LONGWOOD, Fla. — Several Seminole County departments are holding open houses for residents interested in learning about their behind-the-scenes work.

What You Need To Know

  •  Citizen's Academy is hosted by several Seminole County departments

  •  The events are free and open to the public

  •  Residents can learn more about different departments, from emergency management to parks and recreation

  • The events are scheduled through May 10

Citizen’s Academy is free and open to the public, with several dates scheduled through May 10.

Casselberry resident Jenny Babcock brought her two children to the county’s Central Transfer Station in Longwood for an event focused on the Environmental Services and Utilities department.

“The Citizen’s Academy is really smart and a way to get the family involved too, and get the kids educated at a really young age of what are the kinds of things you can do to help your community,” said Babcock.

More than 60 people attended Saturday’s event. They learned about trash collection and disposal, restoring lakes and rivers, and the county’s pipelines.

Residents also got to join a hazardous waste tour or station tour, seeing up-close where garbage trucks dump loads of trash each day. There were also demonstrations showing them what crews see when inspecting water pipes through a camera.

Solid Waste Division Manager Oliver Bond believes Citizen’s Academy is an eye-opening experience for residents.

“I think it’s a great initiative to bring people in and allow them to see what their tax dollars are paying for,” he said. “Sometimes, I think people picture garbage as just a simple goes out to the landfill and gets piled up, and this allows them to have a peek into all the intricacies of actually operating a solid waste division and the other divisions as well.”

There are three more events on this year’s schedule:

  • April 24: Public Works from 6 - 8 p.m. at 177 Bush Loop, Sanford

  • May 1: Emergency Management from 6 - 8 p.m. at 232 Eslinger Way, Sanford

  • May 10: Parks and Recreation from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at 660 Green Way Blvd., Lake Mary