Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
August 4, 2017 1:00 a.m.
Later this month, the Florida League of Cities (FLC) will host its 91st annual conference (Aug 17-20; Orlando). The conference is the gathering of municipal officials from throughout the state for information, training, and networking. Funding is included in the City’s annual budget for conference attendance by the City Commission and the City Manager. Although most of the Commissioners have expressed a desire to attend, due to other obligations Commissioner Poynter will be the only City Commissioner attending (historically, Commissioner attendance at this event has been minimal). I hope that more Commissioners will be able to represent the City next year.
According to the conference program, it appears that Thursday’s sessions are primarily oriented to the FLC’s Legislative Policy Committees. These Committees prepare policy statements for a variety of issues confronting municipalities: Finance, Taxation, and Personnel; Land Use and Economic Development; Municipal Administration; Transportation and Intergovernmental Relations; and Utilities, Natural Resources, and Public Works. The City of Fernandina Beach does not have any representation on the Legislative Policy Committees.
Some time on Thursday is also dedicating to ethics training. By law, municipal elected officials are required to take four hours of annual ethics continuing education, specifically two hours related to ethics law, one hour of public meetings, and one hour of public records. The City of Fernandina Beach provides this training internally (not only for City Commissioners, but senior departmental staff).
It appears that I will be required to attend an Executive Board meeting for the City’s PACE provider. This is the provider that, working with local contractors, will provide energy efficiency upgrades funded through individual property tax assessments. I know that the provider is currently reviewing local contractors in order to begin the program in Fernandina Beach.
A Thursday evening session is scheduled to discuss the issue of vacation rentals. This topic has percolated as State officials try to figure a way to regulate this growing “sharing economy” issue in response to the patchwork of local regulations. This issue also serves as the informal opening chapter for the conference theme addressing the continuing legislative overreach on home rule (as evidenced by the most recent legislative session).
Friday looks to be a very busy day, with several rounds of training sessions. Some that appear most interesting include “The History of Home Rule and Preserving the Right to Local Government,” “Getting Counted: Updating Your Census Data,” “The New Homestead Exemption,” “Being Right is Not Enough: Effective Political Communication,” and “Amending the Constitution: A Look Inside the 2017 Constitutional Revision Commission.”
The keynote speaker for Friday is scheduled to be Chief David O. Brown, formerly of the Dallas, Texas Police Department. According to the conference notes, Chief Brown served the Dallas Police Department for over thirty-three years. His career was marked by several personal tragedies, but several remarkable triumphs, as well. He received many accolades for his leadership following the July 7, 2016, ambush of Dallas patrol officers.
Saturday begins with the annual business meeting, during which delegates consider the legislative policies put forward by the various committees. Other business affairs of the Florida League of Cities are conducted at this time such as by-law amendments and nominations/elections for organizational offices.
Two more keynote addresses are scheduled on Friday. First, Cleveland, Ohio, City Councilman Matt Zone will speak, representing the National League of Cities, for which he currently serves as president. Mr. Zone is recognized for his environmental, cultural, and arts advocacy in northeastern Ohio. Second, Mr. John Stipanovich, an attorney who has represented the FLC, will share his perspective of the political climate in Tallahassee.
Another valuable aspect of the annual conference is the opportunity to meet with dozens of vendors who work with government. Of specific interest this year due to City needs will be discussions with several sanitation vendors (many mentioned in last week’s article). Other vendors that may provide information of interest may be architects, organizational and benefits consultants, engineers, airport consultants, short-term rental compliance managers, parking vendors, recreational consultants, energy efficiency advisors, auditors, and others. Several professional and State organizations will also be present: City/County Managers, City Clerks, the Department of State, and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
Some of the best experiences, though, are simply talking with other officials. It is readily discoverable that many of the problems or issues that we face have already been addressed elsewhere. Local governments are rarely on the cutting edge of innovation, but we can be very good at modifying and implementing a successful program or system from another community.
I look forward to the opportunity to represent Fernandina Beach and return with information and ideas to improve our community.