City explores annexations near Fairbanks and I-4
Bringing properties into city limits would add tax revenue, but also cost in services
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park could grow by more than $180 million in taxable property value and gain a population of more than 1,700 if the City Commission moves forward on a series of annexations near Interstate 4 and Fairbanks Avenue.
The proposed annexations would bring three areas from unincorporated Orange County into the city, which would give Winter Park leaders more control over how the commercial area at the major intersection is developed.
Last month city commissioners brought four properties south of Kentucky Avenue into the city.
Planning Director Jeff Briggs described this small 2-acre annexation as a first step as the city “incrementally works our way toward an ultimate goal.”
The city plans to annex an even wider swath south of Kentucky Avenue, between Formosa Avenue and Clay Street, over time.
Also up for consideration is a small area known as “Lawndale” south of Fairbanks to Harmon Avenue with about 226 homes.
The largest area being eyed by the city is west of Lake Killarney to I-4 with nearly 600 homes.
The annexations would likely require a vote by residents.
Commissioners considered last month whether it would make financial sense to pursue the annexations. A city analysis showed there wasn’t an easy answer. Folding the properties into the city’s borders would come with costs for increased services and infrastructure – particularly increased police and fire services — but would also yield increased tax revenue.
So far, there is no firm timetable for the annexations, though city staff discussed at the work session looking at the November 2024 ballot for county voters and, if needed, a March 2025 ballot for Winter Park city voters.
The annexations should go east and west. All the way to I-4 and Semoran/436. New home construction isn’t going to last forever and Save Our Homes caps prop tax increase at 3%. City needs revenue to continue to grow more than 3%. All logical and smart….except…. the property owners have to vote “YES”. I don’t understand why a lot of property owners would rather stay in the county.
Maybe offer them an incentive to join the city?
As you can see from this crime map, there is less crime in unincorporated Orange County and more crime in Winter Park.
https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-orange-county-fl/
Click + or – to zoom in or out.
Winter Park politicians like to brag that the “response time” is faster in Winter Park.
But most sane residents would rather live in a safe place with no crime and a slow response rate than live in a dangerous place with lots of crime and a fast response rate.
All a fast response rate means is that a City employee will knock on the door of the crime victim within 3 minutes from when they called to report that their home was burglarized.
It doesn’t mean that the burglar returns all the valuables that they stole within 3 minutes. It only means that a City employee will be at the residents’ door to complete a report within 3 minutes so they can update the crime map to show that Winter Park is still a dangerous place to live.
Which is no consolation whatsoever to the crime victim.
But the City Commission will tell everyone how lucky they are to live in Winter Park and they will tell the people they want to annex that Winter Park is so much better than unincorporated Orange County even though its’ obvious that the opposite is true.
I think this is a good thing, assuming the ” financials ” make sense. Control your East and West Borders and increase your tax basis.
I would like to know where I can read what is the “ultimate goal” of city annexations talked about by the City Planing Director.
The ultimate goal is to run up the tax base so that City Commissioners can continue to bring in more and more tourists by wasting the residents tax money on building more and more stuff in our parks and otherwise continuing to reduce the quality of life and basically sticking it to the residents.
WP is no different than any big business. All costs for employees have increased along with supplies. Add to this a 5% COLA that was approved by this commission for all employees. Also, they voted for an up to 2.5% in a merit bonus on an employee’s anniversary date.
The money has to come from a taxpayer. I’d like to see additional payers to absorb the increases.
Lives of those currently residing in the city would not be enhanced by these annexations. Winter Park does not need the money, more territory, or more residents. The costs and burdens would be very significant. The over-promised city services for Ravaudage have never materialized. Don’t buy the hype or the city planner speak. If your life has been enhanced by any building or road in Ravaudage, please raise your hand. Lessons learned. Nuff said.
Assuming some connected folks own property in these potential annex areas that would get an incredible increase in value by being city of winter park 32789???
NO SEWERS, NO DICE! People on Oglesby Ave suffered enough when Orlando, Winter Park, and the County allowed”Seven-41,” or as called before Alexan North apartments, to be built 20 feet from quaint single-story house residences. We now live next to four stories of apartments with 265 interlopers gazing down on us, many using Oglesby Ave as their personal toilet run for their pets. This is all because Calvary Church, to shore up their lagging membership, saw an apparition of dollar signs in the sky so they went for the thirty pieces of silver. When inquiring about extending sewers to the residents, officials installing the sewer for the apartments said the WP wastewater plant would be “at capacity” with the apartments added into the mix and was even borrowing WW facilities from neighboring cities. So living in the City of WP would increase our taxes, and incur ridiculous new building rules and regulations. Our ‘quality of life would go down the sewer.
I would say absolutely not until the city takes care of their current residents. Still need to fix the streets, sidewalks, deal with major disruptions caused by developers, deal with electrical work postponed for years, and address our increasing crime and traffic problems.
Crumbling – just don’t look too closely
Let’s fix the aging, crumbling, failing infrastructure in Winter Park, before we take on the aging, crumbling, failing infrastructure of Orange County.
One crumbling stormwater pipe on Killarney Drive is currently reported to cost Orange County over $1M to fix. How many of these failing pipes are there?
How’s the flooding on Killarney Drive?
Where’s the new (required) fire station going to be built and who’s going to pay for it, if these homes are annexed into Winter Park?
Let’s fix our own city before taking on more responsibility that may include that which needs to be fixed by the county!
Much more research and financial study should be done before a contemplated land grab.
Seems I asked my above question in the wrong place and to the wrong people, (I would like to know where I can read what is the “ultimate goal” of city annexations talked about by the City Planing Director) as I never received an answer. I will try to call the City Planning Director, as I wish to know if the “ultimate goal” means extension on every border and as far as possible.
So far more expansion sounds like a bad idea. What I know is every time I try to enter the Trader Joe shopping area I fear my car being demolished and maybe with me in it. And, the approximate 20 minutes+ to exit the area adds more fear and frustration. This example of expansion should be a red flag to all.
And that’s in 2023.
Just wait until the population growth in the area accelerates during the next five years and see what Trader Joes traffic is like then.
If you like Trader Joes traffic today you will absolutely love it in five years!
Campaigns for city commission mean canvassing: going door to door to speak to city residents about their concerns. Each year residents in annexed areas share stories of the same broken promises that were made to them by the City of Winter Park in order to induce them to vote yes on annexation. I am guessing the same promises will be made to induce the next victims.
I’d like to see city employees who don’t think they are getting paid enough find higher
Paying jobs elsewhere like generations
Before us.