Molly Rose resigns from Windermere Town Council

Council Member Molly Rose announced her resignation from the Windermere Town Council at its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10. 

Rose, who served as a council member in the past, began her first two-year term January 2022.

Rose cited the new financial disclosure requirements signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this year as the reasoning for her resignation.

"My husband is...this is a volunteer position and he doesn't want his information being public record, so I appreciate that, I respect that," she said at the meeting.

Although in the past Florida's ethic laws have required local elected public officials to disclose their primary sources of employment each year, the new legislation requires officials to file a new, more rigorous form. 

The form includes net worth, assets and liabilities exceeding $1,000, and an itemized breakdown of all sources of income that exceed $1,000. 

"My decision wasn’t due to any health issues, it was only because of the new financial reporting requirements that our Florida government has decided to change effective Dec. 31, 2023," Rose wrote in an emailed statement to Orange Observer. "As a Windermere Town Council volunteer (since 2009) I feel that it is improper and unnecessary for our financial information to become public information. I will miss sitting on council and hope the law is changed soon. This new regulation could impact many people that provide volunteer services to their communities which will not be beneficial to their cities and towns. It’s a sad time for Floridians."

Rose gave a heartfelt thank you to the Town Council and staff before announcing the news. 

"I just wanted to thank everybody up here for their services," she said. "It's tough making the right decisions for our town and it's time consuming and it's not always easy. ... I am very proud to be a Windermere resident. ... We have a great staff. They are not only conciouncicus and knowledgable about their jobs, but they really care about the town and the residents. ... Working with you guys has been great. ... The town is in great hands; I'll miss you guys. I wish you all health, happiness and continued success...and I'll be around."

Mayor Jim O'Brien said the town will officially recognize and honor Rose at the appropriate time, and he shared a few words. 

"The thing about you Molly is that you have always; we have agreed, we have disagreed, we've gone back and forth on things that we weren't sure about," he said. "I think that the integrity that you bring and the ability to hear both sides of an issue are a fine example to the entire community. You've always come when we called. ... I'm going to miss working with you...I think it's our loss."

The process for finding a replacement will be sent out by the legal team and discussed at the November Town Council meeting.