Editor’s Note: The next CDD meeting originally scheduled for Sept. 2 will now be Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Maureen B. Gauzza Library. There will not be a vote on trail project funding during that meeting.
The Aug. 5 Westchase CDD meeting began with a call to order of the Public Meeting to Adopt the Budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
District Manager Mark Vega noted that a majority of the single-family homes across Westchase would see a 5.4% increase in their general CDD fees ($31.53), which covers operating & maintenance. Vega also reiterated that no funding for the proposed trail project is included in the FY 2026 Budget.
Steve Stellhorn of The Greens asked if the additional $500 in assessments paid by Greens residents is due to costs for the Guard House and the board confirmed that was correct. Jeff Seligsohn of Radcliffe asked about the difference between the budget that was mailed to residents and posted to the website and the one that was being presented today. In a public hearing notice mailed to residents, dated July 11, 2025, the general assessment increase was listed at 7.93%. District Counsel Erin McCormick explained that was the high-water mark and when the budget was reviewed, assessments came in lower. Vega added that the CDD is currently switching website providers, which is why the budget found online was outdated.
Supervisor Chris Barrett informed the audience that the budget was slightly over the rate of inflation because the cost of sidewalk repairs had been built in at roughly $150,000 per year for the next three budget cycles. Following comments, board members in attendance voted unanimously to pass the FY 2026 Budget. Reggie Gillis was absent. Vega then opened a second public hearing to levy the FY 2026 assessments and board members approved, 4-0.
Upon opening of the regular meeting, McCormick moved into her report, which encompassed a set of votes required to further explore the proposed trail project. No vote was taken for funding or to officially approve the project.
The board voted 4-0 to:
- Ratify an engagement letter with Bryant, Miller, Olive (BMO). BMO Attorney Misty Taylor clarified her firm would be working on a contingent-fee basis (if trail project doesn’t go through, there is no payment).
- Approve an engagement letter with underwriting firm MBS Capital Markets, who is also working on a contingent-fee basis.
- Approve U.S. Bank as Trustee, which is a necessary step to file the bond validation complaint.
- Approve the District Engineer’s initial trail project report, which is required for bond validation. McCormick clarified amendments can be made if plans change.
- Approve the Bond Validation report, which included a public infrastructure summary allocating $8,640,000 to elevated boardwalk (6’ wide), $1,600,000 to asphalt/concrete (10’ wide), $1,024,000 to professional services and $512,000 in contingency (reserve funds for unexpected costs). These are high-water mark numbers – an amount the district is confident will cover the costs.
- Approve Master Bond Resolution 2025-09, which is step one of the bond issuance process that authorizes bonds in an amount not to exceed $18,470,000. This step authorizes BMO to move forward on the validation process (the process to confirm the legality and enforceability of a bond issue).
- Approve Resolution 2025-10, which allows the district to reimburse itself if it spends funds ahead of bond issuance.
Sturbridge resident Pam Wilcox asked for clarification on the $18,470,000. Taylor said that number far exceeds what the district intends to spend but offers room to not have to go back through court proceedings. Santos echoed Wilcox’s concern with that number. “What controls are in place?” he asked. Taylor explained that setting the not-to-exceed amount at $18,470,000 is the control and reiterated that the bond had not yet been approved.
“We have not approved this project,” Barrett emphasized. “We’re getting the foundation in place to authorize people to come forward with a plan, so we can bid out that plan, get numbers, wrap our heads around this and then we can decide whether to approve or disapprove of the project.”
CDD Chair Matt Lewis turned the floor over to Ivy Clinton with VHB Architects, the firm that completed the WPV Plaza renovations. Clinton noted District Engineering firm BDI put together a preliminary map (that has been circulating social media) and now it’s time to start thinking about what it truly looks like and the steps to get there. She explained that VHB has a dedicated trail team that can support BDI in the project. The next step will be the pre-design phase (analyzing standards across the state, materials, other items like benches). Then they will work with other parties (county, SWFMD, EPA) to really refine the alignment of the trail and the trail width. The project will be broken into segments based on feasibility and the permitting process. Each segment will have a cost estimate. Following pre-design, a plan will be presented to the board and a decision can be made about moving forward. The board can analyze if there are segments that just won’t work, alternate routes etc. And then it goes through a true design phase (choosing materials, etc.). “From today to shovels in the ground, we’re looking at 18 months,” Clinton said. “Probably another 12-18 months for the build out. It is a long process.”
McCormick said VHB would be working as a subcontractor or consultant to BDI, so the work all falls under the district engineer. The board will just need to sign an agreement for either a lump-sum or hourly fee. She suggested continuing this meeting to the Aug. 19 workshop so a vote on that agreement could be signed. The board agreed.
Turning to discussions of the RFQ for Property Management Services, McCormick informed the board that the notice for RFQ for District Manager was set for Aug. 10, with submissions due Aug. 22. Santos asked what that meant. Lewis explained the board decided they should put the 19-year-old contract with Inframark out to bid…”to ensure Westchase is getting the best deal possible,” Barret interjected.
In his Field Manager report, David Sylvanowicz brought up proposals for The Greens Guard House staff salaries and software updates. Lewis suggested having those discussions during the continued meeting on Aug. 19. Barrett asked if they could invite Greens VM Steve Splaine. The board agreed.
Barrett said he had seen Red Tree crews mowing grass directly into the ponds and asked Sylvanowicz to speak to the manager Sylvanowicz said there were residents in attendance who had also brought up this concern, adding he had reached out to A&B Aquatics and BDI to address the issue and ensure there are no drainage issues. Gary and Jani Stone of The Greens said they have lived here for three years and are just noticing this issue.
Sylvanowicz said it will require further training of the landscaping crews. GaryStone said his wife watched the last mow and there was no attempt to avoid shooting grass into the pond. Barrett said he had seen the same thing. The board agreed to ask Red Tree owner Pete Lucadano to attend the Aug. 19 meeting. Lewis reiterated that Sylvanowicz and his crew had done a thorough pond cleanout where needed throughout the community in preparation for storm season.
Aaron Garmen brought up concerns with the stream behind Glenfield, which floods during storms. Sylvanowicz said the district has to certify all bodies of water in Westchase through SWFMD and they are working with BDI to stay on top of those certifications to ensure drainage is happening as it should.
In audience comments, Zach Ashley of Glenfield asked about potential tree removal for the trail project. Lewis reiterated that during that 12-18-month design phase, environmentalists and biologists will be engaged. Barrett added the board wants to maintain as many of the trees as possible and the goal is to promote not impact nature in Westchase. Brletic reminded the audience that if anything is impacted, they will have to mitigate those areas. “I know it sounds crazy, but you might see an actual improvement to some of these areas because of the criteria required,” he said.
Wilcox asked if an official date had been set for the public hearing for the trail funding. McCormick said no. The next step is determining a preliminary assessment methodology and then a written notice of the public hearing will go out to every resident with 30 days’ notice.
Lewis concluded by saying the board welcomes input from the community as they move through the design phase and reminded residents they are welcome at both the monthly meetings and workshops.
Aug. 19 Continued Meeting
On August 19, the CDD Board held a continuation of the Aug. 5 meeting in conjunction with their standard mid-month workshop. The purpose of the continuation was to allow the board time to discuss and vote on an agreement with VHB Architects, who would be working under District Engineering Firm, BDI, to conduct a pre-design/pre-engineering study that would allow them to create a more concrete plan for the trail project to present to the board.
Roughly 50 residents were in attendance, and most were eager to speak. Chairman Matt Lewis assured the audience they would have time for their comments and Supervisor Chris Barrett reiterated that the board was just in the first mile of discussions in this marathon of a project.
District Engineer Robert Dvorak explained that the pre-engineering phase identifies user groups; establishes the best possible trail route to refine the trail concept and develop a phasing plan for construction; and establishes communication with entities like TECO, Westchase Golf Course, Public Works, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD) and the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). Dvorak emphasized the fact that he is not a planner and that the map that is circulating the community should not be considered an actual concept – it was simply an exercise to see if the community could be connected via a trail network.
District Counsel Erin McCormick noted that in addition to the steps Dvorak mentioned, the pre-engineering phase would allow BDI and VHB to update the opinion of probable cost. McCormick added that the cost to engage VHB for the pre-engineering phase would be $69,200.
Barrett clarified that voting on this phase would simply mean they would be hiring a company to see if the trail project is feasible and allow the board to weigh the benefits/drawbacks.
Lewis then opened to floor to comments and a majority of the audience members took the opportunity to share their questions/concerns.
Key concerns raised by residents included:
- Sections of the trail that could potentially run behind or adjacent to residents’ homes, particularly in sections of the Greens, Shires and Fords, might lead to issues with privacy/security.
- Potential costs to maintain newly constructed sections of the trail, which could lead to increased costs in general O&M assessments.
- Potential impacts on the environment and wildlife, including tree loss, for sections of the trail that would run through wetlands.
- Confusion over the bond amounts being discussed and the potential impact to residents’ tax bills ($11.76 million is the amount the board had stated they felt confident would cover the costs; $18.47 million is the not-to-exceed amount set by bond counsel).
- The potential for increased flooding following trail construction.
- Impact on property values for those who could potentially have a trail running near their home.
- Concerns that non-residents would have access to gated communities.
Many residents also expressed frustration that they had only recently learned about the potential project and some questioned the board’s transparency.
The board addressed resident concerns, and a summary of the responses is below:
- Regarding trails that could potentially abut residents’ backyards, the board reiterated that the true trail map was not yet in place. They did agree that the trail would likely run behind homes in some sections, but it was unclear at this point just how close to the homes it would be.
- In response to concerns over costs, the board noted that, if, after the pre-engineering phase, it looked like costs would far exceed their initial expectations, it might be a reason to rethink the project.
- Regarding communication, Barrett noted the board had been discussing the project for over a year and that had been regularly reported in the WOW and Supervisor Reggie Gillis made reference to two surveys that had circulated, although he admitted they did not cover specifics of the trail project.
- Addressing concerns about environmental impact and potential flooding impacts, supervisors assured the audience that their intention was to preserve trees and work with, rather than against, wetlands and they would be working closely with SWFMD and the EPC to ensure that was the case.
This led to a larger conversation regarding flooding concerns and why that was not taking priority over the pursuit of a community-wide trail. Both Lewis and Barrett reminded the audience that Field Manager David Sylvanowicz and his team had worked with BDI and the county to address flooding concerns in the community. “David has done more flood-control work than has been done in the last 30 years,” Barrett said. “This team and this board have taken this flooding concern very seriously. If we move forward with this project, it does not take money from flood control.”
A resident asked why the board would risk all that flood-control work by building a trail system in the wetlands.
Barrett responded that entities like SWFMD and the EPC would not allow them to construct anything that would add to flooding concerns. He also stated that Hillsborough County’s wastewater systems are built to withstand 1-in-100-year storms. The storms in 2024 were 1-in-300-year storms. He added that, while the CDD staff has done everything in their power to address flooding concerns, they are constrained by the limitations of the county’s infrastructure. Supervisor Jim Wimsatt added that Dvorak had been in conversation with the county to address concerns about areas to the north and what we can do in our community to make it less likely to flood.
After 2.5 hours of dialogue, most of the residents in attendance stood firm that they were not in favor of the trail project and asked the board to, at the very least, push pause on taking any further steps on the project until they could gather more community input. The four board members in attendance (Greg Chesney was absent) emphasized that entering into an agreement with VHB would allow them to present a clearer picture of the project to the community. “If we gave people more information, they could make a more informed decision,” Gillis said. But residents argued why spend another dime on a project the community might not want. In the end, Wimsatt made a motion to pause the vote to engage VHB for 60 days to gather more information and more community sentiment and put it back on the agenda in 60-90 days. All members present voted in favor.
Due to Sunshine Laws, the board will not be able to discuss plans to further survey residents until their next meeting on Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. (Note, this meeting was originally scheduled for Sept. 2 but was moved due to the proximity to Labor Day). WOW will continue to attend and report on the progress of trail discussions.
The one vote that was taken during the Aug. 19 meeting was to authorize a scope of service for a landscaping assessment agreement with VHB in the amount of $35,700. This is an agreement to assess the overall landscaping plan for Westchase as the community and landscaping ages. This is not related to the trail project and funds for this assessment will come out of the general O&M budget.