Seat 2 campaigns intensify over development, public safety claims
The three-way race appears focused on one of Winter Park’s most asked questions: How will growth look in the future?
Feb. 22, 2024
By Beth Kassab
Election mailers and the accusations that come along with them are flying in Winter Park as three candidates compete for the seat on the City Commission vacated by Sheila DeCiccio, who is running for mayor.
The issue taking the most attention? Growth and development — Winter Park’s perennial dog fight.
At stake is how Orange and Fairbanks avenues as well as U.S. 17-92 look over time as major property owners begin to redevelop their land along with continuing redevelopment across the city’s western neighborhoods.
The person who is elected to the open seat will likely have significant influence over those projects and two of the candidates, Jason Johnson and Craig Russell, are clearly differentiating themselves on the matter. A third candidate, Stockton Reeves, appears to be focusing on taxes and inflation as well as claims about public safety.
A mailer to residents from the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce’s Political Action Committee somewhat crystalizes what is emerging as a defining issue in the race: Whether development codes should be more lenient.
“Did you know?” the mailer asks is large type. “Park Avenue would be prohibited from being built today under current city code.”
The mailer goes on to say that the code “blocks Winter Park’s iconic charm from enhancing other parts of the city.”
The chamber endorsed Russell, a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School, who was the only candidate at the chamber election forum who said he was open to revisiting the original Orange Avenue Overlay rules that allow for taller buildings and higher density. Those rules were overturned by the City Commission in 2020 and the city won a lawsuit filed by major property holders over that decision.
Russell is also the only candidate who said he was open to the chamber’s proposal to do away with the city’s parking codes that require developers provide a certain number of spaces based on the type of development.
“Current codes limit commercial land owners from creating new mixed use venues of a similar size and aesthetic to Park Avenue because of the onerous and outdated parking requirements,” Betsy Gardner, chamber president and CEO, said in a statement. “Small concessions have been made over time for tenants in the Central Business District, but any new development in the city faces parking mandates that leave businesses overparked, creating empty lots, visual blight and a less walkable and more car-centric environment.”
Russell, who did not respond to a request for comment, has said at previous public forums that he would “listen to the experts” for guidance on growth and development issues. One recent mailer from Russell’s own campaign said he wants to “promote smart growth, opposing irresponsible high-density developments.”
Johnson, who opposes tossing out parking codes and emphatically said he did not agree with returning to the original OAO rules, questioned whether Russell would speak for residents or business interests when it comes to new development.
“The comment about ‘listening to the experts’ is a deflection and a way of saying if an expert comes in on behalf of a developer and says something, we should just listen to that rather than what the residents think,” he said.
Johnson, an attorney who has made maintaining Winter Park’s charm a central element of his campaign, sent out an email to voters this week that emphasized, “I am NOT endorsed by the Winter Park Chamber’s PAC, which endorsed a candidate who supports development of large out-of-scale buildings near Park Avenue, and doing away with parking requirements for future commercial developments.”
Reeves, who did not show up at the public candidate forums, has sent at least eight mailers to voters so far — the most of the three candidates.
One of his pieces exclaims “higher prices and inflation aren’t the only things out of control” and says “our property taxes are going up too!” He accused the commission of increasing taxes by 7% in 2022 and nearly 9% in 2023.
His claims are based on the idea that commissioners could have adopted the “rollback rate” or lowered the city’s milage rate to collect the same tax revenue as was collected the prior year.
Instead, commissioners kept the tax rate the same, but collected more taxes because property values have increased. That means each property owner paid a higher assessment based on their increased value.
During budget meetings last year, commissioners noted the need to increase police and fire budgets as inflation and other factors, have driven up wages and equipment costs. Police and fire make up the largest portion of the city’s general fund expenses followed by parks and public works.
In a separate mailer, Reeves asks “Quick question – How many ambulances does Winter Park have for over 30,000 resident?”
“It is shocking to me that we only have 2 full-time ambulances,” the piece stated.
City officials said a third ambulance is already being staffed part-time and that is set to increase over the coming year.
“Winter Park Fire Department uses the ‘right-sized’ approach, which has proven world-class and credible as WPFD is five-times fire accredited and four-times EMS accredited,” said a statement from the department. “We have already phased in a third rescue/ambulance at Station 64 during select periods. This will continue with the adoption of the [2025] budget, which already includes the hiring of additional personnel.”
Reeves told the Voice that staffing the third ambulance should happen sooner, “I am not satisfied with this and believe it should be staffed full time.”
But considering Reeves also says he supports adopting a rollback tax rate and wants to collect less revenue for the city, it’s unclear where he would find the money to continue to keep up with the costs of public safety.
He did not respond to a question from the Voice seeking details of his plan.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
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By: Beth Kassab
No biography available at this time
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Reeves’ campaign is old style.
Promise the residents more services and less taxes.
Are two ambulances enough?
When was the last time you needed a ride in an ambulance?
Never?
Only once in a blue moon?
If not two how many would Reeves’ say was adequate?
Three?
Then he could boast “Increased ambulances by 50%” if elected.
Would it make any difference?
Unlikely.
Is the chamber of commerce an expert organization regarding parking? And should the chamber of commerce endorse candidates? I think not! My decision to support one candidate was sealed by the chamber endorsement of the other candidate. The chamber should stick to what they do great-marketing and supporting their members and leave the parking issues to the city officials.
One of the most common complaints heard around town is insufficient parking. It comes up time and again about Park Avenue, the Winter Park Village, Trader Joe’s, etc. Residents complain about proposed construction projects that seek variances from parking requirements stating they fear on-street parking would congest traffic flow on their streets. Shops and restaurants lose business because people cannot find parking. Even attending meetings at City Hall requires long periods of trolling for a space. Watering down parking requirements is not a good idea.
Here is some free money: the Winter Park Community Center loses $700,000 each year. Contract out the services.
Common sense could cut millions from our over stuffed city budget with zero loss of service. You can start with $1,000,000 a year in consultants whose job is to provide backup for more spending.
While they are at it they can roll back to $1,000,000 increase in storm water fees. The former fee was sufficient to provide storm water improvements at a reasoned pace.
There is much more. Read the budget: https://cityofwinterpark.org/docs/departments/finance/budget/proposed-budget-2024.pdf
Hurricane Ian gave the City a master class on stormwater issues. Rolling back stormwater fees is the exact opposite of what we need right now to be able to abate the massive flooding in many parts of the City that we saw during Ian and Nicole. In order to provide more retention and treatment for stormwater, land purchases and easements are the primary and most-effective methods for responsible stormwater management.
The City Commission and City staff decided to move the stormwater fees to the non-ad valorum section of property tax bills. The reasoning was two-fold: 1) A significant number of land owners were not being billed at all, and 2) since all properties with impervious surfaces contribute to our collective stormwater issues, unrented properties were paying nothing. In the process, the City expects to collect about $600,000 more per year, with individual property owners paying only slightly more than collected in previous years.
The Orange Avenue Overlay was the only master class that you should have needed because it incorporated drainage and stormwater solutions which you denied, but years later, it took a hurricane to educate you. Shameful.
Actually, no language regarding stormwater was removed from the original OAO plan in its current form. The City Commission retained retention requirements in the current OAO plan as well as the 25% open space (mostly pervious areas) requirement.
As part of the conditional use permit, the first redevelopment project in the OAO (the McRaney office building at Denning & Minnesota) actually exceeds the OAO and State stormwater requirements.
Thank you for clarifying this for everyone. My bill went up by maybe $80 a year which is a small price to pay. As someone who drives Palmer, Georgia and both Old and New England streets, I can agree the storm run off and flooding is only getting worse even after all the sewer work that was done along Palmer.
I would like to know the average daily runs for these two ambulances, how often were 3 or more needed? In an emergency are there not other ambulances available say from orange county.
Stockton Reeves has the exact same talking points as every single uber-conservative candidate that has ever run for public office. Point out problems but don’t offer any solutions. Put divisive and fearful tactics in your mailers. Don’t show up unless you know you’ll have a receptive audience. Don’t respond to questions from media or constituents. How many times does the citizenry of Winter Park have to not vote for Stockton Reeves to understand his type of politics isn’t wanted in our city?
As I was reading the info about Mr. Reeves property tax philosophy, the fact that the highest proportion of our budget goes to police and fire and Mr. Reeves assessment that a new ambulance is needed, I wondered how he planned to pay for it. Apparently I am on the same page as the Voice!
The ambulances that our family have ever used came immediately with no wait at all. Not sure they were from the City but each time from calling 911. Never heard of this being a problem from anyone including my doctor.
“Growth and development — Winter Park’s perennial dog fight” is a ridiculous statement. We live in a built out city that can only grow from larger buildings replacing existing building. Very few properties would qualify. Rollins is proposing 39 apartments where there are now 28. Will you notice any difference? Take a look at the traffic counts for WP in the last 20 years. Palmer, Aloma, Orange Ave, N. Park Ave., Glenridge, Lakemont and on and on. They haven’t changed.
Can we stop the bloviating, please.
orange county traffic counts-google it.
I am not sure where you live, but we live on Cortland right at the Brewer curve on Aloma and we have lived there since 1995. I can tell you that the traffic on Aloma has become absolutely intolerable. Aloma used to be called the Winter Park-Oviedo Road and Oviedo has been building out over the years and we are bearing the brunt of the traffic. I don’t care what Orange county traffic court says, that road is seeing a tremendous increase in the amount of traffic. And unfortunately because it’s a state road, there’s not much that Winter Park can do to alleviate the traffic.
My main criteria for any person running for the commission or Mayor is they have no political ambitions beyond being the mayor or on the commission. I don’t want them looking to do what might get them to a higher level politically or keep them from advancing up politically in making decisions about city issues. Mr. Reeves ran for a State House seat and lost in the recent past. Is this current effort of his a stepping stone? I don’t know of course and can’t know even if he said he was not angling for higher office. For that reason alone I won’t be voting for Mr. Reeves.
Why would a person with naked political ambition ever want to serve on a city commission? It’s a dead end. You’d have to go back to the 1960’s to find a local pol who moved up to a higher office. And on the flip side, if a local commissioner does a great job and is termed out, why not keep serving in another capacity? If May or Phil wanted to run for county commission would you vote for him?
I disqualify anyone who has had a past higher office run is all I can tell you who now wants to run for the city commission or Mayor. I want a neighbor not a political type. If Mayor Leary wanted back as Mayor again he would not get my vote for that since he explored running for the County Commission after his time as Mayor. I would vote for him maybe if he ran for the County Commission. I voted for him every time he ran in the past in the city.
Am I the only that feels jilted by the chamber of commerce for creating a PAC and supporting a candidate? Don’t us tax payers fund that land where their structure resides? If the chamber is an autonomous private organization then I have no problem with them having a PAC and supporting candidates. But if they are benefiting from public support, they should not mix politics with their service.
Honestly, people should not comment or complain about fire/rescue services unless you are truly educated about the topic. I am. 14 years of experience in fire rescue services (retired). I am also a homeowner located equidistant from WPFR Stations 1 and 2.
Additional staffed equipment should be considered on a “need” basis not a “I can’t believe we only have…” basis.
WPFR more than adequately covers the EMS needs of the city. Remember, an ambulance (rescue as they are referred to) is only a certified means of transporting an aided individual to a receiving medical facility. The vehicle itself provides exactly ZERO patient care. WPFR on the other hand staffs no less than 6 advanced life support apparatus (defined by the certification of the personnel on board as well as the equipment carried). Station 61 (downtown) has one each Engine, Truck (ladder truck) and Rescue. Station 62 (Lakemont) has an Engine and Rescue. Station 64 (Howell Branch/Horatio) has an Engine. Also staffed is the EMS Supervisor’s vehicle. As mentioned in the article, Rescue 64 is staffed as demand requires.
In addition to the staffed apparatus I mentioned above, mutual aid is available from numerous Orange County Fire Rescue, City of Orlando and City of Maitland stations that immediately border Winter Park, although it is rarely needed. Finally, there is one receiving facility within WPFR’s response area (Winter Park Memorial Hospital) and one adjacent to it (Advent Health’s main campus on Orange Ave.), who’s geographic proximity allow for significantly reduced out of service time for the transporting apparatus and crews.