Fort Meade Approves 23 Missing Meeting Minutes — But Its Official Record of the Year’s Most Contentious Vote Dismisses 40 Resident comments of Opposition Into One Vague Statement
The Fort Meade City Commission approved 23 sets of meeting minutes at its September 17 TRIM hearing — a mass ratification that offers a partial accounting of a record-keeping breakdown that stretched more than a year and that the city’s own internal documents show was not fully resolved even as commissioners voted
The September 17 approvals came after The Citrus Tea News reported in July 2026 that dozens of sets of minutes from city commission, Community Redevelopment Agency, and planning and zoning meetings had never been submitted to the commission for approval, as required by state law. Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law requires that minutes of public meetings be promptly recorded, and that draft minutes be submitted for approval at the next regular meeting.
Most notably missing were the minutes from the April 14, 2026 meeting in which the commission voted unanimously in favor of welcoming a hyperscale data center known as the Stonebridge Project after at least 40 residents spoke up in opposition to the decision during the public hearing. The minutes from this meeting were submitted for approval on Sept. 8, but approval was delayed until Sept. 17, due to what City Manager Troy Bell and the commission stated were “scrivener’s errors” rather than substantive errors.
According to the video of the meeting, at least 40 residents spoke up during the public hearing in strong opposition to the approval of the data center, however, the record in the minutes vaguely stated this:
Following the developer’s presentation, the floor was opened to public commentary. A great number of residents as well as neighboring residents stepped up to voice their opinions on the agreement.
excerpt of Minutes From public hearing on April 14, 2026, Approved on Sept. 17, 2026.
Additional Minutes Added to Sept. 17 Agenda
The 23 sets approved Sept. 17 span meetings held between August 2025 and July 2026. Seven of those sets were added to the Sept. 17 agenda without prior notice — they had not appeared on the September 8 commission agenda, which had listed 16 sets of minutes for approval at that meeting.
The seven sets added at the last minute included delinquent minutes from four Community Redevelopment Agency meetings, a January 13, 2026 regular commission meeting, a March 5, 2026 workshop, and a June 23, 2026 Planning and Zoning workshop. The four CRA sets list only “Interim Deputy Clerk” with no name attached.
The Clerk at the Center
A review of the minutes packets submitted for the September 8 and September 17 meetings shows that D. Nicole Patterson, who served as the city’s Deputy City Clerk, is identified as the certifying clerk on 10 of the 16 sets that had been on the September 8 agenda. Patterson officially joined the city on June 26, 2025, according to a City of Fort Meade Facebook post. She departed the week of July 16, 2026.
The presence of Patterson’s name on draft minutes that were never submitted for commission approval suggests the documents were completed — or at least prepared — during her tenure but were not advanced through the approval process before she left.
Minutes from the March 5, 2026 workshop, however, bear the name of Olivia Martin, who took over clerk duties after Patterson’s departure. Minutes from that meeting predate Martin’s hire, indicating she may have reconstructed them from video or audio recordings. The February 10, 2026 minutes list no clerk’s name.
City’s Own Records Showed Incomplete Count Before the Vote
A staff report included in the September 8 agenda packet and prepared by City Manager Troy Bell showed that as of September 1, 2026 — more than two weeks before the TRIM hearing vote — 28 sets of minutes remained incomplete out of 79 total meetings tracked. The report listed the deputy city clerk position as open and under active recruitment.
That internal admission means that even if all 23 sets approved on September 17 are counted, the city’s own tracker indicated additional minutes were outstanding that were not addressed at either the September 8 or September 17 meetings.
Public Records Requests
Under Florida’s Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, government agencies are required to acknowledge and respond to public records requests promptly. Failure to do so can expose the agency to legal liability. The city’s response was only to acknowledge the request had been received.
The Citrus Tea News submitted multiple public records requests to the City of Fort Meade related to the missing minutes and related city business going back to July 2026. Other than acknowledging the requests via email response, the city has not responded to any outstanding requests. Bell told the commission that while the number in the report on Sept. 17 had the same number of outstanding public records requests, more had come in and they were working through them.
During the TRIM hearing on Sept. 17, Bell told the commission and residents that he would be available for a 30-minute open meeting once per week to address concerns and answer questions at City Hall for the sake of transparency. The Citrus Tea News met with Bell on Wednesday, Sept. 23, during the open meeting. Three additional residents were also present.
The Citrus Tea News first reported on the missing minutes in July 2026, following a thorough review of city commission agendas. At that time, scores of meetings had passed without their minutes being submitted for approval — a practice that continued unaddressed for more than a year.
The September 17 action came during the city’s annual Truth in Millage (TRIM) hearing, the public proceeding at which local governments adopt their final budget and millage rate for the coming fiscal year.
The city manager and clerk reports from the Sept. 8 and Sept. 17 meetings documented a plan and prioritized timely minutes moving forward while also completing additional outstanding minutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Fort Meade approve 23 sets of meeting minutes at one time? The mass approval came after The Citrus Tea News reported in July 2026 that dozens of sets of minutes from city commission, Community Redevelopment Agency, and planning and zoning meetings had never been submitted for approval, as required under Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law.
What meetings were missing from Fort Meade’s records? The 23 sets approved September 17 cover meetings held between August 2025 and July 2026. Among the most notable were the minutes from the April 14, 2026 meeting in which the commission voted unanimously to welcome the Stonebridge data center project. At least 40 residents spoke in opposition during the public hearing, according to video of the meeting, but the approved minutes describe the public comment only as “a great number of residents as well as neighboring residents stepped up to voice their opinions on the agreement.”
Who was responsible for the missing meeting minutes in Fort Meade? D. Nicole Patterson, who served as Deputy City Clerk from June 26, 2025 until her departure the week of July 16, 2026, is listed as the certifying clerk on 10 of the 16 sets that had originally been slated for the September 8 agenda. Her name on the drafts suggests they were prepared during her tenure but never advanced for approval.
Were all the missing Fort Meade meeting minutes resolved at the TRIM hearing? No. The city’s own internal tracker showed 28 sets of minutes were still incomplete as of September 1, 2026 — more than two weeks before the TRIM hearing vote. Only 23 sets were approved September 17, meaning additional minutes remained outstanding that were not addressed at either the September 8 or September 17 meetings.
Has the City of Fort Meade responded to public records requests about the missing minutes? The Citrus Tea News has submitted multiple public records requests to the City of Fort Meade related to the missing minutes going back to July 2026. Other than acknowledging receipt, the city has not responded to any of the outstanding requests.
Sources: Fort Meade City Commission, Truth in Millage Hearing agenda and minutes packet, Sept. 17, 2026; Fort Meade City Commission, regular meeting agenda packet, Sept. 8, 2026; staff report by City Manager Troy Bell; City of Fort Meade Facebook post, re: D. Nicole Patterson hire date, June 26, 2025; The Citrus Tea News, original missing minutes report, July 17, 2026; Florida Government in the Sunshine Law, Chapter 286, Florida Statutes; Florida Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes; The Citrus Tea News, open meeting with City Manager Troy Bell, Sept. 23, 2026.
