Accountability to the Residents

Every year, the Florida League of Cities hosts its Annual Conference for training and education. Commissioners are invited to attend. Sometimes it’s held in South Florida, sometimes in the Orlando area.

This year the conference was held at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek — less than 50 miles from Winter Springs.

Now here’s the problem.

The City of Winter Springs handbook — provided to every employee and elected official — lays out the rules for travel reimbursements.

The policy states plainly:

The City will NOT reimburse lodging or per diem for travel within a 50-mile radius of the City unless there is written approval from the City Manager.  Florida Statute 112.061: The City Manager, or designee, may approve travel outside of the City.  The City's travel policy is in compliance with this statute.

No exceptions.
No loopholes.
No “but everyone else stayed” excuses.  

And Cade Resnick Knows This.

Resnick is not a rookie.

He first served on the Commission starting in 2010, holding the seat for eight years before resigning to run for the Seminole County School Board — a race he lost.

That means the travel policy was already in place while he was sitting on the dais.

So let’s be honest here:    He knows the policy.

In a email to the City Clerk and City Manager, Resnick wrote:

“We did 2 years ago and the years prior we got hotels. 2011-2018 when I was with the city we did at Orlando and South Florida.”

In other words, his justification appears to be:   “We’ve done it before.”

The City Clerk responded:

“The Annual Conference is in Orlando this year so would normally NOT get hotels…”

Then City Manager Kevin Sweet replied that he needed to look at it more closely and mentioned he would personally be staying because there were evening events. 

But here’s the key detail that shouldn’t be ignored:

Nowhere in that email chain does the City Manager clearly authorize the City to pay for hotel rooms for everyone attending.

Not once.

Did Deputy Mayor Cade Resnick receive the written approval required by the City’s own travel policy?

Or did he simply assume the taxpayers would cover the bill?

The policy is supposed to apply to every employee and every elected official — not just the ones who choose to follow it.

Winter Springs residents deserve accountability.

And they deserve a straight answer.