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Record of Proceedings

Citizen Advisory Board Meeting Summary - May 21, 2025: Election, Parkland Nomination, Renaming, and Hurricane Review

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, May 21, 2025
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, May 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:03:23

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

All right.

0:07

Like to call this meeting of the citizen advisory board to order.

0:13

May we have the roll call, please?

0:15

Yes, Mr.

0:16

Carr.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Dr.

0:18

Davis.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Mr.

0:20

DeFallis.

0:21

Here.

0:21

Mr.

0:22

Efron.

0:23

Mr.

0:24

Ellis.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Miss Mascatelli.

0:28

Ms.

0:28

Panfill.

0:30

And Mr.

0:30

Heaney.

0:31

Here.

0:33

Okay, thank you.

0:35

Do we have anyone signed up to speak?

0:40

Yes, we do.

0:40

The first speaker is Lloyd Weed.

0:44

Okay.

0:45

Then we are now in the audience participation portion of the agenda.

0:50

Speakers are not to address board members individually.

0:54

Any person making personal impertinent or slanderous remarks, or who shall become boisterous or disorderly, or who speaks longer than the allotted time, or who speaks vulgarities, may be barred from the meeting, and further presentations before the board at that meeting by the presiding officer.

1:17

So thank you.

1:30

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon.

1:35

And uh as I'm sure you are aware, I was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Venice City Council, and as a result of that appointment, I was required to vacate my seat on the Citizen Advisory Board.

1:50

Truthfully, that requirement was my only hesitation in applying for the new appointment.

1:55

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the privilege, the honor, and the pleasure of serving on this board, and for the honor of being selected to serve as your chairman.

2:06

I truly believe that this board has been blessed with strong, dedicated, informed, and wise members, and this board serves the city well in representing the citizenry to the city council.

2:19

I'm somewhat familiar with the upcoming independent report to the City Council on the city's response to the storms of 2024, and I look forward to the formal presentation of the council.

2:30

The rumor is that you all have done an incredible job.

2:34

I'm confident in your ability to continue in the excellent manner that you've exhibited in this past year.

2:40

Thank you, each and everyone.

2:42

God bless there are no further speakers.

2:50

That is it.

2:51

Yes.

2:54

Okay.

2:55

Well, thank you for those comments.

2:58

No longer chairweed, councilman weed.

3:01

How about that?

3:02

Very good.

3:03

It was a pleasure serving with you for sure.

3:07

All right, I'd like to proceed uh to the approval of the minutes.

3:11

Are there any suggested revisions or a motion to approve the minutes from our last meeting?

3:17

I move to approve the minutes of the last one.

3:23

I second that.

3:25

Okay.

3:27

Then let's do a voice vote vote.

3:36

Uh yay if you approve it, or nay if not.

3:41

Do we have do we just call for you can just say it's not a roll?

3:46

I'll approve.

3:48

All that uh approve the motion, uh please say yay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement██████████████████████22%
Parks and Recreation████████████████████20%
Emergency Management██████████████████18%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Personnel Matters████4%
Land Development Code███3%
Homeowners Association Management██2%
Strategic Planning██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Citizen Advisory Board Meeting Summary - May 21, 2025

The Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) met on May 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM in Council Chambers. The board elected a new chair, recommended a neighborhood parkland acquisition to City Council, approved the honorary renaming of City Hall Park to the Lavallee Municipal Campus, and finalized the Hurricane After Action Review (HAAR) report for presentation to City Council. The meeting began with a farewell to former chair Lloyd Weed, who was recently appointed to the Venice City Council.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the April 16, 2025 meeting were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Lloyd Weed (former CAB chair and newly appointed City Council member) expressed gratitude for serving on the CAB and praised the board's work on the Hurricane After Action Review.
  • Jim Monkowski (President, Pinebrook South Homeowners Association) spoke in full support of the nomination of 1220 Pinebrook Road for the county neighborhood parkland program. He noted that the property would serve as a passive park with playground and picnic areas, complementing the nearby Wellfield Park sports complex, and said the community is not opposed to this use.
  • Loretta Baradinelli (the nominator) spoke in support of the nomination, noting the 2.3-acre site has mature live oaks, fits county criteria for parkland acquisition, and would provide green space on the north side of Venice Avenue as a compliment to Wellfield Park.

Discussion Items

  • Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Dr. Davis declined the nomination for chair. Roger Efron was nominated and elected chair by a vote of 8-0. Efron accepted, acknowledging the high standards set by former chair Lloyd Weed.
  • Sarasota County Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program – Nomination of 1220 Pinebrook Road: Staff (Mr. Clinch) presented the proposal. The property is privately owned within the Pinebrook South PUD, and the owner is a willing seller. The board discussed traffic safety concerns on Pinebrook Road; staff noted that exact park use would be determined in a future process if the property is acquired. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval to City Council.
  • Honorary Renaming of City Hall Park to Lavallee Municipal Campus: Mayor Pachota presented the item, citing City Manager Ed Lavallee's long service (longest in city history), high ethical standards, and community responsiveness. The name change applies to the overall campus (including City Hall, fire station, Lord Heigel House) while City Hall itself retains its name. A ceremony is planned for July 8. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval to City Council.
  • Hurricane After Action Review (HAAR) – Final Draft: Dr. Davis led the discussion. The board reviewed typographical corrections and minor amendments (e.g., changing 'did' to 'due', adding a sentence about support for residents who lost property). The final draft includes two addenda with survey results. The board discussed presentation strategy for City Council on June 10, agreeing that Dr. Davis and the new chair will present, with a timeline and key highlights. The board voted unanimously to approve the final draft as amended for presentation to City Council.
  • Board Discussion: The board agreed to cancel the June 18 meeting and begin summer break early (next meeting August 20). The board noted an open seat due to Lloyd Weed's departure and encouraged applicants. Student representative Mr. Carr was reappointed for another term.

Key Outcomes

  • Election: Roger Efron elected chair by unanimous vote.
  • Parkland Nomination: Motion to recommend 1220 Pinebrook Road to City Council for the Sarasota County parkland acquisition program passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Park Renaming: Motion to recommend honorary renaming of City Hall Park to Lavallee Municipal Campus passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Hurricane After Action Review: Motion to approve the final draft as amended passed unanimously (8-0). The report will be presented to City Council on June 10, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
  • Meeting Schedule: The board approved skipping the June 18 meeting and resuming on August 20, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Like to call this meeting of the citizen advisory board to order. May we have the roll call, please? Yes, Mr. Carr. Here. Dr. Davis. Here. Mr. DeFallis. Here. Mr. Efron. Mr. Ellis. Here. Miss Mascatelli. Ms. Panfill. And Mr. Heaney. Here. Okay, thank you. Do we have anyone signed up to speak? Yes, we do. The first speaker is Lloyd Weed. Okay. Then we are now in the audience participation portion of the agenda. Speakers are not to address board members individually. Any person making personal impertinent or slanderous remarks, or who shall become boisterous or disorderly, or who speaks longer than the allotted time, or who speaks vulgarities, may be barred from the meeting, and further presentations before the board at that meeting by the presiding officer. So thank you. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon. And uh as I'm sure you are aware, I was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Venice City Council, and as a result of that appointment, I was required to vacate my seat on the Citizen Advisory Board. Truthfully, that requirement was my only hesitation in applying for the new appointment. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the privilege, the honor, and the pleasure of serving on this board, and for the honor of being selected to serve as your chairman. I truly believe that this board has been blessed with strong, dedicated, informed, and wise members, and this board serves the city well in representing the citizenry to the city council. I'm somewhat familiar with the upcoming independent report to the City Council on the city's response to the storms of 2024, and I look forward to the formal presentation of the council. The rumor is that you all have done an incredible job. I'm confident in your ability to continue in the excellent manner that you've exhibited in this past year. Thank you, each and everyone. God bless there are no further speakers. That is it. Yes. Okay. Well, thank you for those comments. No longer chairweed, councilman weed. How about that? Very good. It was a pleasure serving with you for sure.

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