07.14.17 Winter Park/Maitland Observer

WINTER PARK/MAITLAND

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 29, NO. 28

Anna Eskamani files for District 47. SEE PAGE 6.

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

Passion for preservation Maitland’s Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center unveiled three new exhibits. PAGE 8.

YOUR TOWN PATHWAYS EXPANDS Community Based Care of Central Florida operates the Pathways to Home program, providing immediate shelter and long-term stability for families in and on the verge of homelessness.

With new HUD funding, Pathways to Home is expanding from Seminole County to Orange and Osceola counties, more than doubling its capacity to help vulnerable families.

Jam On TROY HERRING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T

here’s nothing quite like playing music

Scratch restaurant closes Fairbanks Avenue lost its second restaurant in the span of a couple of weeks.

TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Another Winter Park restaurant has closed its doors.

Scratch on Fairbanks Avenue said goodbye Monday, July 3, as owner and operator Ashley Byrd wrote a Facebook post just days before announcing

with others, and for

some musicians, that opportunity doesn’t happen often.

If you’re looking for musicians to play with, there’s good news: Winter Park soon will have a new place for you to jam.

Troy Herring

SEE FAMILY PAGE 4

SEE SCRATCH PAGE 4

One local family is hoping to bring music to the people in a new open jam session program in Winter Park.

CHAMPIONSHIP FORM

Winter Park City Commission denies New England Ave. project Concerns regarding parking requirements snarled a three-story, mixed-use project on East New England Ave. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Winter Park Babe Ruth 10U All-Stars win five in a row to capture Florida championship. SEE PAGE 9.

Citing concerns with parking requirements, Winter Park city commissioners on Monday, July 10, denied a retail, restaurant and office space project that had been in the works for more than a year.

The t h r e e - s t o r y, 52,601-square-foot project set for the parking lot next to the Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Shop was the latest project by Battaglia

Group Management LLC, which previously constructed the Bank of America building across the street.

A parking area in the project was set to include 57 spaces, but the overall size of the project required 162 spaces as per city code.

To make up the difference, Daniel Butts, of Battaglia, requested the project be allowed SEE CITY PAGE 2

YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, JULY 15

CREALDÉ SCHOOL OF ART INTRODUCTORY LONG-ARM QUILTING WORKSHOP 11 a.m. Saturday, July 15, at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center at 642 New England Ave., Winter Park. In this one-day demonstration and hands-on workshop, students will learn the basics of long-arm machine quilting, including how to put the backing, batting and top onto the quilting machine. Attendees also will learn how to stitch in the ditch, and make meandering and simple free motion patterns. Cost is $100 for members and $120 for nonmembers. For more information, visit crealde.org or call (407) 671-1886.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE 11 a.m. Saturday, July 15, at the Maitland Public Library, 501 Maitland Ave. S. in Maitland.

Shop at the monthly BOGO sale to benefit the Friends of the Library. The event is held in the Community Room. Shoppers can get great bargains on books, movies and magazines.

For more information, call (407) 647-7700.

TUESDAY, JULY 18

BLUE BAMBOO’S ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY 8 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, 1905 Kentucky Ave., Winter Park. Celebrate Blue Bamboo’s one-year anniversary with the band that started it all — the Orlando Jazz Orchestra.

Cost is $20 For more information, call (407) 636-9951 or visit bluebambooartcenter.com

MONDAY, JULY 24

BOOK DISCUSSION 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, July 24, at the University Club of Winter Park, 841 N. Park Ave., Winter Park. Participate in a discussion of “The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the PostCrisis World,” by Ruchir Sharma.

Sharma, chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley and its head of emerging markets investments, analyzes the world’s major economies and explains his system for performing analysis.

For more information, call (407) 644-6149 or visit uclubwp.org.

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

SATURDAY, JULY 29

LAKES FOREST & GRACE WATERSHED CLEANUP 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at 2225 Howard Drive, Winter Park.

Join a group as they clean-up litter in and around Lakes Forest & Grace. Breakfast, volunteer T-shirt, snack and water bottles will be provided for all volunteers. Kayakers and paddleboarders are welcome. Meet at 2225 Howard Drive for distribution of supplies. To sign up for this event, contact Vanessa Balta Cook at (407) 599-3364 or vbaltacook@cityofwinterpark.org.

SAT HACKS AT THE WINTER PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, at the Winter Park Public Library, 460 E. New England Ave., Winter Park. Students in grades eight through 12 will have a chance in this class to learn specific math strategies that will help them read and translate the questions accurately, avoid careless mistakes and traps, filter irrelevant information, and strategically answer the questions to ensure a higher score. (407) 623-3300.

THURSDAY, AUG. 10

POPCORN FLICKS IN THE PARK 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Central Park main stage at Park and Garfield avenues, Winter Park. This film series features classic films for the whole family. Free popcorn. Call (407) 629-0054.

SUNDAY, AUG. 13

FILMSLAM AT THE ENZIAN THEATER 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 at the Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland. Experience the best local indie film showcase and vote for each month’s winner. Usually held every second Sunday, FilmSlam is a monthly indie film showcase and competition open to Florida filmmakers and students. This series empowers audience members to select each month’s winner, who then advances to participate in Enzian’s Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase. For more information, visit enzian.org or contact Jen Vargas at filmslamjen@gmail.com.

City denies project CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

two variances for the parking: one requesting that 90 spaces be used in the existing Bank of America garage across the street and another requesting that the city only require three parking spaces per 1,000 square feet instead of four.

The combined variances between the two buildings would have lowered the requirement to 122 spaces for the new project and given the developer a combined 147 parking spaces.

But residents claimed the Rendering by Zyscovich Architects variance requests were straying too far from the code. Some A project rejected July 10 could have changed the skyline along Park said they feared the project Avenue. would eat into existing parking and hurt other businesses. nity and it would ensure the IN OTHER NEWS Other nearby residents said project’s success. n City Manager Randy the project is simply too large “Staff has looked at this Knight presented the for the area. The three-story project, and they felt comfortcity’s proposed 2017/2018 building just across the street able recommending the three budget. from the Bank of America per 1,000,” Grindstaff said. building would create a “can- “It’s within your purview to do n Commissioners apyon” effect, Michele Massoni- this if you think it’s the right proved the first reading Dubac said. thing for the city.” of ordinance authorizing “What may appear to be the City commissioners decided the conveyance of 301 W. best thing for the owner of the the project was too far off from Comstock Ave. building may not be in the best the parking requirements, votinterest of his neighbors, their ing it down 5-0. n The commission appatrons, the Winter Park CBD “The building is lovely, so it’s proved a resolution to the and Winter Park citizens,” she not an issue of architecture,” Winter Park Community said.

City Commissioner Carolyn Redevelopment Agency’s Allen Deaver, owner of Tay- Cooper said. “I would love to approval of Holiday AL lor’s Pharmacy nearby on Park see a properly parked, scaled Management Sub LLC Avenue, agreed. building go forward. There are (Holiday Retirement) as a “I think this is a beautiful many ways that we are willing Qualified Target Industry. project; it’s just too big,” he to compromise relative to the said. “Why can’t we just ask shared parking. We are willing them to make it smaller?” to do that. We are willing to Attorney Michael Grind- work at ways that we can help staff, representing Battaglia, reduce this to some reasonable responded that his client is a parking, but we’re not there. trusted entity in the commu- We’re not close.”

WINTER PARK REACHES AGREEMENT WITH OCPS The city now will have a new area for recreational sports after Winter Park city commissioners approved a joint use agreement with Orange County Public Schools.

That agreement allows Winter Park to use Brookshire Elementary School’s

THE HERO

Starring Sam Elliott & Laura Prepon

Fri – Sun: 3:45PM, 6:30PM, 9:15PM Mon,Tues, Thurs: 6:30PM, 9:15PM Wed: 6:30PM

playground after hours on weekends for public use.

“It basically gives us extra playground area, as well as some green space area,” Parks and Recreation Manager Jason Seeley said.

“The green space area is one that we do lack. We get

a lot public input from our citizens wanting a place to kick a ball or throw a ball with their child.”

The contract also includes the potential use of Lakemont Elementary School’s playground.

KidFest Films Ballet on the Big Screen: Special Event: STOP MAKING FREE & open to the public all month long!

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WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

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Maitland approves Bainbridge apartments After more than two hours of discussion, the Maitland City Council approved the project at 2266 and 2270 Shadow Lane.

TROY HERRING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

DAMAGE

Photos by Tim Freed

ASSESSMENT An unusually strong storm hit downtown Winter Park during the Fourth of July holiday.

TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

On a day when Winter Park and Maitland residents celebrated America’s birthday and watched fireworks in the sky, Mother Nature put on a display of her own.

A violent storm hit the Winter park area Tuesday, July 4 — bringing large tree branches crashing down that toppled over lampposts and street signs throughout the downtown area.

The storm started around Lake Mizell and traveled northwest toward the downtown Park Avenue area and Palmer Avenue.

“There were people in the other corners of the city that barely saw rain,” Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight said. “It was very localized how it went through.”

Employees and customers at the 310 Park South restaurant saw the damage firsthand. A limb from a nearby tree fell and landed on a sidewalk umbrella, knocking it over including the concrete base.

“It was just a domino effect,” said Brook Hayden, the manager of the restaurant. “It was quite the experience from what I hear. I was busy at home protecting my dog.”

Hayden’s home just a mile away caught the brunt of the storm, as well. An entire tree came down on her front lawn. The winds were “manhandling” her rod iron patio furniture.

“It was whipping through,” she said. “It was forceful enough.”

Knight said the city lost about 30 trees as a result of the storm.

One fell across Phelps Avenue in a residential neighborhood, while a large portion of a tree fell across a northeast-bound lane on Orange Avenue next to the old Progress Point property, holding up traffic.

The weight of the limbs toppled over a nearby lamppost, as well.

“It seemed to be more devastating on July 4 than Matthew was,”

Tree branches and lampposts came toppling down on July 4 as a concentrated storm hit the Winter Park area.

Mayor Steve Leary said.

There was plenty of rain, too: Four inches fell during a storm July 1, and 3 inches fell July 4. It brought the water levels in the Winter Park canals high enough that Dinky Dock was closed, Knight said.

“The water level was so high that boats couldn’t get under the bridges, like under Aloma,” Knight said.

Power took a hit in the eastern part of the city, as the Via neighborhood suffered an outage that lasted until 11 a.m. the next day.

“It projected heavy thunderstorms but not like that,” Knight said. “That was a surprise.”

Electric Utility Director Daniel D’Alessandro said the city hopes to improve its communication with residents after storms have taken place.

“We need to do some improving in communication back to our residents,” he said. “That could have been much better. I have things underway to get that better.”

“There were people in the other corners of the city that barely saw rain. It was very localized how it went through.”

— Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight

It was another busy night in the Maitland City Council Chambers Monday, July 10.

Although the meeting lasted about three hours, two of those involved the public hearing regarding the proposed Bainbridge apartment complex.

Despite the public outcry, the City Council adopted Bainbridge’s Planned Development zoning district and Development Plan located at 2266 and 2270 Shadow Lane.

Community Development Director Dan Matthys and Becky Wilson, representing Bainbridge, gave follow-up information to address issues discussed earlier.

Although the apartment buildings will remain three to four stories tall, and the number of units will stand firm at 300, Bainbridge made eight separate concessions, including a taller wall (from six to eight feet tall); enhanced perimeter landscape; removal of two residential buildings closest to neighboring homes; and removal of some parking spaces to preserve trees.

Despite the concessions, residents from nearby Maitland Village lined up to share their concerns once again. As had occurred in the previous meeting on June 26, residents discussed a range of concerns, with the largest complaints including traffic congestion, wildlife, overcrowding and the planning process itself.

“During our last meeting, all we heard was about concessions which were made to the Winfield Reserve neighborhood, yet we have not heard one word about any concessions made toward Maitland Village,” Chris Matela said. “I want to stress here that we were passed by and not included in any of the latest talks about Bainbridge development except for one, and after all, we are the only one bearing the whole burden of an impact — first of the construction and the damage it is going to cause, and then the increased traffic and problems it will bring to our neighborhood.”

Some residents said they were not against Bainbridge’s desire to build an apartment complex — the group owns the property being developed. But, the growth

A PLACE TO PLAY

With the new Bainbridge apartment complex securing approval from the City Council, the area also will be getting a new community park.

As part of a deal between Bainbridge and the city of Maitland, the development company will put in place a park at the west end of Fennell Street.

At the last City Council meeting, residents met the park proposal with some resistance, worrying it wouldn’t have enough parking spaces and wouldn’t be monitored.

IN OTHER NEWS n Taylor Kessel was reappointed to the Board of Zoning Adjustment. n The council introduced and moved for the first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 6 of the Maitland Code of Ordinances — Fire Protection and Prevention. n The Council moved to introduce an ordinance to amend the zoning district from an Orange County R-1AA (singlefamily residential district) to a Planned Development zoning district and associated plan for St. Anthony Coptic Church.

needs to be done responsibly. For John Hopkins, there is a sense that he and others living in Maitland Village have to concede more than what should be asked of them.

“It’s always a matter of sacrifice … that’s how it is,” Hopkins said.

“But, I just want to give you the image of a dead-end street, with a gate on the end making it a deadend street, because the people on the other side don’t want the traffic. I want to then continue to build this image, of a big development that is going to go right on the other side of that fence, and 300 units — that’s 600 cars more on this dead end street — that we have to take. That’s a sacrifice.”

Councilwoman Bev Reponen sided with the Maitland Village residents before ultimately voting against the complex. However, Councilman John Lowndes noted the project’s scope and scale were compatible with the land’s intended use.

“We can’t deny someone the use of their land, because we don’t like it,” John Lowndes said.

“We have a restriction on what we can do, and that is we can deny the development by competent and substantial evidence … and we don’t have that evidence.”

It was made clear to the audience that the council was following the laws in place, and denying the development could spark a lawsuit.

“A prior community development director had done this deal years ago, so we have established a good faith — good will, if you will,” said Mayor Dale McDonald after the meeting. “God forbid if we made it too bad and said, ‘No chance,’ they could have just tried to sue us, because we already agreed on it. So it’s kind of a nowin spot.”

Mayor Dale McDonald supported the idea of a new park.

“The fact that west of the interstate — and actually even farther east of that — we have no park facilities whatsoever for half of the population of Maitland,” McDonald said. “We owe them that, and we have owed them that for decades.”

The city will run the park, but the developer will finance 100% of it. The park will cost the city between $15,000 and $20,000 per year to maintain.

The council passed the conceptual plan for the neighborhood park unanimously.

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WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

Family composes new jam

WINTER PARK/MAITLAND

Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

IF YOU GO OPEN JAM NIGHT WHEN: 6 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, July 20 WHERE: Winter Park Community Center, 721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park INFORMATION: seely1@aol.com

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher / Dawn Willis, dwillis@OrangeObserver.com Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Associate Publisher / Tracy Craft,

Troy Herring

Griffin, Larry, Nolan and Gregory Seel jam out together during some practice time at the amphitheater at Winter Park’s Community Center.

WANT TO PLAY?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The program is still in its early stages, but the plan, said Seeley, is to host an open jam session once a month for the next couple of months. If it gets traction, it will be extended.

Musicians who want to play will be asked to sign up, specify what instrument they want to play, and whether or not they plan to sing. Musicians of all ages and experience levels are welcomed to come out to jam.

Musicians also are asked to bring their own instruments, although equipment such as guitar and bass amps will be available to use, Larry said.

From there, a handful of musicians will be picked and get a specific amount of time to play — depending on turnout.

Thanks to the Seel family of Winter Park, musicians from around the area will have the chance to participate in an open jam session July 20 at the Winter Park Community Center.

“There is a big difference between just practicing at home in your bedroom and playing live music with a drummer, a bass player, and a real singer — it makes it sound so much better and is so much more enjoyable,” said Larry Seel. “You can only do so much playing along with records or practicing on your own. It’s just fun and very helpful to your learning to get to play with other musicians.”

While his wife, Bethanne, isn’t a musician, Larry and their sons — Gregory, Nolan, and Griffin — have been playing music for years. Their daughter, Lindsay, also plays music.

Larry has been playing guitar for a while now, and his kids grew up surrounded by music. Gregory picked up the saxophone and a few other instruments, Nolan enjoys the organ, while Griffin plays the violin.

The concept of an open jam night was largely inspired by personal experiences. The biggest issue the family faced as musicians in Winter Park was that there wasn’t a local place to play.

“Gregory and I have played at various open-mic and music jams at bars and restaurants, and different places around town, and we have always enjoyed getting together with other musicians to play,” Larry said. “But not around town here. It was always in Sanford or Longwood.”

“We go to the one in Sanford most frequently, so it being 45 minutes to and from — we just wanted something a little closer,” Gregory said.

A part of that problem, too, was that the closer places, especially bars, are not kid friendly places where families can enjoy music.

After a year of sitting on the idea to start up an open jam session, the Seel family approached the city of Winter Park around a month ago to discuss plans and see if there was any space where they could hold the event.

Larry, Bethanne, and Gregory all met with Parks & Recreation Manager Jason Seeley at the community center “We have the outdoor amphitheater on the back of the facility, so it just seemed like it would make sense for the community center to work with one of our residents and offer this type of program,” Seeley said. “We are really just helping them with marketing and giving them space to do it — no one is making any money; there are no fees. It was a win-win opportunity to give our local musicians of all ages a place to come out and perform, and also our residents to come out and take it in.”

For the Seels, the program is not only about giving musicians a chance to play, but also about bringing the community together.

“A big part of it is bringing people together through music,” Larry said. “Gregory and I certainly have met people we never would have run across in the course of our everyday lives through music.

Music is good for your soul and your spirit … it’s just an opportunity to have a good time.”

Scratch closes in Winter Park CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the eatery would be permanently closing.

Scratch first opened its doors in late 2013, serving tapas from a cozy hole in the wall. The restaurant was decorated with paintings from local artists, blending food and art into one cool hang out.

“We’re a passionate hospitality group in Winter Park serving those who love food, beer, wine and art,” the Scratch Facebook page reads. “We kick up the glam and serve up flavor-rich small plates.”

Byrd did not respond to a request for comment.

Her announcement came just three days after PR’s Taco Palace closed their doors on Saturday, June 24, down the street along Fairbanks after a 30-year run.

Besides the SunRail project closing off the road that contained most of the restaurant’s parking, PR’s owner Perry Inman also suggested the downtown Winter Park area has seen more restaurants open their doors, resulting in more customers going elsewhere.

“In the last couple of years, there’s been a dozen restaurants that have opened up in Winter Park,” Inman said. “The slice of the pie gets thinner and thinner.”

One study by the city presented at a recent parking summit last month said 1,400 restaurant seats have been added along Park Avenue since 2003.

But despite the increase in Winter Park restaurants, there are plenty of customers to go around, said Winter Park Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Betsy Gardner Eckbert.

“I have site selectors calling me all the time saying, ‘We’re looking to bring a new restaurant into Winter Park,’” she said. “We’d love to have space for more restaurants in Winter Park. Winter Park is a perfect market for restaurants. We get a mix of guests from international to domestic to wealthy, local patrons that make it an ideal fit for success for restaurants.”

As for Scratch, Gardner Eckbert said it was her understanding that the closing had more to do with internal problems than the surrounding area or a lack of

tcraft@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Executive Pam Zerblas, pzerblas@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Kathleen Carreiro, kcarreiro@OrangeObserver.com Tony Trotti, ttrotti@OrangeObserver.com Customer Service Representatives Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Sarah Felt, sfelt@OrangeObserver.com

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Tim Freed

Scratch owner Ashley Byrd announced her restaurant’s closure via a Facebook post.

customers.

Two restaurants have closed along Fairbanks Avenue, but the corridor remains a vibrant place for a restaurant, she said.

“I can speak to Hunger Street Tacos as an example,” Gardner Eckbert said. “They’re a really successful, very active member with us. Their business seems

to be thriving and growing and moving from strength to strength on Fairbanks.

“I’m not aware of corridors in the city having problems,” she said. “This is a destination. All we’re hearing is excitement and continued interest in Winter Park as a dining destination.”

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OrangeObserver.com

To provide property owners a tax break, the state reduced the Required Local Effort Millage Rate dedicated for school districts. Orange County School Board Member Pamela Gould believes rolling back the millage rate was a mistake, particularly given the budget surplus the state received. The surplus, Gould said, resulted from an increase in property values and people moving into the state.

“Instead of adding funding for charter schools (to the budget), they’ve taken away from ours,” Gould said.

PERMISSIBLE USES Orange County school administrators are concerned about the lack of accountability regarding how charter schools use state and local taxpayer funds. According to the FLDOE, allowable uses of capital outlay include: n Purchase of real property n Construction of school facilities n Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of permanent or relocatable school facilities n Purchase of vehicles to transport students to and from the charter school n Renovation, repair, and maintenance of school facilities that the charter school owns or is purchasing through a lease-purchase or long-term lease of 5 years or longer n Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of new and replacement equipment, and enterprise resource software applications n Payment of the cost of premiums for property and casualty insurance for the school facilities

CHARTER SCHOOLS: THE FACTS n Charter schools are non-profit organizations that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. n There are currently 652 charter schools operating in Florida. n 282,924 students are enrolled in Florida’s charter schools. n Charter schools receive funding from the Florida Education Finance Program using the same formula applied to district schools. n Every charter school is evaluated on academic progress and outcomes agreed upon in the school’s binding contract and are assigned a school grade using the same standards and criteria as traditional public schools. n Charter schools must provide monthly and annual financial reports to their district sponsor and state. n If a charter school receives two consecutive grades of “F,” the school district is permitted to close the school. No traditional public school operated by a Florida school district has ever been closed for poor performance.

Source: Floridacharterschools.org

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

OCPS: Education bill will dilute resources School district officials said the charter school-friendly House Bill 7069, which took effect July 1, mandates an inequitable charter-to-public-school funding ratio.

GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR ORANGE COUNTY Many Florida school district administrators and board members resent the stamp of approval Gov. Rick Scott gave an education bill that several education advocacy groups call a disaster.

The multiple provisions in the 274-page charter school-friendly bill, known as House Bill 7069, sparked so much controversy in the Senate that it barely survived.

While administrators appreciate some of the bill’s provisions — including the elimination of certain tests and the discontinuation of the Value-Added Model performance evaluation for teachers — many believe the $419 million bill mandates a disproportionate share of funds to charter schools.

The provisions that most concern Orange County Public School administrators involve the redistribution of Title I funding and the newly mandated sharing requirement of capital funding with charter schools.

SHARING REQUIREMENT

In addition to the capital funding school districts receive from the state, school districts receive money via local property taxes.

Currently, state law allows districts to levy up to $1.50 for every $1,000 in local taxable property value to raise money for the construction of new schools and maintenance of existing schools.

Before HB7069, districts had the option to share that money with charter schools.

However, sharing is now mandatory because HB7069 requires school districts to give a portion of that money to eligible charter schools. The amount depends on the number of enrolled students at each school.

For example, because there are 13,750 students enrolled in OCPS’ 44 charter-run schools, assuming all the charter schools met the criteria for eligibility, OCPS would need to transfer about 6.7% of the money collected from property taxes to its charter schools. During the 2016-17 school year, OCPS allocated a total of 0.41% to charter schools from its total capital revenue of $1.68 billion — which included federal funding.

OCPS Chief Communication Officer Scott Howat calculated that OCPS would need to transfer $3.7 million during the first fiscal year. Both Howat and Orange County School Board member Pamela Gould said they lament the amount, given the construction of new schools it could have been used to fund and the lack of guarantee that charter schools would use the money to construct new schools of their own.

“West Orange is a high-growth area, so we could use that money toward a new school,” Howat said.

But Chris Moya, a lobbyist and the lead advocate for Charter Schools USA, argued the bill only ensures the money follows the students. Before this bill, charter school students received an average of about 25% to 30% less fund-

ing than a student in a districtmanaged school, he said.

Now, that funding will follow a student whether they choose to go to a charter school or districtmanaged school.

“The only thing this bill does is ensure that capital money for a child’s education will follow that child,” Moya said. “It does not benefit any district school or charter school — all it does is make sure the dollars follow the student.”

TITLE I FUNDING DISTRIBUTION

What unsettles OCPS most is the redistribution of Title I funding.

A federal program created by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, Title I provides financial assistance to schools with high percentages of children from low-income families.

With the changes made by HB7069, after providing the Title 1 Part A funding to schools with the highest percentages of children in need and deducting anything owed on mortgage payments, districts will be required to provide the remaining Title I funds to all eligible schools in their district, including charter schools, regardless of need.

Orange County School Board member Joie Cadle said not being able to concentrate the leftover Title I money to fund resources in the lowest-performing schools could result in the closing of several programs in those schools meant to boost academic performance, parental involvement and emotional support.

“The Title I funding changes …

will dilute the programs that we have started with our neediest students and schools,” said Cadle, who represents District 1. “I am afraid the strides we have made in academic success with universal gifted screening for all secondgrade students, or our parentinvolvement activities through the monthly Parent Academy sessions will be diluted.”

According to OCPS, the district received $57.5 million in Title I Part A funding during the 201617 school year and allocated nearly $1.48 million of it to 14 out of the 44 public charter schools.

“You’re taking a set pie of funding for Title I and distributing it and thinning out its effects,” Howat said.

However, Moya said the provision also ensures money stays with the student no matter which type of school they attend.

“None of the arguments the districts put out there center on the student — their argument is that this is bad for the school … as an institution,” Moya said.

“And frankly, parents don’t care about a school district, they care about their child’s education. (The money) is meant to fund Orange County students, not the Orange County school district institution.”

Kenneth Haiko, chairman of the Renaissance Charter Foundation, which operates about 35 charters statewide, said the bill creates a more equitable funding ratio.

“HB 7069 is good for students,” Haiko said. “By providing more equitable funding — especially for some of our most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged atrisk students — parents are better able to make the right educational choice for their child.”

BY THE NUMBERS

$419M

The amount provided in state education funding in House Bill 7069

$100

The increase in funding per student included in HB7069

203,921

The number of Orange County Public Schools students as of February 2017

13,750

The number of OCPS students enrolled in charter schools (6.7%)

7%

OCPS’ percentage of the total student population of Florida.

282,924

Florida students enrolled in the state’s 652 charter schools.

Sources: Florida Department of Education; Floridacharterschools.org

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As a new election cycle comes up in 2018, so arrive new faces onto the political scene.

With Florida House Rep. Mike Miller (R-Orlando) announcing recently that he would be running for Congress next year, his District 47 seat, which he has held since 2014, is becoming vacant.

Although it is still early in the process, so far the only competitor in the field currently is Anna Eskamani — a Democrat born and raised in Orlando.

Her announcement this week took place out on the steps of Orlando’s City Hall, where Eskamani rolled out her intentions to run for office — although the 27-year-old actually hadn’t planned to announce her entrance until August.

“I wasn’t actually planning on announcing this early, but I felt like it was the best choice for us — to get out there and have intelligent conversations with constituents, and business owners and so forth,” Eskamani said. “I’m excited that we started, and the enthusiasm and support has been humbling.”

Although new to the aspects of running for an elected seat, Eskamani has a long history of advocacy work and the desire to be a community leader, which dates back to when she was just a child.

Her first recollection of organizing came in elementary school, when at age 10 she collected petitions to keep one of her classmates from being moved into a different class. She lost that “campaign,” but it never stopped her from trying.

Since those early days, Eskamani has continued to follow her passion through different means — both in the public sphere and academically. She currently serves as the senior director of public affairs and communications at Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, while she simultaneously works on her doctoral degree in public affairs at

Photo courtesy of Anna Eskamani

“… I am a progressive, and I hold those values very close to me, and I’m excited to find common ground with every type of constituent out there.”

— Anna Eskamani

the University of Central Florida.

She also received both of her bachelor’s degrees and master’s degree from the university.

Along with her current studies, Eskamani serves as an adjunct professor at the university and serves on multiple boards for different non-profit organizations.

“College is really where I started doing organizing in the community and just doing my best to empower those who often face so many challenges in trying to reach their fullest potential,” Eskamani said. “I commit my life to lifting up others and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunity.”

The idea for running for office came from a realization that after working for Planned Parenthood for five years and meeting legislators on behalf of the organization, it was time to act, she said.

Eskamani describes herself as an “unabashed Democrat and progressive” and said her platform will reflect the ideological concepts she believes in.

During her campaign, Eskamani said she would concentrate on six specific issues — gun safety, equality, economy and jobs, natural resources, public and higher education, and health care access.

Along with her current list of policies, Eskamani also is hoping to obtain input from the public on issues that affect them the most.

With Winter Park being an important part of District 47, Eskamani hopes if voted into office, she will get a chance to reach out to the community and local officials to take the city forward.

“Winter Park is such a gem in District 47 — it’s so beautiful and authentic, and I really do want to make sure that I meet with members of the community to really ensure that we maintain the heritage of Winter Park,” Eskamani said.

Alongside wanting to protect the history and tradition of Winter Park, Eskamani hopes to help in examining the issues the city faces — such as developments and traffic — while representing the interests of all the city’s constituents.

“I really want to be a part of those conversations,” Eskamani said. “While those issues are more city issues, I know legislators can work hand-in-hand to maintain the heritage of Hannibal Square and to ensure that all people in Winter Park — no matter where you come from, what your income is, what your story is — have a place at the table and are valued in the legislative process.”

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WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

JOSH GARRICK

JULY 14

‘LA FEMME’ ART EXHIBIT The“La Femme” art exhibit will showcase a variety of works by women artists, each of whose lives have been impacted by social and economic conditions in America. Most have pursued previous careers and/ or raised families. With works ranging from conceptual to decorative, the artists include Mirjana Cesar, Marsha DeBroske, Marsha Herring, Denise Kirsop, Cheri Riechers, Cheryle Rome Beatty, Jamieson Thomas and Lillian Verkins.

The public is invited to the free opening from 7 to 10 p.m. July 15, at Sawmill Center, 711 N. Orlando Ave., Maitland. Call (352) 989-1964.

PROPAROXÍTONA The YouTube phenomenon Proparoxítona is, at age 22, the second-largest digital influencer in the world, with millions of

THROUGH JULY 24

DISNEY’S ‘HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL’ Disney’s hit movie musical comes to life on stage at the Breakthrough Theatre, 419A W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park. “High School Musical” is directed by Jamaal Solomon and choreographed by Angelyn Rhode. Call (407) 920-4034 or visit breakthroughtheatre.com.

THROUGH AUG. 20

ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART’S 2017 “FLORIDA PRIZE” The Orlando Museum of Art’s annual exhibit of the ‘OMART Florida Prize’ features 10 of the most progressive artists working in the state today. An inclusive exhibit offering everything from representational oil painting to a video exhibition,

7

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

JULY 22 AND 23

TWO ORLANDO STUDENTS WIN TOP HONORS IN COMPETITION

In an unprecedented double win, Orlando’s own Tony Moreno and Sofia Deler, who both studied in the youth education program at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, won the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a July 3 ceremony at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. Competing against 72 students from across the United States, this is the first time both top winners of the Jimmy Award were from the same city. It’s hosted by 2017 Tony Award winner Ben Platt, of Dear Evan Hansen. Consider the Jimmy Awards as the Tony Awards equivalent for high-school actors. each artist is represented by a significant body of their work.

This year’s winner is William Cordova, a native of Lima, Peru, who grew up in Miami.

Call (407) 896-4231 or visit OMART.org.

THROUGH SEPT. 4

the “selfie,” the exhibit helps answer the question, “How well do we know ourselves?” By checking our physical, psychological and social identities, we learn how we are different — and how much we are the same. Highly recommended at 777 E. Princeton St., Orlando. Call (407) 514-2000 or visit osc.org.

‘IDENTITY: AN EXHIBITION OF YOU’ “Identity: An Exhibition of You” at the Orlando Science Center is a three-part interactive experience that explores our unique identities. In the age of

JULY 21 TO AUG. 6

“SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL” “Oh the thinks you can think when you think about Seuss!”

‘HAIRSPRAY’ Presented by the incredibly talented performers from Disney World, the Encore cast takes us to Baltimore in 1962 for “Hairspray,” winner of eight Tony Awards. This familyfriendly musical introduces the bouncy plus-size teen, Tracy Turnblad, who has one desire — to dance on TV’s “Corny Collins Show.” Presented by Encore! Cast Performing Arts.

Call 844-513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org.

JULY 23

TITO PUENTE JR. WITH THE RICO MONACO BAND Featuring the greatest hits of his father, Tito Puente Jr. offers the best of Latin rock including the hits, “Oye Como Va,” “Ran Kan Kan,” “El Cayuco” and more. Plus, joining with Orlando’s own Rico Monaco Band, the group will cover the great songs of Santana, Juanes, Mana, Carlos Vives, Malo and songs by the award-winning Rico Monaco. At 7:30 p.m. at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Call 844-5132014 or visit drphillipscenter. org.

CONTACT JOSH GARRICK AT JOSHGARRICK9@GMAIL.COM.

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THROUGH JULY 23

‘ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP’ It’s a magical sandstorm of Arabian Tales as Aladdin seeks help and advice from wise genies, a powerful Sultan and his own mother to find a way to meet the princess. In Orlando Shakes’ telling, Aladdin learns it takes more than a wish to make a good impression. At 10:30 a.m. Call (407) 447-1700, Ext. 1, for more information.

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Horton hears a noise coming from a speck of dust; Jojo, who “doesn’t think normal thinks,” finds his place in society; and Gertrude McFuzz tries to catch the attention of her love. With some help from the Cat in the Hat, these characters come to realize they are not “alone in the universe.” Runs July 21 to Aug. 6 at Osceola Arts. Call (407) 846-6257 or visit osceolaarts.org.

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In this completely new show, he shares jokes and stories from before and after achieving his fame. With simple stand-up, he takes on videos, blogs, parodies, songs and movie reviews, and he won’t quit until everyone is laughing. Performing at 9 p.m. at the Bob Carr Theater in Orlando. Call (844) 513-2014 or visit drphillipscenter.org.

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OrangeObserver.com

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WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

Board President Mark Freid and Executive Director Pam Kancher are proud of the new exhibits at the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center.

Exhibits feature several historical artifacts from the era of The Holocaust.

‘We are made by history’

A permanent exhibit on The Holocaust features sculptures created by survivor and sculptor Wolf Kahn.

T

Communications Coordinator Kate Mazzotta and Program Coordinator Terrance Hunter enjoyed the Tuskegee Airmen exhibit.

he Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Maitland recently opened three new temporary exhibits that touch on the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing pursuit of equality.

These include “Embracing the Dream,” which highlights local figures and activists who played a role in the Civil Rights movement; “A Place for All People,” which celebrates the opening of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; and “The Tuskegee Airmen,” which explores the history of the first African-American pilots to fly in combat during World War II. The exhibits will be on display through Sept. 8.

The history of the Tuskegee Airmen is told through a collection of banners at the new exhibit.

ONLINE

— TIM FREED

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The Babe Ruth 10U All-Star team had to win five straight to get to the Southeast Regional Tournament in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Nothing to lose Winter Park’s Babe Ruth 10U All-Star team is heading to Virginia after winning the Florida State title.

TROY HERRING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

It seemed to be over before it even started.

Once the final out was recorded in the opening game against Citrus Park, the Winter Park 10U All-Star team found themselves in a hole early — falling 5-3 in a close game.

Usually one loss does not equate to the end, but in a double-elimination tournament, it feels like an impossible task to overcome.

Manager Matt Incinelli knew this, but he also realized the potential in having his kids pushed to the brink of falling out of the 12-team

Florida State Tournament.

“We lost the first game of a double-elimination tournament, which is usually a kiss of death,” he said. “In retrospect, the loss was almost a good thing, because we didn’t have anything to lose after that. We just came out and played loose and played aggressive — it was win or go home after that.”

Following the loss, Incinelli’s gritty crew took that attitude and went on an absolute rampage — winning five straight games on their way to defeating Citrus Park 3-1 in the final to claim the Florida State Tournament crown and move on to Southeast regional play

in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The 10U All-Stars started postseason play last month, when the squad went undefeated at 5-0 through district tournament play — leading to the State tournament birth in Oviedo.

The tournament was a constant battle for Winter Park, especially in the semifinals. Going into the last inning and trailing Palm Beach Gardens 3-2, Winter Park hit an offensive stride and scored three runs to secure a 5-3 win and move on to the final.

For Winter Park, the combination of balanced team play on both sides of the ball and an instinctual desire to keep playing provided the 10U squad with all the fire it needed.

“Because we went through the loser’s bracket — we had to win those five games in a row — we got contributions from just about everybody,” Incinelli said. “We had five or six guys pitch. We had guys who haven’t had a chance to pitch a whole lot thus far go out and do a good job — it was a real team effort.”

Although Incinelli attributes his team’s performance to the players working as a strong, single unit, pitching performances from Ethan Russell, Davis Peters, Isaac Incinelli and Gavin Gonzalez certainly helped.

Gonzalez pitched two games during the tournament, including two scoreless innings to close out the championship.

With every one of Winter Park’s wins coming by a run or two, good pitching became vital to moving on to the next tournament.

It’s interesting to note, however, that although the pitching for Winter Park was extremely stout throughout the tournament, the strength for this team has usually been in the offensive game.

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

9

HOW TO HELP Anyone wishing to make a donation to help the Babe Ruth 10U All-Star team get to Williamsburg, Virginia, can do so at gofundme.com/wpbabe-ruth-10u-all-stars.

“We generally have been a hitting team in the past — we generally put a lot of runs on the board — but against this higher-level competition, I have found that it isn’t easy to put a lot of runs on people,” Incinelli said. “The defense is definitely much better than it was at the district level, and the pitching is much better, so our pitching has stepped up.”

Although the pitching was the focal point in Incinelli’s approach to the tournament, the offense showed as well — especially in instances where it mattered the most.

Parker Armstrong picked up multiple big hits, and Isaac was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle against Palm Beach Gardens.

Combine timely hitting, consistently solid pitching and a back-against-the-wall attitude, and Winter Park finds themselves prepping for regional play, which begins July 18 — giving the team less than a week to prepare.

Despite the added magnitude of playing against the best teams in the region, and the little time to get ready, Incinelli said he has no plans to change up the routine — sticking to the old adage, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”

“Anything from this point is frosting on the cake,” Incinelli said. “I think that we have already accomplished some of our big goals, which was to improve and prove we could play with the better teams in the state.”

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OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

I LOVE WINTER PARK

W EAT HER

10

FORECAST FRIDAY, JULY 14 High: 90 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 60%

Lyzette SanGermain, of Winter Park, submitted this photo of a feathered friend sitting on a fence surrounding Mead Gardens on Melrose Avenue.

The Winter Park/ Maitland Observer is hosting this weekly contest, and winners will have their photograph featured and receive a $20 prize. To enter, email your photo, along with your name, city and a caption, to tfreed@ orangeobserver.com; put “I Love Winter Park” in the subject line. Please include your mailing address to receive your prize.

High: 92 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 60%

Sunrise Sunset

Friday, July 14

6:37a

8:26p

Saturday, July 15

6:37a

8:25p

Sunday, July 16

6:38a

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Monday, July 17

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Tuesday, July 18

6:39a

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Wednesday, July 19

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MOON PHASES

SUNDAY, JULY 16 High: 91 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 60%

July 30 First

July 8 Full

July 16 Last

July 23 New

RAINFALL Wednesday, July 5

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MONDAY, JULY 17

Thursday, July 6

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High: 91 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 60%

Friday, July 7

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YEAR TO DATE:

JULY TO DATE:

2017 17.05 in.

2017 0.32 in.

2016 27.33 in.

2016

1.74 in.

240893

See other winning photos at OrangeObserver.com

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ONLINE

SATURDAY, JULY 15

SUNRISE / SUNSET

101 Large envelope type 102 Sword part 103 Numbers often found in parentheses 108 Take advantage of one part while rejecting the rest 111 More genuine and honest 112 Palindromic address with a letter missing 113 Any group of eight 114 Fails to be 115 Mambo King Puente and a Jackson 116 Escape in the sea?

117 Milk by-products 118 “Is-so” link

“your request” 50 Air-freshener scent 54 Money of Romania 55 Stocks’ partner 56 “No ifs, ___ or buts” 58 Member of the family 59 Grounded digit?

60 Type of powder 61 Reptile with quite a squeeze 62 Prevents hysteria 63 Bathsheba’s husband 64 Repetitive musical piece 65 Muddies, as the water 66 Apartment, to a landlord 67 Pitching scout’s gun 68 Eastmost figure on a DOWN sundial 1 Sheffield rain slickers 73 How the marble installer 2 Cosmetic emollient liked his bacon served?

3 Render senseless 74 Signature things?

4 ___ d’oeuvres 75 Minuscule amount 5 Like Albany’s position in 76 Prefix with “physical” New York 77 Grand in scope 6 Nero’s zero 78 Descartes or Lalique 7 Novelist Barker or Cussler 79 Work done by forces of 8 It’s not quite a full run dynes 9 Seventh Greek letter 82 Round root vegetable 10 Emulating scarlet?

83 International Paris-based 11 Give entry to org.

12 Like many Irish bogs 84 Trident-shaped letter or 13 Nitro relative inflation letters 14 American of Mexican 86 They give you fits descent 87 Extreme military exercise 15 Send in a payment 88 German industrial city 16 With no escort 90 Necessities for entering 17 Air-filled cavity of the skull some clubs 18 Edamame beans, e.g.

94 It’s in the Bay of Naples 24 Comic’s asset 95 Anyone’s two cents 25 Anti-discrimination org.

96 Certain songbird 26 Speedier or quicker 97 Some Greek cheeses 31 Easter flower 98 Big name in toy manufac33 “Shoo!” turing 34 Equestrian sport 99 Rugged mountain crest 35 Pumped item 100 Easiest way to settle a 36 Howard the “Arrested debt Development” narrator 101 Dillon in “Gunsmoke” 37 Wife VI for Henry VIII 103 Enemy leader?

38 Football injury site, often 104 Final notice?

40 Romanov royals 105 Short run 42 Story topping the others 106 Volcano in Sicily 43 Class for creative high 107 Stone paving block schoolers 109 “Bon” or “mon” trailer 44 Roam, raid and plunder 110 ___ Jones Industrial 45 Pitchers used as trophies Avera e 46 Harsh-lighting result 47 What may come before

©2017 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

1 Classic Halloween song, “Monster ___” 5 Dad’s brother, to you 10 Hanging on one’s every word 14 Severely needing refinement 19 Common singing range for women 20 Starter TV episode 21 Home of Adam and Eve 22 Prefix meaning “sun” 23 They precede raising a family, often 27 Easily offended or tender 28 Miner’s exit

29 Blackberry drupe 30 A sex 31 Group not doing clerical work?

32 Cracker toppings for the well-heeled 33 Seance visitor, supposedly 37 Text attachments, sometimes 38 Relatives 39 Small crown 41 Animated wolf movie of 2010 48 “I knew it all ___!”

49 Nimble and quick 51 Oft-climbed thing 52 Leatherworking punching

tools 53 Couple thousand pounds 54 Habitation of some wild animals 55 One swinging for the fences 57 Acquire through hard work 58 Unrelenting, as a lecture 60 “Beloved” writer Morrison 61 Ballet handrail 62 What nosy people are?

69 Left the bed 70 Carmaker no more 71 Nymph of river and lakes, in Greek myth 72 Dryer trap catchings 73 Light-minded pursuit?

76 Skirt covering much 77 Bard’s before 80 ___-to-order 81 Country singer McCoy 82 ___ carotene 83 One of two train berths 85 Like a pleasantly brief speech 89 Removing suds 91 Donkey relative 92 On a naval mission 93 Uses salt in winter 94 Like some liberties or wars 97 Place for a slugger to walk to 99 Long football pass trajectories

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“NU, ZJK EYSKFZNS AOUKD ZJK ANBYK. IHZ DNAK ANBYKD FOV’Z XKZ AOEK MYZJNHZ DNAKNVK CYUK AK YV ZJKA.” – ROFU VYFJNCDNV “G XWJOAI’P MCP NIR FWHT... G AGAI’P UCCO OGLC N ZNI NIRZWEC ... G BNT HJZDGIM GIPW BNOOT NIA TNRGIM, ‘CKXJTC ZC.” – FWC DCTXG

Puzzle Two Clue: Z equals M

UNITED STATES by Timothy B. Parker

Puzzle One Clue: I equals B

CROSSWORD

©2017 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2017 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

7-13-17

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “OK, the director makes the movie. But some movies can’t get made without Winter Park/Maitland Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement Friday, June 9, 2017 someone in them.” at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject tolike the me approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Winter Park/Maitland – Observer to meet all Jack Nicholson

applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, residential rental property. July 14, 2017 PuzzleorTwo Solution:

2123

into walls and saying, ‘Excuse me.”

– Joe Pesci

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Continued Growth!

This week’s Sudoku answers

SATURDAY 1-4

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SUNDAY 2-4

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This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

SUNDAY 2-4

Puzzle One Solution: “OK, the director makes the movie. But some movies can’t get made without someone like me in them.”

– Jack Nicholson

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Puzzle Two Solution: “I couldn’t get any jobs ... I didn’t feel like a man anymore ... I was bumping into walls and saying, ‘Excuse me.”

– Joe Pesci

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SUNDAY 1-4

2017

This week’s Sudoku answers

SUNDAY 1 - 3PM 870 Mayfield Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789 6 Bed 6 Bath 5,797 Sq Ft $1,999,500 MaryStuart Day 407-620-8683

SUNDAY 2 - 4 PM 1110 Ivanhoe Blvd. #9, Orlando, FL 32804 3 Bed 3.1 Bath 3,187 Sq Ft $640,000 Beverly McNeil 407-619-9238

SUNDAY 2 - 4 PM 1631 Palm Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789 4 Bed 3.5 Bath 3,209 Sq Ft $879,000 Wendy Crumit 321-356-8590

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

HOUSE + HOME

Crank up the

VOLUME

With 116 units sold, Maitland Realtor Chris Creegan took the title of top seller in Central Florida for 2016.

TROY HERRING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

I

t was a busy year for Chris Creegan, broker and owner of Creegan Property Group in Maitland.

Although it is well known that the Central Florida area is a mecca of real estate, selling a home to a client takes hard work, determination and a friendly approach.

Creegan worked magic as he finished off 2016 as the top seller in Central Florida — cementing the top spot with a whopping 116 units.

“It’s the most units I’ve sold,” Creegan said. “And I think this year we are on track to do a little more than that —we’re at 68 units for half the year.”

CAREER CHANGE

The fact that Creegan has become a staple in the community as a trusted Realtor has been quite the experience for a man that never expected to end up in the field. Growing up, Creegan had dreamed of becoming a police officer and actually did just that until 2006, when his desire to sell homes took over.

When he first got his license, work overlapped. Creegan patrolled at night, came home to sleep for two to three hours and then would get to the office by 9:30 a.m. After a year of that, he decided it was time to start focusing on real estate.

“I left a job with a retirement, benefits, a salary, everything — I left it all to pursue this career,” Creegan said. “It was definitely a big leap of faith when I did that, but I took the precautions when I was making the transition — I didn’t just flat out leave. I prepared for that full year to prove to myself that I could make up salary benefits and retirement in this career.”

After a few years working for RE/MAX, Creegan, along with his wife, Kristin, took the next step and opened Creegan Property Group in 2014.

Since its launch three years ago, the group has grown from the two Creegans to 23 agents across the Central Florida area — although much of his business comes from Winter Park and Maitland.

PERSONAL TOUCH

For Creegan, there are two things that motivates him to make his company the best — a desire to SEE SECRETS PAGE 14

Troy Herring

Chris Creegan said his mission is to deliver personalized service to all clients of Creegan Property Group.

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

Foreign Investor In Real Property Act explained

FLORIDA REALTY INVESTMENTS

F

lorida is arguably one of the most desired places in the world to live — certainly within the continental United States. The weather is great year-round, there are beaches and theme parks and art festivals, so one is never lacking in things to do (or not do) in the Sunshine State. Florida is a hotbed for international buyers and eventually, international sellers.

The Foreign Investor in Real Property Act is a commonly misunderstood act, and because I run into situations with international sellers on a regular basis, I thought it would be a great topic on which to offer some clarity. Here are some of the basics on what you can expect when dealing with FIRPTA. As a U.S. citizen if you don’t pay your taxes the government can take measures to obtain the monies owed them. It can be a bit trickier to collect those taxes if you are not a citizen of the U.S. and so FIRPTA is the solution to that problem. The Foreign Investor in Real Property Act requires that 15% of the sales price in all transactions be withheld when the seller of the U.S. property is not a U.S. citizen. There are some exceptions such as if the seller is a resident alien with a green card.

So how does FIRPTA impact the buyer?

FIRPTA is not a tax but rather an amount withheld at closing to ensure any outstanding taxes owed by a foreign seller to the U.S. government are paid in full.

Per attorney Shawn Berr, owner of Title Professionals Of Central Florida LLC: “A buyer needs to know there is a withholding requirement per IRS guidelines. Although the settlement agent is required to withhold a portion of the seller’s proceeds pending IRS determination, the buyer may be required to render these funds in the event the settlement agent fails to withhold the proper amount.”

If the buyer does not withhold these funds at closing, he or she may be liable to the IRS to for the amount to be withheld plus penalties and interest. To be clear, the buyer does not pay an additional 15% or any percentage upfront at closing. The buyer is only liable for those funds in the event that the seller does not fulfill their obligations

ing, instituted Feb. 16, 2016, wherein the amount withheld is reduced to 10% when the purchaser will be using the property as their primary home, the purchase price is above $300,000 and below $1 million, and the buyer elects to waive withholding. So, if you are a foreign seller of a home in this price point, you are only subject to have 10% of the sales price withheld until the IRS has determined that you are up to date on all your tax responsibilities if your purchaser is a citizen intending to occupy the home as their main residence.

The funds withheld at closing by the settlement agent are sent along with IRS forms 8288 and 8288-A within 20 days of closing to the IRS. It has been recommended by many that a seller obtain the assistance of a CPA to expedite the timeline of getting a determination from the IRS of funds owed and subsequently a return of any funds withheld above and beyond outstanding tax responsibilities.

Ultimately, it is always a good idea to have clarity regarding if you are going to be impacted by the Foreign Investor in Real Property Act or not prior to

entering into a contract. A sellers disclosure will ask if the seller is subject to FIRPTA or not, so that is a good place to start. If you’re still not sure, inquire with your agent or title company whether the seller is a U.S. citizen.

As a buyer, there is no need to fear purchasing a home in the U.S. from a foreign seller any more than a local one.

Christina Rordam is a local Realtor with 12 years experience and a member of ORRAs Top Producer Club. For more, visit christinasellsorlando.com.

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to the U.S. government in terms of taxes owed per FIRPTA. But back to the numbers.

Fifteen percent is always the amount withheld, right? That depends on a few factors — one being if the purchaser of the home is in fact buying the property to use as their primary residence. Under the Primary Residence Exemption, no amount is withheld in the event that the home will be a main residence, the sales price is under $300,000 and the buyer elects to waive withholding.

A more recent exception is the Reduced Rate Of Withhold-

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WINTER PARK FIRM NEGOTIATES LEASES Hold-Thyssen Inc., a commercial property firm based in Winter Park, negotiated five new leases at Kirkman Commerce Center, 701 S. Kirkman Road in South Orlando, for industrial flex space totaling 10,900 rentable square feet.

The Hold-Thyssen leasing team of Alex Rowlinson and Troy Stevens represented the south Florida-based landlord /owner of the properties in the negotiations. Prime Tile & Stone, a ceramic and stone tile showroom, leased 6,000 square feet; Capital Leads LLC, an Alabama-based call center expanding into the Orlando market leased 2,635 square feet; Intel Protect Inc., providing security for personal and business data, leased 940 square feet; Talk Active Corp., a speech therapist group opening its second location, leased 758 square feet; and We Go To Brazil LLC, a business consultant serving investors, leased 570 square feet.

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OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

Hold-Thyssen Inc. provides commercial property brokerage and leasing and management services to institutional and private investor clients nationwide. The 40-year old firm’s current portfolio includes more that 100 commercial properties throughout the United States.

MAITLAND’S KELLER CENTER REACHES FULL OCCUPANCY

Cushman & Wakefield assisted TerraCap Management in bringing The Keller Center, a 160,000-square-foot, Class A office building in Maitland, to full occupancy.

Senior Directors Rick Solik and Matthew McKeever were selected to lease the building by TerraCap Management in late 2014. Solik and McKeever have since leased 147,000-squarefeet, pushing occupancy in the building from 20% to 100%.

New tenants in the building include Adventist Health System, which leased 41,000 square feet. Adventist Health System is a faith-based health

Courtesy photo

care organization headquartered in Altamonte Springs, with 45 hospital campuses and more than 8,200 licensed beds in nine states.

CDM Smith, a full-service engineering and construction firm based in Boston, has leased a total of 41,000 square feet.

Alegeus Technologies, a Waltham, Massachusettsbased health care services firm, has leased 41,000 square feet, where it houses its Orlando call center operations.

1601490

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

see his agents succeed and to be a community-based business.

“I really love seeing my agents succeed,” Creegan said. “Watching them grow and succeed in their business, because they have true support and have a real family behind them, it’s really awesome for me.”

The combination of being locally focused and maintaining the mom-and-pop feel of his company is a big part of the magic that makes it so successful, Creegan said.

“When I started this company, I didn’t do it to make more money; I did it for the people,” Creegan said. “Doing the right thing and really caring for your client, and doing whatever it takes to make sure your client is happy, then translates to referrals — happy clients are what run this business.”

Being able to get to know his clients on such a personal level, while making the process as consumer friendly as possible, helps Creegan learn his or her specific desires, which makes for

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which increased parking ratio to five spaces per 1,000 square feet and provided the ability to park select tenants at higher ratios, an amenity in short supply in Maitland.

“The Maitland submarket, with its central location and access to a very skilled workforce, continues to attract tenants,” Solik said. “This, along with ownership’s extensive improvements, drove demand for space at The Keller Center.”

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HealthCare Scouts, a Winter Park-based health care staffing agency, has leased a total of 26,000 square feet.

The Keller Center is located at 101 Southhall Lane. TerraCap acquired the building in 2014 from Parkway Properties and invested more than $7 million in renovations and tenant improvements. These included lobby/atrium renovations, new elevator cabs, site and landscape reconfiguration and a 400-stall parking deck,

a smoother process for everyone.

“Most of our clients are friends after — we have dinner with most of our clients afterwards, and we see them and talk with them,” Creegan said. “That is the kind of family business that we run here, and I think that is what makes people feel comfortable and refer us out.”

That family dynamic has been so effective that it has actually led to referrals from other people’s clients. People, Creegan said, want to deal with companies that are run by normal, everyday people.

Although the housing market has currently leveled off a bit, it is still an unpredictable beast that can turn up or down at a moment’s notice. Concentrating on building relationships with clients and expanding out his small, family run business is what Creegan sees as the future for Creegan Property Group.

“We’re going to have a cyclical market, but I really do believe that the franchises are the ones that are going to take a backseat to the boutiques,” Creegan said.

“I think the consumers really want a more personal experience, and a more local experience than the franchises can offer.”

“Doing the right thing and really caring for your client, and doing whatever it takes to make sure your client is happy, then translates to referrals — happy clients are what run this business.”

— Chris Creegan

7,224 SF, 5BR, Traditional estate on 1.5 acres w/ 200’ of lake frontage, walking distance to Park Ave, completely renovated & expanded, detached guest suite & separate guest house

244874

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

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JUNE REAL-ESTATE SALES 32707

Sales Avg List $ Overall 62 $194,816 SINGLE FAMILY

Overall 38 $230,165

Bank Owned 6 $140,417

Short Sales 3 $195,167

Other 29 $252,354 MULTI FAMILY

Overall 24 $138,846

Bank Owned 1 $77,900

Short Sales 0 $0

Other 23 $141,496

Sale Prices Days Days Average Median on Mkt to Close $193,862 $188,000 24 54

$229,282 $230,000 23 63 $142,446 $146,750 31 44 $193,500 $178,000 78 288 $250,949 $260,000 16 44

$137,781 $145,250 26 38 $77,000 $77,000 31 62 $0 $0 0 0 $140,424 $152,500 26 37

32751

Sale Prices Days Days

Sales Avg List $ Average Median on Mkt to Close Overall 49 $412,066 $393,012 $269,000 41 37 SINGLE FAMILY

Overall 34 $508,639 $485,297 $291,250 46 40

Bank Owned 1 $509,250 $510,000 $510,000 30 59

Short Sales 0 $0 $0 $0 0 0

Other 33 $508,621 $484,548 $287,500 46 40 MULTI FAMILY

Overall 15 $193,116 $183,833 $140,000 29 28

Bank Owned 0 $0 $0 $0 0 0

Short Sales 0 $0 $0 $0 0 0

Other 15 $193,166 $183,833 $140,000 29 28

32789

Sale Prices Days Days Sales Avg List $ Average Median on Mkt to Close Overall 68 $688,001 $660,638 $620,850 83 39 SINGLE FAMILY

Overall 59 $713,179 $685,236 $725,000 87 40

Bank Owned 1 $219,900 $216,500 $216,500 98 36

Short Sales 0 $0 $0 $0 0 0

Other 58 $721,684 $693,317 $728,592 87 40 MULTI FAMILY

Overall 9 $522,944 $499,389 $285,000 52 31

Bank Owned 1 $1,350,000 $1,275,000 $1,275,000 265 8

Short Sales 0 $0 $0 $0 0 0

Other 8 $419,562 $402,438 $280,000 25 34

240881

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

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FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

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*Taylor Morrison received the highest numerical score in the proprietary Lifestory Research 2016 and 2017 America’s Most Trusted® Home Builder study. The 2016 study based on 39,079 new home shoppers from Jan-Dec 2015, and 2017 study based on 31,764 new home shoppers from Jan-Dec 2016 in the United States. Your experiences may vary. Visit lifestoryresearch.com. Offer void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law. All information (including, but not limited to prices, availability, incentives, floor plans, site plans, features, standards and options, assessments and fees, planned amenities, programs, conceptual artists’ renderings and community development plans) is not guaranteed and remains subject to change or delay without notice. Maps and plans are not to scale and all dimensions are approximate. Please see a Taylor Morrison Sales Manager for details and visittaylormorrison.com for additional disclaimers. © June 2017, Taylor Morrison of Florida, Inc. CBC1257462 All rights reserved.

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