[0:18] [Background talking]
[0:28] [Gavel bangs]
[0:57] Speaker: Gracious God we are thankful for all
[1:00] you have provided and continue to provide.
[1:02] We ask you continue to give us wisdom, understanding,
[1:06] and strength to lead in your direction and your community.
[1:10] We ask all of these things in your son's name Amen.
[1:27] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
[1:30] and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
[1:30] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[1:51] Chair: This meeting is called to order.
[1:55] Clerk please call the roll.
[2:01] [Roll call]
[2:09] We have two new employees with us tonight.
[2:15] When I call your name please stand.
[2:19] Michael Cortez, public works.
[2:23] Jesse Ponder's, public works.
[2:28] Welcome to the city family.
[2:36] [Applause]
[2:38] the clerk will provide the public notice.
[2:44] City Clerk: The August 18th Council meeting was publicly
[2:48] noticed.
[2:48] As a reminder, public comments and presentations
[2:52] are limited to three minutes unless authorized to extend
[2:56] beyond that time by council.
[3:02] prior to speaking at the podium please state
[3:05] your name and address for the record,
[3:07] to maintain order speakers must be recognized
[3:09] by the Council President.
[3:11] Please silence your cell phones and all electronic devices
[3:14] for the duration of this meeting, thank you.
[3:23] Chair: Item for, presentation of the mayor's citizen recognition
[3:28] Award to miss Cherise rivers, will you please come forward?
[3:48] Speaker: Every month we recognize
[3:49] people who are doing outstanding work in our community
[3:52] with the mayor's award, and just another amazing person who
[3:59] sets an example in the community for what it
[4:01] means to serve and give back.
[4:03] I'm going to read your nomination,
[4:04] and there's just so much more to what you do.
[4:09] Cherise is a shining example of a rising community
[4:12] leader who gives back to her community
[4:14] through action and selflessness.
[4:16] Beyond her work as CEO, she founded a non profit scholarship
[4:25] to help young students go to college.
[4:32] Shareece mobilized some of the country's most
[4:34] acclaimed leadership speakers, and helped lead the charge
[4:40] to bring them to Ocala for a high leadership conference.
[4:44] A founder and CEO of Zinnia Health Management,
[4:50] additionally she's a host for the Retirement Coffee Talk
[4:54] podcast.
[4:55] A mother of two, she loves to travel with her family
[4:59] and her free time.
[5:01] She serves on the Board of Directors
[5:03] for the Chamber of Economic Partnership
[5:06] and was chairman of the board in 2025.
[5:09] This is just a short list.
[5:12] What I see is when you are out in the community,
[5:14] you are behind the scenes doing some amazing work
[5:17] and you want to make a great difference,
[5:21] Ocala is better because of you.
[5:24] Congratulations on your citizen of the month award.
[5:43] Charisse Rivers: I'm here to serve the community
[5:46] and do all I can, I believe someone steps up,
[5:52] you're just adding so much value.
[5:54] Get on board if you are not!
[6:03] Speaker: You get a gift card and a pin,
[6:06] a key to the city, also a mayor's coin And a plaque.
[6:39] [Applause]
[6:48] Chair: Item for B, presentation of the Arts and health
[6:55] day in Ocala, Florida proclamation to Arts and health
[7:01] Ocala Metro executive director, Patricia Tomlinson.
[7:14] Speaker: It's my honor to a proclamation for Arts and Health
[7:17] Day in Ocala , improving mental health outcomes formerly
[7:26] recognizes arts as a source for supporting mental well-being
[7:34] in all stages of life.
[7:38] Arts initiatives have been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety
[7:41] in patients recovering from addiction by 62%,
[7:45] improving feelings of belonging and veterans by 56% and reducing
[7:49] nervousness by 56% among school aged children whereas
[7:53] participation in arts promotes mental wellness,
[7:56] reduces depression, social isolation and loneliness while
[7:59] providing accessible opportunities for healing,
[8:02] self-expression, and personal growth for over 19,000 residents
[8:11] of Ocala and all programs .
[8:23] Whereas Arts and Health day within Ocala
[8:25] provides an opportunity to recognize the contribution
[8:28] of artists, healthcare professionals, educators,
[8:32] researchers and community leaders
[8:34] who advance the arts as a modality for mental health
[8:37] and healing.
[8:38] By virtue of the authority vested in me as the mayor
[8:41] of the city of Ocala Florida do declare August 18th 2026 to be
[8:46] Arts and Health Day in Ocala Florida.
[8:51] Congratulations, and thank you for this work.
[9:05] [Applause]
[9:06] Speaker: Thank you very much, we are a nonprofit organization
[9:09] but one of the more interesting things
[9:11] we do in addition to making art with the public,
[9:14] we also keep data on all of our arts interactions
[9:17] to prove that art is actually good for you.
[9:20] We work with veterans, children in the foster system,
[9:24] those with dementia and their caregivers and a lot more,
[9:27] and the statistics mayor Marciano
[9:29] cited are our own statistics from right
[9:32] here in Marion County, so thank you.
[9:41] [Applause]
[10:11] Chair: Item four C is the presentation
[10:15] of a service award to Jerry Tafoya,
[10:18] with 25 years of service for Ocala Fire Rescue.
[10:27] [Applause]
[10:36] Speaker: Fire equipment operator Jerry Tafoya,
[10:40] originally from Albuquerque new Mexico began his career
[10:44] in August 2001 as a certified firefighter paramedic in South
[10:50] Florida before moving to Ocala.
[10:52] Is currently assigned to engine four, as well as being
[10:57] a part of the aircraft rescue firefighting team
[11:00] at the airport.
[11:02] Is also a founding member of the Ocala Fire Rescue Swat medic
[11:06] team, having a hand in the team's development .
[11:12] For 25 years in service, please join me
[11:16] in congratulating Mr. Tafoya.
[11:24] [Applause]
[11:25] Speaker: Thank you for giving me a great place to work and not
[11:28] firing me .
[12:01] Chair: Item four D, the presentation
[12:04] of a service award to Joseph Dotten,
[12:18] For Ocala electric utilities.
[12:26] Speaker: Beginning in 2001 as a tree crew equipment operator,
[12:30] through his hard work and dedication Joe
[12:34] was promoted to lion truck operator in 2006
[12:38] and has continued to advance throughout his career
[12:42] and currently serves as line truck operator
[12:44] three, a position he has held since 2019.
[12:49] Outside of his daily responsibilities,
[12:52] he enjoys creating homemade sauces
[12:54] and cooking chicken wings For the annual charity
[13:04] cookoff, King of the wing.
[13:09] When he's not at work, Joe enjoys cruising and camping
[13:15] with family and friends.
[13:18] He and his wife have three children,
[13:20] and they are the proud grandparents
[13:24] of two wonderful grandsons.
[13:26] For 25 years of service, congratulations.
[13:34] [Applause]
[13:59] Chair: Item four E is the presentation
[14:02] of a service award to Jody Taylor,
[14:05] for 30 years of service in public works.
[14:15] [Applause]
[14:17] Speaker: Jodie Taylor has been employed
[14:19] with the city of Ocala residential sanitation Division
[14:22] for 30 years, beginning as a residential sanitation worker
[14:26] before being promoted to assistant crew leader and then
[14:31] clam operator and has been in his position
[14:35] for the past 27 years.
[14:37] Has expanded his role to learn additional trucks
[14:39] and responsibilities.
[14:40] Jodie is very reliable and dependable employee
[14:44] who can be counted on to do whatever is asked of him.
[14:48] Many times he has proved his value as an operator while doing
[14:54] storm cleanup .
[14:58] Not only is he a productive worker,
[15:00] but he has also shown the ability
[15:03] to safely remove debris from situations where
[15:05] it doesn't look possible and he's always found a way
[15:09] to accomplish the task.
[15:11] Jodie S lived in Ocala for 40 years
[15:14] and has been married for 37.
[15:16] Together they have three daughters
[15:18] and six adorable grandchildren, we
[15:21] are happy Jodie is a part of the city of Ocala
[15:25] and more specifically part of residential Sanitation division.
[15:28] Has been proud to make a career with the city
[15:32] and plans to continue for many years,
[15:34] thank you for your years of service.
[15:40] [Applause]
[15:56] Chair: Item four F is the presentation
[15:59] of a service award to Major Gregory Martin,
[16:03] for 30 years of service with the Ocala Police Department.
[16:16] Speaker: Shortly after graduating from Forrest High
[16:19] School, he served until 1998.
[16:25] Major Martin was hired at the Ocala Police Department
[16:29] in August 1996 after a year , he served many roles
[16:44] and as a member of the Swat team for 15 years.
[16:47] Was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant in 2006,
[16:51] Lieutenant in 2015, captain in 2017,
[16:55] and major in January of 2021.
[16:59] Is commander of Special Operations Bureau.
[17:02] He is married to his best friend and they have two children.
[17:12] Austin is a firefighter paramedic
[17:17] with Marion County Rescue.
[17:19] 30 years of service, thank you.
[17:35] [Applause]
[17:37] Speaker: Tony didn't bother me, 25 didn't bother me,
[17:40] but I woke up this morning and 30 is kind of weird.
[17:44] The most important part is not what I've accomplished,
[17:47] but I've done it with my best friend by my side and it is not
[17:51] easy .
[17:53] I thank her every day for putting up with me,
[17:57] because I'm a mess for sure and my son some of the biggest
[18:03] flexes in life are our kids.
[18:08] In the grand scheme of things, I've been incredibly blessed.
[18:16] We live in a phenomenal community .
[18:26] I've worked for tremendous people,
[18:28] I've had tremendous councilmen and councilwomen, city managers
[18:33] and mayors, and they've all been incredibly supportive
[18:36] of us our entire career.
[18:38] When you do that, you wake up every day
[18:42] and it feels like just another day, doesn't feel like 30 years.
[18:47] The citizens of Ocala have been fantastic supporting us
[18:51] throughout my 30 year career, Mr. Mayor, thank you so much .
[19:17] Chair: Before we move on to tonight's presentations,
[19:21] we are going to consider two agenda items out of order.
[19:24] First, we will consider agenda item ten
[19:28] E which is the adoption of a successful collective bargaining
[19:33] agreement between the City of Ocala and the local firefighters
[19:38] and officers bargaining unit.
[19:41] Do I hear a motion to approve this item?
[19:46] Chief of staff Chris Watts is recognized
[19:52] for the staff presentation.
[20:06] Chris Watts: Beginning October 1st and running through
[20:10] September 30th of 2029 -- the parties reached a tentative
[20:17] agreement on July 9th and the proposed contract was approved
[20:22] by the Union at a vote of 94 and nine against.
[20:27] If approved by the Council , it is $8.7 million over the next
[20:34] three years.
[20:34] Staff recommends approval and I am here
[20:37] to answer any questions you may have.
[20:42] Chair: Are there any comments from the public or the council?
[20:49] [Voting]
[20:57] Next we will consider item ten F,
[21:00] the adoption of resolution 2026 .
[21:17] Peter Brill is recognized for the staff presentation .
[21:28] Peter Brill: Council is considering
[21:29] the removal of the BTR, To move forward
[21:43] with the potential removal as pledge revenue,
[21:48] finance has secured this solution
[21:55] as the last piece needed.
[22:01] Chair: Any questions or comments from the public?
[22:07] [Voting]
[22:16] Chair: The ayes have it.
[22:18] We will return to agenda item number five.
[22:22] Presentation of the Risk Manager of the year Award
[22:25] to Richard Dennis from public Risk Underwriters
[22:29] of Florida Inc.
[22:40] [Applause]
[22:49] Speaker: Good afternoon chairperson, commissioners,
[22:53] and guest.
[22:54] It is my pleasure to recognize an outstanding public servant
[22:58] and leader in the field of public risk management.
[23:06] We are honored to present the risk management of the year
[23:13] award to Mr. Richard Dennis of the City of Ocala.
[23:18] Risk management is about protecting people, safeguarding
[23:22] public resources and helping organizations operate safely
[23:28] and effectively.
[23:29] Richard has exemplified those principles
[23:33] through his leadership, professionalism, and commitment
[23:36] to excellence.
[23:38] His dedication to promoting safety, managing risk
[23:42] proactively and supporting the city of Ocala
[23:46] has made a meaningful difference within your organization
[23:52] and serves as a model to all of our members
[23:57] with preferred governmental insurance trust.
[24:00] Richard, thank you for your hard work,
[24:06] Congratulations on a well deserved recognition.
[24:14] [Applause]
[26:08] Chair: Item five B is the presentation of the 2026 Florida
[26:12] Legislative Session recap in 2027 legislative session
[26:15] preview by Sarah Suski, from the Advocacy partners.
[26:38] Sarah Suskey: It is such a heartwarming experience
[26:41] to come to your city council meetings
[26:43] and see the presentation of the service Awards and all
[26:47] the things you guys do at the very beginning,
[26:51] it puts a pep in my step and makes me happy.
[26:54] To have that many people who have served
[26:57] this community for that long time and time
[27:00] again is so incredible, and it says a lot about your leadership
[27:06] and just a lot about this awesome community.
[27:09] I'm here to talk about the legislative session,
[27:14] and along those same lines today is primary Election Day
[27:18] in Florida.
[27:19] I see lots of I voted stickers in the room,
[27:23] you still have a couple of hours to get to the polls
[27:26] if you haven't voted and help decide
[27:31] who is going to lead our state in the next year or two.
[27:34] But I'm here to talk about the legislative session,
[27:38] and I have to start off again by thanking
[27:41] you guys for the opportunity to represent this amazing community
[27:45] in Tallahassee.
[27:46] Thank you for the access you give us
[27:50] to your incredible professional staff,
[27:55] they are a huge help to Steven and I
[27:57] and our entire firm at Tallahassee
[27:59] but it's truly an honor to get to represent this community
[28:03] and also work alongside the incredible legislative
[28:09] delegation you guys have representing you up
[28:12] in Tallahassee.
[28:13] The session ended officially on March 13th,
[28:16] doesn't seem like that long ago but it seems like a lifetime.
[28:20] Rather than going out with a bang again this year
[28:25] it went out with a bit of a whimper
[28:27] and for the second year of a row without a completed state budget
[28:32] which is the one thing constitutionally
[28:34] the legislature is tasked with doing every year.
[28:38] Despite supermajorities of Republicans and vote chambers
[28:41] of the legislature, once again this year there
[28:44] were some disagreements on priority and spending
[28:47] that ended up causing the session to continue,
[28:52] or multiple sessions I'm going to discuss here in a little bit.
[28:56] During the regular session there was almost 1900 bills
[29:01] filed in Tallahassee.
[29:04] 237 of those 1900 actually passed,
[29:09] and since the session ended, the governor
[29:11] has acted on every single one of them.
[29:14] Signed most of them and vetoed eight.
[29:17] One of them is going to be important
[29:20] and of interest to you guys, I know you were already aware
[29:23] but some of the notable things that passes
[29:26] here were data centers bills that preserve some local control
[29:30] over siting and development decisions,
[29:32] I know the county had some workshops going on to discuss
[29:38] those that have been postponed.
[29:51] a cap increase on immunity claims ,
[30:00] because of increased costs it would have brought to local
[30:03] governments.
[30:04] Another bill that passed was a piece of legislation giving
[30:08] additional authority regarding municipal utility service
[30:13] extensions , and agriculture package that connects farmers
[30:20] in Florida with families and food banks,
[30:25] legislation requiring verification of citizenship
[30:28] before folks can vote in Florida,
[30:31] and then a school safety package also passed.
[30:36] Sometimes in Tallahassee what doesn't pass is even more
[30:39] important than what does pass, and this year once again
[30:45] the Renaissance bill did not pass,
[30:48] the legislature did not successfully pass an AI bill
[30:52] of rights , and a couple of other things.
[30:57] But there were term limits for county commissioners, did not
[31:01] pass this year.
[31:02] And effort to repeal local governments authority to Levy
[31:06] local business taxes, and legislation that
[31:10] would have allowed large scale developments in Florida
[31:13] to bypass some of the comprehensive plan
[31:16] provisions that exist for local governments in Florida.
[31:22] Once the regular session ended we
[31:28] took a break for a couple of weeks,
[31:31] but the governor had other plans for us
[31:34] and called the legislature back for a special session on an AI
[31:39] bill of rights, medical freedom proposal
[31:42] and congressional redistricting.
[31:44] The legislature ultimately decided
[31:46] not to take up the first two, but passed
[31:51] the congressional maps that the governor proposed
[31:54] and then we were able to get on to the budget
[31:57] and complete that work.
[32:00] After several weeks of negotiation
[32:02] the legislature eventually approved a $114 billion
[32:06] state budget, which was $1 billion
[32:10] under last year's budget and roughly $3 billion less
[32:14] than what governor Desantis proposed.
[32:16] It includes $14 billion in reserves, $115 million
[32:21] in debt reduction, raises for correctional officers,
[32:26] public defenders, investments in natural resources
[32:30] and environmental restoration, funding for affordable housing
[32:35] initiatives, cybersecurity grants and an overall increase
[32:39] in education spending.
[32:43] Importantly to this community, that budget also included
[32:46] $500,000 for the city's exfiltration project which has
[32:52] been ongoing for several years, and we were very fortunate that
[32:58] the governor approved that line item this year.
[33:02] The budget passed on May 29th, and the governor signed
[33:07] the budget on June 29th a month later and a day before the final
[33:11] day of the fiscal year he vetoed $1.7 billion out of the budget,
[33:20] 800 million of which were local projects like the City
[33:24] of Ocala's which was more than last year but less than he had
[33:32] done in the past, so we are all grateful for that.
[33:36] Just when we thought we could head home for the summer
[33:39] the governor brought us back for a third special session
[33:42] and this one was on property tax reform.
[33:46] I know you guys are incredibly well versed in what is going
[33:50] on with that, but I will give a little bit of an overview
[33:53] so that the House of Representatives had undergone
[33:58] a pretty significant process of workshops around the state,
[34:01] and a lot of conversations came up with some proposals,
[34:08] and ultimately the Senate never took those up during the regular
[34:11] session so the governor felt that it was important to call
[34:14] everyone back to have a special session on property tax reform ,
[34:21] and in short, the proposal that passed would increase
[34:25] the homestead exemption for non-school taxes for Florida
[34:28] residents to 150 zero zero $0 in 2027,
[34:33] and that would go up to $250,000 in 2028.
[34:37] It also limits the increase on assessed value for property
[34:43] in the state and restricts local governments ability to use
[34:47] property tax revenue for non essential items in the budget .
[34:55] This proposal, as you know very well,
[34:58] will require a 60% plus one approval in the November ballot.
[35:05] We've already seen some court challenges that have resulted
[35:10] in on Thursday a rewrite of the ballot language,
[35:14] the summary and the language itself ,
[35:19] and that seems to be what will go on the ballot in November.
[35:23] If it does pass, the constitutional amendment will
[35:30] take effect on January 1st of next year 2027.
[35:34] The legislature will need to codify that as well as codify
[35:41] a process because the language says that local governments can
[35:45] use a plan to fully eliminate property taxes in a manner that
[35:52] is prescribed by the legislature.
[35:55] So, there's significant implications and lots
[35:58] of conversations going on in local communities and certainly
[36:02] here in the city of Ocala where you guys are
[36:06] growing continually.
[36:08] I know there are a lot of demands on the city's budget,
[36:13] et, so it'll be interesting to see what happens with that
[36:17] and the next couple of months.
[36:19] Now all of the sessions are behind us,
[36:22] legislators have gone back to their communities to spend time
[36:26] with their families this summer, campaign,
[36:28] a lot of elections are going to be decided today and it will be
[36:36] interesting, but once we get through the November election,
[36:40] the legislature will come back to Tallahassee in November
[36:43] the weekend of November 17th to formally organize for the 2027
[36:48] session, install our new leaders and get the committee process
[36:54] underway.
[36:55] Then in January, we will welcome a new governor
[37:00] to the state of Florida who will be inaugurated in January.
[37:04] In the meantime, we anticipate that in the legislature,
[37:10] Senator Jim Boyd will very likely become our next Senate
[37:15] president and Representative Sam Garrison from Clay County who
[37:22] is an attorney and has done some work for local governments
[37:25] in the past will very likely become
[37:29] our next speaker of the House, will also
[37:33] have some new leadership on state agencies
[37:37] and a few surprises will likely be on deck,
[37:42] we are going to be interested in seeing everyone's agendas
[37:45] for the 2027 session, although we don't
[37:51] know exactly what that is.
[37:52] We know it's going to be very interesting and never a dull
[37:56] moment in Tallahassee, so we will be ready for that .
[38:03] Our firm is incredibly grateful to get
[38:05] to represent the city of Ocala, and we
[38:08] will be back in the coming months
[38:10] to have a meeting with your senior staff
[38:13] and to meet with you individually
[38:16] as your staff works to develop your legislative agenda
[38:21] for next session, so we will see you again soon.
[38:26] We are incredibly grateful, thank you for your time.
[38:41] Chair: Agenda item number six is our consent agenda,
[38:46] are there any items with Council would
[38:48] like to include on the agenda for individual discussion?
[39:01] are there comments?
[39:07] call the roll.
[39:15] [Voting - all ayes]
[39:30] item eight A is the Ordinance.
[39:41] City Clerk: An ordinance to change the future land use
[39:48] designation amending the future land use map designation
[40:01] for property located in the 1700 block of Northwest Martin Luther
[40:07] King Jr Avenue from medium intensity to public ,
[40:22] approximately 11 acres.
[40:40] Chair: Item eight B is an introduction and ordinance
[40:43] reading .
[40:52] City Clerk: The ordinance amendment of the city map
[40:57] of Ocala in heavy industrial use,
[41:03] for property located east of the 1700 block of Northwest Martin
[41:08] Luther King Jr Avenue , approximately 11.2 acres.
[41:22] Provide direction to staff for conflicted provisions,
[41:29] provided for modifications arising from the consideration
[41:33] of the hearing.
[41:48] An ordinance amending the zoning map changing from B for general
[42:04] business to M1 light industrial .
[42:16] Approximately 5.93 acres , providing direction to staff
[42:27] repealing inconsistent provisions for modifications
[42:32] arising from considerations at a public hearing.
[42:53] 8d Is an ordinance amending the zoning map of the city of Ocala
[43:03] for 3.23 acres for a property located at 1501 Northwest 14th
[43:11] Street from governmental use to neighborhood business .
[43:42] 8e, An ordinance amending the zoning map of the city of Ocala
[43:48] Florida changing from light industrial to medium industrial,
[43:54] 3.05 acres of property located in the 1700 block of Northeast
[44:01] 18th place .
[44:30] 8f., An ordinance amending the city of Ocala comprehensive plan
[44:42] map series has required detailing the future land use
[44:51] change amending the map from neighborhood to public located
[45:02] in the 700 block of Northwest 14th Street,
[45:08] approximately 0.52 acres.
[45:15] Providing for modifications arising
[45:19] from consideration of the hearing and effective date.
[45:29] 8g., An ordinance amending the zoning map of the city of Ocala
[45:44] Florida changing from two family residential to government use,
[45:52] located in the 708 hundred blocks of Northwest 14th Street
[45:57] and the 1400 block of Northwest 17th place,
[46:01] approximately 9.94 acres .
[46:11] Approximately providing direction to staff repealing
[46:21] inconsistent , providing direction to the Codifier
[46:30] and providing an effective date.
[46:40] Chair: Is there a motion for 9a?
[47:18] Endira Madraveren: The agent for this request is Kendall Drake
[47:25] of Drake Construction Services, the properties impacted
[47:30] by the Northwest 13th Street aggregation include different
[47:35] ownership, which are the Magnolia Extension LLC as well
[47:41] as the property extension to the south.
[47:44] The portion of Northwest First Avenue being aggregated
[47:49] is internal to the Magnolia Extension site
[47:53] and will only impact that property.
[47:56] Both rights contain existing eight inch gravity sewer lines
[48:02] and Northwest 13th Street also includes a street light,
[48:07] but are otherwise undeveloped.
[48:11] Utility easement has been developed .
[48:19] The applicant has indicated the intent
[48:22] to utilize the aggregate of areas
[48:25] through further development of the site.
[48:28] Staff finds the requested aggregation will not negatively
[48:32] impact any adjacent properties.
[48:34] Other than city utilities, no comments or objections
[48:39] were received by any other utility providers.
[48:43] Staff recommends approval subject to the following
[48:46] condition that the applicant will assume responsibility
[48:49] for the maintenance of the eight inch gravity sewer lines upon
[48:54] the north half of the aggregation of Northwest 13th
[48:58] Street, and upon the aggregation of Northwest First Avenue
[49:02] and for the charges related to convert the street light
[49:06] on Northwest 13th Street to a yard light subject to the charge
[49:13] by OEU.
[49:19] I'm happy to answer any questions.
[49:27] Chair: Any public comments on this matter?
[49:32] call the roll.
[49:36] [Voting - all ayes]
[49:42] item nine B is a public hearing to consider
[49:49] approval for the on premise consumption for wine
[49:55] at via Panini.
[50:01] Endira Madraveren: The applicant,
[50:03] doing business as via Panini, is requesting permission
[50:08] to sell beer and wine for on premise consumption.
[50:12] Via Panini is a proposed restaurant
[50:17] located at 725 East Silver Springs Boulevard
[50:21] with a proposed 20 seats and two employees.
[50:25] Comments were requested from the Growth Management
[50:28] Department, police and fire.
[50:31] No objections were received, there
[50:34] have been three calls for service
[50:36] at this location during the past two years.
[50:39] There is one church and no schools or daycares located
[50:45] within the 500 foot radius.
[50:49] Staff recommends approval, and I'm here
[50:51] to answer any questions.
[51:03] Speaker: It will be nice to see it activated as a restaurant
[51:06] again.
[51:09] I'm going to make a motion to approve that.
[51:19] [Voting - all ayes]
[51:29] Chair: Item nine C is the amendment
[51:36] of the Housing Incentive fund revising criteria pertaining
[51:40] to affordable housing loan programs including length
[51:43] of terms, applicability, administrative process,
[51:47] and interest rates.
[52:56] Aubrey Hale: Chapter 106 addresses planning housing
[53:01] in general for the city of Ocala,
[53:03] but it also provides for the Housing Incentive Fund which
[53:08] is used to offset the qualifying under the city's definition
[53:16] of affordable housing.
[53:18] There's a code reference to a loan program that has limited
[53:21] or very restricted criteria.
[53:25] There's federal and state housing programs
[53:27] that help to address housing and greater access
[53:32] to affordable housing within communities,
[53:35] but the city current code reflects
[53:38] kind of a short term loan program
[53:40] currently at 0% interest.
[53:43] This does provide for a faster return to the Housing incentive
[53:48] fund, however it does have some limitations working
[53:51] with federal and state programs.
[53:55] Oftentimes those require longer financing affordability
[53:59] provisions as part of the state so this code addresses
[54:04] some greater flexibility and guidance to the programs,
[54:09] and really what it does is Establish loans
[54:19] that mature ten years or less from the effective date
[54:23] and have a maximum interest rate that ranges from 0%
[54:26] to half of the US Prime interest rate.
[54:30] Additionally, here's another one that establishes a long term
[54:35] loan program and does not exceed a 30 year max
[54:43] period for that loan.
[54:45] These loans for the long term program
[54:47] would only be available to assist with federal, state,
[54:51] or local housing programs and is worded in a way
[54:57] to not allow for the sole source funding out
[55:00] of the long term loan for assistance of other initiatives.
[55:07] Again, the interest rate would be slightly higher for the long
[55:10] term loans since they are longer term .
[55:21] It ranges from half the US prime interest rate up to the maximum
[55:25] of the US prime interest rate.
[55:28] Lastly, it provides administrative authority
[55:31] to the City manager designee to prepare the final signatures
[55:35] and approvals for the documents with the proposed code.
[55:40] In closing, the landscape of affordable housing is
[55:44] continuously evolving and due to these changes in federal state
[55:48] housing programs it provides flexibility and clarity .
[56:00] Staff recommends approval, and is available for any questions.
[56:14] [Voting - all ayes]
[56:21] Chair: Agenda item ten, general business.
[56:24] The adoption of the agreement for professional services
[56:29] with air show management for the production and management
[56:32] of the wings over Ocala Florida air
[56:35] show at Ocala International Airport.
[56:38] Do I hear a motion to approve this item?
[57:08] Matthew Grow: This is a new event for Ocala with
[57:11] the inaugural show scheduled for April 30th followed by spring
[57:16] events in 2028 and 2029.
[57:19] JLC Airshow Management is an experienced professional air
[57:23] show producer having completed several successful air
[57:28] shows around the Southeast United States.
[57:30] JLC takes responsibility for producing and managing
[57:34] essentially all aspects of the event, vendors, sanitation,
[57:42] fencing, insurance, and ultimately event operations.
[57:47] JLC is also responsible for all event parking
[57:50] both on and off site, shuttles, traffic management,
[57:56] all added expense.
[57:58] The city's role is primarily to provide the airport venue
[58:02] and coordinate public safety and emergency
[58:04] services that might be necessary to safely conduct the event.
[58:09] That includes specialized airport rescue firefighting EMS
[58:14] teams, law enforcement, regular fire services and traffic
[58:19] control along southwest 60th Avenue.
[58:24] There will be a cost to the city for those services,
[58:26] the police estimate approximately $23,000 and Ocala
[58:31] Fire approximately 15,000 for a current total of about $48,000.
[58:37] These costs will be paid for through the airport fund.
[58:42] There's also a 100,000 sponsorship from the tourist
[58:49] Council subject to approval and availability and it's intended
[58:54] to support production and operation of the event.
[58:58] The agreement contains a revenue sharing provision .
[59:12] For the first 300,000 of their revenue,
[59:15] they will retain 100% of it.
[59:18] For net revenue exceeding 300 000, they receive 70%.
[59:24] There is a mechanism to recover some cost to the agreement,
[59:32] there's other protections in the agreement and either party can
[59:35] cancel with 60 days written notice .
[59:56] From the airport's perspective, it's
[59:59] an opportunity to show off Ocala.
[1:00:02] We have a great facility out there,
[1:00:04] we could see upwards of around 45000 people
[1:00:10] and where we are right now with the airport is a perfect time
[1:00:15] to show it off.
[1:00:17] Those visitors generate hotel stays and quite
[1:00:23] a bit of other spending throughout the community.
[1:00:26] Staff from the Marion County Tourism Development Council
[1:00:29] are here and can address any economic related specific
[1:00:33] questions you may have.
[1:00:34] The airport Advisory Board absolutely supports the event.
[1:00:39] Staff recommends approval , happy to answer any questions.
[1:01:05] Speaker: As your representative, I sit on the council
[1:01:08] and he has been working on this thing for about two years.
[1:01:14] I always knew we had a diamond in the rough with the airport,
[1:01:20] they did a great job of bringing it to Ocala.
[1:01:26] Once we had it, then we had to wait to make sure
[1:01:31] we did get the Blue Angels.
[1:01:32] Now we've got it all tidied up, it's going to be a great event,
[1:01:37] I am excited about it.
[1:01:40] It's been a lot of work together,
[1:01:44] I'm excited to finally see in front of us.
[1:02:00] Speaker: I see a lot of new faces in the crowd.
[1:02:03] This money is not taxpayer dollars, the airport makes money
[1:02:08] and the money this airport makes is
[1:02:12] what is paying for law enforcement and fire
[1:02:15] to be there.
[1:02:16] This is not taxpayer revenue, it's
[1:02:18] coming from the airport revenue, I just
[1:02:22] wanted to say that for the record.
[1:03:05] Speaker: We're being conservative on those numbers.
[1:03:14] Speaker: Having spent 20 years around the aerospace industry,
[1:03:19] when I first moved to Florida we had
[1:03:22] the Blue Angels in Gainesville and we'd never
[1:03:25] seen anything like that.
[1:03:27] They traveled around the country, this is a huge impact
[1:03:31] and people will come far and away to see this
[1:03:34] because it's a great show.
[1:03:49] Speaker: We started initial contact in 2022
[1:03:52] and have been trying to get the Blue Angels, that
[1:03:56] was the initial push and we were able to get in the first two
[1:03:58] years of this attempt and this year we
[1:04:01] were able to get it secured by the federal government
[1:04:04] and we're hoping to get some more for the future of that.
[1:04:17] [Voting - all ayes]
[1:04:27] Chair: Adoption of resolution 2026-50.
[1:04:47] Matthew Grow: This meets goals, the total construction cost is
[1:04:54] $427,542.
[1:04:56] The airport's share is about $21,000 or 5% of the total cost.
[1:05:07] The project is consistent with the airport plan supported
[1:05:10] by the advisory board.
[1:05:13] Once the grant is executed and we have the hard copy in hand
[1:05:16] we are going to pursue some additional funding to further
[1:05:19] offset the airport to expense through grant monies,
[1:05:24] so you can expect to bring us back
[1:05:26] again once we get the additional grant money for the project.
[1:05:30] The FAA system grant disbursement
[1:05:35] is a little confusing at times.
[1:05:40] One grant was approved by Council, one was not,
[1:05:45] but they were both signed at that time on August 3rd.
[1:05:50] This agenda item at this time covers that signature ,
[1:05:57] I don't know if you have anything else you want to add
[1:06:00] about that.
[1:06:06] Speaker: Nothing that you spoke to them once you learned
[1:06:08] we signed it prematurely.
[1:06:14] Matthew Grow: Staff recommends approval,
[1:06:19] happy to answer any questions.
[1:06:25] [Voting - all ayes]
[1:06:40] Chair: Item ten C, do I hear a motion to approve this item?
[1:06:54] Matthew Grow: This is the budget resolution for the previously
[1:06:59] mentioned fiscal year 2025 2026 agreement .
[1:07:11] [Voting - all ayes]
[1:07:19] Chair: Item ten D is the adoption of the Second Amendment
[1:07:23] to agreement with Honorum productions Inc..
[1:07:27] Do I hear a motion to approve this item?
[1:07:42] Amy Liberty: This agenda item supports
[1:07:44] the city's strategic goal of quality of place
[1:07:47] and operational excellence.
[1:07:49] The Recreation and Parks Department
[1:07:51] are responsible for providing events featuring artists
[1:07:56] across various community venues and the city
[1:07:59] does not have the in-house expertise or equipment required
[1:08:06] to provide audio production services.
[1:08:12] Renewing this contract ensures continuity,
[1:08:16] maintains event quality and allows staff
[1:08:19] to remain focused on developing programs
[1:08:21] without technical concerns.
[1:08:23] This is the Second Amendment representing the final two year
[1:08:29] agreement option available under the original contract,
[1:08:32] staff recommends approval and I welcome any questions.
[1:08:50] [Voting - all ayes]
[1:09:01] Chair: Ten g, renew property, casualty, liability,
[1:09:06] and workers compensation insurance policies.
[1:09:22] Richard Dennis: This item supports the city goal
[1:09:29] of sustainable business.
[1:09:34] The recommended renewal will retain continuity of coverage
[1:09:39] beginning October 1st 2026.
[1:09:42] This is a favorable renewal that reduces the city's
[1:09:45] overall premiums, improves overall property protections
[1:09:52] across major risk exposures.
[1:09:57] The projection is $2 million representing overall reduction
[1:10:02] of $76,889 or approximately 2.9%.
[1:10:07] Staff recommends approval, and I am available for any questions.
[1:10:28] Chair: We have one additional item,
[1:10:31] the approval of an internal auditor employment agreement .
[1:10:54] Chris Watt: This agenda item supports the goal
[1:10:59] of being fiscally sustainable.
[1:11:06] Council voted to hire current assistant auditor
[1:11:11] for the internal auditor position.
[1:11:14] As a charter officer, he would work
[1:11:18] for council pursuant to terms of the employment agreement
[1:11:21] by the parties.
[1:11:36] As the internal auditor, the second council meeting
[1:11:41] per the city charter, staff recommends approval
[1:11:44] and I am happy to answer any questions you might have.
[1:11:54] [Voting - ayes have it]
[1:12:13] Chair: City manager, recognized for his report.
[1:12:25] City Manager Peter Lee: There's several items
[1:12:27] we will discuss on the city manager's
[1:12:31] report and the public comment portion of last week.
[1:12:36] I will leave those for you to read, especially the last two,
[1:12:42] I can discuss them with you individually at a later date.
[1:12:48] The email compromise incident, you may want to discuss.
[1:12:53] I brought Chris back up here, he was the editor of this document
[1:13:00] along with several staff members who I would like to thank
[1:13:06] for their procurement of the internal auditor the risk ,
[1:13:24] so they all work together after I found out about this incident
[1:13:32] to put this together, as you know we've got the bulk
[1:13:35] of the insurance money back , we got the check today so it was
[1:13:44] a 27 to $28,000 loss .
[1:13:52] Two employees are no longer with us as a result of this,
[1:13:57] I don't know if you have anything to add .
[1:14:07] Chris Watt: Mistakes were made and there
[1:14:10] have been several changes to procedure that
[1:14:12] have been put into place to prevent this
[1:14:14] from happening again.
[1:14:16] One thing I would like to say, if the procedures the city
[1:14:21] had in place at the time that we put in place in 2019
[1:14:25] as you will recall when this happened one other time,
[1:14:29] this would not have happened, the procedures
[1:14:32] if they had been followed would have stopped this
[1:14:35] from happening.
[1:14:37] Unfortunately, the employee did not
[1:14:39] follow the procedure that was in place.
[1:14:50] Mayor Ben Marciano: So you're saying
[1:14:51] you have a procedure that will protect us
[1:14:54] that hopefully now is in place?
[1:15:03] City Manager Peter Lee: We try to stay ahead of it,
[1:15:05] Richard and I try to draw up the best insurance that we can ,
[1:15:13] so when something like this happens --
[1:15:23] it's unfortunate we have to spend taxpayer money on that
[1:15:27] but as you can see, thank goodness that we do.
[1:15:52] Getting close on the parking garage,
[1:15:56] a lot of small things given the time and size and type of work
[1:16:07] that we are doing, but we are down to the elevators
[1:16:11] and signals from the fire rescue and safety in the parking garage
[1:16:16] and as soon as we finish with those ,
[1:16:22] I hope it's prior to next council meeting.
[1:16:25] On Friday August 28th from 10 to 11 we're going to do the ribbon
[1:16:31] cutting for the trolley.
[1:16:34] That's all I have.
[1:16:42] Chair: Item 13, Ocala Police Department Deputy Chief:
[1:16:56] First slide is going to go over the three different types
[1:17:00] of crime we track.
[1:17:02] All three are down, if you wonder what societal crimes are,
[1:17:07] they are things like public drunkenness, vandalism, drugs,
[1:17:12] white collar crimes .
[1:17:18] They are down this time this year from last year.
[1:17:21] The next is covering acts, these two are also down in comparison
[1:17:28] to last year's numbers , which is a good thing.
[1:17:43] Speaker: 364 compared to 640 year to date or for the whole
[1:17:52] year but we are trending down ?
[1:18:04] Deputy Chief: Just a little bit over 7300 incidents
[1:18:08] so far, slightly down from this time last year
[1:18:14] and dispatch calls are slightly up.
[1:18:19] Our final slide ,
[1:18:37] traffic is slightly down by 12% although we just added a new
[1:18:41] member to the traffic unit effective in September
[1:18:49] in crashes are down by 12% which is also a good thing .
[1:19:00] Any questions?
[1:19:21] Fire Chief: Total responded to vehicle accidents across
[1:19:29] the city was 164, total for the year is 17,480.
[1:19:45] Just a few updates or highlights,
[1:19:47] this was an extrication that happened on August 8th.
[1:19:51] We responded to a single vehicle that collided with a tree
[1:19:55] in the early hours of the morning .
[1:20:05] Also we had some promotions this past week, Battalion chief,
[1:20:13] captain .
[1:20:27] On behalf of all of our personnel,
[1:20:29] thank you for your continued support in the year.
[1:20:49] Speaker: Are we still seeing the trend in the right direction?
[1:20:54] Fire Chief: Unfortunately in the last month or so, I would say
[1:20:59] it's starting to trend back up .
[1:21:04] It could be a combination of things,
[1:21:06] I think probably the combination of drugs also that is out there
[1:21:12] that we are starting to see on the streets again .
[1:21:25] Chair: We do have some public comments,
[1:21:29] but I'm going to ask you to keep them to three minutes.
[1:21:45] Ryan P.: I started out with just wanting
[1:21:57] to know some simple questions and over the week I
[1:22:04] have called the city approximately 30 times,
[1:22:07] been hung up on 17 times, most specifically
[1:22:13] by the city manager's office.
[1:22:15] I called six times today, I left a bunch of voicemails
[1:22:20] and I don't know why I've been ignored.
[1:22:23] I've asked to talk to the city mayor and I've been ignored,
[1:22:31] I have asked to talk to the city attorney
[1:22:33] to find out if any of this was legal,
[1:22:36] I've been ignored and hung up on and I just really
[1:22:38] had some questions and I didn't know why I was treated that way.
[1:22:44] I don't know if you're willing to answer me,
[1:22:47] but I left a bunch of voicemails and I was just wondering why you
[1:22:52] didn't get back with me , same question me and you Mr.
[1:22:59] Mayor have had very good interactions.
[1:23:01] I left voicemails for you and the city attorney,
[1:23:06] I left multiple messages for you and I just
[1:23:09] wondered why I didn't get a call back from anybody.
[1:23:20] I wasn't asking for details of the case,
[1:23:24] I was asking just general questions.
[1:23:26] I feel like my First Amendment rights
[1:23:28] were violated because if I can't even ask questions
[1:23:31] to my government about money being misspent and scams
[1:23:35] and I can't even get a call back,
[1:23:38] I feel like that's a pretty easy violation of my First Amendment
[1:23:42] rights and I just didn't understand why
[1:23:44] you guys would do that to me.
[1:23:48] Anybody interested in answering that question?
[1:23:57] I could show you I have 30 times that I
[1:24:01] tried to call your office.
[1:24:08] Speaker: I heard about your phone call today literally
[1:24:10] at 2:00, I would have gotten back to you.
[1:24:18] Mayor Ben Marciano: I can't speak for the others why they
[1:24:20] didn't call you back, I heard about it today at 2:00.
[1:24:28] I'm answering your question, I'd be more than willing to talk
[1:24:33] to you afterwards when the meeting is over .
[1:24:47] City Manager Peter Lee: I got no messages to my phone,
[1:24:51] chief of staff represents our office
[1:24:56] and I told everyone he edited this document
[1:24:59] and there was nothing to talk about.
[1:25:12] Ryan P.: Though we're about to run out of time,
[1:25:16] I asked the sitting president if you
[1:25:18] can extend my time because this is a concerning matter to me.
[1:25:26] Chair: We had just got the findings a few moments ago ,
[1:25:36] so we know what we did know.
[1:25:40] There was an ongoing investigation ,
[1:25:46] so I can't answer why somebody didn't call you back .
[1:25:56] Ryan P.: This is a lot of times to be hung up on, asked to talk
[1:26:02] to supervisors, being totally ignored .
[1:26:07] Don't you think that that's inappropriate?
[1:26:15] Chair: Did you not talk to someone?
[1:26:24] Ryan P.: I talked to the secretary
[1:26:26] but they hung up on me when I called back and answered
[1:26:32] questions.
[1:26:35] Chair: How many times did you call back
[1:26:38] and talk to the secretary?
[1:26:45] Ryan P.: I believe it was 29 times,
[1:26:47] I left voicemail after voicemail after voice message,
[1:26:53] when I called back and asked for an additional question they
[1:26:57] would literally just hang up the phone on me.
[1:27:00] One time I called and they picked up the phone
[1:27:03] and said oh it's that guy and hung the phone up.
[1:27:06] Then I asked them, I believe the guy's name is Brian,
[1:27:11] I asked him to go back and listen and see
[1:27:13] if they hung up on me and he said he would call me back,
[1:27:16] and that never happened.
[1:27:18] I just think it's very suspicious or nefarious maybe
[1:27:25] that it wasn't brought to our attention,
[1:27:28] the city manager didn't bring it to the citizens
[1:27:31] attention for a long time and when
[1:27:37] trying just to get information, to ignore me for over a week.
[1:27:43] That's a really bad .
[1:27:48] You seem like an honest person, I
[1:27:50] wouldn't imagine that you think that's acceptable.
[1:27:55] Chair: I don't know what happened and what didn't happen.
[1:27:59] I understand, you're giving me your answers.
[1:28:03] I can't answer that.
[1:28:05] What I'm saying to you right now sir, I understand.
[1:28:09] The issue that we have right here now is we
[1:28:15] now have the information to give you,
[1:28:19] not just to give you, to give everybody.
[1:28:24] So please, the information will come out .
[1:28:35] I got what you're saying, but I can't
[1:28:38] answer what I don't know it is time now
[1:28:44] for me to move forward sir.
[1:28:47] We could stand here all night, and I can't answer the question.
[1:28:56] Ryan P.: I was trying to do this off
[1:28:58] of the record for the last week, and I
[1:29:00] think it would be really unprofessional to cut me off.
[1:29:08] Chair: I need to move forward sir, I do appreciate you coming.
[1:29:13] We do appreciate you coming, sir.
[1:29:21] Ryan P.: This is how we going to do it quacks this was not right,
[1:29:27] this was not right.
[1:29:55] Sonia Richie: I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you .
[1:30:03] We did attend the Marion County Commission meeting this morning
[1:30:08] and truly appreciated the commissioners
[1:30:09] being willing to listen, ask questions, and recognize
[1:30:13] there's an important distinction between traditional and
[1:30:19] synthetic products.
[1:30:22] I appreciate the willingness of the City Council
[1:30:25] to sit and have the conversation and I
[1:30:29] want to personally thank Ben Marciano for taking the time
[1:30:33] to come and sit down with us and have a conversation about what
[1:30:37] we serve and how we operate and the difference
[1:30:41] between traditional pure leaf and the products that are
[1:30:48] creating legitimate concerns.
[1:30:52] We stand with the city in addressing
[1:30:56] synthetic and manufactured products.
[1:30:58] What has been important to us from the beginning
[1:31:02] is making sure traditional pure leaf is
[1:31:04] understood and not simply lumped together with other products.
[1:31:08] For eight years we have operated responsibly
[1:31:11] as an alcohol free establishment in the community
[1:31:14] and will continue to do so.
[1:31:16] I wanted to acknowledge the willingness
[1:31:18] we have seen from both the city and the county
[1:31:20] to listen before making decisions.
[1:31:23] In my opinion, good policy starts
[1:31:26] with conversation, accurate information,
[1:31:28] and understanding what is actually being regulated.
[1:31:32] I appreciate your time.
[1:32:11] Kibbie Fulton: We are the only alcohol free bar ,
[1:32:28] we are a food establishment regulated by the state as a food
[1:32:33] establishment.
[1:32:34] I never can stick to the page.
[1:32:38] I heard some of your commentary not too long ago,
[1:32:42] and I would like to keep everything professional
[1:32:45] and let you know we run professionally
[1:32:47] and I would also like to be included with decisions
[1:32:50] you guys make, I would like you to be able to ask me questions.
[1:32:54] We don't believe in seven oh h, I
[1:32:59] think we align with Mr. Marciano if anything that is synthetic.
[1:33:05] We never sold it .
[1:33:11] A potato in a cup doesn't make it vodka,
[1:33:13] there have been bad players in the industry that
[1:33:16] have created something off of a leaf off of a tree
[1:33:19] and made it something that is not good for anybody.
[1:33:23] I would like to propose to you, like we have dispensaries
[1:33:29] for medical marijuana.
[1:33:31] Since we are food regulated, what
[1:33:34] if we were the dispensary for the leaf kratom?
[1:33:42] we're already licensed and inspected
[1:33:44] by the state, what if we helped set
[1:33:47] the bar for the testing, batch numbers, licensing,
[1:33:51] everything you guys are wanting accountability for.
[1:33:54] I'm just trying to offer you a pathway so that a Florida
[1:34:02] legal substance can stay legal.
[1:34:04] The state is already taking care of the problems .
[1:34:11] There will be more things that are probably
[1:34:14] coming up for testing.
[1:34:15] This is all new, the DEA is getting
[1:34:20] ready to drop the illegal side of the bad players
[1:34:24] in the industry, we are not one of them.
[1:34:27] I want you to know a lot of people jump to judgment
[1:34:31] not too long ago up here, and we've been in business
[1:34:36] for eight years.
[1:34:37] We care about our community, we care about integrity.
[1:34:41] I have compassion for anybody who
[1:34:45] has been subjected to people who are just seeking to make money
[1:34:51] and change something that it should have never been,
[1:34:54] that's just my proposal to you and I'm
[1:34:56] willing to answer any questions, I'm
[1:34:58] willing to sit down with you.
[1:35:00] If you guys go and make another meeting
[1:35:02] that has to do with this product,
[1:35:04] please let us be a part of it.
[1:35:06] I'm not here to cause problems for you,
[1:35:08] I'm here to actually solve some of the problems
[1:35:11] and make it easier and I can bring
[1:35:13] people in to help you to understand everything
[1:35:15] a little bit easier not to benefit me,
[1:35:18] it benefits everyone.
[1:35:20] Like this morning we had someone flying
[1:35:22] in from DC I had no idea who was going to be here to speak
[1:35:26] about the kratom leaf product.
[1:35:28] I know you have heard a lot of bad things,
[1:35:31] but there are some really good things
[1:35:33] that have come out of people in recovery,
[1:35:37] pain management, veterans, so they are not on opioids.
[1:35:41] It's just a leaf.
[1:35:44] That's all I'm asking you to do is just consider
[1:35:47] our small business.
[1:35:48] Thank you for letting me go over Mr. President,
[1:35:51] I appreciate it Mr. Marciano, I enjoyed meeting you,
[1:35:55] thank you guys for listening to me.
[1:36:11] Sabrina M. I'm also here as a representative of Muddy Lotus
[1:36:20] tea, I just wanted to say this is only relevant because we went
[1:36:25] to the county commission meeting this morning
[1:36:27] and it's convenient the public comment at the City
[1:36:30] Council, kratom has been a hot topic recently
[1:36:33] and it was quite wonderful and really engaging
[1:36:37] and informational, it was awesome to see support
[1:36:41] from places like our capital and have the global Kratom
[1:36:48] Association come take care of some things as well,
[1:36:51] I felt like there was some real headway.
[1:36:53] I feel like this has been beneficial bringing it
[1:36:57] to the attention of the city in general,
[1:37:00] I feel like things can get overlooked, shoved under, sold
[1:37:05] in the back corners of gas station in effect individuals.
[1:37:12] When we see the differences, it feels sometimes
[1:37:16] like you're having to put up a wall and fight,
[1:37:19] it's really nice to get that information out there
[1:37:22] that there are differences and these things do hurt people
[1:37:25] and there's people that need to be held accountable
[1:37:27] with standards.
[1:37:28] I think that's the biggest portion of that is that
[1:37:32] their standards to uphold and when we don't create better
[1:37:36] standards, people who hurt people just get away Scot free
[1:37:40] and that's always been the bigger fight behind not just
[1:37:45] banning it but really looking into the standards that we set
[1:37:49] that hold other people accountable to their actions .
[1:37:58] It's been great publicity, we did a good job at the bar
[1:38:05] keeping our community safe for the past eight years
[1:38:10] telling them over and over be careful where you go,
[1:38:12] be careful where you buy from, these things are unregulated.
[1:38:16] It's a passion project at this point
[1:38:20] not only to advocate for something that can help people,
[1:38:23] but also something that can also harm people when it's mislabeled
[1:38:28] and people are thinking they are getting something that's
[1:38:31] good for them, so I would love to see the standards,
[1:38:33] it feels like the county commission took it really
[1:38:36] seriously and they are interested in putting paws
[1:38:39] coming back to it reviewing it and making headway
[1:38:42] with that, so I'm hopeful in the future you guys will also
[1:38:46] consider what it looks like to really create standards and not
[1:38:50] just put a ban, because there's a good and bad to everything,
[1:38:56] and this is an industry that needs
[1:38:58] help to have its full potential and its good light
[1:39:02] and actually hold other people accountable
[1:39:03] to their bad actions.
[1:39:05] Thank you for your time and support.
[1:39:30] Peggy Thomas: I would like to first of all thank the city
[1:39:37] of Ocala , I am a descendant of Vern Dawkins,
[1:39:48] and I do have my badge with me that was presented to me here .
[1:40:20] Chair: There's nothing we can do from right here, it
[1:40:22] has to come from you and your staff here I want to hear,
[1:40:27] but I just need to have one of your people.
[1:40:31] You've got five minutes.
[1:40:36] Peggy Thomas: I inherited the family property and home where I
[1:40:42] reside .
[1:40:44] I've been back in Ocala at least five years,
[1:40:48] and I've been living in the house with no heat,
[1:40:51] no hot water , it's been a challenge.
[1:40:59] I found out my pipes were tampered with .
[1:41:09] I have children in the Miami South Florida area,
[1:41:14] it's been a challenge for me to be in the house.
[1:41:16] I signed up for the re Bilitation program five years
[1:41:21] ago when it first opened .
[1:41:28] Four months ago I found out that I was taken off the list,
[1:41:33] and I wasn't notified, no one sent me a letter
[1:41:39] as to what the issue was.
[1:41:42] Once I addressed it with Mr. Haynes
[1:41:51] then I was told that there was a lien on my house
[1:41:57] and I had to retain a lawyer to refute that, it was 20 years ago
[1:42:07] from a repossessed vehicle.
[1:42:09] I had a neighborhood of children I transported back and forth
[1:42:12] to school 20 years ago, so I've been having
[1:42:18] bumps in the road with this.
[1:42:20] Then, I was number two on the list to get a rebuild and then
[1:42:35] I've been Inquiring --
[1:42:38] I was told that I was taken off the list
[1:42:43] and no one had sent me a letter, no notification or phone call.
[1:42:56] I'm here to find out definitely when
[1:43:02] I will be scheduled for rehab, because they put me back
[1:43:09] on the list.
[1:43:12] All I knew was they were building houses all around me
[1:43:15] and I started to question if I'm number two on the list,
[1:43:20] why is everybody else getting homes and I'm not?
[1:43:29] once I inquired, that's what I found out about,
[1:43:35] a lean 20 years ago that I was not informed.
[1:43:41] I couldn't be in the home during the winters, most of the time
[1:43:46] during the summer I am in South Florida where
[1:43:49] my children and family are.
[1:43:52] I would like to get some answers as far as how should I proceed,
[1:43:58] what's going on .
[1:44:03] Like I said, I have no hot water.
[1:44:19] Chris Watt: We will be moving forward with your request
[1:44:23] as fast as we can.
[1:44:24] I will give you my card, if there's anything else you would
[1:44:28] like to speak to me about , you can.
[1:44:38] Peggy Thomas: Thank you all for hearing me out, I appreciate it.
[1:44:43] This has been a value to me, this is my family history and I
[1:44:51] respect police officers, my oldest brother was a retired FBI
[1:44:56] agent, I have a brother in Gainesville who's a retired
[1:45:00] colonel in the Army, so I respect law enforcement deeply
[1:45:08] and I just want to live out the rest of my life in comfort here
[1:45:16] I appreciate you giving me some extra time .
[1:45:35] Chair: Item 17 is notices about different activities
[1:45:39] that we have going on with the city, make sure to read those.
[1:45:47] Comments, we will start with Mr. Mayor.
[1:45:56] Mr. Hilty.
[1:46:04] Councilman James P. Hilty Sr.: Isn't there
[1:46:06] some record of the guy who said he called 29 times?
[1:46:09] I'm asking the city staff about is there
[1:46:13] a record of the voicemails, that you
[1:46:17] spoke to an individual did you leave a message to whoever
[1:46:21] you were calling?
[1:46:27] I don't want him, I want to hear from the city
[1:46:31] as to why the citizen isn't getting responded to.
[1:46:45] Speaker: Mr. Ryan's statements are not completely accurate.
[1:46:48] I spoke with him a week ago in the presence of the city
[1:46:51] attorney at which time he was demanding public records
[1:46:54] requests be fulfilled regarding this investigation
[1:46:58] and what happened.
[1:46:59] I explained to him it was ongoing,
[1:47:01] when it was done the report would be released to the public.
[1:47:05] That was unacceptable to him, numerous times he said
[1:47:08] I was covering it up, a crook.
[1:47:11] Eventually I said to him by when someone continues to go on
[1:47:16] and on I said I'm sorry I don't have any more
[1:47:19] information, if that's hanging up on someone,
[1:47:22] then yes I did it twice.
[1:47:24] Yesterday once I knew the report was almost complete, we would
[1:47:28] have it ready for council today, he had called many many times.
[1:47:33] All the calls that come through the switchboard are recorded,
[1:47:36] I've listened to dozens of them.
[1:47:39] His characterization of what happens is just not accurate,
[1:47:45] I called him yesterday to try to stop this nonsense
[1:47:49] and I called him at the number he had left
[1:47:52] and I told him that it was going to be released today
[1:47:55] and would he like me to leave it at the clerk's office
[1:48:01] or email it to him?
[1:48:05] he became irate and called me a crook and insisted I give it
[1:48:08] to him now .
[1:48:12] I said it has to go to the council
[1:48:14] first before it can be released, he
[1:48:17] said I don't want you to leave it at the clerk's office
[1:48:23] or to email it to me, I want you to be a man
[1:48:25] and hand it to me, which may it be observed, I did.
[1:48:29] I don't know what else to say other
[1:48:32] than his characterization of what occurred
[1:48:35] and what I listened to and what I
[1:48:38] experienced by speaking to him could not
[1:48:39] be further from the truth.
[1:48:43] I think he did call 29 times, I think
[1:48:46] he called more than that, but every time in an irate manner
[1:48:50] the man spoke to a city manager that was at a conference
[1:48:58] or had a business to run and wasn't at his beck
[1:49:01] and call eight hours a day and wasn't available
[1:49:03] and I tried to explain to this gentleman the thing
[1:49:07] that he was demanding wasn't ready to be released yet, there
[1:49:11] still in investigation and when it was I would have it for him
[1:49:15] and when it was I gave it to him.
[1:49:43] Mayor Ben Marciano: Thank you for coming out today,
[1:49:46] I've had several conversations with the Attorney
[1:49:50] general and the testing for the synthetic kratom,
[1:49:52] there's one place that does it and they have to come up
[1:49:56] with some more testing facilities
[1:49:58] to be able to put a major focus on the synthetic kratom which
[1:50:02] I do agree is causing issues in the community
[1:50:04] and there needs to be a focus on that.
[1:50:06] I'm going to be working on that to get that done, I appreciate
[1:50:09] the time we met together and I thought it was a good meeting.
[1:50:14] I also just want to reference I am in city council a lot,
[1:50:18] I do speak to a lot of citizens and I see our staff
[1:50:21] and how they interact with the citizens every day,
[1:50:24] and I really believe they go out of their way to do a good job.
[1:50:29] Sometimes we get it wrong, but I will tell you
[1:50:34] that a lot of times the stories we hear are not always accurate.
[1:50:37] I own a business, I hear from customers all the time,
[1:50:42] but I will tell you our staff go out of their way
[1:50:44] to try to do a great job.
[1:50:47] I see the email strings, I just want
[1:50:51] you to understand they are doing a good job most of the time
[1:50:55] and really putting a lot of effort
[1:50:57] into helping our citizens.
[1:50:59] Lastly I just want to recognize our public information
[1:51:03] office was named Government Team of the year,
[1:51:06] I think Greg and his team have done an amazing job,
[1:51:09] I think I wouldn't be able to do my job without him
[1:51:12] and it's a great acknowledgment of the work that is being done.
[1:51:16] It seems like a lot of our teams are consistently
[1:51:18] recognized for the work they are doing
[1:51:22] and Ocala is a great example for the rest of the country
[1:51:25] and how they should lead.
[1:51:38] Councilman Jay A. Musleh, Pro Tem:
[1:51:40] I would like to thank Pete and the rest of the staff
[1:51:42] for putting together the report on the fraud incident.
[1:51:47] I think it was very thorough, I managed to skim through it .
[1:51:54] It's unfortunate, but if policy and procedures
[1:52:00] had been followed, we would never have had a loss.
[1:52:05] To the employees that are out there,
[1:52:07] I think you are doing a great job,
[1:52:09] but the policies and procedures are in place for a reason
[1:52:12] and they need to be followed, particularly in this day and age
[1:52:17] when we are targeted for scams and frauds probably multiple
[1:52:23] times an hour .
[1:52:42] Thanks to the good work, we did recover a substantial sum
[1:52:47] of money and thanks to the risk management
[1:52:49] side we had the proper insurance in place
[1:52:52] and to the rest of the employees I just
[1:52:55] implore you to know your policies and procedures
[1:52:58] and follow them so we don't have an incident like this
[1:53:01] in the future.
[1:53:03] Thank you.
[1:53:08] Chair: Last week, a few of us went to the conference
[1:53:27] And we talked about a lot of major issues
[1:53:32] like property taxes, how to counsel management system should
[1:53:37] operate, the decorum, we talked about policies and procedures
[1:53:42] and just about anything you can talk about.
[1:53:50] Places like that to go and sit down and talk to your peers ,
[1:54:05] geographically things are different but most
[1:54:08] of the information is the same .
[1:54:17] We took advantage of a great opportunity
[1:54:18] and I think we all came back better informed on how
[1:54:23] to do our job, how we should work together and make things
[1:54:27] happen for our city of Ocala, and I just
[1:54:32] wanted to make sure we said something about that conference,
[1:54:38] because it was outstanding.
[1:54:40] Okay, we are at the end of the council meeting.
[1:54:43] I hope all of you will be safe travels,
[1:54:49] this meeting is adjourned.