by Beth Kassab | Nov 14, 2025 | County News, News, Taxes
Rosen Hotels Leader Calls for Tourist Transportation Tax to Boost SunRail, Lynx
Frank Santos, who lives in Winter Park, says out-of-state visitors would pay for the upgrades as an added tax on hotel bills
Nov. 14, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Frank Santos wanted to make SunRail work as his daily commute.
The chief executive officer of Rosen Hotels & Resorts had a lot in his favor. He lives just three blocks from the Winter Park station. On his morning walk to the train he often stopped at Croissant Gourmet on Morse Boulevard for coffee and, occasionally, a pastry.
He spent the ride to his office near International Drive reading the day’s news or getting work done — something impossible to do behind the wheel on Interstate 4.
Santos even devised a system for when he arrived at SunRail’s Sand Lake Road Station, the closest stop to his office overlooking the golf course at Rosen Shingle Creek. He left a car there Monday through Friday to cover the last 15 minutes or so of his trip.
But after about a year, he stopped taking SunRail.
“It was just complicated,” he said. He called his experiment with Central Florida’s underfunded and incomplete mass transit system largely worthwhile — even enjoyable at times — but one that underscored how the region is built around the door-to-door convenience of cars.
“I would do it again if I could get closer to my office,” he said.
Winter Park’s SunRail station is one of the commuter train system’s busiest.
It’s been about five years since he stopped his regular SunRail commute. Since then, he has helped guide his company, which operates seven hotels, through the COVID pandemic and, last year, the death of founder Harris Rosen.
But this week he found himself reflecting on those train rides and what he sees as untapped potential for Central Florida to finally build a mass transit system that works for more people.
Santos acknowledged that any inconvenience he experienced on SunRail, or the gridlock he faces routinely on I-4, is small compared to what some of his employees endure. Many Rosen Hotels workers and others who earn their livelihoods as restaurant servers, ride attendants, desk clerks, housekeepers, and groundskeepers rely on the Lynx bus system and spend hours on buses each day.
“We need our employees to get to work faster,” he said. “My employees take up to two hours to get to work.”
That’s why an idea he has tossed around since 1999 now has a name: the Tourist Transportation Tax.
It would be paid only by out-of-state tourists on their hotel bills, and the revenue would be used exclusively for transportation needs such as extending SunRail to Orlando International Airport and the Convention Center and, for the first time, providing a dedicated funding source for Lynx so it can add buses and increase route frequency.
The proposal is gaining interest across the state, including in Winter Park.
Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said she shares many of the same goals: extending SunRail service to weekends, which could reduce traffic during major events such as the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, and improving bus service.
Winter Park was SunRail’s second-busiest station last year with 124,000 riders, according to system statistics. Only the Lynx Central Station stop in downtown Orlando had more, with 138,000 passengers.
“We offered to pay for the train to run on the weekend and they wouldn’t do it,” DeCiccio said. “We want the train to run in and out of the airport. We want the buses to run better. Those are exactly the kinds of things I’ll be looking for in a plan.”
DeCiccio’s comments came after joining about 200 people who listened to Santos’ proposal — as well as a plan by Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who wants to change how existing hotel-room tax dollars are spent — at an Orange County League of Women Voters luncheon this week.
The discussion turned tense at times, with Santos arguing that Guillermo Smith’s statements about the Lynx budget were misleading and stepping in to defend the tourism industry, which he noted already contributes heavily to roads, schools, parks, and other essential services as the top property taxpayers in Orange County.
Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Marriott Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and SeaWorld regularly appear on the county’s Top 10 list of property taxpayers, according to the property appraiser’s records.
Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat, was especially critical of the public dollars allocated to Visit Orlando for marketing hotels and attractions. The quasi-public tourism bureau was the subject of a recent county audit that questioned its expenditures.
Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith. Frank Santos pictured at top of page.
“I think $105 million in public money to Visit Orlando is an insane amount to give when we have so many community challenges,” he said. “We know that tourism is a huge economic driver in our region. … But we also have to acknowledge that tourists place a large strain on our community’s resources.”
Santos defended the spending.
“The senator doesn’t understand the cost of doing business,” he said. “We spend $40 million a year on sales and marketing at Rosen Hotels. Coming out of COVID, everyone understands the cost of doing business has increased.”
How much of the current 6% tax on hotel stays should be devoted to tourism marketing, the convention center, and other industry needs — versus helping local residents — has long been debated in Central Florida.
The difference this time is that someone from the tourism industry is proposing a new solution instead of simply guarding the existing 6%, which generated $385 million last year.
Santos still wants to protect that 6 cents on the dollar collected by hotels. But he wants to add another 1 to 4 cents dedicated to transportation.
Right now, he explained, guests pay 12.5% in taxes on hotel bills: 6% in Tourist Development Tax and 6.5% in sales tax.
Other popular destinations charge more. Chicago charges 17.3%. Austin charges 17%. New Orleans charges 16.2%. New York charges 14.75%.
“We could go as high as another four cents,” he said.
The steady revenue stream provided by the tax could be leveraged to finance major projects through bonds. One extra cent could generate nearly $350 million in bonding capacity, according to projections.
This table projects what different tax rates would generate each year and the capacity to bond against that revenue to fund projects. Source: Policy memorandum on Santos’ proposal
Importantly, hotels would exempt visitors with Florida driver’s licenses from paying the tax, meaning out-of-state visitors would fund the upgrades.
Santos needs the proposal to pass the Legislature and then win voter approval in a referendum. He says he has begun speaking with more tourism leaders to build support.
Without naming names, he said some organizations have encouraged him to continue pushing. At least one major group has suggested increasing the sales tax to fund transit — an idea backed by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings that failed at the ballot in 2022.
Harris Rosen himself supported Santos’ plan before his death about a year ago, Santos said.
So he plans to keep talking, keep meeting, and keep spreading the word about the region’s needs.
One way he wants to do that is through another experiment. He plans to ride Lynx from a neighborhood where many workers live to his hotels on and near International Drive so he can better understand their challenges.
“I want to do it during the morning,” he said. “I plan to ride the bus from Pine Hills to my office.”
At the end of the day, he’ll face a familiar problem for any transit user in a car-centric region.
“And then I’ll find a way to get back home,” he said.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 13, 2025 | City Commission, News, Police and Public Safety, Taxes, Uncategorized
New Firefighter Contract Boosts Pay as Winter Park Faces Rising Public Safety Costs
Base pay will rise 12% this year after negotiations with the union plus cost-of-living and potential merit increases as part of a new three-year contract
Nov. 13, 2025
By Beth Kassab
The base pay for Winter Park firefighters will increase by 12% this year, along with additional cost-of-living and merit raises, under a new three-year contract with the department’s union.
The City Commission approved the contract with little discussion in a 4-0 vote. Commissioner Marty Sullivan was absent.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio briefly remarked that the city was “fortunate” to have a “high-quality department” serving residents.
Under the new agreement, base salaries for firefighter EMTs will rise from $50,618 to $56,700. Firefighter paramedics will see their base pay increase from $61,908 to $69,300. Both groups will also receive a 2% cost-of-living adjustment and up to 3% in merit raises.
The contract includes merit and cost-of-living adjustments in the second and third years, consistent with those provided to other city employees.
Union President Joe Celletti, a firefighter paramedic who has been with the department about eight years, said the contract will provide increased financial stability for firefighters.
“We’re appreciative of the commission,” Celletti said. “It’s a historic raise for the fire department … we’re on par with Orlando, which is our biggest competitor.”
In addition to the built-in increases over three years, firefighters also have plenty of opportunities for overtime pay and special holiday pay. The contract changed the way firefighters are paid when they call out sick, but Celletti said it was a small concession.
“I think it will definitely keep us at an elite level,” he said. “People might even move out of state to come to a department like ours … you can be a great fireman, a great paramedic and have the financial stability to raise a family comfortably.”
Fire Chief Dan Hagedorn told The Voice in an email that the contract is designed to “maintain Winter Park’s competitiveness in a rapidly evolving regional market.”
Fire Chief Dan Hagedorn. (Photos courtesy of the city of Winter Park)
He said other area fire departments are “negotiating base pay increases as high as 25–30%,” making it harder for Winter Park to retain firefighters. Turnover, he noted, is costly.
“Losing experienced personnel costs the city thousands of dollars in retraining, onboarding, and lost operational expertise,” he said. “Any turnover impacts the continuity of service and public safety readiness.”
The pay increases come as the Florida Legislature prepares for its session in January, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has urged lawmakers to cut property taxes. Such a measure—if it reaches the November 2026 ballot and passes—could significantly reduce local government revenues.
Property taxes provide the largest share of the city’s General Fund, which pays for police, fire, parks, roads, and other services, including cybersecurity for public data. The General Fund totals about $90 million this year, with property taxes contributing roughly $39 million, or 44% of the total—enough to cover both the police and fire budgets, which are the fund’s largest expenses.
Hagedorn noted that the fire department doesn’t have the option of operating short-staffed, even briefly, when someone is out sick or on vacation. That means paying overtime or other costs to ensure stations are fully staffed every day.
The contract also includes policy changes for personal leave and overtime management aimed at “reducing unscheduled leave, improving staffing reliability, and lowering overtime costs.”
Staffing levels directly affect how quickly paramedics and firefighters can respond to 911 calls for medical help, fires, accidents, or other emergencies.
In 2024, the department’s average response time was six minutes and 52 seconds. So far in 2025, that average has improved to six minutes and 41 seconds. The goal for 2026 is to reach six minutes, according to performance metrics listed in the city’s budget.
The raises will be funded by an additional $350,000 allocated for fire department personnel in the city’s 2026 budget, which took effect Oct. 1.
The increases reflect a broader trend of rising public safety costs for local governments.
Winter Park’s budget includes an additional $700,000 this year for public safety wages across the fire and police departments. Meanwhile, city pension costs for public safety employees are expected to rise by $671,000, according to budget documents.
“Additionally, the governor has recommended in HB 929 that fire personnel have reduced weekly shifts with the same pay,” the budget states. “If this becomes the new standard in the state, the Fire Department would need to hire over 15 additional personnel to provide shift coverage. While only a few cities, such as Kissimmee, have enacted this change, staff is watching closely to see how it might affect future budgets.”
Police and fire expenses account for about half of the growth in the city’s General Fund this year—roughly $3.2 million.
Overall, the fire department’s budget increased by more than $800,000 this year to $17.1 million, with 85 full-time positions.
Just four years ago, in 2022, the fire budget was $13.6 million with 81 full-time positions.
The police budget increased by $2.4 million this year to $21.8 million, with 122 full-time positions. In 2022, the police budget was $16.3 million with 114 full-time positions.
No new positions were added this year. The higher costs stem from wage increases and the city’s new responsibility for providing dispatch services to Maitland, which will reimburse Winter Park for those services.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 12, 2025 | City Commission, News, Zoning and Development
Backyard Palm Trees on Lake Spark a Pricey Legal Battle in Winter Park
A homeowner is suing the city over a decision that the height of his landscaping must be limited to help maintain the lake view of his neighbors
Nov. 12, 2025
By Gabrielle Russon
A fight over two palm trees has cost the city of Winter Park nearly $29,000 in legal fees so far.
Jonathan Cole, the owner of a newly constructed 5,300-square-foot home at 721 Virginia Dr., filed a legal challenge to keep a pair of backyard palm trees that his neighbors say impede their view of Lake Virginia.
Cole is asking Orange Circuit Court to overturn a decision by the city — and a construction condition Cole originally agreed to — that limits landscaping behind his house to less than six feet in height.
Winter Park spokeswoman Clarissa Howard said in a statement, “The case has been fully briefed and is in the hands of the three-judge panel for a ruling. We have been given no indication as to when that ruling might be issued.” She said no settlement talks are currently underway.
Cole’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
A photo of Cole’s backyard included in the court file shows the palm trees in question.
Cole argued he should be allowed to keep his trees since his interpretation of the Planning & Zoning Board’s decision is that the height limit doesn’t apply to his entire backyard, only the property line.
“This is a case of local government overreach and cries out for reversal,” he said in his February court petition. “Almost every single home on Lake Virginia has either very large trees on or near its property line running down to the lake or very large privacy hedges — and this includes the eastern neighbor who’s the one that complained about this.”
The tall, skinny palm trees don’t ruin anyone’s view, Cole’s legal team said when the issue went before the Winter Park City Commission in January. But several city officials said they were concerned about setting a precedent to allow the palm trees and unanimously voted to uphold the P&Z Board’s 2021 decision. Cole then filed a circuit court challenge.
Winter Park officials said the six-foot limit is reasonable to protect his neighbors, and Cole had been given more than his fair due process.
With the approval of P&Z, Cole “got everything that he asked for (all the square footage, construction closer to the lake, all the coverage of property, etc.) but was merely required to be considerate of his neighbors by restricting the height of the landscaping behind his home to no more than six feet,” the city said in an August court filing in response to Cole’s complaint, which is part of the hundreds of pages of court records.
The city also pointed out that Cole and his attorney both agreed to the six-foot requirement at the time in 2021. Cole missed the 30-day window to challenge the P&Z decision.
Construction was delayed on Cole’s house, and the lakefront landscaping was finally installed last year. That’s when his neighbor alerted the city about the two palm trees and overgrown holly shrubs.
Cole maintained he was in compliance, while the city called the plantings a violation of the original agreement.
Both Cole and his neighbors made emotional arguments to the City Commission earlier this year.
Neighbor Michelle Randolph said Cole already received special permission to build his home and now he wanted more.
“He was granted a major privilege to be able to build a house of this size and to be able to shift the house against the code … towards the lake,” Randolph told commissioners in January, according to court records. “This is what we were given as residents — just the common courtesy of please don’t plant anything over six feet. Like, you’re getting the house you want. You get to move it towards the lake. Please don’t plant anything over six feet.”
She insisted the palm trees did affect her lake view — even more so because of the house’s ultimate location.
Cole said he was exhausted by the construction process and has worked to satisfy his neighbors.
“Clearly I’m being painted as this guy that’s built a privileged monstrosity,” he told city leaders. “I’ve tried to be neighborly. I’ve tried to have discussions.”
When construction started, his daughter was 12; now she is 16, he said. Cole bought the vacant lot in 2020 for $2.1 million, according to Orange County Property Appraiser records. The property’s value was assessed at about $3.8 million this year.
“I’m sick of dealing with the stress of building a house,” Cole said. “At this stage, I want to be done with it. I don’t have time to fight this forever. I’m shocked that I’m here talking about palm trees.”
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 7, 2025 | Arts and Culture, City Commission, Events, News
Veterans Honored and Shared Stories at Annual Veterans Day Event
Two veterans were gifted Quilts of Valor and a local mother who lost her son in the U.S. Army earlier this year shared his story and legacy
Nov. 7, 2025
By Beth Kassab
A 28-year employee of the Winter Park Library and the city worker who runs both Winter Park-owned cemeteries were awarded Quilts of Valor on Friday as part of an emotional ceremony honoring locals who have served ahead of Veterans Day.
Sarah Williams, who is acquisitions manager at the library, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1982 to 1994 during the Cold War, Persian Gulf War, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Sarah Williams, a Marine Corps veteran and Winter Park Library employee, is presented with a Quilt of Valor on Friday.
At one point, she was deployed when her daughter was about 8 months old and returned when she was 2.
“It means the world,” Williams said after she was presented with the colorful quilt bordered in a red, white and blue floral pattern that Melissa Mathews and other representatives from the Quilts of Valor Foundation wrapped around her shoulders.
Michael Webb, who served in the U.S. Army from 1994 to 2015 and joined the city’s Parks & Recreation Department in 2017, was also moved by his quilt as it was placed around him. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. (Webb, second from right in the photo at the top of this page, receives his quilt from the foundation.)
“I’ll definitely keep this in the family forever for my sons,” said Webb, who runs Palm and Pineywood cemeteries, after the ceremony. “It will become a family heirloom.”
Quilts of Valor was founded in 2003 and has comforted more than 400,000 veterans with handmade quilts, according to its website.
The crowd at the city’s 15th annual Veterans celebration at the Community Center also heard from Laurie Houck, a Gold Star Mother and vice president of institutional advancement at Rollins College.
Laurie Houck, a Gold Star Mother and a vice president at Rollins College, addresses the crowd at the city’s Veterans Day celebration on Friday.
Houck lost her 22-year-old son David, a U.S. Army Supply Specialist and company armorer stationed at Fort Eisenhower near Augusta, Ga. He was killed in a vehicle accident in January just outside of the base.
Houck remembered how her son struggled when he first enlisted and didn’t care much for bootcamp. But in the military, she said, the tiny malnourished 2-year-old she adopted from China 20 years ago “had found his second home.”
She recalled how he worked to overcome his earliest years in an orphanage where he was left in his crib so long the back of his head was flat to his days in Boy Scouts and, later, as a camp counselor. Skills — she said — that eventually helped him in the Army.
“He belonged and he mattered,” Houck said. “David was known for the way he made people feel valued.”
Ben Mack-Jackson, founder of the WWII Veterans History Project and a Winter Park resident, displays a uniform that belonged to Tuskegee Airman Richard Hall Jr.
The ceremony was emceed by Pastor Troy East of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and also featured a number of city officials, including Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and a performance by Maria Bryant and the VFW Post 2093 Community Band.
DeCiccio noted the lineup of events the city has planned beginning in January to celebrate the nation’s 250th year. For more information click here.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 4, 2025 | Arts and Culture, City Commission, News
No Takers to Develop Portion of Seven Oaks Park
Developers like East End Market’s John Rife says the park first needs stronger programming. Green space advocates are happy the park will remain untouched
Nov. 4, 2025
By Beth Kassab
There were no eligible responses on the city’s request for developers to submit ideas to build a cafe, shop or other concept at Seven Oaks Park, the new 2.4-acre open space at North Orange Avenue and South Denning Drive.
With hardly any interest, the city closed the request for negotiations to develop a portion of the park (red outline in above photo at top of page). The city rejected the single response it received and would not answer questions about it, citing a public records exemption that keeps the response inaccessible to the public for up to 12 months.
City spokeswoman Clarissa Howard said the City Commission could decide to try again to solicit interest, but no date has been set for a discussion.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio advocated to push forward with a plan to “activate” the park, which opened earlier this year, because she said nearby business owners “desperately” wanted to see something happen there.
The sign that welcomes visitors at Seven Oaks Park.
The park opened in February, a culmination of an effort by the city to purchase the land and transform it into a public open space in the middle of a busy urban corridor. But critics have noted that the park is often empty and offers little refuge from the sun because the oaks planted there have yet to mature enough to provide shade.
On many days, the parking lot that accompanies the park is busier than the park itself with patrons finding a spot there to visit Foxtail Coffee, Buttermilk Bakery and a number of other popular businesses in the area.
John Rife, who developed East End Market on Orlando’s Corrine Drive, said he was interested in the property but the economics don’t make sense for now. The city’s request to negotiate on the project required the developer would pay a ground lease to the city.
“I did East End Market not because I hoped people would show up, but because we had already been nurturing a bunch of purveyors,” in the Audubon Park neighborhood, said Rife, who opened the market 12 years ago.
He said the city might generate more interest if it first establishes good temporary programming in the park that “serves the needs of the neighborhood first.”
For example the corridor has at least a half dozen interior design businesses within a few blocks.
So perhaps, he said, a “design pop-up” could occupy the park for a weekend. It could be a way to nurture new talent that can’t afford permanent Winter Park rents.
“If your mission is to incubate cool upcoming stuff then you have to subsidize it,” said Rife, who is a Winter Park resident. “Is this a top dollar thing? Or is a thing for the betterment of the community? I think it’s hard to do both.”
He suggested one key step would be for the city to make it as easy as possible for people to pitch ideas and host temporary programming in the park to generate activity.
The McCraney office building is under construction across Denning Drive from Seven Oaks Park.
Winter Park moved its popular Farmer’s Market to Seven Oaks one day last month rather than close it during the weekend of the Autumn Art Festival. The Farmer’s Market will be held at Seven Oaks again on Nov. 15 to avoid a conflict with the annual Cows ‘N Cabs charity event.
Not everyone in Winter Park was on board with the plan to develop a piece of the park.
Leslie Kemp Poole, a member of the Winter Park Land Trust and a professor of environmental studies at Rollins College, said Seven Oaks needs more time for residents to discover it. She noted the foresight of city leaders to protect the land as green space rather than see it developed into another office building as an investment in Winter Park’s future.
“There are complaints that the Seven Oaks isn’t being ‘activated’ or used enough,” Poole said in an email. “Judging it in 98-degree Florida summers hammered by daily lightning storms is hardly fair. Now, with cooler weather, residents are beginning to discover and enjoy it.”
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 27, 2025 | County News, Election, News
Did you mean to sign that ballot amendment petition?
A new Florida law requires Supervisors of Elections to mail letters to petition signers to give them the chance to deny the signature
Oct. 27, 2025
This story is part of the News Collaborative of Central Florida, a group of 10 local news outlets working towards a more informed and engaged region. It was originally published by VoxPopuli.
By Norine Dworkin
If you’re a prolific petition signer, don’t be surprised if you receive a letter from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections asking about the petitions you signed to put amendments on the November 2026 ballot. Is that your signature on this petition? Did you really mean to sign it? Do you want to change your mind?
According to the new Florida law HB 1205 (aka Initiative Petitions for Constitutional Amendments), passed on May 2 and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that same day, supervisors of elections are now required to mail out letters to every person who signed a petition for a ballot measure — say for legalizing recreational marijuana— to inform them that a petition with their signature was received by their office, confirm that voters intended to sign it and provide an opportunity to revoke the signature. (The law does not require supervisors to contact signers whose petitions were rejected, however.)
The Orange County Supervisor of Elections office is still fine-tuning the letters to be mailed out, Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor Dentel (pictured above) told VoxPopuli in a brief interview Wednesday. Voters can expect to receive letters in mid-November. If their signatures are fine, simply ignore the letters, Castor Dentel said.
“There is nothing for you to do. You don’t have to respond,” she said. “People have asked me if their signature was verified on a petition and they get this letter, if they don’t send it in or if everything was okay, will their petition still count? And it will. They’ll still count the petition … But just in case this [signature] isn’t yours, you have a second chance to deny it.”
Under the new law, voters who believe the signature is not theirs or who simply change their minds, can check one of two boxes on the letter, indicating the signature is misrepresented or fraudulent or that they wish to revoke their support for an issue. Those letters will then be mailed to the Office of Election Crimes and Security, which will conduct a preliminary investigation and if necessary report findings to the statewide prosecutor or appropriate state attorney for prosecution.
Still, Castor Dentel worries that even though the letters will contain the title of the petition signed, the added layer of bureaucracy may lead to voter confusion and mistrust.
“Many voters may not expect to receive a governmental letter asking whether they really signed something they know they signed, which could make them question the legitimacy of of the petition or even worry that they did something wrong,” she said. “Others might mistake the letter for a scam or think they need to take action when they don’t.
“Hopefully people will remember signing,” she continued, “and they’ll go Yes! I did that!, and this won’t create many letters going on to Tallahassee [to the Office of Election Crimes and Security].”
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