Winter Park City Commission Regular Meeting – September 9, 2026

The Winter Park City Commission met on September 9, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 9:14 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park Avenue. Mayor Sheila DeCiccio presided; Commissioners Elizabeth Ingram, Craig Russell, Kris Cruzada and Warren Lindsey were present, along with City Manager Randy Knight, Assistant City Manager Michelle del Valle, City Attorney Kurt Ardaman and City Clerk Kim Breland. The agenda was reordered so the millage, budget and required public hearings would occur at or after 5 p.m. in accordance with Florida statutes, and the Commission unanimously approved the reordered agenda.

Community Partner Presentation

• Gigi Papa, manager of the Winter Park Benefit Shop, presented the organization’s history, founded in 1917 as the United Relief Society and established as the Benefit Shop in 1935. She stated it is 100% volunteer-operated, has raised about $70,000 this year, supports local children and families, and donates books and unsold items to local charities and homeless services.

Mayor’s and City Manager’s Reports

• Mayor DeCiccio proclaimed Sept. 11 through Oct. 12, 2026, as National Drive Electric Month; Natural Resources Director Glory Eby invited the community to the Electric Avenue EV Car Show on Sept. 26, 2026.
• City Manager Randy Knight reviewed the FY27 Q1 meeting schedule; the Nov. 12 parking garage discussion was rescheduled to Nov. 19, 2026.
• Police Chief Tim Volkerson reported that three FLIR cameras on state roads are being removed at FDOT’s direction, with no plan to end the program and intent to reinstall cameras on local roads. He cited policy changes: data retention reduced from 30 to 7 days, 100% quarterly audit of officer searches, tighter search restrictions, and Flock’s confirmation that it is not selling or distributing data and the city owns the data. The Commission reached consensus to place the Flock camera policy on a future agenda and to receive the contract and written restrictions.
• Commissioner Lindsey requested an explanation of the Conserve II Wastewater Agreement: a 25-year interlocal renewal with the City of Orlando for regional wastewater treatment for flow south of Fairbanks/Lake Killarney; funded through sewer rates in the Water Enterprise Fund; no viable alternative without extremely costly pipe upsizing.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the Aug. 26, 2026 regular meeting minutes and the Aug. 27, 2026 work session minutes as corrected. The correction noted that the previous minutes inaccurately stated all nonprofit support was frozen; in fact, the library received a $25,000 reduction and Blue Bamboo funding was eliminated.
• Approved piggyback contracts: SSS Down to Earth OPCO, LLC (City of Tarpon Springs #250110-P-PH) for golf course grounds maintenance at WP9 golf course, term through April 30, 2030, not to exceed $560,000; Vortex Services, LLC (TIPS #20110401) for pipe bursting at Lake Killarney and related services, term through Jan. 31, 2027, not to exceed $600,000.
• Approved Paymentus Corporation contract for payment management and processing services, term through May 1, 2027, not to exceed $750,000. All consent items passed unanimously, 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Todd Weaver, 1051 Lake Bell Drive, proposed a five-mile tram link from the Sand Lake SunRail station to Orlando International Airport as a cheaper and more feasible alternative to a rail link, and said he would promote the idea to other city governments and the county commission.
• Budget comments: Melissa Schneider, Winter Park Library executive director, said a Florida economic impact study found every $1 invested in libraries returns about $10; library cost per visit fell from $9.77 in 2019 to $7.81 in 2026; the library is a top-three library in Florida and the number-one children’s library in the state. Todd Weaver spoke on Blue Bamboo’s successes: 140 ticketed events, 35 free nonprofit events, 61 consecutive weeks of free Thursday Night Hang, average 93 attendees on Thursday nights, and a $30,000 net operating loss over 15 months on free public events. Charlie Williams, Winter Park Land Trust, opposed tree-canopy cuts, stressed the long maturation time of trees, and offered Land Trust collaboration to make planting cost-effective. Brad Blum, 1169 Lakeview Drive, gave personal testimony on the value of tree canopy. Gigi Papa said the Winter Park Benefit Shop exists to support organizations like Men of Integrity and its board would be willing to look at the program rather than requiring taxpayers to provide the $45,000.
• Paid parking pilot comments: Erik Paul, Friends of Winter Park Dog Park, opposed the pilot, saying Lake Baldwin-specific parking shortage data is absent, parking meters failed there years ago, and charging regional neighbors would divide the community; he cited over $11,000 raised and volunteer work by dog park supporters. Jean Smith, 803 Dartmouth, Orlando, opposed the pilot, saying she never had trouble parking and doubted the enforcement costs were worthwhile.
• Quasi-judicial conditional use comments: many residents spoke in support, including members of Chabad of Greater Orlando and nearby residents, emphasizing the need for a permanent synagogue in Winter Park, walking access for Shabbat, religious diversity, and the applicant’s good-faith response to conditions. Several neighbors and residents opposed the project at this location, including Gigi Papa, Stephanie Breske, Janet Robison, Nikki Seybold, Frank Santos, Hattie Wolf, Linda and Leif Eriksson, Ellen Wolfson, David Jasmund, Douglas Sangster, Ted Edwards (representing Frank Santos), and Wayne Wolfson. They generally expressed support for a synagogue in Winter Park but said the proposed combination of synagogue, daycare, townhomes, underground garage, roof deck and event uses was too intense for the 0.6-acre residential site, cited existing congestion and parking constraints around Knowles Avenue and the farmers market, and raised compatibility, playground, setback and traffic-safety concerns.

Paid Parking Pilot – Dinky Dock and Lake Baldwin Park

• Staff presented a phased paid parking pilot. Proposed details included $2–$3 per hour with a 12-hour enforcement window (8 a.m.–8 p.m.), a flat $20/day option, a vendor transaction fee of $0.25–$0.35 passed to the parker rather than the city, free parking for registered Winter Park residents up to two vehicles per property, cashless payment by app, QR code, phone or text, real-time occupancy tracking, and electronic citations. A 2–3 week warning grace period was proposed, with commission discretion to extend.
• Lake Baldwin Park has roughly 100–150 spaces, marked and unmarked; Dinky Dock is a smaller boat-ramp site. Staff cited similar discussions in Mount Dora, Orlando, Sanford and Melbourne, and Maitland’s flat $20 fee at Fort Maitland Park.
• Commissioner Lindsey moved to advance to Phase 2; Commissioner Russell seconded. The motion carried unanimously, 5-0.

Millage Rate and Budget Public Hearing

• The Commission held the first reading of the FY2027 millage and budget ordinances at the 5 p.m. public hearing, for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2026. Mayor DeCiccio explained the rolled-back rate needed to generate the same property tax revenue as 2026 is 3.8915 mills; the proposed rate is 4.0923 mills, unchanged for 18 consecutive years, and a 0.1937-mill voted debt service levy covers general obligation bonds approved by voters in the March 15, 2016 bond referendum. The property tax levy increase, not counting new construction and the CRA payment, is 5.16% because assessed values increased.
• Motion to maintain the 4.0923 millage rate and adopt the debt service rate passed unanimously, 5-0.
• Budget adoption: Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Moore stated the general fund is up about 5%, with about 70% of the increase driven by public safety and public works; the road materials budget was doubled to target 7.5 lane miles of improvement per year. Contingency is about $650,000 after state revenue adjustments and approved cuts, with about $600,000 in additional mid-year reductions anticipated, potentially over $1 million total contingency and among the highest fund balances in recent history.
• The tree canopy/urban forestry reduction would cut new plantings from more than 400 to about 200 trees per year and eliminate two vacant positions; maintenance for existing trees was unchanged. The library budget included a $25,000 reduction, lowering a planned $63,000 increase to about a $38,000 increase, with CRA contribution of $387,000 unchanged and total city support about $2.17 million.
• Commissioner Lindsey moved to eliminate the entire $45,000 Men of Integrity grant; the motion failed for lack of a second. A motion by Commissioners Ingram and Russell to reinstate $5,000 to Blue Bamboo combined with a $25,000 reduction to Men of Integrity failed 3-2, with Mayor DeCiccio and Commissioners Cruzada and Lindsey voting no and Commissioners Ingram and Russell voting yes. Commissioner Cruzada then moved, seconded by Mayor DeCiccio, to reduce Men of Integrity from $45,000 to $20,000, noting the $5,500 already received through Parks & Recreation/CRA; the motion passed unanimously.
• Commissioner Ingram raised possibly reducing raises for staff earning $150,000 or more from 4% to 3%; Mayor DeCiccio strongly opposed it, citing city awards, accreditation, response times, security threats and an estimated savings of only $23,000. No such reduction was adopted.
• The FY2027 budget, as amended, was adopted unanimously, 5-0.

Quasi-Judicial Matters

• 915 North Wymore Road annexation, second reading: The Commission approved annexation of approximately 0.07 acres, established Commercial future land use, and applied Commercial C-3 zoning on the annexed property, to facilitate a billboard swap. Three separate motions each passed unanimously, 5-0.
• 210 East Morse Boulevard conditional use, second hearing: The applicant, GAI Consultants, Inc. on behalf of El Cortez, LTD and Chabad of Greater Orlando, proposed five two-story townhomes with basement garages fronting Morse Boulevard and a three-story synagogue fronting Knowles Avenue with underground parking, a rooftop deck, and a daycare for up to 60 children on 0.6 acres. The applicant accepted 20 conditions, up from 12 at the first hearing. New conditions addressed queuing with a 20-day compliance window, no overlapping events/services during daycare hours, rooftop deck rental capped at four days per week, initial daycare capacity of 50 children with a path to 60 after police/public works confirmation, five additional guest parking spaces for townhomes, staff maintenance-of-traffic certification, an ingress/egress manual, shadow operations of nearby churches, and on-site employee parking. Waivers/variances included an 85% ISR versus R-4’s 75% requirement and reduced setbacks along Morse and Knowles.
• After extensive public comment and commission discussion, Commissioner Lindsey moved to table the request; the motion carried 4-1, with Commissioner Cruzada voting no. The Commission then voted 4-1, with Commissioner Cruzada opposed, to table the item to a date certain of October 28, 2026.

Non-Quasi-Judicial Public Hearings

• Water and wastewater rate adjustment ordinance, first reading: approved a 4.6% rate increase, consisting of the 2.6% CPI adjustment and an additional 2% for capital improvements. The Florida Public Service Commission index recommended 2.46%, covering operating costs only. The ordinance passed unanimously, 5-0.
• Resolution 2312-26, adopting revised city fees: the Commission amended and adopted the fee schedule, increasing first-offense micromobility fines from $25 to $35, successive-offense fines to $75, and all $25 parking fines to $30. Passed unanimously, 5-0.
• Resolution 2313-26, advocating for expanded use of Tourist Development Taxes: the resolution supports alternative uses including transportation and affordable housing, an increased tax rate, and lowering the 40% threshold for tourism promotion; it was designated a legislative priority. Passed unanimously, 5-0. City Manager Randy Knight was directed to contact other city managers and mayors to pursue parallel resolutions.
• Micromobility ordinance, first reading: the ordinance amending Chapter 98 to regulate bicycles, electric bicycles, micromobility devices and motorized scooters passed unanimously, 5-0.

City Commission Reports

• Commissioner Lindsey thanked Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church for extending the parking lease and congratulated Jamie England on Winter Park’s favorable utility rate ranking among non-investor-owned Florida utilities.
• Commissioner Cruzada commended Communications staff for the new planters and lighting on Park Avenue.
• Commissioner Russell encouraged attendance at the Fix It Don’t Pitch It event, noted the OCPS micromobility ordinance is live, and previewed the Winter Park High School homecoming parade theme celebrating the 100th graduating class.
• Mayor DeCiccio praised the Winter Park Update newsletter.

Key Outcomes

• Reordered agenda to hold required public hearings after 5 p.m.
• Approved the consent agenda with corrected Aug. 27, 2026 work session minutes, 5-0.
• Advanced the paid parking pilot to Phase 2 for Dinky Dock and Lake Baldwin Park, 5-0; an implementing ordinance will return.
• Adopted the FY2027 millage rate of 4.0923 mills plus the voted debt service rate, 5-0.
• Adopted the FY2027 budget as amended, with Men of Integrity reduced to $20,000, 5-0.
• Approved annexation, Commercial future land use, and C-3 zoning at 915 North Wymore Road, 5-0.
• Tabled the 210 East Morse Boulevard conditional use request to Oct. 28, 2026, 4-1.
• Approved the 4.6% water and wastewater rate increase, 5-0.
• Adopted the revised fee schedule, 5-0.
• Adopted the TDT advocacy resolution, 5-0.
• Adopted the micromobility ordinance on first reading, 5-0.
• Scheduled the Flock camera policy discussion for the next commission agenda and the parking garage discussion for Nov. 19, 2026; agreed to work toward a short agenda on Oct. 14, 2026.