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Resident alleges selective permitting and questions city cutting of CSX property
Summary
During public comment, landowner Sylvester Warren accused staff of denying his permit for a proposed Black American Festival while approving other events in the same period and asked why city funds were used to cut grass on CSX private property; he said public-record requests had not been answered.
Sylvester Warren, a local landowner and participant in the Lake City public-comment period on May 18, told the council he believed his festival permit application had been unfairly denied while other events were approved.
"Help me understand why the first Black American festival was denied, but others in the same time period was approved," Warren said, adding he had been told a sergeant denied his application though the form required a director's signature. He said he felt "played with" and that selective enforcement was unjust.
Warren also asked why taxpayer dollars were being used to cut grass on private CSX property and said his public-records requests on that topic had not been answered. "Why is taxpayers dollars being used to cut CSX grass?" Warren asked. He described himself as a major landowner in historical districts and the CRA and said he wanted answers.
Council members did not provide a substantive answer during his turn; the mayor acknowledged the comment and moved the meeting forward. No staff response resolving the complaint or citing the records-request status was recorded in the transcript; the matter remains unresolved and in the public record.
Next steps: Warren asked for follow-up and public-record responses; if the council or staff intends to respond publicly it should confirm the records status and the legal basis for any city maintenance on private property.
