City of Mascotte City Council (acting as LPA) — July 21, 2026 (Agenda)

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting Quorum: [not available — agenda document; minutes not yet published] Duration: [not available]

Attendance

• Present: [not available — agenda document]
• Absent: [not available]
• Staff Present: [not available]

Agenda Items

Item 1: Florida League of Cities Annual Conference — Voting Delegate Appointment (New Business)

• Type: Other (association governance)
• Applicant: City Manager Annamarie Reno
• Request: Nominate and elect one elected official as Voting Delegate for the FLC Annual Business Meeting, Saturday August 15, 2026, at the Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood, Florida. Vote allocation is population-based; designation due to the League no later than July 31, 2026.
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]

Item 2: School Resource Officer Agreement — Academy at Lake Hills – South (2026-2027) (New Business)

• Type: Other (interlocal service agreement)
• Applicant: Mascotte Police Department
• Request: Authorize the Mayor to execute the SRO agreement with the School Board of Lake County for continued School Resource Officer services.
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Notable Discussion: Mascotte's second SRO agreement of the cycle; the Mascotte Charter School agreement was approved May 19.

Item 3: CRA Private Property Grant Application (New Business)

• Type: Other (CRA residential incentive grant)
• Location: 23 Palmwood Avenue — "one of the older sections of the Community Redevelopment Area," with two road frontages
• Applicant: Susan Williams, property owner
• Request: An additional $2,000 above the standard $3,000 Private Property Grant allocation (total $5,000) for whole-house window replacement, citing overall project cost and visibility from two road frontages. The applicant completed a roof replacement on the home in July 2023.
• Staff Recommendation: Presented for Council consideration; approve at either $3,000 or $5,000
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Notable Discussion: Program guidelines route any request exceeding the $3,000 standard allocation to Council on a case-by-case basis. Staff notes that without the additional funding the project "may be delayed or may not proceed." This is the second above-base CRA grant request to reach Council in three months; the April 21 commercial sign request for the same $2,000 increment was denied 4-0.

Item 4: Ordinance 2024-03-648 — Paragon Pines Large-Scale Future Land Use Map Amendment (Final Reading)

• Type: Comprehensive Plan Amendment (Large-Scale FLUM, F.S. 163.3184 expedited state review)
• Case Number: 2023-10-213; Ordinance 2024-03-648
• Location: Southeast of the intersection of County Road 33 and Odom Lane, lying entirely east of CR-33 (AltKeys 1297320, 1297362, 1297389, 1088453, 1088461, 1088470, 1035716, 3860005)
• Applicant: Ben Snyder / Hanover Land Co. — Owner: TLC SR33 Holdings, LLC
• Request: Change the Future Land Use designation on 367.292 gross acres (approximately 117.1 acres wetland) from "Lake County Rural" to City of Mascotte "Rural Residential," and transmit to the Florida Department of Commerce. A Zoning Map Amendment from Lake County Agricultural to City Urban Estates is stated as the intended follow-on.
• Current Zoning: Agricultural (Lake County)
• Proposed Zoning: Urban Estates (1 du/1 ac, 25% open space) — separate future application
• Acreage: 367.292 gross acres
• Staff Recommendation: APPROVAL — found complete pursuant to F.S. 163.3184 and compatible with surrounding City and County land uses
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Conditions: An environmental assessment and a threatened-and-endangered species report are required before any construction plan approval. The ordinance takes effect 31 days after the Florida Department of Commerce notifies the City the amendment package is complete, or, if timely challenged, only on a final order of compliance.
• Notable Discussion: The parcel was annexed August 15, 2023 under F.S. 171.044, following a developer-run public meeting at the Mascotte Civic Center on February 15, 2023 held "outside of any city code requirements." The applicant originally sought Low Density Residential; at the August 21, 2024 meeting Council directed the applicant to work with staff on other available designations and asked staff to compare density against the property's existing Lake County land use and zoning. Staff's comparison table: Lake County Rural allows ≤1 du/5 ac; the proposed City Rural Residential allows 1 du/1 ac to 1 du/5 ac with a maximum of 1 du/1 ac under Policy A1-4.4. Staff concluded the applicant "met the requirements to achieve PUD zoning under Rural Transition Land Use and 1du/ac density," supporting consistency with Rural Residential. No unit count is requested at this stage — density is set at the Zoning Map Amendment. Procedural history: LPA February 20, 2024 (approved 4-0); City Council first reading withdrawn April 2, 2024; first reading August 21, 2024; LPA October 1, 2024 (approved 5-0); first reading October 15, 2024; second reading July 21, 2026 — 21 months after first reading. Fifty-three mailed notices; staff used a 500-foot notification boundary against the 300-foot statutory requirement. Rural Residential prohibits commercial uses other than stables and non-intensive nurseries, requires potable water and may require dry lines or sanitary sewer connection as it becomes available, and requires any package sewer plants to be built to City standards, deeded to the City, and designed to loop into the City system.

Item 5: Ordinance 2024-10-654 — Scotland Yard Small-Scale Future Land Use Map Amendment (Final Reading)

• Type: Comprehensive Plan Amendment (Small-Scale FLUM, F.S. 163.3187) — within the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern
• Case Number: 2023-12-216; Ordinance 2024-10-654
• Location: North and west of Bay Lake Road, generally north of the Bay Lake Road / Lazy Acre Road intersection, lying east of Lazy Acre Road (AltKeys 1701856 and 1701872; parcels 162224000400002800 and 162224000400003100)
• Applicant: Daniel T. O'Keefe / Shutts & Bowen LLP — Owner: Scotland Yard Investors, LLC
• Request: Change the Future Land Use designation on 46.6434 acres (46.722 gross; 20.671 ac + 26.051 ac) from "Green Swamp Rural" to "Green Swamp Neighborhood," and render to the Florida Department of Commerce.
• Current Zoning: Green Swamp Rural Agricultural (per Ordinance 2018-05-581); adjacent uses are Lake County Rural Transition/Agricultural to the north, City Residential Low-Density (LD-SFR, Shearwater Estates HOA) to the east, City Green Swamp Rural to the south, and Lake County Green Swamp Rural (manufactured home) to the west
• Proposed Zoning: Zoning Map Amendment to follow separately
• Acreage: 46.722 gross acres
• Staff Recommendation: "FURTHER DISCUSSION" — not an approval recommendation — with a condition that the applicant provide wastewater service per LDC Section 5.5 and the City Clean Water Plan approved November 2, 2021
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Conditions: Staff-proposed condition of approval requiring wastewater service. A Green Swamp Engineering Assessment is required before construction plan approval; a threatened-and-endangered species report has already been submitted.
• Notable Discussion: Green Swamp Neighborhood carries a maximum density of 2 du/ac, a minimum 40% open space, mandatory connection to municipal water and municipal sanitary sewer, and an express prohibition on on-site sewage disposal. Staff's finding is the pressure point: "the proposed amendment has current access to potable water, but wastewater services are planned to be provided in the future with no confirmed date by the city." Policy A4-2.6 also limits the designation to the northernmost Green Swamp where uplands are interconnected and utility extension is economically feasible, requires direct access to SR-50, Bay Lake Road (CR-565 South) or Mascotte Empire Road, and requires 50-foot perimeter buffers along rights-of-way and 100-foot buffers along adjoining parcels. Staff also flagged an unresolved statutory question: F.S. 163.3187(1)(c) bars the small-scale process inside an area of critical state concern unless the project builds affordable housing under F.S. 420.0004(3), and "it is unclear to staff whether the land has been designated an area of critical state concern pursuant to F.S. 380.05(1)" — staff will keep processing under 163.3187 until Florida Commerce clarifies. Procedural history: LPA October 1, 2024 (approved 5-0); City Council withdrawn October 15 and November 19, 2024; first reading December 17, 2024; second reading July 21, 2026. The Florida Department of Commerce issued an Objections, Recommendations and Comments letter on May 6, 2026 seeking additional justification on infrastructure and comprehensive plan provisions; the applicant's response and a Public Facilities Analysis revised June 2, 2026 are exhibits. Thirty-two mailed notices; staff used a 1,500-foot notification boundary against the 300-foot statutory requirement.

Item 6: Resolution 2026-07-870 — Not-to-Exceed Millage Rate FY2026-2027 (Resolutions)

• Type: Other (millage / TRIM)
• Case Number: Resolution 2026-07-870
• Applicant: Finance Director Dolly Miller
• Request: Approve a proposed not-to-exceed millage of 4.6019 mills — the rolled-back rate — and authorize submission of the DR-420 series.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Conditions: DR-420 series due to the Lake County Property Appraiser by noon August 3, 2026; first public hearing on the millage and operating budget Thursday September 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM.
• Notable Discussion: Direction to use the rolled-back rate came from the June 16, 2026 budget workshop. At 4.6019 mills the estimated ad valorem levy is $3,319,019, with the City projected to receive roughly 95% — about $3,153,068.

Item 7: Resolution 2026-07-871 — Budget Amendment, Infrastructure Surtax Fund (Fund 105) (Resolutions)

• Type: Other (budget amendment)
• Case Number: Resolution 2026-07-871
• Location: Vicinity of Mascotte Charter School
• Applicant: Finance Director Miller
• Request: Increase Fund 105 revenues and expenditures by $68,000 from available fund reserves to purchase and install traffic safety equipment near Mascotte Charter School; amended fund budget $1,626,600. No General Fund impact.
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Notable Discussion: This funds the Pearl/Midway/Alpine traffic calming package approved May 5, which staff had estimated at $40,000–$50,000.

Item 8: Draft Food Truck Ordinance Amendments (City Manager)

• Type: Text Amendment (draft — Code Chapter 10, Article IX, "Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicles")
• Case Number: Draft Ordinance 2026-07-669
• Location: Citywide
• Applicant: City Manager Reno
• Request: Review the draft amendments and give staff direction "before finalizing and bringing before the LPA to start the process of amending the ordinance." Staff stated the intent to bring it to the LPA on August 4.
• Action: [scheduled — discussion and direction]
• Notable Discussion: The draft's substantive provisions: mobile food dispensing vehicles may operate only within 300 feet of the centerline of SR-50 and/or CR-33, and only in PUD Community Mixed Use, PUD Downtown Mixed Use, Community Commercial, Light Industrial and Heavy Industrial districts, unless authorized by a special retail use permit. Prohibitions include operating in city parking lots, rights-of-way, the municipal cemetery, city parks, or residentially zoned neighborhoods; operating on unimproved surfaces, vacant lots or abandoned business locations; drive-up sales; alcohol sales; parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, within 400 feet of any brick-and-mortar restaurant or outdoor dining area, or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or storm drainage structure. Operating hours 6:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6:00 a.m.–11:59 p.m. Friday and Saturday including set-up and takedown; no overnight parking at any operating location; maximum 10 feet wide by 24 feet long including hitch; self-contained utilities; one vehicle per property absent a special retail use permit; and for operations exceeding three hours, a written agreement confirming employee access to a flushable permanent restroom within 150 feet. Documentation requirements: state permits and licenses, a notarized commissary agreement, a notarized property-owner affidavit accepting joint responsibility for code violations, and business insurance naming the City as additional insured at $500,000 per occurrence / $200,000 per person. The whereas clauses state the purpose as balancing entrepreneurial opportunity against "minimizing visual impacts to the public realm, and mitigating fiscal impacts to site-built restaurants and businesses." Staff noted the restroom section was left as-is after consulting the attorney, pending further discussion.

Item 9: Interest Earned (City Manager)

• Type: Other (informational — investment income)
• Applicant: City Manager Reno
• Request: Informational. The City generated $439,538 in interest income over a five-month period from certificates of deposit at SouthState Bank; most principal and interest has been reinvested.
• Action: Informational; no motion
• Notable Discussion: Interest by fund as of June 21, 2026: General Fund Sinking $167,813; Water and Sewer Sinking $117,325; Water Impact Fee Fund $66,630; Infrastructure Surtax Fund $33,315; CRA Fund $25,192; Police Impact Fee Fund $8,329; Wastewater Impact Fee Fund $8,432; Stormwater Sinking $4,997; Mobility Impact Fee Fund $3,331; Tree Mitigation $2,915; W&S Debt Service Reserves $583; Stormwater Department Service Reserves $506; Tax Deed Surplus Claim $170.

Item 10: Street Light Poles and Lighting (City Manager)

• Type: Other (informational — utility infrastructure ownership study)
• Applicant: City Manager Reno, at Council's May 19 request
• Request: Informational report on converting all City street lighting to LED and replacing utility-owned poles with City-owned poles.
• Action: Informational; no motion
• Notable Discussion: The City pays pole rental on 327 streetlight poles — 281 concrete, 36 fiberglass, 10 wood. SECO Energy pole rental paid: $73,637.31 in FY2023-24, $159,200.41 in FY2024-25, and $138,798.91 through June 2026 with three months remaining. Using the City of Sarasota's August 2025 bid of approximately $6,000 per LED pole and fixture and private-contractor estimates of $2,500–$4,500, full replacement would cost roughly $817,500 to $1,471,500 against $177,090 collected in street lighting assessments this fiscal year. Staff will meet with SECO on ownership and rental alternatives and develop recommendations for FY2027-2028 budget planning; the assessment stays unchanged this year.

Item 11: Reports for June 2026 (City Council)

• Type: Other (informational monthly reports)
• Action: [scheduled — outcome not available]
• Notable Discussion: Building Department: 9 single-family and 40 miscellaneous permits in June 2026 (May 2026: 25 SFR, 45 MISC), bringing FY2025-26 to 130 SFR and 344 MISC through nine months against 384 SFR and 420 MISC for all of FY2024-25. June Code Compliance shows 19 active cases and a shift in character toward permit-compliance enforcement in newer subdivisions: trailer and shed permitting cases at 615 and 625 Alpine Street, a fence permitting case at 6439 Octave Street, "Tree Removal No Permit" at 1761 Sunset Ridge, and "Food Vendor Parking Overnight" at 622 East Myers Blvd (case 26069, opened June 23, 2026). The developer water-meter-tampering citation note that appeared in the March and April reports is absent from the June report.

Public Hearings Summary

• Number of speakers: [not available — agenda document]
• General sentiment: [not available]
• Key concerns: Two quasi-legislative Future Land Use Map amendments were noticed for final reading — 53 mailed notices on Paragon Pines (500-foot boundary) and 32 on Scotland Yard (1,500-foot boundary), with property signs posted for both.

Key Signals

• 413.9 acres of Future Land Use change reached final reading in one night after nearly two years of dormancy. Paragon Pines (367.292 acres at CR-33 and Odom Lane) and Scotland Yard (46.722 acres off Bay Lake Road) both had first readings in late 2024 and both sat until July 21, 2026. On Paragon Pines the density arithmetic is the story: Lake County Rural permitted 1 dwelling per 5 acres; City Rural Residential permits up to 1 dwelling per acre. Annexation in August 2023 plus this amendment is a fivefold density uplift on 367 acres, with the actual unit count deferred to a later Zoning Map Amendment to Urban Estates. Anyone modeling western Lake County supply should treat the annexation, the FLUM amendment, and the ZMA as one transaction with three public hearings.
• The Green Swamp amendment is where Mascotte's wastewater constraint becomes a land-use constraint. Green Swamp Neighborhood requires connection to municipal sanitary sewer and prohibits septic outright. Staff's own finding is that Scotland Yard "has current access to potable water, but wastewater services are planned to be provided in the future with no confirmed date by the city." That is why staff recommended "FURTHER DISCUSSION" rather than approval and attached a wastewater condition — and it is the same shortfall the April 1 workshop memorandum and the May 19 WWTP concept study describe. In the Green Swamp, the city cannot approve density it cannot sewer.
• The state has not told Mascotte which statute governs its own Green Swamp amendment. F.S. 163.3187(1)(c) bars small-scale amendments inside an area of critical state concern unless affordable housing is involved, and staff wrote that it "is unclear… whether the land has been designated an area of critical state concern pursuant to F.S. 380.05(1)," electing to keep processing under 163.3187 until Florida Commerce clarifies. Florida Commerce had already issued an Objections, Recommendations and Comments letter on May 6, 2026. A FLUM amendment adopted under a contested procedural track inside an ACSC is exposed to challenge; the ordinance's own effective-date clause anticipates it.
• Mascotte is writing a food truck ordinance, and the trigger is in its own code log. Draft Ordinance 2026-07-669 confines mobile food vendors to within 300 feet of the SR-50 or CR-33 centerline in five commercial and industrial districts, bans overnight parking, and imposes a 400-foot separation from any brick-and-mortar restaurant — an explicit protection of site-built businesses stated in the whereas clauses. On June 23, 2026 code case 26069 opened at 622 East Myers Blvd for "Food Vendor Parking Overnight." Clermont's P&Z Commission recommended its own mobile food dispensing vehicle amendment 6-0 on June 2. Two corpus cities are now codifying food trucks in the same quarter, from opposite directions: Clermont loosening an existing CUP regime, Mascotte tightening an existing article.
• The rolled-back millage plus $439,538 of five-month interest income is the shape of Mascotte's fiscal strategy. Council set 4.6019 mills — the rolled-back rate, no tax increase — on a levy of $3,319,019, while the city's certificates of deposit threw off $439,538 in five months, including $66,630 on the Water Impact Fee Fund alone. Mascotte is funding capital from grants, state revolving loans, impact fees and investment income rather than the tax roll. That works while growth pays; it also means the impact fee balances are large, and impact fees only accrue if permits are pulled — and single-family permits are running 130 against 384 the prior year.

Raw Notes

• Source: Mascotte CivicWeb agenda packet for July 21, 2026 (document 82214, 102 pages, text via pdftotext -layout). Agenda-only harvest — the July 21 minutes were not published as of the harvest date and did not appear in the August 4, 2026 packet.
• The August 4, 2026 staff report on the food truck item records what happened here: "At the July 21st meeting we briefly brought up the draft ordinance and decided that we wanted to wait and discuss at the next council meeting." The item did not reach the LPA on August 4 as planned.
• The draft food truck ordinance uses underline for additions and strikethrough for deletions; pdftotext does not preserve that formatting. As a result the extracted text contains both a prohibition on dining areas (Sec. 10-193(5)) and a new allowance for dining areas removed daily (Sec. 10-194(g)); one of the two is a deletion in the marked-up original. Treat the dining-area rule as unresolved in this document.
• The CRA grant staff report gives the property address as 23 Palmwood Avenue while one attachment is named "99 Palmwood Ave - Google Maps"; the application form itself is a handwritten scan that did not extract cleanly. Address recorded as stated in the staff narrative.
• Exhibit "08_CTY. MASCOTTE 26-01ACSC amended letter" appears on both FLUM staff reports, indicating a 2026 area-of-critical-state-concern correspondence file shared across the two applications.
• Paragon Pines legal description places the tract in Sections 14 and 15, Township 21 South, Range 24 East, with the Palatlakaha River easement (O.R. Book 394, Page 391) forming part of the eastern boundary.
• Ordinance 2024-03-648 as drafted still carries "2024" in its signature block and a first-reading blank dated 2024, and the exhibit page numbering runs "4 of 3" and "5 of 3" — the document was not re-dated for the 2026 adoption hearing.