They have been out of control, now they are out of their minds.

On February 24th the city commission voted to spend $750,000 of your money for the 0.16 acre property at 901 W. Fairbanks ($4,800,000 per acre). They also voted to negotiate the purchase of the 1.0 acre property at 929 – 957 W. Fairbanks for $3,000,000 more of your money. These purchase prices are more than $2,100,000 greater than the Orange County Appraiser’s estimated market values, and exclude costs for demolition, potential environmental abatement, and improvements (there has been no appraisal).

These purchases exclude the connecting 0.13 acre parcel at 919 W. Fairbanks, whose owner now has our generous commissioners over a barrel. Look for another $1,000,000 out of your pocket. Total cost of this boondoggle: $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 of your money, and they are not done. They want to buy more properties to the West.

And why are they doing this? Wait for it… (1) to claim they “are doing something about traffic” and (2) to build a surface parking lot at the far South East end of MLK park that costs $70,000 per space.

This contrasts with the 1996 purchase of the Winter Park Golf Course land (25 acres) for $8,000,000 financed with voter approved bonds.

Do you think there should be extensive community input before we spend $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 for less than 1.5 acres? Do you think there should be broad public discussion of alternative uses of these funds? Let them know what you think.

These same people got elected by claiming resident involvement in the Orange Avenue Overlay and Library Project were inadequate, when in fact, these projects were broadly and formally considered over many years before put to a vote (a referendum in the case of the Library Project). Now, they just go and spend ridiculous amounts of your money with no consideration of alternative uses of these funds and no community involvement.

This is not self governance. It is self indulgence. Let them know what you think.

Regards, Pete Weldon

I endorse quality playing fields for Winter Park children participating in non profit sports leagues. Such fields should be of a quality at least as high as the best fields used generally available for youth sports leagues in nearby municipalities.

The commission never looked at the facts when voting to spend $1,600,000 on two artificial turf playing fields outside the annual budget process. Please see the 2018-2019 field comparison and usage statistics prepared by city staff that were not part of the public meeting agenda packet.

We are significantly subsidizing other municipalities demand for playing fields. Winter Park has one multi-use playing field for every 3,000 residents while the average of all other municipalities in the staff analysis is one multi-use playing field for every 15,000 residents.

We are subsidizing non-residents. Non-resident usage at about 65% of total field use capacity. Staff estimates of resident versus non-resident field use show that resident usage per hour of field use available is less than 40% for youth sports and less than 25% for adult sports.

We are subsidizing “for profit” teams and leagues who consume over 60% of available playing fields hours.

Based on staff’s usage numbers, we can focus our playing field investment on improving the drainage on four of our nine natural turf fields, setting aside these fields exclusively for resident focused non profit youth sports teams and leagues. The other fields can be set aside for “for profit” and adult league usage and maintained to the extent of whatever rental fees are available from this segment of the market.

In other words, we can focus on our children and not spend $1,600,000 on artificial turf fields for the benefit of for profit sports leagues and non-residents. There is no good reason Winter Park taxpayers should be subsidizing the regional demand for playing fields as we currently do, and there is no good reason to increase this subsidy.

That $1,600,000 is our money to be spent on the needs of Winter Park residents. Apparently, none of this occurred to the commissioners who voted to spend it based in part on lobbying efforts that included input from some involved in the for profit segment of the sports league business.

Let’s take care of our children and let others pay their own way.

Dear Phil,

I recently exchanged views with a voter who was hoping you might be a “team leader who will be a unifying force.” Your recent email criticizing specific decisions your opponent for Mayor made during her nine years of service on the city commission certainly dashes that hope.

Your views on the decisions are not based on the underlying facts. Either you are incapable of the discipline required to accurately assess issues facing the commission, or you intentionally avoid the factual circumstances in an effort to sway votes through negative campaigning. Either way, these criticisms of your opponent are grossly inaccurate and inappropriate.

I offer clarifying substance of your criticisms below. Your statements are in italic.

• Voted to increase the budget of the New Library Project from $32 million to $42+ million and reduce the Library’s size from 50,000 square feet to 36,000 square feet — $10 million more expensive and 30% smaller than voters approved.

Don’t you think it would be responsible to mention that the increases pay for additions to the project recommended by the architect that provide material improvements? Don’t you think it would be responsible to mention that $6,000,000 toward these additions is funded by an Orange County grant that does not cost Winter Park taxpayers a dime, and that the balance is paid for with CRA dollars, not general taxpayer funds?

You might also have fairly noted that the library was and is the purview the Board of Trustees of the Winter Park Library Association, which approved the final design and square footage. The Winter Park library is an independent organization. It is not the role or responsibility of the city commission to make strategic decisions on their behalf.

• Did not make our Police Department a budget priority, resulting in the Police Department being understaffed by 9 positions at the end of her final term.

This is pure demagoguery. If you knew the facts or had any respect for them you would know that the positions were understaffed because the chief has had difficulty getting qualified candidates even though the commission (including your opponent) voted a significant increase in sworn officer salaries in 2018 to assure we are offering competitive compensation (the very opposite of your false claim).

• Voted to sell the Fairbanks Bowling Alley to a developer instead of using the land to expand Martin Luther King, Jr. Park — despite strong objections from residents and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

You might mention that the softball field to the north of that property is subject to a PERPETUAL lease to Rollins College, and therefore any expansion of the park related to that property would have been very limited and would not provide for additional playing fields. You might also mention that the $3,500,000 sales price in 2018 included $500,000 in profit (the city purchased the land from Rollins College in 2016). Funds from the sale added back to General Fund reserves have now been spent irresponsibly by people you supported for commission. Here are more facts relevant to this issue.

• Voted to grant $1.2 million to a private developer for infrastructure and roads instead of requiring the developer to provide their own infrastructure.

The city acquired road right of ways when it annexed the Ravaudage area and therefore assumed responsibility for them. Here are more facts on this issue as well.

Phil, you could better inform the voters of Winter Park by leveling with them.

Regards, Pete Weldon

Sarah Sprinkel served as Winter Park City Commissioner for nine years ending March 2020. During that time she was instrumental in many decisions and initiatives we all benefit from today. She is the clear choice for Mayor of Winter Park based on character, experience, and on real policy decisions that benefit our residents and our city.

Below are just a few policy accomplishments realized under Sarah’s leadership during her nine years as commissioner.

• Never voted to raise the property tax rate (unlike her opponent).
• Never voted to impose a fee to use our dog park (unlike her opponent).
• Realized our policy goal of 30% of General Fund spending in reserve for emergencies (first time ever).
• Removed stand alone high density apartments from the list of available zoning categories.
• Renovation of Showalter Stadium together with our county partners and the Winter Park High School Foundation.
• Railroad quiet zones implemented.
• New paths and sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Purchased over 50 acres of new park land and realized state grant money for improvements.
• Established new bike lanes.
• Renovation of the Winter Park Tennis Center.
• Renovation of the golf course, historic clubhouse, and parking.
• Large scale solar field contract to deliver clean, renewable energy to Winter Park electric customers.

Sarah’s opponent deals in narratives and supports the current cadre of questionable commissioners.

Sarah Sprinkel gets real work done for the residents of Winter Park.

Sarah Sprinkel should be Mayor of Winter Park.

Regards, Pete Weldon

Phil Anderson wants to be Winter Park Mayor. He recently sent an email with the subject, “Phil Anderson Will NOT Raise WP Taxes.” To understand why he sent this, we need to go back to 2008 when as commissioner Phil Anderson voted to increase the tax rate. The formal vote was 3 to 2 to keep the tax rate the same as 2007. That wasn’t acceptable to Phil, so he called a “Special Meeting” 3 days later to urge a tax increase, which passed 3 to 2 as one commission member changed their vote. So, Phil, in fact, has a history of raising your taxes. He also voted to raise utility rates and voted for a $75 fee to use our dog park (see page 6).

Phil’s email also claims our current strong reserve balances are due “in large part to actions I took as City Commissioner from 2008-2011.” This is disingenuous as Phil knows each commission approves spending and reserve balances for each year. That is, he knows he has nothing to do with the increase in our General Fund reserves from $9.5 million when he left office in 2011 to $16.8 million as of September 30, 2020. (Note that our current commission just voted a spending spree that lowers these reserves to $14.0 million, see below.)

This is all especially relevant because Jennifer and Phil Anderson promoted, and financed current commission members Todd Weaver, Marty Sullivan, and Sheila DeCiccio. These commissioners also wanted to raise taxes, voting to raise the tax rate 11.5% in July 2020. They later backed off when hundreds of “No Winter Park Tax Increase” signs appeared on front lawns of Winter Park voters.

Commission members Weaver, Sullivan, and DeCiccio bring Phil Anderson’s judgment into question.

They:

• Voted to increase the property tax rate 11.5%.
• Voted to “rescind” the Orange Avenue Overlay, changing our Comprehensive Plan in violation of our laws, resulting in legal action against the city (search for case number: 2020-CA-004388-O).
• Spent several hundred thousand dollars for consultants for additional Orange Avenue traffic studies and to plan a design they like for the city owned Progress Point property on Orange Avenue. Their plan has no professional planning input and they offer no strategic justification for it, nor clarify who they expect will pay for implementation (you?).
• Sullivan and DeCiccio recently voted to spend $2,800,000 from our emergency reserves outside the annual budget process with no planning and they tried to hide the expense by “borrowing” the money from our water and sewer emergency reserves.
• Insisted on a “back yard chicken” ordinance. Do you want chickens in your neighborhood?
• Voted to diminish our city’s sovereignty by committing Winter Park’s support to an unaccountable state mandated planning agency.
• They are now considering spending millions of dollars to buy land on Fairbanks to “improve traffic” without having any idea whether traffic will improve or not.
• …and there is more…

These people may be polite company outside the political arena but, based on first hand experience, they impulsively waste our money and respond to narratives rather than address the substance of policy issues. I would not engage Phil Anderson, Todd Weaver, Marty Sullivan, or Sheila DeCiccio to oversee anything. I want leaders with proven judgment and character to lead Winter Park. Fortunately, the other candidate for Mayor is highly qualified and offers rational governance.

Regards, Pete Weldon

Dear Commissioner Sullivan,

Regarding your email below…

My comments indeed take a critical view of the lack of thought and judgment supporting your December 9^th vote to spend $1,600,000 for artificial turf fields, among other projects totaling $2,800,000, all of which has not been responsibly planned, is outside the budget process, and is paid for by accounting gimmicks.

We can and should improve the condition and drainage of our multi-user playing fields for the benefit of Winter Park children. I fully support that objective and there are many ways to accomplish this for a small percentage of $2,800,000. Your spending approval, however, only serves to expand the amount by which Winter Park taxpayers subsidize the regional demand for playing fields to the detriment of all Winter Park residents and for the benefit of for-profit sports leagues and non-residents.

According to data from staff analysis:

• We are subsidizing playing field capacity to the benefit of other municipalities. Winter Park has one playing field for every 3000 residents while the average of all other municipalities in the staff analysis is one playing field for every 15000 residents.
• We are subsiding playing field usage for non-residents. Staff estimates of resident versus non-resident field use show that resident usage per hour of field use available is less than 40% for youth sports and less than 25% for adult sports. Overall, staff analysis indicates that non-resident usage is about 65% of total capacity.
• We are subsidizing playing fields for the benefit of “for profit” teams/leagues. In addition, staff analysis shows that over 60% of available playing fields hours are taken up by “for profit” teams and leagues.

Your comments in the broadly distributed email below are very concerning as they contain false statements while not addressing the real issues we face in providing quality playing fields for Winter Park children.

RE: “By email count, respondents were hugely in favor of renovating our athletic fields and facilities now.”

Please consider that the number of emails you receive on any given issue is not a measure of justification for either a positive or negative vote. The people of Winter Park do not need your opinion of who or what is most popular. They need sound policy and prudent judgment.

RE: “Our Commission decided to accelerate the parks improvement plan with $2.8 million in 2021.”

This statement is false. There is no approved “parks improvement plan.” A five year budget does not exist. Nothing has been “accelerated” because no approved spending exists beyond the current year budget.

There are also no capital spending projections in the approved 2021 budget that include or mention, artificial turf fields or $1,600,000 for any related project. In other words, your $2,800,000 spending increase has not been responsibly vetted and you now mislead our residents in an effort to rationalize your vote.

RE: “The Water and Sewer fund reserves are intended to cover a minimum of 45 days of operating expenses. However, after borrowing funds for these Parks improvements, the Water and Sewer fund will still have in excess of 150 days of reserves.”

At least you acknowledge that the funding mechanism you approved is an accounting gimmick to hide the negative impact on our emergency General Fund Reserves. Please consider that your statement about Water and Sewer fund reserves would be seen by someone assuming fiduciary responsibility for city funds as reason for an investigation. Why are Water and Sewer fund reserves at 4 times the policy objective? Is it because the policy objective is too low or because water rates are too high? Perhaps you can look into that?

I am blunt because I take the quality of judgment guiding Winter Park policy seriously and believe you can help us all by upping your game.

Please reconsider your December 9^th vote and more carefully consider all issues on behalf of all Winter Park residents.

Regards, Pete Weldon

Sorry to put a damper on our holiday cheer but I think every resident needs to know that our city commission just approved major spending initiatives with no strategic planning and no budget process. Please contact the Mayor and Commissioners and tell them to reverse the $2,800,000 spending decision they approved this past week.

At the December 9th commission meeting, an Action Item titled “Discussion of financing of Ward Park and Mead Garden capital improvements” resulted in a vote of approval that committed $2,800,000 in new spending without any strategic planning, in depth analysis, or public budget process, and, they are trying to hide the consequences of this action. The commission is out of control.

Click here for the list of approved park improvements.

Sheila DeCiccio moved approval of the entire project list and the motion was approved with votes from Marty Sullivan and Steve Leary. Carolyn Cooper and Todd Weaver voted “no,” but were ready to approve their own motion to approve nearly $1,000,000 of the proposed projects.

The approved projects include $1,600,000 to construct two artificial turf fields in Ward Park. There was no analysis or backup justifying the need for this spending. Winter Park has more playing fields than any other municipality in the region. We already subsidize non-Winter Park residents and teams. As much as or more than 50% of usage of our playing fields is for people who don’t live in Winter Park or pay taxes here. I have asked for detailed numbers on resident versus non-resident field usage and look forward to staff’s response to my request. Winter Park taxpayers are already subsidizing the regional demand for playing fields. How does it make sense to further subsidize what is a regional issue by $1,600,000?

The non-playing field projects are all worthy but can and should be funded in the normal course of long term strategic planning and the annual budget process.

Further, like school children trying to hide their bad behavior from the principal, our commission members are trying to hide the cost of this action from Winter Park residents. They voted to have our Water and Sewer fund “lend” the $2,800,000 to the General Fund, which the General Fund would pay back over 10 years. Our Water and Sewer fund maintains reserves for emergencies just as the General Fund does. This “payment method” is purely political, hiding the effective reduction in our hard earned emergency General Fund reserves by raiding Water and Sewer emergency reserves in the hope you will not notice. The truth is this additional spending reduces the city’s emergency reserves by $2,800,000, and if this rash spending decision is not reversed, our General Fund reserve will fall to 25% of expenses from the 30% goal achieved in 2020 after 10 years of disciplined planning and budgeting.

These commission actions demonstrate complete disregard for civil process, transparency, and for their fiduciary duty to the voters and taxpayers.

Wait! There’s more! Near the end of the December 9th meeting Sheila DeCiccio also moved forward discussion of an eminent domain taking of several properties on the north side of West Fairbanks Avenue, west of Denning Drive, in order to “do something about the traffic,” but without explaining what she would “do” or quantify the expected benefits of “doing something.”

DeCiccio’s motion drew the approval of Marty Sullivan and Todd Weaver. The taking of property by eminent domain is outside the historical governing values of Winter Park (do you want a precedent the commission can use to justify taking your property?), and given recent market values of adjacent properties, is likely to have a cost of as much as $10,000,000.

Please contact the Mayor and Commissioners and tell them to reverse the $2,800,000 spending decision they approved this past week and let them know you expect future spending initiatives to be constrained to the normal annual budget process, assuring transparency and thorough public process. You might also express your opinion about eminent domain takings in advance of future commission discussions on this subject.

Regards, Pete Weldon

The first of two votes on the “Single Member Districts” Charter Amendment ordinance is expected this Wednesday, November 11th. Read the proposed ordinance here.

I have asked our commission members three questions related to this proposed amendment to the City Charter. Mayor Leary and Vice Mayor Cooper have responded “NO” to each of the questions. The three commission members moving this forward (DeCiccio, Weaver, and Sullivan) have yet to respond.

Click here to ask DeCiccio, Weaver, and Sullivan for their answers to these questions and let me know what they tell you:

1. Will you vote for the single member district referendum you are moving to put on the March 2021 ballot? (If on the ballot, will you vote for it?)
2. Did you promise any voters you would move a single member district referendum prior to your election?
3. Do you support the expenditure of CRA funds as proposed in this agenda from those promoting a single member district referendum: http://cfarvote.com/?

Regards, Pete Weldon
700 Via Lombardy
(407) 267-5320