WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Winter Park City Commission voted 4-1 Wednesday night to delay making a decision on a controversial ordinance that would restrict when and where protests can take place near the Winter Park Library & Events Center.
If approved, the ordinance would impose new “time, place, and manner” rules for demonstrations in the area, outlining specific zones and hours for protests.
The measure comes as the city responds to what it calls “current unrest that is being experienced around the country” and recent interruptions at the library and events center, which has become a popular venue for weddings, reunions, and photo shoots.
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In a statement to News 6, city officials said the ordinance is a proactive step to “clearly outline the areas in which these types of activities can co-exist, balancing public safety and free speech.”
The city said the rules are intended to prevent potential hazards to pedestrians and drivers while allowing events and demonstrations to take place.
According to the U.S. Supreme Court, local governments can regulate protests as long as restrictions are content-neutral, serve a significant government interest, and leave open alternative ways for people to express themselves. These “time, place, and manner” restrictions have been upheld in cases where public safety or order is at stake.
But some legal experts and community members are raising concerns about the ordinance’s impact.
UCF mass law professor Dr. Kimberly Voss told News 6 the proposal is “potentially problematic because we don’t know why this law is potentially going to be out there. And we don’t know how it would be enforced. The Supreme Court has been pretty clear that the answer to speech we don’t like is more speech. So if you’re pushing it back by two or three blocks, why do that?”
Dr. Voss added that the challenge for a small community like Winter Park is “balancing out free speech—what you want to say—versus public safety. That’s often the challenge, and so what Winter Park is trying to do with this legislation is balance that out.”
She also noted that restrictions must make sense for the situation.
“While the library is open seven days a week, it’s not open all night. So why couldn’t you protest, say, in the evening? Safety is the issue. It doesn’t match,” said Voss.
Commissioners plan to take up the topic again at their next meeting on July 9.
