Winter Park Commissioner Todd Weaver says he planned to volunteer his 1957 home to the city’s register of historic places years ago, but an email from Sen. Jason Brodeur has put it off for a while longer.
Weaver went before Winter Park’s Historic Preservation Board on December 11 to request the historic designation of his Lake Bell Drive home for its mid-century modern architectural style. The one-story house met with the Board’s approval; however, before the matter could go before city commission, an email from Brodeur’s office urged resident intervention based on questions surrounding unpermitted construction.
A copy of the email obtained by the32789 states that Weaver’s designation request came to Brodeur’s attention via “allegations from community members that there was unpermitted construction work to add a rental unit onto the property.” The notice also calls Weaver’s timing into question as his term ends in April, and states that comments should be sent to the city commission email address.
Brodeur, who was also behind the ordinance for the referendum on the city’s gas-powered leaf blower ban, did not respond to a request for comment.
Weaver said last year that he would not seek reelection at the end of his current term. He told the32789 that the claims in Brodeur’s email mirror those by former commissioner Pete Weldon, who Weaver unseated in 2019. Weldon also alleges that Weaver violated city code by offering the space for rent and did so through 2021. This week he alerted residents to the commission hearing on Weaver’s request in a post on his website.
Weaver denies wrongdoing and said the renovations took place before the 2004 annexation of his neighborhood into Winter Park. He notes the “cottage” had previously been his workshop and already had plumbing and electricity, including a toilet, shower, and an oven prior to the renovations. He contends that inspections by Winter Park code enforcement, planning, and permitting department staff revealed no issues. “I made every effort to clear this up with city staff,” Weaver said. “I was willing to gut the place if that’s what they told me to do.”
Regarding the rental, Weaver said he had the unit listed on Airbnb but was unaware that was against city code until 2018. He said he ceased rentals at that time and has since offered the space free of charge to artists traveling for performances with Opera Orlando and Orlando Philharmonic.
When asked for comment, Weldon forwarded copies of his emails to city commissioners regarding the code violations and included his correspondence with the Orange County Zoning Division, which noted that Weaver did not have permitting for a guest unit.
Weaver admits to not having proper county permits for the use but contends that, post-annexation, no violations of any kind were brought to him by Winter Park staff.
“They told Weldon in correspondences many times there’s no code violations,” Weaver said. “He does have a valid point but once we were annexed it was a moot point. He just won’t accept this answer after six years.”
The January 8 commission meeting began with Weaver’s request to table the historic designation hearing until after he has left office. “Mr. Brodeur is trying to get involved in local city rule, I’m against that,” he said during the meeting, adding his intention to seek legal action against “the former commissioner who has raised these issues.”
In a post-meeting phone call, Weaver said he knew he had the votes but his decision to put off the hearing was made out of deference to commissioners and staff. He also took issue with Brodeur’s handling of the situation and says the email, which contains a subject line that reads “Does this look historic to you?” came with a picture of a house that is not his. Weaver also noted Weldon’s recurring claims that he was renting the unit while he was in office and considers the actions to be politically motivated.
“He’s spreading misinformation and half-truths. He’s still harboring a grudge.”
