Village of Indiantown

COUNCIL MEETING JULY 11, 2024

Swampfest happened and it was either too successful or not that much…or maybe both.

We were told by an organizer at the meeting that it was heavily patrolled, and that the staff was overly concerned by the way things happened. Council Member Palmer said all needed to come together. Dipaolo was there for each day and didn’t see a problem. However, there were things being done that were not on the permit plan like serving alcohol and setting up a stage on an athletic field.

The Sheriff’s representative said there were two arrests, one was for a firearms violation. Mayor Gibbs-Thomas stated there is a contract between the village and the organizers. Everyone needs to follow the procedures. Even though the Sheriff said it should be over by 7 pm, the council made an exception until 10 pm.

Some of the organizers had said when they applied for their permit that Swampfest had outgrown the Booker Park location, and next year it would be moved. Now it seems they want to remain there.

The LDRs are being re-written to move the individual permit approval process to staff rather than the council. Staff would be the ones to check the boxes similar to the way in which most permits are issued in other places. However, the manager appeared to be angry since her staff was, she claimed, being berated by people at the festival.

I am sure this is not the last we will hear of this.

Budget Director Florio gave a less than sunny budget forecast going forward. 86% of the ad valorum is from personal property taxes (FPL). This is not a new development but a more and more troubling one. Gas taxes declined by $200,000 since 2022 and won’t be back up to the higher levels for years. As interest rates go down, the village will be making less and less over the next few years.

Florio also said that the cost to provide services will be greater than the ad valorum going forward. The cost match of grants is hard for the village to match which could result in fewer grants being accepted. Hiring qualified people continues to be a problem because of both pay and location.

You can see his presentation here