Jeannine Polk

Punta Gorda City Council

District 1

March 25, 2025

WATERING RESTRICTIONS

ONE DAY/WEEK

DAYS TO WATER

Mondays: Addresses ending in 0 or 1

Tuesdays: Addresses ending in 2 or 3

Wednesdays: Addresses ending in 4 or 5

Thursdays: Addresses ending in 6 or 7

Fridays: Addresses ending in 8 or 9

Saturdays: Addresses that include a letter or

do not have a discernible address.

VIOLATIONS

First offense – A written warning

Second offense – $25 fine

Third offense – $50 fine

Fourth and subsequent offenses – $250 fine

MEETINGS WORTH ATTENDING

The following meetings and/or workshops have been set. We hope you will join us in citizen-led discussions. We want to hear from you on many topics! *ALL listed meetings and workshops below will be held at the Laishley Community Room at 150 Laishley Ct. in Punta Gorda unless otherwise noted.

Pre-Agenda Meeting

March 31, 2025 (Mon.)

9:00 AM

MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) Board Meeting

March 31, 2025 (Mon.)

2:00 @ Charlotte County Administrative Center, Room #119

18500 Murdock Circle, Pt. Charlotte

City Council Meeting

April 2, 2025 (Wed.)

9:00 AM

Pre-Agenda Meeting

April 14, 2025 (Mon.)

9:00 AM

City Council Meeting

April 16, 2025 (Wed.)

9:00 AM

Workshop/ Subdivision Ordinance & Bayfront Center

April 22, 2025 (Tues.)

5:30 PM

Utilities Workshop

April 29, 2025 (Tues.)

5:30 PM

REQUESTS FOR MORE

ADA PARKING in DOWNTOWN

Parking in downtown has long been a problem in the City of Punta Gorda, but if you don't mind walking a block or two, you can usually find a spot either at the Herald Court Center parking garage, on the street, or in a nearby empty parking lot; however, this is not an easy task for someone with a disability. Using a walker, wheelchair or a scooter isn't at all convenient for people with mobility issues who desire to participate as a patron in downtown. I think we can do better! After all, everyone has a right to move safely in their communities.

The MPO Board (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is meeting on Monday, March 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM at the Charlotte County Administrative Center, Room #119 @ 18500 Murdock Circle, Pt. Charlotte. YES, it is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! You can join us at the meeting place, or you can tune in online.

The MPO Board is about working closely with FDOT (Florida Dept. of Transportation) to find solutions (and funding too) to all things safety on the roads. This means we discuss everything from roads to bike lanes, sidewalks, walking/bike paths, lighting along the roadways, drainage on the roads, crosswalks and transportation planning. Again, a great deal of it is about SAFETY.

I will be requesting for assistance in getting more ADA parking spaces in downtown PG, where parking will be convenient to the restaurants and shops. Furthermore, a few more crosswalks are needed, as more and more people are crossing along Marion Ave. between the restaurants and shops, especially during the season.

The April 2, 2025 City Council meeting will have an update to the ADA Transition Plan. I hope you will take the time to read over it prior to the meeting (see PG City Council Agenda in blue).

If you have any other ideas for making our community safer please let me know! My email is jpolk@cityofpuntagordafl.com

TARGET ZERO

FDOT (Florida Dept. of Transportation) has introduced the "TARGET ZERO" program. This is a statewide initiative to reduce the number of transportation-related injuries and deaths in the State of Florida to ZERO. Click on the FDOT link below. The website is full of information about how stakeholders are working together to make this happen.

ICE Training for

Punta Gorda Police

My father was an immigrant from Beirut, Lebanon. When he met and later married my American mother (in Beirut), he did not speak any English. Armenian, French and Arabic were his first 3 languages (he spoke 6). He was eager to become a citizen in the United States and worked hard at learning how to read and write English fluently. He became an American citizen in 1967 through the "naturalization process" not long after my sisters and I were born. Note that contrary to what some might think, marriage to an American does not automatically grant citizenship.

My point being, the decision to vote "yes" for the ICE memorandum agreement is not a decision I took lightly. It is personal to me, and I stand by my decision to support it.

As per the flgov.com website...This agreement "means that state law enforcement and the state guard will have the power and authority to issue immigration detainers and begin establishing records of deportable or inadmissible aliens. This process of preparing charging documents ahead of time for the review of ICE officials will allow for the speed-up in the deportation process and the quicker removal of dangerous illegals already detained in police custody."

Below is the training our local city police will be offered to receive if they wish to do so. As discussed during the meeting, this training is only for those police men and women who choose to qualify. It is optional and is not a requirement. Their training has 3 models explained below. Please see link for more information on 287(g).

287(g) Program Models

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations operates three 287(g) models:

• The Jail Enforcement Model (JEM) is designed to identify and process removable aliens — with criminal or pending criminal charges — who are arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies.

• The Task Force Model (TFM) serves as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.
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• The Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program allows ICE to train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants on aliens in their agency’s jail.

ELEVATE FLORIDA

Have you applied for the "Elevate Florida" program yet? If your home sustained flood damage from Hurricane Helene and/or Milton, you are eligible to elevate the home OR rebuild on your property, depending on your situation. This program offers to pay at least 75% of the cost. What have you got to lose?

Project Options

When you apply, you must select one of the following project options:

• Structure Elevation: Physically raising an existing structure.
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• Mitigation Reconstruction: The construction of an improved, elevated building on the same site where an existing building and/or foundation has been partially or completely demolished or destroyed. These activities result in the construction of code-compliant and hazard-resistant structures. Mitigation Reconstruction is the alternative to Structure Elevation when the structure is not sturdy enough to elevate, as determined during application review.
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• Acquisition/Demolition: A structure is purchased from voluntary sellers and demolished, to be maintained by the local community as open space. The local community must agree to participate in this project type.
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• Wind Mitigation: Measures that reduce the risk of future wind damage to structures. This may include alterations to the roof, windows, doors, and other vulnerable components of structures. Wind mitigation is another alternative for homes that are not sturdy enough to elevate.