At the onset of the June 2 Westchase CDD meeting, District Manager Heather Dilley stated that the Public Hearing for the 2026/27 budget will be held on Aug. 4, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Westchase Activity Room on Countryway Boulevard.
District Counsel Erin McCormick introduced Marsh Rainey and requested that he be retained as special counsel regarding the issue of homeowner encroachment on Pond 120. Rainey offered a bit about his background. McCormick had also sent the board an engagement letter and a letter outlining Rainey’s qualifications as it relates to this matter. Supervisor Jim Wimsatt, who has been involved in meetings with the homeowners, said he agreed the board needs to bring in outside counsel. McCormick added that dredging the pond (which the board previously approved) won’t address the fact that the pond is no longer its original dimensions. District Engineer Robert Dvorak said it is likely that SWFTMD will require the district to restore the pond to the original construction plans. “The intent of the permit is that nothing will be built on that land,” he added.
The board unanimously approved the engagement letter to retain Rainey’s services.
Moving to Pond 125, Dvorak said he had his follow-up meeting with representatives from stormwater management and the Environmental Protection Agency regarding long-term flood mitigation. He asked to add the item to the workshop agenda so he could go into further detail. In a nutshell, he said that he was informed the drainage pipes in question are county-owned and the CDD would need to maintain the system if they alter the pipes. He said he would provide detailed maps and information during the June 16 workshop.
In his report, Field Manager David Sylvanowicz presented a proposal for $15,450 to replace 8 Washington Palms that were removed due to disease or lightning strikes. It passed unanimously.
Sylvanowicz said the West Park Village Fountain needs an additional repair related to the recent incident of kids dumping bubble solution into the fountain pools. The pump needs to be replaced at a cost of $4971. He assured the board that the technician knows how to prevent future damage, should it happen again. The board approved a proposal not to exceed $5500 to fix the pump motor.
Sylvanowicz said he, along with community reps from Stonebridge and Harbor Links, met with TEKWave about possibly upgrading their outdated call boxes. He added that this was just an initial meeting and he is working on getting proposals.
Moving on to tree trimming, he said the district now pays $3,000 per day when they have trees trimmed. Costs for structural pruning with Arborist Aboard is roughly double that but it is much more beneficial to trees, he explained. He will be asking Arborist Aboard for proposals for Cambistat (a root growth inhibitor the vendor has been testing in the area at no cost) in The Shires and structural pruning in several other areas in the community. Wimsatt asked for clarification that the structural pruning helps with the health of the tree. Sylvanowicz said it does and Barrett interjected that it is only necessary every 3-5 years, not annually.
Sylvanowicz informed the board that RedTree is asking for an increase in their hourly rate for irrigation. McCormick said the current rate is $65/hour and she assumed that rate would continue for the term of the three-year contract. McCormick and Dilley said they would convey that to RedTree. Supervisor Reggie Gillis, who attended by phone, asked how much the district is spending on irrigation repair. Sylvanowicz said last year was heavy because they replaced all 13 clocks, and repairs are slowing down. CDD Chair Matt Lewis asked him to work with Kai to get actual numbers.
Finally, Sylvanowicz presented a proposal from BHV Landscaping for $23,200 to assess the community’s pocket parks. This is an addendum to the original landscape assessment completed in 2025. Supervisor Chris Barrett asked for clarification that this addendum will use the original plans and apply them to pocket parks throughout the community, which was correct. The board spent some time reviewing the proposal and it passed unanimously.
Local business owners Michael Sosa and Mike LaPella were on hand for ongoing discussions regarding CDD assessments for their properties. District Supervisor Andrew Mendenhall said that his team discovered that a small portion of the property had been over assessed by .96 acres (.113 acres for Sosa’s property) since 2005. Lapella said the building was built in 2006 and the methodology being used to calculate assessments is outdated. Following a lengthy conversation, McCormick said that she was unaware of this issue, and she would need to investigate whether there is a mechanism for the CDD to repay the overages. She said the board could also discuss if they want to look at a new assessment methodology. Lewis said he wanted to take a deeper look at the numbers and look at options to redo the methodology. Wimsatt added that the board should look into potential liability on the part of Fishkind (the firm that created the initial assessment methodology). Barrett said that what Sosa and LaPella were explaining did not match his understanding of the methodology. He asked if someone could come in and explain it in depth to the board so they can make an informed decision. Mendenhall said a member from the Kai team could do that and Wimsatt asked that it be added to a workshop, possibly a dedicated workshop.