After 40 years as mayor and chairing more than 900 city commission meetings, Wildwood Mayor Ed Wolf hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for the community.
Wolf was honored Monday night by the Florida League of Cities for his long record of service. With his characteristic quips and comments, he also presided over a two-hour commission meeting that included citizen concerns about park development, complaints about a water rate hike and approval of 10 site plans and zoning ordinances.
“We’re expecting great things,” Wolf said as he accepted the league of cities award. “We’re making a transition from a town to a small city. I’ve been very excited to be part of the changes that have transpired in the city of Wildwood.”
The mayor was presented with the John Land Years of Service Award, named for a former Apopka mayor who served from 1949 to 2014. Wolf was praised for his “unselfish commitment to municipal leadership and government.”
He came to Wildwood in 1966 after marrying a woman from the city. He got a teaching job and soon was elected to the city commission, becoming mayor several years later. He retired from teaching about a decade ago and was elected last year to another four-year term.
At Monday’s meeting, the commission approved plats for Village of Fenney neighborhoods of 53 and 94 homes, site plans for a SECO substation upgrade and a 7,306-square-foot commercial building along State Road 44 as well as six rezoning cases and land use map amendments.
“When I started, we would go 12 months without doing as many of these as we’ve done tonight,” Wolf said.
A group of residents from the Parkwood and Quail Point communities turned out for an ordinance rezoning 65 acres near them along County Road 101 in the Oxford area. The rezoning was rejected by commissioners last month and then changed so it now allows six instead of nine housing units per acre.
The mayor assured the residents that the permitted density is unlikely to make apartments feasible on the property. Although specific plans have not been made, the developer is expected to build single-family homes.
Commissioners also approved a 280-day moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, which will become legal after a constitutional amendment was approved Nov. 8.
“We’re just trying to protect ourselves,” Wolf said. “We don’t know what’s going to be the result of the vote.”
The mayor was sympathetic with residents who complained about a 15 percent increase in water bills that goes into effect next month. The increase was recommended by a consultant who said it was the best way for Wildwood to avoid losing money on water services.
“I have an issue with paying 15 percent more and having rusty water,” said resident Jay Turner.
Wolf suggested that Turner meet with utility employees to find out the cause of his rusty water. City Manager Bill Ed Cannon said the rate increase amounts to only a few dollars on a monthly residential utility bill.
When Turner criticized slow progress in improving Martin Luther King Jr. Park, the mayor said the city’s growth might help provide money for it.
“The great thing about growth – there is a park and recreation impact fee on any home built in Wildwood,” he said.
He also consoled a woman who wondered whether the idea of an overhead pedestrian crossing over the CSX railroad tracks near County Road 44A could be revived.
“Dealing with CSX, we try,” Wolf said.
When the agenda reached a complex resolution amending the city’s policies on overtime, flex time and holiday pay, he said a workshop will be needed to explain it.
“Right now, I could vote for this and not have a clue what I just voted for,” the mayor said. The resolution was tabled.