[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":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,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6267847,"mediaKeyId","3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95","parentId",3061771,"title","Eustis resident urges city to act on 7-Eleven construction noise, lights and property impacts","audioSeconds",263,"startMs",1903000,"endMs",2166000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95&start=1903&end=2166","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95/thumbnail_1903000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6267847/Florida/Eustis-resident-urges-city-to-act-on-7-Eleven-construction-noise-lights-and-property-impacts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267847-73cb077d9e5c401baa43f4ffbf480057/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112213&Signature=H~~9EqDaelcnNX8ma1fXQuyUiA4CXjemH-M5e36kJLhGCAqTKkZTUjbnxmHWuePWmasOwY7~RA2VG5xyeNrI16c~uZinEV4lhYLwCkh~LhWty8BV5jZclkuEoVvMfLX9mu3G6bRdoY6x86LDb89TUjqIwwaUUdhAqcnbG1tSxWawaKKUFomokPk5xVacN9n1BUpe~MDwU4-E~HqMM1uJhjgs1KjF2ps1w~EfXpy5qDxcwgtv7wczD3PX6LNniURL3iyUorXq2BIVLANT-HPU-VzzeDEdikVBN0BZ-5wYLzQ4G45BMIGmoqWcFcpo0yA2yxUxG33XLVFzuzVo0-bfhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Eustis, FL","date","2025-04-19T17:11:59.967Z","article","During the public comment period, Kimberly Newcomb, who identified herself as an Eustis resident living behind the new 7-Eleven site at Abrams and Orange, described construction activity she says has made her family's life difficult.

Newcomb said heavy equipment has been operating as early as 4:30 a.m., that bright construction lighting \"shines directly into multiple bedrooms\" despite blackout curtains, and that the disturbance has disrupted her children's sleep. She also said prospective home buyers have walked away from offers because of the nearby 7-Eleven and that previous assurances by the city have not resolved the problems.

Mayor Hawkins and staff responded from the dais. City staff acknowledged they had been in contact with the developer and the building official had told the developer not to conduct construction prior to 7 a.m. Staff said the contractor had told the building official it would not start work before 7 a.m., but Newcomb said the 4:30 a.m. work occurred two days earlier. Staff said the developer has been \"very good to work with\" and that landscaping and additional buffering could be negotiated once the site reaches the landscaping phase. The building official indicated the site is still an active construction site and needs certain lighting for safety while construction continues.

Commissioners asked staff to compile and send Newcomb a written summary of the city's efforts and contacts with the developer. Staff said the city would prepare and email a summary of actions and would continue communications with the developer (seven-eleven) and the property representative.

Ending: The commission did not take formal action but directed staff to summarize prior and ongoing contacts with the developer and to continue enforcement and negotiation on construction hours, landscaping and photometrics as the project moves into landscaping.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular City Commission Meeting - 17 April, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A resident told the commission the construction of a 7-Eleven behind her house is causing early-morning noise, bright lights shining into bedrooms and damage to house saleability; staff said the city has contacted the developer and will summarize ongoing work in writing.","taxTitle","City of Eustis, Lake County, Florida","taxId",71128,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6267852,"City audit: Eustis receives opinion but auditors flag pension accounting, capital-asset reconciliation and a CRA balloon note",323,1172000,1495000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95&start=1172&end=1495","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95/thumbnail_1172000.jpg","/articles/6267852/Florida/City-audit-Eustis-receives-opinion-but-auditors-flag-pension-accounting-capital-asset-reconciliation-and-a-CRA-balloon-note","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267852-c3d05a6d281986f60d59742f49e16016/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112213&Signature=WQawG~G70k0CdVR~lKG43TlGyspNAsFR4uX09Sv0RMgrijpTp51RqAXgYCbLnSNAH9~8N5~uubYeLVzs4pmc0dhsaiZDINy-S1ty05gN6m-yJEkC0Agsd7QV2wN-wzmNrpSfdS1PD25xgW~~Mnivz8AlNLH5QkJELgUib91MpRgMNyWHw9Z0MhlrkiHpmy-Dnt-Gtg6kH0ZW4~viuFDNN5SZlnC-JvR8P4JPjuEGRzjWYuYMB588hSAJS4a8BJmpi1bSJBLWWIHJQ4TXxqxdQDxdLWx~oycvWWT5iGK44kCrec3hQopIVMh8WrBLcgUHWUN0if9pjRkKg6ZydLE12w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City auditors from a regional accounting firm presented the City of Eustis's annual audit for the fiscal year and highlighted several management-letter items the commission should address.

Helen Painter, audit partner, and Lauren Walker, audit manager, told the commission the audit team designed procedures to detect material misstatements and issued an opinion on the financial statements. Painter thanked staff including the finance director and assistant finance director for assisting during the audit.

The auditors identified two management-letter comments: (1) accounting records for the police pension fund were repeatedly late due to an outsourced CPA whose retirement had disrupted timeliness; auditors recommended deciding how to handle that accounting going forward, and (2) the city's capital-asset records need more timely reconciliation, a frequent local-government challenge amplified by recent ARPA-funded capital projects. Painter said reconciling those records took multiple iterations.

Auditors also told commissioners the building fund had accumulated excess revenues over expenditures and that Florida statute limits how much excess a building fund may retain; the firm recommended a plan to spend down or appropriately allocate those balances. Separately, auditors noted the CRA has a note due this year that is a balloon payment and will require refinancing; the auditors flagged that interest-rate conditions are less favorable than five years ago and the city will need to make a refinancing decision this year.

Painter closed by saying all funds ended the year solvent with reserves and that pension plans performed well in the market.

Ending: Commissioners had no further questions at the presentation; staff will follow up on the auditor's management-letter recommendations on pension accounting, capital-asset reconciliations, building fund balances and CRA refinancing preparations.","External auditors presented the city's annual financial audit, reporting no material misstatements but issuing management letter comments about late pension accounting, capital-asset reconciliations, building fund excess balances and a CRA loan balloon payment due this year.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6267857,"Eustis annexes 49.5 acres along County Road 44; land use changes approved following resident concerns about wetlands and concrete dumping",351,3344000,3695000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95&start=3344&end=3695","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95/thumbnail_3344000.jpg","/articles/6267857/Florida/Eustis-annexes-495-acres-along-County-Road-44-land-use-changes-approved-following-resident-concerns-about-wetlands-and-concrete-dumping","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267857-9d6eafc1ac426217cf226d4299720a9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112213&Signature=jZMT6QRORpoj0wxJ5MbfXp6zEMNKrpf42nopTbiVpBVN2SslDC4GCveaZR9p1uG8fB~BySZFHEHKpGWyNoitKRUaEa91fvmqHnmSA-WHxrc9k1gySbhLmXu-mkNLE9qPU55cZiFY7JxyFmOllIyS7zO9VPCQB0uPuTCxGU1AVQRINScdQWiCR2aGu4WNdZ9dUjz6mpRCy1lyiB7uZRRPvNb-rL~p01aLzPsn1KHV1sdFjmYubVdwNFk8xZLbH2FE8Cr0fOuEY~MAcxEYY0LFUcuBJt-rooBwkLczZYLt7du8QebqH~9cgiQItDaC5l1lfM68wHY-vqE0ZB3CCv47fQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission voted to annex roughly 49.5 acres north of County Road 44 and east of State Road 19, approving three linked ordinances that change the property's status and planning designations.

Staff said the property owner, Robert T. Sangster, requested annexation and the mixed commercial-industrial (MCI) designation for the parcel. The package approved April 17 consisted of: Ordinance 25-03 (voluntary annexation of ~49.5 acres), Ordinance 25-04 (comprehensive plan amendment from Lake County's urban low to mixed commercial-industrial), and Ordinance 25-05 (assigning the bridal neighborhood design district to about 40 acres and suburban corridor district to about 9.5 acres). Planning staff told commissioners utilities are available at the road frontage and that future development will require floodplain and geotechnical studies because the site includes low-recharge soils and FEMA flood zones.

Residents and nearby property owners raised several concerns during public comment. John Thornton and Sherry Norton said much of the parcel appears to be wetlands, that trucks have been bringing concrete to the site and that recent on-site concrete grinding and fill activity could affect drainage. Cindy Newton said heavy truck traffic was using restricted local roads and warned that changes to the parcel's grading could affect Trout Lake drainage. Thornton asked the city to require \"stringent requirements\" on how the property would be developed.

Commissioners debated trade-offs. Some said annexation gives the city more regulatory control than leaving the property under county jurisdiction; others said they preferred the site remain unchanged. Multiple commissioners said they preferred light industrial or commercial uses to dense residential development. Commissioner Asbadi said annexation would \"put pressure on us\" as a city but noted it would allow Eustis to oversee future development rather than leave control to the county.

All three ordinances passed on commission roll calls with recorded yes votes from Commissioner Holland, Commissioner Asbadi, Vice Mayor Ashcraft, Commissioner Lee and Mayor Hawkins.

Ending: Staff said future development proposals would require detailed studies (floodplain, geotechnical, and traffic) and that city code enforcement and state regulators (Saint Johns Water Management District was mentioned as monitoring possible violations) would be engaged if unpermitted activity continued. Commission members instructed staff to monitor the site and report back as development proposals advance.","The commission approved three ordinances to annex about 49.5 acres north of County Road 44, change future land use to mixed commercial-industrial, and assign suburban corridor and bridal neighborhood design districts; neighbors raised flooding and concrete-dumping concerns.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6267861,"Eustis adopts 2025 downtown master plan; commission schedules follow-up workshops",601,2379000,2980000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95&start=2379&end=2980","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3061771-f9b307b4907147780264afb1ce704c95/thumbnail_2379000.jpg","/articles/6267861/Florida/Eustis-adopts-2025-downtown-master-plan-commission-schedules-follow-up-workshops","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6267861-3d1b91d6d827ccf68565ff6ac4bbb768/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112213&Signature=B5HmUtUxnaKemDUvpRFRxFNykn2AfNciVQEinH~qHdimyEojKCiCxdu7sxvRPd1K064~M0MEg2wDdMdv9wmzZcm004yLz7YzWfDgbidXyFUyKo2~6IRZB2f4vg3SGGkvV-OqcF3nOYr4sfFR9ryrjys19hdwMTcVraesFKvMCAIghFO5kVDO9WwJhk1p5NL7eXMvoymo9X24g-tiDl~5Jwv5Ynr0DJXcIsPQgWQ4mHP13ap2lEi-TS63LF2~8sYLx-CmXDMAOj7Vx6cUwnxFiELxEcTGP7YPFDFQxGBveiIAkng5YYdQHcx3l6L5FLYo0qBXJjUCk~5XM3ucBuIiTw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission of the City of Eustis on April 17 adopted Resolution 25-32, approving the city's 2025 downtown master plan and directing staff to incorporate the plan into the Community Redevelopment Agency redevelopment plan.

The adoption drew sustained discussion among commissioners about next steps and priorities for downtown revitalization. Commissioner Asbadi said the commission must \"get something going\" and proposed prioritizing a hotel to attract visitors. Vice Mayor Ashcraft and other commissioners supported adopting the plan now and scheduling targeted workshops to refine implementation steps. Commissioner Holland urged the commission to \"follow the master plan\" and said she supported a hotel first because it would draw overnight visitors and event business.

Staff advised that adoption also allows the CRA to participate in implementing the plan and that the commission previously discussed the draft during a workshop. Mayor Hawkins and commissioners said they wanted a workshop schedule so the commission could decide priorities such as a hotel, waterfront activation, parking and potential public-private partnerships. City staff flagged a related state-level risk: a pending state bill affecting CRAs could require earmarking funds by October if passed, which commissioners cited as a reason to finalize the plan promptly.

Public comment included support from downtown business owners who said the plan provides a starting point for revitalization. Daniel Di Venonzo, who identified himself as a Lake County resident and downtown business owner, said he supported adoption and suggested parking and project-by-project fixes for technical questions such as parking counts.

The commission voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution 25-32.

Votes at a glance (items acted on April 17):
- Resolution 25-32 (adopt 2025 downtown master plan / incorporate into CRA redevelopment plan): passed 5-0.
- Ordinance 25-01 (land development code amendments: add retail smoke shop, tattoo establishment, massage establishment; add self-service storage use): second reading approved 5-0.
- Appointments to Historic Preservation Board: Dorothy Stevenson reappointed (5-0), Ronald K. Musselman reappointed (Mayor Hawkins recused; motion carried by remaining commissioners), Shannon Graves appointed (5-0), Derek Stewart appointed (5-0).

The commission directed staff to schedule targeted workshops and to return with specific implementation steps and timelines. Staff said it would circulate possible workshop dates and that commission members had expressed interest in short, focused sessions rather than a single long meeting.

The adoption gives the CRA a formal policy basis for downtown projects; commissioners said they intended to follow the plan while using subsequent workshops to prioritize actions such as a hotel, parking, and waterfront amenities.

Ending: The commission closed by asking staff to circulate workshop dates and to monitor the state legislative calendar for CRA-related changes. The commission emphasized moving from planning to specific, time-bound action steps.","The City Commission voted unanimously to adopt the 2025 downtown master plan and incorporate it into the CRA redevelopment plan, with commissioners urging quicker follow-up workshops to prioritize downtown projects including a potential hotel.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Eustis resident urges city to act on 7-Eleven construction noise, lights and property impacts

City audit: Eustis receives opinion but auditors flag pension accounting, capital-asset reconciliation and a CRA balloon note

Eustis annexes 49.5 acres along County Road 44; land use changes approved following resident concerns about wetlands and concrete dumping

Eustis adopts 2025 downtown master plan; commission schedules follow-up workshops