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Villamar residents object to Villa Mar CDD boundary contraction; commission approves removal of 51.62 acres
Summary
Residents of the Villamar neighborhood told the Winter Haven City Commission they were blindsided by a petition to remove about 51.62 acres from the Villa Mar Community Development District, citing inadequate notice and worries about traffic, flooding and unspecified commercial uses; the commission approved the contraction on second reading.
The Winter Haven City Commission on Feb. 9 approved an ordinance to remove approximately 51.62 acres from the Villamar Community Development District, drawing an extended public hearing in which multiple Villamar residents urged the commission to slow down and improve notice to neighbors.
Petitioner material and staff testimony said the Villa Mar CDD currently comprises about 583.79 acres and that the proposed contraction would reduce the district to roughly 532.17 acres. City staff told commissioners the petitioner submitted a statement of regulatory cost estimates indicating no adverse financial impact to the city or state and recommended approval of Ordinance O-26-06 on second reading.
During a lengthy public‑comment period, residents from Villamar said they had been "blindsided" by the boundary change and disputed the city’s outreach. Brian Watt, speaking for neighbors, said many residents never saw posted signs or mailed notices and that some only learned of the change through later newspaper coverage. Watt and others warned that allowing C-3 zoning or other commercial uses on the parcel could increase traffic, alter flood patterns and introduce uses they did not expect when they bought homes in what they believed would remain residential.
Savannah Hancock, speaking on behalf of the petitioner, told the commission the contraction request was limited to removing the parcel from the CDD’s jurisdiction and "does not have to do with the actual development plan." She offered to answer questions from commissioners.
City planning staff responded to residents’ concerns by outlining the city’s public‑notice steps: eight public‑hearing signs were posted on the property on Oct. 17, 2025; 197 notices were mailed to property owners within 500 feet of the subject parcel; the matter was advertised in the Winter Haven Sun and was considered by the planning commission on Nov. 3, 2025 and at two city commission readings. Staff also clarified that, to date, no site plan has been submitted; site plans undergo administrative review for landscape buffers, stormwater retention, transportation impacts and school concurrency before any new use is approved.
After discussion, the commission moved to approve the ordinance on second reading and public hearing. The motion carried by voice vote.
What happens next: Because no site plan has been submitted, future proposals for development on the parcel will be evaluated under the city's land‑development code and concurrency rules; residents may still participate in those reviews when site‑plan materials are filed.
