City Council - Regular Meeting

Thursday, April 16, 2026Official site

The Virginia Gardens Village Council met on April 16, 2026, to discuss quarterly finances, approve an SRO hiring, and address a bid protest regarding a stormwater project.

About this meeting

Government Body
City Council
Meeting Type
City Council
Location
Virginia Gardens, FL
Meeting Date
April 16, 2026

Published excerpts

Only published remarks appear here. The full transcript is not published.

62 sections (from 69 segments)

1:17 – 1:29•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Welcome to the regular council meeting. Today is April 16, 2016. We can call to order at 630. Can we please rise for the invocation led by Councilwoman Tina Martinez and Pledge of Allegiance.

1:31 – 2:13•ELIZABETH TAYLOR-MARTINEZ

Okay. We thank you for the many blessings of all of our lives. We ask also that you guide us in the need of receiving your consent about your village business and keep us ever mindful of those that we represent who reside within the village. We ask also that you watch over our servicemen and women as they toil around the world and keep our first responders, our flight department EMTs, and the police department safe as they keep our community safe. We ask in your name, in the name of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, for this and more. Amen.

2:30•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

All right, Madam Clerk, can we take a roll call, please?

4:55•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Steve, you might need to turn that one up a little bit. Okay.

5:40•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Just in your microphone. Any questions for the auditor? No, sir.

5:50•ELIZABETH TAYLOR-MARTINEZ

Find the money. Keep the money. And make it all. Not a hard act. Come on. You've been doing it for what, forever?

5:59•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

They'll be here next week, the auditors, all week long, and I'll be meeting with them on Friday, as a matter of fact.

6:33 – 6:54•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

All right. On to citizens' comments. Do we have any citizens' comments? Announcements or amendments directed to the agenda? Nothing to report. We have the approval of the minutes. Do we have a motion on the floor for the regular council meeting that was held March 19, 2026? So moved. We have a motion by Councilman Arcee. Do we have a second?

6:57 – 7:10•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

We have a second by Councilman Turr. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Regular council meeting has been approved. On to Mayor's report. Mr. Mayor?

7:11 – 8:37•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Yes, thank you, Council President. There's more to discuss coming up on the attorney's report about our last bid that we put out for our construction project, our stormwater project, so we'll discuss that more under the attorney's report. But FP&L, an update on the FP&L labs, met with our representative who's been overseeing the project. We met with him yesterday, the day before, this week. Oh, and today. So LABS will give us an update on that project. I was a little concerned. It's been like a skeleton throughout their last couple of business this week. And we have a project coming up, and th

9:30•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

The last thing I heard, they're not going to do away with it completely. It's a percentage. We don't know what's going to happen.

9:36 – 9:54•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

I mean, I talked to our state senator. First I heard that whatever the House passed, they're going to throw it out the door because they're not going to go anything with it. And then I hear they may work with them. Who knows? They may get a additional amount to the homestead, $200,000 to the homestead.

9:55•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

I don't know. Nobody knows. Your guess is blizzards. Exactly.

10:04 – 11:21•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Well, we'll see. Either way, it's going to affect the city, depending on how you look at it, because if you've got homestead, for every homestead property, if you take away the taxes that they pay towards the village, you've got to make up for it somewhere else. So with that being said, I do have two more items I didn't forget to mention. Next Friday night, we're having a movie night. The movie's going to be sponsored by our commissioner. We don't have the flyer yet. Right, Macbeth? Did we get the flyer? Did the flyer come out yet? Okay, so next Friday, we'll start advertising I think it's how

11:54•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

He's like a clone. He's like two clones.

11:56•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Well, just like our commissioner, though.

11:59•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Yeah. Our commissioners, well, they're locked, they're tight because his chief of staff is her husband. Yeah.

12:06•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

So they're always, we wait to see the other everyone. It makes sense why they're both everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, Counselor?

12:21•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

We'll discuss that next week. Okay. Do you guys have a sidebar on that? Yeah, yeah. We'll discuss that next week. Anything else?

12:28 – 13:21•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

I don't think so. I will say one thing. We are going to move on. We are going to talk about FD&L, but the next phase is going to be from east of 59th Avenue, so year block. Year block, 57 plays, 58 plays, 58 court, 57 plays, that whole entire east section. If you go by there now, you'll see the stakes in the yards, and they're actually painting lines in the ground. Yeah. So that means they already have approval from the residents. We're looking for the transformers. And so that's what's coming up, the east side. The only thing they have left is pretty much 65th Avenue to the west after that. S

13:28•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Well, I got a message. I got a text message or an email. I think wherever you're signed up through FP&L.

13:42•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

We had no control over that. I mean, that's not my thing. It just went out to my house, you know.

14:13 – 14:29•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

It was like a week in advance, and then like a day in advance leading up to it. No, I only got that one in the morning. There's going to be more power outages because they transfer over. They have to switch. At some point they have to.

14:38•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Have they mentioned how they're going to, are they going to be cutting off the posts?

14:44 – 15:20•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

No. Because one of the utilities sued them, so they no longer cut down the posts at their level. They remove the transformers, they remove their lines, but the poles stay Yeah, I think it's AT&T, DirecTV, all those people use those poles. Usually they cut it down at the next utility. They're not doing that no more. They're keeping them up. So half of that pole is going to be exposed. That's everywhere. It's not just VT. It's throughout the whole, wherever they go. Okay, we can move on. I'm sorry.

16:21•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

I was going to ask you, what's the story with she?

17:13 – 17:39•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Thank you so much. Thank you, Esther. Thank you. On to planning and zoning. The meeting for the month of April was canceled. We can move on to public safety. Chief? And while you're walking up, Chief, I would like to say thank you on behalf of our city attorney for providing him with barrier water, putting him on the list, along with our other councilmen. I was curious... Michael wanted to know where can he sign his name on the list?

17:39•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Well, no way to provide him a Perrier. He's got the Magnum bottle of Perrier. So where do we get our order form? He got the fruity one.

17:53•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

I would like mine chilled, please. So where do we get the order form for the other members?

18:15 – 18:26•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Just back up for a second. We found out yesterday, correct? We found out yesterday. Yeah, so that's why what we're going to talk about now is not on our agenda because we found out yesterday that Otero was going to be leaving. Is he okay?

18:59•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Is he currently an SRO officer? Yes, he is. So he already has experience?

19:16 – 19:34•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Okay, so we have a resident. He's a resident here in the village. He was on our beautification committee. He might have to resign. I don't know if he has to resign. Yeah, he has to resign. He has to resign. So you'll have to resign from the beautification committee. So the chief and I talked about this. My days are all messed up. Today.

19:37•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

So we talked about him about a month ago. We were talking about bringing him on. So Jaime Ferreira. Good son.

19:56 – 20:26•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro. Fierro He went through the academy. He's been working at the schools now. He had to go through the training portion. And he would like to get the two-week notice and come on board with . So the background check, the psychological, everything's been done through the . Yeah, everything has been done by the county.

20:43•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

So, wait, wait, wait. What are we motioning now? For him to be the next... First, we need to make a motion to add this to the agenda.

20:50•ELIZABETH TAYLOR-MARTINEZ

Okay. I make a motion that we... Hold on, hold on.

20:53•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Because when we go to additions and additions to the agenda... Well, we're going to add it now, so make your magic happen.

21:12 – 21:29•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Do we have an order, a motion on the floor for that? Yes. We have a motion on the floor by Councilwoman Tina Martinez. We have a second by Councilwoman Conover. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion to add this.

21:37 – 22:05•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

motion so do we have a motion to approve that will be in order to approve the hiring of i'm a fiero at the sro for blessed trinity do we have a motion on the floor i would like to make a motion we have a motion don't school you don't got to raise your hand oh that's okay i want everybody to see that you know i'm a proud pretend mom we have a motion on the floor by councilwoman martinez do we have a second second

22:45•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Again, this all transpired literally, I think, yesterday. Not a big surprise that Arturo is leaving, but kind of was a surprise.

23:17•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

It's okay. We're good with the approval. We did everything we had to do.

23:22•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Normally what happens is when we have somebody here we're recommending to hire, we don't have them in front of her or in front of the council. So now that he's been approved, do you want to bring him out? Yeah, sure.

23:54•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

We don't have to talk about that right now.

23:56•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Was it Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

24:08•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

I don't know. Mandy had an afro back in the day, man.

24:20 – 24:43•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard. You and I had a conversation for a little while, and I guess you already talked to the Chief Lieutenant and everything. In order? Yes. Welcome. Now, the only bad thing is your wife's got to see not only at home every day, but at work every day, too. Did you really think about this?

25:57•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Got it. Okay. Good to know. Well, this is three blocks away, so we're good. Wait, wait, wait. Where's the side-by-side that we had here?

26:24 – 26:37•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Bye. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. On to public works. That's amazing. Okay, let's go. Those are amazing. Thanks to LG.

28:35 – 28:51•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

And one thing he explained to us, they're not going to pay by the hour. They're going to pay by the job. So the sooner they come in, get things knocked out, the sooner they get paid too. Correct. So that's that. They get paid by the hour, and they might be out here for a year to finish up this job.

29:23 – 30:08•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Two there and three, I think it is, on 66 by Boeing. Those holes there. So it's been about a year. It's taken about a year to get that project finally almost completed. So it's definitely a big difference with the lighting. I drove by there, I think it was Monday. Yeah, they've already knocked out. On 41? Yeah, they've already knocked out 41st. It was like every third pole before it had a light. And now every concrete pole, there's a light on every concrete pole except for two. That's great news. Yeah, it's good. You're doing a great job. Thanks to the mayor. It was good. Coming in to 66th Avenue, having that area lit up, too, right there in front of Boeing. Thank you very much, Flav. Appreciate it. Thank you.

30:08•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Thank you, sir. On to recreation. I don't think there's anything to report. No. Then we have a resolution. Mr. Attorney.

30:33 – 30:44•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

If you want, I can give you a little background that way. Sure. You're not in a hot seat over here. Sure. About, what, two weeks ago, three weeks ago, I was up here and Lads and I were talking. He goes, Mayor, I've got to show you something.

30:48 – 32:27•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

I got the plan. I got the spec seats. Labs got them. Engineers sent them out. Everything looked good. Everything's on the plans. Well, the spec seat left off the paving of 6-2 to 6-4 on 37th, 38th, 39th, and 40th Street. Four full blocks. Not only four full blocks, those are almost like double blocks because you have two blocks in between there. So I said, oh boy, that's a problem. And I was wondering why, because the paving came in at about $105,000. I said, damn, that's a lot of paving for $105,000. I never even put two and two together. So we're looking at it, looking at it, looking at the

32:28 – 32:57•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

A protest letter. A big protest. We got the attorney involved, and his recommendation was, you know, Don't receive any of the bids for three places. Send a message out right away, which we did to the contractors, and we'll meet tonight. And the recommendation is going to be to withdraw. That's where the attorney is going to pick it up now. So go ahead, and I'll let you know what the recommendation is.

38:02 – 38:31•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

It's actually a State of Florida appropriations That's where the money came from. BEP handles the contract for any water drainage projects for the state. So it's not federal money. It's directly from the state of Florida. So we've got to make sure, Laz, on the agreement and what we submit on the plan, it's just L-0362, not LPA-0362. And McBeth, too. So nothing says LPA. It's just L-0362. And...

39:14 – 39:30•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Any questions? Do we have a motion? I'll make a motion. To approve LG1? Is it LG1? LG1, yes. We have a motion on the floor by Councilman Taylor Martinez. Do we have a second? Second.

39:31 – 40:11•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

We have a second by Councilman Turr. Any other discussion? Yeah, just for the record, some of the contractors asked for the price and what the bids came in at. They didn't receive a total amount. They didn't receive the line item amounts. So H&R, let's just say, asked for what everyone came in at. They received the total amount of $480,383.90 from on low, so on and so forth. When we do print it back out for bid, they won't have the specs of what everybody else bid on, each individual line item. If that makes any sense.

40:12 – 40:24•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Resolution 11G1 passed. Anything else Mr. Attorney?

40:40 – 40:57•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Perfect. Thank you so much. On to old business, doesn't it report? New business, doesn't it report? I have one question. Yes. What is the letter to each of the contractors as well? On to Goodham Welfare. Does anyone have anything to report?

41:01•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Thank you. Happy birthday George. Happy birthday.

41:09•FRED SPENCER DENO IV

Joy-La, happy birthday, where are you? Do we have a motion to adjourn?

41:28 – 41:39•GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

We have a motion by Councilwoman Tina Martinez and a second by Councilwoman Conover. Any other discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion to adjourn at 7.10.

These excerpts are remarks by officials whose identity a person confirmed, from a transcript generated automatically from the official public meeting video and presented unedited. Accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.