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Residents tell commissioners about eviction risk, construction dust and signal-sensor fix
Summary
During the citizen comment period, residents told the Lake County Board about a stalled rental-assistance application that may lead to eviction, dust problems from a Lakeside development, and thanked staff for fixing traffic signal sensor issues on Hancock and Heartwood Marsh Road.
TAVARES — Several residents used the March 25 public-comment period to raise local housing, construction and traffic concerns.
Jill Lawson told the board she applied for rental assistance on Oct. 1, 2024, and said she has waited months while paperwork and responses stalled. "I applied for rental assistance on October first of last year," Lawson said. She said her landlord, whom she identified as the Castlebury city manager, has pressed her for documentation and that she now faces eviction. County staff asked Lawson to leave her contact information with staff member Nikki so the county could review her file.
Mount Dora resident Richard Cartwright complained that crews at a new development called Lakeside are not adequately controlling dust. Cartwright described a short, low "retainer fence" and dirt placed up to the top of it, saying he cannot sit on his patio because of dust. County staff said construction sites are subject to NPDES erosion controls and that county engineers would investigate permit compliance; staff asked Cartwright to provide location details to Jennifer and Nikki.
Vincent Nemec of Regency Hills praised county staff and commissioners for fixing a traffic-signal sensor problem on Hancock and Heartwood Marsh Road that had caused delays. Nemec singled out Jeff Earhart and Paul Erickson and said the sensor fix reduces safety risk: "If there was not a car on top of the sensor, then the light would not turn green or change, which to me is a life saving, situation," he said.
Susan Ducey called for the county to avoid involving federal teams in local efficiency reviews, saying she was concerned about privacy and external oversight. "We would be against that," Ducey told the board; county staff said the upcoming agenda item (Tab 20) would address state-level coordination and that staff would discuss concerns at that time.
County staff responded to each speaker with next steps: staff asked those with details to leave contact information and said county engineers and other departments would follow up where appropriate.
