Stephen Francis, who briefly announced his candidacy for the Winter Springs Commission, announced his intent to withdraw from the race, citing concerns with the city’s current financial state, budgeting practice, and general ethics concerns.
Winter Springs finds itself once again in the harsh glare of scrutiny as the Chief Inspector General descends upon the city, casting a shadow over the city’s rabid attempts to maintain a facade of normalcy. Behind closed doors, city leadership was sent into a tailspin Wednesday and Thursday having been caught making misleading public statements downplaying the Inspector General’s involvement leading to staff complaints about being left in the dark about the IG’s visit.
An online petition being circulated calling for the resignation of Winter Springs’ Mayor Kevin McCann and Commissioners Matt Benton, Rob Elliot and Ted Johnson, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents. The petition cites nine causes related to recent investigations and audits, and has sustained momentum as the city downplayed the auditors’ findings and moved to drastically increase utility rates (trash and water).
Summary: The recent audit of Winter Springs has unveiled significant irregularities in the City’s hiring of contractors, raising serious concerns about transparency, compliance with city laws, and the allocation of taxpayer funds. While these findings reflect a broader issue, there are two striking cases that demand closer scrutiny. Breaking the…
“Finding 3: The City’s use of consent agendas to revise the project list provided to the public in advance of the voter referendum approving the local government infrastructure sales surtax reduced transparency by depriving the opportunity for public information and discussion. In addition, the City did not provide for separate…
Audit Finding 1: “The City continues to incur fines and penalties for wastewater treatment violations.“ Summary: The first finding of the operational audit of the City of Winter Springs (click to read) paints a stark picture, one that resonates with residents who have been raising concerns since 2019. These concerns,…
Winter Springs water plant manager claims water test results intentionally falsified; log books purposefully removed so tests could not be sent to state. We interviewed a former Winter Springs wastewater plant operator/manager who described systemic deceit, intentional misreporting of water test data, to hide the true nature of the condition…
Cade Resnick has been actively involved in providing information related to the sewage issues affecting the Highlands and Tuscawilla, and has had ongoing communication with city staff, who have shared alarming details and concerns of the mishandling of Hurricane Ian. According to conversations with Seminole County, they attempted to reach…
If assertions of Winter Springs employee are true, fecal matter likely flowed through golf course, Bear Creek Nature Preserve, Greenbriar Drive and Howell Creek before dumping into Lake Jessup. By Jesse PhillipsWinter Springs Community AssociationWinter Springs Water Quality Initiative A Winter Springs Public Works employee reached out to us with…
Please find the following official tax increase notice as published per state law by the City of Winter Springs: FACT CHECK TAX-PAYER FUNDED MISINFORMATION: The City of Winter Springs has allocated $197,000 tax payer dollars for an election year marketing spree, which has included misinformation sites touting a science center which doesn’t exist, and the…