Winter Park City Talk

Winter Park in the Super Bowl? Watch and see!

The city of Winter Park hosted “A Hero’s Welcome” parade earlier this month in honor of Lt. Chuck Nadd’s return home from military service in Afghanistan. The parade, which was held in downtown Winter Park, will be featured in a Budweiser 60-second commercial during Super Bowl XLVIII this Sunday, Feb. 2! We are proud to have hosted this amazing community-wide welcome home for Lt. Nadd, our hometown hero. To have our city featured during Super Bowl XLVIII is an unexpected, yet thrilling surprise in honor of this brave soldier and team effort.

An Anheuser-Busch representative explained, “During the editing process, Budweiser recognized the content which includes Winter Park’s preparation and heartfelt messages of thanks from neighbors, casual acquaintances and strangers alike, was too good to restrict to just 30 seconds. As a result, Budweiser purchased an additional 30 seconds of air time to make “A Hero’s Welcome” a full 60-second Super Bowl spot.”

Click http://bit.ly/19ZpMws to see the Observer’s story about Lt. Nadd’s return and view the teaser spot announcing the upcoming Super Bowl ad. Make sure to watch us on Super Bowl Sunday!

Keep the Super Bowl super – don’t drink and drive

The Super Bowl is one of America’s most highly anticipated sporting events, when friends and family gather in homes, sports bars and restaurants to celebrate. As Super Bowl Sunday approaches and football fans across the country prepare for the game, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, along with the National Football League and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management Coalition, have joined forces with the Winter Park Police Department (WPPD) and other law enforcement officials to spread the message about designating a sober driver on Super Bowl Sunday, because – “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.”

WPPD reminds fans that before choosing to drink, they should choose a sober designated driver. Avoid the unsportsmanlike conduct of driving drunk by handing off your keys so that you, your passengers and everyone on our roads can arrive home safely.

Motorists can expect the Winter Park Police Department to have an enhanced visible presence this Super Bowl weekend and to stop and arrest anyone who makes the dangerous decision to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

For more information, please visit nhtsa.gov/drivesober and TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov

Jan. 27 City Commission meeting

If you were unable to watch or attend the City Commission meeting held Jan. 27 in City Hall Commission Chambers, below are a few highlights of decisions made at the meeting:

Mayor’s Report

A presentation was given by Kathy Till, Florida League of Cities regarding 2014 legislative priorities.

Dr. P. C. Wu, president of the Florida League of Cities, presented the city of Winter Park with the 2013 Florida League of Cities Municipal Achievement Award honoring the city’s 125th Anniversary Celebration.

Awards were presented to Capprici Ricci and Rocket Fizz as the winners of the “Winter in the Park” Holiday Window Contest.

Approximately 50 city employees were recognized as part of the city’s Core Value Coin Award Recognition. Each of these employees exemplified one or more of the city’s core values in their everyday work that was above and beyond their normal duties.

City Manager’s Report

The city’s quarterly strategic plan was tentatively set for Monday, April 14, 2014.

Consent Agenda

The minutes of 1/13/14 were approved.

The various contracts were approved (for a complete listing, please visit cityofwinterpark.org/ccpackets).

The fee waiver for half of the parks rental not to exceed $825 for the Michael Andrew and SwingerHead Concert Sunday, Feb. 9, in Central Park, was approved.

The budget adjustment to spend $10,700 to replace the fence at Pineywood Cemetery using funds from the Cemetery Trust Fund was approved.

Action Items Requiring Discussion

Quiet zones for train horns were discussed and city staff was directed to proceed with the design work for quiet zones in Winter Park.

Public Hearings

The requests of Mr. and Mrs. Truby for the property at 612 E. Lake Sue Ave. resulted in the following decisions:

The second reading of the ordinance annexing 612 E. Lake Sue Ave. was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance amending the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map to establish a Single Family Future Land Use designation was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance amending the official zoning map to establish Single Family Residential District was approved.

The second reading of the ordinance vacating and abandoning the electric utility easement at 470 W. New England Ave. was approved.

Request of Lakeside Winter Park LLC for property at 111 N. Orlando Ave. was withdrawn by the applicant.

The request of the city of Winter Park resulted in the following:

The first reading of the ordinance amending Chapter 58 “Land Development Code” creating a non-compete window of 30 days before or after the city’s annual spring and fall art festivals was approved.

The resolution calling for a public hearing to discuss all aspects of the undergrounding of electric/CATV facilities consisting of properties abutting Seminole Drive, as to which improvements are to be paid in part by special assessments levied against all properties within the above described area was approved.

The resolution – Executing a local agency program supplemental agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for the design of the Brookshire Elementary School neighborhood sidewalks (Brechin Drive, Dunblane Drive and Kimbrace Place) was approved.

The resolution opposing modification to F. S. 316, which regulates use of red light camera enforcement, was approved.

The resolution asking the State Legislature to repeal Florida Statute 386.209, which preempts regulation of smoking to the state and to allow local governments to regulate smoking in parks, was approved.

A full copy of the Jan. 27 City Commission minutes will be available at cityofwinterpark.org the week of Feb. 10, pending approval by the City Commission.

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