The Issues we are dealing with In Winter Springs
Infrastructure:
When the people of Winter Springs elected me back into office in 2022, our infrastructure had been ignored. The path of history had been changed, and to that point, our Waste Water Plants were not being properly taken care of; we had a fish kill that was blamed on the residents, we had storms that had flooded people's homes, and we had roads that were in such disrepair that potholes were the norm. Our creeks were flooding from a lack of maintenance and the ponds within the city were filling with sediment. These are just a few examples of where we were. Beyond these issues, the budget was in bad shape, and we were actively dealing with consent orders from the State.
The people elected me to get to work on all of this, and that is what I did.
Looking around Winter Springs now, you will see a city that is actively involved with infrastructure in mind.
Over the past 4 years, I have focused on what it takes to rebuild the city, so that the pain of the past can be healed from, and that the future of our city is a place people can enjoy calling home knowing they are safe.
Water and Waste Water
The conversation over the past 4 years has been water and wastewater. What I was able to accomplish was to develop a plan for our drinking water that helps to maintain the standards so that everyone has safe drinking water.
When you elected me in 2022, the City of Winter Springs was without a plan; yet was dealing with the State DEP, dealing with a poor Waste Water vendor and dealing with a budget that was not able to secure funding for new plants. When you read about all of the problems involving the waste water plants and where we were, versus where we are today, it is night and day. We have changed vendors to a more professional team, we fixed the problems that the DEP required and we have opened lines of communication with local and State partners that had been closed by a prior administation. This was what you asked of me, when you elected me; you asked for a Commissioner who will put the city first where it matters, and when it comes to this matter, this is what was needed. The project is now underway, which means a watchful eye over the process as well as keeping the relationships ongoing with our partners locally and at the State so that we can continue to build a healthier future for you, the residents.
Public Safety
Our City needs to continue to maintain our focus on Public Safety. We have a Police Department that has been working extensively for you, our residents to keep us safe. There is much we dont know, and as a citizenry we need to keep ahead of the crime best we can. Throughout my tenure as your Commissioner, I have maintained a safety-first mindset, which includes our team members in Blue.
Your safety is my focus, and I will promise to keep that my focus with supporting the police department.
The City Budget
People often hear that budgets are bloated, budgets are over-expanded or that your city is taking in more of your money than it needs. Throughout my time as your Commissioner, I can assure you this is not the truth. Have we had to raise fees and taxes; yes we have. The reality of where we were is due to a budget that was so constrained that we did not have the money to maintain your city. What has happened over the last 3 budget cycles is that the city has redeveloped the budget from the ground up, so that we are where we need to be, and we are set for a better future. We have maintained a very fiscally conservative budget, with as minimal of an increase to you, the residents. This has meant that we have worked to master plan our future, so that as we do have needs, we will be able to fix them. We have created a 5 year and 10-year plan for our infrastructure with projects moving forward and a way to pay for them, rather than what was a budget in ruins. I promised the people that we would get a balanced budget that would be what we needed for the future, and now we have this.
What does that mean for the residents moving forward - my promise is that we will continue to do the right thing, we will continue to maintain infrastructure and we will continue to focus on your safety, all the while planning for our future in mind. Our budget will continue to be fiscally conservative, as will all of our other costs, so that we can deliver to you, the people of Winter Springs, the best possible city at the most balanced cost possible.
