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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/26/2021 (2)ST. LUCIE - COU F L 0 TRI -COUNTY MEETING INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE, BROWN CENTER, ROOM Y-102 3209 VIRGINA AVENUE, FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 AT 9:00 A.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER Indian River County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Joseph E. Flescher Vice Chairman Peter D. O'Bryan Joseph H. Earman Susan Adams Laura Moss Martin County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Stacey Hetherington Howard E. Jenkins St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Chris Dzadovsky Vice Chairman Sean Mitchell Linda Bartz Frannie Hutchinson Also Present Jason Brown, Indian River County Administrator Dylan Reingold, Indian River County Attorney Taryn Kryzda, Martin County Administrator Sarah W. Woods, Martin County Attorney Howard Tipton, St. Lucie County Administrator Daniel McIntyre, St. Lucie County Attorney Kathleen Keenan, Legislative Affairs & Communications Manager, Indian River County Nicole Fogarty, Legislative Affairs Director, St. Lucie County Kloee Ciuperger, Legislative Coordinator, Martin County Terri Collins -Lister, Recording Secretary, Indian River County 2. INVOCATION a. Howard Tipton, St. Lucie County Administrator 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE a. Joseph E. Flescher, Chairman, Indian River County Board of County Commissioners 4. INTRODUCTIONS Joseph E. Flescher, Chairman, Indian River County Board of County Commissioners, made opening remarks. The Commission members introduced themselves and their County Administrators, County Attorneys, Legislative Affairs Coordinators, and staff from each of their respective counties. 5. HOST WELCOME a. Dr. Timothy Moore, Indian River State College President Dr. Timothy Moore, Indian River State College President, on behalf of the District Board of Trustees welcomed everyone. Dr. Moore revealed Indian River State College's (IRSC) plans to expand their nursing program and he announced USA Diving had opened its new headquarters at the main campus in Fort Pierce. He indicated IRSC had received a Flagship Leadership gift by a single donor to build a Vocational Charter High School in Martin County. He discussed the importance of the Treasure Coast Public Safety Complex and IRSC's investment to help grow its elite training capabilities in order to enhance the safety of our communities. 6. LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION INTRODUCTIONS Chairman Flescher introduced the legislative aides in attendance for Senator Debbie Mayfield, District 17 and Representative Erin Grall, District 54, who were unable to attend the meeting. a. Florida Senate i. Gayle Harrell, District 25 Senator Gayle Harrell remarked on how the Treasure Coast was unique and the common environment that all of the three counties shared. She emphasized the importance for the three counties to work together to protect their natural waterways and the Lagoon. Senator Harrell anticipated a stable state budget in the upcoming legislative session and that she would assist the counties with their local projects and water issues in Tallahassee. She came forward and told redistricting was a key issue in the legislative session and would make sure it was done very carefully, constitutionally, and obeyed both the Federal and the State of Florida Constitutions and the various interpretations done by the Supreme Court. b. Florida House of Representatives i. Florida House of Representative Toby Overdorf, District 83 Representative Toby Overdorf highlighted his priorities for the upcoming legislative session. He mentioned one of his priorities was seagrass mitigation by looking at private investment into seagrass restoration and pointed out the amount of time it takes to obtain a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corp of Engineers to plant seagrasses. His other priorities for the upcoming legislative session included: enhancing water quality, job training initiatives, long-term plan on biosolids, human trafficking, and transportation issues. ii. Florida House of Representative John Snyder, District 82 Representative John Snyder outlined the following appropriations projects he would be focused on during the upcoming legislative session: obtain funding for the floodplain of the Loxahatchee River projects, the Place of Hope Child Foster Care Program, a penalty enhancement bill for traveling criminals, and the Troops to Teachers Program that would specifically transition veterans into the education system. iii. Florida House of Representative Kaylee Tuck, District 55 Representative Kaylee Tuck hoped to secure over $1 million in funding for Indian River Seagrass Restoration in the upcoming legislative session and focused on aquaculture land valuation, water quality, and eligibility requirements for postsecondary student assistance grant funding. iv. Florida House of Representative Dana Trabulsy, District 84 District Aide Catherine Thomson spoke on behalf of Representative Dana Trabulsy, highlighting the appropriations already lined up and filed for the upcoming legislative session including: the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority Phase II Low Income Sewer Infrastructure Reconstruction; St. Lucie County Harbour Pointe District; Alzheimer's Critical Support Initiative; Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County Lighthouse Teen Development Center project; Treasure Coast Hospice Negative Pressure Rooms; and Project LIFT, a program to provide therapy for at -risk teens through skills training; Port St. Lucie Projects included McCarty Ranch, St. Lucie/C-23 Water Quality Project, and Southern Grove Jobs Corridor Water Main Project; and Film Florida among many other appropriations. Ms. Thomson was proud to announce that Representative Trabulsy was named Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee Vice Chair. 7. Public Comment There was none. 8. County Presentations a. Medical Examiner Funding Request for a New Facility — Presentation by Patricia A. Aronica, District Chief Medical Examiner, District 19 Dr. Patricia A. Aronica, District Chief Medical Examiner, District 19, through a PowerPoint presentation, reviewed the overall concerns with the current Office of the Medical Examiner for District 19 building. She informed the counties that the lack of adequate space for employees and proper storage for the decedents and materials was a National Association of Medical Examiner Accreditation Preparation Phase II violation. She continued in her presentation on what a new facility would be able to provide and discussed the financing of the new facility through grants and funding from the counties. Chairman Flescher made everyone aware this was not a new problem and a new medical facility was necessary. A discussion ensued among the counties and Dr. Aronica on finding a site for the medical facility and working with the State on securing funding. Dr. Moore informed the counties that the current Medical Examiner's building was at the end of its service life and indicated the first step would be to obtain a planning grant in order to have the ability to correlate resources and get architectural support to see what the facility would look like. He did not want to speak for the Board of Trustees, but he felt they would be inclined to ensure that the medical examiner facility remained on campus. He brought up an ideal piece of land adjacent to the Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex and Crime Lab; he felt the medical examiner facility would be a good education exchange program with the Florida State University School of Medicine. A discussion followed among the three counties on the importance of finding out the State's responsibility for funding the medical examiner's facility, creating a Tri -County Ad Hoc group, seek participation from local hospitals, and include Okeechobee County in the Ad Hoc Group, since they were a part of the 19th Judicial District. It was determined the Ad Hoc group would consist of one commissioner from each county in the 19th Judicial District, an attorney representative, a state representative, and an IRSC representative to go through the questions discussed and get the answers needed, and then take the information back to the individual counties for participation in an Interlocal Agreement b. Designating the Indian River Lagoon as a "No Discharge Zone"- Presentation by Indian River County Commissioner Peter O'Bryan Commissioner Peter O'Bryan brought up the increase in the number of vessels anchoring in the lagoon. He indicated a majority of these vessels contain either a Type I or II Coast Guard approved sanitation device system designed to treat the waste and directly discharge into the body of water. He pointed out the sanitation device system does not treat the nitrogen, phosphorus, and the other nutrients that negatively affect the health of the Indian River Lagoon (Lagoon). He spoke of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "No Discharge Zones" program, and indicated there were three "no discharge zones" within the State. He referred to section 327.521(1) F.S, "effective immediately upon approval by the United States Environmental Protection Agency of a no -discharge zone determination for the waters of the United States within the boundaries of aquatic preserves identified in s. 258.39, all waters in this state within such areas are designated no discharge zones..." He pointed out the three counties were encompassed by different aquatic preserves, and wanted to see the lagoon designated as a "no discharge zone". As part of the application process, the Florida Department Environmental Protection (DEP) would need a list of boat pumpout facilities from each county in order to move forward with the application process to the EPA. Commissioner O'Bryan thanked St. Lucie County for providing a complete list of the boat pumpout facilities in their jurisdiction. He mentioned Indian River County was working with the Clean Water Coalition to gather a list and asked if Martin County would do the same. A discussion followed and the counties proposed sending a joint thank you letter to Governor Ron DeSantis for the record funding appropriated for wastewater projects that directly benefit the Indian River Lagoon. c. Treasure Coast Regional Transportation Update — Presentation by Peter Buchwald, Executive Director of the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization Mr. Peter Buchwald, Executive Director of the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization, provided a Treasure Coast Regional Transportation Update. In a PowerPoint presentation, he went over the recent regional transportation plans and efforts conducted by the agencies and organizations outside the Treasure Coast. He spoke on the Transportation Systems Management & Operations (TSMO) Master Plan for the three counties, which makes the most out of the existing infrastructure rather than adding more pavement to address mobility needs. He mentioned the plan uses a variety of techniques and strategies involving technologies to improve mobility, noting this plan considers enhancing transit while improving safety. He came forward and told of the organizations formed to support the implementation of the plan and of the local regional transportation efforts. He mentioned the Treasure Coast Transportation Council (TCTC) created by an interlocal agreement between the Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin County Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO). He detailed that the TCTC consisted of two representatives from each of the three MPO's on the Treasure Coast that formally coordinates transportation planning activities in the region and provides the mechanism to jointly pursue state funding opportunities. Mr. Buchwald stated the 2040 Treasure Coast Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (RLRTP) prioritized 179 regional transportation projects using an adopted methodology from individual long-range plans from the three MPO's that address the multimodal needs such as roadway, transit, and non -motorized needs. He pointed out the only two of the top 20 regional transportation projects cross all three county lines being: 1) the US 1 from Cove Road in Martin County to Indian River CoutyBrevard County Line — Corridor Retrofit; and 2) US 1 Bus Rapid Transit from Hobe Sound to Sebastian — Transit. He provided that since each of the three MPO's had recently adopted an individual 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan, the three MPO's entered into an Interlocal Agreement to update the 2040 RLRTP into the development of a 2045 RLRTP to be completed by June 2022. Mr. Buchwald stated that following each decennial census, the Florida Department of Transportation would request existing MPO's to evaluate whether having three MPO's representing the two adjoining areas of Port St. Lucie and Sebastian -Vero Beach South - Florida Ridge was still warranted. In addition, each MPO would be required to review the composition of its members as required by state law, and review their metropolitan planning boundaries as required by federal law. Mr. Buchwald concluded his presentation on Treasure Coast potential future regional transportation projects. A discussion ensued on a recent meeting of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council where a project that was at the bottom of the list was moved to the top of the list by a super majority vote and raised the question whether projects with only regional impacts versus individual county projects should be funded. The discussion continued on the difficulty of finding projects that cross multiple county lines and not lie solely within one county, the disconnect between the northern and southern parts of the three counties, and regional forums that were in place to discuss not only individual county projects, but regional projects as well. Mr. Buchwald explained the TCTC was looking for clarity on how to allocate the regional funding and develop support for a truly regional impact project that extends through the three counties. A discussion followed on the current system for allocating funding and making the regional projects top priority. d. Martin County's Septic to Sewer Program Don Donaldson, Martin County's Deputy County Administrator, in a PowerPoint presentation, highlighted Martin County's Septic to Sewer Program to reduce the amount of nutrients going into the St. Lucie Estuary and the Indian River Lagoon. He referred to the 2015 study that identified 25 areas in the county to come up with a rank priority of projects. He added the 10 -year, 10,000 tank septic to sewer conversion program was designed to help the residents convert their tanks to an online sewer system with the least cost. Mr. Donaldson spoke of the two different types of septic to sewer initiatives and the reasoning for installing a larger central vacuum system for neighborhoods with more than 300 homes and individual grinder systems for smaller neighborhoods. He further discussed the streamlined process for homeowners, financial incentives to connect, and assisting the homeowners to connect by using Martin County Utilities' licensed contractors. He reviewed the comprehensive funding plan for the program through dedicated County funding, federal, state, and local grants, a 10 -year Capital Facilities Plan for multi-year state funding, interdepartmental coordination to reduce costs and impact, multi-year capital improvement planning, and the Solar Energy Loan Fund (SELF) program. He informed there would be follow-up studies to measure nutrient loads before, during, and after connection and discussed the program's success. 9. Discussion Items a. Tri -County Guiding Principles Ms. Kathleen Keenan, Legislative Affairs & Communications Manager, Indian River County; Nicole Fogarty, Legislative Affairs Director, St. Lucie County; and Kloee Ciuperger, Legislative Coordinator, Martin County presented the following Tri -County Guiding Principles in an effort to streamline and optimize the annual Legislative Program going forward for the three counties. 1. The Three Counties support Home Rule, oppose Unfunded Mandates, and oppose efforts to reduce local government revenue sources or limit flexibility in how they are spent. 2. The Three Counties support efforts and investment in Economic Development initiatives that both contribute to the further diversification of our state and local economies, and support tourism and cultural foundations upon which so much of our regional impact depends. 3. The Three Counties support key investments into Environmental and Natural Resources that protect Florida's fragile environment, strengthen our resilience against the impacts of climate change, and address the stresses and impacts of continued growth on our Lagoon, lakes, rivers, streams, beaches, and ocean. 4. The Three Counties support robust investment in public infrastructure that supports both planned and potential growth, strengthens transportation and communication networks, and provides greater mobility and accessibility for our residents. 5. The Three Counties support better partnership and cost share of critical public health and human services. In reference to the No. 3 Guiding Principles, a proposed Thank You Letter to Governor DeSantis for the Indian River Lagoon Wastewater Funding was included to be signed by the Chairman for each of the three counties. There was a consensus to take the Tri -County Guiding Principles and the Thank You Letter to Governor DeSantis back to their respective Boards for approval. 10. Public Comment Kelly Jackson, Indian River County, asked the counties to think about the impacts to the human population when allowing all the new technologies and expansions that may not be in our best interest. She also opined IRSC should consider programs with the Medical Examiner and in Integrated and Holistic Health. Commissioner Peter O'Bryan spoke on Indian River County's Redistricting process and inquired on what the other counties were doing in regards to the redistricting process. 11. Adjournment Chairman Flescher thanked IRSC for providing the facility for the meeting and their support, and all of who participated. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:41 a.m.