In mid-2022, the Town Council started to discuss seeking adoption of a so-called local bill by the Florida Legislature that would grant the Town the ability to hold public meetings outside of Town limits. A local bill is any bill adopted by the Florida Legislature that relates to a specific geographical area as opposed to a general bill which affects the entire State of Florida.
Prior to the results of the 2020 Decennial Census, the Town of Orchid had been permitted under s. 166.0213(1) Florida Statutes to hold its public meetings outside of its exterior jurisdictional boundaries, because its population was below 500. However, the aforementioned Census confirmed an official population for Orchid over that threshold for the first time in its history.
The Town Council became interested in the local bill because the ever more popular Sandpiper Room, a private multi-purpose facility at the Orchid Island Beach Club, was often in such high demand that arranging municipal meetings there had become challenging for both Club and Town staff. So, during early July 2023, the Town sent a digital survey to its mailing list to obtain direct feedback from the community and found that 82% of respondents were in favor of allowing the Town to hold public meetings outside of its boundaries at a maximum distance of 5 miles.
Following that positive input, on August 11, 2023, the Town Council adopted a resolution in favor of pursuing adoption of a local bill by the Florida Legislature in 2024, and the Town Manager proceeded to work with the offices of Representative Brackett and Senator Grall to bring the bill to Tallahassee. Once there, the local bill passed through several legislative committees before receiving unanimous support in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. In May, 2024, the bill passed its final hurdle by receiving the approval of Governor DeSantis.
With the adoption of the bill, the Town has gained back flexibility in selecting where to hold its public meetings so that Town business can be attended to in a timely, efficient, and effective manner. Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club General Manager & C.O.O. Rob Tench has affirmed that the Sandpiper Room of the Orchid Island Beach Club will continue to be an option for the Town, but the Town will also be able to meet elsewhere within 5 miles of its limits when that makes the most sense.
Since the Town started the above process, its Town Hall moved to the barrier island, taking up space on the second floor of the well-appointed Orchid Professional Centre located on the northwest corner of A1a and Route 510. The new facility includes an attractive meeting space specifically designed with Council and committee meetings in mind. Although it is not the size of the Sandpiper Room, the space is expected to be able to accommodate public attendance for the majority of Town meetings. On those occasions when public participation is anticipated to overwhelm the room's capacity, the Town will again work with the Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club. Notice will continue to be provided as occurs now, including on the Town's website and posted at each of the 3 gatehouses.
The very first meetings to be held at the new Town Hall will be the September meetings and budget hearings. These are scheduled to take place starting at 4 p.m. (with the budget hearings to begin at 5:05 p.m.).