Dear Friends:

This is a week of transition for many in our community as business owners decide whether or not to open under Florida’s Phase 1 Reopening Plan and how best to protect their employees and customers. I know this is not an easy decision for anyone and, for those who decide to reopen, it will require extra effort to comply with CDC and State guidelines.

I hope you’ll join me and express our thanks for those businesses and employees who have taken extra steps to keep us safe and continue to do our part to protect each other by wearing masks and keeping our distance while in public.

In the section below I provided some highlights from the agenda for our May 12th County Commission Meeting. I am also providing the link to view the entire agenda. Our virtual meeting format continues to provide you the opportunity to provide comments or input on any item on our agenda. Please submit your comments by clicking here by 8:00pm on Monday, May 11th. Comments will be distributed to the Commissioners prior to tomorrow's meeting, and any comments submitted after the 8:00pm deadline will be added to the official record of the meeting.

You can watch the Commission meeting in real-time on Comcast channel 16 or steam it live through the Leon County's Facebook Live page, Youtube channel or on the Leon County website.

If there is ever anything I can help you with, please feel free to call me (850) 606-5375 or just email me at dozierk@leoncountyfl.gov. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. You’re receiving this newsletter because you inquired about government services in the past. If you do not want to receive future newsletters, please click the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this email.

The 'Good News' Corner

In addition to our occasional 'Good News' Letter, we’ve decided to include a ‘Good News' Corner in our regular updates so we can highlight some of the wonderful things happening throughout our community.

Today we recognize ‘Giving Tuesday’, a global event encouraging us to give back to those organizations who give so much to our communities. Now more than ever we should give thanks and give back to all who serve.

May 12th Commission Agenda Highlights

Second and final Public Hearing to Adopt an Ordinance Amending the Land Development Code, Entitled “Lake Protection Node Zoning District" - This item is the final of two required Public Hearings to consider adopting a proposed Ordinance to amend the Lake Protection Node (LPN) zoning district which is intended to provide greater flexibility of development options within the nodes in order to more effectively encourage new development and redevelopment while still meeting the intent and goals of the Lake Protection (LP) Future Land Use (FLU) Category.

State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Funding for Housing Rental Assistance - This item seeks Commission approval to accept an additional $36,092 in State Housing Initiative
Partnership (SHIP) funds to assist income eligible residents with rental assistance to prevent
evictions related to COVID-19 and establishes the maximum amount of assistance to eligible
households.

Virtual County Commission Meetings and Additional Options for Public Participation - At our April 28th meeting, the Board requested an Agenda item to explore options to enhance public participation in virtual County Commission meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. This item provides options for the Board’s consideration with regard to public participation in County Commission meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Status Report on the Development of a Land Management Plan (LMP) for Upper Lake Lafayette Lake Bottom - This item recommends the County enter into an agreement with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to develop a Land Management Plan for the Upper Lake Lafayette lake bottom at no cost to the County. Establishing a LMP for Upper Lake Lafayette would enable us to address water quality, invasive plants and other environmental issues impacting the lake.

Our Leon County Supervisor of Elections encourages every Leon County voter to request a vote-by-mail ballot today! Voting by mail can protect our community’s health and safety, so don’t delay. You can request vote-by-mail ballots for the August 18th Primary and November 3rd General elections.