Agendas & Minutes

Policy on Town Hall Meeting Public Comment

The Town Council of the Town of Winter Park recognizes the value of public comment on public issues relevant to Town government and acknowledges the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on matters of community interest. To permit the fair and orderly expression of such comments, Council provides a period for public comment at every regular meeting.

Public participation shall be governed by the following rules:

1. A participant must be recognized by the presiding officer prior to speaking.
2. A participant shall be limited to 3 minutes.
3. A participant shall be present in the room to speak during Town Hall Meeting Public Comment period. Online participation is limited to action items that have a public hearing, and statements made at that time must be relevant to the action item being presented.
4. Participants who are unable to attend in person may submit Town Hall Meeting comments to the Town Clerk in writing, by email or letter, or by phone, prior to the meeting. A summary of comments received by phone will be provided to the Town Council by the Town Clerk.
5. No participant may speak more than once or for longer than 3 minutes; no “pooling” of time is allowed.
6. All statements shall be directed to the Council as a body; no participant may address or question Town staff or Council members individually.
7. All statements shall be limited to Town business and matters of community interest that are relevant to Town business.
8. Signs are limited to 18 x 24 inches in size so as not to block other meeting attendees’ views. Participants with signs must display them in a manner so as not to obstruct the views of other meeting attendees.
9. The presiding officer may:
   1. Interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;
   2. Request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum;
   3. Request the assistance of law enforcement if a person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting; and
   4. Call for a recess if the lack of decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action.