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Winter Garden residents urge action as single owner buys downtown buildings; city attorney says legal limits constrain bans on chains
Summary
Residents and small‑business owners told the Winter Garden commission they fear a recent buyer of multiple downtown properties will leave storefronts empty or replace local tenants with chains; city staff and City Attorney Dan Langley outlined legal limits and said design and historic‑district tools are the primary available protections.
Dozens of residents and business owners told the Winter Garden City Commission on March 12 they are worried a recent string of downtown property sales — identified by speakers as purchases by Jim Marwitz — could displace long‑standing shops and leave storefronts vacant.
At a public‑comment session dominated by pleas for transparency, local merchants described lease terminations and sudden changes in ownership. "They are transactions," said one downtown business owner who testified that a terminated lease lacked explanation and recognition of what the business had built in the community. "We are residents here in Winter Garden, and I feel we have a voice."
City staff gave a presentation intended to address those concerns and to explain what municipal law…
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