What issues are concerning the residents of Winter Springs most? According to the feedback we have been receiving from residents, it is very clear.
Victoria Colangelo RIMM-PODCAST Interview
Victoria For Winter Springs joined #rimmpodcast #episode54. She started a small business, which has facilitated securing over $50 million from developers’ deep pockets by forcing them to invest it back into preserving our environment. You can watch her interview below.
Follow RIMM-PODCAST on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rimm-PODCAST
Follow RIMM-PODCAST on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statewideproviders
Protecting Winter Springs Natural Lands
My opponent is going to try and make you think that I am a developer. As a matter of fact, I have never developed anything in my life, but I do have an 18 year career restoring and preserving natural lands. Learn more about me and my career by visiting my company website https://mitigationbankinginc.com/victoria-colangelo/
Winter Springs Social Media Policy
The social media policy for the City of Winter Springs:
The City of Winter Spring Social Media policy outlines that “The City shall use the social media forum for one-way communications only unless otherwise expressly authorized by the City Commission.” Therefore all comments are turned off or hidden. Our social media policy can be found on the city website here: https://www.winterspringsfl.org/administration/page/marketing-events
However as you can see with the first post, it has 17 comments about Winter Springs being the top 10 small towns to live in! Great news!!
But… when you open it up, there is one comment and a notice that City of Winter Springs has censored or limited other comments.
When asked for the reason or explanation regarding this we were simply told to visit the official policy, which we have shared below.
City of Winter Springs Social Media Policy
After further research we see this policy was Implemented or drafted in 2015. A 2019 ruling by the Supreme Court acknowledged that censoring on a government public forum on social media, such as Facebook was unconstitutional and subject to ligation for doing so.
I’ve attached links for your review and we have asked the city to reconsider and update this outdated policy, as it does not supersede a Fourth Circuit Court ruling.
We seek action from Winter Springs to ensure freedom speech is not being censored on our public Facebook forum! Citizens should have the right to be able to comment positively or negatively without threat of being censored.
Recent court cases have established that elected representatives violate the First Amendment when they block individuals or delete their comments for expressing critical opinions on sites like Twitter and Facebook.
If a public official uses their account to communicate with the public in their role as an elected official, then their page or account is subject to the First Amendment, which protects free speech. That means they cannot engage in most forms of censorship such as blocking someone or deleting someone’s comments simply because of the subject or their opinion.
Sources:
https://www.govtech.com/gov-experience/the-unseen-consequences-of-hiding-social-comments.html
https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-aclu-hogan-facebook-20180402-story.html
You’re Invited: Coffee Talk with Victoria
Come join me for a weekly Coffee Talk from August 16th-September 30th from 9am-10am at Your Brand Voice, to ‘espresso’ your thoughts!!
I look forward to meeting you all!
Victoria
Winding Hollow HOA, Plaintiff, vs. Kenneth W. Spalthoff, Defendant
I recently learned of the Winding Hollow vs. Ken Splathoff Pre-Trial Statements.
I find it to be a CONFLICT OF INTEREST that Kevin Cannon represented Ken Spalthoff vs Winding Hollow Subdivision HOA. A community in Winter Springs in the district he represents as commissioner.
Ken Spalthoff, who routinely attacks my character, was accused by his HOA of some very serious offenses. Attached is his pre-trial statement drawn up in 2020 by his attorney Kevin Cannon and my opponent for Winter Springs City Commission District 2 seat. The allegations involved kickbacks, false entries made in official HOA books and records, accusations of civil theft and fraudulent billing scheme.
Another interesting inclusion in this document is the threat Cannon makes to the HOA.
See Page 8, Paragraph I.6: [Cannon’s attorney fees to be paid by residents ] “…. substantial attorney fees….. impact to each member of the HOA would likely be a special assessment against each of the 394 HOA Member/Homeowners in the range of $2000 to $3000 per household.”
These constituents were being threatened by their very own elected representative to pay him personally $780,000 to $1,000,000.
Rest assured that when I am elected, I will not be suing any HOA resident. Please read more about Kevin Cannon’s character here: https://victoriaforwintersprings.com/kevin-cannon-winter-springs-record/
Victoria Colangelo Seminole Hob Nob & Straw Poll Interview
Recently, Victoria attended the Seminole County/Orlando North Hob Nob, Central Florida’s Premier Event of the Political Season.
Igor Spasojevic, Insurance Consultant and host of RIMM Podcast recapped the events of the Hob Nob. He sat down with Victoria to discuss her reasons for running, her desire to get involved, and her plan for serving the great city of Winter Springs.
Kevin Cannon Winter Springs Legacy
Yesterday Evening 07/26/2022 A meeting was held in the City of Winter Springs to Discuss a development.
The interesting part of this meeting for me is that I had 3 questions to ask of the Commissioner who was speaking.
Here are the questions:
1) Did you speak with the property owner about this project and did you promise to her to change the zoning on this property for this project? Did you share with the property owner that this project would be both hers and your legacy to the city of Winter Springs?
– The answer to this question is YES. The commissioner has had this discussion with the property owner and he did share with her that this project would be her legacy and his.
2) Involving the Golf Course Property – have you spoken with the property owner and shared with him that you are in conversations with City Staff to remove the conservation easement? Did you also share with the property owner you would be working with him and his developer to get his project approved?
– The answer to this question is YES. The commissioner had this conversation with the property owner recently and then asked to have his signs put on the property.
3) You have shared with people tonight that you have only ever spoken to the developer once – yet it would seem that this is not the case? Since this is the same developer who has developed 434/Tuskawilla and has been in conversations on this property with city hall since April of this year?
– The truth is – Commissioner Cannon is playing with your emotions. He is intimately aware of what happens in City Hall – he is the single leader of everything in this city. His ability to spin the truth to his favor always intrigues me – it is how Lawyers operate, yet respectfully we don’t need a lawyer – we need a Community Advocate who will work with the community.
We need #Integrity, #Honesty and #Community back into Winter Springs. Vote #CadeResnick4CityCommission
Cade Resnick For Winter Springs
https://caderesnick.com/
Homelessness in Seminole County
One hears of the mass number of homeless in big cities, but what is the situation in Seminole County?
The Seminole League of Women Voters, partnering with several other organizations, is sponsoring a Forum on “The New Faces of Homelessness.” The panel will be moderated by Dr. Joel Hunter and include panelists Meghan Killingsworth, Trevor Fraser and Jillian Finklestein. The panelists represent those involved with housing issues, the Seminole County Public Schools, and services currently available. Learn what you can do individually and politically.
“The New Faces of Homelessness” Forum
Date: August 18, 2022
Time: 6:00-8:30pm
Place: First United Methodist Church of Sanford
RSVP: www.lwvseminole.org
Cost : 1 school supply item to donate ( optional)
“Please join us for this important discussion. Be informed!”
Social Media Transparency
One of the first things I will do when elected is turn back on the comments. This NO COMMENT commission is so interested in hearing from its resident’s it has turned off or limited who can comment on official city communication across the most popular social networks residents use today.
This has caused residents to form separate “groups” which then become echo chambers of the different tribes in our city. Nobody knows who to trust, or what group they should follow.
This doesn’t sound like a great strategy for building our city and bringing our people together.
We also did a check around other nearby cities in Central Florida to see how they handle comments and I could not find another that has comments blocked like Winter Springs. Lake Mary, Oviedo, Casselberry, Orlando, Winter Park and others all have comments enabled.
The City of Winter Springs pays a social media consultant $7,000+ per month to manage their online presence, but that apparently does not include comment moderation, which in my opinion one of the best ways to promote transparency in government.
Here are some screen shots that I took that show comments blocked on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
I’d love to hear from residents, do you think we should ask the city to turn on the comments so we can have respectful conversation about the important issues facing our city?
