Invasives lesson and landscape ordinance

8:50will have three minutes to ask their questions and then the applicant will have an opportunity to come back up. and respond to those questions. Mm. And uh then we have uh uh area time f before we start the formal meeting uh we're gonna ask that is there anybody here That um needs to speak on something that's not on today's agenda.

9:17Mr. Chair, we do. We have Jennifer Sini who would like to speak uh during public comment.

9:22Okay, we'll have that very shortly. Ms. if you'd like to just wait a minute.

9:29So uh with regard to the applications that will be heard today, if there has been anyone who's made a written request at least 24 hours prior to this meeting for extra time. It may be granted but I haven't received any requests. Are there any requests, Denise?

9:45We do not have any requests for a additional time.

9:48Okay, thank you very much. So this would be a great time to put your phones on silent position so you won't interrupt anybody. And uh I guess I better check my own.

10:07Wouldn't want to get in trouble with the chairman.

10:09No. Throw myself out. Okay. So

10:22For those of you who plan to give testimony today, if you'll stand and raise your right hand.

10:29Be sworn.

10:33Do you swear or affirm the testimony you're about to give is the truth, so help you find?

10:39Okay, thank you.

10:45Okay, Ms. Sini, would you like to come forward please? State your name and address, please, for the record.

10:55For any of those who do come up and speak today. Uh we need you to not speak before you get up up front because we need to record it all. So we need to speak in the microphone. That's where we need your name and address. So Go ahead.

11:09Jennifer Simi, [address removed]. I'm here to give you your invasives lesson. However, before I start, I want to tell you that I I am confused. I understand that you want to do a good job and give good advice to the BOCC, but Florida State Statute 163.317.4 section C is clear that when you sit as the land planning agency and review

11:39proposed LDCs, LDRs, or amendments there too. You vote only as to an item's consistency with a comprehensive plan. unlike when you sit as the Planning Commission under LDC 204.1, where you have much latitude to discuss, to um rewrite, to condition, to recommend, to opine on many things. When a staff is given

12:09a board directive to establish a program for controlling invasives, they write a proactive program. It comes to you to vote yay or nay on whether it complies with our comprehensive plan. Asking staff to continuously rewrite and now refocus on a provision in the landscape ordinance means you have effectively tried to write this ordinance yourselves. In my opinion.

12:40I respectively suggest that this is not your job. In my opinion, the reason 905.2e section five has never worked, that's the landscaping ordinance. Is that it is an afterthought in the landscaping ordinance. With your changes, you have pushed the invasive control back to a reactive, unsupported code compliance function. Again, a mere footnote,

13:10never expected to be assessed as part of a site plan. Not proactive. Not a program, not anything effective. I told you on July 11th to remember two things, gopher tortoises and pollinators. That's because the gopher tortoises are important to over 300 species, like the burrowing owl, the gopher frog, eastern indigo snake, Florida pine snake, and previously eastern diamondback snake. I know, a lot of snakes, but

13:41they are very important for keeping rodent population down, which is often a vector for diseases. It's all connected, just like the little fish that gets eaten by the big fish. The loss of habitat through overdevelopment is excessive. But invasives are good at killing habitat also, including gopher tortoise habitat. The invasive ordinance was an attempt to set up and call out a more formal program to control them. Making

14:12a minimal change to 905.2e section five is assuring its obscurity once more. It will be lost. I'm sure that's a very good idea. I respectfully state that this is a mistake and that you reconsider a proactive approach.

14:28Please respect the timing. Everybody else has to be a little bit more.

14:34All right. Thank you. Who who's next?

14:39That's the only person I have signed up to speak for comment, but if you can check to see if anyone else would like to, please.

14:45Is there anyone else that would like to speak on something that's not on today's agenda?

14:52Okay, thank you.

14:56All right.