District 1 candidates share West Orange visions

Two candidates — Austin Arthur, challenger, and Nicole Wilson, incumbent — are vying for the Orange County District 1 Commission seat. The General Election will be held Nov. 5. 

Meet the candidates in our exclusive writing prompt where they answer the question: “How will the lives of West Orange and Southwest Orange residents improve with you as Orange County District 1 commissioner? Please discuss specific objectives, goals and policies that will guide your work as commissioner."

AUSTIN ARTHUR

Our residents are facing more high-density overdevelopment than ever before in the wrong places and without proper infrastructure improvements to handle it. Our roads are failing, schools are overcrowded, and flooding issues have increased, not improved. Four years ago, we were promised a slowing of growth for responsible development and infrastructure improvements. That has not happened. Things have gotten worse these past four years, and we all feel it. It is time for change. The activist approach for political representation has failed us. We need leadership badly.

I am running because I believe the lives of West Orange residents will improve through effective, community-driven leadership that prioritizes infrastructure-first development, preservation of our unique character and common-sense solutions to our most pressing challenges. As a former firefighter/paramedic turned small business owner who has created jobs through businesses such as Gymnastics USA and Stars and Stripes Marketing Services, I believe real-world experience and deep commitment to our community’s success is critical. Our commissioner must be engaged with nonprofit organizations, active in our community, negotiating stakeholders on our behalf and available to residents. It takes a partnership mentality.

First and foremost, I will slow the unchecked growth that has strained our infrastructure and quality of life. For years, I’ve consistently stated that “West Orange County does not need to become the city of Orlando.” No more playing “catch up” on infrastructure while development continues unchecked.

This means making development pay its way through strong impact fees and hard negotiations for land donations for schools, parks and sensitive green spaces. Consider how the West Orange Healthcare District wanted to grant $8 million for the Horizon West Regional Park, but the opportunity was lost because our current commissioner wouldn’t return their phone call.

We’ll protect our rural settlements, including the Gotha Historic Rural Settlement, Avalon Rural Settlement, West Windermere and environmentally sensitive wetlands, such as the Butler Chain of Lakes, Gotha Basin and Shingle Creek.

The infrastructure crisis is real and visible. The roads on Ficquette, Reams and Summerlake Parkway are crumbling and underwater. Sand Lake residents — despite paying a special tax through the MSTU to maintain the lake and manage flooding issues — have seen rising water levels left unchecked, leading to flooding and property destruction. Millions of dollars of residents’ tax money are not being properly used.

To address affordability, we’ll tackle Orange County’s housing crisis through a balanced approach. While we need more housing supply, I firmly believe this should be only in the right places at the right time. Any new development must fit the character of the area and meet strict infrastructure requirements.

“Slow the Growth” is not only about development. We’ll also work to slow the growth of government spending. The county budget has increased 50% in just four years, from $4.8 billion to $7.2 billion. Do West Orange residents feel they have received such an increase in living and services? We do not need a new tax. We need to be better with our spending habits.

Transportation improvements will be a key priority. While we can’t simply widen our way out of our problems, we must stop the bleeding on our deteriorating roads. This includes road widening in key areas, roundabouts where it makes sense and traffic lights where needed. Adjustments as simple as expanding turning lanes can bring relief now in many cases.

We need to focus on safety through partnership with our sheriff’s office, municipal police, HOAs and residents, not poorly thought-out Band-Aid solutions. I support multimodal transportation solutions through public-private partnerships, such as the Sunshine Corridor initiative, which will get tourists off our roads while we enjoy the benefit of their fueling our economy without suffering unnecessary traffic. I’ll work with Metroplan and Orange County staff to prioritize road improvements, pushing to ensure West Orange gets its fair share of resources. We are the biggest district in the county, it is time we are treated like it.

Our community faces serious challenges with homelessness, and I’ll take a holistic, partnership-based approach. Through my work with organizations such as the West Orange Habitat for Humanity and serving on more than 12 community boards, I understand the importance of collaborative solutions. We’ll work with organizations such as Matthew’s Hope, United Against Poverty and Health Care Center for the Homeless, while joining neighboring jurisdictions to develop effective solutions. The solutions will be found in partnership with subject matter experts, not through commissioners who think they know everything.

I’m committed to making Orange County more accessible and welcoming for our disability community. As a board member of Lift Disability Network, I’ll push for a comprehensive Disability Financial Impact Survey and support earmarking Tourist Development Tax dollars for disability improvement projects. I’ll strengthen the Office on Disability for Orange County and appoint more people living with disabilities to leadership positions to ensure their voices are heard and needs are met.

Most importantly, I’ll bring a community-driven leadership style that’s been missing. My extensive community involvement, including serving on the Winter Garden Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board, Challenge 22 to End Veteran Suicide, Central Florida YMCA, and the West Orange Scholarship Foundation, has taught me the value of listening to and working with all stakeholders. I’ll maintain early and regular engagement with residents to identify issues and concerns, not just at election time. This commitment to engagement and partnership is why I’ve earned endorsements from West Orange mayors and commissioners, firefighter union IAFF 2117, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office Fraternal Order of Police.

It’s time for West Orange County to stop losing. We can’t afford another four years of absent leadership. As your commissioner, I’ll be accessible, engaged and focused on delivering results that improve your quality of life. Together, we can preserve West Orange while ensuring it remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.

NICOLE WILSON

I believe West Orange County’s best days are still ahead of us, and since taking office in December 2020, we’ve achieved many of the goals I laid out — but I am committed to serving a second and final term to make sure District 1 representation is for the people, not the powerful.    

My decision to put my private practice on hold and prioritize my community for this term wasn’t easy, but I faced our challenges shoulder-to-shoulder with the citizens and worked on updating Orange County’s outdated policies and ordinances to reflect our shared priorities.

Over the last three-plus years, my work has been centered around prioritizing the health, safety and welfare of all residents of Orange County; transparent and accessible government; smart, sustainable growth; and environmental and wildlife protection. My promise is to keep giving you, the residents, a seat at the table at your local government. 

Our people, our environment and our quality of life suffered due to the “growth is good” at-all-costs development here in District 1. For 15 years, our roads, schools and emergency services fell behind as developers were given a steep discount on the impact fees they paid to offset their development impacts. Millions of dollars were left on the table, and we will be fighting to get out of that hole for years to come, but in 2022 I supported an updated impact fee schedule in Orange County so developers have to pay their fair share. 

We’ve completed the design process and will be seeing safer, more resilient engineering used in the improvements scheduled for Reams Road, Ficquette Road, Tiny Road, Avalon Road and the long-needed connections to Lake County. Meanwhile, safety improvements are coming across our district. Last year, I voted to pass the Accelerated Transportation Safety Plan. Through this plan, we are using existing county funds to bring 25 street-lighting projects and five roadway safety overhauls here in District 1. 

I meet residents in their neighborhoods, along with public works staff, so we know what immediate changes need to be made. We have worked to improve pedestrian visibility, raised crosswalks, reduced speed limits and added additional signage where it was needed. If you have an area of concern, our office is always a call or an email away. I work on solutions with the people who know our neighborhoods better than anyone: our residents.

I’ve advanced critical, long overdue infrastructure projects across the district, including $100 million in roadway safety investments. We’ve built and opened new fire stations, parks and the first new Orange County water treatment plant in 30 years. We are on track to complete the first phases of the massive Horizon West Regional Park and Horizon West Library. 

I have used my experience as an environmental lawyer to bring real, permanent changes to the way we protect our environment. The benefits of these changes will last beyond my next term, and I consider them a promise to the next generation. I championed our conservation land program committing to more than 23,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land preserved by 2030. I advanced the Wetland Protection Ordinance update, preserving wetland ecosystems for improved flood attenuation, water quality, habitat and climate mitigation. I brought forward the Orange County Tree Protection Ordinance to protect our existing canopy and incentivize the preservation of our heritage trees. I supported the Rural Boundary Charter Amendment and initiated rural enclave protections for District 1 rural communities. All of the updates driven by my office are a great start, but they will need to be enforced, supported and defended. 

As part of my commitment to transparency and accessibility, I have facilitated hundreds of community meetings, providing the public with an opportunity to be part of the process, whether it is a road design or rezoning. I believe local government is closest to the people and should be open and welcoming to community participation. We publish scheduled newsletters, email blasts and social media updates. Knowledge is power, and I promise to continue my practice of sharing as much information as possible, so our residents can get involved in big and small ways.

I’ve advanced a more open and transparent community center lease process and partnered with the most incredible West Orange nonprofits to ensure our historically under-resourced communities have every opportunity. We’ve contracted with and approved grants for many local organizations, and I look forward to opportunities to provide programming support to the new Boys and Girls Club, as well as additional programming at the Neighborhood Center for Families, our community centers. I have advocated for additional lighting, sidewalks and park amenities across the district and will be working to make sure the West Orange Trail is preserved, protected and linked to the other trails in the area. 

As part of my commitment to smart growth, I’ve been involved in the development of Vision 2050 pertaining to preventing sprawl and incentivizing growth in areas with existing infrastructure. I will continue to advocate for transportation options that do not force residents to be dependent on a car. Walkable, bikeable communities do not happen by accident. They are carefully planned, and I am committed to being a champion for all modes of transportation. Our growth justifies the development of light rail, and I will continue to push for convenient transit options that can also serve to alleviate traffic congestion.

Our community thrives when we support arts programs, and I prioritized funding for our local arts and cultural spaces and places, including the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the SOBO Art Gallery. We were able to allocate a historic amount of Tourist Development Tax dollars for these special programs, and I will continue to fight for District 1 arts funding.

Finally, I fought to reinstitute a funding agreement for a new Orange County animal shelter in 2021. The design is complete, and my goal for this year is to seek approval for full funding so we can provide comfort and care to our shelter animals while we foster pet adoption opportunities at the shelter and in the community. We need to find every shelter pet a home and care for every shelter pet like they are part of our family.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide a brief summary of my priorities, accomplishments and goals for a second term, and thank you for the honor of serving as your county commissioner.