Fellow Winter Park Residents, Please share this with friends and neighbors. My strong recommendation is that this coming Tuesday, Winter Park voters elect Jeffrey Blydenburgh and Carl Creasman, two people I know to be capable and honest. Commission member Todd Weaver and commission candidate Marty Sullivan have been working outside the Florida Sunshine law to undermine commission decisions. Weaver has stonewalled numerous requests for public records of his communications with Sullivan and others in violation of the law. The Sunshine law makes providing access to public records a duty of public service in all Florida counties and municipalities. This violation…
Category: Elections
WP Voter Offers a New Voice
Fellow Winter Park Citizens, Please share this with friends and neighbors. I was pleased to see that we have a new perspective on Winter Park issues. Check out WP Voter on Facebook. They offer some interesting video interviews and more. This Facebook page was initiated by citizens and property owners who want to see balanced communications on important Winter Park issues. It is important to get a spectrum of information from as many sources as possible, especially in the absence of formal sources of local news . In addition to WP Voter and WinterParkPerspective, I encourage residents to sign up…
Election 2020 – Orlando Sentinel Candidate Interviews
To help consider your votes, here are the Orlando Sentinel interview videos with the Candidates. Winter Park Commission Seat 1 candidates: Jeffrey Blydenburgh and Marty Sullivan Winter Park Commission Seat 2 candidates Carl Creasman and Sheila DeCiccio Look for leaders who will bring our city together to realize a positive future. Sincerely, Pete Weldon
Election 2020 – Recommendations
Fellow Winter Park Voter, Please share with your friends and neighbors. For twelve years, I volunteered on multiple city boards and served on the City Commission for one reason – because I care deeply about Winter Park and our future. I am retired and have no conflicts or financial interests in city business or land development. Based upon my belief in good governance that protects the rights of our citizens as well as the future of our city, below are my recommendations on the commission candidates for the March 17, 2020 election and on important Charter Amendments. I hope this…
Let’s Build a Positive Future
Fellow Winter Park Citizens, Please share this with friends and neighbors. As a long term resident and former city commissioner I am concerned to continue to hear residents frustrated with the library and events center project. Much of this frustration is based on misunderstanding of the history and of current circumstances. I offer details here to help residents understand the realities of nearly four years of process and the implications of further delaying or stopping this project. Below is a list of major project milestones with links to source information. Importantly, the cost of delaying or stopping this project includes…
Library/Event Center – March 2020 Election
Commissioner Seidel, Commissioner Sprinkel, and Mayor Leary finalized the decision to start construction of the library and event center on Monday January 27, 2020 in a 3 to 2 vote. Construction begins immediately. Commissioner Cooper and Commissioner Weaver made motions to postpone and/or remove the covered entry (porte cochere) and the event center rooftop venue. They also made motions to re-design the project or to expand the existing library with a parking structure. These motions did not pass. They then voted against starting construction of the project that has been in process for nearly four years. Cooper and Weaver missed…
What’s up with Ravaudage at Lee Rd and 17/92?
Dear Fellow Residents, Last year, your city commission unanimously changed our Comprehensive Plan to remove the possibility for rezoning land for high density residential use (greater than 17 units per acre) (see page 1). We did this exactly to discourage proposals for large apartment buildings such as that under construction in Ravaudage. We also agreed to remove Planned Development zoning from the Comprehensive Plan and to create yet to be defined Mixed Use zoning (think Hannibal Square). So then, what’s up at Ravaudage? Ravaudage is a 54 acre Planned Development project approved by Orange County in 2011 (see page 279)….
Mayoral Election 2018
The Winter Park Mayoral election is March 13, 2018. Check your registration and vote-by-mail status here. Learn about Vote-By-Mail here.
Congratulations to Steve Leary and Greg Seidel
Congratulations to Mayor Steve Leary and Commissioner Greg Seidel. We now have two young, professional leaders on the Winter Park city commission. Let us all give them our respect and patient consideration as they assume responsibility with our other commission members in setting and following through on policy matters important to the management and leadership of Winter Park. Leary and Seidel offer us a fresh and thoughtful perspective that will in my opinion provide us with sound policy decisions. Both are objective thinkers who base their judgments on relevant facts. This can only be good for Winter Park. Regards, Pete Weldon
Mackinnon’s Density Fraud
Desperate to convince you Leary is a bad guy, Mackinnon sent a picture of a dense development showing what she portends would happen if Leary was elected Mayor. The picture is a fraud intended to scare the people of Winter Park. What the picture does not show is that the planned development proposal required a limit of 47% total building coverage and 25% green space. The picture shows virtually 100% of the land covered with building and virtually no green space. Winter Park Land Development Code Planned Developments: Section 58.83 (e)(3): Maximum building lot coverage. The maximum building lot coverage (footprint)…