Sarah Baker was born in Ohio and in 2018 completed her lifelong dream of moving to Florida, landing in Winter Springs. Baker briefly studied political science at the University of Miami before transferring to DeVry University, where she graduated with a degree in business and marketing. Managing the marketing for Penn Station, Inc., Baker has helped the business to expand to 323 restaurants across 15 states, while also volunteering at organizations such as the Humane Society, Kids Vote Project. It was when more 12,000 gallons of raw sewage was flowed on her front lawn that Baker knew things needed to change. Baker watched as the sewage fell into the creek behind her house that her neighbors’ children and dogs play in.
“I promise to fight for open communication and no matter what the topic is, no matter what my vote is, I am going to do my best to explain myself in a way that is educational and not trying to spin it to fit an agenda,” Baker said when speaking to OCN. “I believe in transparency and I don’t like to have things sugarcoated and feel like I am being swindled. You have to look at the big picture and that is something I promise to bring in my role.” Learn more.
According to Voter Focus, Baker has raised $5,750, $1,000 of which is self contributed, and spent $5,137.15 across her campaign.
Baker did not submit a video.
OCN Q&A
OCN created a profile for each candidate and sent each candidate a list of questions that we created based on input from residents of Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs. Each candidate within a specific race got the same list of questions at the same time and had a 50-word limit per question. Answers were only edited for grammar and clarity.
Taxes
Q: With Oviedo having a tax hike on the ballot, some residents worry that taxes being raised might be used to fund unnecessary projects. That’s a fear residents have in Winter Springs, where some have questioned the need for a pickleball facility while the city tackles water issues. What would you do to add public input and transparency to these decisions by the City Commission?
A: A clear outline of what the taxes would be used for and potentially put on election ballot to allow community decisions to be made. With the city millage rate so incredibly low compared to other cities, it’s not unreasonable to need an increase, but we also must be cognizant of how the residents feel.
Q: What do you say to longtime residents who see continually rising fees for services in the city (which some call hidden taxes) and higher proposed millage rates making it harder to stay in their homes? Some service fee increases that Oviedo Community News has covered recently include water rates in Oviedo and Winter Springs.
A: The fees that have drastically increased in Winter Springs are mostly unrelated to Winter Springs (insurance, interest rates, county property taxes). We will want to be empathetic to the concern of excessive fees and taxes. We have to also take care of the safety of our residents and the previous commission has neglected.
Traffic and transportation
Q: Some residents are concerned that development is outpacing the capacity of the area’s roads, leading to congestion problems. Construction at the east end of Winter Springs Boulevard has been a particular concern. What will you do to ensure that population growth does not overburden local roads, and to ensure Winter Springs can handle traffic from outside the city?
A: Traffic is often a concern with development. Ensuring traffic patterns are studied and appropriate lights, turn lanes, and routing is key. We have very little land left to develop in Winter Springs. Ensuring that what goes on the land serves the community best with least traffic impact will be critical.
Housing
Q: Some residents say they’re being driven out of the Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs area by a shortage of affordable housing. According to the University of Florida’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies’ 2023 annual report, the statewide median single-family home price hit a new peak of $400,000 in the first half of 2023. Seminole County was in the third most expensive housing price range in the state with $400,000 to $499,000 as the median single-family home price. The graph below compares the statewide affordable/available housing supply to renter households for six income groups, divided by how much they earn relative to the area median income (AMI): 0-30%, 0-40%, 0-50%, 0-60%, 0-80%, and 0-120%. For example, if the area median income is $50,000, somebody earning $25,000 would be at 50% AMI. Somebody earning $60,000 would be at 120% AMI.
How, if at all, would you address that problem?
A: People in Winter Springs have also asked for no more apartments/condos to be built on remaining land. So it’s a bit of an obstacle to turn back time and lower costs. But what we can do is attract businesses that not only our residents want, but also to offset the tax increases that would otherwise fall on homeowners.
Public safety
Q: Rising costs for police protection have residents worried about the city’s ability to fund its public safety. What will you do to ensure the city has adequate police funding in the future?
A: Winter Springs police have one of the lowest starting salaries and pensions of the area. The cost of losing them to other departments is more expensive than increasing their pay. It will improve our safety by having less turnover.
Q: What do you say to residents who argue that pedestrian safety is poor in Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs and that the local governments need more uniform signage and safer crosswalks?
A: Winter Springs has been working on adding pedestrian crossing signs with lights and designated crosswalks. Continuing this effort is vital to safety.
Q: As local roads widen to cope with more traffic flow, will you push for more aggressive policing of speeders in the area? If yes, how will you make that happen?
A: Our police use speed as a deterrent for a lot of other crime. Winter Springs officers are here for our safety and will continue to enforce our speed limits.
Q: With increased instances of heavy rain and flooding in the area, what will you do to ensure that local government is taking the necessary steps to keep people, their homes and roadways safe, including improving stormwater drainage?
A: Storm water is a major hot topic for Winter Springs. I myself have been directly affected many times as a result of creek flooding. Not only do we need to do better at maintaining infrastructure like culverts and drains, but we also need to set policy to ensure our waterways remain clear.
Working conditions
Q: Tension has been high among the members of the Winter Springs City Commission often leading to arguments on the dais and split votes are commonplace. What will you do to encourage civility among commission members?
A: Effective communication. Coming to meetings prepared with knowledge. And critical thinking skills to openly look at all sides.
Q: In the recent past, staff turnover has been unusually high among city staff. What will you do as a commissioner to contribute to a more stable environment in the city?
A; Making sure we, on the commission, respect each other will also trickle down to respecting our staff. Empowering people to do their job
Infrastructure
Q: Hurricane Ian in 2022 exposed numerous infrastructure issues in Winter Springs, as aging stormwater systems, bridges and roads showed their vulnerability to heavy storms. What will you do locally to make sure Winter Springs fixes those vulnerabilities?
A: As someone who has had three major sewage spills and storm flooding, I will continue to push for movement forward on the projects to improve our infrastructure. Funding is key at this point in time.
Q: What will you do to improve the safety of Winter Springs’ water system and to help clarify, and increase transparency into, how the city is handling those water problems?
A: First, additional testing should be done all throughout the city. Not just on quality but also safety. And address the issue head on. Take responsibility and be transparent on what steps need to be taken for improvement.
Q: With increasing resident concern about the availability of potable water, what will you do to help cut the city’s reliance on potable water for irrigation, ensure that we have an adequate supply of reclaimed water in the future and improve the quality of the potable water we have?
A; Educating on wells, retention ponds, water ways, etc. as irrigation methods could be beneficial.
Growth and development
Q: Once land is zoned for development, local governments cannot downgrade that zoning, meaning that local government has little power in the development of zoned land not owned by them. What do you think the local government can do, if anything, to preserve as much of the green space and charm of the area as possible?
A; In areas zoned for business or residential, setbacks, landscaping and other measures can be taken to blend in with the current look of Winter Springs.
Q: Some residents are concerned about a lack of notifications for key votes on development. What will you do to increase transparency in the development proposal process?
A: Our website, Facebook, city communication to residents, press releases and more can greatly improve. It’s low-hanging fruit and my background in marketing and communications will be an asset to getting this going!
Environmental
Q: What do you say to residents who think that local parks are being mismanaged with chemical use, weed-whacked shorelines, etc.? If change is necessary, what would you do if elected to office?
A: Our parks and environment are one of the things I love most about Winter Springs. Ensuring safety at the same time as maintaining a healthy ecosystem is important to me. I will work to understand what is being done and how we can make better choices.