by Beth Kassab | Apr 8, 2026 | City Commission, News
Michelle del Valle Named New City Manager
Commissioners gave unanimous, enthusiastic support for del Valle (pictured above) to takeover when Randy Knight retires in January. Meanwhile, a split 3-2 vote approved increased hourly rates for the city attorney
April 8, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to authorize Mayor Sheila DeCiccio to begin to negotiate a contract with Michelle del Valle to became city manager in January.
She will succeed Randy Knight, who has served in the position for 19 years.
Winter Park has a city manager form of government, which means the person in that job sets the tone and runs all aspects of the on a daily basis, helming more than 500 employees. The elected commissioners set policy, but the manager is largely responsible for overseeing the execution of policy.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said a national search to fill the job was unnecessary because she “wholeheartedly” supported del Valle, who has served as assistant city manager since 2008. DeCiccio cited del Valle’s education, experience and connections.
“She has the knowledge, the relationships, the contacts … and I can’t tell you how important contacts are to get things done,” DeCiccio said. “When we had the cold snap she was able to pick up the phone and call the people at Publix, at Advent[Health} to get them to turn on their generators so there wasn’t a drain on our [electrical] system.”
The four other commissioners also enthusiastically endorsed del Valle, who Knight named as his recommended successor as early as 2022.
Knight said in a letter to the commission that he will retire on Jan. 8.
Del Valle lives in neighboring Maitland and spent 16 years working that city before joining Winter Park, which has a population of about 30,000. She will be required to live in Winter Park as part of the city’s rules for the job.
Two commissioners expressed reservations about a second major hiring decision on Wednesday, questioning whether the contract for the city’s attorney should be put out to bid.
Kurt Ardaman and his partners at the Fishback Dominik law firm have represented the city since 2015.
Elizabeth Ingram, the newest member of the commission who started her term last month, said she’s still a “newbie,” but didn’t see the harm in considering other proposals.
“I don’t think it hurts to see what else is out there, maybe we’ll still go with them, but I think I would like to put it out for bid,” she said.
Commissioner Warren Lindsey agreed.
“I think that Kurt and your firm have done a fantastic job, but I agree with Commissioner Ingram … if we bid it out very likely [we] could select Fishback again, but I think it’s a conscientious thing for us to do that,” he said.
DeCiccio and commissioners Craig Russell and Kris Cruzada voted in favor of keeping Fishback and approved its requested increase to its hourly rates.
The commission, which spends between $500,000 and $650,000 a year on the city attorney contract, will pay $325 an hour for lead attorneys, up from $275.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Apr 7, 2026 | City Commission, News
Will Winter Park Conduct Searches for New Top Manager and Attorney?
City Manager Randy Knight says he will retire in January and recommends Michelle del Valle to take the role.
April 7, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City Commissioners will take up two major hiring decisions on Wednesday: a new city manager to replace Randy Knight, who is retiring after 19 years as well as whether or not to renew a contract with Kurt Ardaman and his partners at the Fishback Dominik law firm, which has represented the city since 2015.
In a letter dated April 1, Knight, who has worked for the city for a total of 35 years, announced he would retire on Jan. 8 and, in a separate memorandum, recommended Assistant City Manager Michelle del Valle to take over the job.
Knight’s early 2027 retirement has been expected for years and, as early as a 2022 succession plan, he named del Valle as his chosen successor. She has served in the assistant role since 2008.
Michelle del Valle
As part of the plan, del Valle spent time overseeing every department in the city over the past four years to help for the role.
She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master of public administration degree from the University of Central Florida and spent 16 years working at the city of Maitland before arriving at Winter Park City Hall.
“I do strongly believe that if I get hit by the proverbial bus, Michelle is already ready to lead this great city,” Knight wrote in the 2022 succession plan.
He said in the memo to the city commission that the reason for asking the commission to finalize his recommendation this month — nine months before he will retire — is because city rules require the city manager live in Winter Park.
“Ms. del Valle currently resides in Maitland and has begun looking at houses in Winter Park,” he wrote. “Before she makes an offer on a house, it would be helpful for her to know she has been selected by the city commission to be the next city manager.”
Randy Knight
Knight earns more than $274,000 in the role.
City commissioners could approve Knight’s recommendation and begin negotiating a contract with del Valle or they could opt to conduct a wider search and consider additional candidates for the job.
The commission, which spends between $500,000 and $650,000 a year on the city attorney contract, will also decide whether to put the contract out to bid for the first time in 11 years or to approve a pay increase for the Fishback Dominick firm.
The firm, which also represents other local cities such as Winter Garden, Ocoee and Belle Isle, is asking for increases to its hourly rates. For example, lead attorneys would charge $325 an hour, up from $275.
The commission can decide to approve the higher rates or to put the job out to bid and ask for proposals from other firms.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Apr 6, 2026 | City Commission, News, Schools
Winter Park Agrees to Five Habitat Homes for School Workers on OCPS Property
Orange County Public Schools, which has launched a broader effort to make affordable housing more accessible to its employees, and Winter Park must still give final approval to the deal with Habitat for Humanity of Winter Park-Maitland
April 6, 2026
By Beth Kassab
When leaders at Orange County Public Schools learned that a house through Habitat for Humanity of Winter Park-Maitland could be available to a district employee, they put out a call for interest at Winter Park and Maitland schools.
“We had 75 people apply in less than a week,” said Bridget Williams, deputy superintendent for executive services.
Stephanie Vanos, the School Board member who represents Winter Park, helped forge the partnership with Habitat when she learned the original would-be owner of a house in the works fell through.
“I really don’t think people realize the need,” she said. “It’s no secret that the school district is having conversations about health insurance right now. I get emails from teachers pretty much every day begging the district not to increase premiums… We’re hearing every day from educators about the unaffordability of their salary.”
Housing is a particular strain on incomes in Winter Park, where home prices and rents trend higher than most of the region, with the median sales price in the 32789 ZIP code exceeding $800,000.
A teacher from Glenridge Middle School was selected to own the Habitat-built house near Winter Park Village and thanked those involved in a letter read aloud at a February School Board meeting.
“This home is more than just a structure. It’s life-changing for me and my family,” wrote the teacher, who asked to remain anonymous.
She also thanked Winter Park High School students who worked alongside her to help construct the house and called working with Habitat for Humanity a “profound experience.”
Volunteers work on a recent Habitat for Humanity build in Winter Park. (Photos courtesy of Habitat)
Now, Winter Park and school district officials are laying the groundwork for five more school employees to own Habitat houses in the city.
The plan would allow five homes to be constructed on a small section at the rear of the property known as the former Orange Technical College on Webster Avenue.
The project would not affect the nearly 500 Orlando Gifted Academy students using part of the property while their Fern Creek school is being renovated.
The Winter Park City Commission recently agreed to the concept of changing the property’s zoning to allow for the homes. It also agreed to use up to $200,000 — originally intended to help Habitat acquire land in the city — to fund water, sewer and other infrastructure for the proposed homes, which would be just east of Whole Foods Market.
“You cannot get a lot in Winter Park for $200,000,” said Mayor Sheila DeCiccio. “So this is a great way to help instead of putting the money toward purchasing land.”
Jeff Briggs, the city’s former planning director who serves as treasurer for the local Habitat organization, said he was enthusiastic about the deal.
“This is a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “The biggest challenge for Habitat is finding land.”
Under the terms, which still must go before the City Commission and the School Board for final approval, the district would lease the land for 99 years, while eligible homeowners would own the structures.
If one of the owners needed to sell in the future, the new buyer would also have to be a district employee and meet Habitat’s eligibility requirements.
Williams said the project aligns with a broader effort by the district to expand access to affordable housing for its workers.
The district has entered into partnerships with multiple apartment developers and operators to provide priority access to OCPS employees who meet eligibility requirements.
And Winter Park would not be the first example of repurposing district property. The former Catalina Elementary School site in southwest Orlando, for instance, is being developed into housing as part of a partnership with the city of Orlando for both school and city employees.
Williams said the goal is to allow teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and other staff to live in the communities where they work.
“You’re building all these subdivisions, and our teachers are having to drive in,” she said. “That shouldn’t be the case.”
She said seeing the impact of the program has become one of the most rewarding parts of her job.
Like the day the Glenridge Middle teacher learned she would become a homeowner — and that her two children would get their own rooms.
“Just seeing her cry, and her two children — it’s almost like she did not think this would ever happen,” Williams said. “Watching that is what makes it worth it. It’s worth every minute.”
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Feb 26, 2026 | City Commission, News
Electric Rates to Rise in March and Chamber Leader Betsy Gardner to Step Down
Plus the city will host the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade next week
Feb. 26, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park residents and business owners will see an increase on their electric bills beginning in March to make up for higher natural gas prices brought on, in part, by the January and February cold snaps.
A fountain in front of a Winter Park home froze after temperatures dropped on Feb. 1.
The Utilities Advisory Board heard this week that the average bill for 1,300 kilowatt hours in Winter Park will go up by about $27 to recover the cost of the city-owned electric utility’s purchase of fuel. Unlike other portions of the electric bill, the fuel charge is a direct pass-through to customers that the city does not make a profit on.
The change highlights the volatility of natural gas prices and ends a months-long reprieve on electric bills after the fuel portion of the bill was adjusted downward at the end of the summer. At the time, the City Commission was in the midst of raising the non-fuel portion of rates by about 4% but emphasized that lower fuel costs would actually mean lower bills overall.
But, with the increase next month, that relief will go away and bills will trend higher.
The below-freezing temperatures earlier this year slowed the production of natural gas, which is the largest source of electricity for the city, and pushed prices up.
While city officials worried that increased demand for central heat during the coldest hours would create too much load on the system, there was only one small outage. The city worked with large power customers like Publix and the hospital to use back-up generators to lessen demand.
The new fuel rates will be in place for nine months and reset again based on price trends.
Betsy Gardner to leave Winter Park Chamber
Betsy Gardner, who has led the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce for nine years, announced this week she will step down May 1 and a search is underway for her successor.
At Wednesday’s City Commission meeting, Commissioner Warren Lindsey commended Gardner’s leadership.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said she has already heard from the search firm that is seeking input on what kind of relationship city officials want to have with the chamber.
City officials and the chamber have butted heads at times, particularly over politics and policy related to growth and development. The chamber’s political action committee has supported candidates for office, occasionally against incumbents.
Most recently, the chamber political committee attempted to help oust Commissioner Kris Cruzada, but he won a second term in the 2025 election in a landslide.
The chamber PAC did not support a candidate in this year’s election. Commissioner Craig Russell, who the PAC supported in 2024, was re-elected unopposed and Elizabeth Ingram, also unopposed, was elected in her first run for public office. She will be sworn in next month as Commissioner Marty Sullivan retires.
Gardner started the chamber’s Relaunch program, which helps women who have paused their careers transition back into the workforce. She also started the B Student podcast in 2025 and led the chamber’s annual “Art is Good Business” trip to Tallahassee to advocate for state matching arts grants.
“I am grateful for nine years at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and to our board, staff, trustees, members and partners for all that we have accomplished together,” said Gardner in a news release. “After nearly a decade of leading this organization, I am leaving to start my own business in no small part due to the skills I have learned and connections I have made working with business leaders and entrepreneurs here in Central Florida. I am committed to a smooth transition and look forward to seeing what the chamber achieves under the next generation of leadership.”
Gardner will remain in an advisory role with the Winter Park Ideas Foundation, a new nonprofit affiliated with the chamber as it works to launch the Winter Park Ideas Fest in 2028.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade Next Week
The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and the Winter Park Rotary Club will host the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 7 at 9 a.m.
The parade will begin at Canton Avenue and move south down Park Avenue to Lyman Avenue. Cathy Quinlivan and Rosemary O’Maisenholder, longstanding members of the Irish American Cultural Society of Central Florida which coordinated this parade for more than 35 years, will serve as this year’s Grand Marshals.
The celebration is made possible by support from the CRA, Winter Park Rotary Club and The Imperial on Park.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Feb 20, 2026 | City Commission, County News, Police and Public Safety, Schools
New Rules for Electric Bikes and Scooters In the Works for School Campuses
Winter Park residents turned out to a community meeting this week to hear an update on safety as complaints about the fast motorized devices have soared. Orange County schools are considering new rules
Feb. 20, 2026
By Tilly Raij
With new rules at the state and school district levels still uncertain, about two dozen people gathered this week to discuss how to make electric bikes and scooters safer in Winter Park.
City Commissioner Craig Russell led the community meeting Tuesday and walked residents through a primer on current regulations and etiquette that could reduce accidents and close calls on sidewalks and roads.
“If you don’t know how to operate the device, my suggestion is don’t get it for your 8-year-old,” said Russell, who is also a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School. He said he has seen students injured on the electric devices.
He emphasized that parents often don’t know the rules when their children begin riding.
The meeting followed increasing complaints from residents about people riding bikes and scooters too fast and recklessly on roads and sidewalks, especially near school campuses.
Orange County School Board member Stephanie Vanos, who also spoke at the meeting, said new rules could be on the horizon across the district.
She said options under discussion include requiring parents and students to take a class and sign an agreement related to riding and parking on campus, similar to the agreements high school students sign to drive and park cars on campus.
Vanos, who represents Winter Park in District 6, said students would receive a sticker to place on their device to show they participated in the training. Faculty members also have communicated with students about electric scooters and bikes.
“Right now, no, there is no requirement that students have to take any kind of education, or parents, but I will say that at many of our schools, particularly some of our middle schools and high schools, the principals are sharing information on e-bike safety and scooters with the students,” Vanos said.
Earlier this month, the school board heard a presentation noting survey results that show nearly 12,000 students ride bikes or scooters to school in Orange County. While most schools require students to walk their devices on campus, only about half issue violations to those who fail to do so.
In addition to permit stickers, district staff members recommend adding rules to the Code of Conduct and installing new signs on campuses requiring students to dismount bikes and scooters.
Last year, the school board held a discussion and presentation on the soaring popularity of bikes and scooters. Since 2017, electric scooter injuries in the U.S. have surged by 400%, with Florida ranking among the top states in emergency room visits for such injuries, staff members told the board at a November work session, citing data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Accidents involving children younger than 15 have more than doubled since 2023.
Russell’s presentation this week also covered rules governing e-scooters and e-bikes in certain areas of Winter Park. The devices cannot be ridden on sidewalks in the Park Avenue area known as the Central Business District, Hannibal Square and the Orange Avenue Overlay District.
Carelessly transitioning from sidewalks to roads, crossing crosswalks without looking for oncoming vehicles and ignoring pedestrian signals are among the most frequent safety concerns involving local riders, he said.
Russell shared best practices and described the “Be KIND” acronym for remembering how to properly operate an electric scooter or bike. The letters stand for “keep your eyes up, initiate courtesy, navigate safely and do the right thing.”
Adriana Rodriguez, senior transportation engineer for MetroPlan Orlando, told residents the organization is working with the American Bicycling Education Association to create a series of educational modules aimed at 500 students ages 12-15. Topics will range from safety to road rules and will incorporate graphics and illustrations, ending with a quiz. Students will receive a certificate of completion, and the results will be analyzed by grade level to determine whether the initiative should be expanded.
With about three weeks left in the regular session of the Florida Legislature, officials also are waiting to see whether new state laws emerge.
Proposals — Senate Bill 382 and House Bill 243 — that initially would have required licenses for certain classes of electric bikes have been scaled back to create a safety task force and include provisions such as: “A person operating an electric bicycle on a sidewalk or other area designated for pedestrians may not operate the electric bicycle at a speed greater than 10 miles per hour if a pedestrian is within 50 feet of the electric bicycle.”
Provisions related to motorized scooters were removed from the proposals.
Russell said education will remain essential to improving safety.
“Our goal is simple — to keep our kids safe, our sidewalks safe and our community involved,” he said.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Feb 19, 2026 | City Commission, News, Taxes
Slash Reserves and Services? Annex Maitland? Winter Park Mulls Answers to Property Tax Cuts
The (some not so serious) suggestions came in response to Legislative proposals to dramatically reduce city revenue and recommendations from Florida DOGE to eliminate some cities
Feb. 19, 2026
By Beth Kassab
The Florida House voted Thursday to ask voters to eliminate all property taxes — except those that fund schools — for people who live in their homes, but the Senate has yet to take up a plan.
With just three weeks left in the regular legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled Thursday morning that he is in no hurry to finalize a proposal that must be approved by 60% of voters to take effect.
“Given that it can’t be voted on by the people before November, it’s better to do it right than do it quick!” the governor posted on X.
State leaders could call a special session after the annual 60-day lawmaking period ends March 13 to address property tax cuts or other unfinished matters.
The uncertainty over the future of their most important and flexible revenue stream has local governments such as Winter Park contemplating a bleak future if the cuts become reality.
“We’re losing people. We’re losing quality of life. We’re losing services,” Commissioner Kris Cruzada said last week as the City Commission heard staff projections. “You call down to City Hall, and you may not get a live person to deal with an issue.”
A city of Winter Park chart shows how property taxes flow into city services.
Peter Moore, director of the city’s Office of Management and Budget, presented an analysis projecting a $250 million loss over 11 years if a proposal like the one adopted by the House on Thursday is ultimately approved by voters.
While the House proposal aims to protect police and fire funding by prohibiting local governments from cutting those departments, it would impede the city’s ability to expand public safety and meet other local needs, including parks, roads, building permits and inspections, code enforcement, storm-related tree trimming, after-school programs, and playing fields for youth and adult sports leagues.
“This would call into question our ability to grow, and in the past we’ve had plans to expand our police and fire personnel. Those things are certainly not possible under scenarios like this,” he said. “It also implies that any government service that’s not public safety isn’t important.”
The tax repeal proposals address only those paid by property owners with homestead exemptions — those who live in their homes as a primary residence. That means people who own second homes, businesses, commercial properties or rental houses would likely face a higher, shifting tax burden that could be passed along to tenants in the form of higher rent.
“The part that bothers me the most,” Moore told the commission, “is that those who deserve the greatest voice in government — our local citizens — are not going to be contributing anything to it. And — this is tongue-in-cheek, and we don’t mean it — but we would be financially better off as a city if we really upset our citizens, they all left, sold their homes to BlackRock and let them be rented out as an Airbnb. Then we could at least pay for roads.”
Property taxes assessed on homesteaded property make up about $19 million — roughly half of the city’s annual property tax revenue — and more than 20% of total annual revenue, according to Moore.
Commissioner Warren Lindsey called the proposals “objectively one of the greatest threats, certainly since I’ve lived in Winter Park for 35 years.”
DeSantis and other state leaders have argued the proposals are driven by the need to make life more affordable for Floridians as government spending and waste have spiraled out of control.
But city officials across the state argue that state spending is ballooning at the same rate as local governments because both are affected by inflation and higher costs of goods and services, especially wages for police officers and firefighters.
Moore said the city’s general fund spent about $70 million in 2024, up from about $43 million in 2015 — an annualized growth rate of about 5.6%. The state of Florida increased spending during that same period from $30 billion to $50 billion, or about a 5.7% annual growth rate.
City officials also took exception to some of the characterizations and recommendations in the recently released “Report on Local Government Spending” by DeSantis’ Florida DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency.
The report calls out 13 cities and counties, including Orange County, for what it describes as “excessive spending.”
“Property taxes are an expense that is entirely within the control of governments to rein in, and by ending the era of irresponsible spending, Florida and its local governments can give Florida’s homeowners freedom from this burden,” the report states.
The 98-page report is part financial audit and part ideological playbook outlining what the governor considers appropriate local government activities.
In the recommendations section, the unnamed authors predicted their proposals “will spark opposition.”
“Bureaucracies entrench themselves and create stakeholders who will argue that stronger oversight threatens ‘home rule,’ disrupts operations, risks federal funding or undermines public servants,” the report states. “They will highlight some recipient who benefits from every expenditure of public funds — ignoring that every dollar spent must also be taken from a taxpayer who is thereby harmed.”
The recommendations include giving Florida’s chief financial officer more power over local governments and standardizing local budgeting processes and wages, including freezing hiring and pay levels for city and county employees.
The report also says the state should forbid the use of government funds, facilities or communications to promote diversity, equity and inclusion concepts such as “social justice” or “systemic bias,” along with any phrases “that rely on the concept that mankind is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, or bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by others based on race, sex or related characteristics.”
In addition, the report recommends changing state law so that state and local governments cannot enforce “green energy” or other “climate initiatives.”
The recommendation that drew the most pushback from Winter Park officials included a proposal to cap city reserve, or rainy day, funds at 10%.
After Hurricane Charley in 2004, Winter Park adopted a policy calling for reserves to stand at about 30%.
Winter Park’s reserve fund is about 27% today, or roughly $23 million.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said the funds are used to respond quickly to flooding and power outages before state and federal emergency reimbursements arrive.
Cruzada said the state is essentially telling local governments to be “irresponsible” and rely on state and federal assistance rather than manage their own affairs.
“What the state is doing is limiting our ability to raise revenue but, at the same time, reducing our reserves and it’s practically — for lack of a better term — telling us to be irresponsible,” he said.
An image created in jest by city staff to bring some levity to the property tax discussion shows City Manager Randy Knight and Assistant City Manager Michelle del Valle on a quest to annex Maitland, which is not actually under consideration at this time, though the Florida DOGE report recommended some cities should consolidate.
The report’s final recommendation calls for some cities to disappear entirely and be absorbed by larger neighboring cities or counties.
“Florida should review the 411 municipalities for potential opportunities to provide local government services more efficiently through abolition or consolidation, with particular attention paid to small municipalities and highly urbanized counties,” the report states.
That prompted another tongue-in-cheek response from Winter Park officials, who joked about annexing neighboring Maitland.
Moore pointed to what he called a “curious note” in the report suggesting that “perhaps there are too many cities.”
He then showed an AI-generated image of City Manager Randy Knight and Assistant City Manager Michelle del Valle dressed in Colonial-era attire “crossing Howell Creek to invade our neighbors to the north.”
“Never to not be a team player, we are willing to do this,” Moore said, drawing laughter from the chamber.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
Recent Comments