County redistricting group shares first proposed map in Winter Garden

The Orange County Redistricting Advisory Committee has the enormous task of carving out two more districts in the six-district county — with the goal of making sure the new eight districts are fairly drawn.

According to the guidelines, the new districts must have near-equal population; adhere to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Law; and consider the traditional redistricting principles that include compactness, preservation of municipal boundaries and maintaining communities of interest.

In 2024, Orange County residents voted in favor of increasing the number of districts. The committee was formed, and those members have been meeting regularly as part of the redistricting process.

Community meetings have been scheduled in each district, including a District 1 meeting held April 24 at the West Orange Recreation Center in Winter Garden. District 1 currently encompasses the city of Winter Garden; the towns of Oakland and Windermere; the Avalon Rural Settlement; and the communities of Tildenville, Gotha, Dr. Phillips, Horizon West, Lake Buena Vista, Hunter’s Creek and Williamsburg.

This meeting was a chance for the residents of District 1 to give input on where the new district lines should be drawn. Many of those speaking live in the planned master community of Horizon West, which has Winter Garden and Windermere ZIP codes but lies in unincorporated Orange County.

District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson was spoke, thanking the residents who were attending the important meeting. Her district includes Winter Garden, with 47,000 residents; Oakland, with 3,500; and Windermere, with 3,000; and Horizon West, with 62,000.

“As someone who has fought really hard for my smaller communities, I (implore) you to keep (that) in mind,” she said.

A majority of the residents in Wilson’s district live in unincorporated Orange County, and she wants to see her communities kept together, such as the rural districts of Gotha and Avalon, Dr. Phillips, Williamsburg and Hunter’s Creek.

When it came time for public comment, residents were lined up and ready to speak. More than 30 people took their turn at the podium, and they represented Horizon West, Winter Garden, Ocoee and Orlando; as well as neighborhoods such as Park Springs, Woodlands Village, Woodlands of Windermere, Stoneybrook West and Lake Butler.

Among the concerns and opinions: Don’t split communities, make sure the underserved communities get fair and equal representation, at least half of the eight districts need to have a large representation by minority groups, Horizon West and historic Winter Garden should be separated because their needs are fundamentally different, keep all the villages of Horizon West together, and don’t dilute the voices of minorities.

Rhonda Coons, a resident of Horizon West, hopes to see Horizon West on its own.

“We are a young growing community full of growing families,” she said. “Places like Winter Garden and Windermere are beautiful towns, but what they need in Orange County is not what we need. It’s too much for one district. Many of us are made to feel like we are an afterthought in Horizon West. We’re not asking for special treatment; we’re just asking to be seen and heard.”

David Buckles has lived in Winter Garden for about 30 years.

“As much as we love Horizon West, we would really love to see the district lines separated from (the historic municipalities),” he said. “The Horizon West area has grown a lot, and it’s really not feasible to expect (a commissioner to cover that size). And please don’t split the community of Winter Garden in any way.”

Donna Brown, of Horizon West, wants fair representation in her community.

“We need strong representation, not shared representation,” she said. “We need more attention and to be the focus of the district.”

Ocoee resident Vivian Light Johnson wants the committee to look at variation in race.

“I’m a former educator … and I feel like my best classrooms were where I had different students,” she said. “I understand the whole (idea of) wanting to be together; there are many communities that aren’t all together, and that’s OK.”

Danykqua Faulk, a Winter Garden resident and president of the grassroots organization One Winter Garden, hopes to see incorporated Winter Garden kept intact.

“Our focus is ensuring that incorporated Winter Garden is kept together,” she said. “We believe that by keeping our city whole, we can better meet our needs. Let’s work together to ensure that Winter Garden remains one, just as One Winter Garden.”

Laurie Forrester wants to see Horizon West and Winter Garden in one district.

“I am sandwiched, my community, with a common property line between Horizon West and city of Winter Garden,” she said. “What happens in Horizon West affects Winter Garden, and what happens in Winter Garden affects Horizon West. I agree that Horizon West should be kept whole, but I don’t believe it is in their best interest to isolate themselves.”

When public comments were closed, District 6 Commissioner Mike Scott spoke. He mentioned the comments of multiple people who were concerned about Horizon West residents being seen and heard, the distances commissioners potentially would have to drive, the need to keep Winter Garden together in one district, and the overall opinion that Horizon West citizens want their own district.

“What do you want,” Scott said to residents. “Now that you have in your head what you want as it relates to a district commissioner … what are you willing to compromise on? This is a fundamentally significant change in how our county is going to take shape. When you think about what is germane to your district and adjacent, think about what is important to the other districts. What’s important to you, and what are your non-negotiables? The most important conversation you’re going to have … is with each other.

“This isn’t a ‘this district’ or ‘that district’ process; it’s an Orange County process,” Scott said.

MAP PRESENTATION

In the presentation, it was stated each of the current districts will lose about 60,000 residents, splitting areas will be unavoidable and it will be impossible to maintain homogeneity across the entire county.

The committee and the public looked at three submitted maps, named Arias-1, Spears-1 and Spears-2, but the committee discussed and voted on only the Arias-1 map.

Committee member Mark Arias explained the reasoning behind his submission.

“It will be unavoidable to split areas,” he said. “I want to reinforce that particular thought. … If we’re trying to strive for an average of 188,000 (residents), every time you touch the screen, the population explodes. We have to be able to do all this and still keep a 10% deviation.”

Each of the committee members shared their thoughts on the Arias-1 map, and their comments ranged from not liking the “jarring redistricting” to “It’s shocking to see Disney taken out of District 1.” Several didn’t like the shapes or sizes of several districts.

The Arias-1 map splits two of the county’s 13 municipalities (Belle Isle and Orlando) and four of 39 communities of interest (Horizon West, Lake Butler, Meadow Woods and Oak Ridge).

“I made sure this map numerically matches the 2020 census, and I worked forward from that position,” Arias said. “No matter how you cut this map numerically, it is a sound map. I know it’s not a perfect map.”

Arias said he is working on a second version.

After much conversation, the Arias-1 map was rejected by a 13-2 vote, with only committee members Arias and Alejandro Pezzini against the rejection.

“We might disagree on this, but we will do it civilly,” co-chair Tico Perez said.

Gordon Spears’ two maps were to be presented this week at the April 30 committee meeting.

Residents wanting to submit a map can contact one of the committee members or email [email protected].

Co-chair Camille Evans thanked residents for attending.

“It’s heartwarming to be part of the conversation of how we’re going to move forward,” she said.

“This is a tough process,” Perez said. “The spirit of the committee is wonderful. We’re all friends here, and we have one goal which is to get this right. I appreciate the tone of the meeting.”

Wilson said she was pleased with the robust public comment.

“We need to hear from people regarding what they think about the maps,” she said.

She said she didn’t think the Arias-1 map was a practical redistricting because it isolated Horizon West.

“If you think about Bay Lake as being Disney, they sort of put Horizon West in (a redrawn District) 4 with Hunter’s Creek and Williamsburg without thinking; there’s no geographical connection,” she said. “You may argue that downtown Winter Garden and Horizon West don’t have anything in common, but as you drive past neighborhoods that have been added, and (as) Daniels Road leads into Horizon West, I didn’t think there’s as much in common (with Hunter’s Creek and Williamsburg) for the folks in Horizon West as there are in the historical areas like Winter Garden.”

She agreed it does not make sense to separate the villages of Horizon West, which is the case in the Arias-1 map. She also wants to see Hunter’s Creek, Williamsburg and Dr. Phillips together.

“My preference would be to not lose any of them,” she said. “But if you’re going to do that, at least put them in one district so they have complete representation.”

Winter Garden Commissioner Chloe Johnson said she was grateful for the committee bringing the meeting to east Winter Garden, which she represents, and allowing residents the chance to have their voices heard. She called the Arias-1 map bold.

“He said he was just doing it to keep the municipalities together, which I agree with heavily,” Johnson said. “Horizon West is growing tremendously. They do need their own representative. The municipalities are very historic, from Winter Garden to Ocoee to Windermere to Oakland. That’s a tough situation, and I hope they will listen to the residents and give Horizon West their own representation. I do feel their needs are different. They have a population of 62,000 and growing.”