The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session in a joint meeting with Osceola County Board of County Commissioners, on January 18, 1995, at 1:30 p.m. in the Osceola County Stadium Media Lounge, Bill Beck Boulevard, Kissimmee, Florida. Present were: Chairman Nancy Higgs, Commissioners Truman Scarborough, Randy O'Brien, Mark Cook and Scott Ellis, County Manager Tom Jenkins, and County Attorney Scott Knox of Brevard County, and Chairman Chuck Dunnick, Commissioners Charles Owen, Mary Jane Arrington, John Pate, and Larry Whaley, County Manager Bill Goaziou, and County Attorney Neal Bowen of Osceola County.

Commissioners and County staffs introduced themselves.

OPENING REMARKS

Chairman Dunnick welcomed everyone to the meeting; stated he has been asked questions about it; knew some things had been in the works prior to this meeting about other issues; and it is nice to put faces with names and voices. He stated he looks forward to a good working relationship with their constituents in Brevard County, and thanked them for taking the time to come to Osceola County and visit with them.

DISCUSSION, RE: U.S. 192 ROAD WIDENING PROJECT

County Manager Tom Jenkins advised they previously provided everyone with a summary fact sheet which highlighted the major issues on U.S. 192; and Bob Kamm from the Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Planning staff is here to give a report.

Chairman Dunnick advised this issue is very important for Osceola and Brevard Counties, and eventually what they need to do is come up with a direction to help move the project forward.

MPO Transportation Planner Bob Kamm advised U.S. 192 is a two-laned rural road which has seen its share of accidents over the past several years; it has been the priority of the MPO to see what can be done to widen the road to four lanes between St. Cloud and I-95; however, even though no one spoke in opposition to the project in theory, it is really a question of money. He stated the decision to improve it rests largely with Florida Department of Transportation (DOT); and it is not within the jurisdiction of Brevard MPO nor the Orlando MPO which deals with urban area roadways. Mr. Kamm advised DOT indicated it is supportive of widening the road, but they do not have the funds in District 5 to allocate to a project of that magnitude; it will cost somewhere between 70 and 100 million dollars; they have programmed several shortcut projects, such as additional passing lanes to address the concern of safety, resurfacing, paved shoulders, and localized temporary improvements; but the long-term need is to widen the road. He stated Representative Futch has been very instrumental in stimulating the dialogue among various local governments in Brevard and Osceola Counties as well as at the state and federal level to seek funding for improving the road;

DISCUSSION, RE: U.S. 192 ROAD WIDENING PROJECT (CONTINUED)

and he has been carrying the ball for the past two years and is stepping in where individual local governments are not as effective because it is at the point where additional funding for the road is outside of normal funding channels. He stated Brevard County supports Representative Futch's view that additional supplemental appropriations would be appropriate from the state and/or federal levels. Mr. Kamm advised DOT's primary concern and the reason they are interested in the project is hurricane evacuation; after Hurricane Andrew, DOT has been systematically evaluating hurricane evacuation capabilities across the state; and it is their conclusion that South Brevard and the Florida Keys are the most vulnerable in terms of evacuation capabilities. He stated the Melbourne/Palm Bay area only has two-laned U.S. 192 to evacuate over 200,000 people. He advised the proposed resolution lays out some of the facts about U.S. 192 and why it is a critical roadway improvement, and asks the Brevard and Osceola Boards as well as other local governments to support widening the road and asking their state and federal legislative delegations to support any requests that may come before them for supplemental funding.

Commissioner Owen inquired if the passing lanes were approved for the whole corridor or only for the areas where construction is taking place; with Mr. Kamm responding it will be one and a half miles each at two locations, one in Brevard and one in Osceola.

Mr. Jenkins advised Brevard prepared a joint resolution for the two Boards to consider; if the Boards are so inclined, the next step would be to consider the resolution at a regular meeting, not today, and to forward it to the appropriate parties.

Commissioner Higgs advised the project is of such magnitude that alone they will have difficulty achieving it, and it is beneficial to both Counties, so it is important to work together to get the appropriations.

Chairman Dunnick advised they all agree with that, and those who had friends or relatives who were casualties on U.S. 192 have been affected also, so it is important to get that addressed now. He stated when Tropical Storm Gordon came through the area, U.S. 192 and SR 441 were under water; and if a hurricane comes through, the people of Brevard will need to come that way and can only go as far as the road is above water. He noted he does not know what kind of concerns have been addressed regarding elevations and how they are going to address that issue, but it is a very important issue.

Commissioner John Pate advised one person in the audience affects a lot of land along that corridor, but he may be willing to work with the Counties in any way he could.

Chairman Dunnick inquired what kind of right-of-way is there; with Mr. Kamm responding he believes it is 200 feet. Chairman Dunnick stated if they have 200 feet now, there should not be an acquisition problem.

Mr. Kamm advised DOT is in the process of doing a preliminary design study that should be completed towards the end of February, 1995; and a lot of the issues about costs, environmental impact, what rights-of-way need to be purchased, etc. will be summed up in that preliminary design study. He stated those are valid questions; he has a price tag of $90,000,000 which seems very DISCUSSION, RE: U.S. 192 ROAD WIDENING PROJECT (CONTINUED)

high; and he would like to see what is going into that cost estimate, which should be resolved when the study is completed.

Commissioner Whaley advised one of the key things for everyone to do is keep the efforts of Representative Howard Futch rolling and not let it fall by the wayside.

DISCUSSION, RE: TOURISM

County Manager Tom Jenkins advised Tourist Development Director of Brevard County Rob Varley will give a presentation.

Rob Varley advised he came to Brevard a year ago from California where they were involved in joint countywide efforts; and they had a five-county area in the Central Coast, from Ventura County to Santa Cruz County, and did some joint efforts which were very successful. He stated the competition for Osceola and Brevard Counties is the west coast of Florida; they have been rapidly drawing the international visitor out of the Disney area; but there is an opportunity to consider a few cooperative efforts perhaps when Osceola County's new TDC Director is on board. He indicated they may not want to limit it to the two Counties, and may want to try and get Orange County involved as well as Seminole because there is strength in numbers. Mr. Varley stated they did a lot of mall promotions in other segments of the state; they did sales missions in Canada together; and it was very effective because they went up there in force and did mini-trade shows with travel agencies and tour operators and brought a lot more attention to the area as whole. He stated there is some impetus already going with Melbourne Chamber of Commerce doing a program with Old Town Kissimmee, and it seems to be working fairly well for both of them; and there is impetus for Brevard and Osceola Counties to move on and consider some of those things that he brought up. Mr. Varley advised he has been in conversation with Disney; they are increasing their efforts of marketing because they had some bad numbers for the past few years; so they are looking for partners in promotions, and also Universal Studios. He stated he has seen Clearwater/St. Petersburg do joint promotions with Universal Studios; that takes the visitors out of the reach of Osceola and Brevard Counties and they do not get the retail or over-night hotel rooms; so there are some opportunities there as well. He stated he has been in contact with the Vice President of Marketing who is amenable to talking with Brevard County.

Commissioner Scarborough advised if U.S. 192 is four-laned, Brevard's beaches could be Osceola's beaches so they do not lose the visitors as dramatically as they would if they went to St. Petersburg. Chairman Dunnick stated that makes a lot of sense and they would have a direct route to the ocean in Brevard.

Commissioner Owen advised Melbourne and Old Town seem to be working well and will continue that effort, so it is incumbent upon the two Boards to at least agree to allow discussions at staff level to go on, as there are some areas they need to explore. He stated the Boards should direct their staffs to begin that dialogue because Clearwater/St. Pete do a tremendous amount of advertising in the tourist areas; when those people go, they usually are leaving this area; but if they go to the East Coast, they can travel back and forth. He indicated they are exploring a mass transit bus type transportation; Old Town is working with Melbourne on that; and in some areas they could do joint efforts to double the value of the dollars.

County Manager Bill Goaziou advised when their TDC Director is hired, they will meet with Brevard's TDC Director; and indicated he has gone to trade shows with the former TDC Director.

Mr. Jenkins advised when Mr. Varley came to Brevard and began the Old Town/Melbourne connection, the hoteliers in South Melbourne Beach were extremely excited about the opportunity of creating that partnership; it was something they were aspiring to do for several years; and since someone proposed it, the hotel owners have been very supportive and continue to be. He noted that is the first step of some of the potential things they can both benefit from; Osceola could keep the people longer and Brevard can get them to the beaches for a few days; and it is a mutual benefit they are looking for.

Chairman Dunnick inquired what is the time frame for having the TDC Director on board; with Commissioner Owen responding the Committee will have some names ready in two or three weeks. Commissioner Whaley advised Osceola's tourist development information has always listed the Space Center as something for a natural mix.

Commissioner O'Brien advised Mr. Varley mentioned jointly working with Orange County and Osceola County, but he understands there was a disagreement between Osceola and Orange on a visitors center; and inquired if Orange would give any help to the joint efforts.

Commissioner Owen responded because they disagreed in one area does not mean there are no common areas they could work forward on. Mr. Varley advised there needs to be a unified effort, as his concern is the competition on the West Coast and Miami. Commissioner Owen stated that could have driven some of it, and indicated the olive branch has been tossed.

Commissioner O'Brien stated if Orange County wants all of the tourists, they would not want them to come to Osceola or Brevard. Commissioner Owen indicated it may be worth exploring if Orange County wants all of the pie.

Commissioner Higgs advised the information that came out last week about tourism and what tourists are looking for indicated something natural as well as attractions; logically Brevard, Osceola and Orange Counties should work together because Brevard has some natural amenities that may be very attractive to people; so to team up can be very positive for all of the Counties.

Commissioner Owen advised the report he saw indicated the beaches are the number one attraction to Florida even though there is Disney World.

Mr. Goaziou advised the state is looking to local entities for funding to put money back into its fund in Tallahassee; they are watching that very closely, as their money is to promote their area and not the state; the State is having a meeting in Tallahassee to discuss their surveys; and Brevard may want to send someone to see that no legislation gives the state their money for state advertising.

Commissioner Higgs stated she thinks the direction coming from both Boards is to allow their TDC staffs to see it as a real mission for the two agencies to work together.

Chairman Dunnick stated he believes that is the direction they are headed in. He stated to move forward with anything they can do to benefit Brevard is probably going to benefit Osceola too; and that is the way he has looked at it. He stated if people are going to the beaches, they are probably going to come through Osceola.

Commissioner O'Brien indicated they would have breakfast and gas up in Osceola, go to the beaches and have lunch in Brevard, then return to Osceola for dinner.

DISCUSSION, RE: SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL

County Manager Bill Goaziou advised five years ago he had discussions with Carol Senne who was the Chairman of the Brevard Board at the time and talked about working together on solid waste disposal; he and Mr. Jenkins have talked about it also; and their concern right now is "not in my back yard" (NIMBY). He stated wherever they go, it needs to be a facility for 50 to 100 years and not go through the permitting process over and over again; and the permitting will take three to five years. Mr. Goaziou advised they could probably put a feasibility study together in terms of the Deer Park area and what it would cost, haul routes, cost per ton, etc. in 90 to 120 days; and although they do not have a recycling program as such, they pull out recoverable items such as bottles and paper from the garbage. He stated they have hauling information from Holopaw to Yeehaw Junction, so they have historic database information.

County Manager Tom Jenkins advised he was authorized by the Board several months ago to begin talks with Osceola County; he and Mr. Goaziou talked on more than one occasion and their Solid Waste Departments have talked on more than one occasion; and they have reached the point now where the two Boards need to decide if they are interested in at least exploring the feasibility. He stated no one knows for sure if it is in the best interest of Brevard or Osceola to do a joint effort; but they should sit down in the next three or four months and explore the feasibility of it, recognizing there are a number of issues that need to be addressed such as location, technology, ownership, partnership, etc. He advised if the two staffs are directed to get together and do that, individually they can develop a list of issues that need to be considered and some options to go along with each of the issues, and bring those back to the respective Boards to give staff direction. Mr. Jenkins advised the Boards can give their staffs direction, then they could come back together at the staff level to see if there are some things they can pursue. He stated at this time, it has been very preliminary, so they need to know in a formal sense whether or not the two Boards want them to seriously explore the issue of solid waste disposal.

Mr. Goaziou indicated one other issue they should begin looking at is resource recovery in terms of what it will cost and whether it is worthwhile exploring. He stated while he was with Hillsborough County, they put together a mass burn outfit; it may not be permittable now; but it is one thing that should be on the table to look at. He stated if it is the pleasure of the two Boards, the staffs can explore this issue and have things to lay on the table.

Commissioner Whaley advised when all those things are taken into account, the City of St. Cloud may be interested, as in the near future it will close its landfill. St. Cloud Environmental Services Director Don Kinsella advised it is planned to close in September 2001.

Chairman Dunnick advised they definitely need to be aware they have an option to deal with two entities in the east end of Osceola County; John King is here representing Deseret Ranches; and there needs to be an understanding on exactly what their objections are or are not going to be about anything the two Boards are pursuing. He stated it is hard for him to perceive looking at another landfill with underground liners and buried garbage; they need to really look at waste to energy and see exactly how that is going to play in this issue; and they would probably have the support of the landowners in that area if they come out with something like that. Chairman Dunnick advised it is new to him; he has been studying everything he can get on it and read a lot of material; if they keep progressing the way they are on that project, it is really the only feasible way they as leaders can decide to go towards; so they need to strongly look at how they can do that, the feasibility, and all the numbers. He stated he wants something they are not going to have surprises with, and they all know exactly what they are dealing with. Mr. Goaziou advised the Board may want to consider an interlocal agreement or structure of an authority between Osceola and Brevard with each one having representatives on it to take care of the day-to-day operations, and to make sure they all have a voice on the rates.

Commissioner Higgs advised when the Board met and discussed the issue of how to deal with solid waste disposal, they looked at a number of potential alternatives; their first desire was to see if there was a way to work with Osceola County in a cooperative manner; so they are ready to explore the alternatives. She stated they did not go as far as indicating any technology, type of structure of an authority, or what they would like to have in an agreement; but they wanted to see where Osceola wants to go with it. She advised perhaps they could pick things everyone can feel comfortable with; they are interested in talking with Osceola and looking at regional solutions for the different problems that they both face; and she looks forward to being able to explore that.

Commissioner Cook advised they should keep all options open and look at the what is available; however, his major concern is the cost to the rate payer; and that will be a priority with him.

Chairman Dunnick advised when all the options and information come in, the Boards will have enough to make decisions and know which direction they need to go in. He stated it is nice to work with a landowner that is for the County and not against it; and if they can get the landowner whose land they plan to do business on with the County, then it makes the whole ordeal cheaper and better for the taxpayers.

Mr. Goaziou advised in sizing the plant for Hillsborough County, it was not big enough to handle the waste; so they need to be sure they put the infrastructure in place that is not too small and have a site that can be there for a long time, not 10 to 15 years, but 50 to 100 years. He stated 50 years is not too long for landfills; each year the rules get tougher and cost more; so what they decide to do must have enough space and capacity to take care of it for a long time.

Mr. Jenkins advised it will be 3 to 5 years to bring something to fruition, so they need to start now; if St. Cloud gets additional life out of its existing facility, by the time Brevard and Osceola are ready to open a landfill, St. Cloud will be beginning to wind down; so they need to start doing something.

Commissioner Higgs advised Brevard has a consultant on board working with the Solid Waste staff, so Brevard is ready to begin feasibility; and inquired if they are going to jointly explore the feasibility or is staff going to work it out and come back to the respective Boards to let them know exactly how it will work. Mr. Goaziou recommended allowing staffs to get together to do tasking as to what they will do. He stated he and Mr. Jenkins worked well together for the last five years; so he will call Mr. Jenkins. Commissioner Higgs inquired if 120 days for the two Counties to work together and come back to the Boards is sufficient; with Mr. Goaziou responding they feel comfortable 120 days is reasonable time for them to accomplish it, then the Boards can make policy decisions and send each staff in the direction the Boards have common interests in. Commissioner Higgs indicated if they cannot work together mutually, then individually they would have to solve their problems; with Chairman Dunnick commenting they would like to have Brevard solve half of their problems.

Mr. Jenkins advised staff also talked to Indian River County which maye an interest in being a customer, but necessarily a partner; and Orange County is not interested, as it has other plans. Commissioner Whaley advised Orange County's limitation is where their landfill is, so it would not be of great interest to them.

Chairman Dunnick advised what he is hearing is that the County Managers will get together and come up with more information for the respective Boards, and the Boards will come up with some decisions, then they will get back together on this issue; with Commissioner Owen responding in 120 days. Commissioner O'Brien stated time is of the essence, and unless they make some viable decisions soon to start the process, they could over shoot the goal.

Commissioner Ellis advised the reason they need to move on the issue is because Brevard is presently stuck with another site. He stated one thing Brevard agreed on at its last meeting is that they do not want to get involved in any kind of condemnation.

Chairman Dunnick stated they need to get the landowner on the front end of this issue to either support or not support the Counties so they know right where they stand, as there is no sense in gathering information if they are going to have opposition; so that is real important.

Commissioner Higgs advised she had an opportunity to talk to Orange County Chairman Linda Chapin; Orange County may be interested in being cooperative on a number of issues; and she is interested in working with the neighboring counties.

Don Kinsella advised St. Cloud is handling about 210 tons a day, and would like to be included in the conceptual planning and be a part of the planning for a solid waste facility between Osceola and Brevard Counties. Chairman Dunnick stated that makes sense and he has no problem with it.

DISCUSSION, RE: SERVICES FOR PART OF SOUTH BREVARD COUNTY

Commissioner Ellis advised in southwest Brevard County on the west side where Fellsmere Grade comes back over the St. Johns River, and where a bridge burned down, it is not feasible for Brevard County to offer services in that area. He stated he drove it over the holidays; he went there because of flooding problems; and he had to take a left at Holopaw , kept on going, and ended up still in Brevard County. He stated there was an old Agreement going back many years among Indian River, Osceola and Brevard Counties; and he wants to discuss with the two Boards the possibility of redrawing the County line from a practical point of view. He stated that part of Brevard is not practical, and perhaps they can redraw the County line and give that part to Osceola; they drive through Osceola and Indian River Counties along the county line and it gets to Brevard again before it comes back out on that side; so it is just not feasible to provide services of any kind down there.

Chairman Dunnick advised they have an Interlocal Agreement where Osceola maintains the roads in that area; and inquired if Brevard provides any services down there.

Commissioner Ellis advised they have an Agreement, but when something comes up his phone rings as well as the Commissioners' phones in Osceola County; the residents would probably feel more comfortable if they were actually a part of Osceola County and can call Osceola County because it is a real obscure property that happens to sit on that side; and he does not see any chance of the bridge being put back in the near future.

Commissioner Higgs recommended the item be placed on the Agenda for the Brevard Board to talk about first. Commissioner Ellis indicated there is probably no more than 15 people who live in that area. Chairman Dunnick advised they would be receptive to listening to a proposal. Commissioner Ellis advised it seems unusual, but it has been done before; originally the south side of Sebastian Inlet was in Brevard County; and that was deeded to Indian River County so each County would have a park on either side of the Inlet.

Commissioner Whaley advised there also needs to be an agreement between the School Systems on where the children will go to school.

Chairman Dunnick advised they could look at it and if it becomes a hot issue, they can look at tuning up the Interlocal Agreement. He stated he looked at the area also and saw where they need to clean the right-of-way out, re-structure some of the ditches, and get the trees out of there to get things back to where they can go in and grade the road and maintain it again. He stated they have been basically smoothing the road and the trees kept growing in because the Agreement was that they would grade the road; now they have to clean and reshape the ditches; and that may settle the issue for quite a while.

Commissioner Ellis advised as they look for additional services in that area, without a bridge over the St. Johns, it is really not feasible to provide garbage collection, schools, road maintenance, etc.; it is a fairly large piece of property, but it is basically agriculture; and if there was a zoning change requested, it would be very difficult to figure out where the property is.

Commissioner Higgs advised they will put the item on the Agenda for Brevard to discuss and try to come to some kind of agreement on it.

APPRECIATIONS

Commissioner Cook thanked the Osceola County Board for getting right to the point and for the shortness of the meeting.

Chairman Dunnick advised they appreciate the Brevard County Board coming to Osceola; he enjoyed the meeting; and he hopes it is the first of many where they can continue to move forward on problems they both need to solve.

The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.

NANCY N. HIGGS, CHAIRMAN
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

ATTEST:
SANDY CRAWFORD, CLERK
(SE A L)