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Board of County Commissioners Special Call Meeting Minutes - Final August 12, 2025 <br />Waters Edge Resident Shalini Patel questioned how this cost was her responsibility. <br />She felt the County had failed the residents by issuing a final permit for a corrugated <br />pipe instead of a concrete one. Mr. Javed explained IRF was the permitting agency <br />that approved the developer's choice of construction materials, not the County, and <br />that corrugated pipes were an allowable option at that time. <br />Resident Leticia Wood received clarification on from Attorney Hicks that the April <br />assessment hearing was advertised in the newspaper, as required. The County then <br />sent postcards to the residents informing them of this meeting so they could voice their <br />concerns and receive clarification. Mr. Hicks added that the issue of responsibility has <br />been ongoing since 2014, with the County always maintaining they were not <br />responsible for the culverts. Administrator Titkanich read from the referenced email <br />sent by the HOA's Attorney Sweeney on October 9, 2023, which stated there was <br />good news: the association agreed with the County's proposal and approach to the <br />situation. Attorney Shuler also relayed a zoom meeting, attended by Ms. Giordano <br />and Attorney Sweeney after construction had started, where they discussed the final <br />assessment amount and date of the final hearing. <br />Ms. Wood expressed surprise at initially learning each resident would be assessed <br />approximately $6,500 each, and advocated for spreading the assessment along all <br />homes on 1 st Street SW. She received clarification that WEII was only paying for <br />their entry culverts, while the culvert under 1 st Street SW was being paid for by the <br />County. Attorney Hicks stated that the original corrugated pipe was not a mistake; it <br />was a permitted material at the time and was approved by IRF. Ms. Wood received <br />updated information while she was before the Board that the approximate assessment <br />had been revised down to $5,800. Staff reiterated that the culverts provided benefits <br />to only WEII residents and they bore the responsibility for it. <br />Ms. Giordano mentioned an email received from a past County Attorney stating there <br />may be funds to pay for the culverts, and wondered if the County had a budget for <br />road repairs. The Board clarified that the County budget did not include funds for <br />private infrastructure. Ms. Wood appealed to the Board for assistance, and <br />maintained the residents should not have to pay to rectify the inferior materials <br />originally used in the culverts. Vice Chairman Loar explained it was not feasible to pay <br />for all the instances of private infrastructure, and assessments were the mechanism to <br />fund the work. Staff clarified that public infrastructure ended at 1 st Street SW. The <br />developer originally paid to have the culverts constructed, and built that cost into the <br />price of the homes. <br />The following residents addressed the Board: <br />Bill Griffith complained about the price of the culvert replacements <br />Indian River County, Florida Page 6 <br />