Council approves consent agenda, budget amendments, special exception for nursery; rejects hunting-lease bids and authorizes one-year lease

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The REC has been open since spring of 2023 and has proven to be very popular with the community. The REC gets anywhere from 6,000–8,000 visitors on a monthly basis. Over the years, the noise level at the indoor playground and openness of the front desk have presented some challenges for staff. The scope of work for this project is to provide a Schematic Design Package for the renovations to the main lobby/atrium space to provide acoustic mitigation between the playground space and the remainder of the lobby area. Also included are modifications to the front reception area to not only mitigate the sound, but to provide better separation between the public and staff in that area. Some minor renovations to the second floor play area connected to the playground will be included in the scope of work as well. The cost of these services is not to exceed $30,000. This design work was approved in the FY26 CIP budget. | attachments=5 | reports=1

America will be celebrating its 250th birthday in July. In anticipation of this celebration, Parks and Recreation Staff would like to include a drone show in coordination with our annual fireworks display on the 4th of July. Funding for this show will be paid partly from the Department's existing budget as well as sponsorships and the veterans banner program. The Department solicited three quotes for this work and Great Lakes Drone Company was the lowest quote at $43,000.00. However, Great Lakes and the City were unable to agree on multiple contract terms. Open Sky was the next lowest bidder ($66,000) and staff was able to reach consensus with them on all terms. The scope of the show includes the following: 200 Drones Show Duration: 15-20 minutes Customizable Designs Sponsor Logo Creation Below is the bid summary: Great Lakes Drone Company, LLC d/b/a Starlight Aerial Productions ($43,000) Open Sky ($66,000) Sky Elements ($88,000) | attachments=6 | reports=1

The landscape bed located at the front entrance of the REC facility currently contains plant material that requires ongoing maintenance and periodic replacement. That area also consistently gets trampled by the users of the facility. City staff was successful in finding two sponsors (Cunningham's Lawn and Landscaping, LLC and AAA Fence) willing to fund the removal of the existing plant material and the installation of artificial turf within the landscape area. Photos of the REC landscaping The project will involve: Removal of existing plant material in the landscape bed. Proper disposal of removed materials. Preparation of the landscape area for installation. Installation of artificial turf within the designated bed area. The proposed improvement will enhance the visual appearance of the facility entrance while minimizing long-term maintenance needs for staff. In exchange for the work being done, the City will display a sponsor sign near the new turf, hang a banner for each company on one court at the REC, recognize the sponsors on the scrolling e-banners in the REC, and highlight the unveiling of the new turf on social media (which will include the sponsor names). The total value of the exchange is $18,060.00. | attachments=1 | reports=1

Staff is requesting Task Authorization No. 8 for Paul Culver Construction under the small construction projects contract. This contract is for site work to include building the concrete pad, fencing, landscaping, and plumbing work in preparation for the pre-fabricated restroom facility to support fields 4 and 5 and the soccer fields at the City Center Sports Complex. Funding was originally part of the FY24 CIP but the project was delayed to correspond with the timing of the City Center - Fields/Landfill project. The amount is not to exceed $160,500 and is budgeted in project #PK-245. Photo of City Center Sports Complex — Future Restroom Site | attachments=7 | reports=1

Community Development Staff is requesting approval of Change Order #1 to Task Authorization #4 to Stanley Consultants, Inc. for post-design services related to the St. John's River to Sea (SJR2C) Loop Shared-Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail Project (FDOT #439865; City of Port Orange #CD221). The original Task Authorization with Stanley Consultants, Inc., the Engineer of Record (EOR), was approved in May 2025 and provided post-design service hours during construction. It included attendance at meetings with City staff and the contractor, plan reviews, technical support during construction and addressing unforeseen field conditions, responses to contractor requests for clarification, general construction administration support, assisting in the review of contractor change orders, and preparation of as-built surveys and preparing required completion certifications as Engineer of Record for the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the City. These services ensure the project is constructed in accordance with approved plans, applicable codes, and specifications, and are typical for a project of this type. Due to unexpected conditions encountered in the field, which include adjustments to the shared-use path to avoid conflicts with existing underground utilities installed after the plans were completed, improvements to ADA accessibility, revisions to bypass unmarked utilities in the pathway of the stormwater system, and replacement of a deteriorated segment of the shared-use path on Spruce Creek Road to meet FDOT SUN Trail standards, the originally allocated post-design service hours have been fully utilized. As a result, additional time and funding are now required to ensure that Stanley Consultants, Inc., can continue to provide construction administration and post-design support through project completion in July 2026. This will allow timely technical evaluation, plan revisions, and ongoing coordination to maintain construction progress and ensure the project is completed in compliance with all design standards and permits. Additionally, at the time the original Task Authorization was approved, the project was anticipated to start in July 2025 and be completed by April 30, 2026. Due to delays in receiving FDOT’s concurrence of the contract award, the project did not start until late October 2025 and is now anticipated to be completed by late July. There is a certain amount of project close-out documentation and work to be completed by the Engineer of Record after construction is finished. Change Order #1 provides additional professional services in the amount of $20,400.50, along with a time extension for post-design services through August 31, 2026. The revised Task Authorization total will be $49,425.60. Funding for this change order is available within the remaining fund balance for this Project. Staff is also in discussions with FDOT regarding partial or full reimbursement of the $20,400.50 from FDOT/SUN Trail funds. | attachments=5 | reports=1

As part of the issued St. Johns River Water Management District Environmental Resource Permit No. 78624-12 (ERP) for the day dock, the City is required to enter into a lease for Sovereignty Submerged Land (SSL) with the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida. The day dock is proposed to be constructed over SSL owned by the State of Florida. Fees have been waived for this lease since the City will not be receiving any revenue for use of the docking facility. Under this lease, the City, as lessee, will be required to construct the day dock facility within the initial term of the lease, which is 5 years. The City will be required to renew the lease in 2030. The design plans for the day dock have been completed, and all necessary permits have been obtained. The project features a floating dock oriented perpendicular to the shoreline, providing mooring for up to ten (10) vessels, each up to 35 feet in length, with potential for future expansion as demand increases. The dock is also designed to accommodate a future water taxi stop. The plans include a dredging profile to establish a navigational access channel connecting the day dock to the adjacent deep-water channel leading to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), as well as the installation of channel markers from the dock to the existing marked channel. Graphic that shows the location of the Sovereignty Submerged Land Lease Area In Fall 2025, the City was awarded a $405,130 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), representing 25% of the total construction cost. Due to high FIND Grant demand, this grant award only partially matched the City’s original request of $810,260 (50% of construction costs). To maximize funding, staff submitted a second FIND grant application in March 2026 for an additional $405,130 (25% of construction costs). Based on the FIND grant award schedule, construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027. | attachments=5 | reports=1

This item is the second quarter of the fiscal year budget review covering the period from January 1 to March 31, 2026. Staff performed a review covering the revenue and expenditure figures through the second quarter to compare the current amounts with the amount budgeted. In addition, a review of departmental operating needs was performed to see if adjustments were warranted. Staff requests the Council amend the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget by revising the budget in total pursuant to itemization contained in Exhibit "A" of the Resolution. Notable items in the budget amendments include: Purchase of 842 and 846 Bears Trail Properties - transfer of funds from General Fund to Stormwater fund for the purchase of Bears Trail properties for Nixon Stormwater Pump Station & Force Main project Fire Truck purchased in FY25 - the purchase has been moved to a prepaid account and will be expensed when the truck is received. YMCA Improvements Locker Room Renovation - contribution by City required per YMCA lease agreement from 12/9/25. In FY26 $100,000 has been budgeted in General Capital Replacement fund and will be transferred to Recreation Facilities fund. Additional budget of $300,000 will be funded from Recreation Facilities fund balance. Additional budget for Parks Bond Projects - Additional budget for construction phase of Willow Run Park Expansion $2,657,396 and City Center Sports Complex Expansion $2,689,119. | attachments=1 | reports=1

Planning Commission Recommendation (3/26/26): Approval 6-0 In December 2025, the City Council approved the rezoning of a ±9.37-acre property located on the south side of Fern Park Drive, east of Taylor Road, east of the All-Aboard Storage development, to the City of Port Orange Agricultural (A) zoning district. At that time, the property owners, Daniel D. and Sandra L. Bordis, indicated their intent to request a Special Exception in early 2026 to operate a retail nursery and garden-supply facility on the subject property. In February 2026, the property owners formally submitted a Special Exception application. Location map of 1737 Fern Park Drive According to the Land Development Code (LDC), “a special exception is a use that would not be appropriate without restriction, but which, if controlled as to number, area, location or relation to the surrounding area, would promote public health, safety and general welfare.” The LDC defines retail nurseries and garden supplies as, “an establishment which offers to the public for retail sale, plants and/or associated materials and may include, but not be limited to, fences, fill material, firewood, gravel, sand, and rock products, lawn and garden supplies, and topsoil. Plant materials sold at such an establishment could be grown on the premises in a field or greenhouse.” The proposed facility would be located on the west half of the ±9.37-acre property. The property owners also plan to demolish the existing single-family home on the subject property and construct a new single-family home that will serve as their private residence on the east side of the property. The property owners currently operate a retail and wholesale mulch business (Price’s Dirt and Mulch) at 1710 Fern Park Drive, located across the street, north of the subject property. They propose relocating the existing business to the subject property and expanding it to include the retail nursery. The proposed facility will include a fenced outdoor storage area for growing plants and trees, as well as areas for the sale of plants and trees, mulch, and other landscape materials and garden supplies, along with a small 400-square-foot office building. Access to the proposed facility will be provided through a previously approved shared access drive established in the approved 2020 Master Development Agreement for the All-Aboard Storage Planned Commercial Development, which connects to the signalized intersection at Taylor Road. The proposed use meets the applicable Special Exception criteria in the Land Development Code. All Special Exception uses must comply with a standard set of development requirements, including traffic generation, parking, access, buffering, and minimum property size. The proposed use is expected to generate traffic comparable to the applicant’s existing business, which serves approximately 30 customers per day, and access will be provided via a shared commercial driveway connecting to the signalized intersection at Taylor Road. Parking will be provided in accordance with LDC requirements, and landscaping buffers along all property lines will screen the site from adjacent residential and commercial uses. If the Special Exception is approved, the property owners will be required to submit a site plan demonstrating compliance with all applicable development requirements in the LDC, including parking, landscape buffers, stormwater management, setbacks, and utilities. Any structures must also comply with the Florida Building Code. Concept Plan of the proposed retail and wholesale nursery The Staff Report is attached for more information. | attachments=1 | reports=1

On January 30, 2026, the City issued an invitation to Bid (ITB) #25-23 for the hunting lease of approximately 11,839 acres of City and County-owned property located near the well-fields. The City received 10 bids in response to the ITB. After posting its intent to award the bid to the incumbent tenant, the City received three (3) bid protests. At the three bid protest hearings before the City Manager, each of the protestors brought forward concerns related to i) the current management and performance of the lease by the current tenant; ii) the solicitation format and procedure; and iii) the ranking of the bids. After careful review of the solicitation and considering the various concerns raised by the protestors, City Staff is recommending that all bids be rejected. Staff will review the bid scope, address procedural issues to ensure fairness and transparency, and get further input from our County partners before bringing back a revised solicitation. | reports=1