What were the most significant items on the Groveland Planning & Zoning Board agenda for April 2026?

Meeting Reading

Groveland Planning & Zoning Board

April 2, 2026

2 items on the agenda

**Anita Geraci-Carver's last P&Z meeting — institutional memory walks out mid-EAR cycle:** The City Attorney announced and was acknowledged as departing at this meeting. Her parting remark to the Board — the city is "going in the right direction," that she will miss staff most, and that the Board should "support staff as they are doing their best" — is the kind of farewell line that, in editorial-direct reading, names a worry. She has been the legal voice tracking SB 180 through every meeting in this dataset. Losing her in the middle of an active EAR amendment cycle, while comp plan amendments are statutorily frozen, while the CDC V5 is unfinished, is a structural risk. Watch for who replaces her, when, and whether continuity briefings happen. This is a strong observatory-reading candidate.
**"All bills failed" — the SB 180 repeal is dead, the freeze continues:** Geraci-Carver's confirmation closes the loop on a thread that has been live in this knowledge base since mid-2025. The Florida Senate's repeal of SB 180 did not survive the legislative session. The hurricane state of emergency continues to freeze comp plan amendments. SB 180 expires on its own terms in June 2026 — meaning Groveland is in the final months of a constraint window that has shaped two years of code work, and the question for the May–June 2026 cadence is whether the freeze actually lifts on schedule or whether new emergency declarations or legislative action extend it. The grandfather-window thesis — codes adopted before August 2024 are protected; CDC V5 still being drafted is exposed — remains intact.
**Brandan Dixion is on the board and asking the right questions:** In his first meeting, Dixion went directly to two of the highest-leverage questions: (1) what does the FLUM benefit Groveland residents, and (2) is the city on track with Level of Service for utilities and water pressure on its five-year plan. This is not a passive new-member welcome session. The board is gaining a member who reads infrastructure-and-resident-impact rather than just legal entitlement. Combined with the Crum departure announced in December, this is meaningful turnover heading into the May chair vote.

On April 2, 2026, City of Groveland's Planning & Zoning Board considered 2 agenda items. **Anita Geraci-Carver's last P&Z meeting — institutional memory walks out mid-EAR cycle:** The City Attorney announced and was acknowledged as departing at this meeting. Her parting remark to the Board — the city is "going in the right direction," that she will miss staff most, and that the Board should "support staff as they are doing their best" — is the kind of farewell line that, in editorial-direct reading, names a worry. She has been the legal voice tracking SB 180 through every meeting in this dataset. Losing her in the middle of an active EAR amendment cycle, while comp plan amendments are statutorily frozen, while the CDC V5 is unfinished, is a structural risk. Watch for who replaces her, when, and whether continuity briefings happen. This is a strong observatory-reading candidate. **"All bills failed" — the SB 180 repeal is dead, the freeze continues:** Geraci-Carver's confirmation closes the loop on a thread that has been live in this knowledge base since mid-2025. The Florida Senate's repeal of SB 180 did not survive the legislative session. The hurricane state of emergency continues to freeze comp plan amendments. SB 180 expires on its own terms in June 2026 — meaning Groveland is in the final months of a constraint window that has shaped two years of code work, and the question for the May–June 2026 cadence is whether the freeze actually lifts on schedule or whether new emergency declarations or legislative action extend it. The grandfather-window thesis — codes adopted before August 2024 are protected; CDC V5 still being drafted is exposed — remains intact. **Brandan Dixion is on the board and asking the right questions:** In his first meeting, Dixion went directly to two of the highest-leverage questions: (1) what does the FLUM benefit Groveland residents, and (2) is the city on track with Level of Service for utilities and water pressure on its five-year plan. This is not a passive new-member welcome session. The board is gaining a member who reads infrastructure-and-resident-impact rather than just legal entitlement. Combined with the Crum departure announced in December, this is meaningful turnover heading into the May chair vote.

CHANGE LENS

THE READINGmeeting record

City of Groveland Planning & Zoning Board — April 2, 2026

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting (held at 11:00 AM, off the board's standard 5:00 PM cadence) Quorum: Yes (7 of 8 members present) Duration: Approximately 108 minutes (11:00 AM – 12:48 PM)

Attendance

Present: Zach Decker (Chair), Robin Hoover (Vice Chair), Kerry Lambert, Alisha Kissee, Michael Archer, Marty Proctor, Brandan Dixion (newly seated)
Absent: Bill Mathias (non-voting)
Staff Present: City Attorney Anita Geraci-Carver (final meeting); Andrew Landis, Interim Community & Economic Development Department Director; DeWayne Jones, Planning and Zoning Manager; Alan Booker, Senior Planner; Maria Ramirez, Recording Secretary
Presenter: John Abner, Building Official (introduced with Jennifer Lowe, permit clerk)

Agenda Items

Item 0: Consent Agenda — Approval of November 6, 2025 and December 4, 2025 Minutes

Type: Consent
Action: Approved
Vote: Unanimous (motion by Proctor, second by Hoover)
Notable Discussion: The minutes record the motion text as referencing "October 2, 2025 minutes," but the consent agenda items A and B are November 6 and December 4 — appears to be a scrivener's error in the verbal motion. Both backfill minutes were approved by this action.

Item 1: New Member Welcome — Brandan Dixion

Type: Procedural / Board composition
Action: Welcomed
Notable Discussion: Chair Decker welcomed newly appointed Board member Brandan Dixion and announced that Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed for the new term at the May 2026 meeting.

Presentations

Presentation A: Florida Building Code Update — John Abner, Building Official

Substance: Abner introduced himself, his work history, and credentials, and introduced Jennifer Lowe (permit clerk). Stated that Amendment Chapter 1 lines up with the city's ordinance and that more edits are coming.
Notable Discussion: Board Member Proctor requested a list of municipalities Abner works with, or a copy of his resume, sent to the Board.
Context: This is the substance that Ordinance 2025-35 was meant to advance in December 2025 before being continued. The Building Code work is moving forward via presentation rather than ordinance vehicle.

Presentation B: Florida Legislative Update on SB 180 — Anita Geraci-Carver, City Attorney

Substance (per minutes, verbatim summary): "All bills failed. Comprehensive Plan Amendment is currently under state of emergency for the three hurricanes therefore changes cannot be made at this time. Bill 180 expires June 2026."
Translation for Decoder readers: The Senate-side repeal of SB 180 — which cities including Groveland have been watching for nine months — did not pass. The hurricane state of emergency continues to freeze comprehensive plan amendments. SB 180 itself is set to expire on its own terms in June 2026, so the live question is whether there are roughly two months of frozen-CPA conditions left, or whether the freeze extends. Groveland's Community Development Code V5 is still being drafted under these constraints.
Notable Discussion: Board Member Hoover noted later in the meeting that "SR180 has a year and half timeline" — appears to refer to the SB 180 statutory window, and is offered as a planning consideration for staff.

Presentation C: EAR Amendment Update — Alan Booker, Senior Planner

Substance: Discussion of the Future Land Use Map (FLUM), comprehensive plan chapters and elements, and Police and Fire Levels of Service. Booker indicated he will present an expanded, side-by-side FLUM comparison at the upcoming workshop and will deliver the FLUM section at the next meeting in workshop form.
Notable Discussion:
- Board Member Lambert asked about red circles on Slide 1; Landis stated they represent a 20-year mark.
- Board Member Dixion (in his first meeting) asked about the FLUM benefit to Groveland residents; Booker answered that it brings zoning and state requirements into alignment.
- Board Member Proctor flagged a red "island" on the map, expressing concern that a developer could "build a bridge" to develop on agriculture land. Proctor stated he has walked the island and knows what's there.
- Board Member Archer requested a better view of the FLUM; Booker said it would be ready for the workshop.
- Board Member Lambert asked for FLUM data and elements; Landis explained that the Comp Plan is split into chapters, each with data analysis, and the data will be on the FLUM section.
- Chair Decker asked whether the maps will be linked to the property appraisal website and housed on the City of Groveland site with side-by-side comparisons; staff committed to coordinating with Lake County to ensure everyone accesses the same map.
- Board Member Dixion asked whether the city is on track on Level of Service (utilities, concurrencies, water pressure) for the five-year plan; Booker deferred to Woodard & Curran at the upcoming workshop.
- Chair Decker addressed Police and Fire response time — questioned whether 7 minutes is too long, and asked whether capital improvement is being factored. Booker stated there is no data to compare and that response time has historically been 7 minutes; staff are working on connecting roads and subdivisions with new developments to improve response.
- Chair Decker confirmed all PUDs are on the map; Landis confirmed they are all on record.
- Booker confirmed the Policies-slide percentages are correct.

Public Hearings Summary

Number of speakers: 0
General sentiment: N/A — presentation-only agenda; no quasi-judicial items

Key Signals

Anita Geraci-Carver's last P&Z meeting — institutional memory walks out mid-EAR cycle: The City Attorney announced and was acknowledged as departing at this meeting. Her parting remark to the Board — the city is "going in the right direction," that she will miss staff most, and that the Board should "support staff as they are doing their best" — is the kind of farewell line that, in editorial-direct reading, names a worry. She has been the legal voice tracking SB 180 through every meeting in this dataset. Losing her in the middle of an active EAR amendment cycle, while comp plan amendments are statutorily frozen, while the CDC V5 is unfinished, is a structural risk. Watch for who replaces her, when, and whether continuity briefings happen. This is a strong observatory-reading candidate.
"All bills failed" — the SB 180 repeal is dead, the freeze continues: Geraci-Carver's confirmation closes the loop on a thread that has been live in this knowledge base since mid-2025. The Florida Senate's repeal of SB 180 did not survive the legislative session. The hurricane state of emergency continues to freeze comp plan amendments. SB 180 expires on its own terms in June 2026 — meaning Groveland is in the final months of a constraint window that has shaped two years of code work, and the question for the May–June 2026 cadence is whether the freeze actually lifts on schedule or whether new emergency declarations or legislative action extend it. The grandfather-window thesis — codes adopted before August 2024 are protected; CDC V5 still being drafted is exposed — remains intact.
Brandan Dixion is on the board and asking the right questions: In his first meeting, Dixion went directly to two of the highest-leverage questions: (1) what does the FLUM benefit Groveland residents, and (2) is the city on track with Level of Service for utilities and water pressure on its five-year plan. This is not a passive new-member welcome session. The board is gaining a member who reads infrastructure-and-resident-impact rather than just legal entitlement. Combined with the Crum departure announced in December, this is meaningful turnover heading into the May chair vote.
Marty Proctor's "island" comment is the eco-agrarian vision in microcosm: Proctor, who has walked the parcel he is concerned about, is flagging a red FLUM island where a developer could "build a bridge" to convert agriculture land. This is exactly the dynamic Groveland's eco-agrarian / "Building identity from scratch" synthesis is built on — board members who know specific parcels, advocating against subdivision-by-stealth. Whether Booker's promised side-by-side map comparison surfaces and whether that "island" is reclassified is something to track in the May or June meeting.
The board is operating with two interim department heads and a departing City Attorney: Andrew Landis is Interim Community & Economic Development Department Director. Timothy Maslow is now identified on the May 7 agenda as Interim City Manager. Geraci-Carver is gone. Frank Calascione is the new CRA manager. Three "interim" titles plus an outgoing City Attorney during an active EAR amendment is a leadership-density problem that does not show up in the votes but will show up in the work.
Meeting time changed to 11:00 AM — and the board may change it back: This meeting ran at 11:00 AM rather than the standard 5:00 PM, and DeWayne Jones told the Board that if they want to change the time, they should let staff know. Decker invited a proposal at the next meeting. Meeting-time policy seems trivial; it isn't — it determines who in the public can show up, and an 11 AM start materially shifts which residents can attend.

Raw Notes

Andrew Landis announced Frank Calascione is the new CRA manager.
Board Member Hoover shared two 15-minute museum presentations the week prior, thanked the city for participation.
Board Member Proctor asked that presentations be sent to him and Board Member Clayton Emrick (a name not present in this meeting; possibly Emrick is on a partner board).
Board Member Lambert emailed DeWayne Jones the City of Delaware Comprehensive Plan to share with the Board.
Chair Decker requested an update on impact fees; Jones will follow up with John Abner.
Source: April 2, 2026 minutes embedded in the May 7, 2026 P&Z agenda packet PDF; on the May 7, 2026 consent agenda for approval. Status flagged "approved" on the assumption of routine consent-agenda approval at today's meeting; if the May 7 minutes (when produced) record otherwise, this status should be revised.

[THE READING]meeting record