Remarks by John Tidona
46 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 2
- Play at 1:59:21
“So you're saying that there could be a locked gate at that cross-access road that only allows fire and police?”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 1:59:44
“Because here I come as Claremont PD responding to a call or I'm in a rig. Responding to a call, and I decide to go up in through Hunt Trace's parking lot while the senior citizens, the residents, are having a pickleball contest. Now what do we do?”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 2:00:09
“They use that overflow as part of a recreation for exercise for those residents. Some are in wheelchairs, some are in walkers, some would be able to stand. So does that mean, and I'm not trying to go down every rabbit hole, does that mean somebody at Hunt Trace is going to have to be responsible for giving a calendar of events just in case there's a call? Because here I come with my rig. And I'm hauling ass because I got a guy who's had a heart attack playing pickleball, and I'm going through that parking lot. What do I do when I turn that corner and it's wall-to-wall senior citizens because…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 2:01:25
“That's correct, and some of those vehicles are staged in that area. So if all of a sudden, to your point, and again, I'm not trying to go down every rabbit hole, if a police car, a fire engine... and an ambulance shows up at that intersection without that gate, if we're going to go down that rabbit hole, that road is essentially closed. If there is a gate, then granted, nobody coming out of the restaurant or the recreational area can get in there, okay? But at the same token, let's play it the different way. If first responders are responding to a restaurant call and decide it's more…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 3:07:20
“It's okay. Just look at the ID. I've never done it before tonight. They even took my name off. Yeah, you can't see the sign anymore. It's okay. Sorry. It's okay.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 3:07:32
“So, look, I guess I get to play devil's advocate again. I like the idea, I give credit where credit is due, of the enhanced crosswalk. I work for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. If you come out onto John Young and 50 and head towards Claremont, there is an enhanced crosswalk where somebody presses a button. The lights start flashing. Whether they're yellow or turns to red, you must stop while somebody goes through that crosswalk. It works every time. So if something like that, that you're proposing at that intersection, if it does get approved, more power to you. Thank you.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 3:08:25
“Right. And they seem to work. Okay. So here are the concerns. I was around when the first piece of property had two hotels on it. And now it has one hotel on it. And now it's got a gym. And now it's got all kinds of other fancy schmancy stuff. And we're going to go through some sort of... Let me borrow a phrase from the last project. Some sort of cross-access... So I can, when I go to Tuffy's to get my car done, I come up through Portillo's. So if I wanted to really, based on your design, I could keep driving right onto Hook's and use that whole thing as a way to cross through whatever, cross…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Oct 6, 2026
- Play at 9:11
“Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. What I just wanted to bring to everyone's attention is, so the church that I go to, the gentleman who does the security, his name is Norman Reen. He is a retired NY, New York State police officer. And he has taken upon himself to do a 9-11 remembrance tribute and exhibit throughout Florida. So this year, from September 9th to the 12th, it's at Winter Garden City Hall, if anyone is interested. It is taking up three and a half days. He's got somewhere along the lines of like 30 tables of memorabilia. He always invites first responders, military, Gold Star…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 44:26
“Mr. Chair, honestly, all my questions have been answered so far. So if you could keep going.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 54:04
“So just as an example, when my mom passed, at the time we went to Claremont Funeral Home off of Mohawk. Yes. And it was view only, but with all due respect, that gentleman was very specific that his room only held 30 people. So, I mean, mom didn't know that many people down here, so it wasn't a problem. But he was, again, he was very, very specific that that's all he could hold. That was the maximum that he could hold in there, if that helps.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:07:20
“So I think my biggest concern with some of the edits, when I read it, It sounds like, in my opinion, that it's too much that we're trying to comply with House Bill 399. And me personally, I think we're just giving up way too much stuff. community character, neighborhood feel, no longer being sufficient, things like that, having to keep incredible records to have any type of denial. So it's just in my opinion that the wording should stay there if it gives us a leg up to fight, for lack of a better term. We always seem, and again, it's my opinion, that we're placating and complying, but I've…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:12:39
“Thank you for that. I got to tell you that. I enjoy a little bit more redundancy and the minutiae of the wording that was made quite adequate to me when we met all together to that roundtable meeting and we discussed how there were a subsection to a subsection of another subsection to a third subsection of why we could actually, which actually vindicated this committee into how we actually do our deep dive. So it was due to that, going down to the minutia of the code, that, again, it vindicated to all of you why we do the due diligence that we do. The other thing, and you're not here, my…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:14:20
“Okay. So, and now, Holland and Knight also goes on, because I asked the question, again, this is Google, okay? I didn't speak to anybody. How to fight 399. Local governments can fight and manage the impacts of 399 by establishing strict, objective compatibility standards, creating airtight written records for project denials and recalibrating fee structures, which 399 takes away. Additionally, decisions need to be based on use traffic counts, which we don't count on for some reason, even though my fellow commissioner showed a picture of wall-to-wall traffic, environmental limits, which we…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:42:47
“Just two things real, real quick. I kind of like the term adversely affect, overviolate. because I think it gives us more latitude to deny something. You can call a gray area what you want, but I could see getting into a pissing contest with an attorney over the word violate. I think adversely affect gives us a lot more room to maneuver that we do not agree with the CUP. I think number four should stay in there. The proposed use may be considered desirable at the particular location because I still think that gives us a minor leg up on community character and neighborhood feel not being…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 12:32
“Can you pass that down? Good evening, everyone. So I wanted to start my report by paying a little homage to a General Gordon R. Sullivan. He is a former U.S. Army Chief of Staff from 1991 to 1995. He was a staunch believer in deliberate, proactive, and strategic planning. He also coined the phrase and wrote a national bestseller by the title of Hope is Not a Method. So the first thing that I usually bring to a meeting is the Florida Highway Safety Crash Dashboard. So in 2025, there were 5,484 crashes. I particularly highlight bicycle crashes and fatalities. In 2025 for Lake County, there were…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 25:15
“Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just one question. It does say advanced medical and surgical beyond general veterinary services, but the vet wouldn't turn down an animal coming in and needing something, correct?”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 26:06
“But you already have that relationship set up. So if I come in with my dog who's not sleeping well, you could refer me to someone.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 1:10:56
“Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of things. So for me, this project is the epitome of hope that I talked about earlier. In the first sentence, it says 12 or more dwelling units, but then in the second paragraph, it says 16 residential dwelling units. So the Brooklyn in me says that if somebody comes with the right amount of cash, it's a two-bedroom apartment, not a one-bedroom apartment. We're hoping, there's no guarantee, that everybody who lives here is walkable or is going to take a bicycle. We're hoping that people from downtown live here to work and walk in downtown, that a…”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 1:15:52
“Chair, I'm not calling for a parking garage, number one. Number two, on the design, there are four doors per side, per building. So four times four is 16.”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 1:16:59
“Then shouldn't that number say 16 and not 12 or more dwelling units?”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 1:17:13
“then why does it say 12 or more dwelling units? Why doesn't it say 16 units?”
Planning and Zoning Commission · Aug 4, 2026