by Beth Kassab | May 13, 2025 | City Commission, Historic Preservation, News, Uncategorized
An unapproved demo, a $100k penalty and hours of debate
How a demolition in College Quarter led to proposed changes to Winter Park’s Historic Preservation rules, which will be up for a vote Wednesday by the City Commission
May 13, 2025
By Beth Kassab
A year ago, custom builder Charlie Clayton stood before the Historic Preservation Board and apologized, offering to make amends for the unauthorized demolition of a large portion of 965 Lakeview Drive, a 1936 home overlooking Lake Virginia in the College Quarter Historic District.
“I can’t take back what happened,” Clayton told the board on May 8, 2024. “… My interest is not to decimate the resources of the city … I’m not a guy who goes in and tries to destroy the town. I don’t get in trouble like this, but I’m in trouble now.”
Clayton said he even went door to door in College Quarter, one of the largest collections of near-century-old homes in the region, to explain how the second floor of the house was torn down, leaving just the chimney and a small portion of the first floor standing.
The board had only approved the demolition of a garage behind the house and the city ordered work to stop on the project when it learned of the demolition.
Clayton blamed miscommunication with his crew on the site and told the Historic Preservation Board he was prepared to pay $25,000 toward the city’s Historic Preservation Fund and complete the project in a way that would deliver the same end result — a new face on the front of the house that adds additional second-story windows and removes historically inaccurate columns added before the current historic preservation rules were in place.
A photo from the Orange County Property Appraiser shows how the home at 965 Lakeview Drive looked in 2023. The above image shows what the home looked like last year after demolition.
Ultimately, the historic preservation board and staff negotiated the payment to $100,000 and allowed the project to continue. Clayton paid the money the next day.
The board, though, could have issued what some preservationists argue would have been a harsher penalty: Require the homeowner and contractor to reconstruct the home exactly as it was and take back the building variances granted to the project that allowed the homeowner to add square footage to the home.
That choice — a financial penalty or a requirement to build back what was lost and lose valuable variances — will be at the center of the debate expected Wednesday when the City Commission considers proposed changes to the Historic Preservation ordinance touched off by what happened at the Lakeview house.
Commissioners will decide if they want the ordinance to explicitly offer the option of a payment (capped at 30% of the structure’s assessed value) in the event of an unauthorized demolition. Or if they will lean more heavily on the threat of removing variances and requiring reconstruction of an improperly demolished building.
The proposals follow a year of intense debate over the demolition and the historic preservation board’s response.
Ryan Phillips, who owns the home, recorded a conversation with a board member on the sidewalk in front of his house without the board member’s permission and used that to allege he was threatened and treated unfairly.
He spoke at multiple public meetings to allege impropriety over the city’s request that Clayton pay the penalty and lodged state ethics complaints against members of the historic preservation board, a city attorney and former Planning Director Jeff Briggs.
The Florida Commission on Ethics dismissed all eight of those complaints on April 30 because of a “lack of legal sufficiency.”
Phillips and Clayton did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story.
The variances Phillips was allowed to keep for his new construction after the demolition allowed for the home to grow from its original size.
Such variances are key perks for homeowners in historic districts, which enforce architectural standards for the exterior of homes.
Members of Winter Park’s Historic Preservation Board, along with city staff, say they have a job to do: maintain the historic character and authenticity of some 400 properties in the city’s resident-approved historic districts and individually-designated sites.
Their job is not, as retired Planning Director Jeff Briggs once put it, to be the “Historic Replica Board” — or one expected to sign off on every requested demolition or ignore violations of the city’s code. That would render the group a toothless overseer of new construction.
“Basically, it opens the door for everyone to ask for forgiveness and not permission,” Briggs said of violations that harm or destroy historic structures without the board’s approval.
And while the Lakeview house is a recent example of an unauthorized demolition. It’s not the only one.
At the historic preservation meeting last month member Lee Rambeau said changes to the ordinances are needed and she was in favor of adding explicit language about fines.
“I’ve seen a number of properties come before us and the final outcome did not look like what we approved,” she said.
Proposed changes to the ordinance also include stricter application requirements and add a “pre-application” review by the board so that property owners can receive early design feedback before spending a lot of money on detailed renderings. The changes also would require property owners to give more detailed information about the materials they will use and architectural elements.
The change also attempts to cut down on unexpected requests for demolitions after a project starts by requiring applicants to submit a “due diligence assessment” identifying all proposed demolitions or alterations in advance.
A number of historic property owners, including Clayton, spoke out at a community meeting earlier this year against including fines as part of the proposed changes.
At the Historic Preservation meeting in April the board ultimately voted to recommend the version of the ordinance without the fines.
Aimee Spencer, who recently rotated off the board, said that version is potentially harsher on homeowners.
In the case of the Lakeview house, she said, the board attempted to “exercise empathy and kindness” and not penalize the homeowner for work done by the contractor without his knowledge. The project was allowed to proceed as planned rather than have its variances revoked.
But the case became one of what she saw as a “sore winner,” she said.
Wade Miller, who until last month served as board chairman, also said he saw the rebuild requirement and loss of variances as a harsher penalty.
But members of the public and board members spoke against including the fines in the ordinance.
“If that is what I am hearing from the community and members of the board, then so be it,” he said. “… we will see how that plays out … and I think it ultimately will become a much more severe outcome in the future for homeowners of historic properties.”
Betsy Owens, executive director of Casa Feliz, one of Winter Park’s most prominent preservation stories, said a fine could be viewed by some property owners as a cost of doing business rather than a preservation incentive. A requirement to rebuild a demolished structure is considered a best practice in other cities that also value historic preservation such as Coral Gables or Charleston, she said.
“I think the best way to make things right is to have you rebuild what you knocked down,” she said. “Losing variances is a stronger disincentive than a fine.”
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by Beth Kassab | May 9, 2025 | News, Uncategorized
Dispute over private lakefront park roils Virginia Heights
The owners of two large homes next to the park filed a lawsuit against another neighbor and want limited hours and kayaks removed
May 9, 2025
By Beth Kassab
The owners of two large homes on Lake Virginia filed a lawsuit last week against another neighbor over “filthy” kayaks and other issues related to a private neighborhood park visible from their backyards.
Escalating tensions over who can do what at the green space platted more than 100 years ago to provide all homeowners in Virginia Heights lake access is roiling one of Winter Park’s oldest neighborhoods known for its mix of architectural styles and picturesque views of the Spanish-Mediterranean buildings of Rollins College.
The path to the Virginia Heights private neighborhood park.
Residents say Eric and Diane Holm and Brian and Caryn Albertson, who own the homes on either side of the park and filed the lawsuit, have demanded changes to the park, installed cameras and floodlights and are using legal action to intimidate others from using the space that has long been the gathering spot for neighborhood holiday parties, Halloween costume contests and more.
“It’s creating a chilling effect of people going into the park,” said Stephanie Guss, who lives nearby and, so far, is the only named defendant in the lawsuit. “People walking into the park feel like they are trespassing even though they know they are not.”
Residents must walk across pavers that appear to be part of the Holms’ driveway and meander down a five-foot-wide path between a black iron fence and a large wall that separates the Holms’ property from the Albertsons’. The path opens to a lakefront green with a dock, a rack for kayaks and canoes and a pair of picnic tables surrounded by the Holms’ and Albertsons’ backyards.
In a rally of support for the park that was part ice cream party and part defiance, more than 100 people gathered there Sunday for treats, games, boat rides and speakers that included former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins, who owns a home down the street.
“I’ve used this park a lot … there’s usually not many people here,” he told the crowd before reading from one of his works.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins speaks at the Virginia Heights Park.
Guss is named in the lawsuit because, according to the filing, she “helps handle inquiries for the use of the boat rack.”
Before filing the lawsuit last week, Holm and Albertson filed a legal proceeding in November against Guss to try to find out the names of the kayak owners, financial information related to the park and other details. That case is still ongoing.
While the new lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court does not dispute that more than 200 homeowners in Virginia Heights have equal access to the park, it refers to the kayak and canoe owners as “co-conspirators” and argues that the boat rack and shrubs planted by residents deprives the Holms and Albertsons of use of a portion of the greenspace.
Eric Holm, one of the nation’s largest Golden Corral franchisees who lives in the 10,000-square-foot home just west of the park, told the Voice that he and his neighbor aren’t trying to intimidate anyone and that the cameras and lighting are no different from the typical security measures many homeowners take.
“If someone is not engaging in inappropriate or unlawful behavior, there should be no reason to feel intimidated by their presence,” he said in an email. “Our intent has never been to intimidate anyone—only to follow the law and ensure the park remains a safe, shared space.”
Guss said she stopped assisting with the kayak rack last fall. She said she originally got involved because of complaints from the adjacent homeowners about the canoes and kayaks being left on the grass.
“I was trying to keep the peace by getting everybody to be good neighbors and keep their kayaks on the rack,” she said. “And they came back and sued me.”
Neighbors gathered on a recent Sunday at Virginia Heights’ private park with homes belonging to Brian Albertson and Eric Holm in the background.
Holm, a major Republican donor who hosted Vice President J.D. Vance for lunch at his home last year and a philanthropist who operates multiple Golden Corral, Peach Valley Cafe and Jersey Mike’s Subs locations, said he has growing concerns about safety and liability. He bought his property in 2008 for $3.1 million.
The park, Holm told the Voice in an email, “is not maintained by a homeowners association and has no security or formal oversight. Over time, this lack of structure has led to growing safety concerns — including underage drinking at night and, more recently, vagrants sleeping in the canoes stored there.”
The lawsuit argues that the kayaks and canoes on racks are not permitted and the people using the racks “seem to look at the park as a storage area for items they do not wish to store at their own residence.”
“Many of the kayaks in and around the racks are filthy, showing no signs of use within the last year or more and are covered in dust, dirt, and mildew,” the lawsuit states.
The kayak racks at Virginia Heights park.
Albertson, who paid $3.1 million for his property in 2020 and built his house last year, said he also has concerns about liability and safety.
“We need to take steps to reduce after-hours loitering, including drinking, drug use, and vagrancy,” he told the Voice in an email.
He said he has not reported any incidents to the police.
In a letter dated Jan. 17 signed by Albertson and posted in the park he alerted neighbors that he relocated the park trash cans “while we determine the legality of the placement of trash cans or any other item in the park.”
“We maintain a sincere desire to find an equitable resolution to this situation,” the letter said. “Should there be any criminal mischief or vandalism inflicted against our property we will be seeking criminal charges. Please be advised all movements are monitored by cameras” and invited residents to email him to make arrangements for him to “release the trash cans.”
In February, Holm and Albertson sent a letter to Virginia Heights homeowners explaining that they have tried to discuss solutions with neighbors, but “a handful of self-appointed individuals have attempted to dictate park policies” and “placed obstacles like bushes and trash cans in ways that obstruct views and limit fair use of the space.”
The letter also said all kayaks or other personal property must be removed immediately and asked for signs to be posted that declare the park closed between dusk and dawn. The letter also asserted that the homeowners are not allowed to take up a collection for park maintenance as they have done in the past.
“Rather than escalating this into a long legal dispute, we hope that our neighbors will voluntarily remove their personal property from the park and respect the shared nature of this space,” read the letter, according to a copy provided to the Voice.
Albertson told the Voice that a gate could potentially be installed at the entrance of the park as a security measure to limit access to homeowners. He also suggested that “perhaps we could consider a few well-maintained kayaks for shared community use.”
He said he wants to make sure there is insurance coverage in place “to protect all homeowners in case of any incidents.”
“Given that these concerns affect everyone, I’m a bit puzzled as to why this dispute has persisted for so long,” Albertson said in an email. “We have tried to amicably address this situation for two-plus years. I hope we can come together and find practical solutions that reflect the best interests of the entire community.”
Neighbors say kayaks and the racks have existed at the park in some form or another for 20 years and they object to limited park hours for those who like to watch night rocket launches from the dock, stargaze or just seek a few moments of solitude.
“The park has always been for the use and enjoyment of the neighbors and, to my understanding, has been collaboratively shared without incident,” said Hannah Miller, who also lives in the neighborhood. “What’s changed now has been this attempt to assert power and control over the park.”
Some in the community have taken exception to changes Albertson has made to the park, too, saying he trimmed park trees to enhance the lake view from his backyard. In a court filing last year, Guss wrote that Albertson told a meeting of about 30 neighbors in 2023 that the trimming was done to improve his view of Rollins College.
“We have spent significant money de-mossing and pruning trees on our property and the oak tree in the park,” Albertson said in an email, adding that the work was needed after hurricane damage and done with city approval. “At no time did we trim any trees or branches to improve our view.”
A sign hangs at the Virginia Heights park during a recent gathering.
This isn’t the first time the park has been the subject of a legal debate.
A 1971 court judgement ordered the former owners of the properties now occupied by Holm and Albertson to take down wire fencing and landscaping they put in the park after they were challenged by Virginia Heights residents.
The judgement said that the property owners who abut the park are not allowed to build, plant or place anything on the park land.
Holm said he believes that rule extends to all Virginia Heights homeowners.
“While the judgment does reference the previous owners of the two properties adjacent to the park — now owned by myself and the Albertsons — it clearly states that no structures or improvements of any kind may be erected in the park,” he told the Voice. “We believe the intent of the court was to protect the integrity of the entire green space for the benefit of all 220 homeowners in Virginia Heights, not to single out just two properties.”
But other homeowners in Virginia Heights read the order as a protection from the adjacent property owners taking over the park. They said the ruling doesn’t prevent the neighborhood from collectively beautifying the area such as new bald cypress trees planted at the shore line at the recent ice cream party, where neighbors also took turns making video recordings of their memories of the park.
“These unfortunate circumstances have forged a stronger and more vibrant community in Virginia Heights and, for that, I am thankful,” Guss said.
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by Beth Kassab | Apr 24, 2025 | City Commission, News
Park Avenue Will See $1 Mil for New Street Lights
The high-tech light poles are part of the first major overhaul of the city’s central business district in more than 25 years
April 24, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Commissioners approved nearly $1 million from the Community Redevelopment Agency budget for new high-tech street lights along Park Avenue as part of the commercial corridor’s “Refresh” project.
The city will purchase about 100 light poles at $9,300 each that will include “dark sky” lamp fixtures that cast LED lights downward and include two wi-fi receivers, electric hook-ups for cameras and speakers and internal sprinklers for potted plants that will hang from the fixtures.
Commissioner Marty Sullivan asked if the poles could also mist passersby to help keep the avenue cooler during the hot summer months like the mist sprayers often seen at the theme parks. Architect Alex Stringfellow said the idea was considered, but there were already too many features in the light poles and there were concerns among businesses along the avenue about the sprayers interfering with food service on sidewalk tables.
New archway historic signs will bookend the north and south sides of Park Avenue.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio noted that there is money set aside in the CRA for the project. She said when the city’s electric utility completes its years-long project to underline power lines there will be additional money in the utility’s budget to upgrade light poles across the city.
“Park avenue is clearly an economic engine and in need of a refresh,” she said.
The new streetlights along the avenue will be installed in three phases. The lights in place today are 26 years old and were installed when the street was bricked in 1999.
“They are not only antiquated, they are also internally filled with a variety of unnecessary cords and tubing that have been used for many purposes over the years, have become unreliable in some areas, and use an outdated light fixture,” according to a staff report.
The overall refresh project will also include drainage projects, new landscaping and planters and the installation of historic gateway signs that will stretch across both ends of the avenue. Work on the new signs will likely begin at the end of May.
Earlier this month, commissioners also agreed to a “mobility hub” with Mount Dora-based Optimus Energy Solutions that will include a central rideshare drop-off and pick-up area with covered seating, electric car chargers and electric bike chargers. Optimus will pay for construction and operating costs, according to the agreement, and the hub is expected to be in place this summer.
The total cost for construction related to the refresh project as whole is expected to be discussed in August.
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by Beth Kassab | Apr 23, 2025 | City Commission, News
Winter Park Approves School Resource Officer Contract
The resolution came after months of heated rhetoric from Orange County Public Schools
April 23, 2025
By Beth Kassab and Gabrielle Russon
The City Commission approved a new contract for its school resource officers on Wednesday — a deal that calls for Orange County Public Schools to pay the city at least $740,000 over two years.
After months of tense talks, commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the contract with the only comments coming from Mayor Sheila DeCiccio.
“We have always prioritized the safety of our children,” she said. “There was never an issue as to whether Winter Park Police would show up at school … at no time did Winter Park suggest using armed guardians. That came directly from Orange County Public Schools.”
She was referring to a school board meeting earlier this month and an email to parents last year where district officials floated turning to private security for certain schools without an SRO deal.
The new deal calls for the district to reimburse Winter Park $73,000 per SRO for the 2025-26 school year, a slight increase from the previous contract for $72,000 per officer. For the 2026-27 year, the district will pay $75,000.
But the proposed contract also includes provisions so if the district gets additional Safe Schools state dollars, then Winter Park could get paid more too.
Five Winter Park police officers are deployed across Brookshire Elementary, Lakemont Elementary, the Ninth Grade Center and Winter Park High main campus.
A review of public records by the Winter Park Voice shows how city officials and residents responded to the pressure the district put on the city to reach a deal amid rising SRO costs. Winter Park leaders were frustrated by the district’s handling of the situation when they began receiving a backlash last year from residents. Some parents said they were upset SROs could get pulled from schools and armed guardians — a private security force — could be in charge of protecting students, according to emails obtained by the Voice .
The district emailed OCPS families with direct language in mid-December.
“You are receiving this email because you have a child who attends one of the 30 schools potentially impacted by School Resource Officer (SRO) contract negotiations with the cities of Apopka, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park and their local law enforcement agencies. The district has NOT been able to reach a multi-year agreement with them for SRO coverage of the schools within their jurisdiction,” the unsigned district message said. “The School Board strongly believes the safest option is for our law enforcement partners to provide SRO coverage on all school campuses. … Orange County Public Schools understands the financial challenges the cities are facing, but there is simply not enough funds in the State’s Safe School allocation to give more to the local jurisdictions without impacting the classroom.”
The OCPS email also included links so parents could contact officials from the five municipalities.
That sent Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight scrambling to reach OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez but the district restricted the superintendent’s access.
“I tried to call you today but was told by the operator that she was not allowed to connect people to your office by phone. She said I have to email you with the topic and request a call back,” Knight wrote Vazquez on Dec. 17.
Knight wrote the first negotiating session for the new contract wasn’t scheduled until Jan. 14 but the district’s “public negotiation strategy” was bad for both sides as he complained Winter Park has subsidized the SRO costs for years.
“In good faith, we operated much of this school year without a contract while we tried to work one out,” Knight wrote the superintendent. “I find it very disappointing that someone at OCPS decided to create ill-will in the community against our elected officials as a negotiating tactic. It unfortunately puts us in a position of having to respond to each of those that write us with the facts of how much Winter Park taxpayers are subsidizing these officers in schools largely made up of non-Winter Park students.”
After the OCPS message to parents, Winter Park officials drafted a public records request for the school district to get “all correspondence/communication to include emails, text messages, transcripts, voice mails, notes between any board member, consultant, superintendent, employee of OCPS or affiliated with OCPS that relates to the referenced subject/email to include who authorized the email being sent.”
The city also wanted other records to understand how OCPS spent its Safe Schools funding, the pot of state money where OCPS pays for SROs.
Winter Park began crafting its own response to tell its side of the story as officials received emails from concerned residents.
“Did you know Guardians are only required to have 144 hours of training versus the over 1,000 hours of training a SRO has in one year?” Leslie Bobolts, the parent of a Winter Park High student, wrote the city Dec. 16. “I urge you to please work with the City of Winter Park police department in reaching an agreement on this urgent matter.”
Frances Ferrato, an economic analyst whose daughter attends Lakemont Elementary, also feared what could happen if SROs were gone.
“Recently, during school drop-off, an SUV mistakenly turned onto the sidewalk where children were walking into school. Officer Alvarado, who is always alert and attentive, immediately stepped in, placing herself between the vehicle and the students. Her quick response prevented what could have been a tragic accident,” Ferrato emailed the city Dec. 16. “I feel immensely safer knowing Officer Alvarado is on duty. … Replacing SROs with less qualified school guardians would compromise that safety.”
Months later, the district brought up the contract standoff again publicly.
School board members slammed Winter Park and the other four cities for not yet reaching a contract deal during an April 1 OCPS meeting.
“There is no other way to characterize that than they are negotiating in bad faith with us, and I am so disappointed and so frustrated,” said school board member Stephanie Vanos at the meeting.
Vazquez told school board members the district is facing an unprecedented financial crisis and urged the school board to reconsider exploring the controversial guardians program.
Knight declined to be interviewed at the time but commented in the online comments of an April 9 Winter Park Voice story.
“I just want to reassure everyone that the quotes from OCPS officials contained in this article do not accurately reflect the actual status of negotiations. The parties are very close to terms,” Knight wrote. “Winter Park, along with the other cities involved in the negotiations, have chosen not to instill fear in the minds of our parents or to negotiate through public comments, as we feel that is unprofessional and unproductive.”
Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Garden and Windermere agreed to the same terms with the district.
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by Beth Kassab | Apr 16, 2025 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Winter Park reaches deal on school resource officers
Orange County Public Schools and five cities had been at an impasse for months over how much the school district would pay for the officers
Photo: Winter Park High School Resource Officer Christopher Belcore accepts an award earlier this year as the top employee for Winter Park Police.
April 16, 2025
By Gabrielle Russon
Orange County Public Schools reached a tentative two-year deal Wednesday with Winter Park and four other communities to continue staffing school resource officers after the two sides were stuck in a stalemate for months.
“Safety of the children and faculty in the schools has always been a top priority for both sides of these negotiations,” said Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight in a statement. “We are pleased to have reached terms agreeable to all entities involved that will keep this long-term partnership of providing School Resource Officers in place through the end of the 2026-27 school year.”
The proposed new contract comes after school board officials said they were going to consider deploying guardians, which is a private armed security force.
“We are grateful to the municipalities for their dedication to our shared goal of fostering a secure educational environment for all students,” said Superintendent Maria Vazquez in a statement. “This agreement represents the commitment we have to our schools and highlights the importance of collaboration in achieving our safety objectives.”
Lakemont Elementary is one of two elementary schools in Winter Park. Photo courtesy of OCPS.
The new deal calls for the district to reimburse Winter Park $73,000 per SRO for the 2025-26 school year and $75,000 for 2026-27 year, according to the terms released by the city of Winter Park.
But the proposed contract also includes provisions so if the district gets additional Safe Schools state dollars, then Winter Park could get paid more too.
The issue is scheduled to go April 23 before the Winter Park City Commission for final approval.
Winter Park, Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Garden and Windermere have been at an impasse with OCPS for months about the cost to pay for SROs.
Five Winter Park police officers are deployed across Brookshire Elementary, Lakemont Elementary, the Ninth Grade Center and Winter Park High main campus.
OCPS, the 8th largest school district in the nation, currently pays Winter Park about $72,000 a year per officer. The cities had been seeking an increase that would cost the district an extra $2 million a year — or about $39,000 for the city of Winter Park.
Either side could terminate the new contract without cause with 180-day notice.
Earlier this month, Orange County School Board members slammed the five municipalities for asking for additional money as the district’s superintendent warned OCPS is facing unprecedented financial struggles ahead.
“There is no other way to characterize that than they are negotiating in bad faith with us, and I am so disappointed and so frustrated,” said school board member Stephanie Vanos at the April 1 meeting. “I would encourage them to remember that we are public education — we are not just a business. We have extremely limited funds.”
Knight declined to be interviewed at the time but responded in an online comment on the Winter Park Voice story.
“The parties are very close to terms. Winter Park, along with the other cities involved in the negotiations, have chosen not to instill fear in the minds of our parents or to negotiate through public comments, as we feel that is unprofessional and unproductive,” Knight wrote. “The current contract is still valid until the beginning of the next school year. Please know that safety of our students is always a top priority of the city. I am confident a deal will be in place before the current contract expires that is fair to all involved.”
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Gabrielle Russon is a freelance reporter and former reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, where she covered K-12 education, colleges and universities and the tourism industry. She lives in Orlando with her family and writes about politics, education, theme parks and the courts.
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by Beth Kassab | Apr 16, 2025 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Chamber-Aligned Political Committee Changes Address and Agent
Commissioners recently questioned if it was appropriate for the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce to operate Winter PAC, which raised more than $85,000 to influence elections, from a city-owned building
April 16, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Winter PAC, the chamber-aligned political committee that had come under fire from some city commissioners for operating out of a city-owned building leased by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, filed a change of address and change of registered agent with the city clerk this week.
Betsy Gardner, the president and CEO of the chamber, will no longer serve as the group’s registered agent, according to the document filed Tuesday.
Instead, Brian Mills, Winter PAC’s chairman and an attorney and lobbyist at Maynard Nexsen, will serve as the registered agent, the person appointed to receive official or legal documents and notices on behalf of the group. Mills is part of the firm’s “government solutions group” with clients in technology, manufacturing and the commercial space industry, according to the firm’s web site. He has previously served on Winter Park’s Board of Adjustments and was chief of staff to former Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh when Singh first took office in 2013.
An address listed for his law firm at 200 E. New England Ave. Suite 110 will serve as the political committee’s new address.
“Winter PAC was established to support a vibrant, engaged, and prosperous Winter Park community,” Mills said in a press release provided by the chamber on Friday. “After speaking with our stakeholders, many of whom have been lifelong residents of Winter Park, it has become clear that this issue of who collects our mail is a distraction from the more important business of how our community is being served. We appreciate the support and encouragement of the Chamber and its members.”
The decision came just days after City Attorney Kurt Ardaman told the City Commission that his firm would no longer be a member of the chamber because he was unhappy, in part, with how the group provided an option to donate to the PAC on the chamber’s membership renewal invoice.
Ardaman said his firm “inadvertently” donated $25 to the PAC, as result of paying the full invoice amount.
The Voice reported the donation in the context of the investigation Ardaman conducted at the request of several commissioners into whether the chamber was violating its lease on a city-owned building across from City Hall by using the same address for the PAC.
Ardaman said he stands by his opinion provided to the commission last month that the chamber is not in violation of the lease because it has not officially subleased or assigned any legal interest of the building over to Winter PAC, which has raised more than $85,000 over two years to influence city elections.
He said he did not know when he started the investigation based on a request from the commission that $25 paid at the same time he paid his firm’s chamber dues was sent to the PAC in January. The PAC has since returned the money.
The chamber says it has nearly 800 members. According to email correspondence between Gardner and Ardaman’s firm provided to the Voice by the chamber, 82 members have opted to pay an extra $25 for the PAC at the time of renewing dues while “hundreds” have chosen not to contribute.
The statement from the chamber emphasized Ardman’s opinion that the group is not in violation of its lease and said the PAC made the changes to its address “voluntarily.”
Commissioner Kris Cruzada, who Winter PAC attempted to defeat in the March election by backing another candidate, was one of the commissioners who said he still had questions after Ardaman’s report.
Cruzada declined to comment on Wednesday.
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