Residents urge committee to advance 'Washington 2,' stressing municipal unity and unincorporated representation

Dozens of residents and community organizations told the Orange County Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee on Aug. 18 that the panel should prioritize maps that preserve municipal boundaries and keep communities of interest intact, with many asking the committee to advance the Washington 2 map to the Board of County Commissioners.

Why it matters: Speakers said maps that group like communities make it easier for commissioners to represent shared needs — for example, Winter Park’s municipal interests, Pine Hills neighborhood cohesion, and the unincorporated growth area Horizon West. Several residents said they had travelled or volunteered to support particular maps and asked the committee to reflect the public input when forwarding options to the County Commission.

“My district currently now stretches from Brevard County to Maitland in a long, wacky, crazy line that has never made sense,” said Hattie Bryant, a Winter Park resident, arguing Washington 2 keeps Winter Park with similar communities. “Washington too is fair, balanced, and the only map with genuine resident support and official municipal endorsements.”

Randy Knight, city manager for the City of Winter Park, said the city endorses a compact district that groups Winter Park with similar municipalities. “Of the 7 maps that you’ve amended that are for your consideration tonight, 5 of the 7 either stretch all the way to the Brevard County line or to the Lake County line. Only 2 are of that compact nature,” Knight said, adding that Winter Park prefers the original Washington 2 but would accept a closely related alternative.

Speakers also stressed unincorporated communities. David Shepherd, who identified himself as a Wedgefield resident, told the committee: “Map 2 and map 4 are the only ones that make District 5 kind of its own district.” Others from Horizon West said the area needs contiguous representation as it grows; Derek Fields, a Horizon West resident, said Washington 2 has the broadest community backing he’d seen: “It seems to me that Washington too is the map with the most community support.”

Several speakers representing Pine Hills and other east-side neighborhoods urged maps that create or preserve Black plurality or majority districts. “We used Alphonse as our base,” said Sam Delgado of Central Florida Jobs with Justice in describing a community-led map that aims to maximize minority representation. David Caicedo of Lehi Amillas asked the committee to “listen to Black and brown communities and poor working class and poor white communities that will be most impacted by redistricting.”

Not all testimony supported Washington 2. Giancarlo Rodriguez, representing Sunrise Movement Orlando, endorsed Henry 2 (Map 7), saying that version better groups communities with shared urban or working-class interests and would support coordinated advocacy on housing and transit.

Public‑comment speakers also flagged process concerns. Hattie Bryant and others criticized a county staffer’s public remark — they said it suggested public commenters were “manufactured” supporters rather than local residents. One commenter noted, “Florida statute precludes me from getting my address” on the meeting sign‑in form, a remark that arose while speakers read their addresses for the record.

The committee did not take final action on these public comments; it heard them before moving into map presentations and votes. Members said they will consider resident input as they vote on which maps to forward to the County Commission.

Looking ahead: The committee scheduled another session to finalize recommendations and urged members and the public to return prepared to narrow the field to two maps for the County Commission to consider.