Monday night’s public comment on various maps being considered was again lengthy. 

Residents from Horizon West and Winter Garden continued to throw their weight behind Map 2 (formerly Washington-2), while residents from District 6 and elsewhere opposed the proposal and backed Map 7 (formerly Henry- 2). 

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Map 2, which Orlando resident and chamber representative Jason Levine said was based on its grouping together of cities like Ocoee and Winter Garden in District 2. He said the map also anticipates and accommodates future population growth. 

“Orange County is constantly changing, constantly growing,” Levine said. “We know that there will be more change to come. And to create a situation where we know there will be significant infill may be a wise choice.”

But other residents argued that Map 2 “sliced and diced” communities, a sentiment echoed by Map 7 co-creator and Pine Hills resident Seven Charlestin.

“We're just here to advocate for maps that are equitable and give us a chance to continue to build the community that we are currently building,” Charlestin said. 

The committee, which will continue to discuss map amendments on Aug. 28, is expected to adopt a plan Sept. 3 before making its final recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners Sept. 16.

Two amendments pass

At the Aug. 18 meeting, the committee reviewed seven amendments, in total, for six of the maps. However, members only approved amendments to two of those maps, which were renamed Map 6B (formerly Auffant-2) and Map 7A (formerly Henry-2).

Assistant County Attorney Shonda White confirmed during her legal review that both amendments passed constitutional muster, with minimal changes to both maps. 

Rio Pinar resident Pedro Rodriguez, who submitted both Map 6 and its approved amendment, said most of his changes rectified “smaller errors.”

“In the original map, District 6 had a lot more jagged edges...so we wanted to round it out a bit more, but we also took the time to keep Pine Hills not split from this version,” Rodriguez said. Pine Hills residents have continually called for the committee to unify the community under one district.

While Pine Hills would stay intact under Map 6B, Orlando would continue to be split. The map would also split 16 voting precincts, rather than the 25 in the original map.

Committee member Mark Arias offered his support for Map 6B, calling it “workable” and noting his appreciation for not splitting any communities of interest. 

“I like the fact that the only city that’s split is Orlando,” Arias said. “Unfortunately, there are quite a few precincts split. But, nevertheless, I think overall maybe this map would be worthwhile to keep so we could tweak it a little bit…” 

Committee co-chair Camille Evans offered her support as well, agreeing that she liked that the map limited splitting communities and preserved the cores of the original county districts. 

“I think that continues to be something of a focus for me,” Evans said, before the amendment passed 8-7. 

Committee member Rishi Bagga later presented what he called his “friendly amendment” to Map 7, saying it featured limited changes, such as cleaning up edges on the border between Ocoee and Pine Hills.

“The edges are a little bit jagged there,” Bagga explained. “This would kind of snap them to the existing line, which are just based upon some major streets … Very minor changes, the most consequential of which are these changes around the Ocoee, Pine Hills area.”

Under a renamed Map 7A, Orlando would again be the only municipality split. However, the map amendment would also split one community of interest, Holden Lakes. It would also split 17 voting precincts, two less than the original Map 7. 

The map was viewed favorably by many, including committee member Bobby Olszewski, representing District 1, who called it an “outstanding map” that Orange County residents would be proud of. Map 7A groups Winter Garden, Oakland, Tildenville, Dr. Phillips, Gotha and Horizon West within District 1, but leaves Ocoee in District 2.

Although Arias expressed support for the map, he questioned whether placing Maitland and Eatonville into the new District 7 could upset some residents.

“I think traditionally Maitland, Winter Park and Eatonville are generally together,” Arias said. “I don't see this being a problem, I just wanted to point that out. Actually, I think the map is pretty good.”

Committee members voted 15-0 to accept the amended Map 7A, marking their first unanimous vote for a map. 

‍What comes next?

“After the work of tonight, we have Maps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-B and 7-A,” Evans said. “So when we come to work next week, those are the maps in front of this committee — we're trying to get to two.”

At the Aug. 28 meeting, each member who has sponsored one of the seven maps currently being considered will present for five minutes followed by a general discussion, which Perez said should also be brief. 

“I'm just asking you to come next week with the same very positive attitude we've had the entire time, with an open mind and understanding that the goal is to advance and to get there by the end of next week,” Perez said. 

Representatives for the committee’s mapping consultant, ARC Bridge, would be at the meeting, he added, to help make adjustments and tweak maps as desired in real time with accompanying data. 

But with seven maps left and at least five needing to be culled, Perez warned members to steel themselves next time for a longer-than-usual meeting.

“Just be prepared with what you've got,” he said. “All of our maps are now on the website. We know what we're looking at. Now, we're down to the end.”