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Orange County redistricting committee adopts findings recommending maps 1A and 7B to county commissioners
Summary
The Orange County Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee voted to adopt its findings of fact and forward two recommended maps — 1A and 7B — to the Board of County Commissioners. The adoption followed public comment supporting several community-preferred maps and a summary from legal staff of the process and data relied upon, including the
Orange County Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee members voted on Sept. 3 to adopt a findings-of-fact report that recommends maps 1A and 7B for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners.
The committee’s legal counsel told members the findings summarize the committee’s process, the data relied upon (the 2020 U.S. Census), the outreach performed and the proposals considered. "The findings of fact gives us an overview of the entire process," Attorney White said during the meeting.
Why it matters: The advisory committee’s recommendation is the primary product of a months-long public process that included dozens of public meetings and hundreds of public comments. The Board of County Commissioners will receive the committee’s recommendations at a Sept. 16 presentation and may accept, modify or reject them.
The committee’s findings describe committee procedures, list appointees and county divisions that supported the work, and summarize public participation and submitted proposals. Attorney White told the panel the record lists 331 public comments (54 submitted electronically as of the last update) and that the committee relied on the 2020 decennial census as the legally defensible baseline for population data.
Public comment at the Sept. 3 meeting largely praised the committee’s work and urged adoption of maps that keep specific communities together. Mayor Demings thanked committee members for their volunteer service, saying, "We owe all of you a debt of gratitude, for the time that you have devoted to this effort." Several speakers — including Rick Singh, the Orange County property appraiser, and municipal representatives from Winter Park — urged fair, contiguous districts and expressed support for Map 1. Resident speakers said they wanted neighborhoods returned to long-standing district alignments; Carol Hoskins said her neighborhood had been moved out of District 1 in 2022 and thanked the committee for correcting that error in the recommended maps.
Committee discussion and vote: After a brief round of technical corrections suggested by members (including correcting map labeling and a district number in the draft), co-chair Perez moved to approve the findings of fact and member Burrafont seconded. The committee then took a roll call vote. The recorded votes were: Member Ochevski — yes; Member Jackson — yes; Member Tealsheimer — yes; Member De La Portilla — yes; Member Arias — yes; Member Callan — yes; Member Washington — yes; Member Baga — yes; Member Jones — yes; Co-chair Perez — yes; Co-chair Evans — yes; Member Spears — yes; Member Affant — yes; Member Henry — yes. Member Pizzini was absent. The motion passed.
What the findings say: The adopted draft lists 41 proposals the committee reviewed (34 maps and seven amendments), notes roughly 19 committee meetings beginning March 6 and ending Sept. 3, and documents outreach efforts and meeting locations. The draft also describes the committee’s "
