The meeting convened at 10:00 AM and adjourned at 5:33 PM, with a lunch recess from 12:37 PM to 1:48 PM. The primary agenda item was a quasi-judicial public hearing on Appeal Application No. 25-APP-03 regarding the proposed 1260 North Palm Residences (The Obsidian), a 14-unit, 18-story tower (approximately 327 feet) on a 12,377-square-foot lot at 1260-1274 North Palm Avenue. After four hours of presentations, testimony, and commissioner questions, the Commission voted 4–1 to grant the appeal, reversing the administrative and Planning Board approvals. The meeting also addressed the interim city manager position and ongoing issues with US Recycling.
Good morning, everyone. It's ten o'clock, so we're gonna go ahead and call to order this special city commission meeting for May thirteenth, twenty twenty-five. Um to talk about uh essentially the obsidian today. And I'm going to um also ask you to silence your cell phones, and the other thing I just wanted to mention before we get started here. I know this is a really really emotional issue, but um we we don't want people clapping, booing, whatever it is, uh, you know, in in the in the chambers here, so just to keep decorum while we're trying to um conduct the hearings. So thank you. And I'm gonna call on the city auditor and clerk for the invocation. Please stand. Um, and Commissioner Aaron Kotch, please leave us in the flight. Pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America. It's probably like indivisible with liberty and commissioners. Uh, is there a motion on the proposed agenda schedule? Move to approve. Second. We got a motion by uh Commissioner Ulrich to approve the proposed agenda schedule. Uh second by Commissioner Batty, if you will vote, Commissioners. Is that your vote? Yes. Yes. All right, the motion passes unanimously. Are there any changes to the order of the day, Miss Griggs? No, mayor. All right, thank you so much. Uh the people who are here to speak to the agenda item, you'll be able to speak later in the meeting. This is for unrelated topics, and we have one speaker, so um, would you please read the pledge of public conduct, Miss Griggs? Thank you. We may be we may disagree, but we will be respectful to one another. We will direct all comments to issues. We will not engage in personal attacks. Well, just in the uh the spirit of an amoose bush, and because not everybody here comes quite as frequently as I do, or you guys are paid to. I thought I'd recap a couple of things that we've been talking about in recent days. Um City Manager search, you know. Uh I watched you guys yesterday. You had a bless your hearts. You know, you were sitting there talking about a list of must have, and it reminded me of a dating show. Must be tall, must be dark, must be handsome. Must have a nice sense of humor, must be kind to uh dogs or whatever else. And then you know. Look at the people we actually married. Um look at the reality. Um what happens is you fall in love, you like someone. And uh you can make it as complicated as you like and and nuanced as you like and have a list as long as you're on. But let's not forget you already wasted $34,000 on a search firm who fired you. And he fired you because you couldn't make your mind up as to what you actually wanted. What you need to do is actually see some people. I told you, get a five-minute video from as many people as let them do their little bit, and then from there, you'll have people that you don't like, you'll have people that you do like, and you can move on from there. But this idea that what somebody did in the past is necessarily indicative of what they'll do when they turn up. I can speak as someone from uh personal experience that uh the person that you meet on the first date, the person you marry often isn't the person that turns up after the honeymoon. In fact, my wife told me off on my honeymoon. In any event.