City picks an official flag design

Winter Park has its first official city flag after the City Commission approved a design at the Oct. 24 meeting.

But a few final jabs were taken at the presumed flag-to-be by Commissioner Steven Leary, who said that the flag wasn’t descriptive enough for the city, calling it a “zoological flag.”

Three designs were in the final judging by the Commission, two featuring a peacock on a three-colored background, and one more elaborate design featuring a building, arched brick window, peacock and some of the city’s flora. Of the three, Leary said, the most elaborate one — dubbed design three — best represented what the city had to offer.

“I think three communicates a lot more of what Winter Park is all about,” Leary said.

“It almost feels like we’re a zoo,” Leary said, referring to the would-be winning flag depicting a lone peacock. “I think we’re more than that. It looks like a zoological flag to me.”

Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel, a longtime teacher, had a quibble about a flourish added into the favored design that stretched the peacock’s tail over a letter printed on the flag.

“Every time I see something on top of a letter it bothers me,” Sprinkel said. “That little feather on top of the ‘E’ bothers me. I would just like to see it not be on the letter, that’s all.”

The Commission also briefly considered replacing the word “Florida” with a date the city was established, though even that date seemed to be in question on the Commission.

“I think we’re still debating whether we were established in 1882 or 1887,” Mayor Ken Bradley said. “The thing I can guarantee is none of us were here for that.”

Commissioner Tom McMacken suggested removing the word Florida, but was then reminded that the city could be confused with the Winter Park in Colorado.

“But they’re in the snow most of the year,” McMacken said.

The Commission voted 4-1 to keep the flag design as it was and to approve it as the city’s official flag, ending a process that began on May 25. The flag is set to be printed within a few weeks, soon flying at City Hall for the first time in the city’s history.