Regular Commission Meeting

Lake Park Town Commission, Florida Regular Commission Meeting Minutes Commission Chamber, Town Hall, 535 Park Avenue, Lake Park, FL 33403 Wednesday, January 07, 2026 6:30pm Roger Michaud __ Mayor Michael Hensley __ Vice Mayor John Linden __ Commissioner Michael O'Rourke __ Commissioner Judith Thomas __ Commissioner Richard J. Reade __ Town Manager Thomas J. Baird __ Town Attorney Vivian Mendez, MMC __ Town Clerk PLEASE TAKE NOTICE AND BE ADVISED, that if any interested person desires to appeal any decision of the Town Commission, with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, such interested person will need a record of the proceedings, and for such purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in the meeting should contract the Town Clerk’s office by calling 881-3311 at least 48 hours in advance to request accommodations. ______________________________________________________________________________ CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL 6:35 P.M. PRESENT Mayor Roger Michaud Vice Mayor Michael Hensley Commissioner Judith Thomas Commissioner John Linden Commissioner Michael O'Rourke PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner O'Rourke led the Pledge of Allegiance. Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 1 APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Motion to move item number 9 to the beginning of the New Business section made by Vice Mayor Hensley, seconded by Commissioner Thomas. Voting Aye; All. Commissioner Thomas requested that item number 4 be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Motion to approve the agenda as amended made by Commissioner Thomas, seconded by Commissioner Linden. Voting Aye; All. SPECIAL PRESENTATION/REPORT: NONE PUBLIC COMMENT: This time is provided for addressing items that do not appear on the Agenda. Please complete a comment card and provide it to the Town Clerk so speakers may be announced. Please remember comments are limited to a TOTAL of three minutes. • Mary Beth Taylor – spoke about reckless scooter and bike riders in Town and would like the Town to address mobility needs and also provided comments via Exhibit E. • Terron Mercer – announced the first annual pickle ball tournament in Kelsey Place Courts on March 7, 2026 (Exhibit A). • John Leary – Kelly Steele provided written comments for Mr. Leary (Exhibit B). CONSENT AGENDA: All matters listed under this item are considered routine and action will be taken by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner or person so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the general order of business and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. Any person wishing to speak on an agenda item is asked to complete a public comment card located on either side of the Chambers and given to the Town Clerk. Cards must be submitted before the item is discussed. Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 2 Commissioner Linden pulled item number 3 from the Consent Agenda; Commissioner Thomas pulled item number 4 from the Consent Agenda. Motion to approve Consent Agenda items 1 and 2 made by Vice Mayor Hensley, Seconded by Commissioner Linden. Voting Aye; All. 1. Regular Commission Meeting Minutes - December 17, 2025. 2. Resolution 01-01-26 – Agreement (First Renewal) – Sunset Celebration Beverage Service – Bonner Mobile Bar. Items 3 and 4 pulled from Consent for discussion: 3. Resolution 02-01-26 – Agreement (1st Renewal) – Sunset Celebration Portable Restroom Service – Porta Potty To Go. Commissioner Linden expressed that there might be an ethics concern because the owner of Porta Potty To Go is also on the Planning & Zoning Board. Town Attorney Baird clarified that there is no conflict. Motion to approve Resolution 02-01-26 made by Commissioner O'Rourke, seconded by Commissioner Linden. Voting Aye; All. 4. Resolution 03-01-26 – Establish Non-Exclusive Franchises & Fees - Compactor Collection Services. Commissioner Thomas asked about monitoring and regulating the service. Public Works Director explained the application and reporting process. Vice Mayor Hensley suggested the use of an annual decal to show compliance. Motion to approve Resolution 03-01-26 made by Commissioner Thomas, seconded by Vice Mayor Hensley. Voting Aye; All. PUBLIC HEARING(S) - ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING: NONE PUBLIC HEARING(S) - ORDINANCE ON SECOND READING: NONE Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 3 NEW BUSINESS: 5. Facility Rental Requests - Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement – 1st Mayoral Candidate Forum – Town Hall - Saturday, February 7, 2026 (10:00 AM to 12:00 PM). Special Events Director Riunite Franks explained the item (Exhibit G). (See item 6 below for discussion and voting. 6. Facility Rental Requests - Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement – 2nd Mayoral Candidate Forum – Town Hall - Saturday, February 28, 2026 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM). Special Events Director Riunite Franks explained the item (Exhibit H). Agenda items 5 and 6 were discussed and voted on together. The Commission voiced a variety of concerns with the request mainly that the Town is in a tight budget year and could not afford to waive fees and pay for costs. Several Commissioners expressed concern with having this type of event at Town Hall and suggested the applicant search for another venue. Motion to deny items 5 and 6 made by Commissioner Thomas, seconded by Commissioner Linden. Voting Aye; All. 7. Discussion - Town Manager Annual Performance Evaluation Mayor Michaud provided an opportunity for the Commission to submit further modifications to the evaluation form. Commissioner Linden stated that he had nothing further to add to the form. Commissioner O’Rourke suggested a section be added for the Town Manager to state what his greatest achievements are and a section for revenue goals. Commissioner Thomas asked if this evaluation tool could be established as the official tool moving forward and if that would need to be done by resolution or ordinance. Town Attorney Baird stated that the tool would not need to be adopted, but only approved by the Commission. Commissioner Thomas asked the Commission to agree to adopt this evaluation tool as the official Town Manager evaluative tool. Commissioner Thomas stated that there are some spelling and grammatical errors that would need to be corrected. Vice Mayor Hensley suggested establishing goals for the Town Manager so there is Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 4  something to evaluate him on next year. Mayor Michaud suggested including sections for staff culture and resident culture. Commissioner O’Rourke stated that since the Commission cannot interview staff directly, would it be possible to have staff take a blind survey so that the staff culture could be measured. Town Attorney Baird stated that a survey of staff is contrary to the Town Charter because the Town Manager is in charge of staff per the Town Charter, not the Commission. Mayor Michaud asked the Commission to direct any notes on the evaluation tool to the Town Manager so they can be incorporated. Commissioner Linden suggested doing the evaluation one-on-one with the Town Manager and then bringing the results back as an agenda item. The Commission agreed to this process. Mayor Michaud stated that the final copy of the evaluation with all corrections and modifications made will need to be placed on the next agenda for January 21, 2026 for final approval. 8. Presentation - Town of Lake Park Marina P3 Quarterly Report - Forest Development Item number 8 and 9 were pulled from the agenda. Town Attorney Baird explained that due to pending legal actions from Forest Development, the Town was not able to discuss this topic or take any action regarding the Comprehensive Agreement. Mayor Michaud stated that public comments on this topic would still be heard. 9. Update, Discussion & Direction - Town of Lake Park Marina P3 Project. Public Comment: -Amanda Tice and son Lucas (10-yrs old) spoke about how important the Marina is to them. -Claudia Wendel spoke about her proximity to the Marina and the relocation of the boat ramp causing concerns with noise and storm surge issues. -Katia Zhestkova provided comments via Exhibit C. -Sue LaFontaine provided comments via Exhibit D. -Kervens Jean Baptiste spoke about the Marina deal not being good for Lake Park residents. -Bonnie Hammer spoke about the Mayor’s newsletter not being transparent enough. Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 5  -Ramona Schultz spoke about the contract with Forest Development being a bad deal for the Town. -Kelly Steele spoke about accountability with the P3 meetings that were not recorded and about the process of how Forest Development was chosen for the project. -Linda Bollbach asked the Commission to do the right thing for Lake Park. -Michael Steinhauer provided comments via Exhibit F. TOWN ATTORNEY, TOWN MANAGER, COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: -Town Attorney Baird spoke about the potential need for a private attorney-client meeting regarding the P3 litigation, which, would be attended by a court reporter, who would transcribe the meeting and once the litigation is complete, the transcription could be released to the public. He advised that he will be submitting an amendment that will allow for an increase in pay for other litigators in his firm since they are better litigators than himself. Town Attorney Baird stated that he is requesting that they move to authorize the Town Attorney and Town Manager to notice a private attorney client session in the event it is deemed appropriate for the next meeting. Motion to approve said authorization made by Vice Mayor Hensley, seconded by Commissioner Linden. Voting Aye; All. -Town Manager Reade spoke about the passing of a colleague. He announced the following events; MLK Family Night Out, January 16th 6pm to 9pm, Sunset Celebration January 30th 6-9pm. -Commissioner O’Rourke explained that he would appreciate the public and the Commission having a better relationship. -Commissioner Thomas thanked Amanda Tice and her son for attending tonight so that our youth can learn to be engaged. She also spoke about the achievements of family members. -Commissioner Linden also spoke about being judged by the court of public opinion and that it is disappointing that the public is only receiving one side of the story and not the other. -Vice Mayor Hensley asked the public to be less threatening and more polite when addressing him and to know their facts. -Mayor Michaud re-stated to Mr. Steinhauer to consider using virtual space for their upcoming Mayoral event. He stated to the residents that “we are listening”. He stated that it was never the intention to sell the Marina, but only to revitalize the Marina. He invited the public to attend the upcoming “Morning with the Mayor” and to come and speak. Regular Commission Meeting Minutes January 07, 2026 Page 6  Exhibit G Town of Lake Park Town Commission Agenda Request Form Meeting Date: January 7, 2026 Originating Department: Special Events Facility Rental Requests - Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement – 1st Mayoral Candidate Forum – Town Hall - Agenda Title: Saturday, February 7, 2026 (10:00 AM to 12:00 PM) Approved by Town Manager: Date: Cost of Item: $270.00 Funding Source: General Fund Revenues Account Number: Finance Signature: Barbara A. Gould Advertised: Date: N/A Newspaper: N/A Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement Mayoral Attachments: Candidate Forum Facility Rental Documents Please initial one: X Yes I have notified everyone Not applicable in this case Summary Explanation/Background: On Friday, December 19, 2025, the Special Events Department received a Facility Rental Application from Michael Steinhauer, on behalf of the Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement. The organization is proposing a Mayoral Candidate Forum to be held in the Town Hall Mirror Ballroom on Saturday, February on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. This will be the first of two forums scheduled ahead of the Town’s mayoral election that will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. As a non-profit, the organization receives three (3) free facility rentals per year. However, they are still responsible for the refundable security deposit, staff fee and restroom cleaning fee. At this time, the event organizers would like the Town to approve the following facility rental requests, which cannot be granted administratively:  REQUESTED CATEGORY VALUE TOTAL (monetary or other) Staff Fee One employee at $120.00 One employee from the Public Works Department will be $40.00 Per Hour (Direct Cost) needed onsite during the event. for 3 Hours Restroom Cleaning $150.00 $150.00 Additional restroom cleaning for the restrooms located in (Flat Rate) (Direct Cost) Town Hall. Refundable Security Deposit $500.00 $500.00 The Town requires a $500.00 refundable security deposit fee (Flat Rate) (Indirect Cost) for any special event held in the Mirror Ballroom. This will only become a direct cost if the Town has to use funds to cover any damages done to the rental facility during the event. TOTAL DIRECT COST REQUESTED: $270.00 Recommended Motion: The Town Commission is requested to provide consideration and direction on the proposed facility rental requests from the Lake Park Society for the Advancement for Civic Engagement for the 1st Mayoral Candidate Forum in Town Hall on Saturday, February 7, 2026 (10:00 AM to 12:00 PM).  Exhibit H Town of Lake Park Town Commission Agenda Request Form Meeting Date: January 7, 2026 Originating Department: Special Events Facility Rental Requests - Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement – 2nd Mayoral Candidate Forum – Town Hall - Agenda Title: Saturday, February 28, 2026 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM) Approved by Town Manager: Date: Cost of Item: $270.00 Funding Source: General Fund Revenues Account Number: Finance Signature: Barbara A. Gould Advertised: Date: N/A Newspaper: N/A Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement 2nd Mayoral Attachments: Candidate Forum Facility Rental Documents Please initial one: X Yes I have notified everyone Not applicable in this case Summary Explanation/Background: On Friday, December 19, 2025, the Special Events Department received a Facility Rental Application from Michael Steinhauer, on behalf of the Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement. The organization is proposing a Mayoral Candidate Forum to be held in the Town Hall Mirror Ballroom on Saturday, February 28, 2026, from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. This will be the second forum scheduled ahead of the Town’s mayoral election that will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. As a non-profit, the organization receives three (3) free facility rentals per year. However, they are still responsible for the refundable security deposit, staff fee and restroom cleaning fee. At this time, the event organizers would like the Town to approve the following facility rental requests, which cannot be granted administratively: REQUESTED CATEGORY VALUE TOTAL (monetary or other) Staff Fee One employee at $120.00 One (1) employee from the Public Works Department will be $40.00 Per Hour (Direct Cost) needed onsite during the event. for 3 Hours  Restroom Cleaning $150.00 $150.00 Additional restroom cleaning for the restrooms located in (Flat Rate) (Direct Cost) Town Hall. Refundable Security Deposit $500.00 $500.00 The Town requires a $500.00 refundable security deposit fee (Flat Rate) (Indirect Cost) for any special event held in the Mirror Ballroom. This will only become a direct cost if the Town has to use funds to cover any damages done to the rental facility during the event. TOTAL DIRECT COST REQUESTED: $270.00 Recommended Motion: The Town Commission is requested to provide consideration and direction on the proposed facility rental requests from the Lake Park Society for the Advancement for Civic Engagement for a 2nd Mayoral Candidate Forum in Town Hall on Saturday, February 28, 2026 (1:00 PM to 3:00 PM).