Meeting Minutes for April 16, 2025
Laguna Lakes
Community Development District
The regular meeting of The Board of Supervisors of the Laguna Lakes Community Development District was held at the Laguna Lakes Clubhouse, 15250 Lakes of Laguna Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida and also via web conference on April 16, 2025.
Present and constituting a quorum were:
Mike Cutler – Chair
Michelle Martel – Vice Chair
Bruce Given – Assistant Secretary
Arriving Later:
David Williams – Assistant Secretary
Also present were:
Cal Teague – District Manager, Premier District Management (PDM)
Melissa Gindling – Assistant District Manager, PDM
Mandie Rainwater – Assistant District Manager, PDM
Don Petersen – Resident
Marilyn Morman – Resident
John Laughery – Resident
Attending remotely:
David Schmitt – Engineer, Bowman Engineering and Consulting
The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Laguna Lakes Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors regular meeting.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order, and District Manager Teague called the roll. Four Board members were present, with Supervisor Williams arriving at 4:32. Also attending were Assistant District Managers Melissa Gindling, and Mandie Rainwater, and Residents Don Petersen, Marilyn Morman and John Laughery. Attending remotely was David Schmitt, the Engineer.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Agenda
On MOTION by Vice Chair Martel, seconded by Chair Cutler, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved, as presented.
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments on Agenda Items
There were no Audience comments on Agenda items.
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Consent Agenda
A. Items to be Pulled for Discussion
Chair Cutler pulled the financials and field report for further discussion later in the meeting.
B. Motion to Approve Consent Items
On MOTION by Supervior Givens, seconded by Chair Cutler, with all in favor, the Board approved all of the Consent Items.
C. Consideration of Items Pulled for Discussion
D. Consent Items
i. Draft Regular Meeting Minutes for March 19, 2025
ii. Financial Statements for March 2025
iii. April Field Report
iv. Irrigation Work Orders Log
FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer
A. Everglades West Coast BMAP: Required Nitrogen Reductions for Laguna Lakes CDD
Engineer Schmitt stated that he and Assistant District Manager Gindling attended a webinar on the BMAP last week, and a summary was in the Agenda packet. Engineer Schmitt reported that once the BMAP rules have been finalized, he will work with staff to begin filling out the forms for project submissions.
B. Pool Construction at 8779 Spring Mountain Way
Engineer Schmitt stated that he inspected the area this morning, and the corrective grading had been completed. This item will be removed from the Agenda.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business
A. Irrigation
i. Irrigation Monitoring and Schedule Update
Several irrigation reports were in the packet, and the following were discussed:
- Clock 2 in Pebble Beach has been down for approximately a week. Insight reported that it is back online, and it appears the breaker had tripped.
- A resident reported that during a stuck valve issue, a vendor’s boat or gator cart had made ruts along the shoreline. Staff will ask Field Manager Pepin to follow up.
- A resident reported that the irrigation at 9225 and 9235 Belleza Way had been running constantly for approximately a week, and the valve boxes were also leaking. Staff will report this to the irrigation contractor for follow up.
- Chair Cutler suggested monthly meetings with each of the parcels, and he will look into setting this up.
- A dead alligator had recently been reported and removed by Field Manager Pepin’s team. The Board wondered how this should be handled in the future, and this will be discussed further at the parcel meetings.
ii. Wet Check Updates
Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that several reports from Ramirez have been received on the hotline.
iii. Reduced Watering Needs for Winter
Staff reached out to the CAMs regarding some of the landscaping questions provided by Insight, and has received one response from Pebble Beach. As decided by the Board at the last meeting, the schedule will not be reduced this year, and staff will continue to research and develop a plan for potentially reducing watering for the next dry season.
B. Berm Plant Replacement Follow-up
Before discussing the proposal, Chair Cutler discussed the current Financials and Budget. Since it was projected that the District will have a deficit for Fiscal Year 2025, District Manager Teague suggested taking excess funds from the bond account and transferring them into the operating account. This option was supported by the bond counsel.
The Board discussed priorities for Fiscal Year 2026, including berm plantings, replacement controllers, hurricane expenses, and establishing a reserve. Several options were discussed, and the Board asked staff to revise the draft Budget to indicate an assessment increase of $200 per household.
After discussion about expected issues that will need to be addressed, the Board decided to authorize the transfer of $100,000 from the debt fund to the operating fund, per section 4.2 of the trustee agreement.
On MOTION by Chair Cutler, seconded by Vice Chair Martel, with all in favor, the Board approved transferring $100,000 from the debt fund to the operating fund, per section 4.2 of the trustee agreement.
Terra Nova Landscaping submitted a revised planting proposal for the eastern berm, which totaled $26,273.50. The Board wondered if the pine straw application could be removed, and if all pine straw could be installed at the same time in the fall. They also asked staff to ascertain what the warranty is, and if a deposit will be required. Staff will also ask the HOA office to send an e-blast to residents before the plantings are scheduled to be installed.
The Board approved the eastern berm plantings, and requested they be installed in June, pending the answer to their questions above.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Martel, seconded by Supervisor Williams, with all in favor, the Board approved the proposal to install plantings on the eastern berm in June, remove the installation of pine straw, not to exceed $26,000, pending the acquistion of information.
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business
There was no New Business.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager
Assistant District Manager Gindling provided updates from Field Manager Pepin’s report:
A. Project Updates
i. Width of Littorals in Lakes
Overall, the littoral width is good except for a few small areas. Field Manager Pepin will have these areas treated as we get closer to the rainy season.
ii. Dead Palm Tree at 8900 Paseo De Valencia
The revised proposal for $500 was signed and returned to the contractor.
iii. Maple Tree Replacement at 9150 Red Canyon Drive
The revised proposal for $500 was signed and returned to the contractor.
iv. Pebble Beach Fountain Repairs
This fountain has been tripping several times a week. Fountain Kings pulled the cables from the Lake 8 motor this week and tested all the electrical, and everything checked out. They also installed a little larger breaker in the circuit panel to see if that is causing the issue. If the fountain continues to trip, then we believe there is something in the irrigation pump causing it, and we may have to place the fountain on its own electrical meter to resolve this.
v. Semi-Annual Palm Frond Cleanup
For the past few years the Board has approved cleaning up the dead areca palm fronds on a semi-annual basis. Field Manager Pepin reported this task is due to be completed this month, and the cost is $2,800 per cleanup. This is for the entire line of the areca palms along the southern berm. The Board asked staff to send a letter to the CAMs and Ramirez to determine if they can complete this task as part of the landscaping agreement.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager
A. Fiscal Year 2026 Draft Proposed Budget
This item was discussed earlier. Staff will revise the Budget as directed, and provide a copy to the Board with some comments in the margins.
TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney
Attorney Cohen asked to review the berm planting agreement before it is signed, and the Board asked him to review the warranty statement as well.
ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests/Comments
Supervisor Williams commented on some drainage issues at 8880 Paseo De Valencia. Staff will ask Engineer Schmitt to review the area and coordinate with Supervisor Williams to come up with a solution.
Supervisor Given commented that Pebble Beach does not seem to show “fails” on the irrigation map. Staff will ask Insight why this is the case.
TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments
A resident commented that Clock 2 has been tripping regularly and wondered if this is being researched. The Board commented that irrigation staff is investigating.