by Beth Kassab | Jan 21, 2026 | Uncategorized
Homeowners Continue Fight in Court Against Virginia Heights Neighbor Over Private Park
At stake, is the use of a shared lakefront lot some residents use to launch kayaks or picnic. The homeowners next to the park want to limit when and how the land is used.
Jan. 21, 2026
By Gabrielle Russon
A neighborhood squabble over a private Lake Virginia park is escalating in court.
Eric and Diane Holm and Brian and Caryn Albertson sued their Virginia Heights neighbor Stephanie Guss over “filthy” kayaks and other complaints about the lakefront neighborhood park that sits between their homes.
The lawsuit was filed in April, but Guss was not served until just before Thanksgiving after Orange Circuit Court Judge Lisa Munyon ordered the lawsuit would be dismissed if the Holms and Albertsons didn’t take action.
A woman and child walk to the private neighborhood park. The access point may appear to be on private property, but there’s a walkway to the shared lot deeded to Virginia Heights residents.
Since then, neighbors have quietly raised more than $10,000 to help with Guss’ legal bills.
So far, no court hearings have been set on the legal fight in one of Winter Park’s oldest neighborhoods where the park has been a beloved site for community gatherings.
At stake, is how much access neighbors have to the land platted 100 years ago to give residents who don’t own lake lots a spot to launch kayaks, hold picnics or otherwise enjoy views of Lake Virginia, part of Winter Park’s picturesque chain of lakes.
Several neighbors supporting Guss declined to comment for this story because they said they feared they would be sued next.
“Their suit is in essence, only a thinly veiled attempt at asserting a view right over the park — a right they do not possess. The choice of the Holms and Albertsons to pursue litigation over cooperation has devastated the Virginia Heights community,” they wrote in an unsigned letter to the Winter Park Voice. “The result is a culture of fear and intimidation in a once neighborly community.”
But the Holms and Albertsons, who also declined to be interviewed, said in a written statement their lawsuit’s goal “is to get clear, workable guidance that everyone can follow in 2026—so deeded homeowners can enjoy the park while the adjacent homes can maintain reasonable privacy and security.”
Kayaks are stored on a rack in the private park on Lake Virginia.
The two families said they want better signs to keep the public out of the park and daylight park hours only. They also would like all boats and personal storage out so “the park isn’t treated as a storage area and so rules are consistent and transparent for everyone.”
“We consider ourselves respectful neighbors, and we’re asking for the same respect in return — especially given the park’s immediate proximity to two backyards,” the two families said in a statement.
Holm, a major Republican donor who has hosted Vice President J.D. Vance for lunch at his home and a philanthropist who operates multiple Golden Corral, Peach Valley Cafe and Jersey Mike’s Subs locations, bought his property in 2008 for $3.1 million. Albertson paid $3.1 million for his property in 2020 and built his house in 2024.
But the neighbors argued they held a community meeting in September and agreed to make several improvements. They said they were blindsided when Guss was served with the lawsuit two months later.
“Virginia Heights has responded not with anger, but with resolve,” the neighbors said in the unsigned statement. “We remain open to good-faith discussions about park management, safety protocols, and maintenance responsibilities. … But dialogue requires mutual respect and a genuine willingness to work together, not ultimatums backed by legal threats.”
“We believe shared spaces should be managed for the benefit of all, not redesigned to favor two households.”
Neighbors gathered last year at the park with homes belonging to Brian Albertson and Eric Holm in the background.
In the April lawsuit, the Holms and Albertsons said neighborhood residents left about 30 kayaks, lifejackets and oars to take up space in the storage racks at the park.
“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 said.
The Holms and Albertsons also said bushes had been planted at the park “for the sole purpose of interfering with Plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment of their properties,” the lawsuit said, adding they also saw someone doing drugs in the park.
The neighbors downplayed the Holms’ and Albertsons’ allegations raised in the April lawsuit.
“The ironies are striking: claims of safety concerns that have never been reported to police; demands to remove ‘filthy’ kayaks that families use regularly; assertions that trees planted to protect shoreline ecology are ‘obstructions’; suggestions that a gate and limited hours would somehow improve community access,” they wrote in their letter.
Guss, who was named in the litigation because she helped with the boat rack inquiries, also declined to be interviewed for this story.
“Plaintiffs believe that Defendant has co-conspirators that are yet-to-be-identified members of the community,” the April lawsuit said.
The Holms and Albertsons also unsuccessfully sued Guss in 2024 to find out the kayak owners’ names.
Both sides in the neighborhood fight also believe a 1971 court order could help their case. The 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.
“It’s more than 50 years old, and people in the neighborhood interpret it differently,” Holm said in an email. “The only way to get clarity—and to make sure everyone is working from the same rules—is to obtain an updated, definitive order from the court.”
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Jan 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
DePugh Nursing Center Sold for $5.4 Million
The money will go to the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation to fund other local needs
Jan. 15, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Zane Williams paid $5.4 million for the Gardens at DePugh Nursing Center and the dollars will go to the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation to fund charitable causes.
Rick Baldwin, who served as chairman of DePugh’s board of directors, said the nursing center association will be dissolved and the money from the sale will help support other local needs through the foundation.
Baldwin, who also serves as a trustee at the Morse Genius Foundation, did not confirm the sale price, which was listed on records for the Orange County Property Appraiser.
The new owner of the 1.7 acre property at 550 W. Morse Blvd is listed as Z 17, LLC, a company registered to Williams at the address of Z Properties.
Williams, who last week announced plans for a mixed-use development on the site, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the sale and how the proceeds will be used.
Baldwin said the Morse Genius Foundation supported the DePugh center over the years and he felt comfortable that it would also responsibly use the proceeds from the sale to fund other needs.
“Our mission was to take care of the less fortunate,” Baldwin said of DePugh, noting that mission aligns with the foundation’s history of giving.
According to its website, the foundation has also supported arts groups such as the local ballet and opera along with Rollins College, the University of Central Florida’s nursing college and social services groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, Grace Medical Home and others, including the Welbourne Nursery and Preschool in Winter Park and Winter Park Day Nursery.
The new development at the DePugh site will bring further change for the historically Black neighborhood west of Park Avenue that dates back to the city’s founding. The area has undergone significant gentrification over the past 25 years with the redevelopment of Hannibal Square and a number of larger homes replacing small, single-story houses.
The DePugh center opened in 1956 as the first state-approved nursing home where aging Black residents could seek care during segregation. The center was named for Mary Lee DePugh, who moved to Winter Park in 1937 to work for a white family she knew from the Chicago area and began advocating to provide health care to those in need as part of her work with the Ideal Woman’s Club, which she founded on the west side of the city. She died before the center opened.
Baldwin said he remains saddened by DePugh’s closure last year.
“I hate it that the nursing home had to close but you can pick up the paper every day and see what’s happening to Medicaid,” he said.
Medicaid didn’t even cover half of a day’s care for residents by the time the center closed, he said.
“It just wasn’t sustainable the way they cut all those reimbursements,” he said. “We tried for years. It’s heartbreaking, but I know it’s happening all over the country, it’s not just here.”
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Dec 18, 2025 | Arts and Culture, City Commission, Taxes, Uncategorized
Arts Board Backs Off Seven Oaks Sculptures Because of Spending Optics
The decision came this week just days before state CFO Blaise Ingoglia held a press conference in Winter Park on Thursday to call city governments “wasteful”
Dec. 18, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park’s Public Art Advisory Board this week hit the pause button on spending as much as $175,000 on permanent sculptures for Seven Oaks Park after City Manager Randy Knight appeared at the meeting to warn of bad optics and even a potential budget shortfall if Gov. Ron DeSantis is successful in his drive to reduce property taxes.
“Is that something we’d be criticized for?” Knight asked of the potential expenditure. “Should we wait and see what’s coming before we decide to spend that kind of money on public art?”
The decision by the board, which includes new Commissioner-elect Elizabeth Ingram, is evidence of a chilling effect on local governments brought by the DeSantis administration’s attacks on local spending and threat to significantly decrease local tax revenue.
Without mentioning Winter Park a single time, state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who is running for re-election, held a press conference in the city on Thursday morning.
A city graphic shows the proposed location of artwork in Seven Oaks Park.
He repeatedly called cities and counties “wasteful” of public dollars, particularly money collected through property taxes.
But he didn’t cite any examples of cities with bloated budgets that he attributed, in large part, to hiring more staff that far exceeded a city’s need based on its population.
Ingoglia announced a proposal for a new law that would require cities and counties to post their budgets online (which is already required by state law) and to post proposed budget amendments seven days in advance of the hearing. His proposal also would require local governments to identify at least 10% worth of cuts as part of the budget process, though fire and police could not be part of those reductions.
He said the law change would prohibit cities from considering if a business is minority or women-owned when handing out contracts.
Ingoglia called for the end of “the practice of DEI in contracts,” which he said stands for “division, exclusion and indoctrination.”
“Stop with this crap,” he said.
Ingoglia’s office did not immediately respond to a question from the Voice about why the event was held in Winter Park.
The plan for the Seven Oaks Park sculptures came about as part of the city’s public art initiative to promote culture and visitation in Winter Park’s newest public space, which opened earlier this year.
Winter Park is known as one of the top tourism draws in the region and logged 1.4 million visitors to the downtown in 2024.
A plan to bring rotating loaned artwork from Orange County to the park in January is still underway. But the board hit the brakes on purchasing new art to remain in the park permanently.
Arts Board Chairwoman Carolyn Fennell thanked Knight for the information and guidance and noted that the city should “maintain its arts and cultural branding.”
“We all know the importance of arts in our city but others looking in may not have the same value of art as you do or certainly as we do as a community,” Knight said during the meeting.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Dec 12, 2025 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized, Zoning and Development
Via Tuscany Homeowner Owes More Than $300k in Code Fines
Construction on the house began in 2018 and just concluded this year, prompting repeated complaints by neighbors
Dec. 12 , 2025
By Beth Kassab
The owner of an ultra modern mansion on the corner of Via Tuscany and Howell Branch Road owes more than $331,000 in code enforcement fines after the City Commission refused the man’s request to eliminate the fines he accumulated during nearly seven years of construction.
Fernando Bermudez, the owner of the home through Casselberry-based Developer and Builder Group LLC, told city officials in a letter dated Sept. 5, 2025 that the drawn-out construction timeline was the result of complications brought on by COVID-19, which killed one of his partners, and Hurricane Ian, which struck in September of 2022.
A snapshot included with Winter Park code enforcement documents shows a notice of violation posted in front of the home.
But the construction process at 2661 Via Tuscany started long before those events when the first permit was granted by the city in September of 2018. The certificate of occupancy for the 4-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot house was finally issued in July of this year.
Bermudez, who attended the City Commission meeting on Wednesday, said through his attorney that he was unaware of the fines and blamed a number of problems on his contractors, which changed repeatedly during the project.
But Gary Hiatt, building and permitting director, showed commissioners minutes from a Code Enforcement Board hearing in November of 2022 that showed Bermudez was in attendance and spoke along with a contractor about the timeline of the project. At that meeting, the board ordered that fines of $250 a day per violation would begin accumulating if the house wasn’t completed in 60 days, according to records.
“There were multiple times where they gave us, ‘We’ll be done by here or we’ll be done by here,’ and it just never came to fruition,” Hiatt said.
Violations, which included allowing permits to expire without completing the project and failing to meet deadlines, went on in at least one case for more than 900 days and, in another, more than 300.
“The incomplete vacant structure remains a public nuisance,” the code board concluded in a March 23, 2023 order that said fines would continue and the city would place a lien on the property.
In his letter to city officials to request the fines and lien be eliminated, Bermudez claimed ignorance about the existence of the fines and detailed how construction materials ordered from Europe were delayed by the pandemic as well as how the project was impeded by his own illness and the loss of his partner to the virus.
A Realtor.com listing for the property, which is now up for sale for $6.6 million (more than $1,400 per square foot), boasts of two primary suites (one on each floor), lighting fixtures from Greece, Italian porcelain flooring and “unparalleled craftsmanship, high-end finishes, and an open-concept layout for those who appreciate architectural brilliance and luxury living.”
The house, “follows commercial-grade construction standards, making it a bunker-style fortress unlike any other,” according to the listing.
But Bermudez wrote that the amount of the fine is “a debt impossible for us to pay.”
He said “the real estate market is now extremely slow” and he faces potential foreclosure by a private lender.
But commissioners said they didn’t hear any good reasons to reduce or eliminate the fines.
“These are legitimate fines in my opinion,” Commissioner Craig Russell said, noting that Bermudez’s company had developed other houses so should have had some familiarity with the process.
Russell and Commissioner Warren Lindsey also noted how the lengthy construction process affected the neighborhood.
Neighbors complained to the city about the project repeatedly, citing the unfinished work, debris and other violations.
“Overall, the process has been unprofessional (single workers showing up after hours or on weekends as if the whole project is some sort of shady after thought), unnecessarily drawn out and damaging to our property,” one neighbor wrote the city.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
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.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
by Beth Kassab | Oct 2, 2025 | Arts and Culture, News, Uncategorized
Park Avenue District Names Interim Executive Director
The new appointment comes just in time for the holiday season as the city’s Christmas lights are set to turn on Nov. 13
Oct. 2, 2025
By Beth Kassab
The Park Avenue District on Wednesday named Allison Chandler as interim executive director of the organization that will coordinate Winter Park’s signature holiday decor as well other events focused on one of Central Florida’s premier dining and retail corridors.
Chandler, who comes with other nonprofit experience, will help steer the organization as Christmas lights turn on next month along the avenue and the city government embarks early next year replacing streetlights, wiring, landscaping other infrastructure as part of a project known as the “Park Avenue Refresh” that could be disruptive at times to merchants.
Alan Chambers, president of the district’s board, said the group has recently gone through some “growing pains” since it took on the role of coordinating the city’s holiday decor last year.
“We went from 0 to 60 so quickly with taking on the holidays and how much money came in and events,” said Chambers, who is the vice president of operations for the John Craig Clothier family of eight stores across Florida, including two on Park Avenue.
Earlier this week the group announced the departure of Executive Director Carina Sexton along with three board members.
“Over the past six months, the district has navigated growing pains that led to the departure of several key board members, and with Chandler at the helm, the organization is eagerly and actively focused on mending, building, and rebuilding relationships across the community,” a news release stated.
The group, which formed in 2019 to intensify focus on promoting and supporting the Park Avenue area, began spearheading the city’s holiday decorations in 2024 and called the festivities “Christmas on Park” instead of “Hometown Holidays,” a name the city had used for years.
Allison Chandler
This year the city, which contributed $200,0000 in public funds last year and $90,000 this year to the project, asked the name be changed to Holidays on Park to include Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
The long-held individual traditions in Winter Park that begin next month and run through January will remain the same such as the Christmas Parade, Tuba Christmas and Christmas on the Park. Only the overarching website name is set to change.
But that prompted outrage from some in the community who wanted to frame the request as an assault on Christmas. A resident started a petition that collected more than 1,000 signatures even though some information on the petition was inaccurate.
Chambers said the Park Avenue District spent about $400,000 on holiday festivities last year, most of it from private donations to fund new additions such as a carousel in front of City Hall and a walk-through Cathedral of Lights in Central Park.
Some of the decor purchased last year will be used again this year, though a portion of the new lights was lost to squirrels.
Sarah Grafton, founder of the Park Avenue District and partner at Grafton Wealth Management, said in the news release that she is confident the group will continue to grow its work with Chandler in her new role.
“Her proven leadership in the nonprofit sector will ensure we build on the district’s success, uniting businesses and residents while positioning us for an even stronger future,” Grafton said in the release. “I am proud to be a part of this collaborative board of directors that has made such a positive impact on our community.”
Chandler, a graduate of Leadership Winter Park, has experience in other nonprofits such as development director and interim executive director at PACE Center for Girls, program manager at Plug and Play Tech Center, and founder and president of MPACT Events Co., according to a news release.
“Living in Winter Park, I have seen firsthand the unique spirit and beauty of Park Avenue,” Chandler said in the release. “I am thrilled to help guide the Park Avenue District through its next chapter – building programs, partnerships and celebrations that reflect the heart of our community”.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
To comment or read comments from others, click here →
Recent Comments