- The Federal government writes a law that defines requirements to qualify for “historic preservation” designation and potential grant money.
- The State enacts a law requiring the creation and maintenance of a “master site file” of “historic resources” at the State level based upon voluntary submissions of forms describing any “resource” more than 50 years old (age being the sole criteria). This State law is enacted to comply with Federal law to be potentially eligible for Federal grants.
- Anyone can submit a property description for the “master site file” anonymously or not, and in any event the source of the information is not validated nor is the property information audited for accuracy.
- The State notes that the “master site file” “is an active inventory of Florida’s historical cultural resources that are over 50 years old, without regard to historical significance” (my emphasis) (see FAQ #2).In other words, the meaning of the word “historic” is officially made irrelevant.
- There is no requirement to inform owners their property is on the list, owners cannot have their property removed from the list.
- Next, city staff creates a list of Winter Park Historic Resources that includes properties the city has paid a consultant to submit to the State “master site file.” Note that the “historic consultant” has a vested professional and financial interest in proposing properties as “historic resources.”
- City staff adds properties it considers to be “historic resources” with the “help” of local historic preservation activists having a personal vested interest in “saving” homes designed by their ancestors. Also, note that the city staff member responsible for historic designation was for several years a member of the board of directors of the local historic preservation organization led by the same historic preservation activists.
- The city commission then approves a law falsely claiming that the Florida Master File provides the “State of Florida’s official inventory of historical and cultural resources” while requiring a 90 day waiting period before issuing demolition permits for such properties . Recall that the State officially declares significance to be irrelevant to listing in the “master site file.” A “master site list” becomes a list of “historic resources” which the historic preservation activists then promote as properties representing historic significance without informing or seeking agreement from owners of the listed properties.
- With the local list of “historic resources” including the falsely noted “State of Florida’s official inventory of historical and cultural resources” in hand, preservation activists aggressively petition the city government to “protect” these “historic resources.”
- When people get together to purchase an older property with private money and then restore it and open it to the public as an historic exhibit we know for certain that property bears legitimate historic qualities. (e.g., Casa Feliz and Capen House.)
- When elected government officials vote a public building historic for the purpose of preserving it we know for certain that property bears legitimate historic qualities and we also know it will be maintained with our tax money (e.g., Farmer’s Market Freight Depot and Winter Park Golf Course Club House).
- When individual private property owners voluntarily request historic designation knowingly subjecting redevelopment of their property to control of a city board, we know for certain that property owner and members of our community approving the request are convinced a property has legitimate historic significance. Such designation should preferably be with independent review and recommendation by the National Register of Historic Places to vouch authenticity and significance (e.g., Gary-Morgan House).
Ironically, should this proposed ordinance pass, Winter Park is quite likely to witness a tsunami of demolition permits of catastrophic proportions for many of her most historic properties, in numbers exceeding anyone’s imagination. Hoards of Winter Park historic buildings turning to rubble in the months following Commission approval, should it occur. This is because nobody owning a home with a market value that is the same or less than if it were vacant land alone, would in their right mind keep the property up, given such a draconian threat of government re-zoning that could occur at any time for even the most cavalier of reasons – or for no reason at all.
Already in Winter Park, demolition permits can be seen popping up on historic properties all over town since commissioners expressed an interest in hearing the proposed ordinance. Demolition permits in unusual numbers are clearly in response to the mere possibility that such an ordinance could potentially pass later this year. Approval of the ordinance, should it occur, would have the effect of increasing historic building demolition activity, exponentially, for so many years forward that no one really knows where the end would be, with the potential of making Winter Park nearly unrecognizable historically.
The plain truth is that the free market has always been the best protector of historic assets in Winter Park, and that government meddling in historic preservation fuels excessive demolition. It is highly cynical, and indeed irresponsible, for those commissioners fishing for campaign contributions for the 2016 City Commission election to put our most treasured historic assets in jeopardy in calling for this proposed ordinance, and by pandering to those who love Winter Park’s history but who do not fully understand the principles of economics that governs demolition and restoration.
The emphasis should be examining the statistics and facts of demolition. One story, cement block homes are being demolished in WP. Historic or classic WP homes are not being demolished. They are being voluntarily preserved. This is a political, emotional, condescending revised ordinance. Nothing friendly, inviting, or WP-esque in it. Please work to defeat this controlling ordinance. WP needs to encourage voluntary preservation but also allow individual property owners to make their own decisions.