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Amended Meeting Minutes for May 10, 2021

Renaissance Community Development District

The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Renaissance Community Development District was held on Monday, May 10, 2021 at 9 a.m. at the Club at Renaissance on 12801 Renaissance Way in Fort Myers, Florida and via web conference.

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

Richard Platt – Chair
Doug Dickey – Vice Chair
Glen Hammer – Assistant Secretary
Jim Mercer – Assistant Secretary

Also present (or attending via web conference) were:

Cal Teague – District Manager
Attorney – Tom Hart
Mark McCleary – Engineer
Christopher Dudak – Assistant to the District Manager
Nancy Dudak – Premier District Management
Tom Blackwood – Resident

The following is a summary of the actions taken at the Renaissance Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors meeting.

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order and Roll Call

The Renaissance Community Development District meeting was called to order and District Manager Cal Teague called the roll. All current Board members were present. Also in attendance were Attorney Tom Hart and Nancy Dudak from Premier District Management. Participating via web conference were the Engineer Mark McCleary, and Christopher Dudak from PDM.

SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Agenda

The Board reviewed the Agenda.

On MOTION by Chair Platt, seconded by Vice Chair Dickey, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved as presented.

THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments on Agenda Items

Tom Blackwood commented on the erosion project on Lake 7.  He said that years ago, the CDD accepted property that was improperly graded and had a lack of proper vegetation.  He thanked the current Board for rectifying this issue.  He felt that property owners should not be held at fault and that no resident should be held accountable for the $600 payment to correct it.  The Chair clarified that the $600 is for each home to connect the downspout to the manifold. He stated that every homeowner had the option to opt out of the assessment if they would accept responsibility that, if in the future there was ever erosion caused by runoff from their property, they would be held liable to fix the erosion at their own expense.

It was also clarified that, in the past, the CDD accepted only CDD or public property, nothing on private property.  Regarding the repair and restoration of the sod, the Chair confirmed that an irrigation system will be in place to water the new sod. 

FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of Meeting Minutes

A. Draft Meeting Minutes from February 8, 2021

The Chair felt there should be more mention in the Minutes of the wells and pumps that were discussed at the last meeting. The District Manager suggested the Minutes be amended at the end of section 52, stating “It was also requested that the four recharge wells be identified and assessed as to the condition of the four recharge pumps and wells.”

On MOTION by Vice Chair Dickey, seconded by Supervisor Hammer, with all in favor, the Minutes from February 8, 2021 will be amended at the end of section 52 with the following: It was also requested that the four recharge wells be identified and assessed as to the condition of the four recharge pumps and wells.

FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business

A. Lakes Maintenance Updates

The Field Manager reported that spatterdock was showing a higher presence in Lake 0-2 this month. He asked if it would be worthwhile for Gonzalo Ayres from Lake & Wetland Management to bring out the harvester for $1,500/day to manually remove all the plant material, but the Board expressed that it was just sprayed and seemed to be dying. It was also commented that the aerator on Lake 12 needs to be repaired, but the District Manager said he spoke with the Field Manager that morning and it was in good working order. It was commented that it was not working the previous Saturday. The Lake 2 fountain was also said to be off this morning.

B. SFWMD Preserve Non-Compliance Update

The District Manager said the S. Florida Water Management District did an inspection and there were some banana trees that the property owner was supposed to take care of behind 11002 Longwing Drive. It was taken care of as part of the original contract with Lake & Wetland Management.

C. Water Use Permit Concerns

Proposals for review of recharge wells are expected for the next meeting, so the topic was delayed.

D. 3 Additional Owners with Hardened Surfaces on Lake Edges

The District Manager said that five properties have been identified as having hardened surfaces on the lake edges. Ms. Dudak stated that the issue originally started with Mr. Harrelson’s property as part of the Lake 7 improvements. This issue was originally identified by the Board who expressed concerns about other properties where hardened surfaces were also installed on the lake banks by the homeowners without SFWMD permission and why cite one property when there were others. It was agreed that all properties with hardened surfaces should be handled in the same manner and letters will be sent if an indemnity issue is a concern.

The Board agreed at the last meeting not to pursue action against Mr. Harrelson to have the rip rap removed if he provided an indemnity letter stating that if the enforcement agencies cited the District, he would correct the violation. The Attorney prepared a non-threatening letter and an indemnity agreement for him. The Board approved handling all properties with hardened surfaces in the same manner with letters and indemnity agreements being required. The list was expanded to three other residential properties not on Lake 7, plus the golf course. It was also agreed that the indemnity agreements would be on the property and recorded at the County and extended to future homeowners of those properties.

The Board is also concerned about a new house being constructed on Via Lago on the corner of Lake O-3 that is depositing construction material along the lake bank. A letter will be sent to them about repairing the lake bank that is on CDD property.

On MOTION by Chair Platt, seconded by Supervisor Mercer, with all in favor, the Board voted to proceed with a letter of notice to Mr. Harrelson and the four other properties with hardened surfaces along the lakes and the Club at Renaissance stating they must sign an indemnity agreement.

E. Board Vacancies

The District Manager stated that there is one vacancy on the Board, and another one is anticipated later in the meeting. Two emails have been sent to the community concerning the vacancy. They discussed the difficulty in getting residents to participate. It was suggested the HOA send another community email to generate interest. The Chair will contact two potential candidates. The District Manager stated that the Board cannot function with less than three members.

SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business

A. Supervisor Hammer Resignation

The District Manager discussed with regret the letter of resignation from Supervisor Hammer that will be effective May 11.

On MOTION by Supervisor Mercer, seconded by Vice Chair Dickey, the Board accepted with regrets the resignation of Supervisor Hammer that will be effective May 11.

B. Mall Loop Berm Plantings Proposal

The District Manager said that Juniper submitted a proposal for $7,000+ for some sod and more plants on the back side of the berm. The Field Manager did not recommend doing the work. The Board agreed that it is not necessary at this time.

SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager

A. Financial Statements for February, March and April

The District Manager reviewed the financials for the last two months, and said the April financial statement will be emailed to the Board.

On MOTION by Chair Platt, seconded by Supervisor Mercer, with all in favor, the Board accepted the financials for February and March 2021.

B. Fiscal Year 2020 Audit

The District Manager presented the audit findings and commented on the fund balance. The Board discussed the audit and authorized the submittal of the Annual Financial Report to the State.

On MOTION by Chair Platt, seconded by Supervisor Hammer, with all in favor, the Board accepted the results of the FY 2020 Audit and authorized the submittal of the Annual Financial Report to the State.

C. Set Public Hearing for Proposed FY 2022 Budget: Resolution 2021-03

The Board discussed the proposed budget and set the Public Hearing for adoption. The tentative budget was to include the use of the Unassigned Fund Balance of $150,000 with $75,000 be used for Lake Erosion Repair and balance the budget by reducing the drainage account. The Public Hearing will be held on August 9.

In addition, it was requested that the Field Manager’s erosion map be prioritized for long range planning. It was stated that the golf course repairs tied up the use of it for two months. It was suggested they identify the worst lake banks in the red areas and follow that prioritization process for each of the categories. The Chair stated that they probably need to develop a long term plan based on which which lakes and which shorelines they need to restore, and they need to allocate funding for it.

On MOTION by Chair Platt, seconded by Supervisor Mercer, with all in favor, the Board approved Resolution 2021-03 to set the Public Hearing for August 9, 2021 to adopt the FY 2022 Budget.

D. District Registered Voter Counts

The registered voter count for the community included 465 voters as of April 15, according to the County .

E. Letter to Club Identifying Natural Areas

The Engineer identified the natural areas within the Club, and after review of the permit, he could not identify any. There are no maintenance requirements, still he felt they need to treat it like a conservation area, which means they cannot do any clearing. While it does not allow for clearing of the area, they can remove “dead” material, which was identified on a map provided by the Field Manager.   The Board discussed a concern that the golf course cleared out some protected areas, so a letter will be sent to the club that identifies the natural areas and the conservation rules.   Also, the Attorney, Chair and the District Manager will request a meeting with the club to discuss these concerns. 

EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager

A. Field Report

The Board expressed appreciation for the outstanding job the Field Manager is doing and reviewed the Field Report:

B. Follow-Up Items

i. Lake 7 Erosion Project Updates

Lake & Wetland Management is finishing up the dredge sox installation and will be putting down sod, as of May 6. Juniper is aware that new sod is being laid and has added irrigation heads along the shoreline to water the new sod. Juniper is also going to adjust the timers so that it receives water daily and it can get established before the rainy season. Concern was expressed over the additional expense of using fill dirt for the sox and the District Manager will confirm they stay within budget.

a. Norris – Current Drainage System Verification

The Field Manager spoke with Mr. Ayres from Lake & Wetland Management about this and verified that Mr. Norris’ drain pipes are not crushed and they have been extended further into the lake.

ii. 9516 Via Lago Drainage Repair Update

The homeowner authorized Lake & Wetland Management to extend his pipes further into the lake, so washouts can be avoided at the discharge point.

NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney

A. Redraft of Letter to Harrelson on Rip Rap Concerns

This item was discussed earlier in the meeting.

TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer

The engineering issues were discussed earlier in the meeting.

ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests/Comments

The Chair asked the Engineer about Mr. Harrelson’s downspouts. He stated that he verified that pipes were connected to the downspouts but he could not confirm where they connected without sending a camera into the pipe. He also said he did not see any additional washouts.

TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments

There being none, the next Order of Business followed.

THIRTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Adjournment

There being no further Orders of Business and,

On MOTION by Supervisor Mercer, seconded by Chair Platt, with all in favor, the Meeting was adjourned at 10:22 a.m.

Next Meeting: June 14, 2021 at 9 a.m.

Secretary/Assistant Secretary
Chair/Vice Chair