[0:59] Under both on the pledge of allegiance.

[1:10] Well, good afternoon mayor commissioners. So you do have item number one is the consent agenda. All right. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Second. All in favor?

[1:29] Thank you. Public comment. Any public? Well, there's no public. Any commissioner comments? All right.

[1:38] Go ahead, Mr. Duchock.

[1:42] Yes, so item number three, this is going to be mirroring what Matt Pizansky presented on the general fund.

[1:49] We're entering our budget phase today's goal is to adopt a maximum millage for the beach district.

[1:56] Matt did go through our budget calendar, we already have set the budget hearing dates on the 14th and the 17th of September.

[2:06] You did the commission did see this as far as revenues and expenditures for the beach district.

[2:12] We are looking at year-to-year changes that are entirely hinged on the evaluation increase of the property on the island going from last year.

[2:21] We collected 3.6 million this year, just over 4 million is a projected collection.

[2:27] This is if we hold millage flat and that is the discussion today on the operating and project expenditure side of

[2:35] the equation operating costs are nominally changing, not much all the other side of things

[2:42] on the project expenditures.

[2:44] We are noting some increases in what we anticipate for the project changes.

[2:50] I'll note here that we had moved forward one of these items in the budget already.

[2:56] That was the Geotechnical Study.

[2:58] That was approved by the Commission last month to conduct that study.

[3:04] So that we still budgeting this, it is going to carry over in the next fiscal year, but that's something worth noting there.

[3:11] Also, we have the discussion on the turtle.

[3:13] The turtle monitoring and shoreboard monitoring, that the original scope of work and what was bid,

[3:19] significantly underestimated the cost based on the number of nests that we actually are tracking and having the document.

[3:25] So that is a significant increase, but it is reflected accurately in the next year fiscal budget.

[3:31] There's no questions on general budget items.

[3:36] So again, as Matt mentioned in the general fund, we're seeking to establish a flat military year to year.

[3:44] This would be the maximum village for the beach district.

[3:47] Matt did also include here for reference the rollback rate for the district.

[3:51] If we were to collect the same amount of revenue as last year, would be 0.8730.

[3:56] That's a reference number.

[3:57] So as you can see here, the requested action, we're seeking a motion to set the beach protection district proposed at Valoran Millage Tax Rate for a fiscal year 27, at 0.9593 mills, and set the date for the first budget public hearing for Monday, September 14, 2026 at 5.01 p.m.

[4:16] We have a motion to set the beach protection that's not to be about what kind of how much money.

[4:24] The amount of money projected right now would be $4,885,807.

[4:32] We're looking for a motion to set the beach protection district proposed at the lower

[4:37] a military for fiscal year 27 at point, nine, five, nine, three meals and set the date

[4:45] for the first budget public hearing for Monday, September 14 at 501. Do I have such a motion?

[4:52] I'll move it.

[4:54] And I'll take that as a motion by Commissioner Tadeo, second by Commissioner Field.

[5:00] Any further discussion? All in favor?

[5:04] Aye.

[5:04] Opposed?

[5:05] Motion passes.

[5:09] Thank you, moving on to item number four.

[5:14] This is a spending authorization request for Gehegan and Bryant Associates.

[5:19] In the memo, I do explain this is, again, what I actually refer to as the Geotechnical

[5:25] Study.

[5:25] My apologies, we haven't already approved this, getting ahead of myself here.

[5:29] We are bringing this forward, advancing this from what would be next year's study to executing

[5:35] this study this year.

[5:37] Again, this is a follow-up to what is ongoing work to establish an expanded offshore

[5:43] borrower site for the town for future years of sand.

[5:46] They have developed and conducted studies, surveys, magnetometer, et cetera, to go through

[5:52] the permitting process on the front end.

[5:54] This advances those studies and begins to collect actual sand samples.

[5:58] So geotechnical study to make sure that the sand is going to be compliant with what the

[6:03] state does have for what they call the sand rule.

[6:06] We have to meet certain size and color requirements for saying this placed on the beach, for compatibility, to ensure we're not changing conditions on the beach too much, environmentally, et cetera.

[6:18] They do scope out and you do have a copy of the proposal, the services, the lump sum costs, and again, this is expensive.

[6:24] It's a contract executed under and continuing services contract with Gehegan and Brian.

[6:30] We've had that for a number of years with them.

[6:32] they have developed a proposed amount.

[6:34] I did review it, staffs reviewed this, and accept the amount that as being not cheap, but

[6:40] definitely within industry standards that lump some cost would be $391,441.

[6:46] So the request would be for the commission to accept the approval of the scope of work and

[6:52] authorize spending for the Hayden and Bryant in that amount.

[6:55] All right, any comments or questions?

[6:59] Do we have a motion to approve the scope of work and spending authorization for the Hagen and Bryant to conduct geotechnical study of the proposed offshore borrow site under continuing services contract for a lump sum of 391,444.

[7:21] So moved second motion and a second any discussion all in favor opposed thank you.

[7:33] Thank you.

[7:34] And you said you're going to do the expense it in this year.

[7:39] Yes, what I was talking about when discussing the budget was that we had programmed this work

[7:44] to be done next summer like we're petered over summers but we're trying to now fast track

[7:48] this and pull this in so we can solidify the permit.

[7:51] So we moved it into this years.

[7:53] We're moving into being executed this year, still reflected in budget.

[7:57] It will be a carry-over item, we'll begin the work, it'll be executed through next fiscal year.

[8:02] Okay, thank you.

[8:04] Great, you have a Beach Conditions report for us, Mr. Deachach.

[8:07] I do, and I'd say it's nothing but good news.

[8:11] Some are doldrums, we do have quite a bit of sargassum on the beach which can be a nuisance.

[8:16] But that being said, we're also having a banner year for

[8:21] sea turtle nesting the updated nest numbers through July 17th.

[8:27] We are, in fact, experienced a record number of leather back nests, 515 recorded.

[8:33] We wouldn't expect to see many if any more of those.

[8:36] They typically come in early and they finish early.

[8:40] We are in the midst of loggerhead and green turtle nesting numbers which are also tracking

[8:45] above average.

[8:46] When you look at the table to the right there, I was able to add another year for these averages.

[8:51] It didn't change the numbers very much.

[8:53] I used to have a number up there between 2014 and 2022 averages.

[8:58] So we're still tracking very well on nests.

[9:01] And we'll continue to report on that as we get through the conclusion this season,

[9:04] which usually wraps up in October.

[9:08] These have two questions.

[9:09] One, do we ever audit how many how accurate their count is?

[9:13] We

[9:18] do not audit our contractor as to the counts.

[9:22] They provide very specific documented data through data collection instruments, etc., that we have it now.

[9:33] It's a good question, we haven't needed to, we're not required to audit.

[9:38] We're required to collect this data per the state standards and report it to them.

[9:42] It's $70 per nest, right?

[9:45] Yes, and we have a bit, somebody else bid on this?

[9:51] Yes, the ecological associate who's the consultant

[9:54] was the lowest qualified bidder when we put this out

[9:57] on the street I believe two years ago.

[9:59] And it's for an extended contract period of five years

[10:01] which they're honoring rates carrying that through.

[10:04] However, as I mentioned before,

[10:06] the initial projection of the number of marks nests

[10:10] was below what we're now at 1,000 a year.

[10:14] We were only documenting or projecting 800 I believe at that time.

[10:19] We're looking at much more in the way of effort to get this done to within the state standards.

[10:24] The state is year to year, the one setting, the ratio of nests that we need to mark and

[10:31] track, and that's a moving target year to year.

[10:35] what we are doing and we've been successful in doing so far this year is as our year progresses and we get more and more

[10:42] nests. If we seem to be tracking above what we think is going to be our end total, we go back to the state and ask them to adjust the ratio down.

[10:50] So we're now trying to collect fewer or mark fewer nests as the seasons goes by to control the total number.

[10:57] And it's been a moving target and that was the source of that that cost overage, but it is again, it's an unfunded mandate technically.

[11:05] It's required by permit, but the FWC doesn't offer any support monitor.

[11:10] I think commission or your suggesting that maybe we fact check randomly, the numbers.

[11:18] I do something to make sure, I mean, look at the other beaches and

[11:24] they're reporting how many turtles they had.

[11:26] Are they up as much as we are?

[11:28] I can verify it, but the general reporting is very high numbers.

[11:33] I mean, where the only one is up that high, it would be interesting to see.

[11:36] I can certainly, what I'll do is bring back what other municipalities, counties are reporting.

[11:42] And it was an article I think in one of, I forgive Palm Beach posts or something about the huge numbers.

[11:48] Yes, I think it's a very banner year.

[11:50] These common cycles, and it used to be that green turtles would have very high year number.

[11:54] And then they would drop off, they would be in every other year.

[11:57] Now they just seem to be coming every year.

[11:59] I think the protections put in place definitely have had the benefit in the Towns Beach project

[12:04] itself has provided a lot of habitat for nests to be laid.

[12:09] So we're documenting a lot because of successes.

[12:12] All right.

[12:12] Thank you.

[12:12] All right.

[12:13] Let's do the pictures.

[12:15] I can go with the pictures certainly.

[12:17] Are we up to the pictures?

[12:19] Yes.

[12:19] In the conditions report?

[12:21] Yes.

[12:22] We will.

[12:22] I just need to do events to slide there.

[12:24] Just in general, my text, the high bullet points, we're really looking at

[12:29] ComCs means good beach conditions, we have good beach conditions,

[12:32] we don't have any hotspot activity out there.

[12:35] What I've added here under other activities is just kind of remind the commission

[12:39] and perhaps for commissioner biases notification.

[12:44] We do have a lot of things that the beach district has to do by permits.

[12:48] So what we've done recently is biological monitoring field data.

[12:52] We've completed that.

[12:53] That means we've surveyed near-shore reefs.

[12:55] That's required by permit, that field data collection effort was completed last month.

[13:00] We have ongoing surveys, physical data that we're collecting this month year round.

[13:05] We are collecting data on shorebirds, whether or not we observe any of those on our beaches.

[13:11] We did just recently complete a nighttime lighting inspection, which you and I had spoken about.

[13:16] We do have a funding light sources out there that we need to address and we'll work on those.

[13:19] and we're also trying to advance and wrap up a permit modification application with the federal agencies.

[13:27] But onward to the pictures, and I can go through these quickly because, again,

[13:31] very good beach conditions up and down with little to no change.

[13:35] We're in the dead of summer.

[13:37] You don't really get a lot of change unless you get a tropical event out there,

[13:40] which we've been blessed not to have so far.

[13:44] 161 North Beach Road view north towards the north end of the island from March.

[13:50] Really not seeing any changes in beach width.

[13:52] You'll see a dark line there.

[13:57] That's the rack line from the Sargasm that has been accumulating.

[14:01] Back in March we had noted some hot spot activities up on the north end of the island.

[14:06] So this is at 151 North Beach Road looking south.

[14:09] You can pick out in this photograph what remains.

[14:13] of, you know, an escarpment formation there, that is adjusted out.

[14:20] We're looking at stable, wide, nice, natural beach conditions that do continue on south,

[14:26] 75 North Beach Road, view south from March up to July, noting that we're looking at a high-tide

[14:34] picture versus a low-tide picture, which does influence something somewhat, but visually,

[14:40] but we're looking at very good beach conditions.

[14:43] Down at the beach club again,

[14:45] we had noted hotspot activities back in March

[14:47] and predating March south of the beach club,

[14:51] often the distance there.

[14:52] You can see some of this activity

[14:54] where the shoreline will do a little wave action.

[14:57] That really hasn't deteriorated

[14:58] and you still have some.

[15:00] Upper-level beach that has adjusted somewhat, it's still kind of a remnant of that initial

[15:06] scarping, but the lower beach is actually very stable, very good condition against South.

[15:12] Further south through the island, here we are at 223 South Beach Road, March, July.

[15:18] Again, we still have some remnant cutbacks from the winter season, hot spot activity, but

[15:25] but really beach conditions have stabilized very well.

[15:28] Beach looks in good shape all the way through the south and the town.

[15:32] 365 South Beach Road View North, and there we are in July.

[15:36] Flipping it around, near the same location, near the S curve, 378 South Beach Road View South.

[15:42] Again, you can definitely notice out there in the background some of where we had some hotspot activity.

[15:49] These are things that have kind of since stabilized at lower beaches kind of filled back in.

[15:53] And then close to the south end of the town, the south end of our project near 444 South Beach Road, March, July, and then ending in the town, the 600 block, the 9 homes that are protected by a dune only.

[16:08] We still have very good beach with out there at that location, it's been a protection for the dune project.

[16:14] It continues to exist today.

[16:16] We'll see how things progress as the year goes on, and that's usually, this area is really typically only affected by winter, nor Eastern conditions.

[16:25] So overall, a very good report with

[16:33] that I know other items on land.

[16:39] That would bring us to the end of the beach protection district and the conclusion of this meeting.

[16:45] So, with a thank you to my colleagues for bringing this in in a very efficient way, we're adjourned.

[16:55] Thank you, Ms. May.

Beach Protection District July 22, 2026

Transcript