by Beth Kassab | Sep 9, 2025 | Arts and Culture, City Commission, Events, News, Uncategorized
Save Christmas? Petition is misleading
City officials asked the Park Avenue District to brand the season of events as “holiday,” but Christmas is not disappearing from the names of the individual events
Sept. 9, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Hold your reindeer, Winter Park. Before you get fired up about the Change.Org petition to “Save Christmas in Winter Park,” let’s take a look at the facts.
The petition, which had 570 signatures by Tuesday afternoon in the city of 30,000 people, makes several allegations, asserting that 70 years of Christmas event traditions are “at risk.”
“In recent planning, the city has agreed to fund holiday lighting only if the word “Christmas” is removed,” the petition states. “As a result, Central Park’s Christmas Tree is now called a ‘Holiday Tree,’ and the annual tree lighting event has been rebranded as ‘Winter on the Avenue,’ intentionally avoiding any mention of Christmas.”
But those statements are misleading and, in some parts, false.
The city is, in fact, asking for the overall name of the events season to change. But no changes are being requested for the titles of the half dozen main events that make up the season — and most of those use the word “Christmas.”
New lights in Central Park made up part of the city’s display in 2024.
Gigi Papa, a Winter Park resident who frequently attends and speaks at City Commission meetings, is listed on the change.org page as the “petition starter.” Papa did not immediately respond to an email and text message seeking comment about the petition’s statements.
Here’s what happened and why the city requested the change:
In 2024, the Park Avenue District, a relatively new group of merchants, businesses and residents who aim to support the central retail hub, took over coordination of the city’s annual light display and decor.
With about $100,000 from the city government and matching dollars from private donors, the group added more lights, an Instagram-worthy walk-through light cathedral in Central Park, a children’s carousel in front of City Hall and new wreaths and other festive touches.
For years, the city used the name “Hometown Holidays,” to advertise its season of events that run from mid-November, when the display goes up, through New Year’s.
The Park Avenue District changed the name to “Christmas on Park” last year.
City spokeswoman Clarissa Howard said Mayor Sheila DeCiccio heard some complaints about the entire season of events being branded as “Christmas” after it had been branded as “Hometown Holidays” for so long. So the city, which is providing about $60,000 for the decor this year, requested the name be changed to “Holidays on Park.”
“We are not breaking tradition,” Howard said. “It’s a season, it’s not one event. We called the season Hometown Holidays because there are holidays other than Christmas happening downtown.”
In 2021, the city added to Central Park a menorah for Hanukkah and a kinara for Kwanzaa.
A menorah is part of the annual lights display in Central Park.
Carina Sexton, executive director of the Park Avenue District, said she expects the name will change based on the city’s request.
“Regardless of the name, we feel confident that the magic of the season will remain the same and we are thrilled to welcome our community and visitors alike back to the Park Avenue District to celebrate with us,” she said.
Individual long-standing city events with the name Christmas aren’t changing and no one from the city has asked for them to be changed, Howard said. Sexton confirmed she has not received any other requests for changes.
Those events include:
“Christmas in the Park” on Dec. 4 is the annual evening that features a display of lighted Tiffany glass windows from the Morse Museum and Christmas music from the Bach Festival Society and a brass ensemble.
“The Christmas Parade” will be on Dec. 6, which is sponsored by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.
And “Tuba Christmas,” another musical event, will take place on Dec. 20 this year.
The name “Winter on the Avenue,” another event lead by the chamber, has been used for years and is not part of a rebrand as the petition alleges.
That will take place on Dec. 5 this year and is described on the Chamber website: “Begin the evening at the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting in Central Park just east of the Winter Park train station. Winners of the Holiday Art Competition will be recognized, Rabbi Dovid Dubov of Chabad Orlando will do a menorah lighting ceremony ushering in the season of Chanukah, and Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio will lead us in a countdown as we light the Christmas Tree.”
The petition demands the city “return to using the name Christmas Tree instead of Holiday Tree,” even though the chamber’s description explicitly refers to the mayor leading the lighting of the “Christmas Tree.”
“The city does not call it a ‘holiday tree,'” Howard said.
In holiday press releases dating back to 2005, the ceremony has always been referred to simply as the “annual tree-lighting” without the word Christmas. Though Christmas was, and still is, included in many of the event names throughout the seasonal lineup.
“We can’t return to doing something that we haven’t done,” Howard said. “There is no tradition at risk. All of our events are still happening.”
In a press release in August about the light display that will go up Nov. 13, the city noted the season of events and decor brought in about 350,000 people last year, about 7% higher than the previous year.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story stated the wrong year the city added a menorah and kinara to Central Park, due to incorrect information provided to the Voice. The year was 2021.
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by Beth Kassab | Aug 14, 2025 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Playhouse gets lease and city looks for Seven Oaks Park developer
The City Commission also took steps to limit residential pickleball courts
Aug. 14, 2025
By Beth Kassab
The Winter Park Playhouse is closer to its goal of starting a $10 million renovation of the professional musical theater, which includes the purchase of the building by the city.
On Wednesday, the City Commission approved two critical steps — the funding agreement for Orange County to provide $8 million through a grant of tourism tax dollars and a lease agreement with the city to rent the building for $1 a year.
A rendering shows the proposed renovations for the Winter Park Playhouse.
The lease also allows the playhouse to request up to a $600,000 “bridge loan” if it has not met its private fundraising requirement of $1.6 million to receive the county dollars at the start of the project. The playhouse must show it’s raised at least $1 million to request the loan.
“A lot of faith there,” Commissioner Marty Sullivan said. “But I’ve got faith in the playhouse to make this work.”
Heather Alexander, co-founder and executive director, said the playhouse has already secured $1 million in private funds toward the goal and has pledges totaling more than $600,000 set to come in over the the next three to four years.
“We will be just fine … so don’t worry we won’t be able to pay it back,” Alexander told the commission. “It may not even be necessary, that’s my hope.”
The city will use $3.8 million of the county grant to purchase the property at 711 N. Orange Avenue. The remainder of the county grant will go toward refurbishing the theater, including expanding seating by 50%.
The future of the 23-year-old nonprofit theater was up in the air just a year ago when the owner of its building said its lease would end and the building would be sold. That left theater supporters scrambling for a new home until, ultimately, the city agreed to buy the property through the grant.
As part of the agreements, the playhouse will be required to provide a report on its performance metrics each year to the city.
City seeks developer for Seven Oaks Park
Tired of seeing little use of Seven Oaks Park, which opened in January, the city is inviting developers to submit ideas to build out a pad within the park that would potentially draw more people to the greenspace. (Red outline in above photo at top of page.)
Permitted concepts could include “bars, taverns, and cocktail lounges (with at least 51% of revenue derived from food sales); bicycle shops; breweries and distilleries (with food service); corner stores (excluding convenience stores); fine arts museums; instruction in fine arts, dance, and music; food halls; health and wellness studios; recreational facilities; restaurants (including fast-casual and fine dining); retail businesses; specialty food and beverage markets; and theaters for film, music, or performing arts.”
The city won’t be obligated to accept any of the ideas, but can use the “invitation to negotiate” as way to feel out interest in the project, City Manager Randy Knight said.
“The city expects this redevelopment will respect and grow the quality of the city’s unique attributes and special features of Winter Park while remaining relevant to today’s social gathering places like Foxtail Coffee Co. and Shady Park in Winter Park, Plant Street Market/Brewery in Winter Garden, East End Market in Orlando, and Boxi Park in Lake Nona,” the document reads.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said the neighbors and other businesses “desperately” want something to happen there.
Commissioner Craig Russell agreed, saying that despite the controversy related to the park, “I think the spirit of this park was deliberately designed for this process … it was what the plan was and I think it’s time.”
Commissioner Warren Lindsey suggested a shaded area might be a good component of whatever development plans take shape considering the Florida heat the years it will take for the park’s oaks to mature.
New limits on residential pickleball
Residents who are looking to build a pickleball court on their property will find it hard, or maybe impossible, to do so under new rules imposed by the City Commission.
The rules, which are designed to prevent noise complaints related to the game’s trademark near-constant ball whacks, will not affect commercial or public pickleball courts.
Planning Director Allison McGillis estimated there are fewer than five residential courts in the city, though some homeowners may seek to convert tennis courts to pickleball over time.
“I don’t foresee a lot of them popping up, but it’s becoming more popular,” she said.
McGillis proposed changing city code to require pickleball courts have 20-foot setbacks from the rear and side property lines, an increase from the required 10 feet for tennis courts.
But commissioners opted to increase the requirement to 150 feet, meaning new courts would be virtually impossible for now given the size of most lots.
One private pickleball court is expected to be built just off Park Avenue and Morse Boulevard as part of a private residence attached to a coffee shop. But that court would not be impacted by the new rules because of a special variance given to the project.
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by Beth Kassab | Aug 5, 2025 | City Commission, News, Taxes, Uncategorized
Winter Park to keep property tax rate the same for 18th year
The city’s $233.5 million budget accounts for 7% growth in property tax revenue based on higher values as well as increases in utility fees
Aug. 5, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City Commissioners will keep property tax rates the same for the 18th year in a row despite pressure from two commissioners to consider increases.
With a 3-2 vote to hold the line at the July 23 City Commission meeting, officials signaled that the increase in property values will drive a 7% increase in property tax revenues — from $36.2 million to $38.9 million — will be enough to cover expenses along with significant proposed increases in utility rates.
The city’s overall budget is proposed to increase by 8.9% or $19 million to $233.5 million.
City Manager Randy Knight cautioned that its likely he will ask commissioners to raise the property tax rate next year on top of the utility increases that are being proposed this year.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio along with commissioners Warren Lindsey and Kris Cruzada voted to keep the millage rate the same. Commissioners Marty Sullivan and Craig Russell dissented.
Sullivan began talking about a potential increase months ago in a letter to residents, citing growing costs and changing economic conditions. He said he wanted to raise the millage rate by a quarter mil with the intent of revising it back down in September after receiving reassurance from the city’s share of revenue from the state sales tax and other sources wouldn’t plummet.
“That’s a big unknown,” he told the group, citing needs like a new fire training center and continuing to build the city’s reserve fund, which would prove crucial in the event of a major hurricane or other disaster.
Russell surprised some observers by going even further, proposing a half mil increase.
He was elected as a first-time candidate in 2024 and was championed by local business interests and even campaigned on cutting taxes and targeting waste.
But he said he’s learned a lot about what it takes to keep the city running with the high level of service that residents have come to expect.
“How long can we provide the level of service we do without addressing that taboo subject?” he asked.
He proposed earmarking any increase for specific needs like roads or sidewalks to provide residents with “transparency” about how the dollars will be spent.
Russell said he knows most elected officials shy away from raising taxes because it could cost them their jobs the next time voters got to the polls.
“Anybody sitting up here is afraid of not getting elected the next time,” he said. “I’m a liar …” he said referring to his own campaign materials last year that called for reducing taxes. “But when you dive into it and sit here and you take on fiscal responsibility for thousands of people you have the ability to learn what that really means.”
The seats belonging to Sullivan and Russell are up for election next year.
DeCiccio expressed some doubt about how much longer the city would be able to maintain property tax rates, even with higher appraised values. She attributed the city’s growing values to the level of service residents receive when it comes to quick police and fire response, parks, roads, electricity and other services the city provides.
“The level of service and higher property values go hand in hand,” she said. “It truly amazes me that we are able to maintain the same millage rate and still maintain that … I don’t know how long we will be able to do it, but we can definitely do it this year, make this the 18th year we don’t raise property taxes.”
Residents will, however, see other proposed changes that are likely to hit their wallets.
The average resident will pay an extra $23 for electricity, water and stormwater is the proposed changes are approved.
The next budget hearing will take place next week on Aug. 13 where residents can sign up to speak on the budget.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 11, 2025 | City Commission, Library, News, Uncategorized
Winter Park has a Long List of Complaints over Library and Events Center Construction
City officials and the contractor are meeting to try to resolve the problems
July 11, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the contractor received on Saturday.
During the nearly four years since the more than $42 million Library and Events Center opened, Winter Park officials have compiled a list of what they say are construction concerns such as fracturing glass in some of the large panoramic windows, roof leaks, problems with the elevator and even the port-cochere, the grand covered entrance to the structure.
City Manager Randy Knight recently told the City Commission that the city is frequently meeting with representatives from contractor Brasfield & Gorrie to resolve the problems.
“Right now, we think they are going to resolve these issues,” Knight said. “But we’re going to go ahead and preserve our rights” before the statute of limitations runs out on filing a lawsuit over the claims.
This week the city notified the construction company and insurers of what it considers to be a “default” on the job to preserve the city’s right to sue if the problems aren’t fixed.
A spokeswoman for Brasfield & Gorrie, a national construction firm with offices in eight states that reported $6.4 billion in revenues last year, confirmed on Saturday that the firm is in talks with the city.
“We are discussing the city’s concerns and seeking resolution,” said a statement from the company.
Voters narrowly approved a bond referendum for $30 million in 2016 to pay for the project designed by British architect David Adjaye. Then, in 2020, the City Commission approved spending $41.7 million on the project. But, so far, the final tally is even higher at $42.3 million after the city added another $300,000 in 2022 from the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal stimulus package spurred by the pandemic.
The letter to the contractor lists 12 items that “has not been performed per plans and specifications” from the doors, lighting, air-conditioning and even the bathroom faucets along with the doors, windows, roof leaks and other concerns.
City spokeswoman Clarissa Howard said on Friday the contractor is continuing to meet with the city and working to resolve the matter.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 10, 2025 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
City Says the Problem Causing Smelly Water is Now Resolved
But the odor caused after lightning struck a water treatment plant could linger a few more days. Plus, state budget wins for Winter Park projects
July 10, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Residents complaining of a strong sulfur smell coming from their faucets in recent weeks got some good news on Thursday: The damage likely caused by a lightning strike to the ozone generator at one of the city’s water treatment plants appears to be resolved though the odoriferous problem may continue for a few days.
City Hall posted the update on Thursday afternoon after complaints about the smell and lack of information about it surfaced publicly at the City Commission meeting on Wednesday.
A power surge during a lightning storm hit the water treatment plant, one of three that supplies water to residents, on June 27 and city staff has been working ever since to bring the machine that oxidizes the city’s water to help purify it and reduce the rotten egg smelling sulfur often associated with Florida groundwater.
The water is safe to drink and the output from the damaged plant was reduced and treated with additional chlorine while repairs were underway, City Manager Randy Knight said.
“Twelve days of sulfur smell is a lot,” Cathy Baumgardner, who lives just north of Howell Branch Road, told the commission on Wednesday. “That’s not the big issue. The big issue is the lack of communication. Nobody contacted us … we didn’t know it was healthy until we called and asked.”
David Zusi, director of Water and Wastewater Utilities, said the water plants had withstood lightning strikes before but never one so severe that a portion of the treatment system was offline for so long. He said a number of experts, including the manufacturer of the ozone generator, which removes hydrogen sulfide from the water, were called in to help resolve the problem.
“This issue was extremely difficult to diagnose because no fault code was generated within the system,” the official update read. “Please note it may take a few days for the water with elevated hydrogen sulfide to flow out of the distribution system before it returns to normal odorless water.”
City to get $800k in project dollars from state
At at time when local governments are scrapping for every dollar from Tallahassee, Winter Park officials said this week that three projects requests made it into Gov. DeSantis’ final budget, escaping the veto pen.
DeSantis signed the $117.4 billion budget last week after cutting $567 million in line-item vetos.
- The largest score is $500,000 to replace the bridge on Stirling Avenue over Howell Creek. The 70-year-old bridge will be replaced, including drainage for surface water, sidewalks and railings over the bridge.
- The city will also receive $250,000 to dredge Lake Lillian at Mead Gardens.
- And $62,500 will go toward bollards or sturdy posts that act as a barrier between pedestrians at events and vehicles.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 10, 2025 | City Commission, Library, News, Uncategorized
Winter Park Approves Limits on Protests and Activity at Library and Events Center
In a split vote, the City Commission approved a new ordinance that they claim is based on complaints over photo shoots and one small protest at the public buildings
July 10, 2025
By Beth Kassab
The Winter Park City Commission on Wednesday voted 3-2 to approve an ordnance that draws a boundary around the Library and Events Center as essentially a new “no protest” or gathering zone.
Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and commissioners Craig Russell and Kris Cruzada voted in favor of the ordinance. Commissioners Warren Lindsey and Marty Sullivan voiced strong objections to the change and voted against it.
DeCiccio and city staff say the ordinance is needed to protect groups and individuals who rent space in the buildings for weddings, corporate meetings and other events from disruptions from people who may want to stage protests or use the $41 million complex’s unique architecture as a backdrop for extensive photo shoots or other gatherings.
The Winter Park Events Center opened in late 2021 and was designed by British architect David Adjaye.
The new “no protest” area — the blue line drawn around the complex in the image above — mostly hugs the outline of the buildings, but also includes a large amount of outdoor space on the southeast corner of the building, which has large windows looking out onto Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Lindsey, a criminal defense attorney, noted the irony of the city imposing what he views as First Amendment restrictions on the same week Winter Park plans to dedicate its commissioned larger-than-life bronze statue of King at an installation in the park known as Unity Corner.
“I think it’s interesting that this coming up Saturday we are going to be dedicating the statue … probably within 200 or 300 yards of the restricted areas,” he said, noting that the monument includes the words “courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” “I think a lot of times there a temptation that because we’re fearful of something we will overreact and Martin Luther King Jr. provided us instruction on that.”
He called the ordinance an “unnecessary use of government power.”
“We should be very, very careful how we use our power, especially how we use our police power,” he said. “And the only real argument for passing this thing is to deal with a hypothetical problem that has not occurred … that is something we should be very careful about doing.”
A list of 15 “disturbances” since the beginning of this year provided by the city is not enough justification for the ordinance, Lindsey and Sullivan argued. Of those, 10 are described as “photo shoot with props” or “prom photos.” One noted a “changing booth” and “lights.”
The other disturbances were listed as “cars blocking traffic” or “skateboarding/rollerblading/scooter.” Only one was listed as “group with signs” or anything resembling a demonstration or a protest.
A police dispatch call log noted someone called police just after 6 p.m. on May 15 to report “6-7 people outside on the south side near the lake, holding up signs protesting.”
About the same time the police arrived, the caller called back to report “her boss says they are allowed to be there.”
At the time, the events center was being rented by the Orlando Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society for an event featuring Josh Blackman, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump to the Religious Liberty Commission’s advisory board of legal experts. Blackman is a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston.
Winter Park attorney Michael Sasso is the president of the Orlando chapter.
Sullivan said people should be required to pull permits for elaborate photo shoots and that there are laws on the books already to address cars blocking traffic or disorderly conduct. But the kind of demonstration that occured on May 15 should not be limited.
“I have it from a reliable source there were four people at 5:30 in the afternoon standing there with small signs,” he said. “To me, that should be an allowable public gathering and that in my mind illustrates how this [ordinance] goes beyond what is needed … this prohibits activities that in my mind are permitted First Amendment activities.
City Attorney Daniel Langley argued that the city is allowed to put more restrictions on the library and events center because it’s not “traditional public forum” because it’s rented out and used by other entities.
He said that perimeter is drawn tightly around the buildings and, in many cases, “they could move two feet into the parking lot and continue that activity.”
The ordinance calls for a warning to be issued before people are trespassed from the area and potentially given a fine.
Commissioner Craig Russell said he is in favor of the ordinance because it’s about safety and protecting the space for those renting the venue.
“… We’re also not trying to recreate Tiananmen Square either as a city, so I think this is a very reasonable measure,” he said, referring to the 1989 crackdown on protests by the Chinese government. “Out of all the green spaces we have in the city, why there? It’s a unique space and we have the responsibility to protect it … I truly believe it’s not about stifling rights or anything of that nature.”
DeCiccio, also an attorney, cited a U.S. Supreme Court case over a municipal bandshell that she said allows the city to put restrictions in place.
She said the ordinances “does not silence voices,” but sets aside a “relatively small area” to be protected from potential disruptions.
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