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Residents raise eviction, traffic-signal safety and construction dust during public comment
Summary
Three residents used the March 25 public-comment period to seek help with a delayed rental-assistance application and looming eviction, to thank the county for fixing traffic-signal sensor issues on Hancock and Heartwood Marsh, and to request county intervention over dust from a nearby construction site.
During the March 25 public-comment period, three residents raised distinct neighborhood concerns and county staff offered follow-up.
Jill Lawson said she applied for rental assistance on Oct. 1, 2024, and said the application process has dragged on about six months. Lawson told the board she supplied requested documentation but learned via an aide in Representative Trudeau’s office that the county’s vendor had said it only needed payee information; Lawson said her landlord is the Castleberry city manager and that the property is held in a trust. County staff asked Lawson to leave contact information with clerk’s staff so staff could research her application and provide assistance.
Vincent Nemec of Regency Hills, Claremont, praised county staff and commissioners—particularly Commissioner Sean Parks and county public-service superintendent Paul Erickson—for addressing a traffic-signal issue at Hancock and Heartwood Marsh. Nemec described sensors embedded in pavement that prevented signal changes unless a vehicle sat directly over them; he said the repair reduced traffic delays and may have prevented accidents. Acting city manager Rick Van Wagner was acknowledged for amplifying the concern to county and state staff.
Richard Cartwright of Mount Dora said dust from the Lakeside development behind his home has made outdoor use of his property difficult. He said the developer installed a low “retainer fence” of two to three feet and then piled dirt to the top of it, making the fence ineffective as a windbreak. County staff said construction sites are subject to NPDES (stormwater) permit requirements to control erosion and wind-borne dust and asked Cartwright to provide specific location details so county engineers could inspect the site and confirm permit compliance and dust-control measures.
County staff committed to follow up with Lawson on rental-assistance paperwork, to inspect the Lakeside site for erosion and dust control compliance, and to relay thanks for the Heartwood Marsh signal fix to the relevant staff. These remarks were made during the citizen-comment period; none resulted in immediate formal board action.
