Time for Leaders on the City Commission

Commissioner Marty Sullivan, along with other commission members, has voted to waste over $100,000,000 of our money over the past five years. He now wants to raise our tax rate to spend $268,000,000 for undefined and unsupported nonsense (see page 2 here). Marty and his cohorts claim undefined threats where none exist to justify this outrageous exploitation of Winter Park taxpayers.

Winter Park spending has been out of control for five years. We need two candidates for the March 2025 election publicly committed to rein in spending and set priorities that support our residents rather than ideologically driven personal preferences of current commission members.

Running for city commission on the following platform is a winner:

* No tax rate increase.
* Stop buying land.
* Reverse CRA expansion and extension.
* Reduce city head count and waste.
* No annexation of Lake Killarney residential areas.
* New electric power contracts at best market price in 2027.

Winter Park general fund revenues were $60 million in 2019. They are expected to be $83 million in 2025 (a growth rate exceeding inflation). Our city commission is spending all of this annual $23 million increase.

The Winter Park City Commission has wasted or committed to waste over $100,000,000 in just the past five years.

$84,000,000 down the drain: This is the mid point of expected Winter Park property taxes to be wasted in an expanded and extended CRA by 2037, that would otherwise be available to 90% of our residents who do not live within CRA boundaries. See this link. See this link. See this link. This decision essentially steals $84,000,000 from 90% of Winter Park residents and needs to be reversed.

$20,000,000 down the drain: Seven Oaks Park (a.k.a. Pointless Park, a.k.a. Homeless Park) sits on about 3.75 acres of city land. This 20% over budget and years late boondoggle now has a direct cost of over $5,250,000 plus annual maintenance, and an opportunity cost of about $15,000,000 plus $150,000 per year in new property taxes if the land were sold, redeveloped to code, and added to the tax rolls.

$8,000,000 down the drain: The old library building has been leased for 20 years at 65% below market rate when it could have been sold for $8,000,000 and used for residential condominiums generating about $140,000 a year in new property taxes.

$6,250,000 down the drain: They have spent $5,500,000 for 1.3 acres at the corner of Denning and Fairbanks and $750,000 to add a Denning turn lane onto Fairbanks. None of this spending serves any credible interest of Winter Park residents worthy of the price paid.

We need two candidates on the Winter Park City Commission who will act as real fiduciaries, now.