Elizabeth Ingram and Craig Russell Sworn In as New Commissioners
Both ran unopposed. The commission paid tribute to Marty Sullivan, who is leaving Seat 1.
March 26, 2026
By Beth Kassab
New City Commissioner Elizabeth Ingram was sworn in Wednesday, while Commissioner Craig Russell took the oath of office for his second term. Both ran unopposed.
Ingram, who raised about $25,000 for her campaign, said she was glad to have her first meeting under her belt and thanked city staff for meeting with her in recent months as she prepared for the role.
“I’ve learned so much this past year getting ready for this, and I’m excited to be here,” Ingram said near the end of Wednesday’s meeting.
Ingram’s husband, Justin, held her mother’s Bible as she was sworn in during the public meeting, while their three young children stood beside them.
She then hugged outgoing Seat 1 Commissioner Marty Sullivan and took her seat on the dais.
Outgoing Commissioner Marty Sullivan wishes new Commissioner Elizabeth Ingram well as she took Seat 1 on Wednesday.
Sullivan, who opted not to run for a third term, said he is considering resuming some of his work in environmental advocacy.
“Many decisions were easy when it came to police, fire, roads, water and electricity,” Sullivan said at his final meeting earlier this month. “But some were difficult. Urban density—how do we deal with that? Taxation—we deal with that question every year. Gas leaf blowers—it didn’t come out the way I wanted, but we dealt with it. New development appropriate for our urban village? But for the most part, I believe my values have aligned with yours—our citizens—and with my fellow commissioners.”
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said she felt as though a piece of her was leaving, noting that Sullivan has been present for her entire tenure since they were both first elected in 2020.
“Commissioner Marty Sullivan has given six years of dedicated service to our city, including this past year as vice mayor,” DeCiccio said. “Throughout that time, he has brought thoughtful leadership, steady judgment and a genuine commitment to the well-being of our community. While serving in public office is incredibly rewarding, it also requires real sacrifice.”
Elizabeth Ingram takes the oath of office with her family by her side.
Russell, a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School, took the oath of office for his second term with his wife, Kate Demory, holding a Bible at his side.
Russell did not raise any funds this election—a stark contrast to his 2024 campaign, when he raised about $100,000 and also received tens of thousands of dollars from Winter PAC, the political action committee affiliated with the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.
He defeated two opponents in that race and made history as the first Black commissioner elected in Winter Park in more than 100 years.
This time, he contributed $250 of his own money to cover his candidate filing fee and donated a leftover $82 to Men of Integrity Mentoring Program Inc., according to campaign finance reports.
“This go-around, there was no reason for any money,” Russell said, noting he did not draw an opponent.
Winter PAC raised less than $2,000 this cycle, according to campaign reports, and did not provide any funds to candidates.
Craig Russell takes the oath of office on Wednesday for his second term with his wife by his side.
Russell, who, like Ingram, was a political newcomer and first-time candidate in 2024, said he has worked to broaden his base of support over the past two years.
“I campaigned on ‘I’m nobody’s puppet,’” he said, noting that a number of people who did not support him the first time have since reached out to congratulate him on his second term.
“Those were very meaningful and thoughtful conversations I’ve had,” he said.
He said he has also heard from previous major Winter PAC and campaign donors, including Frank Hamner, longtime attorney for the Holler family, which has significant land holdings in Winter Park.
Hamner was present at Russell’s first meeting in 2024 but was not in the audience this week.
“He sent me a message, and he said congratulations,” Russell said. “And I also got congratulations that I definitely didn’t get the first time.”
Among his top priorities, Russell said, is continuing to “lean into public safety” by promoting awareness around electric bikes and scooters, as well as educating voters on the potential downsides of property tax cuts being pushed by the DeSantis administration.
If such cuts come to fruition in a special legislative session, they could require sacrificing a “high level” of city services, he said.
City Manager Randy Knight canceled a budget workshop that had been scheduled for Thursday after the Legislature failed to take action on property tax cuts during its regular 60-day session, which ended earlier this month.
The sprawling Winter Park estate — among the largest and most ornate homes designed by architect James Gamble Rogers II — could be demolished in as soon as 90 days unless preservationists can find a buyer willing to save it.
A demolition application has been filed for the property at 1020 Palmer Ave. by owners Cathleen and Raymond Gilmer, siblings who inherited the estate from their parents, who bought the 1939 lakefront home in 1977. The 3.67-acre property overlooks Lake Osceola.
City officials have limited power to stop the demolition because the home is not listed on Winter Park’s Historic Register. But because it appears in the Florida Master Site File, city rules automatically trigger a 90-day delay before a demolition permit can be issued, giving preservationists time to seek alternatives.
That countdown prompted a packed discussion before the city’s Historic Preservation Board this week that drew a who’s who of Winter Park names.
Everyone seemed to have an opinion — from Marc Hagle, known for traveling to space with his wife aboard a Blue Origin suborbital flight and for constructing what is currently the city’s largest home, a 31,000-square-foot residence just a few doors down from Merrywood, to local preservation advocates and the granddaughter of the home’s architect.
“I think, as a community, this is one of those defining moments,” said Margie Bridges, a former city commissioner who now serves on the Historic Preservation Board. “… this is one of those special homes … We have a short time to rally and step up and take care of this in any way that it’s most efficient for the buyer and preserves something special in our community.”
Tara Tedrow, the prospective buyer who has the property under contract, facilitated the demolition permit and is also asking the city to amend its comprehensive plan to allow the lakefront property to be split into two lots.
Under that scenario, she said, she would attempt to find a buyer interested in restoring Merrywood while her family could build a new home on the other portion of the property.
A Planning & Zoning Board hearing on the request was delayed at Tedrow’s request until June.
In the meantime, she said filing the demolition application was intended to start a conversation about saving the home.
“The purpose was to get folks here and to have folks talk about this so that we could at least open a 90-day window to get some creative solutions to see if there is something that can be done to preserve the house,” Tedrow told the board.
Toward the end of the meeting she added: “I want to be clear: we’re not tearing the house down on Day 91. My husband and I have no intention of actually demo-ing the house ourselves.”
Betsy Owens, executive director of preservation advocacy group Friends of Casa Feliz, said she is working to help Tedrow tap a network of preservationists and reach potential buyers for Merrywood in Florida and across the country.
Owens, the granddaughter of the home’s architect who recently walked through the property, said the structure is significant for its “remarkable level of craftsmanship” in masonry, plaster, wood and tile that would be “nearly impossible to replicate.”
The front door of the home at 1020 Palmer Avenue.
“Merrywood contributes to the historic character of our community, helping to tell the architectural story of what makes Winter Park such a distinctive and economically prosperous place,” she said. “Together with our cherished tree canopy and chain of lakes, our beautifully designed historic homes are the goose that laid the golden egg in Winter Park … Once a building is gone, it’s gone forever. Preservation is not about nostalgia. It’s about stewardship of the cultural resources that define a community.”
She noted past examples of the community rallying to save homes threatened with demolition such as Casa Feliz, which was moved to sit on the Winter Park Nine, and the Capen House, which was floated across the lake to find a permanent home as an event space next to the Polasek Museum.
Christy Knobloch, executive director of the Winter Park History Museum, said preserving real pieces of the past is just as important as preserving archives.
“It’s hard to tell the stories of what it was in a photograph,” she said.
Other speakers noted the potentially high costs of restoring such a home and questioned whether such a buyer exists.
“I think we all love the house,” said John Skolfield, chairman of the Historic Preservation Board. “Most of us find the house very attractive and we want to find a way to preserve it. But these are big dollars, and these are not my decisions. These are the people with the big dollars who can purchase a property like this.”
Hagle, the one-time astronaut who recently completed years of construction at 926 Palmer Ave. after tearing down an older home there, said he has mixed feelings about saving the house but opposes the idea of splitting the lot.
“We just had a party at our house this last weekend — I apologize for the noise if y’all heard that,” he said. “But we had people from all over the world for a fundraiser at the house, and they all commented how gorgeous the city of Winter park is. And that’s who we are … Unfortunately, we’re in a difficult situation because it’s not fair to the homeowner to be burdened with having to save a house that was built in the 1920s that is difficult to repair.”
Aimee Spencer, a former member of the Historic Preservation Board, said she is weary of the narrative that maintaining an old home is too costly.
“I implore this board to begin to help dismantle the myth that preservation of our historic resources is cost prohibitive,” Spencer said. “It is disingenuous to continue the comparison of high quality restoration and rehabilitation to the type of new construction that generally plagues this city. Certainly there are high quality new builds, but on a whole, the comparison is that of apples to steak. True masterpieces are few and far between in Central Florida, and certainly we have already lost many. This remains an attempt at an end run around to produce two empty parcels. Lot splits are not a right in the city of Winter Park, but rather at the discretion if value is added to the city.”
The 90-day demolition delay is expected to expire around the end of May. The Planning & Zoning Board is scheduled to consider the comprehensive plan amendment that could allow the lot split in June.
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.
Police Seek More Info on Winter Park's First Homicide in Years
A man was found with a gunshot wound on Railroad Avenue on Feb. 17 and died after he was transported to a hospital
Feb. 25, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park Police say an individual “involved in the shooting” of an 18-year-old man in Winter Park last week has come forward, though no arrests have been made as police continue the investigation.
A woman who lives on Railroad Avenue called police just before 2 a.m. on Feb. 17 after what she thought might be the sound of gunshots woke her out of bed. She said she looked out her window and didn’t see anything and also texted several neighbors, but they didn’t respond immediately because of the early morning hour.
She told the dispatcher that she heard “a whole bunch of gunshots and then someone just drive off,” according to a recording of the call that redacted the woman’s name. She estimated she heard four or five loud pops.
Police responded and found the victim, J’Vion Raishon Giorgio May-Taylor, with a gunshot wound and unresponsive on the ground in front of a building on Railroad Avenue, on the far west side of the Winter Park Nine Golf Course near the corner of Pennsylvania and Webster avenues. Officers started chest compressions and used an automated external defibrillator on the 18-year-old before paramedics transported him to a local hospital, where he died, according to an incident report.
Officers canvassed the neighborhood, but the portion of the report that describes any findings is redacted because police said the investigation is ongoing.
Police Chief Tim Volkerson said the homicide is the city’s first in at least four years.
Police are still seeking help from anyone who may have information about what happened. You can remain anonymous and call CRIMELIME at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477) or provide an online tip at www.crimeline.org
Podcast: Local ICE Detainees; Moon Mission and Micro-Transit in Seminole County
Watch or listen to the latest Talking Central Florida episode, a project supported by the Winter Park Voice and News Collaborative of Central Florida
Orlando Sentinel reporter Ryan Gillespie discusses the dispute over federal reimbursements for the holding of ICE detainees and federal inmates at the Orange County jail. And Brendan Byrne from Central Florida Public Media explains the latest setback for the Artemis II mission, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitious goals for the Moon. Plus, Abe Aboraya from the Oviedo Community News joins the show to talk about his reporting on the challenges facing Seminole County’s micro-transit system.
Talking Central Florida is a production of the News Collaborative of Central Florida, a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. The program is made possible through funding support from Central Florida Public Media, Orlando Sentinel, Winter Park Voice and the Central Florida Foundation.
Hosted by local journalist Steve Mort, the weekly radio and podcast program explores key issues in Central Florida through conversations with the local journalists who cover them. Episodes air on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. on Central Florida Public Media’s radio frequencies 90.7 FM and 89.5 FM. It’s also available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
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.
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