Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves fee waivers for Douglas Brown summer camp and Civic Center luncheon; deposit waiver denied
Summary
The board approved waiving facility rental fees for a summer camp at Douglas Brown Community Center and a May 14 Civic Center luncheon tied to suicide prevention outreach, but declined to waive the deposit for the Douglas Brown reservation. Staff will clarify cleanup and deposit arrangements.
The Board of County Commissioners approved two separate requests to waive facility rental fees for nonprofit events during Thursday’s meeting, but rejected a request to waive the damage deposit for one of the uses.
Leah (last name not specified), executive director of Village Okeechobee, asked the board to waive fees and to waive the deposit for a summer camp she plans to run in the Douglas Brown Auditorium and adjacent park, arguing the neighborhood is one of the county’s most impoverished and that local families lack transportation. "We're asking for that. And, we're asking for a deposit waiver, because, you know, we're we're just asking for use of the facility for the summer… and we're asking for all fees to be waived," she told commissioners.
Parks staff said they had no objection to the facility fee waiver as long as the group cleaned daily and left the facility in good condition, but said a deposit waiver would set a precedent the county could not extend to all users. Commissioners voted to approve fee waivers for Douglas Brown use (summer camp, Tuesdays‑Thursdays) but not to waive the deposit; they asked staff to help with alternatives and offered limited monetary assistance for the deposit if needed.
The board also approved a fee waiver for a May 14 Civic Center luncheon organized with Refuse to Rethink (suicide prevention outreach). The board voted unanimously on both items.
