October 18, 2007
Draft Minutes

Call to order: Chairman Robert King called meeting of October 18, 2007 to order 7:10 pm at the Orange Boating Club.

Minutes where accepted as presented.

Reports by other members:

1. 1135 Project: Kevin Buck, with Congressman Feeney's office, reports no communication with Pete Milam, USACE.

Chairman King said he had spoken to all three bidders for the bridge contract and they all wanted to know about the channel configurations.

2. Interagency Restoration Plan: Version #7 was emailed to the group by Chairman King. He said, overall, the document is getting better, and more complicated.

Chairman King said he had two concerns with regard to the plan:

1. How the plan will be adopted - will that be a function of the Legislature?
2. Clarification of the alum treatment application method.

Ed Hayes, FFWCC, said his commission has some concerns with the endorsement statement and they have some questions about the strategies.

Chairman King said the most significant feature of the plan is the timeframe, which pushes restoration out another five to 10 years.

3. Bridge Contracts: Chairman King reported selection of the winner from the three ranked contractors would like be made by January. He stated he had invited all of the firms to attend the November meeting.
4. 417 Widening: Fred Gaines, Turnpike Enterprise, had nothing new to report.
5. Friends of Lake Jesup Web site Designer: Don Pugeau reported that a domain name and hosting had been set up. The domain name is www.LakeJesup.org.
6. Winter Springs/Parkstone: Chairman King gave a report about a conversation he had with a resident of Parkstone concerning the HOA mandate for residents to use Middleton's lawn service and the condition of the swales behind the homes of lakefront property owners.

The resident was concerned about the lawn spraying because the swales had been diverted and now the run-off was going directly into the lake.

Chairman King said he was having someone check the swales.

7. BMAP: The TMDL process has reached the point where it is becoming quasi-judicial, with a committee of "check writers" being formed. Chairman King has convinced the FDEP that the group is a stakeholder even thought it is not a "check writer" and needs to be represented on that committee.

Cecilia Height, Sierra Club, volunteered to sit on the committee representing FLJ.

8. Site 10: Chairman King reported he was told that soil/water testing was on hold due to lack of rain.
9. Legislative Delegation: The Seminole County Legislative Delegation Meeting is scheduled for October 24, although it is likely it will be postponed, according to Sarah Hardy, Sen. Constantine's office, because the House and Senate has been called back to Tallahassee.
10. Chairman King said his concern this year was with the WMD moving mitigation out of the Lake Jesup basin. He said he would like to find another way to approach the problem and possibly ask the Legislature to help in enforce the statute by withholding funding from the WMD as penalty for moving mitigation out of the "nested" basin.

Ms. Hardy said she would look into this through the Senator's office and report any information she finds.

11. Middle Basin - Chairman King reported Regina Morse, SJRWMD, said the Middle Basin group would be on a field trip Friday, Oct. 19, touring Lake Jesup and other water bodies in the basin.
12. Coast Guard: Kevin Buck, with Congressman Feeney's office, reports no action on this issue.
13. Winter Springs/Highlands: Cecilia Height introduced a resident of the Highlands who asked the group's help in finding a third party to help them place a conservation easement on the currently closed 190-acre Winter Springs golf course.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.