City Attorney Says His Firm has Left Winter Park Chamber
City Attorney Kurt Ardaman said his law firm is no longer a member of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce after he was says he was unaware he made a contribution to its political committee at the time he paid his member dues
April 10, 2025
By Beth Kassab
City Attorney Kurt Ardaman told the City Commission on Wednesday that his law firm Fishback Dominick is no longer a member of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce “based on a number of factors” in the wake of his look into whether the chamber is violating its lease on a city building by allowing its political action committee to reside at the same address.
Ardaman said he stands by his opinion provided to the commission last month that the chamber is not in violation of the lease because it has not officially subleased or assigned any legal interest of the building over to Winter PAC, which has raised more than $85,000 over two years to influence city elections.
He said he did not know when he started the investigation based on a request from the commission that $25 paid at the same time he paid his firm’s chamber dues was sent to the PAC in January. The PAC has since returned the money.
He did not disclose his membership or the contribution in his report. And he did not include that the chamber collects an optional portion paid at the time members pay dues for the political committee, apparently because he was unaware of it.
“I’ve not been happy based on a number of factors with the chamber … So we’ve resigned from the chamber because we’re just not satisfied with it,” Ardaman told the board, noting that no one forced him to make the move.
Ardaman said that the information he obtained from chamber and PAC leaders was not taken under oath, but that commissioners could file a court action if they wanted to attempt to obtain sworn depositions or additional documents from the group.
None of the commissioners expressed a desire to file such an action.
Chamber Executive Director Betsy Gardner, who also serves as registered agent for the PAC, declined to comment. The chamber says it has nearly 800 members. According to email correspondence between Gardner and Ardaman’s firm provided to the Voice after this story was first published, 82 members have opted to pay an extra $25 for the PAC at the time of renewing dues while “hundreds” have chosen not to contribute.
A copy of the Fishback Dominick invoice shows the firm paid for three items on the same invoice: $595 in membership dues; $195 for an enhanced listing and $25 labeled as “optional voluntary contribution to Winter PAC, the Winter Park Chamber’s affiliated political committee.
Commissioner Kris Cruzada, the incumbent Winter PAC attempted to kick out of office this year by spending more than $30,000, thanked Ardman for his “disclosure” and “candor” and asked about other potential legal actions to remove the PAC from the building. The chamber signed a 99-year lease with the city for the building across from City Hall in 2005 and spent $900,000 on its development.
Ardman said he didn’t think such an action would be successful.
Warren Lindsey, a defense attorney and the newest commissioner who took office last month, also thanked Ardaman for his “professionalism” and asked if there were more details about the money paid from the PAC to the Chamber noted in Ardaman’s four-page memorandum.
The report notes $3,600 payments from the PAC to the Chamber listed on the group’s election cycle financial reports as “administrative fees/non-candidate expenditure” or “professional fees/expenditure regarding candidate.”
Brian Mills and Lawrence Lyman, the officers of Winter PAC, told Ardman’s firm that the payments were for the use of equipment such as copies or printers and for the chamber accepting and holding the political group’s mail, according to the report.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to add further clarification that the payments collected by the chamber for Winter PAC are collected at the same time as chamber dues, but are optional. as well as to add additional information based on correspondence provided by the Chamber.
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I will keep saying this until it is no longer true. Republicans must cheat and lie to advance their agenda.
Wow, way to stereotype. I am on the same team with this poster RE this issue, despite me being a dreaded Republican, the denials by the chamber are laughable as was the attorney’s finding. BUT…. I’m SURE that if I had ever submitted a comment painting all Democrats with the same broad brush it wouldn’t be posted!
Right. And Joe Biden had all of his faculties, just like the Democrats said?
Waaaahhh
Bonnie: I suspect that even most Republicans would prefer to live in the kind of world conjured up in the Democrat’s imagination, rather than in the kind of world were are in fact stuck with.
Everything sounds good to me if I can rent out the Chamber equipment for my business and have my mail held there why I vacay in the Hamptons.
The Chamber helps keep commerce viable here in Winter Park. The shops and eateries are enjoyed by both residents and tourists alike. Will Winter Park residents need to drive all the way to New Smyrna Beach just to obtain a life-size glass peacock? Will morbidly obese tourists have to leave Park Avenue to find their favorite chocolate dipped, nut encrusted, tallow balls?
Mr Ardaman needs to get off his high horse!
if you are going to “moderate” my post, don’t bother printing it
Kurt is a good City Attorney and clearly wants his firm to keep the contract.
He found nothing because there is nothing there. His firm chose to drop their membership. Trade groups, professional associations, Chambers, they all have boxes you can check off if you chose to contribute to the PAC. Let’s stop the insinuation that the Chamber gave Fishback the “option” to contribute. Someone at that firm checked the box. They chose the “option” to return the money.
Like Gary Brewer said, there will always be groups who oppose the Chamber getting involved in elections. Voters have the “option” to choose who they want in elections. The Chamber’s mailings were a lot of things, but they weren’t negative.
When will the Voice run a story about Commissioner Sullivan’s having the Historic Preservation Board give him a special designation for his residence? When will the Voice run a story about how residents are paying legal fees to fight an ethics violation with the same Board? Or is that an “option” too? Folks may not like the Chamber’s PAC but it’s outrageous that a “news” organization chooses the “option” of not covering the HPB.