Letter to the Editor: Is DPAC worth $1M from Winter Park?

The Winter Park City Commission last week approved $1,000,000 (that's right one million dollars) of your non-ad valorem tax dollars to a non-Winter Park organization.

The interlocal agreement with the city of Orlando of $100,000 a year for 10 years is for the construction and debt reduction of the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center (known as DPAC). This agreement was carefully worded so future commissions are bound by the agreement. Also Winter Park residents cannot have a say in a referendum or during the annual budget process where you normally get to see how and where dollars come from and go to. Also there are two public readings at the end of the budget process.

Residents that had followed the budget process for 2015 had the understanding that the $100,000 for 2015 for DPAC would be considered each budget year. There was never public discussion for an interlocal agreement.

During the last two years of budget processes we constantly heard at meetings how tight the budget was and that there was no wiggle room. Funding for several Winter Park organizations were reduced, programs sponsored by the city to help neighborhoods upgrade their landscape were totally dropped, and most important our tree canopy crisis could not be fast forwarded because of funding and the city could not afford to be responsible for the maintenance of our row trees.

What is the point of a visioning process if residents have no say in how a million dollars of future tax dollars are spent! You can join me in expressing your opinion at the next Commission meeting on Monday, Nov. 10.


— Nancy Shutts