UPDATE: This post has been updated with a quote from Elijah Noel to give him a chance to respond to his political opponent.

The City of Winter Park has been discussing the potential purchase of a mid-century post office building and relocating the USPS outside of its downtown for the past few years, and earlier this week, when we were contacted with some information that they had purchased the property, we ran a story saying just that.

But that wasn’t the case and on behalf of Bungalower, I apologize for any confusion that story may have caused.

It’s been estimated that to purchase the property and use it to expand Central Park, the price tag could reach an estimated $15 million; a price tag that includes the price of the land and the cost of building a new post office elsewhere. According to Commissioner Todd Weaver, that number is extremely unlikely though and just a high guestimate. Even so, the City of Winter Park’s CRA board has voted to place $14 million in reserve in case the USPS ever decides to sell its downtown campus, along with $1 million from the Parks Acquisition Fund, which will be held through 2027 when the CRA is scheduled to dissolve.

Commissioner Weaver recently shared the following statement on the possible purchase of the post office with his constituents:

“Dear Winter Park Friends and Neighbors,

In the race for Winter Park City Commission Seat 4, you may have heard my opponent talk about “overpaying” for the Post Office property. Please keep in mind that the Post Office property is probably “THE” most valuable property in the entire City, due to its close proximity to our Central Park, our downtown business district, and the Sunrail station.

I would like to set the record straight, as my opponent is parroting what the few critics (who want to develop the property) have led our residents to believe.

Here is my stance on the Post Office:

I love our Post Office. In fact, I pressure washed all the sidewalks around it a few weeks ago, removing years of grime and black algae. If our beloved Post Office stays there for 100 years, that would be fine with me. 

A private donor has been maintaining the PO landscaping for years. The Commission just agreed to take on that maintenance, as the generous couple would like to turn over that responsibility to the City. Before these benefactors paid for the current landscaping, the PO grounds looked pretty bad.

The Winter Park Post Office fits the scale and charm of our downtown. It’s convenient. It does not distract from our wonderful Central Park.  However, the few critics who almost built the 600-foot-long, multistory Carlisle on the Post Office location are trying to mislead you. 

Please keep in mind that the Post Office is free to sell at any time to any party. It almost happened before. The City has no higher status with the USPS than any purchaser. 

The CRA Board voted unanimously to place $7 million of CRA funds in reserve in case the USPS is poised to sell the property. If it sells, we will take measures to ensure the City is the winning bidder.

No one on the Commission believes that such a purchase would cost anywhere near $15 million, but the few critics would like us to believe otherwise. 

It’s all good. Most likely the Winter Park Post Office will stay as it is for a long time. But we’ll be ready, just in case.

The City has also identified two available real estate options for the post office to consider as part of a possible relocation deal; a 10.9-acre property on North Webster currently occupied by Orange Technical College and another 4.5-acre lot located on Webster Avenue as well.

A group of Winter Park residents is currently protesting the (potential) sale, saying the possible demolition of the post office is too expensive and could displace downtown jobs and while the possible purchase is currently not scheduled for approval or even public discussion in the immediate future, Elijah Noel, candidate for Winter Park Commission, has been using it as a means to rally support for his campaign as he calls for greater fiscal responsibility at Winter Park City Hall.

Noel provided the following statement.

As the incumbent, Mr. Weaver’s votes are on record in the Commission and CRA Minutes (attached). He is on record voting to:   

  1. Direct the City Manager to aggressively pursue the sale of the Winter Park Post Office.   
  2. Authorize the city to negotiate with property owners to relocate.    
  3. Allocate up to $15M to purchase this property. 
  4. Hire a federal lobbyist to the tune of $6,500 per month to pressure the USPS to sell 
  5. Hire a state lobbyist 

Over the past couple of years, he has voted 6-10 times to aggressively pursue the purchase, allocation of money, and the moving of the post office. Not only did he vote for it, he seconded the motions.  Please see these sources: Commission & CRA minutes dated:   

Bottom line, he is on the wrong side of this issue and he’s trying to avoid getting blamed by deceiving the voters.  Winter Park supports keeping their post office where it is and don’t want their taxes misused by paying nearly five times the property’s value. I have and will continue to speak what I believe in and what the residents of Winter Park want. 

As you can see, Todd, at a minimum, is talking out both sides of his mouth and is trying to cover up his voting record. In the name of journalistic ethics, I request that you please remove his propaganda and the reposting of his fabricated quote. 

The audacity that my opponent thinks he can cover up years of more than a half a dozen votes to create a new position, because he now knows he is on the wrong side of an issue, is beyond me. This issue now goes beyond the post office. It shows that my opponent  and the truth seem to be mutually exclusive. He did this same thing with the single-member district vote. This is a pattern; Todd cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

Sincerely, Elijah J. Noel Candidate for Winter Park City Commission, Seat 4

The United States Post Office Building was designed by architect Joseph Shifalo in 1964 and is a textbook example of mid-century modern architecture and is located at 300 N. New York Avenue [GMap].

Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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4 Comments

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  1. Seems like Weaver and WPC are in this job for themselves. Like what they’re trying to do to Austin’s Coffee, an established local artistic community for 20 years. Please vote for Elijah Noel and keep big corporate interests and special interest lobbyists out of local communities.

  2. The post office was not sold…..but not for a lack of trying by this spendthrift city commission and mayor. The overwhelming majority of citizens are opposed and this commission is too scared to hold a referendum. They pushed and pushed and pushed USPS for 3+ years to try buy it and now say, “we were only kidding”. Most WP residents believe we have enough green space surrounding the post office and prefer to keep the post office where it is, in downtown WP. When Todd Weaver writes .”It’s all good” you can bank on “it’s all bad”. We gotta keep an eye on these schemers 24/7/365.

  3. Yes, they sure did hoodwink us! But at least you got the real scoop on it, and gave us a very quick update on it.

    Thus is what makes you and the Bungalower newsletter a cut above the rest. We get the best info from Bungaliwer as to what is happening or going on in our area.

    Excellent work Mr. O’Connor and your getting to the actual facts of what’s really going on is what makes Bungalower a joy to read!

    Thank you for an excellent newsletter.