Mayor and Commissioners,

Inertia is hard to stop but should never be a reason to spend taxpayers’ money.

Please view the commission work session video of September 11, 2025: https://winterparkfl.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1711/media, along with the Agenda Packet and staff PowerPoint for that meeting.

Key question: If CRA spending does not measurably add to property values, and thus does not contribute increased tax revenue to benefit the residents, why does the CRA continue to exist?

Regardless of the voters’ judgment on Amendment 3 this November, the commission would serve us well by carefully assessing the realities of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and acting accordingly now. I believe you will find the evidence clearly leads to the following conclusions.

1. There is no evidence CRA spending has measurably added to the tax base since 2000, including spending of taxes coming from Orange County. Assessed value increases within the CRA are a primarily a function of city approvals of new developments, not CRA spending.
   
   

2. The only area within the CRA arguably meeting a real-world definition of “blighted” was the Hannibal Square area back in 1994. This area was fully addressed with CRA spending and development approvals early in its history. Since then, CRA money has been spent without a clear need and without resulting in new development.
   
   

3. Spending more money in the expanded CRA down Fairbanks offers no opportunity for increased assessed value. Nothing within this area is truly blighted. More importantly, over $30,000,000 in city, state, and FDOT dollars has already been spent on infrastructure improvements on Fairbanks between I-4 and Pennsylvania in recent years (well before the CRA was expanded); including sewers, undergrounding electric, streetlights, sidewalks, turn lanes, land purchases, and paving. Yet, after all this prior spending, property values along Fairbanks have not increased faster than the city as a whole (7.86% vs. 7.57% from 2021 to 2025 per the staff report).
   
   

4. Projected CRA spending does not serve our residents or increase property values. Spending $20,000,000 for a 17/92 streetscape project will not increase the values of properties on that corridor, which have already received the benefit of major projects (Winter Park Village redo, Center of Winter Park redo, Lakeside Crossing, Hill/Gray Retail Center, etc.). Projected CRA stormwater spending should come from stormwater taxes, not CRA dollars. The $8,000,000 projected for the Park Avenue Refresh serves only commercial interests and does not increase taxable values. The $10,000,000 projected for land purchases does not serve the residents.

The reality is that CRA spending does not measurably increase taxable values, only new development approvals do. As such, there is no value add for Winter Park residents. So, why does the CRA still exist?

All we need to increase commercial taxable values is to approve new development that pays for its own infrastructure impacts. It is that simple. This is what has happened in Ravaudage, and it has worked amazingly well.

Priorities that serve the residents are (1) close the CRA now so those property tax dollars flow into the General Fund where they can be allocated city wide, and (2) reduce the cost and complication of project approvals for development in areas the commission wishes to address (use existing Brownfield allowances). This will bring over $70 million in tax dollars into the General Fund where they belong over the next 10 years, while developments approved within CRA boundaries over the next 10 years will immediately add property taxes to the General Fund.

I hope you will carefully assess these realities and act in the best interest of our residents.

Pete Weldon