Lake County Board of County Commissioners’ Post

Transcript

Hello, I'm Kirby Smith, Chairman of the Board of Lake County Commissioners. We are thrilled to have you join us as we highlight 2023 successes, innovations and partnerships in this year's state of the County. Over the past 12 months, Lake County has embarked on transformative partnerships throughout our community, resulting in innovative strides forward for our neighbors and families. As the Board Chairman and a resident, I'm incredibly proud of the collective efforts invested in the resulting achievements we've accomplished for our residents. Through advancement stems from united efforts. Our dedication to fostering robust community relationships, championing sustainable economic growth and delivering dependable essential services drive our innovative spirit. These core objectives propel us to continually enhance the quality of life in Lake County for both present and future residents. So without further ado, on behalf of Lake County Board of County Commissioners, I'm delighted to introduce you to the essence of 2023 and Lake County innovation through collaboration. Our staff worked hard this year on efforts to support a resilient and prosperous community. These projects include housing initiatives, environmental grants, online learning programs and new facilities. Our teams work tirelessly to make government programs accessible to our entire community. This year, through the State Housing Initiatives Program, Lake County awarded over $2,000,000 in funding to residents for home ownership and home repair assistance. None of this would be possible without the collaboration of our lenders, nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and our partnership with the Consumer Debt counselors. Through our Community Development Block Grant program, Lake County partners with several municipalities on innovative projects to construct or improve our neighborhoods this year these projects. Included the Wooden Wonderland and Yalaha Community Club, Playground Park redevelopments, the Lake Tech to various transportation and Innovation Center, and the Fruitland Park Water Line project. Along with funding for many parks and trails and roads projects and the new construction of the Astro Library, The Homeless Prevention Program allows us to work one-on-one with Mid Florida Homeless Coalition in assisting the unhoused population in our community with assessments and housing placement through grants awarded to Lake County. Such as the Permanent Supportive Housing and Emergency Shelter vouchers. By collaborating with the Orlando Veterans Administration Healthcare System, the Lake Counties Housing Choice Voucher Program was able to receive Veterans Assistance Supportive Housing Vouchers in order to assist Lake County Veterans. We'd like to extend our gratitude to all of our partners for their support and participation this year. By partnering together, we gain a better understanding of the needs in our community and are committed to facilitating a community wide approach. To assisting and addressing the needs of the citizens of Lake County. In 2023, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners introduced a new web series titled Board Shorts with Chairman Kirby Smith. In the series, Kirby Smith takes viewers on a journey through the heart of Lake County, exploring local businesses and engaging with various departments within the Lake County government. With a focus on community service and connection, the series explores what Lake County offers its residents and visitors, shedding light on the services they provide and their contributions to the community. Board shorts with Chairman Kirby Smith showcases the diversity of Lake County while creating deeper understanding of the valuable resources available to its residents. This year, the Parks and Water Resources Administration office moved to the Hickory Point Recreation Complex inside the Lake County Water Authority building. Lake County Board of County Commissioners initiated a program to protect and restore the counties, lakes and waterways by removing septic tanks that released chemicals into the soil. Eligible homeowners received funding to connect to Lake County's distributed wastewater treatment system. This effort aimed to limit nitrates and chemicals affecting water quality. Addressing the nutrient pollution identified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the county covered the initial connection cost included in the Homes Property Tax Assessment. Education and learning based collaborations are so important to our individual and regional success. These partnerships foster a thriving community where knowledge and innovation flourish. By joining forces with our partners, we empower our residents with access to resources, learning opportunities and a brighter future. The Lake County Library system has a lot of partners and one of them is the Lake County Animal Shelter. So once a year we celebrate National Library Week in April. So if you bring your Lake County Library card to the Lake County Animal Shelter they will give you a fee waived adoption which is a great time to pick out your forever reading buddy. Keep Lake Beautiful is another partner that we work with that works with a lot of local gardening clubs and organizations. And what's great about this partnership is they plant native. Gardens at a lot of our libraries. This is great because it helps beautify our libraries and offers an educational way for residents to learn about native gardens and how to take care of them at home. Lake Technical College has been a partner of ours for years. They've taught GED classes and English classes that a lot of our locations, but several years ago we donated a used bookmobile to them, which they outfitted as a mobile lab and testing center. So we'll be able to see this former bookmobile driving all over. The county still serving the residents. Another partnership of Cooper Memorial Library is with the State Library of Florida, which offers the annual Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute. This is a year long program or participants meet once a month and these are current library leaders and future library leaders that get together to talk about library services, developing leadership for the future, and networking. In 2023, Lake County worked with Lake Tech on 2 incredibly important projects. To benefit our community, first the county collaborated with Lake Technical College to provide the Pathway to Prosperity program for students interested in pursuing a career in the following areas. Correctional officer Crossover from correctional officer to law enforcement Officer, Firefighter, EMT, combined heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, patient care technician, pharmacy technician, practical nursing, professional culinary arts and hospitality. Public Safety Telecommunication The Pathway to Prosperity Scholarship is open to Lake County residents who are not receiving financial sponsorship from any outside organization. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and instructional resources and eligible programs. The City of Tavares, Lake County and Lake Technical College marked another significant milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for the city's new 44,000 square foot public works facility. Lake Tech will be moving their automotive and diesel program to the new facility, which will allow students to further practice their skills by working on the city's vehicle fleet, including emergency vehicles, garbage trucks and more. And Lake County. We know that preparation and collaboration are essential for effective public safety programs. Whether they're responding to emergencies, saving lives, or ensuring the welfare of our furry companions, these dedicated professionals play a vital role in making our county is safer and more compassionate place for all its human and animal residents. I'm here today to talk to you about the services we provide and the valuable partnerships that we provide throughout Lake County. About a year ago, we combined two separate departments with the County of Lake EMS into Fire Rescue. One of the things that we did in this transition is we ensured that our single cert, those EMT's and paramedics continue to have a career path in Fire Rescue. What I mean by that is we are not requiring our EMT's and paramedics to go to fire school, but if there's. Interest to join and train to become a firefighter, we provide that opportunity as well. We have always provided the best service as two standalone entities, but today we bring that force together in a partnership to not only assist the residents but visitors alike in our municipal areas as well as unincorporated Lake County. So what's happening now is the rebranding. We're slowly phasing out the white ambulance with the big orange stripe that you see and we're rebranding. Out with a fire truck red and a battleship Gray color scheme that you'll see on all new fire suppression apparatus as well as our ambulances. O as we meet the future head on with the tremendous growth that we're occurring, we're strategically planning both personnel and additional resources to meet our needs and public safety. The Board of County Commissioners have the public safety as a number one critical priority throughout the county and I'm committed to carry out that goal. The Office of Emergency Management also hosted Community Emergency Response Team Program training, also known as CERT training. This training included team organization, disaster medical operations, and other important emergency skills. Residents interested in becoming involved with CERT had to be members of an established organization such as a homeowners association or a faith-based organization. During Hurricane Adalia, the Office of Emergency Management worked tirelessly to provide aid and information to residents. The Emergency Operations Center operated at level one activation and coordinated storm logistics. Support Lake County included in the state of emergency issued a local state of emergency for safety preparations and recovery post storm. Finally, as we set our sights on the future, Lake County understands that collaboration with partners is the cornerstone of our economic success. Our primary focus is on responsible, sustainable growth, which means supporting new entrepreneurial ventures, attracting visitors to experience our local businesses, and ensuring the prosperity of our residents. These collaborative efforts are fundamental in shaping A prosperous future for our entire community. I'm Ryan Richie, the Director of the Office of Visit Lake, and we're standing at Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball complex. It's a 21 court state-of-the-art sand volleyball complex that was a $3,000,000 investment by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners in July of 2014 and 10 years. We've hosted more than 90 events that have translated in 40, 000 visitors and almost $12 million of economic impact to the area. Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball complex is home to the USA Volleyball Para Valley National Training Site, Lake Sumter State College Sand Volleyball Team and we've hosted several marquee events here like the NJCAA National Championships and the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Championships, the largest small college championship in the country. In fiscal year 2023, we've hosted more than 126 sporting events. Which is translated in about 160,000 out of county visitors with $60 million of economic impact. That's our goal and our vision to partner with the Florida Sports Foundation, the Sunshine Sports Council and Sports ETA, which is sports events and tourism association where we have access to national governing bodies, events organizers and rights holders from all over the world so that we can bring those events right here to Lake County. Without those partnerships, we wouldn't be able to bring those events here to Lake County, which translate into a positive economic benefit to the community. This year's Lake County teamed up with the Lake Economic Area Development Partnership, otherwise known as LEAD, to expand, diversify, support, and unify the Lake County regional economy. LEAD, a public private organization focused on retaining, expanding, and recruiting quality jobs, collaborated with Lake County to drive economic growth. By working closely with various stakeholders, Lake County and Leeds Collaboration seeks to strengthen Lake County's economic future by creating more. And higher paying jobs, fostering A diverse and competitive regional economy, developing A supportive community for entrepreneurs and assisting existing businesses while attracting new ones that generate high wage, high value jobs. In addition to our partnership with Lead, Lake County hosted its 2023 Workforce Summit to bring together guests, business leaders, elected officials and education partners for important discussions on the future of our community. These sessions concentrated on. Providing tools and strategies to assist businesses in hiring, training, motivating, and retaining their workforce, all with the primary goal of promoting economic development in Lake County. And last but not least, Lake County's economic development took a significant step forward with the opening of a new business incubator in downtown Eustis. The UCF Business Incubation Program offered businesses support in areas like coaching on business growth strategies, mentoring, education, leadership training and critical functions such as accounting, legal, marketing and public relations. Thank you for reflecting with us on a year field achievements and promises of new opportunities. We have every reason to believe the coming year will be even more exciting. We'll continue working hand in hand to achieve success one breakthrough at a time. Thank you for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the 2023 state of the county and we'll see you next year.