On a parting note, Todd Weaver questions WP Chamber's political activity

At the commissioner’s final meeting, he asked whether the chamber can or should continue to operate its political action committee from a city-leased building

March 15, 2025

By Beth Kassab

At the end of his final meeting this week, Todd Weaver suggested the city could terminate or buy out the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce’s 99-year lease on a city building and questioned whether the group’s political action committee violated the lease agreement.

Weaver said he is unhappy with the group’s political activities and the city is in need of more space for staff and could use 151 W. Lyman Avenue, the city-owned building across from City Hall occupied by the chamber. He also questioned the quality of the Welcome Center the chamber operates in the building as part of its agreement.

“For me, the chamber should be promoting all commerce in the city … they’ve lost sight of our residents,” Weaver said. “… I’m not thrilled that the chamber is actively working against the commission. They backed another person against someone who is an incumbent … I’ve gone over the lease with the city manager and I’ll let them talk about the pitfalls, but something we as a commission should think about for economic reasons is for the city to allow the chamber of commerce to operate as they have, but elsewhere.”

The move came on the heels of Tuesday’s election, which saw a heated contest for Seat 3 with the chamber’s PAC spending more than $30,000 in an attempt to defeat incumbent Kris Cruzada and support challenger Justin Vermuth.

Cruzada, an attorney who was first elected in 2022, won big — taking nearly 63% of the vote — despite being significantly outraised by Vermuth, a lobbyist for the timeshare industry who collected $94,000 and spent $91,000, according to the most recent finance reports. Cruzada raised $36,000 and spent $27,000.

The PAC was created last year with attorney Brian Mills named as chairman and has raised $85,000 and spent $67,000 during the 2024 and 2025 election cycles. In 2024, the group backed Commissioner Craig Russell, who narrowly defeated Jason Johnson to fill a seat left open by Sheila DeCiccio when she ran for mayor.

City attorney Kurt Ardaman said in response to Weaver’s questions at Wednesday’s meeting that it did not appear the city had the ability to buy out the chamber from its lease unless the chamber had sublet a portion of the building without notifying the city or unless the city negotiated a new arrangement with the chamber.

Ardaman said the lease started in 2005 and runs through 2104. In exchange for the century-long lease without monthly rent, the chamber spent about $900,000 to redevelop the site, he said.

Chamber President and CEO Betsy Gardner said through a spokeswoman that the chamber had not sublet any portion of the building to any individual or entity.

Winter PAC lists its address as the chamber’s address and Gardner is listed as its registered agent in documents filed with the city last year.

According to a “Frequently Asked Questions” sheet sent to the Voice, the PAC is operated separately from the chamber itself.

“The Chamber Board and CEO do not control Winter PAC,” the FAQ reads. “While the organizations are associated and aligned with the tenets of the Chamber’s Prosperity Scorecard, they are separate entities with separate bank accounts and independent boards of directors.”

Commissioner Marty Sullivan, whose term is up next year, said, “I believe it deserves a deeper look,” in response to the questions brought up by Weaver.

Cruzada, who will be sworn in for his second term later this month, said, “I wouldn’t mind an inquiry to see if there is a provision in the lease they may be violating.”

Russell, the only current commissioner who had the backing of the chamber and who will also be up for re-election next year, said “nothing from me” when his turn came to speak and then questioned the timing of the discussion.

“Why now?” he asked.

Weaver, who opted not to run for re-election this year, responded that the the PAC was formed after the lease went into effect.

“I get it,” Russell responded. “I’m not interested.”

But with three commissioners — Weaver, Sullivan and Cruzada — signaling interest, the city attorney was asked to research the matter further to determine if there are any concerns related to the lease.

BusinessForce, a political action committee based in Orlando, split from the former Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce years ago after starting out as an affiliated organization similar to Winter PAC.

PACs are routinely used in Florida politics to infuse races with more money than a candidate can often raise through a campaign account alone. That’s because individuals can give unlimited contributions to political committees while candidates are limited to accepting no more than $1,000 per individual or entity each election.

The catch is that, under Florida election rules, political committees can not coordinate activities with a candidate.

The chamber’s own FAQ sheet spells out the rules this way: “The primary purpose of a Political Committee (PC) is to support or oppose any candidate or issue. A PC may also make an independent expenditure, meaning it can spend money to expressly advocate for the election/defeat of
a candidate/issue as long as it is not controlled by, coordinated with, or made upon consultation with any candidate, political committee or agent of such.”

Throughout Vermuth’s campaign, Winter PAC reported multiple expenses labeled as “independent expenditure regarding a candidate” for mail pieces.

For example, two appear on the most recent report filed: one for nearly $8,000 and one for $2,300. All such expenditures on Winter PAC’s reports were paid to MDW Communications LLC at 7765 Lake Worth Road, Suite 210 in Lake Worth.

MDW Communications is a political advertising firm that, according to its website, designs “digital and direct mail strategies that have helped over 150 progressive campaigns and causes win since 2014.”

Vermuth, on his own candidate financial reports, listed a number of expenses for polling, palm cards, mail pieces and paid calls to a group called “Claughton Consulting” that also lists as its address 7765 Lake Worth Road, Suite 210 in Lake Worth.

Searched on a map, the address appears to be in or near a Publix shopping plaza, just east of the Florida Turnpike in Palm Beach County.

The Voice asked Vermuth for information about Claughton Consulting in February and he declined to answer the question. He did not respond to emails seeking comment about the election this week.

An email address on a web site found for Claughton Consulting is invalid. No response was received to questions submitted through a form on the web site.

Only one other local candidate has used Claughton Consulting, according to a search of the state campaign finance database and a search of Orange County campaign finance records.

Steve Leary, the former Winter Park mayor and unsuccessful candidate last year for Orange County Commission, paid the firm through his campaign as well as through his political committee.  Neighbors for a Sensible Orange County paid the firm $65,000 last year. Leary’s own campaign account paid Claughton $105,000 last year, according to finance records.

Gardner said the chamber did not recommend Claughton to Vermuth.

“Winter PAC did use MDW for its communications in this cycle,” she said. ” MDW had done a fantastic job on another project for the Chamber.  We did not recommend Claughton Consulting to Mr. Vermuth’s campaign.

MDW Communications did not immediately respond to e-mailed questions about why MDW’s address appears as the same address for Claughton on campaign reports filed separately by Winter PAC and Vermuth’s campaign.

MDW is frequently used by mostly Democratic candidates across the state. The firm has been paid more than $16 million going back to 2013, according to the state campaign finance database. Multiple addresses are listed for the firm in the database, including the one in Lake Worth.

Orange County elections records show the firm has taken in more than $100,000 dating back to 2020 for work in local races.

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