Voters will decide gas leaf blower ban next year
The referendum comes in response to a threat of state preemption by Sen. Jason Brodeur
Feb. 28, 2024
By Beth Kassab
Voters will decide next year whether to keep or toss the city’s ban on gas powered leaf blowers in March 2025 .
Commissioners voted 3-2 to put the question on the ballot in response to Sen. Jason Brodeur’s threat to preempt such a ban in cities across Florida after residents complained that the ban was an example of local government overreach.
Mayor Phil Anderson, Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and Commissioner Kris Cruzada voted in favor of putting the question on the ballot. Commissioners Todd Weaver and Marty Sullivan voted against it.
If voters decide to keep the ban, it will go into effect in the summer of 2025.
The ordinance was unanimously adopted by the commission in January of 2022, but wasn’t set to go into effect until June of this year.
Commissioners said the ordinance is necessary to protect residents from the ear-piercing noise and pollution that results from the gas blowers.
Weaver, who has led the call for the ban, noted that governments intervene when substances or devices are deemed harmful such as asbestos in buildings or the cocaine that was once in the old formula for Coca Cola.
Wednesday night’s action means it will remain on hold until after the vote a year from now.
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The City Commission bowed to Senator Brodeur’s threat last night, voting in favor of a voter referendum, and low and behold, Brodeur filed the amendment this morning to preempt cities banning gas-powered blowers anyway. So much for a trustworthy public servant.
Why expect a liar to keep his word? Thank you for your vote.
Spineless commission bows to a fraudulently elected non-resident. Comparison chart is missing a column: rake. Cost: $10. Weight: 2 lbs. Energy usage: 0. I can rake my entire yard in less than 15 minutes including bagging the leaves, which people using leaf blowers don’t do anyway, illegally blowing them into the street.
Well, then you live in a condo! Nobody with a real yard can rake their yard in 15 minutes.
It’s unbelievable that anyone that lives in this community would want to listen to the unending din of high rpm small ICE engines, every day, instead of trying something else.
That Brodeur plans to use this as some throwaway populist “cause” for votes makes us all want to puke.
Senator Brodeur answered the residents of Winter Park. Anyone attending last nights Commission understands why this was done
As per usual, the few people who are afraid of change yell the loudest and have a good thing taken away from the rest of us. Listening to the awful noise and pollution of leaf blowers six days a week wasn’t on my bingo card when I moved here. Tired or the loud minority taking over everything
How great that commissioners did not vote in lock step on this as they usually do. I think this commissions’ relentless emphasis on unanimity hurts the community. DeCiccio -facing an election- allowed voters to decide. I suspect it pained her. This was a close one.