Category: Policy

Our city commission will be considering changes to the City Charter Monday, October 14, 2019 for a referendum vote March 2020. One issue discussed but not recommended by the Charter Review Advisory Committee is removing or limiting the authority of the Mayor to appoint board members. This issue, however, may still be considered by the city commission and commission members have indicated support for changing the authority of the Mayor. Please contact the Mayor and Commissioners to urge them not to recommend changing the authority of the Mayor under the City Charter. The following is a letter I wrote to…

We need positive leadership and I ask you to step forward to demand same, even run for city commission, to assure we don’t miss the boat. When you look past the empty complaints and “us-them” dynamic in our political discourse (not to mention lies and slander) you will find that Winter Park is the best it has ever been, both strategically and financially. Property values at an all time high. City cash reserves at an all time high. Capital improvements adding to our quality of life. Golf course and golf course parking. 55 acres of new green space in Howell…

From a relevant Supreme Court ruling: “The unconstitutional conditions doctrine vindicates the Constitution’s enumerated rights by preventing the government from coercing people into giving them up.” The approval of the expansion of the Mayflower retirement community by our city commission on July 22, 2019 was not without drama. The city’s Transportation Advisory Board unanimously supported and on Monday three members of the commission initially voted to require two easements from the Mayflower in exchange for approval of an expansion plan modified from a 2018 preliminary approval. These easements were in contemplation of the city eventually creating pedestrian/bicycle trails along sections…

Celebrate freedom by planting a tree on your residential property! The Florida State Legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill effective July 1, 2019 requiring that: (1) A local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on residential property if the property owner obtains documentation from an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree presents a danger to persons or property. (2) A local government may not require a property owner to replant a tree…

Anne Mooney’s winterparkvoice.com blog and Facebook page continue to mislead Winter Park residents. Her recent “Canopy Chaos” post is an embarrassment to our city in its bias. Ms. Mooney uses the tag line, “A Policy and Issues News Magazine.” Yet, it has nothing to do with policy, issues, and news and everything to do with politics. An accurate tag line might be, “Views for Cynical Conspiracy Theorists.” “Canopy Chaos” implies there is in fact chaos but nothing in Mooney’s post supports that conclusion and information she leaves out supports the opposite conclusion. Mooney selectively edited the exchange between Mayor Leary…

I enjoyed serving our city and wish Todd Weaver well as he transitions from electioneering to decision making as a city commissioner. He and other commission members will decide Monday, May 13 on proceeding to construction drawings on the library/event center project. Myths about a “bait and switch” on the size of the library and about the Tourist Development Tax grant being used to fund cost overruns, as well as trying to turn the project into a convention center have been fabricated and promoted by those who have always objected to the 2016 referendum and its result. Leadership, however, requires…

Fellow Winter Park Residents, I served on city boards for 12 years, the last three as your elected city commissioner. Now is the time to let the Mayor know you want to participate on a Winter Park board. Apply here now. I continually encourage experienced, smart people who have proven themselves outside of government to get involved in Winter Park governance. The almost unanimous response is, “You must be crazy. I spent my life building a career and a family. Why would I want to deal with all the negative nonsense?” This recent opinion piece explains why. It was written…

The city commission approved a contract with the Ravaudage developer in November 2017 to share costs on road improvements for right of ways acquired by the city when the Ravaudage land was annexed into the City of Winter Park in 2012. See page 27 here. The developer will pay for at least 50% of the cost to upgrade these city roads to standards exceeding city requirements, including provisions for paving, storm drainage, and curbing, all subject to city approvals. The city’s obligation is capped at $1.2 million over ten years. Reimbursement from the city can only come from unrestricted permit…

Fellow Residents; One of the best things we have going in Winter Park is a culture of service. Our public safety professionals provide us with leading response times and first class service. They also have a sense of humor. Check this out:   Regards, Pete Weldon City of Winter Park Vice Mayor