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A small group of Winter Garden residents turned out Friday at Winter Garden’s clock tower to show support for local businesses — particularly four that recently lost their leases: Ruby & Rust, Driftwood Market, Polka Dotz and Three Birds Cafe. The group then walked to city hall where they dropped off envelopes with messages for the mayor, commissioners and city manager: protect and preserve the “uniqueness and charm of downtown Winter Garden.”
In the document, shared with VoxPopuli, the rally organizers asked city officials:
1. Which codes and ordinances are already in place to protect the historic nature of DTWG [downtown Winter Garden]?
2. It seems the determination of which businesses can be approved to operate tend to “lean” towards local, but are there specific ordinances about this?
3. Some towns have banned chain restaurants. Can we do that here?
4. Can we ban other chains?
5. What would happen if an owner destroyed a building without prior and proper authorization? Could he be jailed?
6. What are your thoughts on private equity buying in town?
7. Could the city offer a program for small businesses to help them negotiate favorable leases for themselves and set up shop in DTWG?
The rally — and message to officials — was in response to a recent Plant Street building buying spree by AntonRx and Anton Health owner Jim Larweth. Larweth has purchased six buildings on Plant Street and is keeping mum about what he plans to do with them. Lack of information is sparking fear that whatever his plans, they may irrevocably alter the face and flavor of downtown Winter Garden.
“To preserve the charm of historic Winter Garden, we need Plant Street and the adjoining side streets in the historic district to be filled with small businesses, not national chains,” Winter Garden resident Tess Nater said in a press release about the rally. “Mr. Larweth has bought many properties, left them empty, and not shared any intentions with the community. We deserve to know what is happening in our town. I just keep thinking of Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Friday's rally was initially meant to be held at Three Birds Cafe, but it was canceled Thursday. Three Birds Cafe owner Ashley Morton posted an explanation on the restaurant’s Facebook page, saying, in part:
“It has never been our intention to incite anger or direct negativity toward the city, our landlord, or any individual. Because of comments circulating that do not reflect our values or culture, we have made the decision to cancel tomorrow’s gathering. We will be open regular hours but we will not be hosting an event.
But residents showed up anyway. Sheri Heitker, who describes herself as a concerned citizen and architecture lover, was one of the residents who turned out. “We need to be on top of this from a preservation standpoint,” she told VoxPopuli by phone. “We can have a say in our community.”
Heitker added that while it’s not practical to expect people not to sell their property, “we can ask the city to protect what’s here.” Heitker said she’d just returned from Palm Springs Modernism Week 2026, an 11-day festival that celebrates mid-century art, architecture and culture, where she’d learned that many iconic buildings in that city had been destroyed.
“It’s up to us to make sure buildings are protected. We have to be vigilant,” she said. “[Downtown Winter Garden] is designated on the National Register of Historic Places, and that has to be preserved.”
