Votes at a glance: Winter Garden approves budget carryforwards, red‑light cameras, housing exemption resolution and multiple routine items

The Winter Garden City Commission on Jan. 14, 2025, approved a package of ordinances, a resolution and routine municipal items. Most items passed unanimously after brief presentations and limited discussion. Key actions follow.

Ordinance 25‑03 — Fiscal year 2024‑25 budget carryforwards Staff presented Ordinance 25‑03 to amend the fiscal year 2024‑25 budget to carry forward prior‑year appropriations across multiple funds. The ordinance lists line‑by‑line revenue and expenditure carryforwards (examples recited in the staff presentation included figures for the general fund, community redevelopment agency fund, impact fee funds and capital projects). The commission opened and closed the public hearing and approved the ordinance on first reading; second reading and public hearing were scheduled for Jan. 23, 2025. Vote: motion carried unanimously.

Ordinance 25‑02 — Traffic Light Safety Act (red‑light enforcement) Ordinance 25‑02 authorizes the use of traffic infraction detectors to detect red‑light violations and establishes the city’s red‑light enforcement program. Staff recommended approval. Commissioners asked about the ticket amount; staff said automated red‑light citations under the referenced program are $158. The commission opened and closed the public hearing and approved the ordinance on first reading; vote carried unanimously.

Resolution 25‑02 — Live Local Act exemption decision (Schimberg Center report) Staff presented a recommendation based on the Schimberg Center for Housing Studies’ 2024 report and requested that the city elect not to grant exemptions under the Live Local Act for properties eligible for the 80%–120% tax exemption category. Staff said the Orlando‑Kissimmee metro area shows a surplus of available units for households at 0–120% of area median income. The resolution directs the Orange County property appraiser not to grant the specified exemptions for any tax year the resolution remains in effect. The commission approved the resolution unanimously.

Professional services agreement — Inspire Placemaking Collective ($299,640) The commission approved a professional services agreement with Inspire Placemaking Collective to assist with the city’s comprehensive plan update. The scope includes data collection, stakeholder interviews, community workshops, provision of a project website and assistance with state approvals. The cost presented on the record was $299,640. Vote: carried unanimously.

Site plan — 321 North Tennis (Hennis) Road The commission approved a site plan for a 7‑acre property that will demolish two existing buildings (including a 35,813 square‑foot Diamond R Fertilizer building), retain and refurbish some buildings and use the majority of the property for outdoor storage. Staff conditioned approval on standard staff conditions. The motion carried unanimously.

Special event — Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and celebration (Jan. 20, 2025) The commission approved the 6th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and celebration in downtown Winter Garden. Plant Street will be closed for the parade with some streets closed until approximately 12:00 p.m. and parts of Tremaine Street and Lakeview Avenue closed until about 5:00 p.m. The motion carried unanimously.

Code Enforcement Board appointment — Eddie Young The commission appointed Eddie Young to the Code Enforcement Board to replace Jack Littrell. Motion carried unanimously.

Fire assessment study authorization — update to existing ordinance and consultant selection Staff requested authorization to proceed with an update to a previously approved but never implemented fire assessment ordinance (first approved in 2008 but not implemented). Staff presented two consultant cost estimates and asked the commission to authorize proceeding with the lower‑cost proposal: Niche, $47,845 (Anser Advisory Management proposed $62,000). The commission approved proceeding so staff will have updated assessment data available during the budget process.

Other items Staff announced the city closed on the Lumen/CenturyLink property on Jan. 3 and said cleanup work will begin soon; that announcement was informational rather than an action requiring a vote.

Votes: All listed items above were recorded in the meeting as passing by unanimous voice vote unless noted. Where the transcript did not provide a roll‑call tally, the meeting minutes will provide formal vote counts.

Items with cited on‑record dollar amounts and summary details appear above; where the transcript recorded only that numbers were “not specified,” this summary identifies that fact rather than inferring amounts.