Month: February 2024

The city commission’s ban on gas leaf blowers goes into effect July 1 of this year. The penalty for violation is as follows: “Except as otherwise provided, a person convicted of a violation of this Code shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 60 days, or any combination thereof. With respect to violations of this Code that are continuous with respect to time, each day the violation continues is a separate offense.” One local contractor projects an annual price increase of $500 per customer to comply with the gas blower ban….

Commission candidate Craig Russell followed up today and provided his input on the renewable energy policy question posed to all candidates. I do not want to overstay any welcome I may have in your inbox. I just think it fair to give Craig’s position the same exposure as provided the other candidates. Should the city pay more than a competitive price for electricity? YES or NO. If yes, why? Craig Russell – Commission Candidate Seat 2: NO, buy energy at the best market price – See his full response here. And this repeats the responses of the other candidates for…

The commission unanimously approved a policy whereby, after electric undergrounding is completed in 2030, savings realized at the end of the project would be used to purchase renewable energy priced above market rates up to about $7,000,000 per year ($500 per electric customer per year). This policy is intended to move the city toward the arbitrary goal of using 80% renewable energy by 2035. This $7,000,000 could alternatively be used to directly benefit electric customers through rate reductions and direct investments in our city. My prior post on renewal energy policy asked each candidate: Should the city pay more than…

Please see if you can get a direct answer from the candidates on this and let me know what they tell you. Should the city pay more than a competitive price for electricity? YES or NO. If yes, why? In unanimously approving the renewable energy policy all five current commission members including Mayoral Candidate Sheila DeCiccio say the answer is YES. What is the position of each candidate? Shiela DeCiccio – sheila@sheilaforwinterpark.com – Mayor (ask her to explain why)Michael Cameron – michael@votemichaelcameron.com – MayorStockton Reeves – stockton4wp@yahoo.com – Commission Seat 2Craig Russell – crussell9293@gmail.com – Commission Seat 2Jason Johnson –…

Elections should be about policy, but instead, and especially in Winter Park, are about things like, “Isn’t she nice” and, “Isn’t he good looking.” Well, here is one real issue you may have an interest in. Please ask each of the candidates in the March 19 commission elections to state whether they support current Mayor Phil Anderson’s desire to spend over $7,000,000 each year buying overpriced renewable energy, rather than reducing electric prices and/or applying this money to projects that specifically benefit all Winter Park residents. Our electric bills are the same or lower than those from Duke Energy in…