[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6091286,"mediaKeyId","2863409-8109cb125af4e10dd63c7a3e3b85f459","parentId",2863409,"title","Commission debates Placid Lakes grant exclusion as staff outlines sewer plant progress and utility priorities","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3410000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863409-8109cb125af4e10dd63c7a3e3b85f459&start=3410&end=3410","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863409-8109cb125af4e10dd63c7a3e3b85f459/thumbnail_3410000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6091286/Lake-Placid/Highlands-County/Florida/Commission-debates-Placid-Lakes-grant-exclusion-as-staff-outlines-sewer-plant-progress-and-utility-priorities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091286-992c8d14291248c099bb54697969a63a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207364&Signature=H2yKnHZLylSPjLgXrKiYz3nQqdWbSOoTFiA2ISGx1WVTKKaiO4gkcwosok7T-sXaRYrD5VBOJ84s7x~RZxBW2Ffj7kP-0JEmgSAIC63SkjKW0m6M2TsclZdb-9yRMHEppIs8UQcRVA9~Ys6g5C-pMasTwXMun3wFv52vpbnLsHfwS6A7BUvU2dZ3lXWhWX0knxj3fyyF~BcOYUM8mnrj~jy5rq~sBrp3tGKbeKScxiWr--qoMObVJL4z~vV7j9EissQgeQLinwzu~AOvKEJLBphc2l~qqRSTRq3IqdDws6N7NXvDnelDJbxe62jArOeIviXsMhHyqRYOHVp74PhPDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Lake Placid, FL","date","2025-04-02T07:27:04Z","article","Pam Brewer moved to remove Placid Lakes utilities from the town's grant list and to keep the private system outside the town's service-area funding, prompting debate and a request for legal clarification; staff provided project updates including a new wastewater treatment plant under construction, lift-station startups and grant applications for septic-to-sewer connections.

\"I move that Placid Lake utilities be removed from the grant and not considered to go outside your service area,\" Pam Brewer said during the meeting, initiating discussion about conflicts of interest and the intent of a prior vote. Town staff and several commissioners said the record reflected a misunderstanding about whether the prior motion was to strike Placid Lakes entirely or simply to lower its priority on the list; staff said the town attorney advised that a member with a conflict should abstain from voting and that the commission should seek a formal legal opinion and report back to town council.

Public commenters and commissioners pressed for clear poster maps of the LPRP boundary, the town's utility service area and existing water and sewer lines before decisions about funding or annexation. One resident said a new 1,000,000-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant is expected online in February 2026 and urged the commission to plan how that capacity will be allocated and whether impact fees or connection policies should preserve grant-funded capacity for septic-to-sewer conversions.

Bert Warner, utilities director, and staff reported operational work and capital projects: DEP inspected sites after a January sewage spill and recommended manhole and lift-station lining; a force-main break at a Lake June Road location caused a boil-water advisory that has since been addressed; a pipe-bursting project is complete; LPC-3 lift station startup and paperwork are near completion and camping-conference connections were expected after closeout; the new wastewater treatment plant construction was reported at roughly 20% complete with a targeted in-service date in early 2026. Staff also said they have applied for a grant that would fund about 60 homeowner connections (septic-to-sewer hookups) but not mainline installation.

Staff described several other projects in progress: chlorine-gas-to-liquid conversions at treatment plants, procurement of standardized E1 grinder pumps and the development of installation standards, SCADA upgrades for multiple lift stations and treatment plants, asset-management work with a consultant and a planned program for radio-read meters. The utilities director said the town will collect baseline water-quality samples before the new plant comes online and continue periodic monitoring after startup.

Because the motion on Placid Lakes generated uncertainty and a potential conflict of interest, commissioners asked staff to request a formal legal opinion from the town attorney, record the clarification in the minutes and forward a clarified recommendation to town council. Staff also reiterated the roundtable plan to prepare maps and technical answers before the council receives a formal recommendation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Lake Placid LPRUAC Meeting 4/1/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners and the public discussed whether Placid Lakes utilities should be excluded from a town grant list; staff reported on wastewater infrastructure projects, grants for septic-to-sewer connections and equipment upgrades, and scheduled a roundtable to clarify boundaries, service areas and legal questions.","taxTitle","Lake Placid, Highlands County, Florida","taxId",54067,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6091290,"Regional planner outlines Lake Placid growth-area rules, town schedules roundtable on utilities and boundaries",1521,139000,1660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863409-8109cb125af4e10dd63c7a3e3b85f459&start=139&end=1660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863409-8109cb125af4e10dd63c7a3e3b85f459/thumbnail_139000.jpg","/articles/6091290/Lake-Placid/Highlands-County/Florida/Regional-planner-outlines-Lake-Placid-growth-area-rules-town-schedules-roundtable-on-utilities-and-boundaries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091290-3ee87aaecc87f332594835c74ef6967e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207364&Signature=SfcYJqS3YgHn9TTcXC8bxx6gPq5~Kvtk3eFz3989H46KchNUuNYNgcWw01QEJOgxzAiMllXimAudIP~9U67u7qHLE49EkPdZISUcHsBRfQ2-49w5wukGPi2wyPX2XFykwoCrP9PpCaDWF7qvUsPnNAn8bnFUuPuRn6Gt3UPdcWXESxmeJnXUERW-dqqtLC~IbUeD111~lz1JlHu7I5bKldZxdnMVIgujcvULk4WxTgne5~Md79BmxGf5Ax2Gk08sDgBik3qv45P16pKA3qCvmyjOOGNCxBX384lWOO2k-cswY0zgPm3OvGeBgO7XtDZ7rCbZOJWScBVsR0Ht1bcpZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jeff Schmucker, planning director with the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, gave a historical overview of the Lake Placid Regional Planning Area and its implementation in local policy, then town staff and commissioners agreed to hold a roundtable workshop to compile questions and mapping needs before recommending changes to the plan.

Schmucker said the Lake Placid Regional Planning Area (LPRP) was initiated by a growth management committee in 2005 and formalized in subsequent planning documents; Highlands County recognized the area in its comprehensive plan in 2011 and the town later incorporated the planning-area provisions into its own comprehensive plan and land development code. \"If development is gonna come in, we wanna make sure it looks like we want it to look,\" Schmucker said, describing the intent to preserve Lake Placid's character while guiding future growth.

The LPRP boundary — shown to commissioners during the presentation — extends roughly from the Lake Francis area south to State Road 70 and surrounds, but does not replace, the town's corporate limits. The plan includes growth principles for intergovernmental coordination, municipal service provision, environmental protection (including lake protection and reference to the Okeechobee basin/BMAP), multiuse corridors, landscaping and architectural standards.

A central feature Schmucker emphasized is the role of utilities in enabling denser development inside the LPRP: gross residential density is cited in the plan as 3 dwelling units per acre with clustering options that could allow up to a 12-unit-per-acre net density if public water and sewer are available. \"The only way to get there though would be having those utilities in place to serve that development,\" Schmucker said, noting much of the surrounding area remains on wells and septic systems and that state and water-management policies are pressuring a shift away from septic.

Charlotte Rodriguez, town administrator, said the mayor requested that this advisory group and the Lake Placid Planning Agency review the LPRP and provide feedback to the council. Rodriguez listed specific topics to examine: the planning-area boundaries, possible additions or deletions, land-development code provisions that may need updating, enclaves and annexation candidates, which roads should be accepted for maintenance upon annexation, permitting efficiencies, and parks and recreation service levels. She said the county's comprehensive-review timeline gives the town some time but urged the commission to compile questions and materials that staff can forward to Central Florida Regional Planning.

Utilities Director Bert Warner was identified to lead the roundtable process. Warner and staff will compile maps showing the LPRP boundary, the town's utility service area and existing water and sewer lines; Commissioners and members were asked to submit questions ahead of the workshop so CFRPC and the town attorney can respond.

Commissioners and members of the public pressed for clear maps (poster-size), a list of conservation lands and an inventory of existing utility capacities so the group can see where growth is physically possible and what grant-funded capacity exists. One public commenter urged the commission to track which properties have paid for future allocations and to clarify annexation expectations when residents connect to town sewer.

The group set the next regular meeting to be replaced by a public roundtable workshop focused on utility boundaries, potential sewer expansions and data needs. Staff said it will advertise the workshop, provide poster maps and aim to bring legal guidance and CFRPC input to support recommendations to the town council and to Highlands County.","Central Florida Regional Planning Council staff reviewed the Lake Placid Regional Planning Area history, growth principles and utility requirements; town administrators and commissioners set a roundtable to compile maps, questions and legal guidance before recommending changes to the plan.","actionData","errors"]

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Commission debates Placid Lakes grant exclusion as staff outlines sewer plant progress and utility priorities

Regional planner outlines Lake Placid growth-area rules, town schedules roundtable on utilities and boundaries