Winter Park City Commission Regular Meeting - January 28, 2026

The City Commission met on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, and adjourned at 5:19 p.m. Mayor Sheila DeCiccio presided. All five commissioners were present. The agenda included a cultural partner presentation, reports, consent items, two quasi-judicial public hearings, and two non-quasi-judicial public hearings.

Cultural Partner Presentation

• Jennifer Deery, Executive Director of the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, presented the museum's 65th anniversary year, including the current exhibit 'Renaissance Alchemy: Egg and Gold,' the 18th annual Winter Park Paint Out, and UCF Student Juried Show. She noted the museum expects about 30,000 visitors this year. No commission action was taken.

Mayor's Report

• Mayor DeCiccio read and presented a proclamation declaring January 28, 2026, as Sounds of the Wildcats Marching Band Day. Band Director Michael Climente thanked the community for 86 years of support.
• Mayor DeCiccio read a letter sent to First Congregational Church condemning a recent incident at the church, expressing support for the congregation, and thanking Winter Park Police and Fire Rescue for their response.

Consent Calendar

The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda, 5-0, including:

• Approval of the January 14, 2026 regular meeting minutes.
• Five piggyback contracts: O-Town Compost, Inc. (organic waste hauling, not to exceed $300,000); Altec Industries, Inc. (digger derricks, bucket trucks, and utility equipment, not to exceed $550,000); Vermeer Southeast Sales & Service (public utility equipment, not to exceed $130,000); Bayside Dredging, LLC (outfall maintenance services, not to exceed $200,000); and TSI Disaster Recovery, LLC (emergency debris removal and dike repair, not to exceed $400,000).
• Renewals of two existing consultant contracts: GAI Consultants Southeast, Inc. for professional landscape architectural services and Borrelli + Partners for professional architectural services.
• Authorization to open a City of Winter Park account with Florida Fixed Income Trust (FL-FIT). Finance Director Wes Hamil said roughly $1 million of property tax revenue would be deposited there for a higher interest rate; the funds are not FDIC insured and can be accessed with one business day's notice. Commissioner Warren Lindsey asked for clarification on the consultant renewals and FL-FIT account before the vote, and the items were approved as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ness Chokir, attorney for the owners of 2661 Via Tuscany, asked the commission to reduce the accumulated code-enforcement fines to $50,000. He said the property was fully compliant as of July 2025 and had received a certificate of occupancy, and that the daily fines now total over $250,000. He described the violation as a technical expired pool permit issue and cited COVID-19 supply-chain disruptions, hurricane impacts, a business partner's death, and contractor problems as reasons for the delay. Mayor DeCiccio said she did not see new facts warranting reconsideration; Commissioner Craig Russell concurred. After Mr. Chokir stated the owners were willing to pay $50,000, the Mayor directed him to work with City Attorney Kurt Ardaman on a possible proposal.

Discussion Items

• City Manager Randy Knight reported on proposed state property tax legislation, including a proposed additional $100,000 homestead exemption per year for ten years that would eventually remove homesteaded properties from city tax rolls. He said no bill had gone to a full floor vote and nothing was on the ballot as of the meeting.
• City Attorney Kurt Ardaman explained that once a constitutional amendment receives a Florida Department of State ballot number, the city may not use public funds to send even factual communications to voters. The commission agreed to have Office and Management Budget Director Peter Moore present hypothetical revenue-loss and service-impact scenarios at a future meeting. Mr. Moore said losing 21% of city revenue would require a severe change in service levels and that public safety budgets could not be assumed to be unaffected.
• Mr. Knight discussed extreme cold weather effects on electric fuel costs, noting natural gas spot prices had risen to about 25 times normal levels in some cases. Fuel costs are a pass-through to customers; the city expects a possible fuel adjustment beginning in March, spread over about nine months, with a rate stabilization fund target of approximately $1.6 million to cushion customer impact.
• Mr. Knight updated the commission on the Park Avenue Refresh Project, which began eight days earlier, and said the work was on target. Parking opened on Morse Boulevard to offset spaces lost on Park Avenue.
• Mr. Ardaman recommended waiting before pursuing foreclosure on 2661 Via Tuscany until the city obtains the outstanding mortgage and IRS lien amounts and property valuation. The commission concurred, since the city is protected as a recorded lienholder.
• In commission reports, Commissioner Marty Sullivan thanked the Orlando Health developer for remeasuring groundwater levels after earlier stormwater concerns; the new measurements showed groundwater from 1.7 to 2.4 feet below stormwater retention compartments. Commissioner Craig Russell announced a community meeting on e-bikes and e-scooters for February 17. Commissioner Kris Cruzada promoted the Love Your Library event on February 7 and thanked staff for Golfside Drive infrastructure improvements. Commissioner Warren Lindsey emphasized the city's support for First Congregational Church, noted the library board would honor former commissioner Sarah Sprinkel with the Lifetime Service Award, and promoted the Bach Festival concert on January 30. Mayor DeCiccio reminded the public about the State of the City event on January 30 and Arts Weekend beginning February 6, and asked staff to research additional lighting at Shady Park.

Public Hearings: Quasi-Judicial Matters

• Resolution 2310-26 (1165 Woodmere Drive historic designation): The commission unanimously adopted the resolution, 5-0. Planning staff said the home was built in 1926, while the agenda listed 1925; the property meets historic designation criteria and the Historic Preservation Board recommended approval. No public comments were offered.
• 817 Antonette Ave. easement vacation (first reading): The commission unanimously approved the ordinance, 5-0, to vacate and abandon the north 1.9 feet of a distribution easement. Assistant Public Works Director Don Marcotte said the vacation was needed to complete the property sale. Commissioner Lindsey suggested creating a mechanism to recover city staff and attorney costs for such requests; staff was directed to explore the option. No public comments were offered.
• 2923 Cove Trail partial vacation (first reading): The commission unanimously approved the ordinance, 5-0, to partially vacate a six-foot utility easement, with the electric utility retaining six feet on each end until undergrounding work is completed. No public comments were offered.

Public Hearings: Non-Quasi-Judicial Matters

• Subsidiary boards ordinance (first reading): The commission unanimously approved amendments to Chapter 2, Article III of the City Code, 5-0, revising board establishment, appointment terms, procedures, and operations. The City Clerk answered questions about board terms. By consensus, the commission agreed to add agenda reminders regarding voting conflicts, Sunshine Law, and public records. No public comments were offered.
• Fairbanks Village Properties lease amendment (first reading): The commission unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance, 5-0, amending the lease with Calantes Holdings LLC for restaurant space at Fairbanks Village Properties. City Manager Knight said the amendment aligns the leases' expiration dates and relates to broader city plans near the park and Lake Rose. He noted the conceptual park sketch was not part of the lease agreement and was not being adopted. The base rent was noted as $23.66 per square foot, bringing in about $166,000 annually. The approved motion deleted the tenant's right of first refusal and added language prohibiting assignment of the lease without the city's prior written consent. No public comments were offered.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the agenda and the consent agenda unanimously, 5-0.
• Adopted Resolution 2310-26 designating 1165 Woodmere Drive as a historic resource.
• Approved first readings of ordinances vacating easements at 817 Antonette Ave. and 2923 Cove Trail, amending the subsidiary boards chapter, and amending the Fairbanks Village Properties lease, each 5-0.
• Directed staff to explore fee or ordinance options for recovering city processing costs for easement vacation and abandonment requests.
• Agreed to add voting-conflict, Sunshine Law, and public records reminders to subsidiary board meeting agendas.
• Directed staff to research additional lighting at Shady Park.
• Referred the Via Tuscany fine-reduction request to the City Attorney for discussion with the property owner's attorney.