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Commission debates fee waiver for Wesley Seth Foundation; asks city attorney to draft nonprofit discount policy
Summary
After a plea from Wesley Seth Foundation founder Libby Batty to waive Central Winds Park fees for a drowning‑prevention fundraiser, commissioners discussed legal limits and equity concerns and voted to have the city attorney draft a 50% discount schedule for qualifying Winter Springs nonprofits that provide tangible public benefits; an immediate waiver motion failed.
The commission heard from Libby Batty, founder of the Wesley Seth Foundation, who described the group's work distributing door and window alarms, sponsoring swim‑lesson scholarships and other drowning‑prevention activities across Seminole County. Batty told the commission the resident rate for a full‑day rental at Central Winds Park is $2,000 and said waving that fee would allow the foundation to direct more funding into alarms and scholarships rather than overhead.
Several residents, including Kathleen Sims (a victim advocate who said she responds to local drowning incidents), spoke in support of the foundation. Commissioners expressed strong support for the foundation’s mission but raised legal and equity concerns about waiving fees for one nonprofit while denying them to others, and questioned what criteria would make a group eligible.
After extended discussion—during which staff and the city attorney outlined potential legal approaches, in‑kind offsets and documented public‑purpose tests—the commission voted 3–2 to direct the city attorney to prepare a written schedule and policy that would provide a substantial discount (the draft direction was for a 50% discount) for nonprofits located in Winter Springs that demonstrate a tangible public benefit (such as donation of alarms or services to Winter Springs residents). The vote was Deputy Mayor Kate Resnik and Commissioner Mark Caruso opposed; Commissioners Paul Diaz, Victoria Bruce and Sarah Baker supported moving forward with drafting the policy.
Commissioners also attempted a separate, immediate motion to grant a 50% fee discount to the Wesley Seth Foundation for the upcoming event; that motion failed. The commission discussed alternative, non‑fee supports (police details, trash removal, staff assistance or commissioner‑led fundraising) and asked the foundation to coordinate with staff while the city attorney drafts formal language.
The commission’s next steps are for the city attorney to draft a consistent policy that would: define qualifying nonprofit status, set documentation and tangible‑benefit requirements (for example, verification that donated alarms served Winter Springs addresses), and propose caps or other guardrails to avoid ad‑hoc waivers.
"Waving those fees would allow us to put more of our resources directly into servicing the community instead of covering our overhead cost," Batty said. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized they wanted a legally defensible, consistent process rather than case‑by‑case exceptions.
