City Council - Regular Meeting

field. Orange City would like to thank the families for their dedication, sacrifice, and support. Thank you. That concludes the program. [applause] [applause]

I think we're going back down. I know council just got comfortable, but we're going to back go back down for a a proclamation. Let me read it first and then we'll go down and take a picture. Okay, so 2B is Martin Luther King Jr. Day proclamation. City of Orange City, Florida proclamation. Whereas Dart Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a distinguished American leader whose life and work advanced the principles of equality, justice, and freedom for all people. And whereas Dr. King's unwavering commitment to nonviolent social change and his leadership during the Civil Rights Movement helped bring about landmark legis legislation including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And whereas Dr. King's message of hope, unity, service, and mutual respect continues to inspire individuals and communities across the nation to work toward a more just, inclusive, and compassionate society. And whereas Martin Luther King Jr. Day is recognized as a national day of service encouraging citizens to honor Dr. King's legacy through volunteerism and civic engagement that strengthen our communities. And whereas the city of Orange City is committed to upholding the values of equality, dignity, and opportunity for all residents and recognizes the importance of reflecting on our shared responsibility to promote understanding and unity. Now, therefore, I, Kelly, mayor of the city of Orange City, and on behalf of the city council, do hereby proclaim January 19th, 2026 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the city of Orange City.

[applause] Can I have the council come down for another picture and then we'll do one more proclamation after that?

He had a dream. You don't 2C, Community Risk Reduction Week Proclamation. City of Orange City, Florida proclamation. Whereas community risk reduction is a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks that threaten the safety, health, and well-being of residents, businesses, and visitors. And whereas community risk reduction week highlights the importance of fire prevention, life safety education, emergency preparedness, and injury prevention as essential components of safer community. And whereas the city of Orange City recognizes that the collaboration among fire and emergency services, local government, businesses, schools, and residents is vital to reducing preventable injuries, loss of life, and property damage. And whereas the Orange City Fire Department and other public safety partners work year round to educate the community, assess risks, and implement strate strategic I can't say it. strategies that reduce emergencies before they occur. And whereas community risk reduction week provides an opportunity to raise awareness, promote preparedness, and encourage residents to take simple yet effective actions to

protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. Now therefore, I, Kelly Marx, mayor of the city of Orange City, and on behalf of the city council, do hereby proclaim January 19th to the 25th, 2026, as Community Risk Reduction Week in the City of Orange City. In witness whereof, I have here unto set my hand and cause official seal of the city of Orange City to be fixed on this day, January 13, 2026. [applause]

[laughter] [applause]

That's it. Okay, moving on to 2D Christmas parade presentation. Justin Vallejo, is that how you say it? Val. Valo. Justin Valo will be presenting that.

Good evening, council. Uh Justin Val, public information officer. Uh so first for the uh gnome place like home for the holidays uh Christmas parade we had um six categories this year we had gnome sweet gnome um whimsical workshop uh twinkle trail rockin gnomes marchers and Santa's nomies um and first off I want to say thank you to our judges uh Alexis Gibbs Jason Best and Amanda uh Harren and so uh the way that we're going to do This is uh winners. I'm going to call one by one. If you can come up to the front, accept a reward and and take a photo. Um that would be great. So uh for the first if you want to go to the next one. So yeah, those are our categories uh the six categories. The first winner for Gnome Sweet Gnome um was Gnome Alone River Springs Middle FA. [applause] All right. [applause] Next slide.

So our next winner is the whimsical workshop which was Scrooge by Orange City Equipment Repair. [applause] Looks like they're not here tonight. Um, the next one is Twinkle Trail. Uh, Runaway Jeep Girls Club of Florida. [applause] Our [applause] next winners are the Rock and Gnomes from uh Vulks Audio. [applause]

[applause]

Our next winners are the Mary marchers which is the just dance and fitness. [applause] have to deal with. [applause] And our last winners are the Santa's nomies, which are the friends of Blue Springs. [applause] Looks like they're not here tonight. So, um I just want to say thank you to everybody who participated this year. Uh we had over 65 uh people register this year, um which was more than last year. So, it's great to see the parade uh growing. So again, thank you to everybody who participated and congratulations to our winners. [applause]

Congratulations everyone. Now we're moving on to um the holiday lighting contest presentation. That would be Justin again.

All right. So, for the holiday lighting contest, um I would like to thank our three judges, uh Joe Ruiz, uh Kaylee Berles, and Alyssa Milwater. Um this year we had 23 participants. Uh we had five categories. It was the Clark Griswald category, which was the the display that you can see from outer space. Um Santa's helpers uh category, which was the best use of holiday characters. The commercial stop for commercial businesses. Timeless tradition category. um which was the light display that captures uh classic Christmas and the Rudolph rookie category which is for our first year um contestants. So uh to go down the the list of our winners um the first winner is Clark Griswald category which is Jacob Brown. [applause] Our [applause] next winner is the Santa's helper category which is uh Joe Kusk. [applause]

Hang on.

[applause] [applause]

So our next winner is the commercial stop category which was the Orange City Library Assoc. Association Girl Scout Girl Scout Troop 918. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] Our next winner is the timeless tradition category which is Robert and Marilyn Austin. [applause]

And uh for the record, they got a perfect score of 30. [applause] [applause]

[applause]

And our last winner is the uh Rudolph rookie category. Um it's is George Cologne. [applause] I'm a daughter. Congratul

[applause] So again, thank you to everybody who participated this year. Um, and congratulations to our winners. [applause] Congratulations everybody. Thank you for participating too. Awesome.

Okay, moving on to 2F Votran Services presentation. Bobby King. Votan will be presenting. Welcome.

Thank you and good evening. I'm Bobby King. I'm the transit services director for Valuchia County and I'm here to kind of give an overview of our Bootran um services that we provide here in Valuchia County. Thank you for having me. So just kind of do a real quick rundown basically of what we have on the west side for fixed route bus. So that's our large bus that runs the same time, the same hours every day up and down the streets uh that you might see here on the west side. Uh so our route 30 runs in Dand um 6 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday and 8 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday. Uh the map is kind of hard to see but um essentially it stays in the dand area. Route 31 runs from Jan to Deerry, so straight down 1792 all day every day um except Sunday of course. Route 33 runs um from the Orange City Marketplace on Saxon to the Deltona Library and back um all day uh Monday through Saturday. And we also have Voride uh which is our microransit service here. We've had that about um almost two years now in operation. It operates in Jan City, Deltona and Deberry only at this time. Um it will be operating soon on the east side. Uh but it operates at the same time of the days. um and and days of the week as our fixed route bus. Um it's $2 uh per one-way trip for up to five miles and a dollar per mile um with a maximum cost of $7 for a 10 mile trip. No trips allowed over 10 miles. Um the goal of the microransit um service is to be able to provide short trips um and maybe connection to the bus. So that's why we don't allow long trips on the on the vorride service. We also provide half fairs um for seniors and other um other categories that uh would uh qualify for

a dollar one-way trip. And we also have bow access which is our paratransit service. This is um one of our most popular services very um needed in the community. It's uh uh for the uh disabled. It's also for individuals that do not have a vehicle um that cannot access our fixed route bus. Um, so there's eligibility criteria for it. So it's not for everyone. Um, so if you want to familiarize yourself with the eligibility criteria, just go to our website and check out the eligibility criteria. Um, you do have to make advanced reservations on these trips so that we can schedule uh accordingly. And there is limited availability. So we do the best that we can. We run about 600 trips a day throughout the county. So that's that's a lot. Um, and so some recent changes that we made, um, we had very low ridership on the major holiday days, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. And so, uh, we had to fully staff for those days, um, 24 hours a day, all three days. And, uh, we found that it really wasn't worth the, um, uh, the toll it took on our staff. So we uh got approval to have those three days off, the only three days off a year that we have. Uh so they very much appreciated that. And then our Sunreil, we had a Sunreil bus service just for the Delayan Sunreil. Um that didn't have a lot of ridership. So we changed that to a pre-booking option for Vorride. Uh so you can use our Vorride service there. uh pre-book your uh ride 24 hours in advance and you'll have a bow ride waiting for you there at that at that site. Um and that's for deand only. Deerry has borride available but it doesn't have pre-booking um service available. Um we also changed uh tweaked some hours on this side of the

um county. We were seeing um some MP buses at 5:00 in the morning and we uh decided to kind of change the hours accordingly and at the end of the day similar situation. So, just a little bit of uh tweaking on the times. Um, and we also have a new scheduling software app um that allows you to plan your trip, book your trips, um, pay for your trips. So, that's something we've been wanting for a long time. And so, that's that's it for an overview of uh, Votran Services. I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. Any questions from the council? Councilwoman Tamson. So, the advanced reservations is that what mode is that online? Is it telephone or all

all you bet. Councilwoman on the ride. Excuse me. Your skills, councilwoman, go ahead. On the vow ride, do you go house to house with it on the V ride? No, it's typically curb to curb. Um if you are selecting in your app that you're disabled or you need um uh doortodoor service, we will provide door-todoor service in those cases. We also have wheelchair accessibility as well. Okay. Councilwoman Knight, did you have a question? No. Okay. Anybody else?

I just had a question. So, I I heard a rumor that they were thinking about doing less buses and more voride if it works out that it may be cheaper. Is that true?

Uh, so any opportunity that we can get to, um, introduce microtransit into an area, uh, we we would definitely look at. um it's more efficient. It provides more opportunities for transit in in any any case. Um so, but if we have a very efficient fixed route bus that is fully um uh fully operational, which means it has a lot of ridership on it, we wouldn't eliminate it because it's still the most efficient way to run service is that bigger bus, right? But when we drop into um in certain situations over here a couple years ago we had fixed route buses that might have 20 people a day on it right

and operating that kind of service is extremely expensive. We're now oper we're now providing 2,000 trips a week on Voride which is over 25% more trips than we were when we had the fixed route bus in those places. Wow. So is is a much more efficient, more effective way to provide transit. Um and we would we would definitely be looking at that any opportunity. Makes sense. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Do you have any questions for us or No. Good. Thank you for your support. Thank you. [applause]

Okay. Okay, before we get into citizens comments, um I have a statement I'd like to make. It's an expectation for decorum at all armed city council meetings. Dear members of the public and meeting attendees, as mayor, I want to welcome all the residents and visitors who plan to attend this evening's city council meeting. Public participation and civic engagement are vital to our community and we value hearing from those we serve. At the same time, I must emphasize the importance of maintaining proper decorum throughout the meeting. To ensure that city business can be conducted fairly, efficiently, and respectfully, the following expectations will be strictly enforced. There will be no calling out, shouting, or interruptions from the audience. All comments must be made only during designated public comment periods in accordance with established procedures. Disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Failure to comply with these rules may result in removal from the meetings so that proceedings may continue without disruption. This statement will serve as a first warning to a conduct city business without disruptions that are out of order on our agenda. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to maintaining a respectful environment for city council members, staff, and fellow attendees. By observing these standards of conduct, we can ensure that this evening's meeting is productive and accessible to all. Thank you for your understanding and participation. Moving into citizens comments, Narita Williamson. And this one is regarding the amending the charter for Orange City. I'll call you back up for the other one. Okay.

Okay.

My name is Narita H. Williamson and I live at 811 Gunnison Drive in Orange City. Um, my intent is to prioritize the voices of citizens who reside in Orange City and avoid outsiders influencing our decisions. I'm asking the city council to consider amending the charter following which the land has implemented. These changes will help maintain orderly meetings moving forward with public expectations and avoid chaos. Who qualifies as Orange City, Florida residents taxpayers? And Orange City, Florida resident taxpayers are those who own property as their permanent home or run a business exempt uninccorporated. Adopting Robert's rules using established parliamentary procedures to define acceptable conduct. Number two, content natur um neutral rules setting reasonable time limits three minutes per speaker or in are requiring comments to be relevant to agenda items which are permissible restrictions for public forums. [snorts] Number three, disruptive behaviors not permitted. Actions such as booing, hissing, using profanity, clapping, or shouting are not allowed during meetings even if public speaking is permitted. That's what I'm asking.

Thank you. Thank you. [snorts]

Okay, Tom Hwitt. And this one's regarding the elementary school. My name is Tom Hwitt. I live at 1060 Tapen Circle. uh back in I think 2022 I went to an uh echo presentation. Thank you Christine for reminding me. I went to a echo presentation up at Valuchia County and at that presentation the um school board a representative from the school board was there speaking on the elementary school what they were planning on doing and whatnot. When I got back from there, I went to the next came to the next council meeting. I know three of you weren't there. uh weren't there, weren't here at the time, but four of you were uh and I gave a presentation on what they were going to do to the school that they were planning on they were getting in gear. They didn't have a time schedule yet, but they were getting in gear to redo the elementary school. Plus, they had said at the time they didn't want the old elementary school. And I made a proposal to city council at the time that we need to think about what the what Orange City wants. Do we want the building and whatnot and gave them that echo and the echo program or grant would have been great because it's a oneto one. You put a dollar in, they put a dollar in. Okay. So, for

maintenance and stuff like that, at the time they had about $3 million worth in uh maintenance that needed to be done on the building, meaning uh the uh HVAC system, the roof, the uh foundation area that needed to be relooked at and everything. And since then, at the time, the the the council didn't do anything. Uh, and I believe it was the mayor that said that uh that it it wasn't it wasn't something that the city would be interested in doing. Not this mayor though, right? I didn't want to make sure

at the time 2022. Thank you. Okay. And I think it's a shame because now we're looking at all of a sudden we're trying to backtrack and go, well, what what can we do? What can we do? Well, city council and and the members of the of the council have had at least what four years to look at it and nothing was done until all of a sudden this uh they say well we're getting rid of the building and now we're we're trying to find well what does the what does the uh public want city council want and nothing

time. Thank you. If you stick around for our comments later, I wanted to comment on that later. Mr. Huitt, Tara James.

Good evening, council. Please state your name and address for the record. Nobody else had to, right? But I will. Yes, they do. Okay. 563 Gilmer Stage Road, Orange City, Florida. Kelly, my name is Mayor. Thank you. No, you're not. Okay. Not in my eyes. Keep it up and I'm going to throw you out, please. Okay. It's okay. Good evening, council. I'm here today to speak about the history of our two stories. Can you speak in the microphone? The DBP backpack. Can you speak in the microphone?

I understand that Mrs. Markx has not said she is the soul founder and you are not the soul founder. This is incorrect. Let me tell you the story about backpack buddies and how I played a role in it. When this mission was created, Kelly and I were to be co-presidents and you know that I have seen Kelly narrate on many public forums of Facebook etc. She was the sole founder. No, you were not. She does not have a daughter. In 2019, she was not married. You were not engaged. So, she did not have a step-daughters. In 2019, myself and I and Kelly started this food program and children of our school system. We held a food drive in Orange City Elementary School. Remember, to help fill the pantry during this time, I overheard a family saying that they needed food for their family. immediately and you were there with me hearing this. I went to my church. I requested two bags of food and we both went there and you know this. After research, I came up with Backpack Buddies, a Texas website and you know this. I also came up with the name our two stories based on the picture that I have in the garage since 2009. My vision was to have one day to have a food entry in Orange City. And as for our two stories, it was your story and it was my story. Now it's going to be my story. Kelly, we started providing food for 85 kids at the Orange City Elementary School in two in September 2019. We did get some donations, not by you, but we had enough to feed 85 kids for the first week. My husband and I started purchasing food weekly for the next two months. I have all the receipts and I promise you that. We have converted our spare room into our home as a pantry to store food later to distribute

to the 85 kids that you did not. My husband came up to you and said, "I will no longer buy food since Kelly wasn't contributing contributing any funds and you did not." Soon after that, Kelly and I had a disagreement over putting toothbrushes directly into food bags and about volunteers. I thought the toothbrushes should be separate and I didn't think that we had to have a work overload that required volunteers yet because you don't like to work. In late 2019, Kelly, you text me and asked me for inside person meeting to let you know I was on my way to work, my second job. Time's up. Okay, time's up. Can I please No. have

You cannot 30 more seconds. Time's up. Please. We need to move on for city business. This has nothing to do with city business. Okay? This is personal and it needs to be held without This is not personal. City business is okay. This is not personal. This No, I'm sorry. I'm the chair and I'm asking you to leave now. Thank you. Can I I'm asking her to leave cuz she's not listening. But no, I'm the decide if she can talk. I don't care. I don't care. Can you remove her, please? No. Uh, can we ask that? Excuse me. No. No. You're not allowed to speak. I just asked her to be removed. But accord attorney, who are you? The attorney. I'm I'mma ask uh Paul. Excuse me. I'm the chair and I did not

I did. You can go too. No, I gave the warning already. Deputy chief, that's her husband. Please remove him, too. That's not my husband. The one that's speaking out. Excuse me. The one on the third one on that uh fifth row. Um glasses on his head. Um in a minute. I will not be silenced by you and I will not be. I will not. I promise you this.

I'm so sick of you. sick of you. That's nice. Thank you,

okay, Councilwoman Stafford. What? The only thing I was asking for because uh the first amendment, her right to speak is to allow her to finish 30 seconds is all she asked for. That's all I was asking. And I and I appreciate that, but we have to keep the quorum here. We are not going to have the meetings like we've had and that is not city business. If it was city business, I would have considered it. But it has nothing to do with what we're doing up here. And if we want to do our job, we need to do city business. So please respect that. Okay? Let's get our job done here. As long as you respect everybody and everybody get the same, I have no problem with it. Thank you so much.

And I didn't call on you right away because I needed to take care of that first. Mhm.

Okay. Tom Huitt, you want to come back up, please? And this one's regarding the city manager search. Thank you. [clears throat] Tom Huitt, 1060 tap and circle. Christine, I just want to let you know this is nothing about you, okay? This this has to this has to do in my opinion with the uh with the search that went on. All right. Uh she was put in uh temporary as an interm uh last part of August.

August 29th

in August. At that time uh city council was not sure if they were going to do a search uh an outward search yet. So nothing was discussed at the time. I believe a couple meetings later there was another discussion and it was put out that the city would go ahead and do a search for a city manager. Now, from then until the last council meeting, uh there was no mention as far as I can see on any of the uh YouTube stuff mentioned that there was anything put in from anybody. No, no applications or or resumes that were submitted. And this week or last last month, y'all went ahead and decided, well, we're just going to uh cuz Christine said that the gentleman from the one searched in hadn't gotten back in touch with her or something like that if I'm not correct. And I believe he was supposed to make a presentation on the 9th. Well, he wasn't available from what I read read in the in the amendments. Uh, and then y'all did your due diligence and I understand. I'm not blaming anybody. Okay? Y'all made y'all made a motion. Y'all second it. Y'all passed it. So there's nothing I'm I'm just saying that it looks in my opinion, it looks like you guys didn't wait to do due diligence. And I'm going to just put this as a comparative. All right. In the NFL, when they lose a coach, they put an interimm coach in until they do their due diligence and actually get resumes and get people in to interview. Okay? And y'all want to say, "Well, we

need somebody now." Well, an interm has the same amount of uh responsibility and authority as a regular person. So, there was no, in my opinion, there was no need to rush. All we had to do is sit back and wait and do our due diligence in making sure that we find qualified people. I am not saying that that Christine is qualif is not qualified. I wouldn't do that. I respect her that much. The only thing that Christine and I have ever had problems is is on the the procedures. Congratulations, Christine. I appreciate it.

Thank you. Brenadam, Narita Williamson. And this one is regarding the uh containers. [snorts] My name is Narita H. Williamston. I live at 811 Gunnison Drive in Orange City. Um this I sent an email to um David and Chris who works for Valuchia County and it's con it's concerning the containers that are being stored in the Bravo Shopping Center. So a Valuchia County representative and the Valuchia County Fire Department are aware of hazardous materials in the containers and approved the relocation. As a resident of as a as a resident of the area, I am unclear about the reason behind approving fireworks containers lease agreement so close to two senior houses housing on Grand Plaza Drive. [clears throat] Elders using medical equipment to help them navigate and live in a productive life, safety, and well-being might be in jeopardy due to these hazardous materials. Is this safe? I sent the email out on July 9th, 2025, November 16th, 2025, December 26, 20 2025, and I am still waiting on a response. So now I'm asking the council to get involved because it is right next to two residential homes that are be that I feel it's too close. Thank you.

Thank you. I do want to uh say um Christine, do you want to just kind of say what we've been doing with that because we did look into it. I think you So I forwarded that information once it was laid out to Ben Bartlett. I spoke with him on the phone this morning. It was forwarded to code compliance um from Ben to uh from Ben to code compliance. I did receive an email from Chris, the manager that we met with previously who said they were looking into it. Um, but as of right now, that's the only uh communication I've had and I expect more in short order.

So, I just wanted to let you know we we did get involved already, but at least the whole council knows what's going on. So, thank you. Okay, Brook Scottton.

Brook Scotten 836 Aana Drive. I want to start this out by saying the mayor's actions thus far have been horrendous. How can one not see the wrongdoings that have been happening? This is a professional job, not a playground, for you to delegate who and who cannot swing on the swings. In my opinion, one of the most distasteful actions I've seen take place so far was on the December 9th meeting when a innocent little 11-year-old boy was brought here into an adult situation. That was horrendous. And the fact that someone allegedly paid this 11 boy but didn't really pay them to speak on behalf of somebody was distasteful and downright ridiculous. Thank you.

Thank you, Candace Baker. [snorts] And this one is uh well have two different subjects. Yes. Okay. What's the first subject so I can write? Uh both are going to be citizens concern. But whether are they different subjects of concerns because you can only have three minutes for each different subject and I just need to write in what your on both of them be a citizen. I'll be reading the letters. Okay. Different letters. Different letters. Okay. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Candace Baker. I reside at 1629 12th Street. I'll be reading a letter on behalf of the mother mother Chenisha Reed. Dear Orange City Council and Congressmen, my name is Tanisha Reid and I'm writing on behalf of my son, King Redau. I'm writing to formally express my deep disappointment and concern regarding an incident involving Mayor Kelly Anne Mars and my 11-year-old child. My son initially attended the meeting to speak about the construction at the skate park as he's actively involved in the skate community. However, my son later informed me that Mayor Markx asked him to speak on her behalf during the meeting and promised him $100 in exchange for doing so. My son stated that he agreed because he wanted to buy Christmas presents for his family. Unfortunately, he was never paid. As a mother, I am extremely upset and troubled by this situation. I believe it was inappropriate and unethical to place a child in such a position. My son is a minor who was curious. He did not fully understand the situation and was taken advantage of. Due to his age and good intentions, this situation should have never occurred. At the time of the meeting, I was unaware that my son had left the skate park to attend. I am a hardworking mother of four children, and I was home caring for my other children. My son was supposed to be at the skate park with his friends, which is located about a block away from our home. He is usually close by. I had no reason to believe he was anywhere else. He made a mistake by attending the meeting without my permission, assuming it was related to the skate park, and failed to contact me beforehand. Since this incident, my son's behavior has noticeably changed. He has been acting out at school, getting into fights, and experiencing increased emotional distress. His therapist has observed a significant rise in meltdowns, and his behavior at home, which has also been concerning. This situation has had a clear and negative impact on my son's well-being. I am deeply disturbed that my child was

placed in the middle of a political matter for personal benefit. Children should be protected and not used or influenced in situations that they do not fully understand. I respectfully ask that this matter be taken seriously and reviewed appropriately. My intent and writing is to advocate for my child and to ensure that no other minor is placed in a similar situation in the future. Thank you for your time and attention to the serious matter. Trisha Reed. This council especially ma'am for your second one.

No, this is a continuation. Okay. This council cannot treat this as a rumor or politics as we have both the mother and the child here. When an elected official involves a minor in a political activity and introduces money into the interaction, you are crossing an ethical line regardless of your intent. The documented emotional impact on this child makes it clear that real harm has occurred at your request. I say this as a community member and more so as a parent. This is a matter of accountability and public trust and it demands a serious transparent response. Okay. Um let's go ahead and do the second one. Who's the second letter from?

It's from Skyler Williams.

Okay. Thank you. Dear Orange City, Florida council members, my name is Skyler Williams. While I'm not a resident of Orange City, I live in Valuchia County and I'm familiar with the ongoing controversy. I have watched recent council meetings and have noted two key points. First, Council Person Stafford stands alone and vocally supporting her constituents and calling out the toxicity of Mayor Marks that you've brought to the city. She is the only council member who consistently stands with residents demanding that the mayor step down. Although the other council members have made their statements, they have lacked conviction and force. They have voiced their concerns politely, but this approach is insufficient in the current situation. Their responses are too mild compared to the mayor's actions. It's as if the remaining council members are using their voices like a verbal butter knife to fight against a person, Kelly Marks, who is fighting with a double-edged sword. Second, during the November 21st, 2025 special meeting, Mayor Marksu accused city clerk Kaye Burlson of insubordination in her attempt to terminate Miss Bolson. I saw residents unite in strong support of Mrs. Burlson with some even demanding the mayor's resignation. However, the Stafford sisters have not received the similar support or outrage regarding the mayor's attempt to belittle them with ghetto girls are ghetto fabulous comments. Council members and residents have overlooked and ignored the mayor's mean, hateful, and downright racist remarks targeting two black women whose families have deep roots here in Orange City. No one seems to care that the mayor targets the only council member openly fighting for all residents, not just herself and her sister. The lack of concern suggests that most residents of Orange City, except the Stafford sisters and their outspoken supporters, feel unaffected by the mayor's racist remarks and behavior. This silence reflects poorly on the

entire community and appears to outsiders as an acceptance of her hate and raceful, excuse me, racist remarks and rhetoric slash behavior. Is this is how you is this how you want Orange City to be seen?

Thank you. Tom Hwitt regarding Tallahassee. [snorts] My name is Tom Hwitt. I live at 1060 Tap and Circle. I understand there was a conversation last week about the Tallahassee and who would uh who would represent Orange City in Tallahassee. And I understand Miss or Councilwoman's Stafford's position on that, that we ought to be uh that the council needs to be very particular with taxpayers money and making sure we're doing the right thing. I just want to put forth that doing the right thing sometimes inhibits stuff. And I'm not and I'm not saying that doing the right thing is bad. What I'm saying is is sometimes when you look at the numbers, you need to put forth more considering we're going we're trying to get millions of dollars from Tallahassee. Millions. And I don't mind sending I personally being a taxpayer here don't mind sending four council people up there if it's good if if the if the prospect of a greater return is better than what we're spending. I think it's a good thing. Eight or $10,000 is what the budget, which you guys had already agreed upon, the budget uh was set to spend. And but I do agree we need to be frugal. I I I 100% agree we need to be frugal, but sometimes frugality gets in the way of progress

because if you don't put forth the effort, you're going to have nothing coming back. If we don't put up the representation, and I understand we have um people that are up there lobbying for us for free. I understand that. But free sometimes don't get you anything. And we need to I think we need a large representation because if we were that close that close on the governor's desk to being signed and we only had what one person go up there, one person go up there, right? What happens if we get four people going up there? If we were that close, maybe, just maybe, the prospects of us getting it will show up. Cuz sometimes the more people you have go up there, the more representation you're getting, and I'm not saying doing any payoffs, but the more representation you're you're showing for the city. It needs to be done. The possibility of you getting something greater in return is always there because the more people that speak about it, it stays in their head. It stays in their ear. It stays in their mind. And that's what we need. We need massive I I personally think we need massive representation up there this year. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Moving on to the consent agenda. I just need a motion. Madame Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda. I second. We have a motion. We have a second. Kaylee ask for public Oh, any public comment on the consent agenda? [snorts] Seeing no, may we bring it back for the question. Council member Tionson, yes. Vice Mayor Grim, yes. Council member Stafford, yes. Council member Richardson, yes. Council member Darmms, yes. Council member Knight, yes. Mayor Marks,

yes. And the consent agenda passes. Moving on to five, ordinance. First reading, we have none. Six, public hearing ordinances. Second and final reading, we have none. Seven, resolutions, we have none. Eight discussions and action. We have none. Uh nine reports. City manager.

Good evening, Mayor Council. Christine Davis, interim city manager. I have a couple handouts. I'll take one and pass them down if you don't mind. First hand out. Actually, That's

that's that's really it. Sorry. So to update from the previous meeting of December 9th uh regarding the Landsdown sidewalk project that actually had the notice to proceed of January 5th with a start date of uh mobilization on January 6th. Regarding the EV fleet consideration, we are still waiting on some data from Duke, but they have been out to provide a cost estimate to upgrade the transformer that would be servicing um the utility. Uh but even in the interim, staff has drafted a white paper and I expect that'll be issued this month. Regarding the waste pole implement [clears throat] uh implementation, things still keep trying to iron themselves out. The most recent complaint stems from a side door service and then a commercial uh area out off of uh Harley Strickland. If you recall, I believe I noticed you all that waste pro reached out and said anybody that was uh extremely late, 90 days I believe was it were would cease service. I asked them at that time to please do a door service. Let them know in this instant um preliminary information shows that when you go to the door, these these folks have a business that manages their garbage. So the message there was a it it seems to be a complete breakdown from the transition where the management company wasn't aware. And if we're going to Bath and Body Works telling them, "Hey, you've got a new garbage provider and it's not getting to that management company." I believe that played a big part in that. However, uh that management company is very upset and we are working to resolve that. With regard to the Monastery Road, Milton repairs, that project is closed. We had signs out

there for a while and now we're relying on our residents and council member Knight to communicate how things are going and if there's any concerns with speeding down that that section in between graves and uh veterans. Um, with regard to the citizens request to expand the historic district, that's still a process working through staff on how to to consider it through possibly the historic preservation board to council or is it something that would come directly to council, although Mr. Victor is not available at the moment. I envision revisiting this in February. Uh, new roof concerns at this time. We're just watching it to see if there are any new concerns. The POS grant application is pending. Grant award notification. Uh let's move uh East Central Florida Diamond Award program. Again, we're pending the award notification. I closed out the PIO with with regard to, you know, we he hit the ground running. I will say at the grand opening he was stopped and and told what a great job he's doing by people who are not city employees and not dead city employees. So I was very proud to to see him get those accolades. So thank you. The Levit Avenue condition assessment program. We're just waiting on Beasley to provide that proposal to see if it's something that we can afford in the budget to address or if it's going to be need council uh action. Uh regarding the old elementary school, it does say that the mayor was slated to attend the meeting. There is a handout she'll provide. Please know I'll I'll defer for you to give that update. Uh oh. I attended the Valuchia County elected officials roundt meeting on the

12th. We received a report from the Valia County Sheriff, tax collector, supervisor of election, property appraiser, and a legislative preview session from John Booker

and then a brief uh flood subcommittee report. There'll be more information on that in the Friday communication with some of the details of what was handed out. Some of it I was unable to get. they didn't hand out, but I've requested it. So, if it's here, um the next meeting for that is March 9th. [clears throat] Let's see. The actual I I think I have a typo for the subcommittee, the Valuchia County Elected Officials Round Table Storm Water Mitigation and Flood Sub uh committee. Uh the update there is just that there's a meeting coming up. I believe it's actually the 20th of this month. and I show March 9th which kind of mirrors the other round table. So I believe uh I have a typo and that's going to be uh January 20th. It's on my calendar and I'll give you a report later. Some new items are legislative action days. I have been working with Woodard and Curran. I fortunately got to speak directly with Representative Barnaby and Gentry and I have confirmed that um they will they will host a a meeting um with me. At this time I do have to report that the three members who initially signed up have had to withdraw. So representing the city at this time it was for a variety of reasons that um I'll let them share under their council comments. So I am prepared to go. I'm working with Wooden Curran. I already have two meetings um guaranteed from Representative Gentry and Barnaby um individually to me, not through Wood and Curran. And then we'll be working on um Leak Partington and some committee um representatives. Uh Park Hill, we've been working with a citizen. It's a concern. Uh the acting police chief, Jerome Miller, has been working with the representative. We've

made some progress, but we'll continue to monitor it. The middle school and elementary school, we've had some concerns regarding the release and how the kids are managing themselves or not managing themselves. We've made progress there as well. One item I didn't add on here is ecooters. We met with an individual who had a unfortunate accident. It's a Mr. Lilvis. He was actually run down by what we believe was a student and he has a great concern for the increased usage of e- scooters and is really uh concerned and wants the city take a city to see the city to take a proactive approach to managing those and uh acting chief Jerome Miller is working on that. I'm going to say Jerome Miller for a while till I get trained since we're working on the new um after the retirement of um Wayne. Yeah, the transition. So, that's not on here, but do know we're working on that and it is a citizen initiative. Unfortunately, when we looked at the call data, it didn't seem to see a real big increase. We had more bike accidents um than reported than ebikes, but then when we talked to him, he hadn't reported it. So, of course, you have to wonder how many are not being being reported. Blue Springs Villas, we met with the HO president and made and I believe we'll be bringing uh a resolution to um to that discussion on January 29th. So, there'll be some more information in a future agenda. We had a roundabout uh workshop. Well, in lie of a roundabout workshop, we met with um Mr. Patrick Murphy uh the that that was we used as a replacement um for the for the workshop and so that's closed now as well. We will not be working to schedule a workshop on the roundabout and the roundabout uh recommendation for award of contract is slated for next meeting.

The library construction concerns we had a site meeting or no we have a pending site meeting with uh Mr. Strickland and that we tried to do today but it's going to be uh re moved to tomorrow and we think we'll we'll have be successful with that as well and the others nothing to mention but um that completes my report and if you have any questions any questions council update yes um if I understood you correctly you said you're the only one that's going to the um

at this time I've received word that the are the three that we originally uh signed up are not available to attend [clears throat] due to a variety of reasons. Yes. Um council, can I make a motion that our city clerk? Not right now. That would be out of order. There is no order for that. We're that's that business is not on the agenda. So, um, Mr. Waters, how do we handle that?

So, according to the rules, you can make a, uh, motion to add something that's not on the agenda, but it requires a super majority vote. Okay. So, do you want to make a motion to add it to the agenda first and then Yes. I'd like to add it to the agenda. What do we add? that we add that we add our city clerk to attend that meeting since everyone else is tied up with other obligations. Okay. Is there a second? A second. Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Um, do we do a a roll call or is a head nod sufficient? I think we should do a roll call, too. Thank you, Kaylee.

Vice Mayor Grim. No. Council member Stafford, yes. Council member Richardson, yes. Council member Darmms, yes. Council member Knight, yes. Council member Tian, no. Mayor Marks, no. And the motion passes. Super majority. Super. Oh, super majority. So, the motion did not pass. Sorry. We don't even know if she wanted to go. Able to go. I mean, Vice Mayor, would you like to speak?

No, I'm good. [laughter] Thanks. Um, I would like to comment on that. It's just I feel like it's it's very busy in the clerk's office and I feel like it's it's more that trip like Mr. Huitt said should be somebody that's from the city council or um, you know, it should be an elected official that's going up there to the um, Tallahassee. I tried to explain to y'all last time how important it is to go in numbers like you said and and we're the we're the moving body here of the city. They want to see us. They want to see what we have to say. We are we are very versed on what we need. Um so that's that would be my reasoning. I don't know if anybody else wants to comment on anything. Vice Mayor,

I could just add that Kayla, you're very important here in the city and Erin is still new. So for you to be gone for a week's time and to leave her running the show, you know, I don't think we need to put that kind of pressure on her. That's just my opinion. Okay. Any other vote? But I was just thinking like here it said that we need to have representation up there and the more voices you hear, the more it stays in someone's mind. That's all.

It's a it's a good idea. Yeah, I just think that it's it's um it's not money well spent because you got to have your elected officials there as representation in my opinion. That's just my opinion. I don't know what the council thinks or if you want to say anything, you're welcome to say anything. It's just vice mayor.

I'd rather see money spent with a lobbyist to work with Christine to get us money because it seems like people that have lobbyists now dear has a state and a federal lobbyist and they got buou money for you know when it hit the desk of the man that does the signature. So that that's that's what I'm saying. Sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know. And the right person in the right position can make things Uh, can I uh can I ask why the three can't go? There was a variety of reasons, but speak to them. Counciloman,

so you know, my job's pretty demanding. Um, they changed. We have a we have our first release of the year. We have code freeze in October of the of the, you know, follow of the previous year. So we end up with three to four months worth of work that gets deployed to production at one time. They change the dates for that release to the week I was supposed to go. I am required by my company to continue assisting with UAT testing up until the night of the release and then we have the release which can last till 4, 5, 6 in the morning. So I had to that's why I had to back out. Okay, Council Stafford.

Yes. And the reason I was not attending, but I'm changing my mind now. The reason I was not attending, we had a death in the family and I was planning on, but I think this is more important. Sorry for your loss. And I think this is more important. So therefore, I will be attending with you, Christine, at the city's expense since they didn't feel like it was no not a waste of money. You will be attending. Is that you said? I said I will be attending at the city's expense. Yes, I did. Okay. Councilwoman France, Councilwoman DS, I mean [laughter] that's all right. Did you have any

I go by either or um I gave it, you know, after I was able to to really think about it and um figure it out, I thought, you know, that's kind of a lot of money for me to shell out. Um and I didn't really know if I wanted to do that. I have other expenses that I have to worry about. Um would I like to go? Yeah. Um but for me to to to have to provide my own expenses that really stepped in the way and if I if I was going to be you know backed up to go yeah then I would consider it. Thank you. That was the reason.

So you know just be cautious when we have these conversations. It's real important when you make these decisions um because we did have a budget for this. We had money in the bank for you so you would not and that's what that's what concerned me that night is that I feel like this shouldn't be on you to have to pay or you or you you know this is we make about $15,000 a year and you're going to shell out 3,000 to go to Tallahassee. I mean, as much as it sounds great, unless you're campaigning for something and you want to show the taxpayers that you're going to pay out of your pocket, I just think it's not reasonable um to do uh you know, I want to save money, too. But at the end of the day, this is our job. This is what we do. This is what we get paid to do. And um it should not be a burden on anybody up here in my opinion. Did you want to say something, Council Knight?

Would you consider going if the city paid your expense? I haven't thought about it much. Can you speak in the microphone? Sorry. All right. It would make a difference. Yeah. But I also, you know, after um our vice mayor mentioned about a lobbyist and I thought about, you know, I'm not saying that none of us are important, but I'm thinking when we get up there and we want to present ourselves, how closely are they going to listen to us?

Can I answer that? [laughter] So, it's an experience. I think you all should experience it. I think you should go to Tallahassee if you have the chance. You will learn. You will meet your legislators. You'll meet the House. You'll meet the Senate. Um you will be some meetings will be 10 minutes and they won't remember your name. To be honest with you, you have to make an impression on them. I I when I was in Tallahassee, I said it's like the Bachelor. You know, you got all these women and you know, you you got to make an impression on that man, right? How's he going to remember you? That's what it reminded me of because you're meeting so many people that you have to make an impression and you got to tell a story about Orange City and why we need this money. And I think I was telling Christine, I know I told somebody this, but when um when I met with uh Representative Gentry, I didn't I never met him before. It was a very pleasant meeting. He listened to what I had to say. And then we went to the um police thing in Daytona. I don't remember what it was called, but um and he sat next to me and we had a very nice conversation and it was another touch, if you will, to talk to him like you did the other day. You said you talked to him. The more you can get in front of them, the the better it is. The more proactive you can do it before Tallahassee, the better it is. Um, and just like a grant writer and um, a lobbyist, compare those two. You take a chance, you pay that money. Um, like Mr. Hwitt said, you invest that money to make money. That's what I was trying to say that night. And, um, I think we've already sailed that ship. So, is isn't it too late to get a lobbyist at this point?

Yes, you deferred that um, for a future bring back, right? So, maybe maybe next year. But this year, that ship's already sailed. So, it's it's up to this council if is there anybody else on the council that wants to go that, you know, has a change of mind. I know we had already discussed it, but is there anybody else besides Councilwoman Thompson? I would love to go and I would love to advocate for the city and ask for money and ask for what we're looking for for the fire department, for first responders. However, my schedule just does not allow me to do so. So, it's just a little bit too long of a period. Okay, everybody else is good then. Council Knight.

Um, when I went to the when I attended the ribbon cutting for fire station 39, I did have a nice conversation with Senator Tom Wright. Um, because I knew at that time I wasn't going to be able to go. So, I did talk to him regarding the, you know, the need for a new fire station. Um, he did express that he is going to try to champion that for us. Okay. I also talked to uh representative uh Barnaby and um even though he said he doesn't represent us anymore that he is champion for a new fire station for us as well.

Excellent. So that's what I'm saying council. If we can do that that really helps a lot if you see them or if you make meetings with them I think it would really help a lot. And the other thing in talking with uh Deberry, in talking with Deberry, they said they did a lot of their lobbying themselves, but they didn't wait till legislative week to do it. They had appointments ahead of time and they talk with people ahead of time. So therefore, it wouldn't be so expensive on everybody because they do lobby with the legislators, but not necessarily at legislative week because that is mostly for league cities. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Okay. Moving on to uh city clerk report. Okay. Thank you. Uh city attorney report. Nothing to report, madame mayor. Uh happy new year everyone. Thank you. [clears throat] Happy new year. Happy new year.

Uh 10 new business. Any new business? Councilwoman Tamson. So, while uh Orange City has the community development like citizens academy, that kind of thing, I was looking into a program called CSA. It's children's savings programs and it's city-led. There are um many different uh nonprofits, local nonprofits that will work with cities. One of them, for instance, is called Eight Cents in a Jar and they are in Central Florida. And then also the National League of Cities, they also have a very wellorganized CSA program. So basically what it is is it it sets up children and it gives us as a city to lead it. It sets them up for education. Just to give you a few examples, um it just I'll give you a little I'll read this little bit for you because it really made an impact on me. It says, "For a city to remain economically stable and increasingly sus sophisticated job market, its workers must have post-secondary credentiing, allowing them to secure jobs that pay family sustaining wages. Additionally, employers take into consideration the education and skills of residents when considering relocating to an area. Children savings accounts assist increasing the number of low and moderate income children who receive post-secary credential or degree. CSAs are long-term savings or investment accounts that provide incentives to help children especially um those that are in low income and they build dedicated savings for post-secary education. It just goes on to say that re research shows and of course with um the National League of Cities and this eight cents in a jar, I'm sure there's many others out there. They've researched it and they've shown since 2013 that when a low to moderate income child has a savings account, even if that account holds less

than $500, she or he is three times more likely to enroll in college and four times more likely to graduate. Moreover, children with college savings have greater post-secary expectations and are more likely to see themselves as collegebound than children without that. So, it's a boosting and I just think that if we look into this, I've got some information for the city and I would like to just kind of put this initiative out there. It's a city-led program. There are, like I said, there are um agencies and there are partnerships that we can it wouldn't cost the city anything. It's just an initiative to get the children involved in their own futures and kind of get them more geared towards thinking outside of the box, not just tomorrow or the you know, looking at the games or what have you. So, that's what I'd like to do and I can work with you on the information if you need it.

Council, is would you like to bring that back for new business? Is a head nod? Absolutely. Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Any other new business? Yes, Council St.

Yes. Um I would like to bring back to council the um in kind that we're doing for the different organizations because what we're not really looking at with uh in kind when these these part people that have partnership with the city for so long the uh we're looking at our resident safety. We got to look at our resident safety and nobody I mean when the organization put on a event like for example the manity festival is coming up. They need our police protection. They need our uh fire protection. They need our public work assistance. These organizations have worked in partnership with Orange City longer than most people have been living. And so therefore, I would like to bring it back to council that whatever monies that manatee festival plays out for this event that the city reimburse them and do it at inind contributions, not have them pay for a service that they're serving our community. They're bringing revenue into our community. They're doing a lot of different things for our community. So therefore in order for us to protect protect to protect our residents I think we need to look at if someone go out there and say for example with the way the world is crazy now then nowadays and we don't have the correct police protection out there and somebody bring a gun and start shooting. You know a lot of our residents aren't going to be feeling safe and the people that's coming from all around to this manity festival they're not going to be feeling safe because we don't have the appropriate police protection. We don't have enough police protection. We don't have enough our fire department. If we have an ER, somebody out there and they fall out, have a heart attack or something. If we got ER emer I mean our

fire department out there, they're going to take care of those people. And this is what I'm looking at. The services is that inind services is not for the council. It's for our residents. It's for the people of Ern City to go out feel safe for people to come into Ern City feel safe. The revenue that they bring into the city is it's more than what we can care to discuss because we got hotels, we got restaurants, we have a lot. We have retail stores that they're going to participate in and I think we need to reconsider taking in kind away from these nonprofit organizations that has been working in partnerships. I can understand the monies. take the monies away, but let's not take the safety of our residents away. Please don't take the safety of our residents. That's all ours. Well, when you have a special event, you're supposed to pay for safety. That's part of the special event permit. Um so, um and that's anybody. Anyway, council, we were we were not supposed to discuss it now, so we'll go right to uh would you like to bring it back and we'll discuss it? to bring it back so we can discuss it and if they have to put anything out up front that they be reimbursed for it.

Okay. Council, would you like to bring it back on um on another discussion? Yes or no? Just do a head nod. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Any other new business? Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Okay. As the current vice mayor, I am representing all of the citizens of the city of Orange City, not just District 1. I have gotten emails from citizens of Orange City. I've also been met in person, in stores, even at work, and they're speaking about the comments that are not on the agenda. That's that's what the main thing was, just people talking about whatever. And I understand the First Amendment, right? They got to get their three minutes. But I have taken the liberty of speaking to a mayor from another city and heard what what they do and this is working for them and other cities in Florida. Okay. So I'd like to propose that we do a resolution at some point on our second meeting which is on the fourth Tuesday. We limit citizens comments to agenda items only. There's a lot of other cities in the state of Florida doing this and it's working for them. This way we can keep the city moving forward in a positive and timely manner.

Um Mr. Waters, can you touch on that before we decide? Oh, you did already. Sure. May I mad? Yeah. So, I I did meet with the vice mayor about this and uh it is correct many cities do have their second meeting of the month as a special meeting. Special meetings are limited to items on the agenda. So public comment would be limited to those agenda items. In order to accomplish that, you would have to do a resolution and to amend your rules of p your rules of uh procedure uh your board rules. Um so it it is doable. It is legal. So if if the council is so inclined, we could we could do that.

Okay. So would you all like to bring it back for discussion? Yes. Is that everybody? Yes. Okay. Any other new business?

Okay. That brings me into my new business and that was actually it's it's similar but not the same. Um the council rules and procedures. I asked if everybody had a copy tonight on the dis and I wanted to bring it back to see if we could tweak it a little bit like you're saying. um um and discuss it. So, if that could all be together, that would be great, that discussion to bring back. Um not just that one item, but you know, everything. Um is everybody okay with that? Yep. Okay. Anybody else?

And then the other new business item I have is uh about the Mr. Leillis. If we can discuss the e scooters um and see if we're gonna we can come up with some kind of if we could add ebikes to that as well. Okay, Christine, did you want to say so? Yeah.

Uh, that is currently under review and absolutely we can bring that back and it does include both ebikes and e- scooters, anything motorized. We currently have state statute that govern it, but it's pretty liberal. I we are watching Tallahassee. they are discussing them and there could be some um changes coming from them, but at this point there are other a area uh governments that have already made some changes. So, we're reaching out looking at what what else other municipalities and counties are doing and we'll be bringing it back. Okay. Thank you. Um I'd also like to add golf carts into that as well. We have golf carts.

We do in our neighborhood. They're riding all over the streets. So, just a discussion if that's okay with the council. We'll just kind of lump it all together. Everybody. Yeah. Okay. Okay. If there's no other new business, we'll move on to uh 11 approval minutes. We already did that. 12. Council and mayor's comments and reports. Vice Mayor, you want to go first? I think I said what I had to say tonight. Thank you. Okay. Counciloman Garms. No. Uh, no. I have nothing to offer at this point. Council Thompson.

So, I do have a couple of things that I wanted to make a comment about. It isn't necessarily new business and it's nothing that we need to revisit, but it piggybacks. It's kind of funny that we're all talking about these um the uh e- scooters because um as you mentioned the House bill and the Senate bill, there's two different bills out there right now where new legislation is being discussed that could further restrict class E3 ebikes and mandate specific rider education for ebike safety. And that may mean that there might have to be a permit if you have an ebike. I know we have a lot in our neighborhood and I know there's a lot of, you know, there's accidents, there's things like that. They're not reported as you mentioned. Um, and then also I noticed that it's on um Orange City Proud. I'm not or not Orange City Proud, excuse me. Um, it's on the um OC connect that there is uh the the tire amnesty day. Did do you do you post that? Thank you for doing that. Yeah, that was one of the things I wanted to come up with because I was looking at it Saturday. Uh the 24th of January, the Valuchia County Fairgrounds at 31 East New York Avenue in Dan, they are having a tire amnesty day. Anybody has any like used tires that they want to drop off. It's not for businesses. It's not for commercial and it's up to 20 tires off the rim. Um it's from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and it's being uh put on by valu.org mosquito control. So it kind of helps them, you know, in that regard. Tires create breeding grounds. [snorts] So that was all I had.

Okay. Councilwoman Richardson, no comment. Councilwoman Stafford. Yes, ma'am. I do.

Write it down because I don't want to forget anything. To my fellow council members, I write this letter with a heavy sense of responsibility and honesty. As elected officials, our duty is first and foremost the residents of Vern City. I must state plainly, I believe this council has failed them. This value is not rooted in a single vote or moment, but in a pattern that has been emerged over the last year. Too often, the concerns of our citizens, our residents, have been dismissed without being meaningfully addressed. Public input has been heard yet not reflected in our actions. Transparency has been discussed but not constantly practiced. Accountability has been promised but not upheld. Serious allegations have raised involving members of this council, including potential charter violations, sunshine law violations, and unethical conduct. These allegations include, but are not limited to, harassment, intimidation of city staff, communication between council members outside of the sunshine, and undisclosed personal and business relationships with employees of city contracted service providers. An attempt was made to terminate our city clerk at the request of the mayor, allegedly for failing to respond to an email confirming meeting details between the mayor and Tom Wright regarding the city legislative priorities. The mayor further attempted to blame the city clerk for the city failure to

receive approximate that $3 million that everybody keep talking about in funding during the most recent legislative session. This claim is so false. The city appropriation request was approved and included in the budget but was ultimately vetoed by Governor DeSantis. Last week when I was at a ribbon cutting, I spoke to some of the legislators that was there and ask the question, how can we get our bill as far as the desk and then get denied? It wasn't anything that it wasn't anything that the city did. Well, I could say they did do it because they said because of was concerned about our like professionalism when they were up at Tally Hazard and the disrespect that was displayed by the mayor during the time at capital at the Capitol. And I understand she wanted people to go and support her for whatever reason. But when we have allegedly from what I can understand from some of the people that were there was that our mayor was very disrespectful and argumentative to our legislators, some of our representative. And to say that she just bulleted her way through. I mean, someone from council, I mean, some of the rest uh citizens said in meeting last week, she bullied her way right on through. She bulleted her way right on through. And how can you be disrespectful for people that we're wanting money from when we can't humble oursel? And like you say,

we build a relationship with them, a positive relationship, not a negative. And so when we go before them, they know who we are and they take heed to what we're saying. And not only did they say you allegedly you did this who said that

that and I said allegedly, they said that you were disrespectful. You know what? Several people that I've spoken to from other cities spoke in that manner. and uh um the disrespect that you showed our our representative uh alongside other elected official and and mis mmissible staff from across the state. I've had several people calling me from different areas in Valuchia I mean in um the state of Florida and saying what in the world what did y'all do? what why did y'all why were you so why were you all so disrespectful to our representative and I was told him I wasn't there so I can't speak in that behalf but I do apologize if anybody was disrespectful and Mayor Mayor uh Mayor Kelly it was other staff that said that uh you were walking around the capitol building barefooted talking about your foot hurt when you you I mean this is this behavior is not being professional. I don't care what anyone said. That's not being professional. And it reflects poorly on our city. And hey, because we lost that $3 million contract uh that Dantis decided not to sign. You cannot put that on our city clerk. She did her job. She did it well. The former um mayor did got it as far as there. So, additionally, a majority of the council has allowed one members to inert influence over votes through discussions that occurred outside of public meetings in the direct conflict with the sunshine law requirements. Conduct observed on the diet strongly suggests communication occurring during occurring outside of publicly noticed meetings including coordinated questions and statements shared knowledge of

details not presented publicly pre-draft motions nonverbal clues and the routine dismissal of both public input and staff explanation. [snorts] I and if you can remember correctly, Mayor Kelly, when we were down in at our last conference, um if I'm not mistaken, it was it was waste pro that took us out to dinner that night. Not only us, they took out everyone that they had gotten into contract with. And me and my sister were sitting there and you turned around and you were so excited. You were so happy. You and Susan Dolan, the director of the community affairs and government relations when we're down there, you stated, "I told you you stick with me and I'll get you what you want." And you and Susan high five. Okay. This made me wondrous. So, okay. This interaction occurred shortly after the council approved an agreement with Waste Pro on July the 8th, 2025. For the sake of transparency, the sh the public should be aware that Miss Dolan has served for several years on the board of director of our two stories, Inc. and [clears throat] Carol currently serve as vice chair. This [snorts] raised important questions to that warrant public disclosure and review. Does the board of directors of this nonprofit vote of salary inc? Does the board of directors of this nonprofit vote on salaries increase? If so, did this relationship constitute a conflict of interest requiring disclosure and absentes of the vote of your voting on that city solid waste contract? Because if I'm not mistaken, anytime my sister bring her organization here, and that was during the time we had Bill as our

attorney, you would always turn to Bill and say, "Does she have a right to to vote?" And he would always say, "She's not part of the board. She doesn't receive a salary from there. She can vote." But did you look at yourself doing the same thing? That's just the question. Our resident expect leadership that is proactive, principled, and and curious. Leadership that confronts uncomfortable [snorts] truth rather than avoiding them. When truth between a governing body and the community it serves begin to erode, the damage is profound. Many residents, many residents feel unheard, dismissed or left behind. And we must expect accept responsibility for this reality because I can sit there and I can see it. I see it all the time. I have you removed. Our citizens have their right. They have paid their monies. that I what what really I'm very compassionate on this because I seen this lady this elderly lady she was sitting right there she had on a year yellow shirt and she was speaking out and because she did that you wanted to have her thrown out of this meeting I still see that lady sitting she begged because the police that came to remove her she said I apologize can I please stay because I have something that I must say that's that's a person that has been here in this city longer than you have been living probably. It wasn't fair for us to not respect the the desires of our residents who have that first amendment right. We've had had a partnership with Manity Fest, Sorosis Club, everybody somebody for more years than you have been here. And you continue to anytime anything is brought up about any of them. You always find a reason with the smile on your

face as to say, "Well, we can't do that right now. We'll bring it back. We'll do this. We'll do that." That's not fair to those people. They had a partnership. They weren't a business. They were it was a partnership that the city of Vern city and these organizations have had and for us not to be able to offer them the same partnership that we've had for all these years I feel is really unfair and we as a council is allowing this to happen. We as a council is not doing a due diligent job for our residents. We are not our residents. We cannot move forward by minimizing these concerns or defending the status quo. Instead, we must recommmit ourselves to ethical governance, open and lawful dialogue and discussion decision making that place the interest of earn residents above all else, especially above the personal vindictiveness of single council members. It's just not fair. If you if we are to restore public trust, if we as a council, not one individual, because I've had a lot of people tell me, "Well, would you consider running for mayor?" No, I would not. And to make it a matter of public record, I would never. I would never. It would take more than words to restore the public trust. It's going to take more than words of us saying, "Okay, okay, okay." It will require a meaningful change in how we listen, how we deliberate, and how we act. I believe we are capable of doing better, but only if we are willing to honestly acknowledge whether we have fallen short, and I don't know. I I know I I do what I I do the best that I can here. And I'm only one vote. And if each of you all realize that we are all only one vote and we are not directed by any individual person, uh you'll know that our residents

deserve better. And I would say this and I know he's not expecting it. But you know what, Mayor Marx, I would really, really appreciate if you would step aside and let our vice mayor take the take the the wheel and roll forward so our city can no longer sit back and not move forward. We have the tax property bill that's coming up that our residents don't know anything about it. We have a lot of other things that we need to do and we need to have someone in that seat that's not vindictive that has the entire city at heart that have the entire city and won't worry about what whether or not I'm black, white, green, or yellow. I'm out here to serve each and every last one of you all. And I don't understand where the statement would come that you have to watch out for Lisa Stafford because she always pulling the black card. You've told other council members that I don't know what color a black card is. I don't have one. I see people as a whole. I don't have a black card to pull on anyone. We all are. We all are here to serve our residents. And I'm not emotional, but I am passionate about this city. It's eight generations of uses here. See, you didn't know that when you were making those statements. We have we have put our blood, sweat, and tears in this city. And it means something. It's a passionate meaning to me, the city of Orange City. So I and like I said, I would I would love it, but if not, we'll work together, but I would love it if you would move aside and let our vice mayor become mayor. Thank you.

It's not going to happen. Council,

please say it again. out of here. Byebye.

I'm sorry, Councilwoman Knight. That's okay. I know the last couple of council meetings have been very, for lack of a better word, wild. Challenging.

Very challenging. But thank you. Um, there was the the I think we we all know what started started it, but we need to move forward somehow. I don't know how we're going to do this. Um, Kelly has made it, Mayor Kelly has made it very clear she has no plans of stepping down. And with knowing that, we've got to figure out a way forward. When we walk in those doors right there, I don't care how you think about me or how you feel about me or each other. You check it at the door. Check it at the door. We have a collective job to do. And if we can't get along and stay undivided instead of getting into little groups to chitchat and not talking to other people, that shows a division in the council and it shows the citizens and it shows the world that's watching YouTube that we're divided as a council and that needs to come to a stop. We need to step up together and figure out a way to move forward. When we walk in, we need to speak to each other. You may not want to be my friend outside this council anymore. Okay? But we still need to be cordial. We still need to say hi. And when somebody does a good gesture, don't get asked why. It was hurtful. I have no ill will towards anyone up here. Nobody.

I've been hurt. But I have no ill will because that's how I am. But we need to figure out a way to move forward together and we need to do it professionally. We need to make sure there's no favoritism shown. We need to make sure that we don't single out any individual council members and treat them separately or differently than we do other members. And that goes for all of us. I'm not just speaking to you, okay? It goes for all of us. We need to make sure we do that. When I got on this council, that's what the expectation was and that's what we thought it it was going to be. But because there's been some disagreements, it's changed and we need to get back to it. We all have a common goal. We love Orange City. We want to do what's best for Orange City and for their citizens, right? For our city and city staff. all of the game playing that's happening out on social media and the emails that have been sent from made up email addresses. And mind you, I'm in technology, so I can trace those IP addresses to find out where they're coming from. So, whoever's responsible for it, I want you to keep something in mind. There's falsities in those emails about our new city manager, about the interim assistant city manager. And some of that personal information that's been put in those emails and shared with various random citizens can be considered slander. Mhm.

So when everybody decides they want to file a lawsuit against people for slander, keep that in mind because you can get it yourself. And if nobody else will step up to do it, I will step up to do it. If it doesn't stop, enough is enough. We are all adults and we need to start acting like adults. Council member Thompson once said she gets tired of the pettiness. Yet here we are. All of us.

Not me. Not you. Not you. Not you. All of us. It's got to stop. If it doesn't, we're not going to be able to take care of city business the way we need to take care of city business. And we need to focus on that. But we need to make sure that we no longer show division among the council. That needs to stop. I don't care if you got to pray about it because Lord knows I have prayed about it and prayed about it and prayed about it and I pray about it before every council meeting that we can all come in here and smile at each other and say hello. We may walk out that door and you may not want nothing to do with me. I may not want nothing to do with you. Who knows? But what I'm saying is we got to be cordial cuz if we don't try to get along, what good are we? We going to be working against each other, right? And I want to see us come back together. That's what we need to do going forward because we love our city. We all love our city or we wouldn't be sitting up here. So, we need to do what we got to do. [clears throat] And that's I'm pleading with all of you to do that. So, that's the end of that speech. My next question is I've had a couple of people ask, plus I was curious myself, why did we have a videographer and a court reporter at our last council meeting?

Because I chose to. I have an attorney and I have legal things going on with some people that have attacked me, my character and things. So, it's personal. Okay. Let me finish, please. Sorry. Was a bill for those services sent to the city? No, it's personal. Yes, ma'am. was a was a bill for the court reporter sent to the city by accident and it was fixed. Okay, that's what I need to know. Thank you. That was

And how did you know? How did you know that a bill was sent to the city? Somebody told me. Who's somebody? This is This is what's going on here. Okay, put it out there. But the thing is, I'll put a stop to that when I talk to that person again. Well, it would be better if you put a stop to it right now because this is what's going on with the council. This is asking me to call citizens out and I don't think that's right. Okay, that's fair enough. I'm just I I know if I came to you with something as a citizen, I wouldn't want you to call me out. Fair enough. Just leave my personal business out of city business. Thank you. But I will I will I will deal with that. Okay.

I will deal with it. Um, I noticed that at the the last lady that got up and read the letters, I noticed that you took photos of those citizen comment sheets. May I ask why? Yes, you can ask why. It doesn't mean I have to answer though. [laughter] I just think that that would break the public's trust thinking that maybe it's public record. It's going to be on public record. Okay. Everybody can see it. Okay. I was just curious. I just noticed it. So, it's litigation. That's why. Okay. There's things going on. Okay. I understand that.

Which my attorney is sitting in the front row. I'm very aware of that. All right. Hold on one minute. Are you still going because I don't want to Christine's raising her hand. No. And I Please don't take those as me coming after you. I seriously had some questions and I f I would love to answer. So, that's fine. But going forward, I'd like to see us all come together. Me, too. Christine, can I ask Miss Knight why she looked to me when she asked about that invoice? Because I do believe there's some concern that maybe it was me and I would just like for the record. I would like for the record for you to let them know that you and I have not had a conversation about that invoice. I will tell you it was not a conversation with Christine.

Thank you. Thank you for verifying that because I was kind of I can't believe I saw that look. I understand it was likely. Sorry, I didn't mean to apply. Well, I figured you might be looking at me because I'm the city manager, but that wasn't what was perceived. I don't believe so. No, I just didn't know if you would have an answer to that question. I would have had an answer, but but no, I did not mean to imply it was Christine. It was definitely a citizen. Okay.

So, I will I will approach that and deal with it. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, I have a little bit to cover here. I'm going to answer some questions and I'm going to verify some things. First of all, um, Councilwoman Stafford, you talk about you want to, uh, you want this council to get things done and we want to go get money and go to Tallahassee, but all you do is continue to tear me down and and like Councilwoman Knight said, [snorts] we we should be coming together here and getting city business done. For example, that allegation with Susie Dolan is false. Okay, that was not said. What was said was when we went to dinner and we all [snorts] sat at the same table and we rushed in to get a table and I know Councilwoman Knight was sitting right there and you came up and you said, "Oh, you didn't save me a seat cuz I'm black." Remember that? And Councilwoman Knight was very upset and she actually started to cry. Okay, so that's what we're talking about. Colors. I don't see colors. Okay. Secondly, when you said that um [snorts] the cit the citizens said I bullied them through and through. If [snorts] anybody looks on social media, I haven't said anything. I said happy new year. I gave everybody a perfect mayor marks with an AI because they love to make fun of my my hair, my teeth, whatever it may be. Happy New Year everybody. Oh, don't I look good? Happy New Year from your mayor because that's what I do. I do positive messages. I have not attacked anybody on social media. None. I haven't done it. Everybody else has attacked Mayor Marks. Okay. And I've been taking it for two years now from the select group that you're talking about. Okay. There is at least three council members on here that are involved in the village

improvement association. Okay. Which is part of these people that are in the audience. That's one of the groups. Okay. Which that may be a conflict of interest. Just so you know. I stepped down from there. I'm not on there anymore. Okay. But that's almost all the council. Okay. I I don't I know there's three confirmed. I'm not sure if Lisa Marie is on there and I'm not going to It doesn't matter. The point is is that this council is allowing people to come in and attack your mayor. We are supposed to be working together here. When we talk about Tallahassee, Mr. Senator Wright won't answer my calls or my emails now because of that. Okay. He stepped down from my board. I lost five board members on my personal nonprofit, which is not city business. That's fine. I can take that. There's been many damages to me as a person, and that's why I have an attorney in the audience. Okay, let's talk about Tallahassee. Tallahassee. I um Kaylee had made meetings for me. She did not answer the email for Senator Tom Wright. No, it's not her fault. He said, "Well, let me tell you something. I made the meeting with Senator Tom Wright because I knew him and I begged him. I said, "Please, will you see me because we really need this money for the fire department and that's what and the police department." And I said to him, "Can you fit me in?" I drove back in an Uber to the hotel. Then he called me and said, "Okay, I can fit you in." I had to go back to the cap. So, I I busted my butt talking to all of those legislators. And if you want to talk about other cities, I went in and rallied and advocated for the for Valuchia County, for the League of Cities. And you can ask uh Ponlet, D, the land, all of them. I was in there with them and we rallied for home rule. And also, when we went in to talk, I was very professional. So, if you have

somebody that says that I wasn't and they were there, I would love to know who that was because I am sick and tired of all the allegations that you hear on this council, don't believe everything you hear because it's false. It's false. All of these things that people are saying against me are false. Okay? But if you want to believe it, that's fine. But don't bring that business up here to the city council when we're trying to do city business because we would have been done an hour ago if we didn't have to talk about this nonsense. Okay? We need to pull together as a group and and and and do city business, right? So, yes, it was vetoed. It was vetoed. It made it all the way to the governor. You're welcome. I'm the one that busted my butt to go to talk to all those legislators. Back and forth. Back and forth. Kayle's the one that set up the other meetings. Okay? So, I'm going to give her some credit for that because she did set up some of the meetings. She failed on that last meeting. And that was my point. Senator Wright and and and Representative Gentry were our people that we needed to rally the most to get that money. We did get to it did get to the governor, but then the governor vetoed it. That happens to all cities, okay? So, we didn't get it. And that could happen again this year or the following year. You don't know. It happens. But the point is is I did everything I could and I was professional and I never took my shoes off. So, I don't know what you're talking about. As you see, I always dress very professionally and I have shoes on. Okay, so these are silly allegations. Please do not believe them because they're ridiculous. Have a little more faith than your mayor who has worked very hard here on the council for seven years as a council member. Okay, there I've done a lot of things for this city. I have went out and met with residents at their home, at their jobs. I said, you know what? I look around and see the progress that I made with the councils that I've been with and I'm proud of it and you guys, you

are too, I'm sure. But there's residents out there that have it out for me. And they've been in this audience for months and they're very mouthy and I'm tired of it. And that's why we're going to we got our act together tonight. And I'm proud to say that we may have to uh throw people out. But let me tell you something. If you read your council rules and procedures, I'm doing my job. I'm read I'm doing Robert's rules of order. I'm I'm keeping the quorum because that's my job to keep the quorum. Okay? So when you wanna you want to put me under the bus, I'm going to tell you that I'm doing my job. I'm not leaving. I'm sorry, Vice Mayor. You're a great vice mayor and he does do backup things for me, but I'm not handing the gavvel to him. And like Councilwoman Knight said, let's move on. Are we going to keep doing this for months and months and months? because it gets old and people are gonna stop watching after everything we did to get a video. They're gonna stop watching because they're tired of it, you know, and then we have people that want to come to the meetings and they're tired of it. They don't want to be in this drama. They want to see what we're doing in the city. So, stop the nonsense. Mr. Hwitt, thank you for coming in and and expressing those things because those are things that I fought for in the past and it and it it just got passed by. The council has to pay attention to what we're making decisions on when it came to the money. If you don't have the money, that's fine. I would never want to put that burden on you. You know, we had the money. That's what I'm saying. Pay attention. We had $10,000 in there to go to Tallahassee and we passed that. And I don't even know where we're I don't know where we left off on that to be honest with you because she's saying she wants to go now, Councilman Darmms, but we would have to make a motion on that because that's money, right? So, I was thinking about that. you can you just say okay because we did not vote on that. We voted on she was going to pay $1,000.

The money's in the budget so I don't need any a further motion. I will work with um council member Darmms to see what her end decision is. Okay. So, and then I want to touch on um and now we're going to Yes.

Let me go into let's talk about the allegation of me offering. First it was $10 and now it's a $100 to a a a child in here. I did not invite him. Okay. I did not say anything to him except for yes, you can fill out a pink slip. I have learned a lesson that I will not let a child speak without a parent here ever again. Okay? Because I don't think that was smart. That's a learning curve for me as a new mayor. But that allegation is serious and that's why I have an attorney because that is not true. And if you can't prove it, then you should not be allegating it. Okay? That is not a good look for the mayor to offer somebody $10 or $100 or $50. I don't know what it is. The story keeps changing. Okay? That mother should have known where her kid was. That's her problem, not mine. But he was here. He was here and he spoke and he was wonderful. I thought he was wonderful. I did not tell him anything to say. I thought he brought the whole crowd up. Everybody was like, "That's what you you know, he's telling the adults, come on, you're you're adults." And he was 150% right. But the but the bottom line is is that I did not do that. I will say it over and over again. Prove it because I did not do it. And uh I just want you to know that. And then also, um,

the other thing I want to say is let's [clears throat] talk about Tara James since we're all since we're gonna we're gonna nip that in the bud. Okay. This is the truth. I gave you all copies tonight so you can see it. So there's no question about it. Okay. And point of order. Point of order. Mayor announce. Oh, I have the floor. Just give me a minute to finish. Okay.

But it's not city business. You just told me it's not city business. he was here in the comments and I have a right to um come clean on this. I want everybody to know the truth so we can nip this in the bud. It's over. Okay? And there's a reason for this. Okay? I will be quick. The bottom line is is this our two stories backpack buddies DBA was incorporated September 5th, 2019. November 3rd. November 3rd, I added I added another person, Robert Emer, to the to the articles of incorporation. If you look at the articles of incorporation, it says, I highlighted it for you. The registered incorporator is Kelly Anne Marx. That's me. It's not her. Okay? I added her on as vice president because I thought she was going to be a good person to help me with that nonprofit. Okay. Some things happened and I didn't want her on it anymore. It wasn't good. I'm not going to get into it. So, I removed her and you'll see that on another one on another uh exhibit. Then you're going to see that she resigned and she resigned on February 8th, 2020. Does everybody realize it's 2026? She was only with me for a few months. Okay, so I wanna I want to make it clear that yes, I did start this and she was with me. She was not the president. She She quit. Okay, I kicked her out and then she quit. I do have witnesses, but the point is is that there's no reason to talk about this anymore because Backpack Buddies is five years old and it's booming and she had nothing to do with it and she's upset. My point in the story is it's a

disgruntled citizen that wants to gum at the mayor and it's not happening. Okay, that's why there's a cease and desist letter and you all know that because it's been made public record to everybody in this dis. Okay, so I want to make that clear. Not city business. Not bringing it up ever again. Want you to know the truth. I am coming clean letting everybody know the truth that yes, she was with me when I started and she is not with me anymore. Okay. And so move on from that. We are done with citizens comments. Okay. Let's see. Next thing, the ghetto comment. I'm sure the press would like to hear this, so I'm going to put it out there. If you read those comments between myself and our previous vice mayor, Alex Tamson, who has passed away now, it said in there, "The city wants me to give an award to Sharon Stafford and they want me to call it a super shiouro award. That's ghetto." He says, "That's disgusting. That's ghetto." He did not call her ghetto. He did not call one person ghetto. He said that's ghetto that the city wants me to call her super Shiro. I want to make that clear that not one person was called ghetto. It was the city wanted him to do that and he thought that was ghetto. So let's make this clear. Alex Thompson is not ghetto.

I mean not ghetto. Not racist. Sorry. And I am not racist. I judge by character and not color. Let me go back to the fourth of July. Okay. Let's talk about the black card. The 4th of July, Sharon Stafford wanted to uh sell sell alcohol at the fireworks. She set up a tent and Dale Arrington came over to me and said, "Houston, we got a problem." That was her exact words. She had away with words like that. And she and I said, "What's the matter?" And she said, "Sharon does not have her insurance." And I said, 'Well, then you need to shut her down because it's a liability for the city. She says, 'I can't do that. Why not?' She goes, I can't do that. I'm afraid. I'm afraid. Yeah, she might pull the black card on me. And I said, I don't care what color she is. Purple, pink, white, black, whatever. Go do your job. And she did. She went over and she said, and I said, Hold up a minute. I said, "Tell Sharon that. Give her at least an hour cuz she said she had the uh insurance at home." I said, "Give her an hour to go get it cuz she's setting up and we want her to sell the the alcohol, you know, give her give her time to get it because she said she has it." She says, "Okay." An hour later, she didn't have it and she tore down and I'm sorry about that. But the bottom line is is Dale Arrington was always afraid on my watch to say anything. And that's why I brought that up because no longer is that going to be a thing. The black card. We are all people. You always say unity in the community. I have helped Sharon Stafford and her organization over the years. We should help each other. Stop tearing each other down. Stop talking about colors. Let's just get together here and get some stuff done and help the community. Knock

off the nonsense. There's no public comment right now. I'm sorry. You call my name. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Please have a seat. this. I have the floor right now and I gave everybody else a chance to talk to be fair, but I want you to know my side of the story because I have been quiet. I haven't said anything. I've been putting up with a lot of stuff for months, for years of my campaign from these select groups and I am done. Okay? So, I am not going to back down. And madame mayor, I'd like to make a statement on what you said. I'm not done. Okay. Give me a second. I'm sorry.

So, now that we know we're clear with that, the last thing on a positive note, I'd like to end on a positive note is uh first of I want to say thank you, Justin. You're doing a great job. I have heard so much good things about you. It's it's a it's a um a breath of fresh air, I have to say. So, I'm so happy that you hired him and thank you. I I really think you're doing a good job. I wanted to point that out.

The last thing is um I want to thank the city manager um Christine. She sent over her assistant uh city manager to go to the schoolboard meeting tonight. And that's why I wanted Tom Huitt to hang out to hear this. Um and I wanted to comment on that. When that happened a couple years ago, I missed it and I apologize for that. And I when I found out I missed it, I was I was pretty upset because I I really really love that school too, Orange City Elementary. And I put a lot of time into it. So when we heard, you know, as a sta the staff, everybody, we started working on it, whether it was Joe or Christine and, you know, we tried to go over there and meet with them and that and you know all that story. But tonight they I said I wanted to go to a schoolboard meeting and actually speak to them and let them know that we know what's going on. We had this discussion about the school and how they want to they want to they want to keep the land. So we can't move the building. We discussed this. It would fall apart. And we talked about saving a piece of it and putting it in one of the parks and and memorializing it and having a excuse me, having a viewing for the residents to go in, take pictures on the steps and uh you know the families that all went through there, which there's many um and and just remember it one more time before they tear it down. And so this letter was written um by the staff and uh um the assistant city manager went and read it to the school board tonight on the three minutes. And so I just wanted you all to hear it to know what how we were represented and what we were saying and it says member of Valuchia County School Board, thank you for the opportunity to speak today and for the work you do on behalf of our students and families. I apologize for not being with you in person tonight as I have a council city council meeting that begins

at 6:30. I'm here not just to talk about a building, but about memories, identity, and a shared sense of place. This school has stood as a witness to generations of children learning, growing, and becoming members of the this community. For many families, it represents first friendships, inspiring teachers, and milestones that help shape our lives. When a building like this is lost, we don't just lose bricks and mortar. We lose a physical connection to our collective past. First, if preservation is not possible and demolition must move forward, we ask to allow the community an opportunity to walk through the building one last time. This would give former students, teachers, and families the chance to reflect, say goodbye, and preserve memories before the building is gone. Second, at a minimum, we ask that a portion of the historic entrance be preserved and allow the city to relocate it to a public park or an open space. Saving and displaying this architectural element would create a lasting symbol of remembrance, a place where stories can continue to be shared and where future generations can understand what once stood here. We recognize the difficult decisions before you. We are simply asking that history, memory, and community be part of that decision. Thank you for listening and for considering a path forward that honors both progress and the past. Sincerely, Kelly Marks, Orange City mayor. So, I just want you to know that we even though I didn't go there, thank you. He went and he he he read this into the record so they know how we feel. We're really at a we're at a place right now where we can't change it. It's their land. they get they have to say they're going to tear it down and the only thing we can do is salvage the memory and have the residents see it and have that piece in the park maybe that we hope for. So I wanted you to know that. So to end my comments when you when you

hear these things about Mayor Marks you might want to ask me first because they're mostly I'm going to say they're all not true. Okay? And I can prove them. So, if you have anything that you want, please, but don't, of course, obviously, we're not going to talk city business, but if it's personal, I have an attorney now. You can talk to her. Okay. So, that's my statement. I hope I I answered some questions for the public, for the council, and uh we just uh I do have a question though. Okay. Marks because like you said with BIA with VIA, Yeah. You have three people that's members, but you sat on that board also for you said you've been on council for seven years. That's right.

You decided I was not on the VIA for seven years, but yes, you were on VIA for however many, however long from the time you were city council. One person does not The other thing is The other thing, please allow me to finish. Please allow me to finish your statement. you and um it was mimics that you all put on there and thought it was so funny and when you threw those tennis shoes over that wire that was wishing death on I don't know when you do that you wish death on I don't know if it was me and my sister or on my community you threw those and you thought that was ha

that wasn't for you or your sister you're not listening to what I said that was for this city Kelly please please please Don't. Okay, we're not going to argue.

Please don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining. That's one thing that I'mma ask of you. The other thing is everything that's been coming up, everything that was brought up and everything, Kelly, you initiated it. Now you're the victim. You always do that. You always initiate something and then all of a sudden when people start pushing back, you become the victim. And it's not fair to our residents. The the victim is the the residents of city and that 11year-old boy. Those are the only those are the only two victims that we have here now.

Okay. Well, one last statement. You have your right to your comments, of course, and you can say that I'm not that I I act like the victim, but if you want to see DCF came to my house, people running me off the road. Um, my emails are blowing up saying I'm all kind all kinds of names. My phones are ringing off the hook. My business is being affected. Let's talk about victim. Okay. Young lady right over there, our county uh city clerk, and she is a working mother that has to provide for her kids. Okay. You brought that whole thing in here and wanted to terminate her. So, this is what I'm talking about.

So, what are you talking about, Kelly? You start things and you want to become the victim and it's not fair to our residents. Okay. With that being said, so you can end the meeting for tonight. I've got one other Yeah, thanks. Go ahead.

So, um I just wanted to make mention that I am going to my first opioid advisory board meeting. I'm going instead of uh Chief Ronnie Long, so I'm looking forward to that. It's in Daytona. I don't know if this means that going forward that I'm going to do it. I'm his alternate, but I'm looking forward to it to see what kind of information they have to impart and I'll bring that back to the next council meeting. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay, so hopefully we can get back to city business and stop bringing up old news and uh let's get some work done. Council, I just need a motion to adjurnn. Motion we adjourn the meeting. I second. Got a motion. got a second.