WINTER PARK, Fla. – A controversial ordinance that would limit protests in some of Winter Park’s most visible public spaces passed its first reading Wednesday.
City commissioners revisited a proposed measure that would restrict demonstrations around the Winter Park Library, Events Center, and Martin Luther King Jr. Park, three locations that sit just feet apart. The ordinance would prohibit protests in designated buffer zones surrounding the sites, with city officials calling it a proactive move following recent disruptions during events at the venues.
The proposal was initially debated during a meeting last month, but commissioners ultimately decided to table the vote after more than an hour of discussion.
Commissioner Warren Lindsay, who has a background in law, raised concerns that the language in the ordinance was overly broad and potentially unenforceable.
“If you’re the creator and you have trouble understanding it, then how can someone that’s supposed to apply it in a criminal matter?” Lindsay asked during the June meeting, pointing to undefined terms like “summer activities” and questioning whether the law could withstand legal scrutiny.
Legal experts have also weighed in, warning the city to tread carefully. Kimberly Voss, a journalism professor at the University of Central Florida, told News 6 last month that the proposed restrictions must be content-neutral and avoid infringing on First Amendment rights.
“The Supreme Court has been pretty clear that the answer to speech we don’t like is more speech,” Voss said. “If you’re pushing protests back by two or three blocks, why do that?”
Under current legal standards, governments can impose limited restrictions on the time, place, and manner of speech in public forums, but cannot restrict speech based on content or viewpoint.
The Winter Park City Commission will hold a second reading and vote on the ordinance in the coming weeks.