REDISTRICTING

OC redistricting panel in final stretch; potentially major changes in store for Ocoee, Winter Garden

By: Dibya Sarkar | Contributing Editor

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November 17, 2021

The advisory panel charged with recommending a map that reconfigures the political boundaries of Orange County’s six commission districts — reflecting population growth and shifts over the last decade — is heading toward the final stretch of its mandate.

In nine public meetings over the last two months, the 15-member Advisory Committee for Redistricting, has reviewed 14 proposed maps, but it has only advanced six of them for further consideration (see below). On Monday alone, the panel advanced three of those proposed maps. The last day to submit a map for consideration is Nov. 29.

In VoxPopuli’s coverage area, Oakland, Windermere and Winter Garden are currently located in District 1 while Ocoee is split between Districts 1 and 2. Some of the proposed maps being considered either fully consolidate Ocoee into District 2 and/or split Winter Garden between Districts 1 and 2.

The goal of redistricting is to ensure that the county’s six districts contain equal populations so all residents have an equally weighted vote and that each county commissioner represents roughly the same number of people. Other principlesare considered as well, such as the compactness and contiguity of the districts and preservation of communities of interest and political subdivisions, among others.

But adhering to such principles is proving to be difficult. Some members believe municipalities should be entirely consolidated into one district and not split into two like Ocoee. For instance, Jimmy Auffant and Julio Rocha, who represent District 4 on the committee, have repeatedly said they favor maps where communities are consolidated into one district rather than being split. However, Kelly Semrad, who represents District 5 on the panel, said larger communities may benefit from being split while smaller communities should be in one district and deal with one commissioner.

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District 2 committee representative Jason Mellen, an Ocoee resident, explaining his proposed redistricting map at Monday's meeting.

Joe Kilsheimer, a former mayor of Apopka who represents District 2 on the committee, said splitting larger communities across two districts would not be a benefit to those communities. He said it’s a lot harder for their municipal governments and their staffs to deal with two county commissioners and their staffs than just one.

Another emerging issue has been future growth. Some maps have tried to account for future development and population growth as a way to ensure that districts are balanced over the next 10 years. However, Cristina Berrios, assistant county attorney for Orange County, has indicated that future growth is not a primary consideration in redrawing the maps, but a secondary one. Another concern is potentially splitting or diluting Latino and African-American communities.

The redistricting committee will convene l after Thanksgiving for its final three scheduled meetings: Monday, Dec. 6, when it discusses a 15th proposed map; Thursday, Dec. 9; and Monday, Dec. 13, when it hopes to find consensus for a redrawn map. A consensus map is expected to be presented by mid-January to the Board of County Commissioners, which will have the final say.

Below are the six proposed redistricting maps that have been advanced for further consideration by the Advisory Committee for Redistricting. The panel is expected to consider more maps before it wraps up its work. Maps listed start with the most recent. Click on the map to see the county's legal analysis.