Orange County Commissioners are split[1] on how to redraw district boundaries, but Mayor Jerry Demings[2] says they are close to reaching a final decision.
Voters approved a charter amendment last year to expand the number of Commission districts from six to eight, spurring the need for redistricting.
An advisory committee that’s been analyzing the issue and getting public feedback for months presented two choices at a workshop this week. The County Commission is scheduled to make a final decision Oct. 14.
One of the biggest questions remains: Where does Winter Park end up?
The proposed Map-1A[3] joins Winter Park with Maitland, Pine Hills, Eatonville and other communities to form a new District 7. The other option, Map-7B[4], would leave Winter Park in the current District 5, which stretches to the county’s rural east.
At one point, Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero countered, “I like both. I don’t know.” He reluctantly picked Map-1A, joining Commissioners Christine Moore[5] and Mayra Uribe[6]. Commissioners Nicole Wilson[7] and Michael Scott[8] backed Map-7B.
Demings, who could be a deciding vote, said he supports whatever direction the majority of the Commission takes.
“I can live with either map, to be honest with you, but we’re going to have to pick a map at the end of the day,” Demings said Tuesday, arguing that both would give residents fair representation.
Caught in the debate is District 5 Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad[9], who said she could not pick a map after getting a flurry of last-minute emails the day of the meeting.
Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and Commissioner Craig Russell are advocating for their city to be in the same district as their urban neighbors. Winter Park, for instance, shares an elementary school district with Maitland. Winter Park is also working together on a sidewalk improvement grant with Eatonville and handles emergency calls for Maitland.
“Currently, Winter Park is part of the rural east Orange County, which we have nothing in common with,” DeCiccio said. “This is about representation and compatibility. Winter Park has different needs. We are about urban areas, not rural.”
But some residents spoke out, urging the county to stick to Map-7B, which most closely resembles the status quo.
“When people identify with their district and when they see their community as a cohesive unit that stays together and is connected to the political district lines, it makes a huge difference to people’s feeling that they can make an impact and they should vote,” Ella Wood, a Winter Park resident and the political director for Unite Here Local 737[10], which represents hospitality workers, many from Disney World.
“It’s also why we think that Map 7-B does the best job at the end of this process of keeping communities whole and keeping them with their historical districts.”
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References
- ^ are split (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Jerry Demings (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Map-1A (ocflmapping2025.net)
- ^ Map-7B (ocflmapping2025.net)
- ^ Christine Moore (www.orangecountyfl.net)
- ^ Mayra Uribe (www.orangecountyfl.net)
- ^ Nicole Wilson (www.orangecountyfl.net)
- ^ Michael Scott (www.orangecountyfl.net)
- ^ Kelly Martinez Semrad (www.orangecountyfl.net)
- ^ Unite Here Local 737 (www.uniteherelocal737.org)