Lake Placid officials begin multi-month review of regional plan and comprehensive plan timing

Lake Placid — Town officials told the Local Planning Agency on March 3 that the town must review the Lake Placid Regional Plan (LPRP) and coordinate with Highlands County and neighboring municipalities on a larger, multi-jurisdiction process that includes an upcoming comprehensive-plan review.

Charlotte Rodriguez, town administrator for Lake Placid, told the Local Planning Agency that Mayor and council have asked the agency — together with the town utilities committee (LoopRack) — to examine possible changes to the LPRP and the town’s development code. Rodriguez said the objective is to identify additions or deletions, clarify boundaries and recommended annexations, and consider whether development standards, road-plan adoption and permitting efficiency need updates.

“As Justin said, I’m Charlotte Rodriguez, the town administrator for the town of Lake Placid,” Rodriguez told attendees, framing the LPRP review as a multi-step process that will require technical presentations and public feedback. She said staff will present the LPRP materials, and the agency should plan to bring recommendations back to the council in the spring, with possible additional meetings in April and May.

Dana Riddell, the town’s contract planner, and other staff briefed the agency on parallel processes already under way at the county level and the state. Riddell said Highlands County has notified the state that it will update its comprehensive plan as part of the seven‑year review cycle; that schedule creates a compressed timeline for municipalities to align their own planning documents. Riddell said the county’s timeline requires counties and municipalities to return a notice to the state indicating whether updates are needed; once that clock starts, local governments face statutory deadlines.

Riddell also described the interlocal-service-boundary-agreement (ISBA) process that Sebring and Avon Park have pursued and said Lake Placid has been included in broader discussions. She recommended the Local Planning Agency hear from Central Florida Regional Planning staff in April — specifically referencing Jennifer Coda Salisbury — so the LPA can review maps and the background that led to the current LPRP.

Rodriguez and Riddell cautioned that the LPRP review is technical and may require more time than the town’s initial schedule allows. Agency members said they were willing to hold special meetings or coordinate with daytime sessions to accommodate LoopRack and municipal staff. Utilities director Burt Warner was noted as a forthcoming participant for utility-related questions.

The agency was asked to serve as a local public forum for the LPRP review and to prepare recommendations that town council can consider. Staff outlined a month‑by‑month approach: a fuller April briefing from regional planning staff; internal homework and public forums; and a May meeting to finalize recommendations before presenting to the council.

The agency agreed to the process in principle and staff committed to returning with more detailed materials. No formal action or vote was taken at the March 3 session; staff will schedule follow-up presentations and confirm timelines with the mayor and council.