PROBLEMS WE'VE GOT TO FIND MONEY FOR TO FIX. THIS TYPE OF PROJECT PROVIDES THAT WEALTH. WE'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO RESTORE A, HOW OLD IS THAT BANK BUILDING? IT'S OLD. AND EVERY TIME I SEE A PARKING LOT IN A HISTORIC AREA, YOU KNOW WHAT I SEE? I SEE A SCAR. BECAUSE THERE WERE BUILDINGS THERE THAT WERE TORN DOWN, BURNED DOWN, FELL DOWN, OR THEY'RE NOT THERE ANYMORE. AND THE PARKING LOT TO ME IS A SCAR. THEY NEED TO BE BUILT ON. THE PARKING NEEDS TO BE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OR BE CONTAINED WITHIN THE CITY IN MULTI-LAYERED PARKING GARAGES, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS PROJECT'S DOING. I WANT TO COVER UP THE SCARS IN THE CITY BY BUILDING ON THEM. PRIME EXAMPLE IS THE PARKING LOT IN THE ENTRY OF ST. GEORGE STREET. THAT, WELL, DON CRITCHLOW CAME BEFORE THE BOARD SOME YEARS AGO WANTING TO BUILD ON IT. THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I'M SAD IT DIDN'T. ANYWAY, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL LIKE OTHER COMMISSIONS, OTHER BOARDS HAVE DONE IN THE PAST WHEN THEY WERE PRESENTED WITH FANTASTIC PROJECTS. THEY DID THEIR HOMEWORK. THEY WORKED THROUGH IT, AND THEY CREATED IT. WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD TONIGHT WILL BE HERE 100 YEARS FROM NOW, LONG AFTER YOU'RE GONE. AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL PROJECT. IT'LL HAVE A WONDERFUL ENDING, AND IT WILL GENERATE A LOT OF REVENUE THE CITY'S GOING TO NEED GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, SIR. SEE YOU AS WELL. I MISS YOU GUYS. ALL RIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSEPH DONALD CRAVEN, FOLLOWED BY MELINDA RECONCE. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TODAY. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT KANCHI PATEL. I'VE BEEN IN THE CITY AND HAD THE ST. AUGUSTINE BEACHFRONT, PREVIOUSLY WAS THE HOWARD JOHNSON'S, AND BEFORE THAT THE SHERIDAN. IS THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL. I'VE KNOWN KANTI FOR MANY YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL. HE HAS BROUGHT A LOT TO OUR CITY, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULD ENCOURAGE HIM TO BUILD THIS BEAUTIFUL HOTEL. WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN THE FIVE-STAR AREA, [02:05:02] AND IF YOU LOOK ALL AROUND US, PONTE VEDRA, THEY JUST ARE KILLING IT WITH THESE UPSCALE HOTELS. I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING. HE'S DOING IT FOR OUR SAKE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MELINDA RACONCE, FOLLOWED BY PHIL MCDANIEL. YES, I WAS SWORN IN. WELL, MONEY OVER HISTORY SEEMS TO BE THE MANTRA HERE TONIGHT, BUT DOES NOT THE CASA MONICA AND MR. MATTEL'S HILTON BAYFRONT AND RENAISSANCE ATTRACT THE HIGH-END VISITOR. I MEAN, I THOUGHT WE'VE ALREADY GOT THOSE. ANYWAY, THANKS TO A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT AND LES THOMAS JOINING THE PROJECT, THIS PUD HAS GREATLY IMPROVED SINCE ITS ORIGINAL CONCEPT. I KNOW THIS IS A DONE DEAL, BUT THERE'S JUST A FEW THINGS I HAVE TO SAY FOR THE RECORD. FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE PUTTING FAUX HISTORY RIGHT OFF THE PLAZA ON CHARLOTTE STREET, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR ORIGINAL NARROW COLONIAL STREETS. WE'RE DESTROYING OUR HISTORIC AUTHENTICITY WITH THESE OVERSIZED COLONIAL REPRESENTATIONS. THE DRAWINGS NEVER SHOW IT CORRECTLY, BUT CHARLOTTE STREET IS SO NARROW THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE EXCHANGE BANK BUILDING FROM STREET LEVEL BECAUSE OF THESE THREE-STORY HOTEL BUILDINGS. IT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE STREETSCAPE ALTOGETHER. THE EXISTING PARKING LOT, WHILE IT ISN'T ANYTHING ATTRACTIVE, BUT SCALE-WISE, IT'S MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE TRUE COLONIAL DISTRICT. A SOLUTION WOULD BE MASKING THE PARKING LOT WITH ONE-STORY COLONIAL BUILDINGS. IT WOULD BE MORE HISTORICALLY APPROPRIATE. BUT I REALIZE THERE'S NO STOP ON THIS PROJECT, SO THERE'S A FEW THINGS I WANT TO MAKE SURE IS INCLUDED IN THE PUD TONIGHT. FIRST, SINCE THIS IS HB2, THAT REAL WOOD IS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION. UNDER EXTERIOR FINISHES OF OUR AGHP GUIDELINES, THE RECOMMENDED WOODS ARE RED CEDAR, NATIVE PINE, CYPRESS, AND OAK. HARB MADE IT CLEAR AT THE EARLIEST MEETINGS THAT THE APPLICANT WAS NOT TO USE MANUFACTURED WOOD THAT WAS USED ON THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL ON CASTILLO DRIVE. IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY FAKE WOOD, IN HP 5, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE CITY GATES, BUT WE MUST NOT ALLOW IT IN THE HEART OF OUR HISTORIC COLONIAL DISTRICT RIGHT OFF THE PLAZA. EVERYONE ELSE THAT OWNS PROPERTY IN HP DISTRICTS HAS TO BUY REAL WOOD SHINGLES AND EVERYTHING. HE NEEDS TO FOLLOW THIS AS WELL. SECONDLY, WHILE YOU'VE ADDED LANGUAGE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO VIBRATION MONITORING, YOU MUST GO FURTHER AND MAKE SURE THEY USE SLOWER METHODS IN COMPACTING DIRT THAN THE ROLLER METHOD THAT WAS USED IN ELMAR TERRACE AND DID SO MUCH DAMAGE. THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE A HIGHER ARCHAEOLOGY FEE THAT CARL HALBERT RECOMMENDED FOR THIS PROJECT. AMPLE TIME NEEDS TO BE GIVEN TO DO THESE DIGS SO THAT VALUABLE HISTORIC INFORMATION CAN BE COLLECTED. THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC AUTHENTIC HISTORY FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS IS IN YOUR HANDS TONIGHT. I'M THE LONE VOICE, BUT I SHOWED UP TO MAKE IT. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE EXCHANGE HOTEL, BOTH AS A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER AND SOMEONE DEEPLY INVESTED INTO THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER HOTEL. IT REPRESENTS THE EXACT KIND OF TRANSITION WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR YEARS, MOVING FROM HIGH-VOLUME TOURISM TO HIGH-VALUE, HIGH-QUALITY TOURISM. THIS 120-ROOM LUXURY HOTEL WILL BRING GUESTS WHO WILL STAY LONGER, SPEND MORE. ENGAGE MORE DEEPLY WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES, CULTURE, AND GUEST EXPERIENCES. AS IT'S BEEN SAID TONIGHT, THIS IS THE EXACT TYPE OF VISITOR WE WANT TO ATTRACT. THESE ARE THE SAME PATRONS WHO WILL ATTEND SHOWS AT THE AMP, DINE IN OUR FABULOUS RESTAURANTS, VISIT OUR GALLERIES, AND CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO OUR ECONOMY, AND HOPEFULLY TAKE A TOUR OF THE DISTILLERY, WE'LL SEE, WITHOUT ADDING THE SAME LEVEL OF STRAIN ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THIS PROJECT PRESERVES AND REPURPOSES AN HISTORIC BUILDING GIVING A NEW LIFE IN A WAY THAT ALIGNS WITH THE CHARACTER OF OUR CITY. SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS SMART GROWTH. IT'S HIGHER RETURN, LOWER IMPACT, AND ALIGNS WITH OUR SHARED GOALS. AND THE LAST THING I'D LIKE TO ADD IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PATEL FAMILY. THROUGH THE JALARUM HOTEL GROUP, THIS FAMILY HAS BEEN A [02:10:02] LONG-STANDING AND COMMITTED PART OF ST. AUGUSTINE'S BUSINESS AND CIVIC COMMUNITY. FOR OVER FOUR DECADES, THEY HAVE INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, DEVELOPING AND OPERATING MULTIPLE HOTELS THAT SUPPORT TOURISM WHILE CREATING STABLE LOCAL JOBS. THEIR PROJECTS, AGAIN, MOST RECENTLY IS THE DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE HOTEL, DEMONSTRATE THEIR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ON COMPLEX, HIGH-PROFILE SITES AND DELIVER PROJECTS THAT RESPECT THE CHARACTER OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY WE ALL LOVE. AND BEYOND BUSINESS, THE FAMILY HAS BUILT A REPUTATION FOR BEING ENGAGED, RESPONSIBLE PARTNERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCED ECONOMIC GROWTH WITH PRESERVATION AND COMMUNITY IN MIND. I RESPECTFULLY ENCOURAGE YOU SUPPORT AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO THE FAMILY FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. PAUL THOMPSON, FOLLOWED BY MIKE DAVIS. WE'RE GETTING THERE. GOOD EVENING. I'VE BEEN SWORN IN. PAUL THOMPSON, 168 AVENIDA MENENDEZ. I'M A LOCAL HERE AND I'M TRULY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS PROJECT. KANTI HAS DONE WHAT NO OTHER LOCAL HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO BY GIVING US TWO AMAZING PROPERTIES IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE MONSON MOTOR LODGE? YEAH, PRETTY BAD. HE GAVE US BACK THE STREET VIEW THAT YOU SEE IN THE MAPS FROM 1888 OF OUR BAYFRONT. THE RENAISSANCE, NO ONE TALKS ABOUT WHAT WAS THERE FIRST, A BP ON THE CORNER, A MOTEL, AND BARNACLE BILLS. AND THE 3D THEATER, THAT'S RIGHT. AND SO HE GAVE US BACK SEMBLANCE OF THE OLD SAN MARCO HOTEL. SO HE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF AND WHAT HE CAN DO FOR THIS TOWN. THAT IS FOR SURE. WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT, JUST HOW IT BRINGS TREASURY AND CHARLOTTE STREET TOGETHER, JUST LIKE HE DID AT THE HILTON, BROADWAY'S AND ALL THAT. SO GLAD THAT THEY ARE MAKING THAT. SECTION OF CHARLOTTE STREET TWO-WAY, BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THEY WERE GOING TO EXIT ALL GOING NORTH OUT OF CHARLOTTE. SO THAT WAS A REALLY SMART MOVE. THANK GOD FOR THE TRASH CONTAINERS, BECAUSE IF YOU EVER GOT STUCK ON A MONDAY MORNING BEHIND THE TRASH TRUCK, IT WOULD TAKE 20 MINUTES TO FOLLOW THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE FORT BECAUSE OF ALL THOSE. SO THANK GOD THAT HE IS WORKING WITH Y'ALL, WHICH HE TRULY IS. HERE HE IS PUTTING BUILDINGS ON TOP OF A PARKING LOT AND HE'S WILLING TO WORK WITH US THE CITY TAKE OVER PROJECTS THAT PROBABLY WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR NEW WATER REDOING CHARLOTTE STREET SO KANTI THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO ST. AUGUSTINE AS A FOURTH GENERATION RESIDENT. THANK YOU FOR LOVING OUR TOWN AS MUCH AS WE DO. MIKE DAVIS FOLLOWED BY DIANA MARCOFITZ. IF ANYONE WISHES TO SPEAK, THEY NEED TO TURN IN THEIR SPEAKER CARD NOW. THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY. I'VE BEEN SWORN IN, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL THIS EVENING. I WANT TO STAND IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT. YOU'VE HEARD ALL THE ECONOMIC REASONS. I WON'T REITERATE ANY OF THOSE. I DO AGREE WITH MR. VALDEZ ABOUT THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THE EXCHANGE BANK BUILDING. I REMEMBER WHEN IT HAD THE CLOCK ON IT AND WE'D COME THROUGH TOWN AND YOU'D GET TO SEE THE TEMPERATURE AND THE TIME ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL. I ALSO REMEMBER RIDING MY BIKE DOWN CHARLOTTE STREET GOING TO CATHEDRAL PARISH. AND CHARLOTTE STREET BACK THEN WAS NOT LIKE IT IS NOW WITH ABOUT HALF AS MANY TRASH CANS. SO I'VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE CHARLOTTE STREET WAS A BACK OF HOUSE FOR ST. GEORGE STREET AND A BACK OF HOUSE FOR THE BAYFRONT. AND NOW IT'S GOING TO BE A PROMINENT STREET IN OUR CITY, AND I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY GREAT. I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND THE PATEL FAMILY BECAUSE THEY'VE BUILT A LOT OF PROJECTS. THEY DON'T JUST BUILD THEM TO MAINTAIN THEM. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS BUILDING NEEDS. THE EXCHANGE BANK NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED. IT NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED. AND IT NEEDS AN ECONOMIC MODEL AROUND IT THAT ALLOWS FOR THAT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT THEY'VE DONE IN TOWN, YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT BUILDING WILL LOOK LIKE YEARS TO COME BECAUSE THEY DO SUCH A GREAT JOB OF TAKING CARE OF THE PROJECTS THAT THEY RUN, OWN, AND I THINK IT'S VASTLY ENHANCED THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE. WHEN I GOT MARRIED IN 1989 AND MY IN-LAWS CAME TO VISIT, THERE WAS NO PLACE IN TOWN TO STAY. THERE WAS NO CASA MONICA. SOME OF THE PICKINGS, IF I SAID THEY WERE SLIM, THAT WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. SO WHAT WE HAVE TODAY, AND A LOT OF THAT IS DUE TO KANTI PATEL AND HIS FAMILY, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR, NOT JUST FOR FAMILY THAT COMES TO STAY AND VISIT ME, BUT FOR ALL THE REST OF OUR VISITORS AS WELL. IT'S A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE THAN WHAT IT WAS IN THE 60S, 70S, AND 80S. SO THANK YOU FOR THEM. THANK YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL VOTE FOR THIS PROJECT. IT'S A GREAT PROJECT FOR THE CITY. THANK YOU. DIANE MARKOVITZ, FOLLOWED [02:15:02] BY BJ CLADY. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, MADAM VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS DIANA MARKOVITS. I LIVE AT 32 FLORIDA AVENUE. I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF SJC CULTURAL EVENTS, INC., THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT OPERATES THE ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATER. I'M HERE TONIGHT IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED HOTEL PROJECT AT 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE. FROM SJCCE'S PERSPECTIVE, THE ADDITION OF A FIVE-STAR HOTEL IN ST. AUGUSTINE WOULD BE A MEANINGFUL ASSET TO THE CITY AND TO THE BROADER CULTURAL ECONOMY THAT CONTINUES TO GROW HERE. THE ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATER IS NOW ATTRACTING AN INCREASINGLY HIGH CALIBER OF ARTISTS, INCLUDING ARTISTS SUCH AS ROD STEWART, JAMES TAYLOR, AND DIANA ROSS. THESE ARE PERFORMERS WHO ARE ACCUSTOMED TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF SERVICE, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND AMENITIES, TYPICALLY THE KIND ASSOCIATED WITH A FIVE-STAR PROPERTY SUCH AS A WALDORF, ASTORIA, OR ST. REGIS. AT PRESENT, THE NEAREST HOTEL OF THAT CALIBER IS THE RITZ-CARLTON AT AMELIA ISLAND. THAT CREATES A REAL LIMITATION. PARTICULARLY WHEN WE ARE WORKING TO ATTRACT TOP-TIER ARTISTS FOR PERFORMANCES HERE, AND ESPECIALLY FOR MULTI-NIGHT ENGAGEMENTS. IN A COMPETITIVE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT LANDSCAPE, HOSPITALITY INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS. THE QUALITY OF ACCOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE IN A MARKET CAN INFLUENCE WHETHER AN ARTIST CHOOSES TO PERFORM THERE, HOW LONG THEY STAY, AND WHETHER A VENUE IS POSITIONED TO SECURE HIGHER-PROFILE BOOKINGS IN THE FUTURE. A FIVE-STAR HOTEL IN ST. AUGUSTINE WOULD NOT ONLY ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO STRENGTHEN THE CITY'S ABILITY TO COMPETE FOR WORLD-CLASS TALENT AND THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY THAT COMES WITH IT. FOR THESE REASONS, SJC CULTURAL EVENTS, INC. SUPPORTS THE PROJECT AT 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THIS IS BJ CLADY. BJ CLADY, WEST CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. I HAVE BEEN SWORN IN. THIS DEVELOPER'S PUD IS NOT COMPATIBLE IN THIS IMPORTANT HISTORIC DISTRICT. IT IS WITHIN THE ST. AUGUSTINE TOWN PLAN LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC LANDMARKS. THE CATHEDRAL BASILICA PLANS TO USE THE PROPOSED GARAGE FOR PARKING, AND THE DEVELOPER CAN SELL ALCOHOL. QUESTION, WHO IS NOW USING THE LOT ON CATHEDRAL? NOT CONNECTED WITH THIS DEVELOPER. IS IT FREE? SET TOTAL NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES AT 155, WHICH CANNOT BE CHANGED IN THE FUTURE BY THE DEVELOPER. SET NUMBER OF ROOMS IN HOTEL AND NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR HOTEL ROOMS AT 120, WHICH CANNOT BE CHANGED IN THE FUTURE BY DEVELOPER. QUESTION WHO IN THE CITY GOVERNMENT WILL MONITOR CONSTRUCTION VIBRATION? TRASH COMPACTOR FOR BUSINESS IN THE AREA IS NOT FOR THE PUBLIC. THEY COULD HAVE DONE THAT A LONG TIME AGO WHEN MR. REGAN WAS WORKING HERE. QUESTION, WHO DECIDED WHAT MINOR DEVIATIONS? PAGE 14 ARE MINOR DEVIATIONS SIZE CAPACITY OF COMPACTORS SHOULD NOT BE BETWEEN THE DEVELOPER AND HIS PAID TEAM AND OUR CITY STAFF. ANY CHANGES SHOULD BE BEFORE CITY COMMISSION AND NOT APPROVED BY CITY STAFF. THIS IS NOT TRANSPARENCY. WE VOTED FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, NOT CITY STAFF. IT'S UNFORTUNATE DEVELOPERS MANIPULATE AND WASTE CITY STAFF TIME. YOU NEED TO READ WHAT THEY PUT IN FOR THIS WHOLE DEVELOPMENT. THERE'S PAGES IN THERE THAT THEY'RE NOT ANSWERING TO YOU RIGHT NOW AND NOT BEING DISCUSSED. IT NEEDS TO HAVE NO HOLES IN IT. AND I THINK YOU'VE GOT HOLES IN IT BECAUSE YOU'VE ASKED SOME QUESTIONS. AND I WAS GOING TO ASK THE LAST QUESTION, BUT I FOUND OUT NOW THAT HE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE OUR CRA MONEY FOR A DOWNTOWN GARAGE. THIS IS VERY WRONG. THIS IS VERY WRONG. THIS DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT BENEFIT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY. MONEY. WE NEED IT THE RIGHT WAY AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE, NOT JUST PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST GOING TO GET SOME MONEY FOR IT. AND SOME OF THESE PEOPLE THAT GOT UP AND SPOKE DON'T EVEN LIVE IN THIS CITY. SO I'M THE SECOND ONE. VOTE NO. BECAUSE I WILL CONTINUE TO COME IN HERE BECAUSE QUALITY OF LIFE IS VERY IMPORTANT. MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY. YOU'RE NOT TAKING IT WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED, AND WE ARE BACK TO THE BOARD. OH, I'M SORRY. YOU DID WISH TO REBUT. JUST TWO MINUTES TO CLARIFY. ABSOLUTELY. TO CLARIFY, THIS PROPERTY OWNER [02:20:02] WILL BE USING HIS MONEY TO CONSTRUCT THE GARAGE. AND ALSO, ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THIS PUD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE WE'RE MODIFYING THE PUD, WE'VE HAD TO GO TO THE PZB, THE HARB, AND NOW TO YOU. SO, THE CITY CODE REQUIRES ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE PUD THAT ARE NOT THE MINOR DEVIATIONS THAT ARE ADDRESSED IN THE PUD TEXT HAVE TO COME BACK FOR PUBLIC HEARING, JUST LIKE THIS APPLICATION. AND WITH THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR TEAM, PLEASE LET US KNOW. OTHERWISE, WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF HEARINGS, AND I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THIS PROJECT OVER THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS. OKAY. SO WE ARE ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF? WE HAVE AN APPLICANT. WE'VE HEARD FROM THE APPLICANT. WE'VE HEARD FROM STAFF. NOW WE'RE IN I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT FROM MS. SMITH. I DO HAVE ONE, YEAH. WHEN WE HAD THE FIRST READING, THE FIVE-STAR WAS IN QUESTION. EVERYBODY HAS TALKED FIVE-STAR. HAS IT BEEN CONFIRMED THIS IS A FIVE-STAR HOTEL AND IT'S GOING TO BE A FIVE-STAR HOTEL IN THREE YEARS? MR. PATEL IS SAYING YES. WAIT, I'M GETTING A NOD. OKAY, THANK YOU. YES, THEY'RE SAYING YES. FIVE-STAR HOTEL IS ON MR. REGAN'S SLIDE. IT SHOWED THE BRANDS OR FLAGS THEY'RE DISCUSSING. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE, DO YOU HAVE IT IN THE PUD TEXT ABOUT USING MATERIALS? ONE OF THE SPEAKERS BROUGHT UP, MS. LACONCE BROUGHT UP THE REAL WOOD. AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT IN THE PAST. WE'VE HAD THAT WITH THE HILTON GARDEN INN WAS, YOU KNOW, USING REAL WOOD ON THE ROOF AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, IS IT IN THE TEXT? OR MAYBE THAT'S A QUESTION OF IT'S IN THE HARB APPROVALS. ALL THE MATERIALS, ALL THE DETAILS WERE IN THE HARB-APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW. I'M SURE. I'M JUST SURE. NO, I WOULDN'T, I, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T ASSUME ANYTHING AT THIS POINT, BUT I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE ALL WORKED DISTINCT TO DEATH. SO ABSOLUTELY. ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS? VICE MAYOR? SURE. I ECHO MS. CONCERNS ABOUT VIBRATION MONITORING, HAVING BEEN A VICTIM AS SHE WAS OF DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE WITH THE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND CONSTRUCTION, THE BUILDINGS AROUND THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT ARE EVEN MORE HISTORIC AND AT GREAT RISK WITH ANY VIBRATION. SO I WANT VERY STRICT PARAMETERS, NOT JUST MONITORING VIBRATION, BUT AT WHAT LEVELS ARE ACCEPTABLE. I WANT VERY STRICT PARAMETERS AROUND THAT INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT. WELL, HOW DO WE MEMORIALIZE THAT? WELL, THE PUD TEXT ON PAGE 14, SECTION U, TALKS ABOUT THE PILINGS FOR THE NEW BUILDINGS TO BE CONSTRUCTED ON THE PROPERTY WILL BE AUGER CAST WITH BEAMS CONNECTING THE PILINGS ON OR NEAR THE GROUND SURFACE TO MINIMIZE CONSTRUCTION VIBRATION. DURING CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS, THE OWNER WILL ENGAGE A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER TO MONITOR VIBRATION FROM THE PROJECT TO ENSURE THAT NEARBY BUILDINGS ARE NOT IMPACTED. AND THAT IS THE TEXT THAT I READ CAREFULLY SEVERAL TIMES OVER. I'M STILL SEEING MONITORING AND I'M NOT SEEING NUMBERS. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT NUMBERS. SO CRITERIA. AT WHAT POINT WOULD A CERTAIN LEVEL OF VIBRATION TRIP A STOP WORK, FOR EXAMPLE? I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN CONSTRUCTION. WELL, THERE ARE WAYS TO DO THAT, AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IS THAT THERE ARE BEST PRACTICES FOR DOING THAT, AND THEY'RE WRITTEN IN STATE CODE. I'VE READ IT, ALTHOUGH I DON'T REMEMBER IT SPECIFICALLY. BUT IT'S OUT THERE AND THEY'RE GENERALLY ACCEPTED PRACTICES AND LIMITS IN CERTAIN TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF SUBSTRATE, ARE YOU ON ROCK OR ARE YOU ON SAND, EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY'RE OUT THERE AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THEM BE NOT JUST MONITORED, BUT THAT THE CRITERIA BE APPLIED AND ENFORCED. OKAY, THEN WHAT I WAS JUST INFORMED WAS WE CAN ADD TO THE, BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING A COUPLE OF CHANGES TO THE PUD TEXT ALREADY BASED ON OUR PRIOR DISCUSSION. SO WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO'S MONITORING ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO STOP THE WORK IN COORDINATION WITH THE STAFF. BASED ON ACCEPTABLE STATE STANDARDS, I MEAN, THERE HAS [02:25:01] TO BE SOME ENFORCEMENT TOOL. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE MONITORED TO EXCEED OR WITHIN THE LIMITS. I THINK THERE'S ALSO SPECIFICITY. I LOOKED INTO THIS AT SOME TIME. I THINK I SHARED WITH MS. AVERY SMITH. SOME GUIDELINES, BUT IT'S BASED ON THE ADJACENT STRUCTURES, THE MATERIALS OF THE ADJACENT STRUCTURES, BECAUSE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. AND SO IF MS. AVERY-SMITH WANTS TO INCLUDE THAT IT WILL BE BASED ON CURRENT BEST PRACTICES FOR THE ADJACENT, FOR IMPACTS ON THE ADJACENT. THAT'S RIGHT. STRUCTURES. WE HAVE A COQUINA STRUCTURE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT ACROSS THE ROAD, SO WE'LL WANT TO BE SURE THAT THAT'S SET IN STONE. MAKE SENSE? IT DOES. WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE DOWNTOWN. OKAY. WELL, APPARENTLY VIBRATIONS IN THE CITY AND CONSTRUCTION IS A REALLY BIG DEAL THESE DAYS. IT CERTAINLY IS. AND SHOULD BE. SO WE WANT TO BE SURE, YEAH. IT SHOULD BE. RIGHT, AND I'VE TAKEN NOTES AND WE WILL PROVIDE. YOU'VE TAKEN NOTES, OKAY, YOU WANT TO ADD THAT TO YOUR LIST? CORRECT. EXCELLENT, ALL RIGHT. OTHER COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS BEFORE WE GET INTO THE ACTUAL, WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION, BUT I'M WILLING TO MAKE A MOTION WHEN WE GET READY TO DO THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER? WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A MOTION. I'LL MAKE A MOTION, BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO USE YOUR VERBIAGE THAT YOU'VE HEARD, AND WE'LL FIGURE THAT OUT. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY. YES, MA'AM. BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO PASS THE PUD, BUT WITH PROVISIONS. OKAY. AND I CAN READ TO YOU BECAUSE I'VE TAKEN NOTES IN THE TEXT ITSELF, SO I CAN TELL YOU WHERE WE'RE INSERTING IF THAT WORKS FOR YOU. OKAY. OR YOU TELL ME. LET'S GO AHEAD. HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A STAB AT IT, AND THEN I'LL MAKE THE MOTION, AND THEN WE'LL SEE IF WE GET A SECOND, AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE. WE CAN DO DEBATE OR COMMENTS. OKAY, SO ON PAGE 14, SUBSECTION U, UNDER CONSTRUCTION METHODS, WE'RE GOING TO BEEF UP THAT TO ADDED ENFORCEMENT TOOL AND THE ABILITY TO STOP WORK AND INFORMATION ABOUT CURRENT BEST PRACTICES BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF ADJACENT STRUCTURES. WITH RESPECT TO THE PUBLIC TRASH COMPACTOR, WHICH IS SUBSECTION 3V, AS IN VICTORY, I HAVE TO CORRECT A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR TO ADD THE WORD SHALL. AND THEN ON PAGE 15 UNDER SUBSECTION 5D, AS IN DOG, WE ARE GOING TO CLARIFY THAT ANDERSON CIRCLE REFERENCED IS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OF ANDERSON CIRCLE. AND WE'RE ONLY RECONFIGURING THE ROAD WITHIN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OF ANDERSON CIRCLE. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S IT. WHAT ABOUT TREES? NO. NATIVE PLANTS. NATIVE PLANTS, SORRY. AND LOW-FLOW IRRIGATION, THAT COMBINATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DRIP IRRIGATION, AND DOWNWARD-FACING LIGHTING. SO THOSE ARE THREE THINGS. AND THOSE WOULD BE AS CONSISTENT WITH THE HARB ORDER, RIGHT? YEAH, THE STRUCTURE IS FINE, WHATEVER THE DESIGN IS, BUT AS LONG AS IT'S FACING DOWNWARD. OKAY. AND FOR THE CLERK, THOSE WOULD BE PART OF THE MOTION. I THINK THAT WAS THE INTENT. I'M GOING TO TAKE MY MOTION, AND I'M GOING TO FOLD THAT INTO MY MOTION. SO MY MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE PUD WITH THE MODIFICATIONS THAT WERE JUST GONE OVER. AND THAT'S IT? SECOND. ALL RIGHT, THEN. ORDINANCE. OR DID YOU WANT TO HAVE MORE? GO AHEAD AND WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION AGAIN. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-08, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE ZONING FOR APPROXIMATELY 1.06 ACRES OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT 24 CATHEDRAL PLACE, PARCEL ID NUMBER 197160-0000 AND CHARLOTTE STREET PARCEL ID NUMBER 197200-0000 AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HERE AND AFTER TO AMEND ITS CURRENT PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT PUD CLASSIFICATION, ADOPTING A NEW PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT PUD, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR SEVERANCE OF INVALID PROVISIONS, AND [02:30:01] PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. EXCELLENT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO I'D LIKE TO START WITH COMMENTS. I WANT TO THANK HARB. I WANT TO THANK PLANNING AND ZONING. I'D LIKE TO THANK STAFF. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE KANTI PATEL FAMILY, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT HAS COME OUT, AS WELL AS THE RESIDENTS THAT HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TONIGHT. IT'S BEEN IN THE PAST YEARS I'VE WORKED WITH, WELL, I WAS ON HARB FOR THE HILTON GARDEN INN. SO I KNOW THE WORK THAT MR. PATEL PUTS IN, AND I KNOW HIS WORK PRODUCT, BECAUSE WE CAN MAKE A LOT OF PROMISES IN PUDS, BUT. THE FOLLOW THROUGH IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO US IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WE KNOW THAT MR. PATEL DOES STAY TRUE TO HIS WORD AND PLAYS, IT PLAYS IT VERY STRAIGHT WITH US. SO WE DO ALWAYS APPRECIATE THAT. I LIKE THE PROJECT. IT PRESERVES AN IMPORTANT AND AN IMPORTANT HISTORIC STRUCTURE IN THE, IN THE DOWNTOWN AND IT CREATES A MORE BEAUTIFUL STREETSCAPE IN THE MOST. IMPORTANT PART OF OUR CITY, WHICH IS THERE ON THE PLAZA AT THE HEART OF THE CITY. IT'S MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY. IT PROVIDES FOR PARKING THAT IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY FOR EMPLOYEE PARKING, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MOVE MORE IN THE DIRECTION OF. SO I APPRECIATE MR. PATEL LEADING BY EXAMPLE AND PROVIDING PARKING FOR HIS EMPLOYEES. I ALSO AGREE WITH MS. MARKOVITS, WHO SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR HOSPITALITY INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS TO BE ELEVATED, AND THIS WILL DO THAT FOR US. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE, I MEAN, PAUL THOMPSON SAID, YOU KNOW, HE'S FOURTH GENERATION. I'M SIXTH GENERATION, ST. JOHNS COUNTY, AND I CAN SAY MY FAMILY ORAL HISTORY ABOUT WHAT WE'VE ENVISIONED THROUGH THE YEARS, IT'S GONE FAR BEYOND ANYBODY'S IMAGINATION OF SIX GENERATIONS AGO. I PROMISE YOU THAT. THEY WERE FIGHTING ABOUT FENCING CATTLE IN THOSE DAYS. SO, I MEAN, THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY ORAL HISTORY. SO THESE ARE GREAT STRIDES MOVING FORWARD. IT'S GOING TO BE A NICE MOBILITY FEE, CONTRIBUTION OF $350,000, CONTRIBUTION OF $465,000 WITHIN 90 DAYS. I THINK THAT'S INCREDIBLE. AND I JUST, I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF THIS FLAG THAT HE'S BRINGING IN. SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THE STREETSCAPE WILL CHANGE, BUT CITIES DO CHANGE. AND AS FAR AS BEING OUT OF SCALE, YOU KNOW, THAT HORSE IS OUT OF THE BARN. THE OUT OF SCALE COLONIAL HAS BEEN DONE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND YOU CANNOT. PUT THAT BACK IN. YES, IT IS OUT OF SCALE FOR THE COLONIAL, TRUE COLONIAL. I KNOW, LES THOMAS, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. BUT THAT IS DONE. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TELL ANYBODY NO, BECAUSE WE'VE TOLD EVERYBODY YES. BUT THANK YOU. SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. MAY I GO? I THINK BJ CLADY AND MIKE DAVIS HAVE AGREED, AND THAT IS THAT IT TAKES MONEY, MONEY, MONEY TO PRESERVE A FANTASTIC BUILDING. SO, MS. CLADY'S RIGHT. IT TAKES A LOT OF MONEY TO SAVE THE EXCHANGE BANK, AND A FIVE-STAR HOTEL WILL CREATE THE MONEY AND WILL KEEP IT HERE FOR A LONG TIME, AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. I'M REALLY EXCITED, TOO, THAT IT'S A LOCAL DEVELOPER AND NOT SOMEONE WHO'S MOVING IN FROM ATLANTA TO MAKE A CASH DEAL AND LEAVE. THE DEVELOPER'S MONEY IS ALSO STAYING IN TOWN WITH EMPLOYEES, AND HIS OFFICES ARE IN TOWN. I DIDN'T KNOW MR. KANTI YEARS AGO, BUT I KNEW HIS SON AT GAMBLE ROGERS MIDDLE SCHOOL. HE WAS A GREAT VOLLEYBALL PLAYER, BY THE WAY. BUT I SAY THAT TO TELL YOU THE SAD PART OF MY IMPRESSION OF THIS. I'M ON A TEACHER'S RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY. AND SINCE I GOT MARRIED IN THE CASA MONICA WHEN IT WAS THE COURTHOUSE, ONE OF MY MARRIAGES. IT'S ALL COMING OUT. IT'S ALL COMING OUT. AND I'VE LIVED IN ST. AUGUSTINE SINCE 89. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF LIVING IN ST. [02:35:02] AUGUSTINE ANYMORE. WE TRIED TO GO OUT TO DINNER DURING NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, BUT IT WAS $150 FOR TWO PEOPLE THAT DON'T DRINK, AND WE SHARED A DESSERT. THE FIVE STAR HOTEL IS GOING TO BE A GREAT THING. IT'S GOING TO BRING IN ALL THOSE NEW PEOPLE WITH ALL THAT MONEY. BUT IT'S GOING TO DRIVE OUT PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO LIVE ON A FIXED INCOME, EVEN THOUGH WE DO GET A 3%. IT'S GOING TO DRIVE US OUT OF TOWN. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE TOUR TRAINS, WHICH ARE EXPENSIVE NOW. I CAN'T TAKE MY NEPHEWS AND NIECES ON THE TOUR TRAIN, ALL NINE OF THEM, WITHOUT THE LOAN. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY COMMISSION STIPEND IS HUGE. SO I AM REALLY IN THE CASH RIGHT NOW. SO I APPEAL TO THE BUSINESS OWNERS. YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING TO THE LOCALS, AND SOME OF IT IS VERY POSITIVE, PROVIDING ALL THAT CASH FOR THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO PAVE YOUR STREETS AND TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE POLICE AND FIRE. BUT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO LIVE HERE MUCH LONGER. AND THE CITY MAKES A RECOGNITION OF THAT, AND WE GIVE A DISCOUNT TO LOCALS. WE PROVIDE REALLY CHEAP PARKING TO COME TO YOUR BUSINESSES. BUT WE GET NO BENEFIT FOR BEING A TAXPAYER AND HELPING IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESSES. WE DON'T GET ANY DISCOUNTS. I GO TO GEORGIE'S TWICE A WEEK. I DON'T GET A DISCOUNT AT GEORGIE'S. AND THAT'S NOT ATYPICAL. AND I KNOW BUSINESSES ARE SUFFERING AND I KNOW IT'S HARD, BUT JUST REALIZE ST. AUGUSTINE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, DO SOMETHING TO HELP LOCALS BECAUSE WE ARE HELPING YOU AT THE CITY COMMISSION AND TAXPAYERS. AND I AM IN FAVOR OF THIS PROJECT, BUT I DO SEE THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. WELL SAID. COMMISSIONER GARRIS. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT AND SPOKE ON THIS PROJECT. AND I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF GOING TO DIFFERENT EVENTS. I THINK ALL OF US HAVE THAT. MR. PATEL HAS THE ONE ON THE BEACH BECAUSE WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT EVENTS, THE DIFFERENT ONES, THE EMBASSY, DIFFERENT ONES. AND I KNOW THAT A FIVE- STAR HOTEL WOULD BE A BLESSING FOR DOWNTOWN BECAUSE FOR A LOT OF REASONS. ONE, BECAUSE I KNOW WE APPROVED, WELL, THE COMMISSION APPROVED THE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING WITH REDUCING PARKING ON CATHEDRAL AND MAKING IT ONE LANE THAT'S COMING IN THE FUTURE. SO THIS WOULD GIVE US BACK SOME OF THOSE SPACES, BECAUSE I ALWAYS HAD A CONCERN ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT GO TO CATHEDRAL AND TRINITY THAT MIGHT BE IN A WHEELCHAIR. SO THEY CAN NOW GO INTO THAT PARKING LOT ONCE IT IS ESTABLISHED, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO. I KNOW EVERYBODY SAYS, OH, THEY CAN GET ON THE RIDER. AIN'T NOBODY GETTING ON THE RIDER WITH NO WHEELCHAIR, OKAY? SO IT'LL BE A BLESSING FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO IT WILL KIND OF OFFSET THAT. STREETS ARE GOING TO BE WIDER. SIDEWALKS ARE GOING TO BE WIDER. AND HIS FIVE-STAR HOTEL, I HAVE NO SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING. AND IT WILL ATTRACT PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S BEEN PROVEN. SUSAN PHILLIPS CAME AND PROVED THAT SOME PEOPLE DON'T SPEND MONEY THAT COME HERE TO OUR CITY DURING NIGHTS AND LIGHTS. AND JUST TOURISTS IN ANY WAY, THEY JUST WANT TO GET AWAY AND JUST SEE SOME HISTORY. YOU KNOW, HISTORY IS FREE BECAUSE YOU CAN JUST WALK AND SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT THE ONES THAT DO WANT TO COME, THAT WANT TO ENJOY A HISTORIC STRUCTURE, THAT HAVE INCOME, IT'LL BE A BLESSING TO ALL THE BUSINESSES THAT COME AND PARTAKE BECAUSE THEY CAN AFFORD TO STAY THERE AND THEY CAN AFFORD TO GO TO THE RESTAURANTS. SO MANY RESIDENTS DON'T WANT TO COME DOWNTOWN BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC MORE SO THAN THE PARKING OR ANY OF THAT. AND THEY DID WANT TO COME, YOU KNOW, LATER IN JANUARY. SO WE'VE OPENED THAT DOOR FOR THEM TO COME IN THAT TIME. I THINK ONE THING THAT WE HAVE DONE AS A CITY WHERE WE STOPPED THE PARKING AFTER SIX AND WE INCREASED IT TO NINE, THEY FEEL LIKE THAT WAS NOT AN INVITATION OF WANTING THEM TO COME DOWN BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE USED TO COME DOWNTOWN AFTER THE EMPLOYEES GOT OFF AND HAD FREE PARKING BECAUSE WE STOPPED IT, AND THEN WE INCREASED IT TO NINE, SO THEY JUST DON'T COME DOWNTOWN ANYMORE. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD ANYWAY. BUT I'M GLAD THAT WE ARE GOING FORWARD. THE PLANS THAT WE SAW EARLIER BEFORE PHASE 1, DURING PHASE 01, WERE EXCELLENT DESIGNS. THE ONLY REASON I BROUGHT UP THE TREES, BUT IF THEY HAVE HARB-APPROVED TREES, THEN THEY DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO HARB. SO I HEAR HARB IS REAL TOUGH. THEY'RE TOUGHER THAN US, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. [02:40:01] SO ANYHOW, I'M JUST EXCITED FOR THEM. I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHEN IT MATERIALIZES. IT'S GOING TO BE A BLESSING TO OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO LIKE I SAID, I FOLLOWED THIS FROM TWO YEARS AGO, I THINK. YOU CAME TO THE PLANNING BOARD FOR THE FIRST ONE AND WHEN I SAW IT I WAS I HAVE TO SAY I WAS VERY INTRIGUED BY THIS IT'S AMBITIOUS AT THAT TIME THE ISSUES WERE THE LAND USE ISSUES I THINK THE PLANNING BOARD SOLVED THAT WELL THERE WAS A LITTLE CONTROVERSY AROUND SOME OF THOSE ISSUES BUT IT WAS AN OPEN INVITATION FOR HARB TO DO IT IN THE END I THINK THIS IS JUST REALLY SMART INFILL DEVELOPMENT AND I THINK IT'S BEEN MENTIONED HERE TONIGHT THE CITY IS HAS THESE EMPTY SPACES AND FILLING THEM IN THE CORE OF THE CITY FOR ME, SOMEONE THINKING ABOUT PLANNING MAKES A LOT OF SENSE IN EVERY WAY. IT'S MOBILITY, THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS ARE CENTERED DOWN THERE. YOU'RE PRESERVING THE HISTORIC STRUCTURE AND I'LL SAY THAT ONE OF THE REASONS WHEN I FIRST CAME TO ST. AUGUSTINE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY CAUGHT MY EYE WERE THE BIG EPIC STRUCTURES AND THE BANK WAS ONE OF THEM. SO I THINK PRESERVING THAT IS. VERY IMPORTANT. ON ANOTHER NOTE, I THINK THE MAYOR HAD ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE PLANNING BOARD AND HARB AND STUFF. AND I THINK WHEN WE HAD DISCUSSION ABOUT PUDS A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND IT'S LIKE, THIS IS A VERY WELL-VETTED PUD. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS IT'S SO SUCCESSFUL AND WHY REALLY FOR THE COMPLICATIONS THAT ARE IN IT, I FELT LIKE A LOT OF THESE THINGS WERE TIED UP BY OUR CITIZEN BOARDS AND BY OUR STAFF AND BY THE APPLICANT. AND I WILL SAY, HONESTLY, IT'S SITTING HERE TO GET A REALLY GOOD RESEARCH, FETED APPLICATION LIKE THIS FROM A PERSON THAT'S EASY TO DEAL WITH, AND THE STAFF, OUR STAFF DID IT. AND I THINK THIS PROJECT IS GOOD BECAUSE OF OUR REVIEW PROCESS IN GENERAL. AND I'M VERY EXCITED FOR IT. AND I WISH THEM THE BEST OF LUCK. VERY NICE. VICE MAYOR? SURE. I THINK FOR REASONS THAT I JUST WANT TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, I'VE BEEN CONSISTENT WHENEVER WE'VE HAD A PUD THAT I CAN SUPPORT AND GET BEHIND, AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM. AND I'VE DONE THAT CONSISTENTLY. SO ANY SURPRISE IN MY VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THIS SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. THIS IS IT, AS SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE SAID. THIS IS A WELL-VETTED APPLICATION. IT HAS THE APPLICANT'S BEEN RESPONSIVE TO EVERYTHING FROM THE FIRST READING WHERE WE GOT EVERYTHING WE ASKED FOR IN TERMS OF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES FOR EXAMPLE YOU KNOW ALL THE WAY TO THE TO THE DOWNWARD FACING LIGHTING I THINK THAT THERE'S THERE'S A A HIGH LEVEL OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL IT IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF INFILL DEVELOPMENT I WOULD HATE TO SEE LIKE YOU YOU SAID, AN OUT OF TOWN DEVELOPER COME IN AND NOT BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR VALUES AND PROTECTION OF OUR HISTORIC RESOURCES. THIS IS A GOOD PROJECT. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT IT. I APPRECIATE THAT MR. REGAN OUTLINED THE MANY REASONS WHY IT IS, IN FACT, SMART GROWTH BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DRIVES ME AND HAS BEEN DRIVING ME FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. THAT'S IT. THIS IS A GOOD PROJECT. I SUPPORT IT WITH THE PROVISIONS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. EXCELLENT. AND THANK YOU. AND SO I DO WANT TO GO BACK AND CORRECT MY EX PARTE. I DID WITH JOHN REGAN. I WANT TO JUST SAY THAT I DID HAVE A MEETING AND SPEAK WITH JOHN REGAN, SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE RECORD. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO SAY? OTHERWISE, I'LL CALL THE ROLL. OKAY. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. OH, WE HAVE TO READ IT. WE HAVE TO READ IT. OKAY. SORRY. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-09, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, VACATING. OH, HOLD ON. I HAD THE WRONG ONE. I ALREADY READ IT? I AM SO SORRY. SEE, YOU WERE ON THE BALL. OKAY THEN, WELL, YAY. WE HAD A LONG, DRAWN-OUT DISCUSSION AND I FORGOT I READ IT. ALL RIGHT THEN, VERY WELL, VERY WELL. IT WOULDN'T HURT TO READ IT AGAIN, BUT ANYWAY. ALL RIGHT, SO MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. NANCY SIKES-KLINE? YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS? YES. JON DEPRETER? YES. JIM SPRINGFIELD? YES. BARBARA BLONDER? YES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I THINK THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A BREAK, IF Y'ALL DON'T MIND. TEN MINUTES, AND THEN SOME. [8.A.4. Ordinance 2026-09: Vacate Right of Way, 81 Magnolia Drive (S. Slaughter, Utilities and Public Works Director) ] [02:45:05] ALL RIGHT, SO WE ARE RECONVENING. THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER. NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ORDINANCE. 2026-09 VACATING RIGHT AWAY AND THAT'S MR. SLAUGHTER. GOOD EVENING. IF I MAY? YES, AND WE HAVE, I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE TO RECUSE MYSELF BECAUSE I LIVE NEXT TO THIS PROPERTY FOR THE THIRD TIME. OKAY THEN. THERE'S A FORM FOR YOU. ALRIGHT. MR. SLAUGHTER. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, STEPHEN SLAUGHTER, UTILITY AND PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR. BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING FOR ORDINANCE 2026-09, AN ORDINANCE TO VACATE A RIGHT-OF-WAY AT 81 MAGNOLIA DRIVE. THE PORTION OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO BE VACATED IS LOCATED BETWEEN LOTS 456 AND LOTS 789. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU MAY HAVE. AND THIS IS SECOND READING WITH PUBLIC HEARING. ALL RIGHT, EXCELLENT. ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF ON THIS? OKAY, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING. ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK, PLEASE FILL OUT A CARD. I DO HAVE ONE SPEAKER CARD. MS. CLADY BJ CLADY, WEST CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. THIS ITEM WAS WITHDRAWN AT JANUARY 26, 2026 CITY COMMISSION MEETING. QUESTION, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO VACATE RIGHT-OF-WAY ALLEYWAY? QUESTION, ARE PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE AREA INCLUDING LOTS 1, 02, 3, 10, 11, 12, AWARE THIS VOTE WILL MEAN THEY WILL NOT, I REPEAT, WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE ON THIS PART OF THE ALLEYWAY. QUESTION, WILL THIS PROPERTY OWNER BE PERMITTED TO BUILD ON THE ALLEYWAY A GUEST HOUSE OR ANYTHING ELSE? QUESTIONS ARE ASKED TO GIVE STAFF AND ELECTED POLITICIANS OPPORTUNITY TO BE TRANSPARENT WITH TAXPAYERS. I'M GOING TO REPEAT THE THREE QUESTIONS. MAYBE THERE WILL BE AN ANSWER. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO VACATE RIGHT-OF-WAY ALLEYWAY? ARE PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE AREA, INCLUDING LOTS 01, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, AWARE THIS VOTE WILL MEAN THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE ON THIS PART OF THE ALLEYWAY? QUESTIONS? QUESTION. WILL THIS PROPERTY OWNER BE PERMITTED TO BUILD ON THE ALLEYWAY A GUEST HOUSE? OR ANYTHING ELSE. ONCE YOU GIVE A RIGHT-OF-WAY TO AN INDIVIDUAL, DOES THAT MEAN NO ONE ELSE CAN DO ANYTHING ON IT AND THAT THEY CAN BUILD SOMETHING ON IT? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS? SURE. THE FIRST QUESTION, IT DOES NOT COST US ANYTHING TO VACATE THE ALLEYWAY. SECOND QUESTION, WE NOTIFIED ALL THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY VACATION. THE THIRD QUESTION IS, YES, ONCE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY IS VACATED, IT BECOMES PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE PROPERTY OWNER CAN BUILD ON IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. QUESTIONS? I MOVE WE APPROVE ORDINANCE 2026-09 READ BY TITLE ONLY. I'LL SECOND. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-09, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, VACATING DISCONTINUING, AND ABANDONING THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF AN UNNAMED, UNOPENED ALLEYWAY LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF ST. AUGUSTINE ON PROPERTY KNOWN AS 81 MAGNOLIA DRIVE. PORTIONS OF LOTS 4, 5, 6, 07, 8, AND 9, BLOCK A, CAPO'S ADDITION, ANASTASIA, LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE OKAY, MADAM CLERK, CALL THE ROLL. JIM SPRINGFIELD. YES. NANCY SIKES-KLINE. YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS. YES. BARBARA BLONDER. YES. ALL RIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [9.A.1. Ordinance 2026-13: Vacate Right of Way, 3560 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd, Prado Ave (S. Slaughter, Utilities and Public Works Director)] [02:50:21] ALL RIGHT. ON TO THE NEXT. WE HAVE A FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE, ORDINANCE 2026-13, MR. SLAUGHTER. GOOD EVENING AGAIN, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, STEPHEN SLAUGHTER, UTILITY PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR. BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO DISCUSS ORDINANCE 2026-13, A FIRST READING ON MARCH 23RD, 2026, COMMISSION DIRECTED STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DRAFTING AN ORDINANCE TO VACATE RIGHT AWAY AT 3560 NORTH PONCE BOULEVARD. THE PORTION OF PRADO AVENUE OR THE PORTION TO BE VACATED IS PRADO AVENUE. THE PORTION OF PRADO AVENUE TO BE VACATED IS LOCATED BETWEEN, I HAVE THE PID NUMBERS 15017 FOLLOWED BY FIVE ZEROS AND PID NUMBER 16434 FOLLOWED BY FIVE ZEROS. I HAVE AN IMAGE TO GO ALONG WITH IT AS WELL, AND IT IS THE PORTION OF THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT IS HATCHED THERE. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? THIS IS THE SECOND READING. I'M SORRY, THIS IS FIRST READING. I APOLOGIZE. YEAH, ONE, I DON'T PHYSICALLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT, BUT WHEN I WENT ON THE PROPERTY APPRAISER'S MAP, IT HAD TWO DIFFERENT, THE PARCELS WERE IDENTIFIED TO TWO DIFFERENT NAMES. SO DO WE KNOW THAT THE SAME PERSON OWNS THE SAME PARCEL? YES, THE TWO DIFFERENT NAMES. I THOUGHT WHEN I LOOKED AT THE PROPERTY APPRAISER, I THINK ONE MIGHT BE A BUSINESS, ONE MIGHT NOT. I'M JUST DOUBLE-CHECKING. YES, THEY ARE THE SAME INDIVIDUALS, DIFFERENT CORPORATE NAMES, I BELIEVE. OKAY, SAME PERSON OWNS IT ON BOTH SIDES. OKAY, I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT. THANKS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND I, PERSONALLY, I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM EVEN IF THERE WERE DIFFERENT OWNERS ON EITHER SIDE. IT'S JUST WHEN YOU VACATE AN ALLEY, IT'S SPLIT BETWEEN THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS. NO, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS. OKAY. THAT'S ALL. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I MOVE THAT WE PASS 202613 ON FIRST READING. I'LL SECOND. ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026-13, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, VACATING, DISCONTINUING, AND ABANDONING THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF PRADO AVENUE LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF ST. AUGUSTINE, AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE I CALL ROLL? NOPE. I HAVE A COMMENT, SORRY. WHY EXACTLY ARE WE VACATING THAT PROPERTY? BECAUSE IT'S SO CLOSE TO THE MAIN ROAD, NORTH PONCE, JULIAN. WHY? IT'S AN UNIMPROVED AREA OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH OF IT HAS ALREADY BEEN VACATED AS WELL. AND WHEN WE VACATE THIS, THE PROPERTY OWNERS CAN IMPROVE IT FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE PUBLIC. OKAY. SO TO HELP THE OWNERS BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING MORE TO THE PROPERTY? THAT IS ONE, YES. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. NANCY SIKES-KLINE. YES. JON DEPRETER. YES. [9.B.1. Resolution 2026-08: Planning Dept. Procedures for Processing Applications (I. Lopez, City Attorney)] CYNTHIA GARRIS? YES. JIM SPRINGFIELD? YES. BARBARA BLONDER? YES. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, NEXT ITEM WILL BE RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION 2026-08, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY. YES, MADAM MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, AND COMMISSIONER, RESOLUTION 2026-08 IS ESSENTIALLY A PROCEDURAL RESOLUTION. AS YOU KNOW, UNDER SENATE BILL 180, WHICH WAS NOT THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION BUT THE PAST ONE, THAT PARTICULAR LAW HAS BOTH INTERNAL FLUCTUATING DATES OF APPLICABILITY. SO IT HAS A RETROACTIVE COMPONENT, IT HAS A FORWARD-FACING COMPONENT, AND THE FORWARD-FACING COMPONENT CHANGES UPON THERE BEING A HURRICANE NATURAL DISASTER. DESIGNATION, SO IT CAN CHANGE OVER TIME INTO THE FUTURE, IF I CAN PHRASE IT THAT WAY. COMBINED WITH THAT, WE KNOW THAT THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE WAS A BILL TO AMEND THAT KIND [02:55:03] OF NEBULOUS PORTION OF THAT STATUTE, AND IT FAILED. AND WE BELIEVE THERE'LL BE ANOTHER ATTEMPT NEXT YEAR TO CLARIFY ALL OF THIS LANGUAGE AND WHAT DOES OR DOESN'T APPLY WHEN. AND THEN THE THIRD PART OF THE COMPONENT IS THERE'S PENDING LITIGATION WITH THOUSAND FRIENDS OF FLORIDA INVOLVED. SO WE'VE GOT SORT OF THREE COMPONENT PARTS OF AMBIGUITY ON WHEN AND TO WHAT SENATE BILL 180'S REGULATIONS APPLY. AND SO THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PARTICULAR RESOLUTION IS TO ALLOW MYSELF TO GUIDE YOUR PLANNING STAFF AT ANY GIVEN POINT IN TIME, IF AN APPLICATION COMES IN, I CAN ASSIST THEM IN UNDERSTANDING, OKAY, THESE PARTS OF OUR CODE DO OR DON'T APPLY TO THIS APPLICATION TODAY. MAYBE THREE MONTHS LATER, IT'LL BE A DIFFERENT APPLICATION AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF STATE LAW MAY OR MAY NOT APPLY AT THAT POINT IN TIME. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BASICALLY CLARIFY THAT WHEN WE PROCESS APPLICATIONS BECAUSE OF SENATE BILL 180. IT'LL BE A POLAROID IN TIME. AND THAT MEANS SIMILAR APPLICATIONS MAY BE PROCESSED DIFFERENTLY OVER THE EXPANSE OF THE NEXT YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF. AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO. SO THIS JUST PROVIDES A PROCESS AND I SUPPOSE NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC TO TRY AND EXPLAIN TO THEM, HEY, THERE'S THIS BILL. IT HAS WEIRD RETROACTIVE PROACTIVE COMPONENTS. THERE'S A LAWSUIT GOING ON. AND THERE'S POTENTIAL CHANGES TO THIS BILL THAT ARE COMING UP EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SO IT'S A BIT OF A MUDDLE, AND WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT WITH PLANNING STAFF AND TRY AND EXPLAIN IT TO APPLICANTS AS THEY APPLY. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY TO BENEFIT PROPERTY OWNERS AND APPLICANTS THE MESS THAT GOT MADE IN TALLAHASSEE. CORRECT. CORRECT. WE'RE VERY SORRY THAT SOMETIMES IT'LL FEEL LIKE DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THE STATE LAW IS RIGHT NOW. RIGHT. HOPEFULLY THEY'LL WORK ON IT NEXT YEAR. DO YOU NEED THIS RESOLUTION TO DO YOUR JOB? NO, I DON'T. I THINK THE INTENT WAS TO TRY AND MAKE IT PUBLIC. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING, I'M SURE, AS A PROPERTY OWNER. YOU KNOW, YOU COME FORWARD AND YOU'RE WONDERING, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, SO-AND-SO A YEAR AGO, IT WAS APPLIED THIS WAY. SIX MONTHS FROM NOW, IT'S GOING TO BE APPLIED DIFFERENTLY. SO WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO POINT FOLKS TO A PARTICULAR RESOLUTION TO TRY AND EXPLAIN, HEY, THIS IS THE SITUATION. WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN. WE'RE BACKING YOU UP. YES. GOOD. I'M IN FAVOR OF IT. I MOVE THAT WE PASS RESOLUTION 2026-08. SECOND. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE [10. STAFF REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS] ROLL. NANCY SIKES KLINE? YES. JIM SPRINGFIELD? YES. JON DEPRETER? YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS? YES. BARBARA BLONDER? YES. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT ITEM IS A HAPPY POINT. IT'S A REQUEST TO REVIEW THE NATIONAL REGISTERED DICT. DISTRICT THE MODEL LAND NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT A NOMINATION AND UPDATE WHICH HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING AND THAT IS MS. COURTNEY. YOU ARE WELCOME TO PRESENT AND GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR HANGING IN THERE WITH US. THANK YOU. I WAS ABLE TO GET A LOT OF WORK DONE UPSTAIRS. OKAY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND THIS UPDATE BEING FINALLY READY TO MOVE FORWARD. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND MAREN, I'M JUST GOING TO SHOW A FEW OVERHEAD SLIDES, PLEASE. SO AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS MAP, AND THIS WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET, THERE ARE SEVEN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED OVER THE YEARS. THE FIRST OF THOSE BEING DESIGNATED IN 1970 AND MODEL LAND WAS DESIGNATED IN 1983. IT HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE. THIS DISTRICT ENCOMPASSES ALL OR PARTS OF 20 CITY BLOCKS BOUNDED BY KING STREET, CORDOVA, AND ORANGE STREET, US 01, AND THE SAN SEBASTIAN RIVER. RELATIVELY FEW CHANGES AND MINIMAL ALTERATIONS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE 1983 NOMINATION. THE DISTRICT IS WELL MAINTAINED AND HAS AN ACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND PROUD BUILDING OWNERS WHICH ADVOCATE [03:00:01] FOR THE CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE'S PLANNING, ZONING, LAND USE, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ISSUES. AN UPDATE TO THE MODEL LAND COMPANY NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT WAS PLACED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE IN OCTOBER OF 2025 AND REVIEWED BY THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD WHO MADE A MOTION TO UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORT THIS UPDATE MOVING FORWARD. FOR THE REQUEST OF THE HARB, STAFF NOTIFIED THE PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE LISTED AS NEWLY CONTRIBUTING WITH THIS UPDATE SO THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL CHANGE IN STATUS. WE ALSO HOSTED A PUBLIC MEETING ON DECEMBER 9TH THAT WAS WELL ATTENDED AND FEATURED A VERY INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION BY THE STAFF FROM THE HISTORICAL, SORRY, THE DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES. SO WHY DID WE WANT TO DO THIS UPDATE? I'LL JUST GO OVER THAT REALLY QUICKLY. IT WAS TO EXPAND THE PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE, MODIFYING THE SIGNIFICANT PERIOD FROM 1838 TO 1930. AND CHANGED IT TO 1838 TO 1963. WE ALSO WANTED TO EXPAND THE BOUNDARIES SIGNIFICANTLY TO INCLUDE THE KETTERLINUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUS IN ENTIRETY AND TO BRING THE INVENTORY UP TO DATE WITH THE CURRENTLY EXISTING ABOVE GROUND RESOURCES. AND THERE'S SOME INTERESTING NUMBERS THAT ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY OF THE MEMO. WE HAD WITH THIS UPDATE 458 RESOURCES COUNTED, 319 CONTRIBUTING AND 139 NON-CONTRIBUTING. WE HAD 60 WITH A CHANGE OF STATUS. SO OUT OF THOSE 60, 55 ARE NOW NEWLY CONTRIBUTING BUILDINGS. THERE ARE 153 BUILDINGS NEWLY RECORDED IN THE INVENTORY. AND MOST OF THOSE WERE BECAUSE THE NEW REGULATIONS REQUIRED THAT WE COUNT OUT BUILDINGS, EVEN SHEDS AND GARAGES. 44 BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED SINCE THE 1983 LISTING, AND WE KNOW THE KETTERLINUS SCHOOL FROM 1924 WAS DESTROYED BY A DEVASTATING FIRE IN 1981. SO IN CONCLUSION, I'VE INCLUDED BENEFITS TO BEING DESIGNATED AS A CONTRIBUTING BUILDING. IN MY MEMO, AS WELL AS EXCERPTS FROM THE NATIONAL REGISTER BULLETIN TO HELP ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS ON HOW DISTRICTS ARE EVALUATED, A LETTER FROM THE STATE'S DIVISION OF HISTORIC RESOURCES REQUESTING THE REVIEW OF THIS UPDATE. AND WE INVITE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THE CITY COMMISSION'S FEEDBACK AND OR SUPPORT. AND THIS WILL BE PASSED ALONG TO THE STATE. THEY DO HAVE A SCHEDULED REVIEW BOARD MEETING ON MAY 7TH. AND WE HAVE NOW THE LINK. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN JOINING THAT MEETING ONLINE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND THAT MEETING. SO I CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU. IT WAS PASSED ALONG TO US AFTER THE PACKET WENT OUT. BUT I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR CITY'S WONDERFULLY UNIQUE AND SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES. AND I'M AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, I DO. I NOTICED THAT YOU SAID THERE WERE, I'M WRONG, THERE'S 58 NEW CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES? 55. OH, 55. YES. AND DID YOU SAY THAT YOU REACHED OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AND TOLD THEM THEY ARE? WE DID, YES. THE HARB, THAT WAS ONE THING THAT THEY ASKED US TO DO AT THE OCTOBER MEETING. YEAH. SO A LETTER WAS SENT OUT IN EARLY NOVEMBER, AND THEN WE NOTIFIED THEM THAT WE WOULD HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING IF THEY WANTED TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, HEAR A PRESENTATION ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CONTRIBUTING BUILDING. AND WHAT WAS THE FEEDBACK LIKE FROM THAT PUBLIC MEETING? WE HAD ABOUT 20 PEOPLE ATTEND, SO IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD ATTENDANCE FOR THAT TYPE OF MEETING. YEAH, EXACTLY. ESPECIALLY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. AND IT WAS PRETTY MUCH UNANIMOUS. THERE WAS A LOT OF SUPPORT. THERE WAS NO STATED CONCERNS AS FAR AS OBJECTIONS TO THIS UPDATE, OR NO ONE STATED THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN CONSIDERED AS A CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY OWNER. OKAY, GOOD. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. YES. YOU REACHED OUT, AND THOSE PEOPLE KNOW THE STATUS. YES, VERY MUCH. OKAY, THANK YOU. [03:05:04] HOW CAN SOMEBODY FIND OUT IF THEY ARE A CONTRIBUTING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD? WELL, THIS NOMINATION UPDATE IS VERY THOROUGH. I PROVIDED THE PAGE NUMBER IN THE PACKET, BUT IT'S POSTED ONLINE. AND THERE, LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND THE PAGE NUMBER. YEAH, THAT WAS MEANING ALL... YEAH, PAGES 35 THROUGH 46. YEAH, AND I WAS ALSO ASKING ABOUT ALL OF THEM. IF ANYBODY, SAY, IN DEL MAR TERRACE WANTED TO SEE? WE HAVE LISTS THAT WE CAN EASILY PROVIDE THOSE. YOU KNOW, WE KEEP THE LISTS ON FILE. THEY'RE KIND OF BIG DOCUMENTS, SO THEY'RE NOT ALL POSTED ONLINE. OKAY. BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS LISTED AS, YOU KNOW, THE NEWER ONES, ESPECIALLY AS CONTRIBUTING, NON-CONTRIBUTING. THEY'RE ALL LISTED LIKE THAT, BUT WITH THESE UPDATES, IT SHOWS KIND OF HOW THE STATUS CHANGED AND WHY THEY CHANGED. OKAY, THANKS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? NO, I WOULD SAY IF THE HOMEOWNERS WERE ALERTED AND THEY'RE NOT CONCERNED, THEN I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING. AND I DON'T KNOW, DOES THIS REQUIRE A MOTION OR JUST A... WELL, IT'S UP TO YOU, BUT WE WOULD LIKE... IF YOU'RE WILLING TO OFFER A LETTER OF SUPPORT, AND I CAN DRAFT THAT. I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK, IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE INCLUDED IN THAT, OR IF YOU DON'T WISH TO SUPPORT THIS, WE DO NEED TO LET THE STATE KNOW THAT. OKAY. I WOULD SUPPORT THIS. I'M MORE THAN HAPPY IF YOU'LL PREPARE THE LETTER, IF THE COMMISSIONERS ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT. THIS IS A WONDERFUL THING. THIS IS THE KIND OF WORK THAT HAS TO GO ON, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU'VE CIRCLED BACK TO THIS I AM STUNNED AT HOW MANY STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN LOST YES 44 AND TO SEE THE ONES ALTHOUGH OF COURSE WE KNEW AT THE TIME IT WAS QUITE CONTROVERSIAL THE ONES THE PHILIP DECRANO HOUSE AND THE YMCA THE I MEAN THOSE WERE WALTER FRAZIER'S HOUSE YOU KNOW THOSE WERE ALL BATTLES AND THERE WEREN'T TOO MANY TEETH. WE DIDN'T HAVE A VERY GOOD DEMOLITION ORDINANCE AND NOW WE DO. WE HAVE A MUCH BETTER ONE THAN WE DID SO WE LOST THOSE TO FLAGLER COLLEGE NEW CONSTRUCTION BUT THANK GOODNESS THOSE DAYS ARE OVER AND WE WORK REALLY WELL AT FLAGLER COLLEGE NOW AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN THEM DO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS TO THOSE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT HISTORIC STRUCTURES. BUT ALL OF THESE NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT NOMINATIONS TO HAVE SEVEN IN THE CITY AND HOW MANY HISTORIC NATIONAL LANDMARKS DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE ABOUT FIVE INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS AND THEN WE HAVE THAT LARGE DISTRICT, YES, THE TOWN PLAN. SO IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE. IT'S VERY REMARKABLE AND THEN YOU HAVE A STATE PARK IN THE CITY LIMITS. YES. WELL ACTUALLY TWO STATE PARKS. VERY WONDERFUL RESOURCES AND THEN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPONENT IS VERY SIGNIFICANT. YES. IT'S AMAZING WHAT WE HAVE HERE AND SO WE DO. VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT COULD GO UNRECOGNIZED, BUT IT ISN'T. WELL, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING. THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS FOR IT, BUT WE ARE FINALLY READY TO CROSS THE LINE FOR MODEL LAND COMPANY. SO THANK YOU. WE'LL DO THE LAST. I'LL SIGN THE LETTER, AND THEN ALSO PLEASE DO SEND THAT LINK TO US AND LET US KNOW WHEN IT IS SO WE CAN PUT IT ON OUR CALENDARS. SURE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM IS CONSIDERATION TO REVERT GRANADA LOT TO PAID PARKING. AND THAT'S MS. PERKINS, WHO HAS BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING IN THE BACK AS WELL FOR THIS LONG EVENING. GOOD EVENING MADAM MAYOR, MADAM VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, JAMIE D. PERKINS, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR, CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. TONIGHT I WILL BE PRESENTING A PROPOSAL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO REVERT THE GRANADA LOT BACK TO A PAID METER PARKING LOT. GET THE SLIDESHOW GOING HERE. HAVE A VERY SIMPLE PRESENTATION FOR YOU, DURING THE 2025 KNIGHTS OF LIGHT SEASON, STAFF MADE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO THE MAINTENANCE OF TRAFFIC, MOBILITY, PARKING, MANY THINGS IN OUR HISTORIC DOWNTOWN DISTRICT. ONE OF THE MAJOR CHANGES THAT WE IMPLEMENTED DURING THE BUSY SEASON WAS THE WORKFORCE PARKING PROGRAM. THE MOBILITY DIVISION PROVIDED PERMITTED PARKING FOR BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES IN CERTAIN CITY-OWNED LOTS. THE WORKFORCE PARKING PROGRAM IS SEEN AS A GENERAL SUCCESS AS WE SOLD OUT ONE OF OUR MAJOR LOTS, THE TOKES LOT. BUT IN THE GRANADA PARKING LOT, [03:10:02] WHICH IS THE LOT THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING TONIGHT, ONLY TWO ANNUAL PARKING PERMITS WERE PURCHASED FOR THAT LOT. SO STAFF BELIEVE THAT THE LACK OF SUCCESS IS DUE TO THE LOT'S AVAILABILITY. IT'S ONLY AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYEES TO PARK THERE BETWEEN 6 P.M. AND 6 A.M. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. AND OF COURSE, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE LOT ON THE WEEKENDS. CURRENTLY, THE LOT IS USED AS A WORKFORCE PARKING LOT FOR PERMIT HOLDERS, FOR, OF COURSE, CITY HALL AND CITY STAFF PARK THERE, AND THEN OUR LEITNER BUILDING PERMIT HOLDERS PARK THERE AS WELL. THERE'S NO PAY-TO-PARK OPTION CURRENTLY, BASED OFF OF THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS. IT IS WORKFORCE PARKING FOR PERMIT HOLDERS. AGAIN, 6 P.M. TO 6 A.M., WE ONLY SOLD TWO PERMITS, AND IT'S 84 SPACES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THAT PARKING LOT APPROXIMATELY. AND WE KIND OF SEE IT AS A LOSS OF POTENTIAL REVENUE WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE THE LOT THROUGHOUT THE TIME FRAME THAT PERMIT HOLDERS ARE NOT UTILIZING THE SPACE. STAFF IS PROPOSING TO REVERT THE PARKING LOT BACK TO WORKFORCE OR A HYBRID USE LOT, IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING IT, WHERE IT WILL BE USED AS IT WAS PREVIOUSLY FOR ITS WORKFORCE PARKING MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 6 A.M. TO 6 P.M., AND PAY-BY-PLATE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 6 P.M. TO 9 P.M., AND THEN THE ENFORCEMENT HOURS ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. STILL ALLOWING FOR THOSE PERMIT HOLDERS WHO PURCHASE PERMITS DURING THE NIGHTS OF FLIGHTS, THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS, THEY WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE USING THEIR PERMITS WITH THIS CHANGE THAT YOU ALL WOULD CONSIDER TONIGHT. THIS CHANGE WOULD ALLOW THE CITY TO RECOVER APPROXIMATELY $83,000 IN ANNUAL REVENUE. AND IN ADDITION TO YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR REVERTING THE LOT BACK TO PAID METER PARKING, THE STAFF IS ASKING THAT THE COMMISSION CONSIDER YOU MAKING THIS AN ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENT SO THAT STAFF COULD MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES FOR WORKFORCE PARKING OPPORTUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY DURING PEAK SEASONS LIKE NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, WHERE WE MAY NEED TO REVERT THE LOT BACK TO WORKFORCE PARKING IF WE SEE THAT THERE'S A NEED OR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCOMMODATE OUR MOBILITY AND PARKING IMPACTS DURING THESE BUSY PEAK SEASONS. AND I AM AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. COMMENTS. I DO KNOW SOMEONE WHO MADE AN APPLICATION RECENTLY AND THEY WERE TOLD IT WOULD BE A MONTH BEFORE THEY COULD GET AN ANSWER, A WORKFORCE PERMIT. SO PROBABLY THEY KNEW THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE REQUESTING A CHANGE. CAN WE LET THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE APPLIED GO AHEAD AND GET ONE? IF WE JUST MAKE TWO, THREE, PROBABLY. I'M NOT SURE. BUT I THINK THERE ARE SOME APPLICATIONS IN RIGHT NOW FOR A WORKFORCE. I WILL ABSOLUTELY LOOK INTO THAT WITH OUR. WITH MY STAFF TOMORROW, BUT I DON'T SEE THE REASON WHY WE COULD NOT. WE STILL HAVE TWO PERMIT HOLDERS THAT ARE OUT THERE NOW. AND IT STILL FUNCTIONS AS A WORKFORCE PARKING LOT ANYWAY. OKAY. SO WOULD THAT MEAN THAT MOVING FORWARD WE WOULD BE TAKING YOUR REQUEST IS ONLY FOR WHAT'S IN THE QUEUE. CORRECT. NOT NEW. NOT NEW ONES, BUT WHAT'S THERE NOW. WE'RE NOT GOING TO ADD NEW ONES. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SAY, OKAY, THAT MAKES SENSE. OKAY, THAT WAS CLARIFICATION TO ME. ANYONE ELSE WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT? I HAVE A COMMENT. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. I KNOW BEFORE, YOU KNOW, BEING AN EMPLOYEE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE USED TO SLIP OVER THERE AND PARK, BUT IF IT'S POST IT, THEN THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET A TICKET WITH THE METER SIGNS. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF TAXES AND THINGS, THAT WE NEED TO JUMP ON RECEIVING THAT REVENUE. SO IT WOULD BE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TANGIBLE FOR US, THE CITY FUNDS. SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY WAY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S A, I GUESS IT'S REALLY NOT A LOT OF, WELL, THERE IS CHURCHES AROUND THERE. THAT IT COULD START LATER, MAYBE ON SUNDAY, JUST SO THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN PARK THERE TO GO TO CHURCH. I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER GARRIS. SO YOU MEAN AS FAR AS ENFORCEMENT? SOMETIMES IT STARTS LATER THAN 1. ENFORCEMENT IS 1 P.M. LATER THAN 1 P.M. ON SUNDAY? YES, AFTER 1, THEN FROM 1 ON. YOU KNOW HOW THEY DO IT. THAT'S WHAT IT IS. YES. YEAH, I'M ASKING, CAN IT BE THAT WAY? IT WOULD BE PAY-BY-PLACE, SUNDAY, 1 TO 9 IS WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO ENFORCE IT. SO YOU WANT TO. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. OH, OKAY. YEAH. THOSE ARE THE NORMAL ENFORCEMENT HOURS THAT THIS BODY VOTED ON, I GUESS LIKE TWO YEARS AGO NOW, THE 1 P.M. START TIME FOR SUNDAY. OKAY. BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY TIME OVER THERE BEFORE BECAUSE [03:15:01] THEIR EMPLOYEES USED TO JUST PARK OVER THERE AT ONE TIME. BEFORE IT BECAME A PAID METER LOT. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY, GREAT. EXCELLENT. GOOD POINT. ANY OTHER? I HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS. NO, I JUST SAID, COULD YOU CLARIFY? I THINK YOU SAID THAT I WOULD APPROVE THIS FOR THE REASON IT'S GOING TO SAVE THE CITY MONEY, IF NOTHING ELSE. PUT THE ONES THAT ARE PENDING IN THERE. BUT THEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD LIKE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL. DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT? SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE WOULD APPROVE IT AND THEN WE ALLOW STAFF TO ADAPT IT TO SEASONAL CHANGES. IS THAT? THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING FOR CONSIDERATION. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO BE CLEAR. SO I WOULD ACCEPT THAT ALSO. BUT ONLY DURING LIKE OUR PEAK SEASON, LIKE NIGHTS OF LIGHT. IF WE NEEDED TO MAKE CHANGES TO ACCOMMODATE OUR NIGHTS OF LIGHT SEASONAL CHANGE. RIGHT. I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT PARKING, FLEX PARKING IS GOOD IN GENERAL. WE'RE SEEING THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. OKAY. EXCELLENT. SO, YES, I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. ONCE I UNDERSTOOD IT, IT TOOK A MINUTE TO UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I DID. AND I CAN. AT FIRST I WAS DISAPPOINTED THINKING, OH, WHY ARE THE EMPLOYEES NOT USING IT? AND KIND OF BLAMING THEM FOR NOT USING IT. BUT THEN ONCE I REALIZED THAT A LOT OF THE SHIFT WORK STARTS AT 4 P.M., WHICH ISN'T IN SYNC WITH THE 6 P.M. START TIME FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF THE PARKING LOT, IT'S TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. SO I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO KIND OF ABANDON THAT APPROACH OR THAT EXPECTATION. AND THEN MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, JUST OPENING IT UP TO THE PUBLIC. SO THAT'S A LOT OF SPOTS AVAILABLE AFTER THOSE HOURS. YEAH, I THINK THE INVENTORY IS JUST AS VALUABLE AS THE INCOME. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YES, THE INVENTORY IS VALUABLE TO THE COMMUNITY. YES. I READ A STUDY SOMEWHERE THAT SAID STREET PARKING COULD BE WORTH UP TO $150,000 TO LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SALES AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, WHICH I THINK IS AN INTERESTING. THAT SOMEBODY DID A STUDY LIKE THAT. BUT DEFINITELY THOSE SPACES ARE IMPORTANT. SO THAT'S A GOOD POINT. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO NEED TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THIS. SO I MOVE THAT WE VOTE FOR THE CHANGES PRESENTED AND THAT WE ALLOW FOR, THAT WE APPROVE THE ABILITY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY, SEASONAL FLEXIBILITY. MOVING FORWARD. SECOND. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE [11. ITEMS BY CITY ATTORNEY] ROLL. NANCY SIKES-KLINE. YES. BARBARA BLONDER. YES. JON DEPRETER. YES. CYNTHIA GARRIS. YES. JIM SPRINGFIELD. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT ITEM IS CITY ATTORNEY. I WASN'T PLANNING ON MAKING A FULL PRESENTATION. I CAN CERTAINLY ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS JUST AT THE VERY HIGH LEVEL. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF BILLS THAT WERE, I WOULD SAY, MAYBE CULTURE WAR RELATED, PROHIBITING US FROM IN ANY WAY BEING INVOLVED IN NET ZERO POLICIES OR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION POLICIES. THERE WAS ALSO, AS YOU KNOW, THE NO DEI BILL THAT PASSED. WE DID HAVE SOME DECREASES IN FUNDS TO THE CLERKS OF COURT ON SOME PENALTIES AND FORFEITURE MONEY THAT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED, SO THAT'S LESS MONEY IN OUR TILL. WE WILL NOW HAVE TO TEST FOR PFAS. SO THAT'S ANOTHER ONE. A POSITIVE, I SUPPOSE, WOULD BE THAT NOW CONSERVATION AND PARK LANDS THAT ARE HELD BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT FUND, A.K.A. THE STATE, IF THEY WANT TO CHANGE STATE PARKS, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE LOCAL HEARINGS. SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF TWEAKS TO VARIOUS CRIMINAL BILLS. A NEGATIVE, WHICH ARE GOOD TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND PROTECT OUR OFFICERS, A NEGATIVE WOULD HAVE BEEN, FOR INSTANCE, OUR SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY WAS RAISED FROM $350,000 PER INCIDENT TO NOW HALF A MILLION PER INCIDENT. SO WHY THAT MATTERS IS WHEN PEOPLE SUE THE CITY. NOW THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SUE US FOR A HIGHER THRESHOLD, WHICH PROBABLY MEANS THAT THAT MAY RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN OUR INSURANCE RATES WITH THE LEAGUE. OTHER THAN THAT, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PLANNING BILLS. FOR THE MOST PART, THOUGH, [03:20:01] THEY DON'T REALLY IMPACT US. THEY WERE FOR VERY LARGE RESORTS OR LARGER PROJECTS. SOME OF THE INFILL LANGUAGE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD PROTECTION FOR OUR HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES. SO THAT WAS ATTENUATED. THERE WAS A GLAZING BILL THAT WENT THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE WHERE COMMERCIAL NEW CONSTRUCTION DIDN'T HAVE TO MEET ANY GLAZING, MEANING WINDOWS REQUIREMENTS. AND WE MADE SURE TO BACK END, BUT THAT DOESN'T APPLY FOR CONTRIBUTING AND INDIVIDUALLY LISTED HISTORIC PROPERTIES. SO WE WERE ABLE TO SORT OF MINIMIZE THE BAD IMPACTS. OTHER THAN THAT, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF ANYTHING HIGH LEVEL THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST. THERE IS A VERY CONVOLUTED SHOT CLOCK PLUS PROCEDURE NOW FOR DEREGULATING BUILDING INSPECTIONS. SO THAT WILL MAINLY IMPACT BUDDY, OUR BUILDING OFFICIAL. BUT IT DOES MAKE ME PAUSE THAT WE'RE NOW PRIVATIZING, NOT JUST PULLING THE BUILDING PERMIT, BUT INSPECTING THE STRUCTURES, INCLUDING VIRTUAL INSPECTIONS, WHICH GOD BLESS IF THAT'S A SAFE THING. BUT THERE YOU GO. THAT'S THE NEW STATE LAW. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT LAST PART WHEN YOU SAID PULLING THE INSPECTIONS AND CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT? SURE. THERE'S BEEN AN ONGOING PROCESS AT THE STATE LEVEL ESSENTIALLY DEREGULATING AND TAKING AWAY LOCAL BUILDING OFFICIALS' AUTHORITY. SO IT USED TO BE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD INSPECT YOUR PROJECT WERE LOCAL BUILDING OFFICIALS OR ASSISTANT BUILDING OFFICIALS OR INSPECTORS. FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THAT'S BY STATE LAW HAS ALLOWED PRIVATE INSPECTORS FOR YOUR BUILDING INSPECTION. SO YOU BUILD A STRUCTURE NORMALLY, LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS, I'M AGING MYSELF. YOU WOULD HAVE THE BUILDING OFFICIAL OR HIS OR HER ASSISTANT BUILDING OFFICIALS OR INSPECTORS GO TO THE SITE, CHECK THAT EVERYTHING WAS BUILT TO THE FLORIDA BUILDING CODE BACK IN THE DAY. IT WAS THE SOUTHERN BUILDING CODE, SO I'M REALLY AGING MYSELF. BUT NOW, UNDER THIS BILL, IT FURTHER DEREGULATES, SO PRIVATE INSPECTIONS WILL BE ALLOWED. SO PRIVATE PROVIDERS IS THE BUZZWORD. IT'S SIMILAR TO THE TREES. NOW YOU CAN GET YOUR OWN ARBORIST TO HAVE A TREE TAKEN DOWN. NOW YOU CAN HIRE YOUR OWN PRIVATE INSPECTOR TO INSPECT YOUR BUILDING. CORRECT. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT AND UNFUNDED MANDATES. AND I'D LIKE TO SAY, I REMEMBER THE DAY SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT WAS CALLED OUT AND DISCUSSED. NO, AREN'T WE, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IN, OR IS THIS, THEY WOULD ASK THE QUESTION ON THE FLOOR, IS THIS BILL UNFUNDED MANDATE? YOU NEVER HEAR THAT ANYMORE. YOU BARELY HEAR THAT TERM. SO IT'S VERY DIFFERENT, VERY DIFFERENT AND SAD IN SO MANY WAYS. ALL RIGHT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. WE APPRECIATE YOU MONITORING. WE KNOW IT'S A LOT OF WORK THAT YOU PUT INTO IT DURING THE YEAR, AND IT'S VERY COMPLICATED. AND I'VE HAD TO CALL YOU MANY TIMES AND SAY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? AND YOU'VE HAD TO EXPLAIN IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO I TOTALLY GET THAT. BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND YOUR MONITORING. MY LATEST UPDATE IS, I GUESS, THE SAME THING THAT YOU HEAR, WHICH IS. THE SESSION, THERE'S GOING TO BE A SESSION. THERE'S GOING TO BE A SESSION FOR REDISTRICTING, AND OF COURSE THE BUDGET IS STILL HANGING OUT THERE. THEY HAVEN'T DECIDED ON WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO MEET ABOUT THE BUDGET. AND MAYBE PROPERTY TAX REFORM, RIGHT? WELL, I DON'T KNOW. STILL IN THE MIX, MAYBE, MAYBE NOT, WE DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS WE COULD PUT OUR BETS ON THAT NOT HAPPENING. I WOULD PUT MY BET ON THAT NOT HAPPENING, BUT I MAY BE WRONG. [12. ITEMS BY CITY CLERK ] I MEAN, BEEN WRONG BEFORE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO COME OUT OF TALLAHASSEE ANYMORE. MADE THAT POINT AGAIN. SO, ALL RIGHT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ITEMS BY CITY CLERK. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. MY FIRST ITEM OF THE EVENING IS A REQUEST FOR TWO APPOINTMENTS TO OUR LINCOLNVILLE REDEVELOPMENT AREA STEERING COMMITTEE. THESE WERE ADVERTISED AND WE RECEIVED FOUR APPLICATIONS FROM MR. MCLEAN, WHO IS A CURRENT LCRA MEMBER AND IS ELIGIBLE FOR REAPPOINTMENT, IF YOU SO WISH. MS. GAIL EUBANKS, MR. AARON JOCKERS, AND EAMON DORAN. [03:25:01] SO WE HAVE BALLOTS, IF YOU WISH TO VOTE BY BALLOT. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE REAPPOINT MR. MCLEAN SINCE HE'S ELIGIBLE. ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? OKAY, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. OKAY, THEN WE'LL VOTE ON THE OPEN SEAT. YES. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MARK YOUR BALLOT FOR MR. MCLEAN, JUST THE REMAINING THREE. THESE BALLOTS ARE PUBLIC RECORD? YES, THESE ARE. THEY ARE PUBLIC RECORD? VOTE FOR ONE CANDIDATE. THANK YOU. I HAVE A, I HAVE A, I HAVE A. YOU CAN BORROW MINE. CAN I HAVE A CLARIFICATION? I LISTENED TO YOU ON THE RADIO THE OTHER DAY, AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED WAS THAT IN THESE COMMITTEES, A PRIORITY SHOULD BE OR IS GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE... YES, PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO RESIDENTS. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE ALL THE PEOPLE ON HERE RESIDENTS? WE'LL CHECK THEIR APPLICATIONS. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THIS? SHE IS... WILL THEY ALL HAVE ADDRESSES ON THEIR APPLICATIONS? I BET WE ALL PICK SOMEBODY DIFFERENT. WE'LL VOTE AGAIN. IF THAT'S... YOU WANT TO ANNOUNCE? VOTE FOR 4-1 FOR EAMON DAEMON. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM IS REQUESTS FOR TWO APPOINTMENTS FOR HARB. OKAY. HARB. SO HAVING TAKEN CARE OF THAT, MY NEXT REQUEST IS FOR ONE APPOINTMENT TO THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD AND ONE APPOINTMENT AS FOR AN ALTERNATE ALSO ON THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD. IT'S REQUIRED THAT YOU BE A FORMER MEMBER IN ORDER TO QUALIFY AS AN ALTERNATE. AND I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT MR. PAUL WEAVER DID APPLY FOR THAT. AND WE HAVE ONE APPLICATION FOR MR. MICHAEL BLAKE, AND HE IS QUALIFIED IF YOU SO CHOOSE TO APPOINT HIM. OKAY. MR. BLAKE, AS I UNDERSTAND, IS AN ARCHITECT, AND THAT IS A REQUIREMENT OF, HE MEETS THAT REQUIREMENT. YES, THAT IS CORRECT. AND OF COURSE, THE MORE OF THAT KIND OF MEMBER, THE BETTER. ABSOLUTELY. HE'S IN A BETTER POSITION LEGALLY. ETC ETC SO I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE MR. BLAKE AS THE HARD MEMBER AND MR. REAVER AS THE ALTERNATE. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FINANCE BY CITY MANAGER I HAVE ONE JUST ONE ONE QUICK THING JUST AT AFTER THESE APPOINTMENTS AND THE APPOINTMENT WITH MR. BLAKE. HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE HAVE JUST TWO OPENINGS NOW. MR. BLAKE WAS ON OUR CORRIDOR REVIEW COMMITTEE, SO WE DO HAVE A POSITION OPEN ON THAT. AND WE ALSO STILL HAVE AN OPEN POSITION ON OUR PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD. [14. ITEMS BY MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS] SO SEND ME YOUR APPLICATIONS, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ITEMS BY CITY MANAGER. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. YOU HAD QUITE A LOT TONIGHT, SO THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ITEMS BY MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. COMMISSIONER GARRIS. I HAVE A QUESTION. THE LOT OVER THERE ON HYPOLITA, WE OPEN THAT UP FOR WORKFORCE PARKING AND I HEARD THAT IT'S NOT BEING UTILIZED THAT WELL. THAT'S THE TOKES PLACE LOT. IT IS SOLD OUT. OH, IS IT SOLD OUT? BECAUSE I HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID THEY COULDN'T GET ANY, A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T GET ANY CUSTOMERS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T PARK THERE. WELL, IT'S RESERVED FOR THE BUSINESSES. SO BUSINESSES HAVE PURCHASED PERMITS TO USE THAT PARKING LOT. IT'S NO LONGER OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RIGHT, BUT IS IT BEING FILLED? IT IS BEING FILLED ON AND OFF. IT'S NOT ENTIRELY FILLED ALL THE TIME. SOMETIMES IT'S FILLED [03:30:01] WITH WORKERS. OFTENTIMES IT'S NOT. OKAY. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE CAN MAKE PART OF IT STILL PAY TO PARK SO THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE CAN GO TO SOME OF THE BUSINESSES DOWN THERE. LET ME GET WITH MY MOBILITY FOLKS TOMORROW AND TALK ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, JUST A SECTION OF IT. PEOPLE HAVE PURCHASED. THE PERMITS FOR, THE BUSINESSES HAVE PURCHASED THE PERMITS FOR USE OF THAT LOT. SO LET ME, LET ME LOOK INTO IT AND SEE IF WE CAN'T HYBRIDIZE THAT LOT. OKAY. BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN ST. PATRICK'S DAY CAME, IT WAS EMPTY WHEN I WENT. AND WHEN I LEFT FOR THE BREAKFAST, THERE WAS ONLY LIKE FIVE CARS THERE. AND SO WHEN THEY TOLD ME THAT, I REALIZED THAT WE ARE NOT UTILIZING THAT. BECAUSE YOU USED TO HAVE TO CIRCLE AROUND TO GET A SPACE. SO, I MEAN, THAT'S LOST REVENUE THERE AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY, THANK YOU. I MENTIONED DURING THE, WELL, OKAY, LET ME START WITH THIS. THANK YOU TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, MAYOR, FOR YOUR JUST ALL IN SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES AND ESPECIALLY THE CONSERVATION INITIATIVES AND RECOGNIZING OUR FIRST. OUR INAUGURAL AWARD WINNER, JEN LOMBERG, FOR THE RED CEDAR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AWARD. IT MATTERS WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. I DID SAY ALL THIS EARLIER TODAY, BUT THAT WAS DURING THE AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY, SO AGAIN I WANT TO REEMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO OUR COMMUNITY AND TO OUR OWN SUSTAINABILITY AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE THAT WE RECOGNIZE EARTH MONTH AND THAT WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, DEEPLY APPRECIATE STAFF'S AND MY COLLEAGUES' COMMITMENTS TO DOING JUST THAT. COMMISSIONER SPRINGFIELD. OH, YES. WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL ABOUT SARASOTA COUNTY SUING THE STATE OR PASSING AN ORDINANCE OR SOMETHING. SO, I'LL BE ANXIOUS TO SEE. WHAT HAPPENS WAS THEY'RE FIGHTING STATE OVERREACH. SO, IT'LL BE FUN TO SEE IF THEY WIN ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. THAT'LL BE INTERESTING TO WATCH. THE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD HAS SET A REALLY HIGH BAR WITH THE FIRST PERSON. I'VE ALREADY HAD PEOPLE CALL ME AND SAY, HOW DO YOU GET THAT? AND I SAY, WELL, YOU BETTER GET BUSY. AND I THINK THE FALLOUT FROM FISH ISLAND, ALL THAT EFFORT, IT TOLD EVERYBODY ON THE COMMISSION AT THE TIME. AND EVEN THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE LOOKING INTO CONSERVATION. THAT'S REALLY SPARKED. IT ENCOURAGED US TO BUY PROPERTY FOR CONSERVATION. SO, KUDOS TO ALL OF THAT. IN 1960, I COULD WALK OUT OF MY 32ND STREET IN GAINESVILLE AND I COULD SEE THE MILKY WAY. YOU CAN'T SEE IT ANYMORE. I TAUGHT EARTH SPACE SCIENCE AT NICE HIGH SCHOOL IN 1990. THEY'D NEVER SEEN THE MILKY WAY. AND YOU COULDN'T SEE IT, EVEN AT NICE, BECAUSE WE TRIED. SO, IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING TO KEEP SOME DARK SKY. THERE IS A DARK SKY PARK IN FLORIDA. IT'S THE... THE SEMI-PRIORI PRESERVE. IT'S WHAT? THE SEMI-PRIORI. YEAH, COMMERCIAL. I'VE BEEN THERE. OH, IT'S FABULOUS. I'VE BEEN THERE. I'VE BEEN THERE AND SEEN THE NIGHT SKY. YEP, I'M GOING. I'M GOING IN NOVEMBER. GO. I JUST READ LOUISE PENNY'S LAST... I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. PATTY AND I ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. IT'S CALLED BLACK WOLF. AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THIS THEORY THAT THE UNITED STATES IS GOING TO ATTACK CANADA FOR THEIR WATER BECAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF WATER IN THE UNITED STATES. IT'S AN INTERESTING READ AFTER SEEING THE CONSERVATION STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT. AND IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO GET A GOOD UPDATE FOR THE DROP-IN CENTER AND KIND OF EXPLAIN WHY WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO OPEN UP THE SHOWERS YET. I KNOW THERE'S A STORY BEHIND THAT, BUT IT IS ON EVERYBODY'S TOPIC LATELY. SURE. AND ALSO, IF THE LEGISLATURE DOES DISAPPOINT US, MAYBE WE CAN LOOK INTO A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK FOR THE CITY EMPLOYEES. THAT WOULD ALSO... OPEN UP ONE MORE DAY OF PARKING FOR ADDITIONAL REVENUE. OH, YES. OH, YES. WELL, THAT'S AN INTERESTING PROPOSAL. SO, MY TONIGHT IS REALLY JUST CONGRATULATING MELISSA WISSEL AGAIN ON HER AWARD. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ATTENDING THE STATE OF TOURISM BREAKFAST, I THINK IT IS, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY GIVE THE AWARD. AND WE'LL ALL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THAT SPECTACLE THE CROWNING. BUT IT'S REALLY EXCITING. IT'S REALLY EXCITING [03:35:01] BECAUSE IT'S WELL DESERVED. SO WITH THAT, WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.