LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Why was the Special Hearts Farm meeting canceled?

Dear Editor:

I am Henry Wright — not a politician, not a big business tycoon — just a local dad who has lived in Winter Garden for well over a decade. I am also a dad who will do anything to help his special needs/autistic adult son. I’m writing to you in hopes of you printing my concerns over recent events affecting our community.

In our lovely town of Winter Garden, we have a unique place called Special Hearts Farm. It is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that serves individuals with disabilities and unique abilities by providing adult day training for agriculture, woodworking and farming. It is also a transition program under Orange County Public Schools that provides to students up to 22 years of age focused services and job training necessary to maximize their success. This kind of service for special-needs citizens is very rare once they turn 18.

An opportunity for growth and expansion recently arose to expand the reach of Special Hearts Farm in a secure location off Avalon Road in West Orange County. Mind you, this has zero impact for taxpayers and (is) a huge win for the entire special-needs community and Orange County District 1.

Frankly, the community debates have been strong both for and against relocating the farm. To facilitate the discussion and apprise her of the great results coming out of the farm, I invited District 1 County Commissioner Nicole Wilson — over six months ago — to see firsthand the incredible work that is being done on the farm every single day. 

As of today, she has never come out to the farm to see what is being done there. 

To her credit, Wilson did, however, set a date and time for a community meeting to hear the pros and cons of the opportunity for relocation. She set the hard date for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11. 

In reliance upon her decision, I personally called and e-mailed (more than) 100 parents and supporters of the special-needs community to attend the meeting and to understand the varying points of view. However, just 48 hours before the meeting, Wilson abruptly canceled the meeting, without explanation. She not only canceled the community meeting (without setting a new meeting date and time), (but also) she pushed the vote back on the issue by the entire Orange County Board of County Commissioners until after election day, Aug. 20. This is the partisan, special-interest politics I would expect to see in Washington, D.C., not in West Orange County.

Recently, it was suggested by the county that the Special Hearts Farm change its plan development and have the horse barn (that already has been built and permitted by Orange County) retrofitted to enable all the residents with special needs to live in the barn under one roof. This would truly take us back to the terrible days of housing individuals with disabilities all under one roof known as “institutions.” Thank goodness the American for Disabilities Act and Agency for Persons with Disabilities no longer allows this to exist and recognizes that individuals with special needs deserve the right to live in homes similar to the rest of us!  

In my opinion, Wilson has intentionally delayed, stalled and now prevented a fair and transparent process for thousands of District 1 voters to have the opportunity to have an informed understanding of the issues. That lack of openness and communication cannot serve the good of our community. It is my hope that the leadership of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners will mandate an open and full discussion of the issues among our citizens prior to voting on this very important project.

Henry L. Wright
Winter Garden