Charter Review Committee 2023

A Charter Review Commission shall be organized by May 1, 2023 and at least every seven (7) years thereafter. The mayor and each member of the city council, other than the council president, shall appoint one (1) member to the Charter Review Commission. The council president shall appoint two (2) members to the Charter Review Commission. At least five (5) members of the Charter Review Commission shall be electors who are bona fide residents of the City of Edgewood. Up to two (2) members of the City Commission may be non-resident owners of non-residential property located within the City of Edgewood. In the event that any member of the city council or the mayor fails to appoint a member of the Charter Review Commission by the time required herein, the city council shall make an appointment to any unfilled seats by majority vote at the city council's next regular meeting. Said Commission shall report its findings to the council by October 1 of each year of appointment.

Please welcome the members of our Charter Review Commission, who were recommended by Mayor Dowless and City Council Members. 
 

Tina Demostene has resided in Edgewood since 2010. She has served on previous Orange County Charter Review and Orange County P&Z Commissioner. She has decades of experience in local governments for Orange County, Osceola County, Orange City, and the City of Altamonte Springs. She is currently the Manager of Land Planning at MI Homes. Tina is married and has one daughter who is a junior at Lake Highland Preparatory School.

Anita Bering has been an Edgewood resident since 2005. Anita has served as President of the River Oaks P.O.A. for the past three years and has presided over the updating of the POA legal documents. Anita has a very keen interest in what goes on around her. 2 Charter Review Charter Review Anita is married and has two children. Ren is a junior at Boone HS and Zach is in 8th grade at Pershing K-8.

Shannon Pierce is a 23-year resident of Central Florida and a 12-year resident of Edgewood. She is active within the greater Central Florida community through her membership in the Orlando Economic Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, and other local organizations, focused on creating sustainable growth for our community. Through her current business, Shannon has assisted in the relocation of over 200 individuals and their families who are looking to call Central Florida home. Her knowledge of local resources, housing, education, and county regulations have allowed her to successfully assimilate her clients into the community. These individuals include employees from The Walt Disney Company, Orlando Health, Nemours and others. Shannon maintains an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Virginia.

Chris Dawson is an attorney and professional lobbyist in the GrayRobinson Orlando and Tampa offices licensed to practice law in both Florida and Alabama. He primarily focuses on lobbying and government relations for public and private sector clients at the executive and legislative levels of state government, as well as before political subdivisions of the state, including counties, cities, airport authorities, transportation authorities, port authorities, school districts, and water management districts. Chris also holds two degrees in civil engineering and has experience in construction litigation and design professional malpractice defense.

Thomas M. Perley, born and raised in Orlando, Florida. A licensed General Contractor and Underground Utility Contractor. Former C.O.O of Prime Construction Group Inc. for 27 years and continues to serve central Florida municipalities with infrastructure and capital improvement projects. Currently enjoying serving my church, my family and my community.

Nelson Lerma is a mechanical engineer from the University of Florida and started his career as a hydraulics engineer for the space shuttle at NASA. While working at NASA, Nelson earned his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Florida in order to expand his knowledge and desire towards management and eventually owning his own business. After the space shuttle retired, Nelson transferred to the Department of the NAVY as a Mechanical Engineer supporting the acquisitions of training simulators for the NAVY and soon after enrolled in the Industrial Engineering PhD program at the University of Central Florida. He graduated with his PhD in 2015 and began a new position as the Data Science Manager for the Naval enterprise research data science team at the NAVY. 3 Charter Review Most recently, Nelson has embarked on a business venture to build and operate a Mecatos Bakery and Cafe Franchise in the City of Edgewood. Nelson has been intimately involved in all planning phases including city and county approval. Nelson is a very dedicated individual who is committed to working hard and providing a positive impact to the community.