City Commission - Regular Meeting

Hey, hey, hey. [music] Heat up here. Yeah. Heat. [music] [music]

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Hey, [music] [music] hey, hey.

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Amen. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. can be seated and we will open our com our meeting this morning and you have a double header in one visit. This is a great opportunity for you to attend two commission meetings and have it improve your average attendance as you go forward. So I am very very thankful to be able to be here uh this morning. We are going to um open our meeting with the approval of the uh minutes.

Motion to approve. Second. Uh discussion by commissioners. Any discussion by any members of the audience? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Oppose. Same. Unanimously passes. Um then we have some proclamations here. All right. [snorts] Good morning.

I have the opportunity today to read two proclamations. Um the first one is going to be for Tiger Reed if he could come on down. And I'm going to try to read this with a little inflection to sound a little bit like Tiger. So forgive me if I uh if I don't.

[snorts] [clears throat]

Yep. You get to stand right up front.

All right. Whereas Commissioner Bill Tiger Reed began his service as a city commissioner on January 4th, 2016 representing the Northeast District of Lakeland and was elected to office three times, including two elections without opposition. And there again, [laughter] Commissioner Reid brought his passion of land stewardship, business, and community service with honor, humility, and genuine care for people and Florida's natural environment. And there again, Commissioner Reid previously served in the city of Lakeland on the zoning board of adjustments and appeals from December 1997 to July 23 and later served on the airport advisory board from 2021 to 2025. And there again throughout his tenure as a city commissioner, Commissioner Reid consistently demonstrated a steady and thoughtful presence on the DAZ and earned a reputation as attentive listener to residents, staff, and fellow elected officers. And there again, in 2017, Bill Reed earned local acclaim for his quick action in rescuing a Labrador retriever from Lake Parker, an act that further reflected his compassion and commitment to the community. And the there again, uh his casual presence at utility commission meetings becoming an endearing and official in an unofficial symbol of his approachable and grounded leadership, the absence of which will be noted with fond appreciation. And uh there again certain phrases such as there again. [laughter] How much how much should we buy that for? And can I see a map [laughter] have now become legendary Bill Reed isms and will long be echoed in city hall. And there again, Commissioner Reid became well known for his unique approach to inquiry, often questioning the question, prompting thoughtful discussion and at times spirited clarification, reflecting his commitment to fully understanding the issues before

the commission. And there again, here we go. Ray Dean Reed earned the title of Commissioner Proem this past year. hearing Commissioner Reed's deliberate pauses and trademark smile long enduring each decision received doing making sure it gets due consideration and as he now departs the city commission to begin full-time employment under his wife Raine he does so with the understanding that his opportunities to question the question may now be fewer [laughter] now therefore I Mike music mayor prom of the city of Lakeland together with the city commission city staff and citizens honor and thank commissioner Bill Reid for his dedicated service and wish him and his family well as he enters the next chapter in his life. [applause] [applause] [applause]

We're actually give him the mic. Okay. Oh my god. Terrible. Don't give me the mic. I want to thank I want to thank the citizens of Lakeland for allowing me to serve you. It's been a big privilege and I'm going to say today's my last day. So, I'm going fishing tomorrow. [laughter]

All right, here we go. Three, two, one. All right, hold it up. All right, thank you. [applause]

All right, our next one for our beloved mayor. [applause] Whereas, Mayor Bill Mittz has dedicated himself to the city community through years of service on municipal boards beginning in 2005 and continuing through his tenure tenure as mayor starting January 2nd, 2018. And whereas Mayor Bill Mitz kicked off his 2017 campaign for mayor by falling off his hoverboard to secure the sympathy vote.

Yeah. And whereas mail bear mutz has used his effervescent personality, warmth and sincerity to serve all people while encouraging and heightening our awareness to see the good in others, embrace their gifts and elevate the confidence to be highly engaged and loving memory uh loving neighbors one to another. And whereas his willingness to hear all sides of an issue has strengthened public dialogue and supported collaboration decision-making throughout his service. And whereas after his final two meetings averaged over seven hours, you got to get it done.

Mhm. Some among city staff would be heard grumbling that the mayor was perhaps a little too willing to hear all sides of the issues and that his gavl had retired before he did. [laughter] And whereas Mayor Bill Mutz was known for his distinctive insistence on signing official documents with Green Inc., a personal touch that he maintained consistently throughout his tenure, even standing firm with the FAA. And whereas Mayor Mutz was equally recognized for his thorough and meticulously crafted proclamations which often set records for length and detail reflecting his dedication to honoring community achievements and preserving the significance of civic recognition. And whereas he has supported the Lakeland Police Department with unwavering encouragement, showing up to community events where only the only guarantees were heat and humili humidity. And whereas Mil Mayor Bill Mutz stood beside LPD during their long-winded occasional headacheinducing journey of purchasing and implementing body cameras, patiently enduring demonstrations, cost breakdowns, and at least one incident involving 14 minutes of a highdefinition footage of an officer's shoe. And whereas after eight legendary years of leading the city with charm and calm, Mayor Bill Mutz now takes the toughest role ever, full-time hype man for his wife's world book tour. Cheering and pompoms are optional. Now therefore, I, Mike music, mayor prom of the city of Lakeland, together with the city commission, city staff, and citizens, honor and thank Mr. Mayor Bill Mutz for his dedicated service and wish him and his family well in the next chapter of his life.

[applause]

and he'll have an opportunity to address all of us later. So, we'll just go ahead and take pictures. [applause] Perfect. [applause] [snorts]

Well, this is an exciting day in a lot of ways and I want to take an opportunity to have some closing remarks. I will tell you I had quite a surprise last night because I was asked to go to dinner with some of my kids and I walked into the room with all of my kids.

Wow. [applause] including wives with the exception of one Tampa wife uh or uh daughter-in-law that is um was sick so she was being considered a whole rest of the group and she and I get to talk a lot anyway but what a what a wonderful moment in life [clears throat] to see the the affirmation your family and so I am so grateful for that and I consider our city an extend vention of that family. And so I I put together just a few remarks and it'll take a few minutes, but it's really my kind of heart as I think about reflecting about Lakeland and the opportunity that I have had. And I'm going to do three things in it. Talk about appreciation, talk about the optimism, and then provide a small challenge uh for the new commission. By the way, I am so grateful for the new commission and I'm so grateful for the leadership uh within that commission that's coming ahead. And so as I look forward to this, I look for an opportunity to really uh accentuate, embrace, and uh support people who I know are going to continue to do the things that need to be done for a great city. So here's my appreciation. My appreciation of our citizens who made the privilege of serving as mayor possible in the first place. I'm so grateful for that. of advocates who lean into the needs of others, communicating concerns that might otherwise go unnoticed, that come to our meetings and tell us the things that we need to know. Of our faith-based institutions who provide the foundational spiritual hope and dependence into equipping the lives of so many in our community and the leadership that they provide. of our incredible business community that provides employment opportunities through large corporations as well as small business bases and the many entities that support their unique needs such as the chamber, bridge local, Lakeland Association, Realtors, SCOR,

LEDC and many others of our educational institutions. Think about our educational institutions in this city who are so who so broadly meet the various needs of our public, private, and higher education and the leadership that we have in each of those systems and in each of those schools today, which is phenomenal. of our community volunteers who serve so effectively on boards and committees and and do that for no pay, just the opportunity to help make their city better. Of an incredible city management office staff with whom it has been so rewarding to observe and support. My enthusiasm and satisfaction working alongside our city management team, Sean, Rob, and Ashley, for whom I have great, great respect. Our department heads are an extension of that leadership that I'm appreciative of and support the initiatives that are so well warranted in our city so excellently and with the ownership of it being their baby to take care of and lead. uh for Mike Broart and the finance department who do an incredible job of wisely planning and guarding the financial integrity and the reserves for our community that make it such a highly rated uh city by Moody's which in particular is a benefit for the incredible public safety and quality of life from which we all benefit due to the focus protection by our Lakeland Police Department and our Lakeland Fire Department, the leadership from Sammy and from Doug and those two areas and just thinking how both chiefs do an amazing job of keeping their teams together and guiding people who generally run into individuals as a part of their day on the worst day of the person's life that they might be uh going to the scene of and and working through that and and doing it so well

and so consistently as well as I'm so appreciative of our parks and wreck citrus connection Ellie and water public works I could go on and on uh but we are grateful for their daily provisions and always improving infrastructure and services that are so easy for us to take for granted. We don't even think about it because we expect the reliability that we see. And then the final category of expressing my appreciation is to this commission with whom it has been an absolute privilege uh to be able to serve alongside. With the exception of Mayor Elect McCarly, I will comment alphabetically on each of you, providing a short description of your service and the contributions you made from my perspective. So, first is Commissioner Lond, compassionately present and deliberate. Therefore, I label him constituent centric. Uh, for Stephanie Madden, relentless visionary and a historical recap artist. Deeply purposeful. Deeply purposeful for Chad Mloud. Mloud. I can't mess up on this one. A master communicator. See, that's why. And and precisely discerning. Thoughtfully comprehensive

for uh Commissioner Music. compass and commissioner prom music uh uh mayor prom music uh compassionate pragmatist and generoushearted a frugal caretaker for um Bill Reid a real estate focused and maps

the planned watchman and I think the planning watchman he really worked hard to make sure we were always asking the right questions in planning and then to Mayor elect Macccarly for whom I have profound respect. Hardworking doer, experienced leader, vision providing mentor to other people, a project initiator and a governmentally fluent leader. She is a thoughtful integrator and that's what we're going to see as we move into the next chapters. for having known both uh commissioner elect and troutman for years. I am confident their contributions will complement the new commission with continuing integrity. And what a wonderful thing it is to know that to know you have people with high integrity going into positions that support the people of high integrity that are on this commission. So here's my optimism. We live in a philanthrop in a philanthropic and well-directed city in a thriving state in the greatest nation in the world. Florida will continue to be one of the top three growing states for decades to come. Lakeland pursues smart growth and it will continue to do so as one of three Florida registered comprehensive plan cities. Only three. Lakeland is nimble and it depends on people who intentionally wish to make a difference. As a result, we work hard to honor everyone and I believe we will continue to do so. This is a quality we must protect and it provides a huge and diff and and it's a huge and difficult task to achieve. Um I am Pam and I are so grateful to be here because I am convinced we will watch that continue. So here's my closing challenge. You know, the Roosevelt's most famous speech, 1910, my son Jacob reminded me of several months ago, was citizenship in a republic. And that sets the tone

for my reminder. It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena whose faces are marred by dust, sweat and blood, who strive valiantly, who heir, who make uh who come short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, but who actually strive to do the deeds, who know great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spend themselves in a worthy cause, who at the best know in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with more timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. That is what you are. You're in the arena and our opportunity is to get bruised in the arena as you know. And um that's why then I want to talk about your leadership and your influence in the public eye today. Anyone who steps up to lead, whether in business, ministry, community work, or even online, faces constant scrutiny and instantly. Social media gives critics an unlimited reach, often without accountability and within isolated silos and selected representations that aren't always complimentary. Application. True leadership requires the courage to act, knowing you will be misunderstood and criticized. The goal isn't to avoid criticism. It is to do meaningful work anyway. So what's the takeaway? You want to focus on contribution, not reputation. You want to remain visionary, practical, and seek the greatest possible good for all. And finally, I want to enclose with I want to close with this encouraging challenge. One of the most essential

tools for honoring everyone is prioritizing civility. As you know, this sounds simple, but it requires intentional patience and thoughtful consideration. Qualities you all possess. Civility is work. Civility requires sacrifice, which by the way is the exact opposite of a cancel culture. That's instant. That's easy. That's um disar dis demeaning. Civility doesn't do that. Civility occurs when we listen well and focus on others, when we respect others opinions and we remain empathetic to their life struggles. Implementing civility into governance requires quantifying the cost of plausible alternatives and we have Mr. Broart to help us in that process as we go along the way. it c it is choosing to be as effective and decisive as possible and we have great leadership out of our city manager Sharouse in that regard considering the long-term implications of what we need to do as a city which oftentimes in the short term and I'm not even going to bring up the road diet doesn't look like doesn't look like it's a good decision but just you wait and [snorts] then lastly and most importantly involves praying to God for wisdom You know, in our culture today, we cut that piece out lots because we don't want to have to uh offend anyone. But offending what is is not offense, it is a truth. And so, if we are going to do things that make a difference in a city that can honor everyone, we have to do them with the spiritual leadership that God provides to praying hearts. So as you stay the course of caring, despite a sometimes increasingly cancelled culture, Lakeland [clears throat] will remain one of the kindest, safe, and quality of life leading cities in our nation. So I want

to thank you in advance for your commitment in seeking that distinction. And I'm so excited to watch your next chapter. [applause]

[applause]

Yes, music.

Yes. If I could just have a a second before we uh adjourn with the mayor. I just want to five years ago when [clears throat] I was um considering running my my father was in hospice and he was at our house and um my dad was a teacher for uh about 40 years or so at Lakeland Christian School and taught a lot of [snorts] um Bill and Pam's kids and they came over religiously to see my dad and I [clears throat] remember I was considering running Nikki and I had talked about it and I I'm there and I told uh I told Bill I said I said well first off I told my dad and his response was why? Um and then I talked with Bill and I said I said Bill I want you to know that there are things that are going to come up where you and I don't align and and we're great friends religiously oriented the same. And he said I hope that's the case. So that was the first thing that I that I remembered that was that was great. And and the second was he was there at times when my dad was asleep caring and loving on my dad. And that's what he does for the citizens. You don't even know that he's caring and thinking and working for you when he is. And for that, I love you and your family. And I am so thankful that I was able to serve for four years with you.

Thank you. I'm glad to have served with you, brother. [applause] to echo uh commissioner music, mayor prison music. Um we are all better people knowing you. Um, so my tenure started in 2018, well 2016 there was a push to to recruit people to come run for commission and I was in that small little enclave and thought all my friends that were running were crazy and that I was like this is not the right time for me and my family. I got remarried to Trey Mccarly. I had two kids starting new schools and it just wasn't the right time for me to do it. And so then fast forward to a special election season and um Bill called me and he said, 'I really think you should consider running for this seat. And I said, 'Well, I'll pray about it. So he called me back and said, "What do you think?" And I said, "I prayed about it and I I don't think it's a good time." And he goes, "I need you to pray harder." And he hung up the phone. What that reflects is a deep faith in something greater than [snorts] all of us that I so appreciate and concur with because it was the right thing at the right time for me to participate in and to throw my hat in the arena and it's been hard and it's been challenging but I haven't done it with any better people um that could be walk the face of the earth and serve this city of Lakeland. And the other addendum I'll add to this as many of you know I was widowed suddenly in 2009 and um my late husband is why we moved back to Lakeland was for him to work at Publix. We came back from Atlanta and Bill had become a mentor to Randy and was very supportive of Randy. They had a lot of overlap in chamber activities in the Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Chamber and they were just really good friends. And about I don't know two three weeks before Randy died. So suddenly we had two cars and Publix had then offered Randy an executive car to use because he

was driving back and forth to Tallahassee. So we had this car. We had a Camry. It was new and um Randy said, "I don't know what we're going to do with it. We owe on this car. What should we do?" And I said, "Well, I don't know. That's your That's your Bailey Wick. That's not I'm not in charge of the cars. And so I was in charge of the money and the other things. But he um True, true. That's a true story. But I He said, "I'm going to go talk to Bill." So the next thing I know, Randy comes home in his Publix Prius and the Camry had been taken care of. And I said, "What did What in the world?" And he said, "Well, I went and talked to Bill and he said, "Don't worry about it. Just leave the car." I'm like, "Was there paperwork? Was [laughter] there did we sign anything? like what happened and he took care of it. Little did I know at that point in time that two weeks later I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning and my husband will have an aneurysm and die and I have a two and a six-year-old and I had one less car payment. And one less car payment at that point in time was not only critical, it was life-saving. Those are the things that Bill Mutz does behind closed doors, with no flags, with no fanfare, with no accolades, because he does the right thing consistently, because his faith is in something greater. And I have had an honor and a privilege to serve with you. And the fact that all of your children were here [snorts] just brings tears to my eyes. And so I am so grateful for you. Thank Thank you, Mutz family. Pam and Emma, Emma, I have special flowers for you for later. And um cuz Emma is an ambassador for the city of Lakeland too.

This is very disruptive to her this whole chain. Yes. And so she can hang out with me. [laughter] But um to the Muts family and Pam and Emma particular, your sacrifice in sharing your father and your husband with the community for so long and he you you shared him way before he was elected to mayor. But mayor is a different thing. And so we are grateful to you. We are so grateful to you, Pam Mutz, and to all of your family. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [applause]

Oh, yes, ma'am. I guess I'm supposed to call on you to say something nice. That's [laughter] Well, you don't you don't know for sure it'll be nice. Okay, good. Good.

You know, who knows? Um, so so many beautiful things have been said about my friend and mayor Bill Mutz and um, you know, we when we first got these this [snorts] job together, we're like, we can't talk to each other. Um, but certainly there is so much to talk about. When I have six children and he has 12 children and just to keep up with where all the kids are and the new grandchildren that are born, we certainly never run out of anything to talk about, do we Pam? But I will say that the the uniqueness of this role to me was discovered within the role. It was not something I really perceived before swearing my oath. And this local government, the marvel of the government closest to the people, I like to call it the messy middle

because when you go to the state or you go to the federal level, you go on a platform and you represent this platform and you fight for this platform. And when you're in a local community, you swear that you're nonpartisan. You swear that you're not on a platform and you're not just going to be um committed to particular ideals on a right or a left persuasion and looking to you as the leader, as the mayor, as the chair of this commission, there were some decisions at first I thought, what? I know Bill Mutz. I know what he believes. I know what he would champion. and it looked a little different in the seat as mayor, but you took your oath seriously and you tried to compartmentalize. And I'd seen you go across the country talking about family and I know what an advocate you were for a particular party and that persuasion, but when you came in as mayor, really, I felt like what you did is you put on your father's hat. And in a day when families are fractured, when we cancel our own family members, we can't even agree around a dinner table, we don't even want to see them at the holidays. You've been able to work with Pam prayerfully because God is number one to keep those 12 children and their spouses and those grandchildren across miles, across state lines together. You paid for family vacations. You paid for counseling. You had tough conversations. And I know there were a lot of tricky, spicy conversations in the last decades because I was privy to those behind the scenes.

And you took that character into this seat and you went into neighborhoods where you didn't know everyone. And you talked to people who were not happy about things and who challenged you straight on and directly and did not want to uh work with you. and you went to coffee and you went to dinner and you had them in your home and you went to their church and you sat next to them in the pew and you encouraged them to come to these meetings and if you had not done that when we tried to move a Confederate monument when we tried to get through a national or global pandemic when we tried to do some of the things that we did I'll never forget being at the corner of Memorial and Florida Avenue when we were having the Black Lives Matter protest we had one and only one because you instantly convened an evening meeting and you invited neighbors to come in and to ha to to express their fears to express their angst to say whatever they needed to say to get it off their mind to not have to go collect on the streets with picketing and violence they could come and talk to us civily like you encouraged that was that leadership I don't know if the city knows the peace and the joy and the safety and the love that we have experienced these eight years because of the tough work like Commissioner Maui said that you did behind the scenes and what makes you a remarkable husband, a remarkable father, a remarkable friend has made you a remarkable mayor and I could not be more thankful that I got to work with you. [applause] And now the great communicator, Commissioner Mloud.

Thank you, Commissioner Madden. And just to add on to that, in many ways the commission becomes like a family and and families become close, but families also argue sometimes and have differences of opinion and we can squabble and and uh but what I have admired among many things that have been said, Mayor Mutz, is your ability to sit in the middle of the arena in the middle of different and conflicting opinions, passionate ideas, criticism, and to take all of that and forge a way forward for our city. and I've seen you do it time and time again and it has made a lasting mark and I would say legacy for this city that uh years from now people will look back on and and admire the work that you have done as the mayor and the leader of our city. Uh I think that skill that you have, it's God-given, but it's also I I would imagine that has been developed over many years of having 11 children and their spouses and having to work through difficult issues. to the MUT's children. I have learned a lot from your dad's stories over the past this is I'm entering my seventh year on the commission and sometimes when we're talking before meetings I think people wonder what are they talking about? Are they are they uh getting ready for an issue that's coming? Are are they talking about something they shouldn't? The city attorney may wonder are they violating the sunshine law? But most of the time you were sharing stories about your family, about your kids, about a situation. And and so I feel like I know even the ones who I don't know. I feel like I I know you from the stories your dad has shared. And I have learned so much as a father and as a husband just in those moments of advice. Even when you weren't trying to give advice, so many times I left the commission meeting and I would go home and and tell my wife Aaron, the Mutz family, they did this or they had this situation and just so many of those moments um that I will miss. And so thank you so much for the way you have led over the past eight years uh and all that you have done. so much behind the scenes that has already been mentioned. Uh we will miss you. Our family is it is changing here on the

commission, but we're excited about the new commissioners and and welcoming them. But we we cannot thank you enough, Mayor Mutz, for all you've done. Thank you, [applause] Commissioner L.

You're not getting off that easy. [laughter] So while I may not be the great orator, I just want to take the time that while I only had two years with you, the indelible mark that you put upon my heart, my mind to always seek the best, not only myself, but to expect more out of myself and what I lead and the way we guide to watch you guide the commission sometimes through some rough stuff and some marathon meetings. Thank you. But um just to have watched you and then one of the biggest things that they impressed me was the way that your wife was always your rock, always constant, never bearing, never moving, always by your side. And and my wife recognized that so deeply much and and I mean it helped us through our first year of drinking through the fire hydrant as and I'm comfortable with these wonderful new commissioners coming up and you ready to get your first glass here in just a little bit. But I'm so confident that you guys are going to do excellent and wonderful and we're so happy to have you. To my fellow commissioners, I guess here we go again. I'm gonna miss you so very much, Mayor Mutz, but I'm not gonna say goodbye to you because now I know I can call you and I can ask you the questions.

Yeah, [laughter] we can talk. So, with that, much love to you and your family and it has been an honor to serve with you. Thank you very very much. [applause] With that then I can move to um the actual closing of this uh commission of which it has been a privilege to serve for eight years. And so is there a motion uh to journ motion to approve second discussion by commissioners? You can't have any [laughter] and by any members of the audience if not all those in favor signify by saying I

I oppose same. We are no longer an existing commission. Come. Welcome aboard, Mayor McCarly. It's great to have you here. [applause] [applause] [applause] I'm gonna come up. Pam and Emma, can I come up real quick? Yeah. Emma, can you come up to it, please? Real quick. We're going up front right here. Yeah. Yeah, we can do it. You can go up front.

This is special for you. My My mom made all these You can hold it. Here you go. I'll stand with Stephanie. I'll stand right behind and your mom. I'll get close. two. Perfect.

Thank you. [applause] [applause]

All of our kids stand up. Sure. Yes. Can all the MUT's children please stand up? We're gonna give you an applause. [applause]

[applause]

All right, we are going to now turn it over. Well, first I think we're going to start with the oath of office for our new commissioners. So, Commissioner Troutman, Commissioner Coney, Commissioner Music, Commissioner Madden, please come to the front and we'll have the swearing in with our city clerk, Kelly Cous. And if any of the commissioner families or spouses want to join to hold the Bible, Steve Madden, is he here? Nikki Music, you know, I'll shout out your names. And actually, if you Kia, if you and Ashley want to stand a little bit right there and then that way the Madden can you what?

Oh, yeah. That's my grandma's. You can do that. What an excellent assistant. Hi, Thomas. I already hugged him.

A There's steps.

Get a little closer. There you go. You ready? What an honor for me. If you will please raise your right hand and you'll respond affirmatively at the end of the oath. Do you solemnly swear that you are a citizen of the United States and the state of Florida and the city of Lakeland and have all the qualifications as required by the charter for the office upon which you are now about to enter? That you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida and the ordinances of the city of Lakeland. And that you will faithfully perform the duties of the office upon which you are now about to enter. So help you God. Congratulations. Please sign. [applause] Please sign. [applause] Yeah. Commissioners, don't forget to sign. Thank you, Mayor.

You come up here, buddy. Oh, you want a photo of them all signing? [crying] Beautiful. Steve

Steve Madden in the house. She don't get many photos. should have sat down. [crying] [laughter] Three, two, one. [applause]

Yeah, I saw that. Our next item, our city clerk will administer the oath of office for our new mayor, Mayor McCarly. Okay, if you'll raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that you are a citizen of the United States and the state of Florida and the city of Lakeland and have all the qualifications as required by the charter for the office upon which you are now about to enter? and that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida and the ordinances of the city of Lakeland and that you will faithfully perform the duties of the office upon which you are now about to enter. So help you God.

Congratulations. [applause]

[applause]

Call them up.

All right, here we go. Three, two, one. All right, perfect. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. Well, the dis and city hall is much smaller to walk around than the stage at the RP funding center. Um, so with that, we will motion to reconvene as the 2026 city commission of the city of Lakeland.

Motion to reconvene. Second. All in favor? I.

Motion carries. We'll switch. We have a little stage managing to do. Um [applause] um I'm going to take just a quick moment of my page is much shorter um than Mayor Mutz is, but I just wanted to say a couple words as we started and convened as 2026. It is a humbling honor and a privilege to serve the city of Lakeland. Lakeland's a very special and unique city. The fabric of our community has been woven since the beginning by people who wanted to build a town where neighbors care for one another. Where all have the opportunity to provide for their families, where city foundations are civil and safe, and where everyone, young or old, rich or poor, play a part in the success of the greater community. Everyone also has the ability to serve and each is each of us here has a heart to serve. This service can often be difficult. It takes time away from our loved ones, our businesses, our jobs, even the control of our own time. It is worth the sacrifice. As mayor, I aim to work closely with our city hall staff to serve each one of you professionally and politely with respect, humility, and open-minded eagerness to solve issues and support the entire community. I look forward to elevate Lakeland in fulfilling its own purpose and promise as we move into the next decade. And with that, it's an honor and privilege to serve with our new commissioners, Troutman and Coney, and to return to service with Commissioner Mloud, Commissioner Madden, Commissioner Music, and Commissioner Leavon. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and your support, and I look forward to moving Lakeland into the next decade together.

Thank you. [applause] Okay. So, now we're going to move um into election of our mayor prom. The mayor prom is someone that is selected by fellow city commissioners. they serve in the mayor's abstentia and when they have the opportunity to preside over meetings. One point of personal privilege, my first uh time as mayor pro Tim back in I think 2021 or 22, it was a six-hour meeting um that mayor Mutz left me to take and so I did not feel bad about his last two seven-hour meetings as he left the commission. Um so I will with that I will take nominations for the election of the mayor prom.

Yes, Commissioner Madden. I would like to nominate Commissioner G. Loland. I would second that. All right. We have a motion and a second. Do we have any discussion? Is Commissioner Land willing and able? I am. Okay. With that, all in favor to support Commissioner London as our mayor prom I. I. The motion carries unanimously.

Congratulations. [applause] All right, we have we will move into our regularly scheduled agenda. Are there requests to appear from the general public? There are not. That's item number one. Item number two will be the approval of the consent agenda. And all items that are listed with an asterric are considered routine by the city commission and will be enacted by one motion. Um I will entertain a motion for our uh consent agenda. Motion to approve. Second. Second. All right. And there's that is strictly the minutes. Yep.

With any of our amendments. All right. Any questions or comments about our consent agenda? All in favor to pass. I opposed. Motion carries. Item number four, reports and related items, equalization hearings. We will cease meeting as a city commission at this point and we will gave in as an equalization board.

Thank you, Mayor McCarly. This meeting is about to get pretty boring quickly, so this [laughter] is your chance to escape if if if you want to. Uh the city charter requires that the city commission convene as an equalization board prior to imposing a special assessment lean against private property. Uh if you've received a notice to appear this morning because of a potential special assessment lean being imposed against your property, this is your opportunity to address the city commission and ask any questions about that you may have or express any objections you may have. Is there anyone from the audience that would like to address the equalization board? Seeing none, do we need a motion to accept the list? Motion to approve. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion or questions? Seeing none, all in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. We will cease meeting as an equalization board. And we will now move into item number six, public hearings. We are on item A, ordinances, second reading. That would be city attorney Davis. Thank you, Mayor McCarly. Uh the we have one ordinance for uh consideration of adoption this morning in a public hearing. That is proposed ordinance number 25-052. An ordinance relating to the Lakeland area mass transit district making findings approving the inclusion of certain lands located within the city of Lakeland within the boundaries of the Lakeland area mass transit district providing for severability providing an effective date. Move to approve.

We have a motion. Do we have a second? A second from Commissioner Mloud. Any discussion on the annexation of the lands for Lamb Ted? Seeing none, all in favor? I I opposed. The motion carries. Um I think roll call. Well, it's not on my thing. I was just about to ask that. That's okay. I I don't have a copy of the agenda with what's roll call and what's not. Okay. Um so just any of the ordinances or resolution. Okay. Thank you. So this is a roll call vote. We will start with Commissioner Leand. Yes. I Commissioner Tman I I I I I motion carries unanimously. All right. Item B, resolutions proposed 26001 lots cleaning and clearing.

Item B is proposed resolution number 26-01, a resolution relating to assessments determining the necessity for having clean and cleared certain properties within the city of Lakeland, providing for the assessment of leans against such property for expenses incurred in the cleaning and clearing thereof, providing an effective date. And this will require require a roll call vote. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion, a second. Questions for the city attorney. Seeing none, since it's a roll call vote, I'll start with Commissioner Mloud. I I I I I I I. Motion carries unanimously. Item C.

Item C is a development agreement with SJD Development LLC relating to the Wedgewood redevelopment project. uh staff is still in discussions with with the developer and his team relating to transportation impacts and and and what proportion of of mitigate transportation mitigation is going to be the requirement of of the developer. Uh so we're asking that that be continued. Um I'm not going to ask that it be continued to a specific date at this time. We hope to have this ready for a first hearing on January 20th, but uh we'll we'll revertise this when it is ready. Move [clears throat] to continue. Motion to continue. Second. We have a motion and a second to continue. Any questions or further discussion? Seeing none, all in favor? I

opposed. All right, the motion carries to continue as requested. We have no update from the community redevelopment agency [snorts] as that agency's board for item number seven. We'll move on to item number eight with our city manager, Sean Sher.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. And uh if I may just to start I have four items for presentation but I just want to make a few comments on behalf of myself but also more importantly our city staff. Uh we look forward madame mayor to working under your leadership along with you to better and continue the betterment of Lakeland and with this new commission. Uh we are here to work alongside your direction and implement the decisions and policy decisions that you make. We're looking forward to that very much. I have four items as mentioned for presentation. Uh the first item that I have is regarding a purchase order with Allen J Fleet Sales for the early replacement of four K9 Pursuit SUVs and then corresponding appropriations and increase in the fleet management vehicle replacement fund. The uh four K9 units are scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2027, but we have found ourselves where we need to go ahead and replace those vehicles uh early. In our K9 loaner pool as part of our fleet, uh we have three vehicles. Two vehicles are inoperable due to engine failures and other conditions that make them uneconomical to repair. And then we have only one loaner vehicle then that is available for use but due to its age and uh wear and tear it is need of replacement as well. And so we now need to roll those four loaner out of the pool. And when we purchase these four early they will go to the front line. We will take the existing four that are in the front line and move them uh to the reserve pool. These will be procured under a source well contract. The cost for each vehicle uh per vehicle is $86,868. There was a question on Friday about whether that came fully equipped and it does come fully equipped uh for that price point. So the total cost of uh obtaining these four and procuring them early is a total of $347,472.

and the funds to purchase all four are available in the unappropriated surplus of the fleet fleet management vehicle replacement fund. Uh so the recommendation to the commission would be to approve the purchase order uh for the four vehicles as presented and also the necessary appropriation. Do I have a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. Discussion or questions for staff? I I was able to watch the agenda study on Friday, so I feel like there was a lot of ground covered in that. Um, is this voice or is this voice vote? Thanks, Homer. Uh, all those in favor? I opposed. All right. Item B.

Next item is regarding a task authorization with HDR Engineering. This is for professional services in support of the pedestrian safety improvements to airport road and Don Emerson Drive at our Lakeland Linder International Airport. Uh this is being procure procured under a a continuing contract that the city has with HDR Engineering and as mentioned this is for uh professional municipal engineering services. This will provide design services and permitting coordination of these pedestrian safety improvements. Uh included not included in the scope of work. There will not be any bidding or construction administrative services to be part of the project. Again, this will only be for design and permitting coordination. The total cost of the task authorization is $360,047 and this will be funded 100% by a Florida Department of Transportation uh grant that the commission uh previously accepted and approved. So the recommendation will be to approve this task authorization as presented.

Do I have a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion from Commissioner Music and a second from Commissioner Mloud. Discussion or questions? Yes, Commissioner Muse. Yeah. Not really. Thank you. Not really um a question so much, but I drive down drain field a lot and it's it's exciting to see all of the cars and um you know, the parking lot being utilized, the the grass area being done. So, I know when all of these things are uh in conjunction um and all these moving pieces, but it's it's just exciting to see that growth and management. So, well done to the the airport team. Thank you, Chris. Any other questions or comments? Seeing none, all in favor? I opposed. The motion carries. Item D, C, sorry.

Thank you. Uh, item C is a task authorization with Jones Edmonds and Associates for professional design services for the replacement of a Beacon Hill Community Water uh, main and corresponding appropriations and an increase in the water renewal and replacement fund. Our water utility uh has planned to replace several water manes around the entire city of Lakeland which have been designated as aging infrastructure. The Beacon Hill community is one of those that has been identified as a project area in which the water manes are approaching the end of their usable lifespan. The scope of this project will include development of an engineered design package, a construction of approximately 11,000 feet of new water manes, and this will assist us with providing for prior fire protection uh in that particular area of our city. This is being procured under a continuing contract for municipal engineering services. Uh, in the base scope of work, Jones Edmunds will conduct field investigations, develop a design package, assist with permitting, and produce sealed record drawings upon completion of construction for a cost not to exceed $218,000. In its proposal, Jones Edmund has also included several optional scopes of work, which will be utilized during the construction phase of the project. This includes assistance with project oversight, construction engineering and inspection services and a contingency. I commented on that on Friday. I may comment on that again in another in the next item. Uh and and this will be for a not to exceed cost of $23,000. Therefore, the total cost of the task authorization is potentially $421,000. some of that also will be could potentially be reduced if we're we don't need uh some of the contingency that has been planned. So the uh recommendation is to authorize um an appropriation. Uh

the design on this project will commence immediately upon approval and is expected to be completed within 6 months of the notice to proceed. So the recommendation again is to approve the task authorization as presented also including the necessary appropriation that was mentioned. Um do we have a motion for approval? Move to approve. Second. All right. Commissioner Madden.

Thank you, Mayor. So um I I was thinking about this over the weekend with regard to this being the design services. We had a pretty robust discussion on Friday with regard to a lot of our aging infrastructure is in line to have replacements and then we are looking at it kind of at at the map not choosing neighborhoods specifically because we like one neighborhood better than the other but because maybe they've had some um breaks or some more challenges and so those raise higher on the list. So I appreciate that conversation on Friday in the agenda study. The question I had was more on the timeline. So if it's six months for design services for the replacement in Beacon Hill, how long then would a community if they know that they are in that design phase to look forward to then construction?

Thank you, Commissioner. That's a great question. I'm going to yield to staff from our water utility that can assist answering that question. Morning, Commission. Matt Fowler, water utilities engineering manager. Yeah, move it up. There you go.

Did you guys get that? Matt Fowler, water utilities engineering manager. Um, so the the design is expected to take approximately six months. Um, depending on the amount of conflict that we find in the investigation, uh, that can extend the duration of the, um, the construction project. Uh, so if we have to avoid a number of other utilities in the area, that can extend it. Uh, I would expect this to take less than one year to install. Uh, there's 11,000 ft of pipe that we're planning to replace. a couple of new hydrants to increase fire protection in the area. Um so that would be my best estimate but without a final engineered package. I don't know that we can give you an exact answer.

That's very helpful though. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you, Commissioner Madden. Other um city manager. Yes. Thank you, Mayor. I do appreciate the commissioner's comments and so just to for you know public clarity on that while we do prioritize and uh you know where we're going to um have these projects initiated sometimes you know those pri that that kind of list of priorities you know can have other projects further down the list that are brought to the top simply because of you know experiences that we have with failures and the like. So, so that list is constantly changing. Uh, but certainly, you know, that priority list is something that we will remain focused on and when we need the opportunity to adjust like in this case, you know, that we we will be coming to the commission with those requests.

Great. Great. Thank you. Other comments or questions? I'd just like to note for the community at large and the public uh the Beacon Hill, this is the result of a family in that neighborhood whose children had had um some illness and then it spawned a discussion and an interest in water. And so then we unearthed literally some aging lead pipes um that were gooseenecks that were coming into different homes. Um and it's sporadic through uh Beacon Hill. um at I thought everyone got a Brida, but I my house actually has that even though it's a newer home that was built in 2004. Um it had the same lead piping. So, this is an infrastructure item that came as a direct result of citizen engagement um because there we we really weren't aware of it at the time. There had been some other work done on South Florida in the area. But um that's why citizen contributions and civic engagement is so vitally important. and it really heightens our awareness to the needs of the community and we really appreciate that and we appreciate the water department was extraordinarily responsive um and testing and figuring out what was going on exactly um in that area. So I see Mr. Bayan in the back. Thank you all. Your team was very very good. I've heard from people that attended the public meetings and the flow of information was excellent. So thank you. Thanks city manager. All in favor of this approval item.

I I opposed. Okay. The motion carries. Item [clears throat] D.

Thank you. The last item for presentation is a change order with Felix Associates of Florida. This is for a North Side Pump Station replacement project and a corresponding appropriation and increase in the wastewater replacement and renewal fund. The city commission approved a construction contract with Felix Associates for the replacement of the pump station back in June of 2023. The original contract amount was for $7,231,750 and construction of the project began back in December of 20123. During the project, there were unforeseen issues that arose which required several change orders to the original purchase order of the change orders. Uh change orders number 7, 9, 10, and 11 still need city commission approval. And that is what we will be presenting this morning. In order not to incur delay charges for standby as change orders come in, staff keeps the contractor working and tracks the extra cost. Change orders are handled through change order proposals that are reviewed by staff and the design engineer to ensure fair and reasonable cost are associated. Then at the end of the project, staff reconciles the change orders and estimates the added cost uh to with along with the contract to handle change orders more seamlessly in the future. The city has started adding contingencies to contract approvals request upfront to cover unexpected changes. This contract did not have a contingency previously authorized. And so that was the reference that I made uh in the previous item. Uh and as you know that is now a practice that we have been including is to include a contingency and and as you know described there and and even when I go through each of these change orders, you're going to hear comments that we frequently run into. There are just things that happen that are found on site that could not be accounted for on the front end. And when that occurs, we need to keep the project moving. We have the contractor on site. The contractor

cannot demobilize to wait for a couple of months for us to get an item, you know, before the commission. And so that's why the change order process works the way it does. again. However, we have started and moving forward, we'll be including [snorts] uh contingency amounts so that we may not have to come back to the commission and can just keep the contractor working on site. So, to go through the change orders uh associated with this one, the first one referenced as change order number seven. This is related to some air conditioning units that are included uh as part of the electrical building. And this is one where the EPA mandated now a new refrigerant that uh must be utilized effective January 1st, 2025. So, um this is uh was to comply with the EPA and the cost of this change order is pretty much dimmin dimminimous. It's it's $5,000 uh in the scheme of things. The next change order, change order number nine. This is an example of site conditions that you just cannot uh foresee as part of the design and engineering. Uh during construction, it was discovered that there was a a manhole uh that was very old and it was too risky uh to be able to core a 30in hole that was needed. So um the the replace the um we had to replace the old manhole with uh the new one. And so it was just sight conditions where the existing manhole could not be utilized. There was also uh a finding where storm water from US 98 was consistently flooding this particular um site. So we had to have a drainage swell added to the project that was not uh initially anticipated. And then lastly, there were some portable water and electrical modifications that were then needed related to some of these changes. And so this change order is much more significant in the amount of $292,26. The next change order number 10, um

Felix and Chastain, uh both uh contractors on the job, uh errored in some design and construction for a manhole which was identified as manhole uh A. And so the total cost for these errors was $90,000. And so what is happening in this case is Chastain is going to pay the city for half of that $45,000 and then Felix will be responsible for the other $45,000 uh included with that. Uh the the final change order associated with this is change order number 11. And this was where again you you can't always uh know all of the conditions in the on the site. And so during construction of a new pump station, there was an old 18inch force man which had been abandoned and uh was not documented on any records and that was found to be in conflict with the installation of a new manhole. And so approximately 170 ft of the old force man was removed and the cost for that work was $47,66. So the change orders amount to $344,632 and that's after we get the pass through reimbursements with the two contractors for the $90,000 uh that was um mentioned. So the total impact to the city uh related to all four of the change orders that have been presented. Now the additional cost is $131,530 is the way that that um balances. And then as referenced there will need to be the corresponding appropriations uh related to this. So the recommendation is to uh authorize and increase the the purchase order in the total amount of $389,632 and then that will approve the change orders that has been uh presented. And then the appropriation on this, as mentioned a moment ago, the actual

increase then to the project uh will only then be for revenues in the amount of 131,531,530.

All right. Do we have a motion to accept? Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion [clears throat] and a second. Questions for our staff? I know you guys had a thorough discussion about this on Friday. Um, and I appreciate both of the contractors covering that one loss and that they're dividing it um, so that it's not incurred at the city level. So, thank you for doing that. We appreciate it. All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. It is approved. We'll move to first reading ordinances with city attorney number one.

Thank you, mayor. Uh, we have one ordinance for first first reading this morning. This ordinance will be read by title only this morning and then we'll come back for a public hearing and consideration of adoption on January 20th. That is proposed ordinance number 25-01, an ordinance relating to local government comprehensive planning making findings providing for an update to the capital improvements element of the Lakeland comprehensive plan our community 2030 providing for subability providing an effective date. Again, that will come back uh for a public hearing and consideration of adoption on January 20th. All right, moving to miscellaneous item B.

Good morning, Alex Lanach for the city attorney's office. This is an uh attached for your consideration for a proposed statement of work with Optive Security for cyber security monitoring, detection, and response services for the city. Pursuant to the statement of work, the Optive will provide managed cyber security services, including 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year monitoring and incident response, as well as professional services designed to strengthen the city's cyber security posture. These services are intended to provide continuous oversight of the city's network environment, improve threat detection capabilities, and support timely response to cyber security incidents. The city's purchasing division approved this procurement through a cooperative purchasing agreement as a piggyback to the Omnia partners uh for cyber security solutions and services. The attached statement of work is governed by that Omnia contract which controls in the event of any conflict. Statement of work is for a three-year term. The cost for the first year of services $136,986 which is included in the IT's FY26 budget. Cost for year years two and three is $114,046 a year and will be subject to future budget approval by the city commission. Total not to exceed cost for the three-year term is $365,00078 uh 365,78. It's recommended the city commission approve the statement of work with optive security for cyber security monitoring and response services and authorize the appropriate city officials to execute all corresponding documents.

Thank you. Do I have a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Second. And we have a second. Do we have any questions for the city attorney's office on the contract or cyber security questions at all? Seeing none, all in favor?

I opposed. Uh, it's approved. Item B1. Now on to B2. Uh B2 is is a proposed agreement with Roadway Management Technologies LLC uh uh to procure pavement assessment uh services to assist the city with its ongoing assessment of the of of the pavement conditions of it of its existing roadways. We have approximately 831 lane miles of of city roadway that have to be assessed and and prioritized for for maintenance and repair. Uh under this agreement, the city would be procuring uh sensors uh kind of a proprietary technology of roadway management technologies. Uh these sensors would be installed underneath existing city vehicles that are going about doing their their their normal city business and driving the city's roadways. As they do that, the sensors will be reading vibrations and other other data uh and and then assessing the conditions of of of the pavement for those roadways. Uh that data is uploaded to roadway management's uh uh uh servers on on a daily basis and fed into an algorithm that they they utilize to prioritize uh roadways for for uh resurfacing and maintenance. Um, this was the contract is for a annual fee of $60,000. It's a four-year contract. So, the total uh cost for this contract over the four-year period would be $240,000. That is recommended for your approval.

Is there a motion to approve? Second. There's a motion and a second. Questions for from the dis. Yes, Commissioner Music. Yeah, I have a question. Is it uh it's probably for Heath, I would guess. Yeah. is are are we thinking that they're going to identify some things that we don't know driving down the road? Is it is it is it just a confirmation or is is the sensor really picking up stuff that when you're driving down the road like wow we better address this before it's a big deal.

Uh good morning Heath Frederick Public Works. Uh yes it will be picking up new data for us on a daily basis. Um in the past we've done this every two to three years. So, we'll have a company come in and they'll assess all of our roads and it tells us if we have stress fractures, if we have complete failures in the asphalt, where we're developing potholes, stress lines, and those types of um situations. This new technology will get that information daily. So, it'll be on our vehicles, and we can adjust our vehicles as as we need to to make sure the entire city is covered, but it will tell us any issues that we're facing. Um, it will give us up-to-date information, daily information instead of everything. hoping to like catch a fracture before it grows into something else. Okay, absolutely. It it'll give us information immediately and we're not having to wait several years to get that. So, yeah. Thank you.

Other question? Yes, Commissioner Madden. Uh, one a question and then a comment. The first one, I know that this is sort of random sampling because it's going to be placed on vehicles. So, when they're doing their ordinary work, this will all be done. Data will be collected and gathered every single day. Is there an opportunity if there is, you know, a citizen concern or a particular neighborhood where you could send the vehicles with the sensors into that neighborhood to do some of that? Is that at all anything you look forward to doing?

There will be opportunities to do that because I mean we it'll be we'll know what vehicles the sensors are on so we can send those particular neighborhoods, but we will we will be monitoring and making sure that everywhere is covered equally and fairly throughout the city. So hopefully we're getting that full coverage daily. Um, PK County is already in the process of doing the same type of [snorts] work and we're receiving their data as well. So, we're getting a good idea of what our roads already are. So, this is just going to improve our local roads that we go to every day. We'll we'll be utilizing um, you know, different departments, not just public works. I mean, solid waste, maybe some of the police cars, if they'll allow us to do it, um, and other uh, the people that check the neighborhoods, code enforcement, all those different types of vehicles in the city will be used. Well, I that you answered my question and now my comment is that it's not often that our city attorney thinks something's super cool. And so on Friday, I think he said it at least twice that this is so cool. This is great.

And so congratulations, Heath, that you got the city attorney. I know he was calling Greg quite a bit. Tell all your team that they are they're very cool. Oh, well, this is the hard work of our team, Eric, and uh, you know, the entire construction maintenance team. So, we appreciate it.

Commissioner Con, stay there. This crossed my mind during agenda study Friday, but I know it says city streets. Now through Lakeland, we have US98 state roads. And so are those roads included as part of this process? I know we're about to go through a process with Memorial Boulevard, which is US 92 and way we got to that because it was found that it's thinning out. So the process that you're going through now, will that kind of find things like that and does it affect both state roads and us that go through the city?

Yes, sir. As I mentioned, Pulk County is already using this, but it does gather information on every road that it covers. So, they will provide that information to us and if we see something that is serious or if we can work in conjunction with DOT and the county, we will provide that information to them. Thank you. Uh, city manager Sharass.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, and just a couple of comments to follow up there. Heath did a great job. You know, when we talk about innovation, uh this is one that, you know, to my colleague on my left's comments is really super cool. And so certainly, um Heath commented already on a couple of things. You know, we do partner of course with the county and the state. And certainly, you know, when we talk about the lane realignment on South Florida Avenue, that's a great example of that. So to have this information now, this data that we can share with those partners will certainly help us moving forward. even though some of those roads I think to the commissioner's points aren't necessarily under the jurisdiction of the of the city but having that information to share and then as Heath mentioned just to kind of clarify you know these are not just going on dedicated vehicles that will be deployed to go out and ride areas these will be on potentially police cars certainly our you know our solid waste our garbage trucks and so we will now be having just a constant flow of data taking those measurements

thank you John commissioner music yeah just follow up on that Heath so Is is this company the same one that the countyy's using or so it's the same? Okay. Thank you. And then he this I met with a company in 2022. Is it the same one or a different one? It is. Oh, really? RMT. Oh, okay. I had no idea. So, the um the technology of this is really I'm with Palmer. It's super cool.

And the mapping that goes on on our vehicles so that you're cover. It's not It's kind of a secondary find, right? So, it's one of those things that we're out and we're providing services to the city of Lakeland and to gather information while we're doing that is is just a bonus and it's very smart. It's a smart city initiative. I really appreciate it. Um and I'm excited that um that has come in front of us because I honestly had kind of forgotten about it from a few years back. So, I'm glad that that that conversation continued. Um did we wanted to be sure. So, we took our time and looked at the technology, made sure that it was what they were really saying it would do.

Yeah. And I'm excited that the county uses it too. For the public at large, it's really important when we have systems in place that being the largest municipality in PK County and PK County is 2200 square miles with 17 municipalities total, it's always a bonus when we work together and have shared systems because it's just more information for us to make good decisions and provide best services. So, thank you for all of that. And and mayor, if I may, just sorry to interrupt, but just along with that, I want to congratulate Heath and the public works department. You know, it's not often when we're talking about roadways and the and the hard work that goes into that that we can really come up with this super cool innovative technology, but good job, Heath, and and to the team that's here in the audience as well. Great job on this. This is a is a super cool project. Awesome. Thank you so much.

Congratulations. Thank you. Super cool. All right. Any comments on this system from the public? Seeing none, um this is a voice vote. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. We will move. We don't have an update from the finance director today and we will go to utility and Ramona Serriani is here. Item C1.

Good morning uh commissioners, mayor. Uh we have uh one item under the utility uh portion of the agenda. It's a change order number 10. This is to the perpetual software license and general consulting services agreement that we have for Power Cost, Inc. And this is an agreement between not only the city of Lakeland but Orlando utilities commission as well as the Florida Municipal Power Agency which all collectively formed the Florida Municipal Power Pool. Um in 2005 those members of the Powerpool uh contracted with PCI for the Gen Trader software. Uh this is a software license and consulting agreement. This is used for production cost modeling and economic forecasting of the generation resources for Lakeland Electric as well as the other utilities. And in 2007, we also had an agreement with the power pool with PCI for a pool settlement system as well. And in 2020, we added additional licenses, support, and hosting for the PCI gen portal software and consolidated some of those applications. What we are seeking to do with this uh change order number 10 is to cons consolidate and extend the party's obligations under the 2005 and 2017 agreements so that all of the products and services that we're utilizing are on the same calendar year schedule and have the same contract uh term length. And additionally, the change order will extend and consolidate those obligations for the software update and support services under prior agree prior agreements and that will continue through December of 2028. We will also be seeking to add hosted service and computer cap capacity increases as well. So in effect, the term of the change order will have a

retroactive effective date uh from November 17, 2025. and that's subject to city commission approval and that will continue for a period of three years. Um, however, the cost for those services would commence January 1st, 2026. The total cost of the annual upgrade and support services for the power pool pursuant to this agreement for the three-year term is $2.6 million. However, again, Lakeland Electric's cost share is just under a third of that cost during the three-year term for a total of $724,000. And we are asking that that $250,000 is included in Lakeland Electric's FY26 budget. The remaining cost is subject to city commission approval in subsequent budget years as well. So, we are asking for favorable uh approval of the change order number 10 with PCI.

Move for approval. I have a motion to approve. Second.

And we have a second. Um do we have questions or comments? Just for our new city commissioners and um it's something that I I think Commissioner Music asked me when he first came on. Um, one of the important elements of this is our staff is so well prepared uh, especially in our utility and with the attorney uh, Sirani working on all of these contracts and everything. You'll note that it's already approved in the fiscal year 2026. So, this is not a new addendum. This is not asking for money that has not been publicly approved already. And then I like that you highlighted too, Miss Sriani, that every year from here on out for the next three, we will look at that number. and great job on negotiating the lower price for us to of 724,000 instead of um the larger number to be thrown out over there. So, it's less than a third of the cost due to Lake Electric solar power purchase agreement with Edge. So, thank you for that. But just so you all know that sometimes and for the public at large, it sounds like these are great numbers that we're approving really quickly. These are planned and through the finance department and work through budgeting workshops in the year prior. Our fiscal year starts October 1. It ends September 30. So, those are the things that happen throughout the year. It's just a little background that I think might be beneficial since this agenda has been moving relatively quick. Um, any other questions or comments from the commission? Any from the audience? Seeing none, this is a voice vote. All in favor?

I opposed. Motion carries. Thank you, Ramona. We will now move into the audience portion of our meeting. And just as a point of reflection on that too with regard uh since we're in a different environment than we typically are at city hall, uh public the public is the audience can come up and speak for five minutes. You must speak say your name and your address to be recognized by the chair. Um you have a five minute mark that the city clerk manages and at the end of the five minutes you're finished. So if there's anybody who would like to come and provide audience for the audience portion, please come forward to the center podium. [snorts]

Happy new year everyone. I want to say a huge thank you to the city of Lakeland for your outstanding partnership for the fourth annual MLK Day of Caring. Can you state your name and and department, please? Oh, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot those instructions. And I'm a teacher. Shame on me. Yeah. Classroom management. [laughter] I'm Claudine Humber and my address is 326 FA Circle South, Lakeland, Florida 33813. Thank you, ma'am.

You're very welcome. Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you so much uh City of Lakeland, the Neighborhood Association Coalition for partnering again with Florida Children's Museum and several other community partners to host the free annual MLK Day of Caring. This is a celebration in in honor of the the legacy and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. where we come together as a community to celebrate caring for our neighbors. I invite all of you to join us and we're so thankful that it is free again um this year and we'll have hands-on fun activities, live performances thanks to our generous sponsors such as the Neighborhood Association Coalition in the City of Lakeland. We have free admission all day. The festival is from 10 a.m. to 3 pm, but the admission is free all day. So, please join us. And I have flyers.

And what's the date again? It's this Saturday, January 10th. Thank you. If you want to just give the flyers to our clerk, she'll hand them out. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, ma'am.

No, you go. You go. Good morning, mayor, commissioners, honored leaders of the city of Lakeland. Uh my name is Pastor Lazarus Castellon. I am the founder of Addicted to God Ministries. Uh thank you for allowing me the opportunity to stand before you today. I come to you not as a businessman or a politician. I come as a servant, someone who has laid his his life down daily in faith to bring love, hope, and restoration to people who are often forgotten. Through obedience to God, I turned my 1acre personal property into a recovery home and disciplehip program, opening my doors to individuals battling addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges. What started an as an act of faith has become a lifeline for our community. Alongside recovery and disciplehip, God has entrusted us with an abundance of food. And we steward that blessing by distributed directly to families in need. Our residents and volunteers serve side by side learning responsibility, compassion, and purpose while delivering food throughout Lakeland and beyond. In 2025 alone, with no funding, no grants, and no formal resources, we were able to help provide food to over 400,000 families through our food pantries, deliveries, and partnerships with organizations. We serve everyone without discrimination, no matter their background, circumstances, or belief. We accomplished all of this using an old broken down truck and a small homemade trailer. Humanly speaking, it shouldn't have been possible, but it was by the grace of God. Looking ahead to 2026, with the right support, we have the capacity to triple our impact. We could

operate two food pantries weekly at different times, ensuring working families and seniors can attend. We could deliver food to residents who don't have vehicles. We could expand recovery support and stabilize more lives. But we cannot do this alone. Today, I'm here to humbly ask for your help, guidance, support, specifically help in securing a warehouse, storefront or facility, a box truck, a 15 passenger van. These resources would immediately and directly translate into more food, more outreach, and more lives restored right here in our city. I want to be clear. I have no funds. I receive no income, nor do I seek it. My reward is seeing lives saved, families fed, and hope restored one day at a time. I am not here just to introduce myself or our ministry. I am here to extend my hand and ask you to walk alongside us so that together we can better serve the people of Lake. Thank you for your time, your service, and your heart for this community. God bless you all.

Thank you, sir. Thank you. I have uh some documents. Can I leave it with the clerk? Yes, please. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Happy New Year. Um, John Frerieded, pastor of Believers Fellowship Church, um, 5240 North Serum Loop Road, Lakeland. And, uh, it's been almost a year since I've been at a meeting. I've popped in a time or two, but uh, thanks to Guy Lon who said, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Get get back in order. You know, we miss you." But, uh, I just, uh, wanted to say congratulations to our new mayor, to our new commissioners, and, uh, I know all of you on the board, um, as well as many of the the city staff and and many of the city workers. And I, for one, feel particularly blessed to live in this city. Uh, Lakeland is a sweet spot in Florida. Uh, Florida's beautiful all over, but, Lakeland is is particularly uh, unique. Uh, we're a little bit large, yet a little bit small. Uh we're we're a very kind um community and I'm really glad I I loved all the words. You know, it got a little bit too mushy for a while there with Mayor [laughter] Mutz and his exit. Um but it was definitely a a mark in our city for these last eight years under his leadership and um I have no doubt that the the kindness will continue. We're incredibly this this board, this commission is incredibly efficient uh and effective and I think you guys have all done a great job and uh Commissioner Coney, Commissioner Troutman joining the the team. You guys have uh served this city um for years ahead of now and now you get to do it at another level. And so I'm I'm excited for what our our city is uh looking forward to. Um Commissioner McCarly or Commissioner McCarthy, Mayor McCarly now, sorry, excuse me.

Okay. uh you you as well have served uh everybody has has served this city, but you have served this city even before joining the commission and did a great job as a commissioner. I have no doubt you'll do so as as a mayor. Um I I wanted just to remind you of some things. Obviously, you know these things, but these are just reminders that uh there are churches and community members that are praying for you guys. Uh many many of us daily. um what what you do affects our lives. And so therefore, it's incumbent upon the church and our community members uh to pray for our leaders. And so for any community members that might hear this, I I I urge you to pray for our city leaders as well as our state and our national leaders, but pray for our city leaders. It was well said here um by Commissioner Madden that uh what our commission does, it really touches firsthand the the hearts and homes of our community. And so what you guys do really matters. I also wanted to remind you that your decisions affect more than just the municipality of of Lakeland. Um I for one I live outside of the city just barely you know uh but your decisions affect even my own home even being outside in in the county. Of course our church is in the city but your your decisions for the city uh affect the greater area and um as was said that Lakeland is the largest municipality in in Pulk County. it affects the whole county. Uh what I I've heard it said on many different uh position items where well let's wait and see what Lakeland does from other cities. Let's wait and see what Lakeland does. And so I urge you to uh to lead well. I I don't doubt that you you will. Um and lastly, I I would urge you and mayor um former mayor, how do we say that? Former mayor.

Former mayor Mut.

Yeah. Uh he said this and he said it he said it well. Uh we can't lead well without the wisdom and counsel of God. He's our creator. He's our father. He's our ultimate leader. Um and he established wisdom. And we need his wisdom. We need his guidance. And so um I I urge you to seek out that guidance. I pray for you that the wisdom of God will be upon you and all of your your your quests, all of your research, all of your decisions. But I urge you also to rely upon that grace of God. Um, as I said, I know I know pretty I know all of you fairly decently and you're praying people. Um, that matters a lot to me personally. You're praying people. And so I I urge you uh again just to continue to seek the wisdom and counsel of God. It is he that establishes authority. He sets one up and he sets another down. And so he set you in this place. And so I I think you do, but I urge you uh to consider it a great honor to not just serve the people of this community, but to serve God as you serve these people. So, God bless you. Happy New Year.

Thank you. Happy New Year. Thank you. Thank you. [snorts] Any other audience members who want to address the commission? All right. Seeing none, I do want to recognize the executive director of the Ridge League of Cities who's here. Bobby Green is here. He is a long-term public servant in the city of Aubberdale and now throughout the ridge which is how many cities?

25 cities that stretch from Pasco County all the way down to Arcadia. Um and he works with all of us. I'm u fortunate to be the president of the Ridge League of Cities right now. So, thank you for being here. We appreciate you very much. I know um city manager Shar has a long uh relationship, professional and personal relationship with Mr. Green. So, I just wanted to make sure that you were recognized while you're here. All right. This is now the mayor and commission portion of the um morning and comments. So, um I'm going to take a point of personal privilege though really quick. Where's Jamon? Hi. Can we Do you want us to do a group picture before everybody scatters? Do you need a group picture of the entire commission? Not right now, but like once we're done commenting that we stay by the table, maybe. Do you want a picture of everybody?

Okay. I just want to I'm just my child graduated from Harrison School of the Arts as a musical theater department focus and so I'm a stage manager at heart from being a mom in the PTA. Um and music picks on me about it. So that being said, I just want to make sure we get that done because we want to capture everybody here before we leave this great space. I want to thank the RP funding center for hosting us today. But with that, I will start with Commissioner Lange.

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Carly. is first I'd just like to say congratulations to you. It is an honor to have you here as uh many people may have known but this is the very first time that we have an elected female mayor and it is a wonderful uh accomplishment that Lakeland recognizes your talents and it's wonderful to be able to serve with you. It's going to be an honor to work with Mr. Excuse me Commissioner Troutman and Commissioner Con. So it's wonderful. Huge thanks to everyone who came today. Hey, thank you RP Funding Center for all of this. Can't imagine the undertaking that they did. To my fellow commissioners, looking forward to serving next year with you. To uh Pastor John Freed, my personal pastor, I don't know if he snuck out, but uh we received that and it's good to have you back. I'll see you in the gym. Right. Good. [laughter] Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Music. No, I'm good. Thank you.

All right. Welcome, Commissioner Troutman. I don't know if you want to take a minute to say anything, but this is the time to do that. [applause] We're very uh we're very fortunate. I've known Ashley Troutman for many years in service to the community. Um he has served on our utility commission and a lot of other city boards and committees and in neighborhoods and has just been a real true servant leader. And we're just thrilled to have you here and Kia and the boys. And um I will turn it over to you and let you have a couple minutes. [clears throat] Um, when I sometimes when I think about the miracle of my life and when I arrive at moments like these, I can't help but reflect back on how I arrived at this point. And um, and you often times think that, well, I often times think that um, it's my skill and ability, but when I remember how inefficient I am, I know it's not only my skill and ability that has um, got me to this point. Um, as you all know, we're about to celebrate 250 years of our nation's um, being founded as a as a country. And one of the statements that I always like to dwell upon is back in that time period when Thomas Jefferson panned those words where he said, "For the support of the of the Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor." When I think about that statement, I often say that man, it was a it was a declaration of dependence equally as a declaration of independence. They were dependent on each other. They were dependent on uh the support of their supreme god as well that was going to guide them. And we all are grateful to this day for their commitment to that that pledge and those those principles of liberty, justice, and freedom. Um, but then also I fast forward and I think about how did I get here in Lakeland

City Commission. Well, it would not have been possible had not um in 1930 sometime in there, my grandfather left Reynolds, Georgia uh to ascend upon Lakeland and was right down the street pastor um of First Baptist at 521 Quincy Street. The census data shows him he him being recorded in his 20s living in that in that home. um had it not been for that and had it not been for citrus and harvesting which what he found to be um the way that he fed his family um his involvement into the in this community his integration into it his um birth of children um man I would not be here right now so I'm grateful for uh not only our forefathers I'm grateful for my forefathers uh to make that decision to to come here to ascend here to dwell here to live here Now, although I am your Southwest City Commissioner for my Southwest City U residents, always remember that I'm your neighbor first. Um, I may carry the title, but I'm your neighbor first. I'm I'm dealing with the same issues that you are. I got angry children mad at me every day. I disappoint my wife all the time. Um, I pay the same taxes that you pay. and um we are going to work together and try to forge a better future for not only my children u but for each of your children and your grandchildren as well and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve this city in this capacity.

Awesome. We're glad you're here. [applause] Chad, I might go to you.

Yeah. Thank you, Ashley. Um and again, it's been said, but congratulations Mayor McCarly. Uh congratulations Commissioner Madden and Commissioner Music. Thank you for saying yes and coming back for another term. Um and welcome Commissioner Con and Commissioner Troutman. I'm really excited, thrilled to have both of you here and your expertise, your perspective. Um Ashley, it's good to have somebody who is also juggling young children and [laughter] uh what but what [clears throat] has been fun is and I mentioned this in talking about Mayor Mutz is that in this group we have many mentors and people who uh have raised their children. and they have adult children and and I've learned a lot from them and so I that part of being on the commission uh I'm excited for that to continue and now to to have um my friend and colleague now Commissioner Troutman as well. Uh so it's a good day. I think this is a great start to 2026 and I know the year will go by fast. We're here at the first commission meeting and you look at the calendar of meetings and I usually do that at the beginning of the year and then as we go through the year how fast uh we go through these meetings and I know there's a lot that we have each of us in terms of uh initiatives and things we would like to see happen and uh realistically we probably only do a quarter of those things just the the unplanned events and things that happen that that we don't know that will come our way but I am excited and honored humbled to serve with this group throughout the next year. I I look forward to to what we will accomplish together uh as a commission and and with city staff as well. One housekeeping item, uh the city manager and attorney review committee uh is scheduled to meet after our next agenda study on January 16th. Uh I had meant to as the chair of that committee to have that work wrapped up by the end of the year, but it's carrying over into to this year. and and really the purpose of that meeting uh is for us to discuss any potential merit increases uh that we would want to recommend and bring back to the commission uh and then hopefully

plan out what that process looks like for this next year. You probably saw Tracy's email at the end of the year that the report all of our evaluation forms that has been published and released. The majority of commissioners did not request doing a public evaluation meeting this year. So, we don't have that scheduled, but that report is available. And I certainly encourage everyone, I know you will, but to discuss uh that report in in your one-on-one meetings with the city manager and city attorney. So, I did want to mention that that that that meeting is scheduled and that will hopefully wrap up the work that we've been doing, at least uh carrying it over from last year. Awesome. Thank you. And thanks for leading that committee. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

And congratulations to Commissioner Coney. We are so thrilled to have you here. Um Terry and I got to know each other right in my first term. Yes.

And so he had reached out and we have visited over the years and I have to be really candid in saying that in July when we met this summer he didn't quite tell me he was interested in this position and I had asked him off and on over the years have you ever considered he served on various boards and committee. He's he's a Relle School of the Arts alumni. Um very passionate about our community. such a great leader with a military record that's incredible. Um, and his service to our country and our community's just been very admirable. And so, he sort of slid it in and at the end of our coffee in July that he might be thinking about it. And I'm like, don't you get me excited. I'm like, don't don't dash my hopes. This I'm very excited about this and having you be a part of this team. And and so, um, I am still jealous of Commissioner Madden and Commissioner Coney for running unopposed, but I'll get over it. Um, but anyway, I'd love just I just want to welcome you and we're so excited to have you here and give you the floor.

Thank you, Mayor. And I guess first I'd like to thank well my wife for she's gone and all my family and friends that were were here but have have left. And it's I'm humbled, but I'm I'm very honored to serve the city. And since everyone's talked about Mayor Mutz, I'll I'll give my my my MUT story. Uh I think it was the first meeting in July. And I I in my past position, I tried to make at least one city commission meeting a month. And I just happened to look at my phone [clears throat] and I had a text from Mayor Mutz and he said, "You know, it'd be great. you look great sitting up here. [laughter] So, I text him back. I said, "Well, give me until the 1st of August to make a final decision." So, I talked to my wife again and then I reached out to my pastor uh Reverend Dr. Eml Kaufman who's in the uh audience and uh talked to him and uh he prayed over us and uh we got started. So uh so and actually that started with uh the city manager in my past position. We used to have coffee at least once a month, every other month, uh meeting and he and we had finished that meeting at the end of June. And he said, "Oh, by the way, uh Tiger Reed put his uh resignation in. I don't know whether you're interested in something like that, but uh you do you live in that district, right?" I said, "Well, yeah, actually I do." So, uh, that was my first filling out process. And I've had a lot of people from around the city, uh, organizations I've worked with said, uh, are you going to run? I said, well, yeah, I'm I'm thinking about it. So, I finally came to a decision and I guess I'd have to thank, uh, Don Burns for actually dropping out of the race so

I didn't have to stand on street corners and out [laughter] in the hot sun and do all that kind of good stuff. So, that that was a good thing. But the thing I like about municipal government, city government, and and the mayor kind of touched our previous mayor touched on this that our focus is not on any particular platform. It's it's all on the city and I I I like our our our city vision. uh and it talks about a vibrant, innovative, multicultural city striving to be a worldclass city and we focus on quality of life. So, so we may not as a commission get it right all the time, but our focus is always on what's important for Lakeland, what's important for the citizens of Lakeland, and for my fellow commissioners, uh, as as the mayor said, over time, I I've built relationships with everybody up here, and and I feel good about working with everybody up here from from the city manager across So, and this this really wasn't a a a bucket list thing, but I feel honored to be up here and I I I I promise that I will do my best for the best of the city of Lakeland for Pastor Freed back there. You in my district, I pass by your church every day, so I plan on uh stopping in for a visit.

Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Madden. Thank you, Mayor. Um, so what a delight to have our two new um, faces up here on the commission. Both gentlemen, highly respected in the community and certainly by each of us. Want to welcome Commissioner Troutman. Thank you for your service on our utility board. You know, that's a huge passion for me. So, I'm excited maybe that, you know, I know that we all get excited about energy, but I do get a little bit um, you know,

you're effervescent about energy. a little excited. So, I'm I'm thrilled that we have someone stepping into the seat who is fully on board and knows, you know, where we are, you know, with our utility and certainly you have a breath of um knowledge and and uh that you're going to bring to the table, but thank you for your service on the utility committee and and welcome to the board um on the commission. And then I I can't help but think about the first time I met um Commissioner Con and you handed me the book about, you know, best cities and I thought

that was such a great um uh way to to introduce yourself and and to your character and I think your service in the military. I remember this with um Commissioner uh Scott Franklin who's now our congressman. You know, he said in service everyone bleeds red. So, you know, he he was not as much concerned. Certainly, you do you run on a party platform. We talked about for different jobs. Um, but this one I thought you were really from the beginning when I first met you, you know, focused on cities and and how to be the best city that we could be. And that was really um special for me to see that perspective because I do know that you also have had civic roles where you are an advocate and particular advocacy sometimes seems a little more partisan can be at times and and you're doing that as well. You know, you're doing partisan advocacy as well as city advocacy. Um but I I'm hopeful that you know we won't be able to talk outside you know on our issues but you know you were in the meeting the other day and it was a small a small thing to just say that now um certain lots we could develop but that was at your meeting with the NAACP where I was sitting next to the lady from Habitat for Humanity and you charged me to stand up and say what are y'all doing for affordable housing and you know you know, you don't always like to be pulled out, you know, and stand up. What are you going to do for our, you know, for the community um and was able to talk about some of the things this com this commission has done, but that was something that needed to be done. And it was in your advocacy and in your role that we were able to then talk to city staff and be able to come up with and and some of those things people don't even notice. They don't even notice that we just who cares that that lot these lots now can, you know, you can build a home on them. Um, but Habitat for Humanity cares and those residents who will be able to stay in

that Habitat for Humanity home while their homes being rebuilt will certainly care. And I just hope that now that we won't be able to talk outside about I wish we could all just strategize and come up and dream with all these wonderful things now we have to do it here in public and and we're limited in our time. you can see with the list of things we have to go ahead and do um to to kind of co-conspire on on maybe some other things that are not uh already, you know, handed to us by staff. But that was just something I noticed and I wanted you to remember that that came from your advocacy in your community work. And I hope that you'll bring that same um spirit and I know you will of advocacy and support for your neighborhood and all of our community. And then also that book that you gifted to me about just making our city the best it can be. So, I just want to thank you for that. And then my charge to everyone, you know, this is the first uh commission meeting of the new year. And what a better way to get those New Year's resolutions going by visiting our parks and recck facilities. And I hope that you all had as much fun as I did over the holidays going to our parks and recck facilities. Um, you know, having kids like, "Oh, are we closed on, you know, uh on on New Year's Day? You know, is anything at the city opened?" And I did get emotional on Friday just talking about how beautiful our city is and our and and and our team our our dedicated team that's working every single day. But one of the things that you might not think about but if you are giving yourself to lock walking long range uh lots of miles this year where better than to go than Seven Wetlands. I mean you can really get lost and walk a long way. I I just I thought I was on the short path and I was an hour and a half you know getting back to to the gate. So, um, Seven Wetlands is just a masterful example of how we take, you know, waste water and we send it through beautiful wetlands and clean it up so that when it comes out of our area, it

is sparkling clean and it's just masterfully done. It doesn't take away from the ecosystem, from the birds and uh just the trees and and the path. It's just a beautiful, beautiful area that we've been able to um make sure that for generations we have that green space and great oxygen and and all of the wildlife. So, get to our parks and wreck facilities and um work off all of that holiday um cheer and um make sure if you haven't been to Seven Wetlands, you give it a visit. [snorts] Awesome. Thank you. Um yes,

can I say yes? I was didn't want to take up time, but as we're all sitting here and thanking our family, what kept a little bird in the back of birdie in the back of my ears that I really want to thank my my office staff, the people that I have that work with me that allow me to come away. I mean, you know, I go back and I thank them and all that kind of stuff, but just publicly to just I have a small business and you know, when when we're not where at our offices, somebody's got to be doing that stuff to keep it afloat. So, I just publicly just want to thank thank everybody over at Music Roofing for working so hard while I'm here trying to work for the city.

That's awesome. Well, and just to conclude, um I want to take an a just say thank you to the commissioners who have been reelected, who I'm continuing to serve with. We've welcomed our newest commissioners, but um Commissioner Mloud, you know, you're slow and steady, just deliberate, um if that's the word. um you're you're just the calm and I feel like Commissioner Franklin was that way for us and you're you're very steady and sure and so we appreciate that. We appreciate your communications background. Commissioner Madden, I'm going to come to you last. Um Commissioner Law, your enthusiasm and encouragement of engaging in the community is just admirable as well as your service to our country. Um your military background, we so appreciate it. And commissioner of music has been my um closest confidant the last several years because we've sat by each other and we probably will when we get back to the dis but he's um he's heckled and hazed a little bit me throughout the process of when stage managing um of of making sure that people know where to stand when they take pictures when we do things later at the dis. um but he has just also brought this um business sense and this very common sense um uh passion to the commission since he started serving. And then to my good friend um who I might get a little teary about. Um so when I'm when I graduated from Florida Southern College many many moons ago, I was encouraged to join the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. And I was young. I was 23. It that wasn't really a typical time to do that as a young professional. Um, but I seized the opportunity and I was a provisional and then I left Lakeland never dreaming I would really be back. So I transferred into the Jacksonville League while I lived there. I was in the Atlanta Junior League when I lived in Atlanta. Um and and so uh that organization builds the the whole mission is to build women leaders um and to cultivate service and and if you look around the city of

Lakeland, the Junior League of Greater Lakeland has um initiated, I call them the OG catapult of nonprofits because uh a lot of things that you go and attend to um the AGB Museum uh founded by Junior League. The Pulk Theater was saved by the Junior League. The Bethany Center for Grieving Children was started by the Junior League. Um the uh we had reading where the longest partnership for reading is fundamental on a federal level for literacy. There are so many touch points around this community that women have given their time, talent, and sacrifice to to build to make Lakeland what it is. One of my richest blessings coming out of the Junior League is a friendship with Stephanie Madden. Um, when I moved back in 2003, I think Stephanie came into Junior League as president in ' 0405. And so I was a committee chair. Uh, people had known me by my maiden name. Um, they didn't really know my married name at the time was Roberts. Um, but but that group of women um became really good friends. And although Stephanie and I did not socialize a lot outside of the Junior League, we had a constant every Tuesday meeting, general membership meeting for many, many years. We bought a building. Um we used to be out on a Toz Parkway and we decided to buy the Cerosis building and some people thought we were crazy and um Randy Bllelock and I helped do that and and we swindled Bill Tinsley into giving us the public library for a while to house our stuff because we needed to renovate the Serosis building and he was the parks and rec director at the time and said he would never negotiate with Paul Mems again. Um because women can get things done. We do so much behind the scenes on a regular basis and I am not um my whole identity is obviously not womanhood. However, we there are a lot of moving parts in this city and there are a lot of moving

parts at schools. There are a lot of moving parts in community fabric and my good friend Stephanie has been doing it for many many many moons and then she decided to share her time and talent with the city of Lakeland when frankly I think some of your friends thought you might be crazy um and it was ahead of me um that she decided to get involved a year ahead um it just was serendipitous that we were able to serve together. So, I just want to honor you as um my friend um my prayer partner and this has been a blessing the last seven years to sit beside you and to know of all the good work that we don't always talk about and that's a lot of public servants. That's not just the women public servants. There's a lot that you don't see that people do. our staff does a lot that you don't see because it's not a problem till it's a problem and that's when the public finds out about it. But what I will say and what I commit to all of my friends here on the dis and all of the staff in the city of Lakeland and the community at large is I may not be the person shouting and screaming and holding up a sign and saying look at me but I will do is I am going to show up behind the scenes and I'm going to work as hard as anybody has to support this community and to make it continue to be the place that I have been honored to raise my children that my parents came and retired in and that PK County has been my home since I was born many, many moons ago. Um, it is a very special, unique place and it is an honor to serve you and I'm glad we get to do it as girl power together and I'm also honored um and humbled by the faith that was put in me with the community at large. So, with that being said, thank you all. 2026 was going to be a great year. We have a great staff. We have great leadership in uh city attorney and city manager offices. We have a great commission that is serving and we all I hope you have heard today have hearts to serve you. Thank you so much. I'll

accept a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjurnn. Second. [clears throat] Let's get our