Residents react as new Winter Springs commissioners take their seats 

Residents and city staff filled the chambers of the Winter Springs City Commission Monday night to watch the swearing in of two of the city’s newest commissioners. 

District One Commissioner Paul Diaz and District Five Commissioner Mark Caruso were both recently elected to the dais following a contentious election and sworn in during a ceremony prior to the night’s commission meeting. 

“[Residents] wanted change, they got change,” Caruso said, in a speech thanking his supporters after being sworn in. “If they’re happy, I’m happy.” 

Diaz offered similar thanks to his own supporters and family as well, adding that he recognizes election to the role involves a position of public trust. 

“The residents said they wanted something different, at least in my seat,” Diaz said. “So if this is the Hunger Games of Winter Springs, I am your tribute from district one.”

Newly elected District Three Commissioner Sarah Baker, who attended the meeting virtually, was sworn in previously during a ceremony held Friday evening. 

Following the ceremony, many attendees stayed to offer their own congratulations and share their hopes for the future of the new city commission. Former commissioners Matt Benton, Ted Johnson and Rob Elliott were referenced multiple times by residents throughout the meeting, with many comments expressing a desire for the city’s newest commissioners to move the city forward in a new direction. 

Former Winter Springs Mayor Charles Lacey, who resigned from his position in March of 2021, offered his own congratulations while commenting on the departure of the three now former commissioners, who he appeared to attribute to some of the city’s recent discontent.  

“In my own capacity I want to say congratulations to the three new commissioners,” Lacey said, before likening the departure of previous commissioners as the end of a “long nightmare.”

Chad Cartledge, a Winter Springs resident since 2012, told the new commissioners he was glad to have them on board, adding he hopes those in new positions will be able to help propel the city and commission’s future. 

Former candidate Karen Meyer, who lost the race to Baker’s 64% of the vote, also attended the meeting to offer a similar call for unity. 

“I wish to congratulate our newly elected commissioners and I wish the commission as a whole success in representing the business of Winter Springs,” Meyer said. 

With wide margins in the city’s commissioner races, Winter Springs resident Jesse Phillips said the results of the election marked a desire for change from voters. 

“I wanted to follow up on something that was said earlier about moving forward, bringing the city together and having a time of healing,” Phillips said. “I think that’s important, and one of the key ways that we’re going to do that is by listening to what voters just said to everybody.”

He said now it’s time for the new commissioners to choose how they’ll reflect voter’s desires for something different. 

“That’s the question that people are asking, is ‘What difference is this going to make?’,” Phillips said. “And you guys get to decide what difference you make.” 

Some offered their congratulations without remarks on the former commission’s performance, like resident Art Gallo who said he hoped the city would keep going in the right direction.

“I also feel like I should thank our past commissioners, Commissioner Johnson, Commissioner Benton, Commissioner Elliott, who put many years of work into the city,” Gallo said. “There’s two sides to every coin.”

“I just want to tell all the residents here that are listening that there’s more than one side to every story,” Gallo added. “Most of the folks that got up here are not satisfied with the past commission, that’s fine. Then the voters spoke and here we are, I’m good with that, but I don’t want to bad mouth anybody. I think that’s rude.”

With the city’s newest commissioners now officially sitting on the dais, residents of Winter Springs will have to wait and see if their hopes for a more unified and proactive commission will become a reality.  

“You guys are going to do great,” Phillips said. “And you have our full support to make some of these changes that the voters have been asking for for two years now.” 

In other news:

• With former Commissioner Matt Benton now off the dais, the commission unanimously appointed Commissioner Cade Resnick as its nomination to fill Benton’s role as the Deputy Mayor. 
• New city manager Kevin Sweet was present for the ceremony and meeting, though he won’t officially begin his position until December. 

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