The Oakland Town Commission unanimously approved Tuesday, May 26, the first reading of two ordinances amending a property\u2019s classification, as well as rezoning it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The owners of 2253 Bay Line Road, Oakland, Floriano and Neisa Putigna, submitted an application to the town to amend the future land use and rezone the 12.91-acre property.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Currently, the property has a zoning district and future land use classification of agriculture, however, the Putignas would like it to be reclassified from agriculture to low density residential, as well as rezone it from agriculture to single-family residential.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While there is no development proposal at this time, the applicants would like to have the opportunity to subdivide the property into five separate parcels when the time is right. Because of that, the Putignas also submitted a Preliminary Subdivision Plan for approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an enormous amount of children, seven kids,\u201d Neisa Putigna said. \u201cWe plan on having something for one of our children in particular that would probably need to stay close and live near us due to being adopted and some special needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The commissioners\u2019 main concern was the significant amount of wetlands in the property. They were curious if those would be preserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not touching any of the wetlands at all,\u201d Neisa Putigna said.<\/p>\n
The second reading of the two ordinances is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consumptive Use Permit<\/p>\n
Capital Projects Coordinator Michael Parker updated commissioners about Oakland\u2019s current Consumptive Use Permit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Consumptive Use Permit is an authorization from the St. Johns River Water Management District allowing public water systems to withdraw a specific amount of water from the ground for public-use purposes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The purpose of this permit is to protect water resources to ensure large-scale water use does not cause any environmental harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The town\u2019s current allotment is 890,000 gallons per day, but with an increase in population, the town also is experiencing an increase in water usage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because of that, the town is requesting St. Johns River Water Management District to extend the duration of the permit through 2045, as well as increase the annual withdrawal limit and the annual average daily withdrawal limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The St. Johns River Water Management District has a current targeted requirement of 100 gallons per person, per capita, per day, but in 2024, the town calculated 125 gallons per person, per capita, per day being used.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big offender is residential irrigation,\u201d Parker said. \u201cWhile residential irrigation accounts for approximately 50% of all water that we distribute, it was much higher in the past. So, our strategies have been, to a degree, working, but we need to continue to reduce our irrigation use if we ever want to meet the 100-gpcd target.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition, the town also is requesting to increase the permitted withdrawal of .89 million gallons per day of groundwater to meet future demands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the future demand in 2037 is of 1.54 mgd and 1.67 mgd in 2045, the town is asking to increase its permitted allocation to 1.29 mgd and 1.34 mgd, respectively, due to its water conservation efforts already in place, as well as ones yet to be implemented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those include enforcing water use restrictions, encouraging low-flow fixture plumbing devices, implementing and maintaining a water conservation educational program and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, we are at the limits of our current permit and we need to increase it to avoid any future penalties,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n
Officer recognition<\/p>\n
Oakland\u2019s Chief of Police Darron Esan presented Oakland Avenue Charter School\u2019s School Resource Officer Samaria Lake with the first Community Service Award of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Friday, April 3, OACS hosted an Easter egg hunt for the pre-K students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer Lake took it upon herself to purchase 400 plastic eggs and fill them with toys and candy by herself,\u201d Esan said. \u201cThese eggs were used in the egg hunt for the students. She went a step further and purchased a chicken costume, which she appeared at the egg hunt in full costume. While dancing and flapping her wings, Officer Lake furthered her positive relationship with many students and teachers who were a part of this incredible event.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Esan said her constant willingness to be creative and continue a positive bond with her students show her passion extends beyond simply enforcing the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeachers and students at Oakland Avenue Charter School are not the only beneficiaries of excellence in her duties,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lake also volunteered to teach new officers topics in their orientation, take on a new officer for one phase of their field training and constantly offers assistance to those who need it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(She) continues to display her smile, which seems to be infectious to others around her,\u201d Esan said.<\/p>\n
Lake then was awarded the Officer of the Quarter award for the first quarter of 2026 for her overall performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer Lake: We see you time and time again being recognized, and I am so grateful that you have decided to grace our town with your services because you\u2019re truly a joy,\u201d Commissioner Kris Keller said.<\/p>\n
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