REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING (2025-03-04)

HISTORIC TOWN OF EATONVILLE, FLORIDA REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

MEETING MINUTES

Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 7:30 PM

Town Hall-307 E. Kennedy Blvd.

SPECIAL NOTICE: These meeting minutes are presented in an abbreviated format intended as a public record discussion of stated meeting according to the Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine law. Meetings are opened to the public, noticed within reasonable advance notice, and transcribed into minutes for public record. \*\*Audio Recording are available through the Town's website on the Council Agenda Page.

CALL TO ORDER AND VERIFICATION OF QUORUM:

Mayor Gardner called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and a quorum was established by Mrs. King.

PRESENT: (5), Mayor Angie Gardner, Vice Mayor Theo Washington, Councilman Rodney Daniels, Councilwoman Wanda Randolph, Councilman Tarus Mack

STAFF: (6) Demetrius Pressley, Chief Administrator Officer, Veronica King, Town Clerk, Clifford Shepard, Town Attorney (By Zoom), Katrina Gibson, Finance Director, Chief Stanley Murray, EPD, Valerie Munday, Public Works

INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

Invocation through a moment of silence led by Mayor Gardner followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

Mayor Gardner Motions to APPROVE the meeting agenda; Moved by Vice Mayor Washington; Second by Councilwoman Randolph; AYE: ALL, MOTION PASSES.

PRESENTATIONS AND RECOGNITION:

Presentation from HELP CDC, a HUD approved housing counseling agency. Help CDC representative Nicole Oriol made introductions about a project they desire to bring to the residents of Eatonville and introduced Leanne the program manager for Rebuilding Together Central, Florida (presenter); Rebuilding Together Central, Florida provides free critical home repairs for low-income people and veterans, also offer long term and immediate disaster relief; is working with Help CDC, Bank United to apply for a $1 million dollar grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta to renovate or rehabilitate twenty-five homes in the town of Eatonville, to increase the resiliency of the Eatonville community; presentation is made to request support from the council, to give information on what is being done, and what the plan is, if community members can be directed (to Rebuilding Together Central, Florida, Help CDC, and Bank United); to apply for the loan, 25 homeowners are needed to apply and be approved, a home assessment is required along with the scope of work, the home is included in the application, so once application is approved, the process can get started; grant application is due in June, if grant is approved in October with executed

1 of 3 03042025CouncilMeetingMinutes the application is available by QR Code (flyer are available), the walk-in clinic will be held at the CRA Housing Fair on March 22th. Ms. Stella, the intake coordinator (Rebuilding Together Central Florida) will give calls, answer questions, and go out to the homes to help the homeowners with the application process and collection of documents (Stella's personal contact is 689-298-3276). To be fair, six homes will be identified in each quad plus one bonus house, additional homes will be placed on the waiting list. The program does not cover foundation and septic issues, which are inhibitive expensive and lead to more problems that increase that cost; would recommend other resources to get help, the program is based on first come first serve according to application date and submittal of all paperwork.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION - (1)

Kelvan Franklin - (Ambassador of the Eatonville Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center) has launched a new website ( [www.historiceatonvillechamber.org](http://www.historiceatonvillechamber.org/)), check out the updates, there are volunteer opportunities at chambers and at the community nook which is a 501c3 organization that works in partnership and share space with the Eatonville Chamber Welcome Center, provide community service and volunteer hours, volunteer opportunities include event, health, landscape and gardening, computer skills. March 12th from 8- 9:30am the Chamber Coffee Break opens to the community (RSVP on Eventbrite), from 10-11:30am (after coffee break), the Nook presents Powering Entrepreneurs (Excel and PowerPoint), March 22nd is the Women Change Makers pop up event (RSVP on Eventbrite or contact the chamber), lookout for the monthly chamber newsletter.

PUBLIC HEARING

First Reading of Ordinance 2025-2- Designation of an Official Town Seal for the Town of Eatonville. (Preamble Read) Citizen Comments: None. Mayor Gardner Motions to APPROVE First Reading of Ordinance 2025-2- Designation of an Official Town Seal for the Town of Eatonville; Moved by Councilwoman Randolph; Second by Councilman Daniels; AYE: ALL; MOTION PASSES. Council Comments: None

APPROVAL CONSENT AGENDA: Mayor Gardner Motions to APPROVE the Consent Agenda;

REPORTS:

COUNCIL DECISIONS: None.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER: Demetrius Pressley - (Had to leave meeting) Will send a report by email to the Town Council.

ATTORNEY: Clifford Shepard - Thought meeting was covered, nut grateful to be able to attend by Zoom, will make sure that this mistake never happens again; do not have any updates on the Hungerford property; researching what items are appropriate or not for the consent agenda, will provide to the clerk information to be discussed and to come up with a system based on the research that will align with the laws; for certain agenda items on the edge of needing comments the question "Does the public wish to comment?" can be asked before moving the entire consent agenda, can comment to take items off the agenda; moving of consent agenda items to council decision typically happens during the approval of the agenda; F.S. 286.0114 talks about public comment and what items are required to have a public comment period, law on sunshine is that there should be a comment period before a decision is made, consent has multiple decisions, emergency items, administerial items (fulfilling a rule of law), ceremonial proclamations (discretionary), meeting minutes; to avoid anybody saying their sunshine rights are violated by not being able to comment, before approving the consent agenda for items in the gray area of whether a public comment should be allowed ask, "Does anyone want to comment on the item(s)? If nobody wants to comment, then there was an opportunity to comment and compliance with the law was made.

TOWN COUNCIL REPORT/DISCUSSION ITEMS -

Councilman Rodney Daniels - Acknowledged the program providing home repairs (great job); acknowledged Duke Energy especially to Josh and Corey for doing a fabulous job here in the community providing new light bulbs, filters for the A/C, and weather stripping for leaking doors; condolences to the Bernard Hicks (had a death in the family) and Freeman family.

Councilman Tarus Mack- Recognized everyone for coming out; acknowledged the Help CDC and the home repair program, encourage residents to participate, acknowledge Josh and Corey with Duke Energy for a superb, professional, quick and efficient work; recognized Waste Pro for the trash pickup, there has been no complaints; Condolences to the Hicks family.

Councilwoman Wanda Randolph - Thanks to the Help CDC for their efforts and what they are doing and to Duke Energy for doing a great job; will send code enforcement concerns to Mr. Pressley; will be requesting a special budget meeting to talk about the revenue and expenditures ensuring the town is financially healthy; inquired about the TextMyGov, are receiving communications from the community through TextMyGov, encouraging more people to sign up for it, did an assessment with a representative last week updating keywords to allow access into the portal, public works is receiving and responding to mostly the concerns which are specific to public works; observing a lot of trash on the road (on the west side along Kennedy Blvd), request for police to look into this matter.

Vice Mayor Theo Washington - Echo Councilwoman Randolph, have observed a trash along the side of the road, something is going on with people dropping bags; thanks Waste Pro who stepped in and made the citizens happy with the trash pickup; thanks to Ms. Mundy for the work she is doing with the grants, to the staff and finance; condolences to the Hicks and Freeman family; attend the funeral service for Senator Thompson, 80 percent of the Florida Black Caucus attended; was at the Florida Black Caucus conference on Saturday; Acknowledged the town for the painting of the pickleball tennis courts, Ryan (Novak) was a big supporter, need to get the lights on out there.

MAYOR'S REPORT - Mayor Angie Gardner- Thanks to the staff for putting together Saturday breakfast and everyone who came out, there will be four more informational meetings; mentioned the pipes in the ground and thanks to Ms. Munday, excited about the move forward with probably the largest grant in history for the town and how it can bring economic development; condolences to all the families mentioned as well as Gene Hackman and Angie Stone; have not heard from the school board about the Hungerford property, still waiting.

ADJOURNMENT Mayor Gardner Motions for Adjournment of Meeting; Moved by Councilwoman Randolph; Second by Councilman Mack; AYE: ALL, MOTION PASSES. Meeting Adjourned at 8:18pm.

Respectfully Submitted by:

Veronica L King, Town Clerk

Angie

Gardner, Mayor