Satellite Beach Youth Council elects Alex LaFortune chair, Charlotte Barnes vice chair and sets environmental outreach priorities

The newly formed Satellite Beach Youth Council held its first official meeting Oct. 28, 2019, electing Alex LaFortune chair and Charlotte Barnes vice chair and moving quickly to set priorities that include lagoon cleanups, social-media outreach and community events.

Webb Pierce, the city clerk, opened with a review of parliamentary procedure and Florida’s Sunshine Law, telling the council: “No communication between board members on items under the board’s purview are allowed,” and warning that off‑meeting discussions (texts, emails, hallway chats) risk civil penalties.

“The chair is going to be really important in doing that, to prevent confusion when discussing business and to keep the meeting moving,” Pierce said as he led an orientation on motions, public comment and records requirements.

Following the orientation the youth council moved to leadership elections. A motion nominated Alex LaFortune for chair and was seconded; the nomination passed on a roll-call voice vote and LaFortune assumed meeting leadership. A subsequent motion nominated Charlotte Barnes for vice chair and that motion also passed. The roll-call exchange recorded affirmative responses from multiple members by name during the vote.

In the public‑comment period Serena Videla, introduced herself as an alternate youth council member and offered to serve as secretary, citing prior experience: “I was a secretary for a year of my Beta Club,” she said.

The council heard a budget overview from Britney Jumper, the city’s support services director and finance director, who outlined the city’s fiscal cycle and fund structure. Jumper said the city’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, the general fund is “just over $13,000,000” and roughly 60% of general fund revenue comes from property taxes; she also noted the city is beginning its annual audit ahead of a February–March council presentation.

After the presentations members spent the bulk of the meeting brainstorming mission and project ideas. The group favored using Instagram as its primary outreach tool while recognizing that posts and content development must comply with Sunshine Law limits and be reported back to the council at a public meeting. Environmental proposals dominated the discussion: members suggested lagoon cleanups, oyster‑mat or mangrove plantings in partnership with Brevard Zoo volunteers, refillable water‑station pilots in schools and a storm‑drain mural ‘adopt‑a‑drain’ campaign to highlight runoff into the lagoon.

Members also discussed short‑term outreach at local events. The Ocean Reef Festival in December and Satellite Beach Founder’s Day were identified as opportunities to promote the new council; staff advised staggering volunteer shifts to accommodate members’ school schedules. Staff and the city manager, Courtney Barker, offered to help with outreach logistics and a small startup budget for project supplies.

The council agreed to return to the ideas in November with drafted mission/vision statements, shirt concepts for council branding and more detailed project proposals. Chair LaFortune adjourned the meeting after members confirmed those follow‑up steps.

What’s next: members were asked to prepare a short vision or mission draft and any materials (shirt designs, social‑media mockups, project budgets) to bring to the next meeting for formal consideration and potential motions.