Plakon files bill to give Winter Springs mayor a vote

A bill to give the Winter Springs mayor more power has been filed in Tallahassee.

House Bill 4083 is titled “City of Winter Springs, Seminole County.” It’s what’s known as a “local bill,” which only affects residents in a small area; as such, it’s on a fast-track to get approved.

If approved by the Florida Legislature and signed by the governor, it would put a charter amendment on the ballot in November 2026. It would make the Winter Springs mayor a voting member of the commission, and would eliminate one City Commission seat by 2028. 

“The mayor shall be recognized as the head of city government for all ceremonial purposes and by the governor for the purposes of military law and shall have no administrative authority over city employees, except as expressly provided by this Charter or by ordinance,” the bill reads.  

Those last three words – or by ordinance – have critics worried that the mayor could be given more authority to hire and fire city staff with a simple majority vote of the Winter Springs City Commission.

The city’s current mayor, Kevin McCann, who could benefit from such a change, opposes the bill because it could expand the mayor’s authority too easily. “That’s really dangerous,” he said. “I have to come out against this.”

Currently, there are five voting city commissioners in Winter Springs, and the mayor only votes in the rare case of a tie. The mayor does have the ability to veto an ordinance, but that power has only been exercised a few times in recent memory. 

McCann said the changes are being pushed by people who want to see more development in Winter Springs. He’s also worried that appropriations for the city could be at risk if the city fights the bill too hard. 

“I don’t feel they (lawmakers) are working for the residents,” McCann said. “It’s a shame.”

In October, the first draft of the local bill was sent to Seminole County’s lawmakers. According to the embedded data in the PDF file, Jesse Phillips – a likely candidate for Winter Springs mayor – was the bill’s author. 

Phillips has denied that, saying he “shared ideas” with Rep. Rachel Plakon, who filed the bill (Plakon did not respond to an interview request for this story). Phillips has said he is “being encouraged” to run and is “praying it through.” Close allies have confirmed Phillips is running for mayor in 2026. 

Phillips said he “appreciates” the bill. 

“Because under Florida’s Home Rule framework the people get a simple up-or-down vote on how their city is governed, and for years that right has been denied in Winter Springs,” Phillips wrote. “It doesn’t dictate the outcome or pick a side. It just puts the question on the ballot and lets the voters decide. That’s how Home Rule is supposed to work, and I’m glad the Legislature stepped in to make sure we finally get our say.”

Commissioners Cade Resnick and Paul Diaz did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Resnick previously worked with state lawmakers to try to get a compromise ballot initiative completed in Winter Springs that would eliminate the language about adding to the mayor’s authority “by ordinance.” That plan ultimately failed.

At one point, Winter Springs was also considering eliminating the position of mayor as an elected position, and instead having commissioners pick a mayor. 

Commissioner Mark Caruso has said he is “still opposed” to the measure. And Commissioner Sarah Baker said she will not hesitate to be vocal if the bill passes. 

“This is a direct attack on home rule protections for not just Winter Springs, but all cities in Florida,” Baker wrote. “If the city had a problem with its form of government, a charter review committee will recommend that change and/or a petition to change the charter by referendum would be submitted from a large voting population of Winter Springs. So far neither of those things have happened, so this comes across as at minimum an overreach of power and at most a politically orchestrated takeover.”

Commissioner Victoria Bruce took a different stance. 

“I’m not fighting the state,” Bruce wrote. 

House Bill 4083 can be tracked here. You can read the full bill text here. As a local bill, it doesn’t have any committee stops scheduled. 

Seminole County’s Legislative Delegation includes:

Sen. Jason Brodeur, Senate District 10

Rep. Rachel Plakon, House District 36

Rep. Susan Plasencia, House District 37

Rep. David Smith, House District 38

Rep. Doug Bankson, House District 39

Want to contact your Winter Springs elected leaders and weigh in on this topic? Find their contact information here. Have a news tip or opinion to share with OCN? Do that here.

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member