by Beth Kassab | Jul 22, 2023 | City Commission, News, Taxes
News & Notes: Hard budget choices ahead; the future of Park Avenue and city promotions
A look ahead at the next Winter Park City Commission meeting
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City Commissioners will face some hard choices this week as they continue to comb through the city’s budget and set priorities.
Is there enough money to buy the Bank of the Ozarks property to expand Seven Oaks Park? What about an awning for the Cady Way Pickle Ball courts? Can the city afford to build a sorely-needed downtown parking garage or fix more brick streets?
Those are some of the topics expected to come up when commissioners consider what to prioritize at their meeting on Wednesday.
A list of capital projects will need a serious edit, according to city staff, who determined, “the scope and quantity of projects that have been listed are beyond the current ability of expected revenues to be able to accomplish.”
An analysis of $40.9 million worth of projects desired by city staff or elected officials shows at least $30 million of the total is not funded. Staff estimated about $6 million in additional funds will become available over the next five years through the CRA, the general fund, the parks acquisition fund and the mobility impact fee, still leaving a deficit of about $23 million.
Critical to the outcome will be whether the city’s CRA is extended beyond 2027 when it is scheduled to sunset. Extension will require approval by Orange County.
The future of retail on Park Avenue and more
Winter Park wants to keep up with the Joneses. Or rather with Winter Garden, Mt. Dora and other cities that have stepped up their shopping and dining scenes in recent years to compete for Winter Park’s longstanding bragging rights as the favorite among the brunch and stroll crowd.
A new strategies report recommends ways the city can improve not only its central Park Avenue district, but the other retail corridors: Hannibal Square; Fairbanks Avenue; Orange Avenue; U.S. 17-92, which the city also calls “The Golden Mile,” and Aloma Corners on the corner of Lakemont Avenue and S.R. 426.
“Preemptive action is needed to ensure that Park Ave remains metro Orlando’s premier ‘Main Street’ experience in the minds of Central Florida residents, given the ascendancy of newer competitors such as Winter Garden, Mt. Dora, etc.” the report states.
The report also calls on Rollins College to help improve the Fairbanks Avenue area as a gateway to the small liberal arts campus.
“Fairbanks Avenue has long ranked as Winter Park’s most underwhelming commercial corridor, yet it is the prime gateway to Park Avenue as well as the front door to Rollins College, which would seem to have the mandate, the incentive and the financial wherewithal to reinvigorate the two-block stretch it primarily owns and controls so as to better compete with prospective students, professors and researchers (as well as engender good will as a tax-exempt institution)—similar to
how many other elite colleges and universities across the country, in partnership with local government, have acted aggressively to elevate their surroundings for such purpose (even at the expense of their portfolio’s operating margins),” states the report.
The recommendations are scheduled as an item for discussion on Wednesday’s City Commission agenda.
See who’s moving up
Longtime Planning & Zoning Director Jeff Briggs is retiring and Allison McGillis will step into the role after serving as assistant director and preparing for the succession for 14 months. McGillis graduated from Rollins College with a degree in Environmental Studies and Civic Urbanism and a master’s degree in Civic Urbanism. She holds certifications from the Congress for New Urbanism and is a member of American Institute of Certified Planners. Briggs served the city for 45 years and will take on a role as a consultant.
Peter Moore, division director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Pam Russell, division director of Human Resources, will take on the elevated titles of director for their respective departments after a recent pay and benefit study recommended the changes.
Moore joined the city in 2006 and has served in a number of roles. He holds an economics and history degree from Furman University and an MBA from Rollins. Russell joined the city in 2021 and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University and served in the Army.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 22, 2023 | City Commission, News
City to residents: How close can we get to zero waste?
Winter Parkers are not recycling as much as they think they are
City leaders will double-down on a campaign encouraging residents to reduce waste — especially single-use plastics — in an effort to reduce the amount of garbage headed to the landfill. Winter Parkers will be encouraged to reuse items when possible and to recycle in a way that prevents loads from being sent to the dump rather than to a facility where they are processed to sell.
The “Zero In on Zero Waste” initiative is the next logical step in bringing more awareness to the statewide problem of “wish-cycling,” or the myth that nearly anything put into recycling bins is broken down and reused. In reality, many items that end up in the recycle bin — food-soiled containers such as empty greasy pizza boxes or plastic bags — contaminate entire truckloads of recycling, causing them to be diverted to the landfill instead of a recycling center.
“A lot of residents are trying their very best,” said Sara Miller, Winter Park’s sustainability manager. “But they are not recycling as much as they think they are.”
In 2022, Winter Park homes produced 15,242 tons of garbage, of which only 5,000 tons, or about 33%, went through recycling, composting or some other method instead of going to the landfill. That percent of recycled waste has remained relatively unchanged over the last decade even as Winter Park residents are creating 3.5% more waste, according to city records.
City officials would like to reduce the total amount of waste by 5% by 2025 and increase the amount of recycled garbage by 10% in the same time period.
Miller said residents can help do that by paying close attention to what is accepted by the recycling centers, which is printed on the city-issued bins or available at this guide published by the city. They can refuse plastic bags and single-use plastics at the grocery store, compost food waste and look for packaging made from cardboard rather than plastic when shopping for new items.
She said she knows it’s easier said than done, and she doesn’t expect every resident to adopt every change over night.
“It’s a luxury for a lot of people,” she said. “It may not be suitable for you and not everybody can do what we’re asking. It does take practice.”
Some residents may wonder if those efforts are worthwhile or if they can really make a difference as an individual when others aren’t making the effort.
“I think I look at it maybe a little bit differently,” said Commissioner Todd Weaver, an outspoken advocate for sustainability. “Our landfill has about 30 years worth of space left and everybody’s individual effort is required to make a difference. We can’t keep wasting the way we have been.”
Gloria Eby, Winter Park’s director of Natural Resources and Sustainability, included the upcoming campaign in her recent budget presentation to commissioners.
The key principles revolve around the “Five R’s,” she said in response to a question last week:
- Refuse: Say no to what you don’t need.
- Reduce: Let go of things that are no longer of use and donate or sell. It also means only focusing on necessary purchases.
- Reuse: Switch disposable items for reusable items and permanent alternatives.
- Recycle: We’ve been made to believe that recycling is the go-to solution for waste reduction. In fact, it’s number four in the list behind refuse, reduce and reuse.
- Rot: Compost your own household waste or take part in a composting program for organic waste.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 22, 2023 | Uncategorized
Winter Park arts groups wait on tourist tax grant decisions
Orange County Commission may spend more of the bed tax on arts next year, but some groups in limbo for now
By Beth Kassab
Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday will likely accept the report of a special task force on the Tourist Development Tax, effectively setting the stage for a months-long showdown over which local groups such as Rollins College, the Winter Park Playhouse, the Park Avenue District, Crealde School of Art and the Bach Festival Society will receive a share of the money and how much.
But first, county commissioners must decide how much of the tax — a 6% levy on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals that brought in more than $330 million last year — should go toward grants for arts and cultural organizations.
The hard numbers along with the formal application process could bring a dose of reality to some of the more than 50 organizations that proposed nearly $4 billion worth of projects in recent months to the TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force.
“There was no barrier to wild euphoria in sending in those interest indicators,” said Fred Winterkamp, the county’s fiscal and business services division manager who is set to retire in a few weeks.
The TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force is recommending significant increases to the two organizations that dole out arts dollars, but even if those changes are approved by the County Commission there still won’t be enough for everyone who submitted an “indicator of interest” form. Proposed increases include:
- The TDT Application Review Committee (ARC), which contributed to the new Winter Park Library and Events Center, has not received new funding since 2018. The task force is recommending ARC receive between $60 million and $100 million over five years and increase the individual grant cap to $20 million from $10 million. The ARC roster includes representatives from across the county, including Jennifer Anderson, a marketing and sales executive who is married to Winter Park Mayor Phil Anderson.
- Orange County’s Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council was formed in 2005 and receives 3% of the first four cents of the six-cent tax each year. The task force is recommending the amount increase to 5% of the first four cents and that grant caps increase from $500,000 to $2 million. In the past these dollars have helped a number of groups and projects in Winter Park. For example, a grant helped make the bathrooms at the Capen House compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act after the house was floated across Lake Osceola and moved next to the Polasek Museum as an events venue.
If the commission accepts the task force’s report on Tuesday, Mayor Jerry Demings said last week that the board will schedule work sessions to determine the dollar amounts that would go toward each of the grantor committees, which also includes the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. From there, the committees would meet to lay out a process for groups that want a piece of the pie.
Winterkamp said the process for ARC would likely extend into spring 2024 to give organizations enough time to learn the process and prepare their proposals.
That could leave some organizations that are trying to plan next year’s budgets in limbo.
For example, the Winter Park Playhouse is trying to determine if it will have enough money to construct a new home before the beloved small theater loses its lease on Orange Avenue next year.
The Winter Park City Commission has discussed potentially allowing the theater to build on public land or even purchasing its current building, though no decision has been reached as the city is attempting to balance its own budget.
The Playhouse told the task force in May it is seeking $6 million toward an $8 million project to develop and construct a new theater. The Playhouse has received about $600,000 from TDT grants since 2013 to help with operating costs.
An architectural rendering shows the exterior of a new Rollins Art Museum.
Other Winter Park organizations seeking TDT grants, according to task force documents, include:
- Rollins College Art Museum is seeking $10 million toward the construction of a new $30 million museum. The college said it had already raised $17 million toward the project that city commissioners approved in April. The art museum said it has received more than $700,000 in TDT grants since 2017 to help fund exhibits and marketing.
- Crealde School of Art is seeking $125,000 to expand classroom space on its main campus. The longtime Winter Park institution attracts students from across the region and beyond and said it has received previous small TDT grants to support exhibitions and other programming.
- Park Avenue District Inc. is seeking $300,000 for a marketing campaign to promote the city’s central shopping and restaurant corridor. The district has not received any TDT funding in the past.
- The Bach Festival Society is asking for $225,000 toward a $600,000 marketing campaign in key U.S. and international markets. Bach Festival has received $1.2 million in previous TDT grants since 2013.
The potential expansion of TDT dollars devoted to arts and culture comes amid an unprecedented effort by the task force to push county leaders to use TDT money for pressing local needs beyond tourism marketing and the Orange County Convention and other big venues like the Amway Center, which have always received the bulk of the revenue.
Other communities across Florida and the nation, including the Florida Keys, use bed taxes to help provide more accessible housing, public transportation and other demands that often come when regions are reliant on the tourism industry and the tens of thousands of low-wage workers who keep it running.
The task force voted in favor of seeking a change in state law to expand how TDT revenue can help the local community and devoting an extra cent to the cause, but Mayor Jerry Demings has not expressed support for the change.
At a meeting last week of the Tourist Development Council, which oversees the tax, Demings said the tax has provided extra dollars that have relieved pressure on other pieces of the county budget so that the general fund can address housing and other needs.
“One thing that I know is that our commission is absolutely committed to addressing the social challenges that we have as a community,” Demings said. “… Because we do have the blessing of this TDT if has historically relieved pressure on some of the other revenue streams that we have to be able to address social challenges … the homelessness, crime-related issues, treatment for the mentally ill to the housing crisis that we have.”
The commission’s action scheduled for Tuesday means the board accepts the task force’s work, but does not automatically equate to an endorsement of its recommendations.
Additional dollars devoted to local arts and culture groups would undoubtedly benefit more local people, but the groups applying for the grants must still show how they contribute to drawing tourists in order to receive the grants.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 11, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Residents to pay more for parks, utilities, garbage pick-up and more
City points to inflation, looming recession, weaker housing market as drivers for raising local fees in proposed budget
By Beth Kassab
Winter Parkers will notice a jump in fees for park facilities, ambulance rides, water utilities and garbage collection if next year’s budget is approved. The proposed $207 million budget represents a 4.2% increase over FY2023.
The preliminary budget, which does not include a property tax millage rate increase, also does not include several high-profile requests such as the purchase of the Bank of the Ozarks property, keeping the library open on Sundays, two additional police officers, one additional firefighter or increasing the city’s cash reserves.
The budget will be considered by the City Commission for the first time on Wednesday and final approval is expected by September.
City leaders pointed to inflation and the higher cost of wages as justification for raising fees and trimming other costs even as home values increased and translated to 10% growth in the city’s General Fund led by property tax revenue.
“As a result of upward pressure on operating costs, the proposed budget defers and trims some capital investments, raised fees across many areas, and had to prioritize among many needs presented by departments and community stakeholders,” reads the budget overview.
Proposed fee increases include:
- The cost of the city’s garbage collection contract with WastePro is set to go up by 45%, sending fees up by about $20%. The budget estimates homeowners will pay about $5 extra on average each month to account for the higher prices.
- Fees associated with the city’s parks, facilities and programs will go up by 5% to raise an additional $350,000 to cover higher expenses of maintaining the buildings and greenspaces.
- Ambulance transport fees will go up by 10% to raise an additional $100,000 to $150,000. The fee hasn’t been raised in more than five years and is sometimes covered by health insurance or Medicare rather than residents, the proposal noted.
- Water and sewer rates will go up by 7% in line with the index put out by the Public Service Commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities across Florida.
- Stormwater rates, which help cover the cost of drainage and infrastructure to prevent and reduce flooding, will go up 8% next year following two previous years of increases of 5% each. Owners of the largest homes will pay more while owners of smaller properties could pay less, according to the new rate structure.
Meanwhile, nonprofit groups traditionally supported by the city or its Community Redevelopment Agency are seeing across-the-board proposed increases:
- Winter Park Library will receive $1.9 million, a $92,000 increase.
- Mead Botanical Gardens will receive $93,500, an $8,500 increase.
- Winter Park Historical Association will receive $88,000, an $8,000 increase.
- Winter Park Day Nursery will receive $38,500, a $3.500 increase.
- United Arts will receive $18,400, a $1,400 increase.
- Blue Bamboo will receive $11,000, a $1,000 increase.
- Polasek Museum will receive $25,300, a $2,300 increase.
- Enzian Theater will receive $10,000, a $3,000 increase.
- Heritage Center will receive $50,000, a $10,000 increase.
- Welbourne Day Nursery will receive $38,500, a $3,500 increase.
- Winter Park Playhouse will receive $44,000, a $4,000 increase.
- Depugh Nursing Home will receive $25,000, a $2,000 increase.
Leaders noted that the yearly $100,000 obligation to the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center will end after next year. But the city’s local share of operating the SunRail commuter train, which has a stop in Central Park, is expected to come due next year and the first payment is budgeted at $146,000. The annual payment is expected to be $350,000 in future years.
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by Beth Kassab | Jun 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
Commissioners: Florida Legislature overreached to block local development rules
Winter Park attempts to put some guardrails on affordable housing projects after state’s Live Local Act removed local control
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park is working to ensure developers don’t exploit a new loophole in local development codes created by the Live Local Act passed by the Florida Legislature this year in an attempt to promote more affordable housing projects.
Commissioners expressed unanimous support for a new city ordinance that would require developers to document that affordable housing projects are actually providing units that are truly affordable and won’t quickly convert to market-rate apartments or condos.
Mayor Phil Anderson said the new ordinance being crafted now by city staff represents an attempt to “preserve home rule” after the new state law prohibits cities from restricting the height and density of new affordable housing projects.
The act is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $711 million investment in affordable housing, but changes in the new law will alter how cities and counties can govern themselves. For example, the act allows affordable housing developers to construct buildings at maximum height and density, limiting a City Commission’s ability to restrict the number of units per acre to protect the the aesthetics, charm and consistency in a neighborhood.
“Occasionally the state Legislature overreaches and, in this case, they have overreached by preempting some of our land-use ordinances in the spirit of trying to create more affordable housing,” Anderson said during Wednesday’s meeting. “I want to thank our planning department for taking a look at the unintended consequences of this preemption.”
Planning and Zoning Director Jeff Briggs said the Live Local Act (SB 102) now allows affordable housing developers to ignore certain local requirements such as the height of new buildings. But the law does not require those developers to prove they are building affordable units.
“There are no requirements for a developer to provide any data that they are, in fact, providing affordable housing,” Briggs said. “All this does is ensure that people are authentically and honestly doing affordable housing.”
The Live Local Act takes effect on Saturday and the city’s new ordinance is slated to come back to the City Commission for approval later in July.
“I think we’re getting quite used to preemptions,” said Commissioner Marty Sullivan, a reference to a number of prohibitions by the Legislature in recent years that have usurped the authority of locally-elected city and county officials.
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