02-07-2019 Minutes CITY OF OCOEE
Minutes of the Human Relations Diversity Board
Regular Meeting Held February 7,2019
I:CALL TO ORDER
HRDB meeting was called to order by Chair Dawkins at 7:06 p.m. in Room 109 of Ocoee City Hall located at 150 North
Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee, Florida.
A. Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Personal Reflection: Member Brinson led the Board in the Pledge of
Allegiance to the U.S. flag;followed by Chair Dawkins asking for moment of personal reflection.
B. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum: Clerk Mieras performed roll call and declared quorum (7) met.
In Attendance (8):
Chair Dawkins& Members: Calloway, Maxwell, Brinson, Carr, Hershaw, Foster, &Anderson-Robinson. Quorum
lost at 9:02 p.m.
Non-Voting Present:
Clerk Mieras, Mayor Johnson, &Officer lannuzzi.
Absent(3):
Member(s): Crown, Hart, & Daily.
C. Review of Excused Absences: Member(s)Crown & Dailywere excused absences.
D. Review Agenda for Tonight's Meeting: Chair Dawkins reviewed the agenda for tonight.
E. Review of Minutes: Minutes from the January 3rd&January 28th meeting were reviewed.
Motion made by Member Callaway, seconded by Member Maxwell, and unanimously passed to approve the
January 3rd&January 28th Minutes.
II: BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION
A. Comments from Citizens/Public: Citizen Rick Sotis asked to Board bring to the City Commission's attention the
omissions of gender and sexual orientation in the City's 1920 Proclamation.
Motion made by Member Hersahw, seconded by Member Maxwell,and unanimously passed to have Member
Maxwell recommend the City changes paragraph 6 of the proclamation to include gender and sexual orientation
at the Tuesday 19, 2019, City Commission meeting.
B. Budget Report: Clerk Mieras reported the balance was unchanged as of this meeting but the MLK expenditures
should be deducted next month. Clerk Mieras additional asked the Board to approve money for 2019 Essay
Awards Ceremony.
Motion made by Member Hershaw, seconded by Member Calloway, and unanimously passed to allocate an
amount not to exceed of$2,000.00 for 2019 Essay Awards Ceremony expenses.
MLK Recap: Officer lannuzzi announced Officer Strange will be assisting with the MLK Event planning next year.
The Board and city staff discussed ideas for the MLK Parade and Ceremony.Specific ideas are noted below:
Parade:
Reduce walk-in entries by calling prior parade participants that did not register.
PD radios are no longer be available for event volunteer usage.
Police Interns need the Clark Road MLK signs the day before the parade.
Move City entries(Fire, PD, Commissioners,etc.)to the front of the parade.
Extend the staging area for Ocoee vehicles down the hill towards Clark Rd.
More staging space for the Police Department's honor guard, motorcycle patrol, and other vehicles.
Provide in-service Fire trucks easy access to Clark Rd. so they can come late and or leave suddenly.
Groups are stopping the parade too long and too often for performances.
Discussed setting up a spot for judging entries and to allow parade groups to perform.
Discussed more prominent speakers to attract bigger crowds.
Ceremony:
Late conformation of the Keynote speaker.
The speakers were not informed of the theme.
The mall entrance banner was too high. HRDB members would like to be invited for banner and sign placement.
Ceremony started late and ran too long.Audience members and people on stage had to leave early.
Speakers and performers need a clearer understanding of the expected timeframe for their sections.
Sound system was too loud and echoed.
Discussed having a radio station co-sponsor that will provide a sound system.
Ask the mall Operations Manager to attend the HRDB MLK related meetings.
Discussed having boy scouts volunteer as live sign spinners for the ceremony
Discussed changing the ceremony location to the Lakeshore Center.
General:
Advertise on radio stations and social media to reach the West Orange County area.
Redesign the flyer to make it more visually appealing for social media.
Discussed having MLK advertisement banners on the street poles.
Discussed live streaming the parade and ceremony.
Inquired about obtaining sponsors or State grants for the event.
C. Advisory Board vs Committee Discussion: Chair Dawkins recapped the special meeting from January 28, 2019,
and explained she wanted to table the discussion until Director Butler and possibly the City Attorney could be
present for discussion.
Motion made by Member Maxwell, seconded by Member Calloway, and unanimously passed to table the
Advisory Board vs Committee Discussion until Director Butler,the City Attorney,or both can be available.
D. Essay Contest: Member Hershaw noted this year's the low participation rate. Discussion ensued and Chair
Dawkins asked the Board and city staff to reach out to the schools concerning this matter.
The Board decided the volunteer essay grading will take place February 19, 2019, at 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Tom
Ison Center and reminded the public that the Essay Contest Ceremony will be held February 27, 2019, at 7:00
p.m. in the Ocoee City Hall.
E. Other Business:
Member Hershaw announced his resignation from the Human Relations Diversity Board due to health issues
impacting his attendance and ability to help with events.
Member Carr introduced his letter to the Board concerning changing Founder's Day date.Chair Dawkins advised
that this request needs to be made to the City Commission.
F. Set Next Agenda: Meeting adjourned prior to finalizing the agenda for the March 7, 2019, meeting.
III:QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: None
IV:ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 9:09 p.m.
AUTHENTICATION:
These are the official minutes of the Ocoee Human Relations Diversity Board, as accepted by the Board at a meeting
held on the date shown below. Any amendments to the minutes as originally prepared by the Clerk are indicated above.
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