Up to $100k in city grants available for Winter Park nonprofits via proposed new process

Up to $100k in city grants available for Winter Park nonprofits via proposed new process

Up to $100k in city grants available for Winter Park nonprofits via proposed new process

Like many local governments, Winter Park has long supported local organizations, including $1 million to the Dr. Phillips Center. Now it’s looking to formalize how it selects which nonprofits receive money

Feb. 18, 2025

By Beth Kassab

Winter Park nonprofits will be able to compete for a slice of the $100,000 in public funds previously designated each year for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts under a new process likely to be established this spring.

Commissioners agreed at a workshop last week to form a committee made of volunteer members from other city advisory boards to review and rank applications for $10,000 grants of the available funds.

The city paid $1 million to the arts center in Orlando over 10 years and made its final payment last year.

A new committee process, which is likely to come before the City Commission next month, is the result of months of discussion over how to set clear and fair parameters for disbursing the money to local nonprofits now that the $100,000 each year is available for other uses.

The city’s current policy calls for 0.25% of revenues from the General Fund, Water & Wastewater fund and Electric fund or about $420,000 each year to be dedicated to supporting local nonprofits. It’s not uncommon for cities and counties to use a portion of their budgets to help local service and arts and culture groups.

Under the plan, six nonprofits that have existed as a line item in the city budget for years would remain there and be “grandfathered in” rather than be part of the competitive process.

Those organizations and their current allocations are:

United Arts: $19,000

Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens: $27,000

Winter Park Day Nursery: $41,000

Mead Botanical Garden: $98,000

Winter Park History Museum: $93,000

Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts: $12,000

Two other groups are included in this year’s budget but will not be grandfathered in: Men of Integrity at $18,000 and the Winter Park Institute at $25,000.

Kathy Ramsberger, CEO of the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando, appeared at last week’s commission meeting to report on the venue’s work so far and ask for more dollars in the future. Winter Park contributed $1 million to the $625 million project, which now includes the Walt Disney Theater, Steinmetz Hall, the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater and Judson’s Live (pictured above). She talked about plans to build an additional 750-seat theater and other spaces such as an outdoor amphitheater.

Mayor Sheila DeCiccio told Ramsberger at the end of the presentation that the commission could potentially discuss the arts center when the city’s annual budget talks begin this summer.

DeCiccio told the Voice that the arts center would be required to apply through the new process, if it’s approved, just as any other nonprofit would be asked to do.

At the workshop commissioners appeared supportive of requiring the groups seeking grants to be based in Winter Park.

Commissioner Craig Russell questioned why the focus appeared to be on arts and culture rather than social service organizations.

Peter Moore, director of the city’s management and budget department, said the reason is because the social services category is so large.

“That’s OK,” Russell said. “There is a significant need.”

Russell, a Winter Park High School teacher and coach who runs a nonprofit aimed at needy students and families, said he would never apply for the dollars because of his role on the commission, but noted the good the dollars could potentially do in that sector.

Moore said the grant program could be revised to more explicitly include education and social service missions.

The commission is set to consider a formal proposal on the new grant process in March.

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Endorsed by the Winter Park chamber PAC, Justin Vermuth builds campaign chest

Endorsed by the Winter Park chamber PAC, Justin Vermuth builds campaign chest

Endorsed by the Winter Park chamber PAC, Justin Vermuth builds campaign chest

Incumbent Kris Cruzada said he is relying on mostly smaller donations from residents

Feb. 14, 2025

By Beth Kassab

Justin Vermuth, who is challenging Kris Cruzada for Seat 3 on the City Commission, is leading the fundraising contest so far, bolstered by at least $10,000 in contributions from companies related to the Holler family and the attorney for the prominent landowners and car dealers.

Vermuth, who was endorsed this week by the political action committee affiliated with the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, reported $24,515 in contributions through Feb. 4 while Cruzada, the incumbent, raised $16,400 ahead of the March 11 election.

The bulk of Vermuth’s money, or $20,000, came in $1,000 donations — the maximum allowed per donor per campaign cycle.

For example, a total of $10,000 comes from companies associated with the Holler family such as Holler Hyundai, Holler Honda, Classic Mazda, Audi North Orlando, Classic Honda and Driver’s Mart Sanford. They gave $1,000 each.

So did Frank Hamner, the longtime attorney for the Holler family. Hamner, who serves as spokesman for the family, did not return a phone call or email seeking comment.

Asked about his relationship with the Holler family and how he met them, Vermuth said via email that he’s proud “to have support from residents, small businesses, and community leaders across Winter Park.”

“We’re building a broad coalition of supporters, many of whom have chosen to donate to my campaign,” he said. “I’m also proud to have an outstanding campaign team for advertising and polling.”

He declined to share the results of his polling so far.

Bundled contributions from companies related to the Holler family will seem a familiar strategy to those who follow Winter Park politics. Last year the family’s companies contributed in a similar way to Craig Russell, who won Seat 2 over Jason Johnson, by 34 votes.

The Hollers, along with landowner Mary Demetree, sued the city of Winter Park alleging that a series of development rules known as the Orange Avenue Overlay, where the family owns property, were improperly overturned in 2020. The new rules still stand.

Last year the City Commission, including Cruzada, approved the Holler’s proposal for a portion of its property at Fairbanks Avenue and Denning Drive that involved providing a piece of land to the city to widen the road and make improvements at the busy intersection.

Another similarity to last year’s election cycle: Vermuth, like Russell, has the support of Winter PAC, the political action committee affiliated with the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. The PAC has raised more than $85,000 since the start of last year’s campaigns and spent more than $40,000.

It’s most recent expenditure on Feb. 10 is listed as nearly $8,000 for mailers related to a candidate paid to MDW Communications, which shares the same Lake Worth address as a political consulting firm called Claughton Consulting. Vermuth’s campaign has paid more than $11,000 to Claughton Consulting for polling, palm cards, e-mail services and yard signs, according to financial reports.

“The Winter PAC board of directors voted to endorse Vermuth because they believe he will bring a needed perspective shift in leadership, and he has personal experience with issues families in our community are facing,” read a press release from the PAC released this week.

Cruzada said he was approached with a potential contribution from the chamber PAC before Vermuth entered the race in mid January, but declined because he said he felt more comfortable taking contributions from individuals.

A chamber spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a question from the Voice about whether Cruzada was offered the group’s support.

“I think I have a record that shows I have worked with the Winter Park chamber,” Cruzada said, noting that he helped the group lobby for arts dollars in Tallahassee and also supported changes to the city’s parking code pushed by the chamber to reduce the amount of parking spaces developers must build in certain instances. “I was more about individual donations versus, say, a PAC … My supporters who walked neighborhoods and campaigned for me, I didn’t want to leave them behind at all. They are very well informed voters and participants in Winter Park policy.”

Less than half of Cruzada’s $16,000 campaign fund  — about $6,000 has come in the form of $1,000 checks. His top donors include two former mayors — Phil Anderson and David Strong and Sally Flynn, a local resident and an organizer and volunteer for his campaign. (Full disclosure: Strong and Flynn are key supporters of the nonprofit Voice, which is solely supported by community contributions. See our editorial policy here.)

Most of Cruzada’s contributions come in the form of smaller-dollar amounts from more than 45 individuals, mostly Winter Park residents.

Vermuth’s other contributors included $3,000 from Seth Heller and his financial services companies in South Florida. Jason Gamel, president of the American Resort Development Association, also gave $1,000.

Vermuth serves as a senior vice president and chief lobbyist for the association that represents timeshare companies across the nation.

Two lobbyists from the firm The Southern Group — Kelly Cohen and Kaley Slattery — gave a combined $300. The firm represents a list of influential clients from Walt Disney World to Tavistock Development Company, which is seeking to develop large tracts of land in east Orange County.

About 20 Winter Park residents contributed to Vermuth’s campaign, including former Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel and chamber officer Carroll Goggin, according to the reports.

Update: This story was updated to include comments from Vermuth.

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Endorsed by the Winter Park chamber PAC, Justin Vermuth builds campaign chest

Kris Cruzada and Justin Vermuth spar over budget to win votes for Commission Seat 3

Kris Cruzada and Justin Vermuth spar over budget to win votes for Commission Seat 3

Both men look to distinguish themselves ahead of the March 11 election

Feb. 7, 2025

By Beth Kassab

In the first candidate forums ahead of the March 11 election, Commissioner Kris Cruzada attempted to fend off a challenge from first-time candidate Justin Vermuth, who said the city needs to rein in spending and asserted “there’s plenty of pork” in the city’s budget, though he was light on specifics.

Cruzada, who was first elected in 2022, defended his record on the commission. He cited his contemplative approach to development such as working with residents on the west side to achieve a more palatable design for a new rental complex to be built near Winter Park Village as well as the city’s low electric utility rates, investment in the arts, improved parks and Winter Park’s solid financial position.

“I disagree with Justin’s opinion about our finances … they’re good,” Cruzada said. “We have $21 million in reserves, we have a balanced budget and we will continue to do so … we are succeeding.”

In back-to-back debates at the Winter Park Library on Thursday evening and at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce on Friday morning, Vermuth mentioned at least three times that he’s “read all 267 pages” of the city’s budget.

“There’s plenty of pork in there that we can cut without impacting city services without impacting residents whatsoever,” he said, though each time he brought it up, he stopped short of detailing what or how he would cut spending or explain what he considered to be “pork.”

After the library forum put on by high school students through the new Winter Park Youth Council, the Voice asked Vermuth for specific examples.

He said he does not agree with the current City Commission’s decision to pay $3.8 million to buy land to help the nonprofit Winter Park Playhouse and generally did not agree with the city using public funds to acquire property.

An $8 million grant from Orange County is actually covering the cost of the Playhouse purchase and renovation along with $2 million to be privately raised by the professional theater, which will operate the venue.

Cruzada highlighted investment in the arts as essential to the city’s identity, recalling how he watched his own daughter grow in confidence after participating in a music program at Rollins College.

“I think for every one dollar we spend on arts we get a 10-fold return,” he said, noting another county TDT grant will also help build a new Rollins museum.

Vermuth signaled a willingness to cut back on arts spending.

“From a fiscal standpoint, we need to look at the arts programs holistically and see which ones make sense,” he said. “We need to lift up the arts community, absolutely, but we also need to do what’s right. We have a fiscal responsibility and we need to evaluate each of those programs as a group and individually to see which ones make sense to support in our community.”

The city provided $2.3 million last year in direct support to groups like Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, which is now leasing the old library, United Arts, the Winter Park Historical Association, the Polasek Museum and the library, which took the bulk of the funding.

Kris Cruzada

Vermuth also said he is against the $4 million purchase of the land and buildings rented by Michelin-starred Soseki and Austin’s Coffee to make way for road, park and stormwater improvements. The acre on the corner of Fairbanks Avenue and Denning Drive has long been part of the city’s strategic plan and the commission voted unanimously in the fall to move forward on the purchase.

The businesses that rent space on the property have been outspoken about their investments in the buildings and their desire to stay put. The city has said it will honor the current multi-year leases.

“This isn’t a ‘Make Winter Park Great Again’ campaign … everyone knows Winter Park is great,” Vermuth said. “This is a ‘We can do better campaign’ … we can do better with the budget, with the way we treat our residents, the way we engage our community and bring the city government to them.”

The city budget totals more than $214 million, with growth in revenue driven by climbing property values that are expected to level off in coming years. Police, fire and public works take up more than half of the $83 million general fund.

At both forums, Vermuth cited the 10-year pro-forma in the budget document as evidence that Winter Park is heading in the wrong direction and that its reserve fund will dwindle from just under 27% of expenditures today to about 5% by 2033.

But a city spokeswoman explained the pro forma is intended as an exercise in looking ahead at hypothetical variables and what could happen if the commission didn’t make adjustments each year.

“A pro-forma shows what would happen if no management intervention happens from year to year,” she said. “But management intervention happens every year.  The City Manager gives the Commission a balanced budget every year.  The City Commission weighs the wants and needs for city services and capital spending against the resources available and adopts a balanced budget, usually without drawing down on any reserves.  Part of managing any business is to look ahead so there are less surprises and so you can head off bad outcomes early.  That is what these pro-formas help us do.  They are not like audits, that are looking at actual numbers, and they certainly are not prescriptive that this is what we are going to do.  They are planning tools to help guide the future so we can address negative trends early.”

Justin Vermuth

After a series of devastating hurricanes in 2004, the city’s reserve fund hit about 6% and the commissioners at the time set a goal to bring the fund back up to 30%.

Since then, the reserve fund has grown, reaching the 30% mark in 2020. But the percentage slipped in recent years to 26.6% because of soaring expenses caused by inflation, according to the budget document. The actual dollar balance of the reserve fund today is higher than ever at $21 million.

“Only eight years ago, reserves stood at $8 million, a significant improvement given the pandemic occurrence just a couple years ago,” the document says.

In a recent public message to residents, Commissioner Marty Sullivan called for a property tax increase of .6 mills to generate an extra $5 million a year.

Both Cruzada and Vermuth said they opposed such a plan. The city hasn’t increased the rate at which property owners pay taxes since 2008.

The candidates also agreed on the referendum that will appear with their names on the March 11 ballot. Both said they would vote to repeal the city’s ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

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In first ‘State of the City,’ Mayor Sheila DeCiccio highlights strong financials

In first ‘State of the City,’ Mayor Sheila DeCiccio highlights strong financials

In first 'State of the City,' Mayor Sheila DeCiccio highlights strong financials

The annual event drew a large crowd and also honored Winter Park’s employees of the year, including a school resource officer from Winter Park High

Feb. 1, 2025

By Beth Kassab

Mayor Sheila DeCiccio underscored the city’s solid financial footing and pointed to a future of business growth and enhanced services such as flood prevention and the completion of the undergrounding project by the city’s electric utility in her first State of the City address on Friday.

DeCiccio, who made history last year when she was elected as the first woman to the office, spoke to a packed crowd at the Winter Park Events Center, including local officials such as U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who recently announced her bid for Orlando mayor.

She highlighted Winter Park’s strong financial position with growing residential and commercial tax bases and a robust reserve fund as part of the city’s $214.4 million annual budget.

Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and City Manager Randy Knight shake hands on stage Friday morning as commissioners Todd Weaver, Marty Sullivan and Craig Russell look on.

“We’ve kept our millage rate the same for 17 consecutive years and we have the strongest tax base in all of Orange County,” she said, pointing to AAA ratings by Fitch and Moody’s.

Fitch upgraded the city to AAA in August citing, “financial resilience given amble budgetary flexibility and Fitch’s expectation that the city will maintain reserves at or above 10% of spending.” The reserve fund sits at about 29% today, just below the city’s goal of 30%.

DeCiccio listed the recent expansion of the Community Redevelopment Agency, which allows Winter Park to keep more dollars that would otherwise be siphoned off to Orange County, as a way the city will shape development and increase tax revenue off Fairbanks Avenue near Interstate 4.

She also cited the undergrounding of electric wires, which sits at 80% completion and is slated to be finished by 2030 as a key factor in how Winter Park has kept the lights on during storms while other communities sat in the dark and lauded a year-long study that has helped prioritize flood-prevention projects.

DeCiccio gave credit to the city’s staff, which she said routinely pull off a number of events that make Winter Park a regional draw.

Last year’s holiday decor and events were just one example.

“It was said it was like being in a Hallmark movie,” she said.

Earlier in her address, DeCiccio nodded briefly to the less feel-good side of Winter Park. The town of about 30,000 people along a picturesque chain of lakes is also known for bitter political fights over everything from development to gas-powered leaf blowers. (A ban on the noisy machines will appear on the March ballot along with two candidates for Commission Seat 3.)

“Our shared commitment to unity and nonpartisan government has allowed us to rise above divisiveness,” she said.

Defense attorney Warren Lindsey, who was just elected to City Commission Seat 4 without opposition and will take office in March, was in attendance. Also in the audience was Justin Vermuth, the attorney and timeshare lobbyist who is challenging Commissioner Kris Cruzada for Seat 3.

Other highlights included:

Founders’ Award. DeCiccio recognized former Mayor David Strong with the 2025 Mayor’s Founders’ Award for his role in steering the city during the 2008 recession and helping protect Central Park from development from a proposal to build a hotel there. Strong, a third generation Winter Parker, whose dad was also mayor in the 1980s, entered the real estate business after graduating from Winter Park High and Vanderbilt University, where he received a football scholarship. DeCiccio also cited his work on Howell Branch Preserve, Casa Feliz and numerous philanthropic activities such as supporting local arts and museums. (Full disclosure: Strong is also a financial contributor to the Voice.)

Officer Christopher Belcore speaks to the crowd.

Employees of the year: Police Chief Tim Volkerson named Christopher Belcore, a school resource officer at Winter Park High School, as officer of the year. Belcore, he said, has served at the school for two years and received numerous accolades from parents about his ability to establish an authentic relationship with students while also leading key investigations. Belcore’s work was instrumental, Volkerson said, in the conviction of a student who Belcore learned had access to weapons and could have posed a threat to the school.

Winter Park Human Resources Director Pam Russell also recognized Jeanni Ruddy, who has helped grow the department’s wellness programs, with the 2025 honor. Winter Park Fire Chief Dan Hagedorn named Lt. Brandon Williams, who is also a paramedic, as fire employee of the year.

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Warren Lindsey walks into Commission Seat 4 without opposition

Warren Lindsey walks into Commission Seat 4 without opposition

Warren Lindsey walks into Commission Seat 4 without opposition

Incumbent Kris Cruzada draws opponent Justin Vermuth for Commission Seat 3 as qualifying ended Tuesday ahead of the March election

Jan. 21, 2025

By Beth Kassab

First-time candidate and local defense attorney Warren Lindsey was automatically elected to the Winter Park City Commission on Tuesday after no other candidates qualified by the noon deadline.

Lindsey will take Seat 4 in the place of Todd Weaver after a swearing-in ceremony set for late March. Weaver opted not to run again.

He said he looked forward to getting to know more city staff and preparing to start his term.

“The polestar of my service will be to always put the interests of our citizens first and to promote our local businesses,” said Lindsey, a registered Democrat, on Tuesday afternoon.

Kris Cruzada

City elections are technically nonpartisan, but party politics historically bleeds into the campaigns and, in turn, some city issues with local party officials providing funding and campaign help.

Records show Lindsey raised nearly $35,000 for his campaign, including a $20,000 loan from himself. Contributors included prominent Democratic donors such as former Mayor Phil Anderson and Jennifer Anderson and former Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel, also a registered Democrat.

Lindsey currently serves on the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission and played a role in pushing Rollins College to agree to make partial tax payments on an apartment project the liberal arts school proposed as a way to provide a more affordable housing option close to campus for its early career faculty. In August, the City Commission approved the project, including the first-of-its-kind PILOT or payment in lieu of taxes agreement between the city and a tax-exempt nonprofit, after multiple revisions to the apartments’ architecture.

“I thought that project represented a constructive and collaborative effort by the city, Rollins and the surrounding neighbors,” he said. “It resulted in a quality project with less density and more parking than originally proposed.”

Justin Vermuth

Joining Lindsey on the dais for a new term in March will be the winner of a two-way contest for Seat 3 between incumbent Kris Cruzada, an attorney, and newcomer Justin Vermuth, an attorney who works as a lobbyist for the timeshare industry. The election is March 11.

Cruzada, a Republican who was first elected to the commission in 2022, grew up in the area and said he wants to continue to serve the residents for another term to “focus on infrastructure, keep our milage rate low and partner with nonprofit institutions on arts and culture,” among other issues.

“Between 36 months ago to today, I’ve learned a lot,” Cruzada said. “I think the record of the commission with Seven Oaks Park, the redevelopment of Winter Park Village, the redevelopment of the former Bank of the Ozarks property has all laid a good foundation for how we would like to develop moving forward.”

Records show Cruzada has raised $1,700.

He said he doesn’t know Vermuth well, but did appoint him to the Lakes and Waterways Board in 2022.

“I look forward to hearing what he has to say and I hope it’s a collegial race where the residents will have the ability to fully discern and decide who will be best for the city of Winter Park,” Cruzada said.

Vermuth did not return messages seeking comment for this story. Because he just entered the race he has not yet filed a campaign finance report. His LinkedIn profile lists him as the senior vice president for government affairs for the American Resort Development Association, which represents the timeshare industry.

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CORRECTION: This story previously listed the wrong party affiliation for former Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel. She is a registered Democrat.

 

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News outlets in Central Florida will collaborate to examine impacts of homeless camping ban

News outlets in Central Florida will collaborate to examine impacts of homeless camping ban

News outlets in Central Florida will collaborate to examine impacts of homeless camping ban

The Voice joins 10 outlets in providing reporting on an important topic for local residents, taxpayers and the homeless

Dec. 8, 2025

Staff Report

The Winter Park Voice is joining 10 local news outlets in a regional collaboration to report on the local impact of Florida’s new Unauthorized Public
Camping and Public Sleeping bill (House Bill 1365), set to be enforced Jan. 1. For six months these news outlets will share and cross-publish their reporting to work toward creating a more informed and engaged Central Florida community. This collaboration is an ongoing effort, which additional news organizations may join over time.

The Voice is contributing reporting to examine how the law will impact residents and taxpayers in Winter Park and beyond. Through its coverage, the Voice aims to provide readers with timely and trustworthy reporting on this critical issue.

“This project will, in part, help examine how laws passed in Tallahassee ripple out to city halls and local taxpayers where the true impacts, costs and consequences are often most acutely felt,” said Voice Editor Beth Kassab. “We are excited to be a part of this first-of-its-kind local collaboration and provide information that we hope will help engage our community on the important issue of homelessness and the steps needed for real solutions.”

This collaboration was formed at the Central Florida Journalism Ecosystem Summit, created last summer by Central Florida Public Media, Central Florida Foundation and Oviedo Community News. The Summit served as the first strategic alliance of local news organizations looking to change the course of civic engagement in Central Florida.

Following the Summit, a nine-member task force facilitated by Mark Brewer, president and CEO of Central Florida Foundation, met to fine-tune the collaborative’s goals and select a pilot project – choosing House Bill 1365 as the first major issue to address together.

This collaboration highlights the power of regional news outlets unifying under the same goal.

“As the only local nonprofit news organization serving all of Central Florida, we believe we have a responsibility to unite the community’s news outlets and prioritize public service over competition,” said Judith Smelser, president and general manager of Central Florida Public Media. “Gone are the days when one single media outlet could meet the region’s needs alone. By working together, we can strengthen and preserve local journalism.”

“One of the Central Florida Foundation’s core values is fostering a well-informed and civically engaged community,” said Mark Brewer, president and CEO of the Central Florida Foundation, which is providing operational but not editorial guidance to the budding collaborative. “The Journalism Ecosystem Summit and, subsequently, this first collaboration among local news organizations are excellent examples of Central Florida as a leader in community innovation,
with organizations across sectors that want to work together to achieve shared goals.”

“Looking to best practices around the nation, this group of committed news organizations has been working hard to create a local model that will reach more Central Floridians and dive deeper into issues that matter to our audiences,” Oviedo Community News Editor-in-chief Megan Stokes said. “Accessibility and creating news that responds to local needs have been pillars of Oviedo Community News from the start. We are excited to work with this collaborative to help spread that public service throughout the region.”

You can find more information on all participating organizations below: 

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