Update Jan. 15: The 2 hr, 34 min video of this Jan. 9, 2023 Lake County, FL Legislators' Delegation listening session is now on both YouTube and Rumble. Print the agenda attached below to further follow the 40+ speakers. Note: The local RPA law was passed. Three Election Integrity speakers spoke starting at 1 hr, 38 min, 12 sec. Vance Jochim, who recorded the video and publishes FiscalRangers.com made a 3-minute comment at 2:14:33.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YGrmzcRFgks
Rumble: to be entered here soon
Original Pre-meeting post:
Now is your chance on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, to make a pitch to the four-member FL Lake County legislative delegation for action or funding for your favorite cause.
This is the big, annual meeting of the three Florida House Reps. and our single FL Senator to listen to agencies and groups and individuals asking them to support or fund various issues. The meeting is being held THIS YEAR at Leesburg's Venetian Center, NOT Lake Sumter State College. Details are in the attached meeting agenda below, or it will be from 9 am to 1 pm at the Venetian Center at 1 Dozier Circle, Leesburg. Get there early if you want to be added to the speaker list.
The annual event is administered this year by Aline Guy who works for Rep. Keith Truenow in his Tavares office. The legislation delegation (LegDel) includes Senator Dennis Baxley, FL House Reps. Keith Truenow, Stan McClain (new), and Taylor Yarkosky (also new).
Attached below is the actual 4-page agenda listing 34 groups and people who have signed up as of today, Friday, to give a 3-minute talk to the legislators' delegation on issues important to them. They are no longer taking names for that list, but if you attend the meeting you can sign up to also present your case to the LegDel. However, in my experience, by the time they reach the "walk-in presentations," many of the audience and earlier speakers will have left. But your issue still will be heard by the LegDel, but they usually take in all the speaker input, presentations, AND documentation provided by the speakers and do not make decisions. Serious advocates for issues will have also sent detailed white papers or power points to the delegation members, and maybe met with the Legislators before this event.
Download the Jan. 9, 2023, Lake County Legislative Delegation AGENDA
Besides listening to citizen and agency inputs, the first agenda item is a proposed "Local Bill" from Rep. Yarkosky on the topic of "Lake County Rural Protection Areas" which was apparently developed by Lake County, FL Board Member Leslie Campione. Here is what I could get on it from Aline Guy in Rep. Truenow's office:
Below is the scope of the local bill listed as #1 on the agenda, since the language is still being worked on.
- Rural lands and rural lifestyles are intrinsic, inalienable parts of the character, history, culture, and quality of life within Lake County. The preservation of rural land and sustainable agriculture and forestry contribute to the conservation of natural resources. Within Lake County, three core rural areas, described as Rural Protection Areas (RPA), shall be recognized and preserved by the County and all municipalities within the geographic boundaries of Lake County. The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is asking the Florida Legislature to enact legislation that provides for the preservation of designated Rural Protection Areas and specific density limitations within those RPAs.
Editor note about the above proposed local bill: This all is tied to the current excess annexation of low-housing density rural land by cities for HIGH-DENSITY developments that not only disrupt rural neighborhoods but generate excess traffic gridlock. This is one reaction to that issue by at least protecting the RPA areas for high-density development. Leslie Campione told me she is very happy this is being considered for a local law, which means it would apply only to new "local" Lake County developments. The agenda indicates the LegDel WILL listen, discuss and vote on this bill. If they pass it, it goes to the full legislative body for a normal rubber stamp approval, and then it will become a law just related to Lake County. This may reduce high-density development at least in the protected RPAs.
If you have an issue you think the LegDel needs to hear (like excessive TRAFFIC, election integrity, inability to recall Constitutional Officers like the SOE, water quality issues, etc.), attend the meeting, sign the "walk-in" list and give them your pitch and documentation when called. I will be doing that because I didn't know the meeting was scheduled until I found it buried in an article in the Triangle News Leader.
Neither the Triangle News Leader nor Daily Commercial has this event listed in their recent issues. I did not see the event in any emails or social media. The LegDel needs to do a better job of getting the word out about these meetings. Additionally, to ensure transparency, the text of any proposed local bill or decision item should also be included in the agenda.
See you at the meeting! I will be making a video of it from my FiscalRangers YouTube and Rumble Channels
Vance Jochim
FiscalRangers.com - [email protected]
The websites for LegDel members are below:
Sen. Dennis Baxley: https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/s13?pref=full
Rep. Keith Truenow: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4772&LegislativeTermId=89
Rep. Stan McClain - - https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4658
Rep. Taylor Yarkosky: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4868&LegislativeTermId=90
Posted Jan. 6, 2023
