Letters to the editor

To the editor of the Observer

On Monday at 4 p.m. the mayor and commissioners will hold a workshop on the request to form the Ravaudage Community Development District; a vote on this request must take place by April 8, there will be no opportunity for public input at Monday’s meeting. As the mayor and commission consider the Ravaudage Community Development District; they need to consider the impact long term, and potential challenges in its approval.

Many developments in Winter Park and Central Florida have been successful without CDD’s, so a question: would the development be successful or be able to obtain the financing to complete without this? A commitment to this developer now will set a precedent others may expect.

There are 600 CDD’s in Florida, which have issued $6.5 billion in municipal bonds to finance their infrastructure. Of the 600, 168 or 28 percent have defaulted on $5.1 billion or 78 percent of the bonds. Consider the track record of the developer requesting the CDD in Winter Park; which includes foreclosure, unfinished or partially completed projects. (Source: Florida Community Development District Report)

No one can convince me that the development of 48 acres will not require additional city services and infrastructure; you as commissioners have already taken on that obligation through annexation. The developer, investors, present and future owners should not benefit or be underwritten by the rest of the property owners and taxpayers of Winter Park.

Just reading Gov. Scott’s Executive Order Number 12-10 (Review of Special Districts) at floridacddreport.com/Scott.pdf is enough of a red flag for me.

Many folk in the city of Winter Park wonder, and some believe, that the developers of projects in Winter Park get what they want from the city and commissioners; there is a history of Winter Park approving projects that we were later sorry we approved; and in some cases paid millions to undo.

Development should be able to stand on its own and, if planned and done well, benefits all; the city of Winter Park has no business being a “partner” in development when the potential for benefit is to the developer and not the city. I can only hope that the mayor and city commissioners have the courage to do the right thing; deny the application for the Ravaudage Community Development District; developers and development, especially in the city of Winter Park, should not be funded or underwritten by its citizens and taxpayers.

Jack Miles

Winter Park

Letter to the Editor

Thank you to the Blue Door Denim Shoppe and the Winter Park Police Department for finding, keeping and mailing my iPad, which I left on a park bench on Park [Avenue] in Winter Park in mid-January. I’m very appreciative of the honesty and integrity of the owner and employees of the Shoppe for keeping it until I discovered an email they sent to me to let me know it was found. It was almost seven weeks from the day I lost it until it was back in my possession. Although I knew the likelihood of retrieving a lost iPad was very small, still, I kept a small bit of faith that it might be found. And, thanks to the employees of The Blue Door Denim Shoppe and Edward Bigley of the Winter Park Police Department, I’m extremely happy to have it back in my possession. I look forward to returning to Winter Park someday and thanking all of them in person. Until then, here’s a big shout out to Winter Park!

Regards,

Nancy de Jong

Greenville, S.C.

[email protected]