Meeting Minutes for February 19, 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 Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Present and constituting a quorum were:
Mike Cutler – Chair
Michelle Martel – Vice Chair
Bruce Given – Assistant Secretary
David Williams – Assistant Secretary
Jonathan Busa – Assistant Secretary
Also present were:
Cal Teague – District Manager, Premier District Management (PDM)
Mandie Rainwater – Assistant District Manager, PDM
Melissa Gindling – Assistant District Manager, PDM
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 Cal Teague, the District Manager, called the roll. All Board members were present. Also attending were Assistant District Managers Mandie Rainwater and Melissa Gindling. Attending remotely was David Schmitt, the Engineer.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Agenda
On MOTION by Supervisor Busa, seconded by Supervisor Givens, 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 discussed his report. He reviewed the status of the irrigation system and commented on the issues with the fountains and on future projects. He also presented a review of the financials and a potential shortfall by the end of the fiscal year, and that the Board will need to consider the financial status as they develop the Budget. He suggested the Board may want to consider increasing assessments, as well as, reducing the cane toad program. Vice Chair Martel believed the cane toad program was good for maintenance. The Board agreed to continue for the present time, but potentially reduce the amount of months for the next fiscal year. The Board asked for suggestions for fish that eat cane toad tadpoles.
B. Motion to Approve Consent Items
On MOTION by Vice Chair Martel, seconded by Supervisor Busa, 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 January 15, 2025
ii. Financial Statements for January 2025
iii. February Field Report
iv. Irrigation Work Orders Log
FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer
A. Water Use Permit Adjustments
Engineer Schmitt reported that his office continues to work on the permit, and there is nothing new to report at this time.
B. Everglades West Coast BMAP: Required Nitrogen Reductions for Laguna Lakes CDD
Engineer Schmitt reported that his office continues to research, and there is nothing new to report at this time.
C. Overview of Berm Requirements for Residents Follow-up
Engineer Schmitt stated that they have received the survey results, and he discussed a draft of the map. Once finalized, this will be attached to the guidelines and sent to the Board for final review before distributing them to residents.
D. Pool Construction at 8779 Spring Mountain Way
Engineer Schmitt reported that most of the debris has been removed. He stated that approximately 3” of dirt should be removed from the swale area to avoid creating a hump and to allow the new sod to match the existing sod. Staff has sent another letter to the homeowner with this request. Staff also shared this information with the HOA, so they can inspect any sprinkler heads for damage.
E. Senate Bill 7040: Changes to Stormwater Inspection and Reporting Requirements
This new legislation has been shared with Engineer Schmitt for his opinion, and he mentioned that it may be related to and memorialize the BMAP requirements. David will confirm that these new requirements do not require further action from the CDD.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business
A. Irrigation
Several irrigation updates were in the packet, as well as, a report from staff. Assistant District Manager Gindling reported on the current status of the system, and the following was discussed:
i. Irrigation Monitoring and Schedule Update
There was discussion on several clock issues, and communication with the zones and zone identification. Irrigation has been running around the clubhouse at the wrong time, and it has now been fixed.
ii. Wet Check Response Update
Wet check letters were sent to the HOAs on January 28th. The deadline included in the letters was March 3rd.
iii. Update on Clocks 5 and 7
Staff has asked No Limit and Insight Irrigation for an opinion on these two clocks and which clock should be combined with Clock 1. They are awaiting their response.
iv. Reduced Watering Needs for Winter
Some information from Insight Irrigation is included in the packet. This is something the Board may want to consider for next year. The Board discussed several options, such as keeping the schedules at 3 times per week but reducing the run times. There was also discussion on the weeds within the community. The Board asked staff to follow up with irrigation staff and provide the following information:
- Does less irrigation water reduce weeds?
- How much water is provided to the sod in inches per night?
- How many inches of water are needed to maintain the landscaping per month?
- Is it possible for Insight to reduce run times to maintain just the minimum amount of irrigation per month?
- Is there a required minimum water use for reclaimed water?
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business
A. Berm Plant Replacement Follow-up
Field Manager Pepin asked JVM to refresh their proposals, and these were reviewed. The Board discussed which portion of the proposals to consider, and the locations for the plantings. Several questions were raised about the proposals. They wondered if the foxtails were 25 or 45 gallons, which was inconsistently listed in the proposal, and which areas each proposal suggested. Staff will ask JVM to revise these proposals to clarify. They would like to see the proposals broken down by inside the wall, by parcel, and outside the wall by parcel, so they can work within their current budget. They also asked staff to contact other contractors for additional bids, and Nova was suggested. This will be reviewed again at the next meeting.
B. Resident Request to Replace Maple Tree at 9150 Red Canyon Drive
The resident at 9150 Red Canyon has requested the CDD to replace one maple tree behind their home. Two trees were lost during Hurricane Ian, and then a third was lost during Hurricane Milton. She would like the third tree replaced, and JVM provided a quote for this replacement. The Board approved this request, but asked Field Manager Pepin to obtain a quote from Nova and select the lowest price.
On MOTION by Supervisor Busa, seconded by Supervisor Williams, with all in favor, the Bord approved the replacement of a maple tree at 9150 Red Canyon Drive, not to exceed $1,000.
C. Ratification of Fountain Light Repair Proposal
The fountain lights on Lake 7 recently went down, and District Manager Teague and Chair Cutler approved a proposal to replace them. This proposal was ratified by the Board.
On MOTION by Supervisor Busa, seconded by Vice Chair Martel, with all in favor, the Board ratified the proposal for fountain light repair.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager
District Manager Teague reported on several project updates from Field Manager Pepin:
A. Project Updates
i. Width of Littorals in Lakes
Field Manager Pepin reported that the existing plants that were killed are still breaking down. No additional spraying will be conducted until these areas clear up.
ii. Palm Tree Pruning
This project has been completed.
iii. Fountain Repairs and Repair Log
An updated log was included with the February field report.
iv. Dead Palm Tree at 8900 Paseo De Valencia
The dead cabbage palm is within the areca palms along the southern berm. Field Manager Pepin recommended removing the dead palm and replacing it with an areca, which will fill in the empty gap and provide privacy to the homeowner. The Board asked Field Manager Pepin to remove the dead palm, but not replace it now. They would like to see a photo of the area after the removal to decide what to plant as a replacement, and something self-pruning was suggested, such as a foxtail or a shrub.
v. Cypress Tree Removal at 8939 Paseo De Valencia
It was initially reported that a cypress tree was removed at this address. During the field inspection Field Manager Pepin could not find any evidence of a cypress tree removal. The homeowner may have removed the stump and roots as well when it occurred. This concern was dropped.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager
A. Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Schedule
The Budget schedule was presented, and District Manager Teague requested goals and priorities from the Board. Suggested goals included replacement of controller(s), Hoover maintenance, and building reserves. This will be discussed further at the next meeting, if so desired.
TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney
There was no report from Attorney Cohen.
ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests/Comments
Vice Chair Martel commented on the weeds and vines on the clusia, and Supervisor Williams volunteered to report this to Greenscapes.
Chair Cutler thanked the Board for a great meeting.
TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments
There were no Audience comments.