Terry Hotard enters race for mayor against Sheila DeCiccio

by Beth Kassab | Oct 14, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized

Terry Hotard enters race for mayor against Sheila DeCiccio

The former mayor says he will challenge the current vice mayor in the March election

Oct. 13, 2023

By Beth Kassab

Former Mayor Terry Hotard said he will run against Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio for the city’s top elected post, driven to run by controversy over utility boxes that have appeared in the city right-of-way outside the Palmer Avenue property owned by Marc and Sharon Hagle, who are constructing the largest home in Winter Park.

“It’s a quality of life issue,” said Hotard, who served as mayor in the early 2000’s and worked for the company that became Duke Energy before he served as assistant director of Winter Park’s electric utility. “Once those boxes are put in place they will never move.”

He said the green boxes, which house electrical equipment, can fade over time and attract graffiti. He said the city’s own code mandates the boxes be on private property rather than on city-owned land.

Sheila DeCiccio talks with residents at a meet-and-greet event. 

A spokeswoman for the city cited a different portion of the code, but said alternatives are being considered for the transformer boxes near the Hagle house, which is expected to be 40,000-square-feet on the shore of Lake Osceola.

“The city is researching a more aesthetically pleasing alternative for these public utility boxes including traffic signal cabinets,” said Clarissa Howard.

Hotard said he enjoyed his time as a city commissioner in the 1990s and then as mayor in the early 2000’s before he went on to serve as assistant director of the city’s electric utility.

“I feel like I have a little bit of gas left in the tank and I have something to offer,” he said of the upcoming race.

DeCiccio announced her candidacy earlier this month and highlighted infrastructure needs as one of her top priorities.

“We’ve made great headway, but there’s still a lot to be done to maintain the heart and charm of the city,” she said shortly after that announcement. “Hurricane Ian laid bare a lot of our problems such as pipes that need maintenance, brick streets that need attention. Infrastructure is the No. 1 issue and we can’t kick this can down the road anymore.”

DeCiccio, an attorney who has lived in Winter Park for more than 40 years, said water basin studies ordered by the current commission along with more bike paths and extending sidewalks will be key for the city’s future.

She had to resign from her commission seat in order to run for mayor. Her resignation will take effect in April 2024, at the time she would take over as mayor if elected to that job. As a result, there is also a contest to fill Seat 2 on the five-seat dais.

There are two challengers for Seat 2: attorney Jason Johnson and Stockton Reeves, who leads the Center for Public Safety, which helps local governments build new police and fire stations.

Reeves said one of his key issues is advocating for police officers and firefighters.

“That’s one of the things that kind of pushed me to do this,” he said, noting he wants to reassess the policies at the police department and fire department to make sure that officers can donate sick time or other benefits to each other in times of need.

Stockton Reeves

Reeves, who has served on a number of city boards and is now vice chairman of the Civil Service Board, grew up in Winter Park and has run for commission before, but was not elected. In 2018, he ran as a Republican against Democrat Anna Eskamani for the Florida House and lost.

In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a public reprimand of Reeves after the Ethics Commission ruled that he violated financial disclosure requirements. Reeves said the matter was “the most technical of a technicality.”

Jason Johnson, who works in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, is a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He is chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.

Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.

“My north star in all of this is to preserve the charm of Winter Park, but I’m also a rule-of-law guy and I recognize that landowners have rights and due process exists,” he told the Voice earlier this month.

Official qualifying for both the mayoral contest and Seat 2 does not end until mid-December.

Questions or comments? Email the editor at WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com

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Sheila DeCiccio to run for Winter Park mayor

by Beth Kassab | Oct 4, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized

Sheila DeCiccio to run for Winter Park mayor

Jason Johnson announces run for DeCiccio’s remaining term

Oct. 3, 2023

By Beth Kassab

Winter Park Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio announced this week she is running for mayor, triggering a special election for the remainder of her term that has already attracted at least one contender: local attorney Jason Johnson.

DeCiccio, who was elected in March to a second commission term without opposition, said she will make improving the city’s infrastructure and preserving Winter Park’s small town feel the central focus of her campaign.

“We’ve made great headway, but there’s still a lot to be done to maintain the heart and charm of the city,” she said. “Hurricane Ian laid bare a lot of our problems such as pipes that need maintenance, brick streets that need attention. Infrastructure is the No. 1 issue and we can’t kick this can down the road anymore.”

She pointed to the water basin studies ordered by the current commission and priorities set out in the transportation master plan, including more bike paths and extending sidewalks, as foundations for taking the city to the next level.

Winter Park is a city manager form of government, which means Randy Knight oversees the day-to-day operations of the town of about 30,000 people and a more than $200 million budget. But the mayor and commission hire the city manager and set policy and the mayor can be highly influential when it comes to driving an agenda or steering debate, particularly at public meetings.

DeCiccio, who moved to Winter Park more than 40 years ago after working as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts, became the first woman partner at the Lowndes law firm in the 1980s. She went on to practice law with her husband, Dan, at DeCiccio & Johnson and has served on the city’s Planning & Zoning and Code Enforcement boards. The couple has two adult children.

She was first elected to the City Commission in March 2020 as the world was shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then two years later as the pandemic finally eased, Winter Park experienced some of the worst flooding in its history as Hurricane Ian brought record-level rain across the region.

She said those tumultuous events have sharpened her focus on keeping the city financially strong and prepared for the next emergency.

“We’ve learned from all of it,” she said. “That’s why infrastructure is my No. 1 priority.”

Mayor Phil Anderson, who is not seeking a second term, said he supports DeCiccio’s campaign and wants to see the long-term planning he helped initiate as mayor carried forward.

Mayor Phil Anderson gives the state of the city address earlier this year as commissioners Marty Sullivan, Sheila DeCiccio and Kris Cruzada look on.

“I supported her in her first election and we really got to know each other,” Anderson said. “I’ve continued to enjoy working with her as she runs for and hopefully serves as mayor.”

Social media influencer Dino Favara on Friday posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is joining the race for mayor. His name is not yet listed on the city’s election site, but he confirmed to the Voice that he intends to run. He did not immediately provide more information, but his TikTok account, which has about 20,000 followers says he works as a social media content creator and has also worked as a substitute teacher, wedding DJ and for children’s programs at an Orlando church.

The official qualifying period for the March 19, 2024 election doesn’t end until December.

In order to run, DeCiccio announced she would resign from her commission seat on April 10, the date she would take office as mayor if she is elected.

That means there will be a special election for the final two years of her three-year term as Seat 2 Commissioner.

Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.

Jason Johnson, an attorney in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, announced this week he will run for the seat. He is a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He is also chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.

“My north star in all of this is to preserve the charm of Winter Park, but I’m also a rule-of-law guy and I recognize that landowners have rights and due process exists,” he said.

Stockton Reeves, executive director of the Center for Public Safety, is running for the seat, according to the city elections site. Reeves did not immediately respond to a request for more information. He ran for the Florida House in 2018 and lost to Rep. Anna Eskamani in the general election.

Justin Vermuth, also an attorney, said he explored the idea of running but told the Voice this week he does not plan to enter the race.

The qualifying period for candidates to enter the contests for mayor and the commission seat ends Dec. 11.

Questions or comments? Email the editor at WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com

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