City Commission and CRA Board Workshop

CITY COMMISSION AND CRA BOARD WORKSHOP MINUTES Monday, April 07, 2025 at 5:00 PM Historic City Hall, Commission Chambers – 225 East Main Street, Suite 105 www.cityofwauchula.gov INVOCATION PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER Nadaskay called the workshop to order. ROLL CALL PRESENT Commissioner Anne Miller Mayor Pro Tem Russell Smith Mayor Keith Nadaskay Commissioner Sherri Albritton Commissioner Gary Smith STAFF Olivia Minshew, City Manager John Eason, Deputy City Manager Sandee Braxton, Assistant City Manager Ward Grimes, Director of Projects and Procurement Brandon Ball, Chief of Police Kyle Long, Community Development Director Raina Bergens, Code Enforcement Officer Kristie Hatcher-Bolin, City Attorney Jessica Newman, CRA Director (via Zoom) OPEN COMMISSION WORKSHOP 1. Hardee Youth Center Lease Renewal Request Thomas Trevino - 280 S Hollandtown Rd Trevino gave an update on what they are doing in the building and how it was being used, and requested to renew the lease. Albritton asked what the term length is for the building on Main Street and if this one is the same. Minshew said she believed so, but would need to check on it. They also discussed typical term length and if 3 years is appropriate. 2. Sign Permit Application - 915 N 6th Ave Long presented the application to permit a billboard at the southwest corner of Bell Street and US Highway 17 S. Long also provided the City's code relating to signs and stated the company met all the requirements. Albritton discussed placement but  recognizes this meets all code requirements. Concerns about brightness were expressed. A representative from the company was present and stated they had no prior complaints about brightness on their billboards. 3. Foreclosure - 126 E Townsend St 4. Foreclosure - 121 W Main St Items 3 and 4 were discussed together. Bergens went through the timeline that led to foreclosure. Andy Milheizler spoke about how the properties got to the state they were in and asked for more time to come into compliance. Jacon Stinton, Brown's contractor, explained what he had done so far. There was lengthy discussion regarding circumstances and ways to avoid foreclosure. Nicole Drake- 208 W Orange St Drake shared a recent experience stating her organization was looking for commercial property and wanted a building on Main Street but only encountered dilapidated buildings. Drake attested that the building they ended up purchasing was under code violations and, in a very short amount of time, they were able to bring the building they purchased up to compliance. 5. Forbearance Agreement - 212 Louisiana St Bergens explained the code violations and liens on this property and stated the property owner received a grant through the Rebuild Florida program to demo the current structure and build a new home. The property owner was requesting a reduction in liens and Bergens stated a satisfaction of lien would be filed once the property was in compliance. 6. Ordinance 2025-04 Future Land Use Map Amendment for Hardee County BOCC Property on US Highway 17 Due to technical difficulties, the Commission moved ahead to item 9 to allow Barmby more time. 7. Ordinance 2025-05 Zoning Amendment for Hardee County BOCC for Property on US Highway 17 Items 6 and 7 were presented together. Long explained this property was recently annexed into the City which required a future land use and zoning classification to be assigned. Marisa Barmby - Central Florida Regional Planning Council Barmby presented the staff report using her own PowerPoint. 8. Ordinance 2025-06 Fencing Text Amendment Marisa Barmby - Central Florida Regional Planning Council Barmby presented the proposed changes to the fencing text using her own Power Point. 9. Resolution 2025-07 Variance for 314 S 10th Ave Long presented the resolution and explained the request. R. Smith asked if it was causing any visual issues or encroachment on alleyways and easements. Long said there were no issues and surrounding property owners were noticed as required. 10. ITN 25-01 Employee Medical Self-Funded Pools Minshew presented the ITN and reviewed the bid schedule. Derren Bryan - Avail  Bryan explained the difference between fully insured and self-insured and why we are presenting the ITN the way we are. 11. Special Event Application - Hometown Happy Hour Newman presented the application for the recurring event. 12. Crime Statistics Update Ball went through crime statistics for the first quarter of 2025. CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS No report. CITY MANAGER REPORT Report given. CITY COMMISSIONER REPORTS No report. CLOSE COMMISSION WORKSHOP OPEN CRA WORKSHOP Nadaskay opened the CRA workshop. 13. CRA RFQ 25-01 Award Recommendation Newman presented the recommendation to award this bid to Kimley Horn. 14. CRA RFQ 25-02 Award Recommendation Newman presented the recommendation to award this bid to Kimley Horn. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, Nadaskay adjourned the workshop at 7:02 p.m.