Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 - Ms. Apples Crab Shack and Doc's Bait HouseBrevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal _ : - - Page 1 of 8 *C. Lease Assumption Agreements, Re: �frls. Apples Crab Shac{lan Doc's Bait House ' April 6, 2010 9:00 AM ---Adopted Ernie Brown, Natural Resources Management Director, stated the Item before the Board today is Step 3, possibly Step 4, of a multiple -step process as it relates to the acquisition of a Commercial Fisheries Working Waterfront, under the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Grant. He stated in May 2009 the Board voted unanimously to approve and accept the Florida Communities Trust Grant, which is the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Contract, which opened the door for the County to pursue the property; in February 2010 the Board approved the Option Agreement to actually enter into those negotiations and close on the property; last month the Board approved staff to move forward on a grant with the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to further assist in that acquisition; and the end result was that the funding was in place and would be coming from State revenues, MIRA (Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency) revenues, and potentially, the FIND revenues, for the acquisition. He stated as committed in May 2009, the lease agreements were to come back to the Board for ratification; before the Board today are those two commercial fishery operations that currently operate on site; staff is asking the Board to consider the assumption of those leases as currently operating; and there are many details in those leases. He stated the operative leases are now five -year leases-, under the existing terms of those leases the original leases that the private entities had established were a five -year lease with two automatic five -year renewals, which equated to a 15 -year arrangement; the MIRA Board and the Board of County Commissioners expressed concern about a 15 -year commitment to existing operators; staff went back to those tenants and landlords and gave them that information; and they voluntarily revised their leases to be a five -year lease with options to renew at the landlord's discretion thereafter. He advised, what that allows the County to do is to provide for a five -year transitional planning period in which there is actual revenue coming in from the property to be able to maintain the property, and appropriately plan and prepare for the transition to what staff believes will be a phenomenal commercial fisheries operation in Brevard County, which would be open to the pubic and provide support to the existing commercial fisheries in Brevard County. He stated there is one, five -year arrangement; the existing leases would be honored onsite; and there will be revenue coming in sufficient to cover the expenses of that project. Joe Spaziani stated he represents the Island Pointe Homeowners Association, which has 185 units, and approximately 350 to 400 residents; and the Homeowners Association is in favor of the Blue Crab Cove acquisition. He stated he would like to talk about the improvements the residents of Island Pointe have done to the area that he calls the entrance to Merritt Island; residents have gone to planting saltwater plants for all of their plants; and being good neighbors and citizens is important in these economic times. He stated he would like to thank Code Enforcement for helping Island Pointe residents with the property to the north of the condominium; Code Enforcement helped to get rid of five trailers that were abandoned, along with four abandoned structures; the entrance to Merritt Island is important to the residents of Island Pointe; even the Aladdin Hotel has been refurbished-, and Wiggles has been repainted. He stated some of the considerations brought up by the residents of Island Pointe were that in these economic times, the dollars expended in a depressed economy give the ability to do extraordinary things-, six years ago, the land in question was appraised at over http: /ibrevardcountyfl.igm2.com/ Citizens /Detail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID = 1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Vote Results Meeting 4/6/2010 9:00 AM Robin Fisher Seconder Yes /Aye Chuck Nelson Initiator Yes /Aye Trudie Infantini Voter No /Nay Mary Bolin Voter Yes /Aye Andy Anderson Voter No /Nay April 6, 2010 9:00 AM ---Adopted Ernie Brown, Natural Resources Management Director, stated the Item before the Board today is Step 3, possibly Step 4, of a multiple -step process as it relates to the acquisition of a Commercial Fisheries Working Waterfront, under the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Grant. He stated in May 2009 the Board voted unanimously to approve and accept the Florida Communities Trust Grant, which is the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Contract, which opened the door for the County to pursue the property; in February 2010 the Board approved the Option Agreement to actually enter into those negotiations and close on the property; last month the Board approved staff to move forward on a grant with the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to further assist in that acquisition; and the end result was that the funding was in place and would be coming from State revenues, MIRA (Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency) revenues, and potentially, the FIND revenues, for the acquisition. He stated as committed in May 2009, the lease agreements were to come back to the Board for ratification; before the Board today are those two commercial fishery operations that currently operate on site; staff is asking the Board to consider the assumption of those leases as currently operating; and there are many details in those leases. He stated the operative leases are now five -year leases-, under the existing terms of those leases the original leases that the private entities had established were a five -year lease with two automatic five -year renewals, which equated to a 15 -year arrangement; the MIRA Board and the Board of County Commissioners expressed concern about a 15 -year commitment to existing operators; staff went back to those tenants and landlords and gave them that information; and they voluntarily revised their leases to be a five -year lease with options to renew at the landlord's discretion thereafter. He advised, what that allows the County to do is to provide for a five -year transitional planning period in which there is actual revenue coming in from the property to be able to maintain the property, and appropriately plan and prepare for the transition to what staff believes will be a phenomenal commercial fisheries operation in Brevard County, which would be open to the pubic and provide support to the existing commercial fisheries in Brevard County. He stated there is one, five -year arrangement; the existing leases would be honored onsite; and there will be revenue coming in sufficient to cover the expenses of that project. Joe Spaziani stated he represents the Island Pointe Homeowners Association, which has 185 units, and approximately 350 to 400 residents; and the Homeowners Association is in favor of the Blue Crab Cove acquisition. He stated he would like to talk about the improvements the residents of Island Pointe have done to the area that he calls the entrance to Merritt Island; residents have gone to planting saltwater plants for all of their plants; and being good neighbors and citizens is important in these economic times. He stated he would like to thank Code Enforcement for helping Island Pointe residents with the property to the north of the condominium; Code Enforcement helped to get rid of five trailers that were abandoned, along with four abandoned structures; the entrance to Merritt Island is important to the residents of Island Pointe; even the Aladdin Hotel has been refurbished-, and Wiggles has been repainted. He stated some of the considerations brought up by the residents of Island Pointe were that in these economic times, the dollars expended in a depressed economy give the ability to do extraordinary things-, six years ago, the land in question was appraised at over http: /ibrevardcountyfl.igm2.com/ Citizens /Detail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID = 1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 2 of 8 $6 million; and it is amazing that the Board is getting the property for the price it is getting today. He stated when adding the MIRA money, the lease agreements, and the grant, he believes there is a wonderful opportunity for perpetuity with the entrance to Merritt Island; the commercial fishery does away with any condominium expansion or hotel expansion on that piece of property; and it also helps the efforts to improve the aesthetics of the area. He stated Island Pointe residents are excited about the future for the community; and the residents would appreciate the Board voting yes on the item. Maureen Rupe, President of Partnership for a Sustainable Future, stated the Partnership supports the execution of agreements to assume the existing leases on the proposed Blue Crab Cove property; knowing the history of Blue Crab Cove, the financial aid being received from various State agencies, and the overwhelming support from the State legislature and Brevard citizens, it does not make sense to not agree to the lease agreements; the Board's denial could be detrimental to the County's redevelopment agencies, for Brevard County grants, and the overall health of the County's economy; and the Partnership urges the Board to vote for the agreements. Tony Sasso stated approximately four years ago, one of the main issues in Brevard County was growth management; things have changed a little bit since then; and he looks forward to that being a problem again in the future. He stated people are now talking about economic issues; a working waterfront is a multi - million dollar industry for the community; but he would rather talk about something a little more personal; and stated he had the opportunity to work with Stan Mayfield, whom the working waterfront is named after. He stated when he was in Tallahassee he got a chance to work with Mr. Mayfield; he was a fiscal conservative, but he also had a unique sense of history and legacy; he was a wonderfully warm and gracious person; and Mr. Mayfield appointed him to the Environment and Natural Resources Council, which is a step up from Committee. He stated the Council was working on the Clean Ocean at the time, which he had been pushing very hard; Mr. Mayfield picked that bill up and ran it; and when it came time to pass it at the Council level, Mr. Mayfield turned it over to him as his bill. He stated he turned the bill back over to Mr. Mayfield; and the bill was passed. He stated when the issue of working waterfronts come up, both he and Mr. Mayfield were in strong agreement about what they were trying to do; and it is was exactly this parcel and what they wanted to do with the program. He stated he knows in government it is always difficult to negotiate land prices in public; the Sunshine Laws works in wonderful ways sometimes, but sometimes it does not; but it is part of what government does; he does not think that should ever hold government back from doing what it knows needs to be done for the long term; and the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront is one of those. He stated he and Mr. Mayfield worked for the program because they both knew that Florida's history is very important; growing up, he remembers working waterfronts in Brevard County; he and Mr. Mayfield both wanted that for their children; and it is a legacy to leave behind for the children of Brevard County. He stated all of the economic issues, as important as they are, the emotional impact is also important; most residents will not disagree with the Board voting in support of the request; and he asks that the Board vote yes, as it will honor Mr. Mayfield's memory. Courtney Barker, City of Titusville, stated the City was notified yesterday afternoon that the May 4, 2009 Clerk of Courts report was added to today's Agenda Item; in that report it discusses the City of Titusville's CRA's (Community Redevelopment Agency) financial situation; when the report was created in February 2009, the City Manager had submitted a letter to the Board discussing the errors in the report; and unfortunately, the report of May 4, 2009 still had errors. She stated she wanted to go on record that the City of Titusville still disputes the figures in the report; the City does not believe the report shows the financial situation of the City's CRA; unfortunately, the City was notified that the report was going to be under discussion on this Agenda Item; and she is present to correct any errors in the report and to answer questions from the Board regarding the City of Titusville's CRA http: //brevardcountyfl.igm2.com/ Citizens /Detail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID =1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal financial situation. Page 3 of 8 Commissioner Infantini stated she would like to apologize if the City of Titusville's response was incorporated into another edition of the CRA Audit Report; it was herself and her staff that put together this version of the report; the report was to bring light to all of the CRA's, and not the City of Titusville's in particular; the report was just to bring out where the funding comes from; and if the incorrect edition was submitted, she apologizes. Ms. Barker stated she has the City's original letter that she can submit to Commissioner Infantini, so she can have that information. Sue Nisbet - Lawrence stated as a second - generation native Merritt Islander, she comes before the Board today to be a part of the discussion to finalize the details for the purchase of the property most recently called Blue Crab Cove. She advised, she currently chairs the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency; MIRA is comprised of hard working, dedicated business people who care deeply for Brevard County and Merritt Island; MIRA board members work for less than most public servants, which is nothing; MIRA spends many hours studying the issues at hand and making major decisions monthly concerning tax dollars for projects, improvements to the environment, and to the redevelopment area specifically. She stated MIRA is concerned with using every nickel wisely; MIRA does not come to decisions easily without a great deal of study, discussion, and thought; MIRA has been in existence for many years and has accomplished many worthwhile projects, from revamping major sewer systems to cleaning the waterways, to road safety, to park beautification, and to creating an inviting atmosphere to the community; and MIRA is currently without debt, and it will work diligently to manage the funds to stay that way. She stated the purchase of the property in question and the finalization of the details concerning the lease seems to her, as a business person for over 35 years, to be a no- brainer; the County has the opportunity to own a working waterfront, with income included, that just happens to be the gateway to Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral; and the County gets the opportunity at no expense to the citizens. She stated as has been discussed many times by Mr. Brown, 65 percent of the funds will come from the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Grant that Mr. Sasso spoke of; the other 35 percent would come from MIRA. She stated if the Board does not take the opportunity, then Brevard County will lose that funding from the Working Waterfront Grant, and another county will win that opportunity. She stated as a member of the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency, she would ask that the Board make the investment for the County today and validate the efforts of MIRA, which it established, as the Agency works for the Board with great pride. Roger Dobson stated he was the District 2 Commissioner when MIRA was formed; and he served as MIRA's first Chairman. He stated the Board at that time had a reason for forming MIRA; S.R. 520 was being widened at the time; it was an opportunity to put in some infrastructure; and since then, the District has been expanded two times; and he thinks MIRA has achieved its purpose. He stated he also comes to the Board as a friend of the tenants, Ms. Apples Crab Shack and Doc's Bait House; the tenants will represent the community well in their dealings; his step- father was a mullet fisherman and he is reminded of how he used to unload the boats; and he would encourage the Board to vote in favor of the project. Rochelle Lawandales stated she serves as the consulting director for the Rockledge Community Redevelopment Agency and is the current President of the Florida Redevelopment Association. She stated she is here to answer questions or address any issues that might come up later in the Board's discussions, based on Commissioner Infantini's addition to the Item; she will not take up time by telling the Board all of the great things that CRA's do; and each Commissioner has a good understanding of the CRA's in their Districts. She stated as a group, the CRA's were delighted to meet with the Commissioners, and hopes to continue that tradition; and the CRA's would love the opportunity to meet with the Commissioners again to let them have an opportunity to see firsthand http:// brevardcountyfl. igm2. com ICitizensIDetail_Motion.aspx? Frame = Video &MeetingID = 1015 &Minute... l l /l /2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 4 of 8 from each CRA what is going on within the CRA's across the County. Tom Norwood stated he presently holds the lease on Doc's Bait House; he can assure the Board that it will not be easy to pay the rent every month because of the amount; business is good; people come from all over the world to visit Doc's Bait House; when the previous lease holder passed away, he made a deal with his heirs to purchase the business; and Mr. Griffiths has subsequently given him a lease on the property. He stated the County's requirements are extensive for a businessman to look at; he is looking forward to working with everybody and keeping the business open; both of his sons are partners on the present license; and they are going to try to do the absolute best they can to maintain it like the County wants it done so that it is a working waterfront that is convenient and provides a service. He stated he hopes the Board approves the request. He noted it has been a rough season for all of the fishermen because of the cold weather; the crabs are hiding under the mud; the crabs are starting to come back right now; everyday he has a crabber that parks his boat outside his business and brings in crabs everyday; and he is starting to catch a reasonable number. Christy Fisher, City of West Melbourne Planning Director, stated she is present because she received the notice about the addendum that was added; and she wants to express the City's support for its sister cities, in case the Board has a discussion on CRA's and their viability. She stated CRA's are a great tool; there is limited ad valorem revenue; but she is present to express support for CRA's in the County. Mayor Carol McCormack stated Palm Shores is a prime example of how community redevelopment works; one of Palm Shores' blighted areas was Roberts Road, which is now the Meridian Center, home of the proud office of BRPH; in less than two weeks Palm Shores will have one new restaurant opened in a blighted area; and within two or three months other restaurants will open in a blighted area. She stated prior to the CRA, anyone driving the Town of Palm Shores could not see the Indian River, but they can now; and Palm Shores would not have been able to do that without the CRA money. She stated the Palm Shores Residents are very proud of the accomplishments; and she urges the Board to please not take the CRA's away from the municipalities. She stated the citizens of Palm Shores are proud when they drive down Barton Boulevard and U.S. 1; Palm Shores has a six -lane highway, but the residents are very proud of the Town of Palm Shores; and the Town could not have done the things it has done without the CRA. She stated she can assure the Board that BRPH would not have looked at Palm Shores had it continued to have the Blue Motel, the adult video store, and the places that were there on Roberts Road; and a lot of that money comes back to the County, not to the Town, as the Board knows. She stated before the Board thinks of limiting those funds to any of the municipalities, it should think of the good that this has done for the entire County. John Ells stated he supports Blue Crab Cove and believes it is an industry that is dying; he used to be a tool and dye maker, which is an industry that is dead in this country; and working waterfronts are truly something that needs to be preserved. He stated he is at a loss as to why people are still talking about the CRA's; the CRA money is defined; and when he and his wife were in the Citizens Academy, it was made clear to them. He stated he is finding antagonism between two Commissioners; he does not believe there is an honest and unbiased decision on anything pertaining to Merritt Island; and he believes some Commissioners need to recuse themselves from any decision to be made on Merritt Island, as their personal feelings are getting in the way. He stated Commissioner Infantini's opinion is that if Merritt Island was anything in the future, it should become a city; and he would suggest Commissioner Infantini look at how much money the County would lose if Merritt Island became a city. He stated he is from the County of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; the County of Philadelphia is also the City of Philadelphia, which gets rid of a lot of overhead; and maybe that is the answer. http: //brevardcountyfl.igm2.com/ Citizens /Detail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID =1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 5 of 8 Commissioner Anderson inquired if there was a comparable done on the lease. Mr. Brown advised, the actual leases are being assumed on the current operations, so comparisons to other leases were not done as it related to commercial fishery operations; what staff did try to acquire was information as it relates to what other commercial fishery operations were ongoing in Brevard County; the best example of that is Port Canaveral, but it is not apples and oranges; staff tried to come up with an arrangement where if, at the end of the five years, the County chooses to continue these leases on a year -by -year, then staff would work with the Port structure for commercial fishery operations; and if that is not acceptable to the Board at that time, then there is a 90 -day notice clause that at the end of those five years, with 90 -days notice in advance of the closure of that, the County could provide notice and then go out to bid, which would start the appraisal process and evaluation process for what is a market value rent or lease rate for those kinds of operations. He stated the challenge staff has is that the grant restricts it to commercial fisheries; it cannot be evaluated against the Chart House, or Marina Villiage, because Marina Village is Class A retail and business space that goes for $18 per square foot; and those businesses are not commercial fisheries and water dependent operations; and that was a challenge. He advised, accepting the existing leases in place allows five years for planning and transition; and at the end of the five years, staff can tackle what are the true comparables at that time. Commissioner Infantini stated part of the problem with the Blue Crab Cove purchase, aside from the fact that it is the County going out and purchasing more land out of private ownership, is the lease; she asked for an opinion from the County Attorney regarding the lack of a super majority vote on the original option contract, in which the Board agreed to purchase the property; Ordinance 2005 -45 requires a super majority vote if the County takes over a lease and does not go out to bid, which means the County has not necessarily received fair market value; and since that lease was contained within the body of the original purchase contract she is not comfortable that it was a lawful acquisition because the purchase contract contained a lease and there was not a super majority vote on that. She stated she has said that the County does not have the money to purchase lands; according to the estimates, which may not be 100 percent accurate, to receive the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront Grant money, the County has to make the necessary repairs; there are five docks that are in total disrepair; there is a boat ramp in disrepair; and it is estimated that those repairs will cost $1.2 million. She noted, before the County can receive the Stan Mayfield grant money there has to be a management plan in place to make those repairs; $2.3 million is currently set to come out of the MIRA funds pending the receipt of the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfront money; if the Board does not receive that money it is all going to come out of the MIRA funds; and she would like Dana Blickley, Clerk of Courts, to come forward, as she prepared an audit report which shows where the money is actually coming from, and is continually being disputed as to whether or not it is County General Fund money. She stated it is not General Fund money because the Board made an allowance to allow funding to blighted areas; according to Page three of Ms. Blickley's audit report, in the past three years it would appear the Board has given Merritt Island approximately $4.5 million, which is money that could be spent to keep libraries open, had the Board not been funding it with the tax increment funding; it has also been disputed as to whether or not the Board could use that money; and from her understanding, according to the County Attorney, the Board could use that money for County budgetary purposes if the Board named itself as the Board for the MIRA District and then not choose to use the money specifically in the MIRA area. Dana Blickley, Internal Auditor, Clerk of Courts, advised, the report was meant to give the Board information on the financial health of the districts and to give some history on what currently exists. She stated one of the things that brought the report to light was the transaction with the City of Cocoa, so that the Board would be aware of the transactions going on within the districts that may or may not pass the smell test; and there is not a position in the report other than the financial health of http:// brevardcountyfl .igm2.comICitizensIDetail Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID = 1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 6 of 8 the districts, the opinions on what the Board's options are for funding, and the opinions of the County Attorney. Commissioner Infantini stated she agrees with Mayor McCormack that a lot of areas were blighted; there has been substantial improvement; she has seen improvement in the City of Melbourne; Merritt Island had a lot of blighted areas; but she does not believe that driving over the causeway is a blighted area; and inquired if Ms. Blickley could attest to how much money has been received by the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency in the past three years. Ms. Blickley replied, she can attest to what is in the report; Page three of the report gives the financial summary and also the tax payments for fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009; and currently, for 2009 it was $1.541 million. Commissioner Infantini inquired if MIRA needs to have a community redevelopment plan; with Ms. Blickley responding yes. Commissioner Infantini stated it is money, if it were not going to the different redevelopment districts, it would stay within the General Fund; and inquired if that is a correct assumption. Ms. Blickley replied, that is correct; if there was no district in place, those are General Fund revenues, or recreation district revenues, that funds the districts. Commissioner Infantini stated she wanted to be clear on that because she has had a difficult time with the other people that have helped share the logic behind the CRA's. Commissioner Nelson stated if CRA's did not exist there would be no money, because CRA's improve the area, which then increases the tax base; the CRA's then use that incremental improvement to fund these projects; and it could be argued that if there were no CRA's there would be no money. He stated the purpose of CRA's is to go into an area and increase its taxable value; if those areas are not improved, then there is no money to have. He noted, since he has been on the Board, it has not spent any General Fund dollars for libraries; libraries are a countywide taxing district; the Board does not put any sort of General Fund dollars in libraries; when Commissioner Infantini mentioned using General Fund dollars for libraries, that would be changing Board policy; he would suggest the Board has not done that in the past 15 or 20 years; and it is misleading to indicate that the Board can do that. He stated the working waterfront is a terrific project; it is important to the Merritt Island area; Commissioner Anderson was right in that the project is to stop condominiums, as that is what the legislation was for; the legislation was for going into a community and protecting these kinds of working waterfronts from development, because that is what happened during the boom; and a lot of waterfront was lost during the boom. He stated Stan Mayfield recognized that; and he would be proud to have a working waterfront in Brevard County. He stated Merritt Island has a wonderful redevelopment agency; the members of that committee have done a terrific job of analyzing what the needs are within that area; and they continue to tear into these things. He stated there was a lot of discussion about what the area should look like; and as a result of that, there is a lease agreement that is before the Board today. He noted there is a five -year planning period to sort through what the improvements need to be; there are opportunities for grants; and to him, it is a great opportunity and it is important to Merritt Island; and it fills the intent of the CRA's. He stated all of the CRA's do a good job; and if the Board wants to have that discussion at some point, it can, because he would like to have the other Districts' CRA's present to tell the other Commissioners how great their CRA's are. He stated he is going to support the lease assumption agreements; it is a great price; it is consistent with what CRA's are supposed to be doing; and it will have a huge economic benefit to Merritt Island. A motion and a second was to execute Agreements with Ms. Apples Crab Shack and Doc's Bait House, to assume the existing leases on the proposed Blue Crab Cove property, which are only effective upon exercise of the Florida Communities Trust (FCT) Option Agreement for the Purchase of the Blue Crab Cove on or before June 30, 2010. http: //brevardcountyfl.igm2.com/ Citizens /Detail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID =1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 7 of 8 Commissioner Anderson stated he and Commissioner Nelson agree to disagree; certainly it is no reflection of the board members who volunteer their time on MIRA; and regardless of whether it is Merritt Island, or June Park in his District, he would not support this purchase. He stated when he ran for office he stuck to his principles; regardless of whether he got elected or not, those are the principles he is going to stick to; and that is that he believes that, with few exceptions, governmental land purchases should be restricted to those functions absolutely necessary to run core and traditional government functions. He stated that is how he voted when he was on the Palm Bay City Council, and that is how he will vote as a Commissioner; and if people in his District disagree, then in 2012 he will find another job. He stated former State Representative Sasso pointed out that a lot of these purchases in the past were meant as a measure of growth control to stop the construction of something; he disagrees with that, as he is a firm believer that private organizations in the free market will fix ills in the country. He stated regardless of where the funding comes from, whether it is MIRA or the State, it is still all taxpayer money, and it is his duty as an elected official to be a good steward of those taxpayer monies, regardless of where they come from; it is not personal; he salutes the hard work MIRA has done in this process; but he cannot support the item on the principles that he has. Stephany Eley, City of West Melbourne Councilwoman, stated she and her daughter had the opportunity over Spring Break to travel to New York City where they visited Central Park; Central Park would not be there unless the individuals in New York City had the foresight to plan and set aside that portion of greenspace within that municipality; and she believes it is critically important that counties and cities look to the future and saving spaces that are going to be encroached upon by other entities if governmental officials do not have that foresight to go out and save them. She stated it is a critical part of government to save those spaces that otherwise would not be available and would no longer be present; it is also critical at this juncture in the country's history to stimulate economic development; and CRA's absolutely and positively stimulate economic development. She stated she agrees wholeheartedly with Commissioner Nelson; the revenues that have come in would not be there had it not been for the CRA's; it is a moot point to say the revenues can now be used for something else, because there is a tax base on the property that is currently there; the taxes are going back into the system to make improvements to that particular area; and there are some critical areas in Brevard County that could benefit if the CRA's were expanded. She stated West Melbourne would like to discuss with the County the redevelopment of the SR 192 area, which is a critical area for going to the south beaches; it is a major gateway for coming into the County; and if something is not done with that corridor, then economical development will be lost, and the revenue and jobs will not be available to the citizens. She stated if the County can make the investment, the investment that will come back to it in revenue and jobs is astronomical; she wishes MIRA had statistics on how much actual revenue has come into the County as a result of the redevelopment; someone needs to be capturing that data because common sense says that it has to be a tremendous amount of money coming back into the coffers that would not be coming in if not for the redevelopment districts; and this is a wonderful opportunity for the County to capture land that would not already be there. Commissioner Infantini stated she thinks the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency did an excellent job; part of the appreciation and value is a direct result; however, to attribute all of the appreciation of property value due to redevelopment, she just has to look at the south beaches and properties that went from $90,000 20 years ago on beachside A1A, started selling for $1 million in 2005; and there was no redevelopment in the south beaches. She stated she does not think all the appreciation can be attributed to the redevelopment, although some has taken place. She stated she agrees with Commissioner Nelson that often times in the past the Board has not used CRA monies to go toward libraries; but in her office the one thing she receives phone calls on is to please not cut the funding to libraries; and what she is trying to do is see if there is other funding sources, because in comparison http:// brevardcountyfl .igm2.comICitizensIDetail Motion.aspx? Frame = Video &MeetingID =1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 Brevard County, Florida - Meeting Portal Page 8 of 8 to how many people may be able to use Blue Crab Cove, there are libraries all over the entire County. She stated if the Board was able to take some of the cash funding that was in those CRA's that is not currently being used, in addition to the money that needs to be used for the purchase, it is $1.2 million for the repairs, at $20,000 per year lease, the Board is left with $10,000 per year to maintain and improve the property. She inquired if Steve Burdett, Finance Director, would address the cash position of Brevard County right now. Chairman Bolin inquired if the Board is going to have a discussion on CRA's, or is it going to be discussing the Agenda Item. Commissioner Fisher stated the Agenda Item is not a CRA issue; and he would like to call the vote, as there is already a first and a second. Chairman Bolin called for a vote on the motion, as stated. Commissioner Infantini inquired if there is a management plan on Blue Crab Cove, because she does not know how there will be funding. Chairman Bolin stated staff will meet with Commissioner Infantini. Transcript Powered by IQM2 Intelligent Meeting Management Solutions http:// brevardcountyfl. igm2. comICitizensIDetail_Motion.aspx ?Frame= Video &MeetingID =1015 &Minute... 11/1/2011 ' Arp cs- J