Casselberry City Commission Meeting - August 10, 2026

The Casselberry City Commission met on Monday, August 10, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Commission Chambers. The meeting covered approval of minutes, consent agenda items, resolutions, first reading of an ordinance, a public hearing, and a presentation on safety improvements for State Road 436. Citizens also commented on road construction, the city's bird sanctuary status, and other matters. All formal votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of July 27, 2026 approved by unanimous voice vote.
• Legal services invoices approved: $18,387.64 to Garganese, Weiss, D'Agresta & Salzman, P.A. and $1,145.11 to Fishback Dominick LLP.
• Task Authorization No. 2 with Mead & Hunt, Inc. for the Force Main Resiliency Evaluation approved in the amount of $72,700.
• Budget Amendment #26-037 approved, utilizing a $5,000 grant from the Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) to fund overtime for high-visibility pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement.

Public Comments & Testimony

Four residents addressed the Commission during Citizens' Comments:

• Cecil Juva (1311 Quin Temple Drive) complained that speed bumps and roundabouts installed during Winter Park Road construction are too aggressive, causing vehicle damage, and noted a missing sign for Wilshire Drive. He submitted letters from six neighbors.
• Ruby Lynn Mitchell (903 Moonluster Drive) spoke in favor of preserving the city's bird sanctuary status, stating that peacocks were present in the neighborhood before residents.
• Colleen Hufford (527 Queens Mary Circle) defended peacocks, noting they have been in the Lost Lake area for over 70 years and contribute to community quality of life; she argued against removing them.
• Brenda Hendrix (705 South Lost Lake Lane) supported keeping peacocks, saying they are wild animals that were there first and that damage can be prevented humanely; she cautioned against filing insurance claims for wild animal activity.

Additionally, one speaker (not identified by name) expressed interest in how the Speed Rest in Red technology discussed in the SS4A presentation interacts with emergency vehicles.

Discussion Items

• Future Agenda Items – Commissioner raised two topics:
  1. Commission pay suspension: Proposed suspending commission pay to help lower the millage rate. The city attorney noted that any salary change by ordinance takes effect after the next election. The city manager reported that declining franchise fees from Duke Energy are expected to create a budget shortfall of ~$550,000, making the impact of commission pay suspension relatively small.
  2. Peacock ordinance: A commissioner asked staff to review the 2017 bird sanctuary ordinance after a resident filed an insurance claim for property damage caused by peacocks. Several commissioners and the mayor noted the ordinance was adopted because most affected residents wanted peacocks protected; changing it would require a shift in majority opinion. The city manager clarified that Seminole County animal control does not respond to bird complaints due to the sanctuary designation, so any change would require code amendment.
• Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Presentation – Special Projects Manager Kita Henry and consultant Christoph DeBasti (Fehr & Peers) presented findings of a road safety audit on State Road 436 from Wilshire Drive to the southern Seminole County line. Key data: ~1,350 crashes (2021–2025), 18 killed or severely injured (5 fatal, 13 serious injury); 19 pedestrian, 23 bicycle, and 21 motorcycle crashes; four of five fatal crashes involved non-vehicle occupants. Recommendations included reducing travel lanes to 11 ft outside/10 ft inside, lowering the posted speed to 40 mph, installing pedestrian-scale lighting, adding guardrails near fixed objects, implementing speed-sensitive signal retiming (Speed Rest in Red), installing pedestrian hybrid beacons at four locations to reduce average crosswalk spacing from 2,000 ft to 1,200 ft, and extending median refuges at Lake Howell Lane. Commissioners discussed concerns about lane width for buses, pedestrian darting, drainage ditch hazards, and costs. The city manager noted that a $21 million FHWA grant is available. The final report will include a benefit-cost analysis and be submitted to FDOT.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of July 27, 2026 approved unanimously.
• Consent Agenda approved unanimously (includes invoices, Task Authorization No. 2, and Budget Amendment #26-037).
• Resolution 26-3585 (accepting the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY2025) approved unanimously.
• Resolution 26-3586 (adopting revised Capital Asset Policy) approved unanimously.
• Ordinance 26-1637 (increasing the lien search fee from $25 to $75) approved on first reading unanimously; second reading and public hearing will follow.
• Resolution 26-3579 (Street Lighting Assessment rate for FY2026–27, increasing from $45.25 to $46.49 per equivalent unit) approved unanimously after public hearing.
• No formal action taken on future agenda items or the SS4A presentation; staff will incorporate commission feedback before submitting the final road safety audit report to FDOT.
• Commissioner announced she will not seek re-election for her seat, citing possible conflicts with other service commitments; she will complete her current term.