River Ridge supervisors approve traffic radar signs, landscape vendor swap and several maintenance orders

The River Ridge Community Development District Board of Supervisors met on Nov. 19, 2024, and approved several maintenance and safety measures while confirming board officers and ongoing infrastructure work. The board elected Bob Schultz as chair and Terry Mountford as vice chair under Resolution 2025-02 and handled multiple contract and budget items affecting neighborhood infrastructure and operations.

The meeting front-loaded two spending decisions tied to neighborhood maintenance and safety. The board authorized AV-Tech LLC estimates 24150 and 24151 to wire and install three permanent and one mobile 15-inch solar-powered digital speed radar signs with cameras and messaging and to subscribe to cloud traffic services. The package was approved for a combined total of $105,000 on a motion by Mr. Schultz, seconded by Mr. Blumenthal, with the vote recorded as unanimous. Eric Long, PSGRC general manager, said relocating an existing unit was considered after “the unit clocked 800 varied speeding violations over a three week period,” and operations staff said poles for relocated units will be purchased from Paramount Asphalt for about $1,200 each.

A separate, closer vote concerned proposed relocation of an aeration system in Lake E1‑C. Operations Manager Shane Willis presented a revised Bentley Electric proposal that would add roughly 125 feet of electrical work and a $10,755 relocation estimate. Rather than approve the relocation now, the board approved installing a temporary "zombie box" at the existing location for $3,098 to be revisited during FY2026 budget discussions. The motion, made by Mr. Schultz and seconded by Mr. Twombly, passed 3–2 with Mr. Schultz, Mr. Twombly and Mr. Merrill voting in favor and Mr. Mountford and Mr. Blumenthal dissenting.

The board also accepted an irrigation change order from Irrigation Concepts to repair damaged wiring ($4,002.50) and raise an estimated seven to eight irrigation heads ($1,300 each), approving the work in a not-to-exceed amount of $15,000 on a motion by Mr. Blumenthal, seconded by Mr. Schultz; the vote was unanimous.

On contracting, the board moved to terminate the Landscape Service Agreement with Laz’s Lawn Service, Inc. for poor performance and to engage GulfScapes Landscape Maintenance Services at a proposed $58,500 contract price. Staff noted GulfScapes’ price is about $13,000 higher than the $45,000 budgeted amount; the board authorized management to offset the increase by using payments withheld from Laz’s Lawn Service and unassigned funds. The motion by Mr. Blumenthal, seconded by Mr. Schultz, passed unanimously.

Financial and administrative items included presentation of unaudited financial statements as of Oct. 31, 2024, and notice that the Series 2022A note will be closed with funds applied to prepay bond debt. Mr. Blumenthal questioned why an Oct. 1 annual insurance payment did not appear in the check register; Mrs. Cleo Adams said she would investigate and report back. The board approved corrected minutes from the Oct. 22, 2024 regular meeting.

District counsel Tony Pires reiterated his prior opinion concerning ownership of Corkscrew Road west of U.S. 41. Mr. Schultz said the Village of Estero engaged Johnson Engineering for a street and walkway inspection, and PSGRC President Neil Collins said Town Hall discussions will focus on the intersection of U.S. 41 and Corkscrew Road’s east side. District Engineer Charlie Krebs presented a revised scope for the Seaside & Master Drainage Project and said work is expected to start in two to three weeks.

Chair Schultz also announced River Ridge participation in Pelican Sound’s Community Safeguard Panel: Mr. Merrill will represent the CDD on Objective 2 (natural-disaster safeguarding) and Mr. Twombly will represent the CDD on Objective 4 (street safety). Mr. Krebs said a sidewalk inspection report and repair estimates will be presented at the January meeting; he will begin line-of-sight inspections.

The board set its next meeting for Dec. 10, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. The meeting minutes record two adjournment times (a 3:07 p.m. line and, later in the document, a 2:51 p.m. line); staff should confirm the correct time in the official minutes.

Votes at a glance

• Resolution 2025-02 (electing officers): Adopted (motion: Mr. Mountford; second: Mr. Blumenthal) — unanimous. • Aeration interim "zombie box" ($3,098): Approved (motion: Mr. Schultz; second: Mr. Twombly) — 3 yes (Schultz, Twombly, Merrill), 2 no (Mountford, Blumenthal). • AV-Tech speed radar signs and cloud services (combined $105,000): Approved (motion: Mr. Schultz; second: Mr. Blumenthal) — unanimous. • Irrigation Concepts change order (not to exceed $15,000): Approved (motion: Mr. Blumenthal; second: Mr. Schultz) — unanimous. • Terminate Laz’s Lawn Service and engage GulfScapes ($58,500): Approved (motion: Mr. Blumenthal; second: Mr. Schultz) — unanimous. • Approval of Oct. 22, 2024 minutes: Approved (motion: Mr. Blumenthal; second: Mr. Mountford) — unanimous.

What happens next

Staff will research and report back on the missing insurance check-register item; District Engineer Krebs will begin drainage work and complete sidewalk inspection reporting for January; Pelican Sound Panel meetings are expected to convene in December and staff will report updates then.