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, June 21, 2023.

Present or attending via web conference and constituting a quorum were:

Jonathan Busa – Chair
Paul Rumbold, Jr. – Vice Chair
Michelle Martel – Assistant Secretary
Mike Cutler – Assistant Secretary
Mark Wessler – Assistant Secretary

Also present or attending via web conference were:

Cal Teague – District Manager, Premier District Management (PDM)
Diana Torres – Alliant Property Management
Melissa Gindling – Assistant District Manager, PDM
Residents

The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Laguna Lakes Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors regular meeting.

The meeting was called to order and all Board members were present. Also in attendance were Cal Teague, the District Manager, Diana Torres from Alliant Property Management, Melissa Gindling from PDM, and Several Residents.

Add 6B Homeowner Request for Tree Trimming at 8749 Spring Mountain Way

Chuck Scarsfield asked if the Board had discharged the irrigation company without a replacement vendor. Supervisor Cutler commented that there were issues with the billing and work process of the company, and when questioned, they quit without notice.

A. Items to be Pulled for Discussion

No items were pulled.

B. Motion to Approve Consent Items

C. Consideration of Items Pulled for Discussion

D. Consent Items

i. Draft Meeting Minutes for May 17, 2023

ii. Financial Statements for May 2023

Supervisor Cutler noted a fluctuation in the irrigation and maintenance figures.

iii. June Field Report

iv. FEMA Reimbursement Update

v. Irrigation Work Orders Log

vi. Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Audit Report

A. Irrigation

i. Irrigation Contract Update

Chair Busa reported that the contract for pump maintenance has been signed.

Field Manager Pepin had stated that the contract has not been finalized with No Limit, and they have submitted no invoices, but it is probably due to their change in personnel. He reported that they continue to perform necessary maintenance, and they address any issues that arise.

Chair Busa wants to ensure that the irrigation contractors are performing their regular wet checks, so that all issues are discovered and addressed.

The Board wondered if the chlorine treatments have continued, and District Manager Teague was not sure a scheduled treatment was completed before Irrigation Specialists stopped working for the District. Once a contract is signed with No Limit, the Board asked for the contractor to perform a regular chlorine flush of the system and report how many shells are expelled. Staff will continue working for a contract with No Limit.

Chris reported that Ramirez has been responsive, and they have submitted invoices.

ii. Emergency Reporting Process

Chair Busa reiterated that the CDD is responsible for the delivery of water, and the irrigation vendor is responsible for addressing work orders and maintenance. He stated that timely response to an issue has been an historical problem at Laguna Lakes. There was discussion on which vendor to contact on the weekend or during the week when there are emergency issues, such as a stuck valve or turning on and off the water, and the procedure for doing so. Currently, irrigation issues are reported to Diana at Alliant, and she decides which contractor is appropriate to call. After hours, Chris Pepin has been taking emergency calls. Setting up a hotline, a telephone answering service, was suggested, and Supervisor Cutler explained the procedure of Grasshopper, a service provider he has used.

The Board requested that a proposal for a hotline be included in the next Agenda. Staff will also research the after-hours call out options and pricing. It was decided that the current procedure will remain until there is further discussion.

iii. Noisy Pump Follow Up

District Manager Teague stated that Field Manager Pepin reported that the new vegetation has helped muffle the noise, and he is installing the noise barrier, which should be completed in the near future.

iv. Replacements for Web-connection Modules on Controllers 4, 7 and 8

District Manager Teague stated that Tucor informed staff that the web-connection modules on controllers 4, 7 and 8 are no longer functioning, and Tucor submitted a proposal to update them at a discounted price. He stated that No Limit is available to install these modules.

B. GIS Project Update

i. Proposal for Adding Hotwire Fiber Optics

District Manager Teague stated that a proposal had been received for adding Hotwire fiber optics to the GIS map.

C. East Berm Regrading Follow Up

District Manager Teague stated that Field Manager Pepin had contacted 6 companies about this project, but he only received one response. Field Manager Pepin believes that he will receive a proposal from one of these companies.

A. Additional Palm Tree Clean Up Request by Homeowner

A homeowner had requested additional trimming of the old and cut frond ends on palm trees on their property. After discussion, the Board decided to reject the request.

B. Homeowner Request for Tree Trimming at 8749 Spring Mountain Way

A homeowner had requested the clean up and trimming of a tree from the berm behind their home. District Manager Teague stated that Field Manager Pepin needs to determine if the tree is on CDD property, and he is in the process of doing so. After discussion, the Board decided to table this until there is more information on the type, location and status of the tree.

Supervisor Cutler stated that he had noticed tadpoles in Lake 2, and he wondered if Field Manager Pepin could investigate. District Manager Teague stated that he will pass this on to Field Manager Pepin.

District Manager Teague presented Field Manager Pepin’s report on the following. There were no requests from the report.

A. Follow-up Items

i. Hurricane Ian Clean Up

District Manager Teague stated that most of the hurricane cleanup is complete.

He stated that there has been 3 proposals submitted for re-planting some areas damaged during the storm. Vice Chair Rumbold stated that he is concerned that the work will be done in Pebble Beach, Santa Barbara and Beverly Hills, but it will not be done in Monterrey until the work on the berm is completed. There was concern that the two vendors who had installed plantings previously had not communicated when they were planted, so they were not uniform in each community. It was stated that Ramirez had not been maintaining the plantings, and that the associations should be reminded to notify their landscapers, so it is ensured that their work can survive.

The Board decided to request bids for plantings from two additional vendors, Ramirez and Terra Nova, for both 3 gallon and 7 gallon trees.

A. Potential Legislation Affecting Special Districts

District Manager Teague stated that there is legislation which would define the CDDs as special districts at the federal level, which would help when requesting grants.

He also stated that legislation had passed which would require the Board to take a 4 hour course on ethics, and it takes effect in January 2024.

In addition, he reported that newspaper legal advertising requirements may change to web advertising. Staff will watch the development of this legislation.

There was no report from Attorney Cohen.

There was no report from Engineer McCleary.

Supervisor Cutler noted that the FY 2022 audit report was clean. District Manager Teague stated that the CDD was a little over budget, but it is probably a result from the lank bank erosion project, and that the overrun is not enough for a finding.

Supervisor Martel asked if No Limit had received the password to Tucor software. Melissa Gindling clarified that it had been provided to them. Regarding the path at the end of Spring Mountain Way, Supervisor Martel requested an inspection of the irrigation system before the pavers on the path are laid down in mid-August. Chris Pepin will be asked to complete this.

Vice Chair Rumbold commented that, from his observation, the presence of cane toads has greatly diminished, and he believes that the treatment is working. He also stated that residents had observed mold on the outside wall along Bass Road. There was discussion on the history of the wall, and the responsibility of the community adjacent to Laguna Lakes for its maintenance. It was stated that permission may need to be obtained from their community for vendors to enter their property and clean it. The Board requested that Field Manager Pepin investigate and possibly get a quote for power washing the one section that is accessible.

There were no Audience comments.

The Next Regular Meeting is July 19, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.