Public Hearings

PUBLIC HEARINGS 

We believe that citizen involvement is a key component to making Maitland a great place to live, work and raise a family.   Maitland’s City Council and staff provide many opportunities for citizens to get involved in our local government, including the opportunity to participate in public hearings.

WHY HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING?

Public hearings are often required by federal, state or local law. These hearings allow the decision-makers, including the City Council and some of the City’s appointed boards, to receive and consider public views before deciding or making recommendations on important issues that impact Maitland citizens. This process is an opportunity for members of the public to share their thoughts before decisions are made. Below are a few examples of City of Maitland public hearings:

• Amendments to Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) to change the Future Land Use designation or text of the Plan.
• Requests for Rezoning to change the use of the property or density permitted
• Annexation requests to be part of the Maitland corporate limits
• Amendments to the Land Development Code (LDC) to change the regulations adopted by City Council related to how land may be developed such as zoning requirements, subdivision of land, building appearance, landscaping, signs, parking, and other aspects of development

Notices of all City of Maitland public hearings will be posted on the City’s bulletin board (1776 Independence Lane) and in a newspaper of general circulation as required by Florida Statutes.  

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE MEETING AND DURING A PUBLIC HEARING

When you arrive in the Maitland City Hall Council Chambers (1776 Independence Lane) please feel free to sit anywhere that is not designated for Staff seating.  If you would like to speak, you may be asked to complete a public speaker card before speaking.  The main purpose of providing this information is to make sure we spell your name correctly in the minutes (the written record of the meeting) and give us a way to follow up with you if necessary.

The Mayor and the chair of the appointed boards serve as the group’s presiding officer. For all public hearings, the presiding officer will call on a staff member to present details about the case, and then allow the applicant, if applicable, to present the case. The presiding officer will then open the public hearing for individuals who want to speak to come to the podium one at a time.

Staff will make their presentation at the podium on the left (Council’s right) side of the Chambers.   The public will speak from the podium on the right (Council’s left) side of the Chambers.  In order to keep public hearing meetings running efficiently, we ask that you please follow these public hearing guidelines:

• If you have handouts to share, please bring 8 copies, and give the copies to the Staff as you approach the podium. Do not approach Council/appointed boards with the handouts; City staff will distribute the copies for you
• Adjust the microphone on the podium as necessary to ensure it’s at the appropriately height for you
• Speak into the microphone by first stating your name and address for the record
• Be concise with your remarks; it may help to write your comments before the meeting to ensure you capture your important points.
• Avoid repetition; if other speakers before you have already made a certain point, then please don’t repeat those comments.
• You may wish to consider designating a spokesperson for your group; this is the most effective way to relay the points of groups to avoid repetition. The spokesperson may recognize the group by asking them to stand.
• Limit comments to three minutes or less. There’s a timer on the podium. You’ll see a green light the first 2 minutes and 30 second, a yellow light the last 30 seconds, and a red light when your time has expired. The presiding officer will politely interrupt you to remind you that your time has expired and will call the next speaker to the podium.
• Please direct comments to the full City Council/appointed board and not to an individual City Council/appointed board member.
• This is your opportunity to make your comments. The group conducting the hearing will listen and take your comments into consideration; they generally do not engage in two-way dialog during the hearing.

Thanks for helping us ensure a successful business meeting and a productive public hearing. In doing so, please refrain from applauding and speaking from the audience.