Oakland approves property rezoning, reclassification

The Oakland Town Commission unanimously approved Tuesday, May 26, the first reading of two ordinances amending a property’s classification, as well as rezoning it. 

The owners of 2253 Bay Line Road, Oakland, Floriano and Neisa Putigna, submitted an application to the town to amend the future land use and rezone the 12.91-acre property. 

Currently, the property has a zoning district and future land use classification of agriculture, however, the Putignas would like it to be reclassified from agriculture to low density residential, as well as rezone it from agriculture to single-family residential. 

While there is no development proposal at this time, the applicants would like to have the opportunity to subdivide the property into five separate parcels when the time is right. Because of that, the Putignas also submitted a Preliminary Subdivision Plan for approval. 

“We have an enormous amount of children, seven kids,” Neisa Putigna said. “We plan on having something for one of our children in particular that would probably need to stay close and live near us due to being adopted and some special needs.” 

The commissioners’ main concern was the significant amount of wetlands in the property. They were curious if those would be preserved. 

“We’re not touching any of the wetlands at all,” Neisa Putigna said.

The second reading of the two ordinances is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9. 

Consumptive Use Permit

Capital Projects Coordinator Michael Parker updated commissioners about Oakland’s current Consumptive Use Permit. 

A Consumptive Use Permit is an authorization from the St. Johns River Water Management District allowing public water systems to withdraw a specific amount of water from the ground for public-use purposes. 

The purpose of this permit is to protect water resources to ensure large-scale water use does not cause any environmental harm. 

The town’s current allotment is 890,000 gallons per day, but with an increase in population, the town also is experiencing an increase in water usage. 

Because of that, the town is requesting St. Johns River Water Management District to extend the duration of the permit through 2045, as well as increase the annual withdrawal limit and the annual average daily withdrawal limit. 

The St. Johns River Water Management District has a current targeted requirement of 100 gallons per person, per capita, per day, but in 2024, the town calculated 125 gallons per person, per capita, per day being used. 

“The big offender is residential irrigation,” Parker said. “While residential irrigation accounts for approximately 50% of all water that we distribute, it was much higher in the past. So, our strategies have been, to a degree, working, but we need to continue to reduce our irrigation use if we ever want to meet the 100-gpcd target.” 

In addition, the town also is requesting to increase the permitted withdrawal of .89 million gallons per day of groundwater to meet future demands. 

While the future demand in 2037 is of 1.54 mgd and 1.67 mgd in 2045, the town is asking to increase its permitted allocation to 1.29 mgd and 1.34 mgd, respectively, due to its water conservation efforts already in place, as well as ones yet to be implemented. 

Those include enforcing water use restrictions, encouraging low-flow fixture plumbing devices, implementing and maintaining a water conservation educational program and more. 

“Right now, we are at the limits of our current permit and we need to increase it to avoid any future penalties,” Parker said.

Officer recognition

Oakland’s Chief of Police Darron Esan presented Oakland Avenue Charter School’s School Resource Officer Samaria Lake with the first Community Service Award of the year. 

On Friday, April 3, OACS hosted an Easter egg hunt for the pre-K students. 

“Officer Lake took it upon herself to purchase 400 plastic eggs and fill them with toys and candy by herself,” Esan said. “These eggs were used in the egg hunt for the students. She went a step further and purchased a chicken costume, which she appeared at the egg hunt in full costume. While dancing and flapping her wings, Officer Lake furthered her positive relationship with many students and teachers who were a part of this incredible event.” 

Esan said her constant willingness to be creative and continue a positive bond with her students show her passion extends beyond simply enforcing the law.

“Teachers and students at Oakland Avenue Charter School are not the only beneficiaries of excellence in her duties,” he said. 

Lake also volunteered to teach new officers topics in their orientation, take on a new officer for one phase of their field training and constantly offers assistance to those who need it. 

“(She) continues to display her smile, which seems to be infectious to others around her,” Esan said.

Lake then was awarded the Officer of the Quarter award for the first quarter of 2026 for her overall performance. 

“Officer Lake: We see you time and time again being recognized, and I am so grateful that you have decided to grace our town with your services because you’re truly a joy,” Commissioner Kris Keller said.