On Mar. 24th, 2025, the city of Casselberry held its bi-weekly City Commission Meeting. Meetings take place on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at Casselberry City Hall. All documents are uploaded to the City of Casselberry website. Mayor David Henson and Commissioner Anthony Armanedia were unable to attend this meeting. The meeting was led by Commissioner and Vice Mayor Mark Busch. The minutes for the previous city commission meeting on Mar. 10th were approved unanimously without additions or deletions.
There were four items on the consent agenda labeled A through D. Item A was the approval of the legal service invoices from the City Attorney and the Code Enforcement Special Magistrate. The City Attorney Service racked up $23,524.40 in legal service fees from Garganese, Weiss, D’Argesta & Slazman, P.A. in February. The Code Enforcement Special Magistrate racked up $873.73 in January and $231.75 in February in legal service fees from Fishback Dominick LLP.
Item B was the approval of an agreement with Duke Energy to install and maintain lighting along the US Highway 17-92 to Sunset Drive trail. The new lighting will include underground lighting infrastructure, decorative fixtures, and standard roadway lighting. The lighting project has an upfront cost of $46,141.67 with a recurring monthly cost of $339.79.
Item C was the approval to donate $3,000 from the State Law Enforcement Trust Fund to Kids House, Wayne Densch Children’s Advocacy Center. The money will be presented at The Kids House Gala, an event recognizing victims of child abuse and those dedicated to ending child abuse forever. The donation comes with Budget Amendment #25-024, making room for $3,000 in the city’s budget.
Item D was the approval of Resolution 25-3494 joining the Altamonte Global Innovation Lab (AGIL). The lab is an organization created by the City of Altamonte Springs to develop programs and explore opportunities such as AI-powered tools, digital twin technologies, clean and green solutions, community health initiatives, mobility projects, safety projects, programs for STEM education, and workforce staff training; according to the cover memorandum. The city must pay an annual $3,000 to Altamonte Springs for the operating cost of AGIL. Any further project funding will be discussed when those projects are created. All items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously.
The first reading of ordinances began with Ordinance 25-1620 amending the west side of Hill Street, south of its intersection with Seminola Boulevard, from R-9 (low-density single-family zone) to RMF-13 (medium-density multifamily zone) to better reflect the townhomes being built there. The first reading of the ordinance was passed hesitantly by Commissioner Thomas Kirk, who was concerned about the increase in homes on the vacant lot from five to seven.
The ordinance will move on to a second reading and then a vote at a later meeting.
Two public hearings were discussed in this meeting. All public hearing notices are published in the Orlando Sentinel before they occur. The first was the second reading of Ordinance 25- 1618 amending City Charter Section 7.06, changing the dates for candidates to qualify to run for office, and changing the date by which alternative method petitions are to be received by the City Clerk. The first reading of this ordinance occurred a month ago in the Feb. 24th City Commission Meeting. The second reading of the ordinance passed unanimously.
The second public hearing was the approval of Ordinance 25-1619 on its second and final reading. The ordinance amends Article XVI, Signs, of the City’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR) to permit the installations of electronic messaging centers (EMCs) in specific zoning districts and provide for performance standards as requested. The first reading of this ordinance also occurred in the Feb. 24th City Commission Meeting. The ordinance was approved unanimously.
One resolution was voted on during the meeting. Resolution 25-3492 providing for a Cooperative Agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for Gee Creek Watershed debris removal and erosion control after it was damaged by Hurricane Milton in October 2024. The project includes channel stabilization near the Palms at Casselberry and 190 S Triplet Lake Drive, as well as debris removal along Gee Creek within the city limits. The city has been awarded a grant by NRCS of $1.2 million in federal funding to complete this project. In order to allocate the money, the city needs to pass Budget Amendment 25-023. The resolution was approved unanimously.
For other items, the city voted on the reorganization of the Recreation Division of the Public Works Department. The reorganization would expand this division of the Public Works Department while also providing additional resources for sports, aquatics, events, arts/cultural activities, camps, and other programs, according to the cover memorandum for this agenda item. Four full-time equivalent positions will be open-ended, increasing the personal service cost within the city’s yearly budget. The cover memorandum does not state by how much. However, Budget Amendment 25-021 is attached to the reorganization in case the current fiscal-year budget does not support this reorganization.
The next item on the agenda was the City Manager's procurement information report for February. The City Manager authorized an emergency repair through the utilities department, which bypassed normal procurement procedures. According to City Manager Randy Newlon, on March 13th, a sanitary sewer backup occurred at 117 Mark David Boulevard. “We are using resources borrowed from another city, and we need to return them,” said Newlon.
The meeting was adjourned by Vice Mayor Mark Busch at fifty-three minutes. You can watch the full session and read the cover memorandums at https://casselberryfl.portal.civicclerk.com/event/452/media.
