HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-03-2025 MinutesHUMAN RELATIONS DIVERSITY BOARD
1 N. Bluford Avenue
Ocoee, Florida
April 3, 2025 MINUTES 6:15 PM
0 CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Beck at 6:15 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of City Hall
located at 1 N. Bluford Avenue, Ocoee,
Chair Beck led the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of personal reflection. Recording
Clerk Torres proceeded with the roll call �nd confirmed the presence of a quorum.
Present: Chair Beck, Vice -Chair Maxwell, Member Cummings and Member Singh
Absent: Member Cease
Also Present: Parks and Leisure Services Assistant Director Gaines, and Recording Clerk Torres
First line of Mission Statement was read by Chair Beck "The general mission of the Human Relations
Diversity Board ("HRDB") is to promote understanding, respect, goodwill, and equality among all
citizens and businesses of the City of Ocoee."
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Motion: Move to approve the February 6, 2025, Minutes; Moved by Member Mellen seconded
by Member Cummings, Motion carried unanimousIV.
Chair Beck informed the board that Dr. Moyer has resigned and thanked him for his time and
dedication. Assistant Director Gaines from Parks and Leisure Services shared that the terms for
Chair Beck, Member Singh, and Member Cease end in May, and they will need to reapply. Vice®
Chair Maxwell mentioned he invited a fellow veteran who is interested in joining the board. Clerk
Torres let him know the application is available online and reminded the group that board members
are appointed by their district commissioner.
1. Revisit Survey Results
Chair Beck stated that the survey sent out with the water bill to 16,000 homes has been active for three
months with no new responses and recommended that it be taken down.
Motion: Move to deactivate survey-, Moved bV Member Mellen, seconded by Member Cummings.
Motion carried unanimously.
Parks and Leisure Services Assistant Director Gaines shared that new legislation in Florida
prevents local governments from creating DEI policies. Chair Beck responded that the city attorney
HRDB Meeting
April 3, 2025
may need to provide clarification, as there is often confusion between DEI as it relates to hiring policies
and the purpose of this volunteer board, which is to promote diversity.
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Chair Beck shared that new federal bills have impacted UCF and their DEI program, leading them to
rebrand the topic for their upcoming talk to "Enhancing Accessibility to Build Community." They are still
reviewing other topics, to make sure they don't risk losing federal funding for the next speaker series
date. The board is paying the speaker $250 and while the objectives remain the same, the focus is on
removing labels that might affect how the speakers are perceived.
Motion: Move to bring in the UCF speakers to the May meeting; Moved by Member Mellen,
seconded by Member Singh. Motion carried unanimousIV.
Chair Beck said she would get the updated promotional materials for the speaker to Parks and Leisure
Services Assistant Director Gaines. She also mentioned that she plans to attend the upcoming
commission meeting to formally invite the commissioners to the May meeting. She also added that
during their June meeting, the board can revisit the idea of hosting another speaker.
Chik-fill-A 5k —April 12th
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Centennial Bash- May 9th
Centennial Time Capsule — May 13th
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Recording Clerk
APPROVED:
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