Title:
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Wekiva Island Fall Fest 2026 Special Event Permit - Consider a Special Event Permit for the Wekiva Island Fall Fest for seven (7) days on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and Saturday, November 14, 2026, and Saturday, November 21, 2026, and Sunday, November 22, 2026, through Wednesday, November 25, 2026, located at 1000 - 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood; (Mary Sue Weinaug, Applicant) District3 - Constantine (Mike Rhodes, Development Services Director)
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Division:
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Development Services
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Authorized By:
Mike Rhodes, Development Services Director
Contact/Phone Number:
Angi Gates/407-665-7465
Background:
The Applicant is requesting approval of a Special Event Permit for the Wekiva Island Fall Fest.
The Board previously approved this event, and the applicant is requesting approval to conduct the same event on a different date. Consistent with the prior approval, the applicant is requesting authorization for extended event hours.
The Applicant for the Wekiva Island Fall Fest is proposing to host a Halloween Costume Contest on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and the annual Big Green Egg cooking demonstration and competition on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The hours of operation will be 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (regular weekend business hours) and amplified sound is proposed between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on October 24, 2026, and between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on November 14, 2026. The number of guests at any given time will be 395. The Applicant has requested extended business hours for Sunday, November 22, 2026, through Wednesday, November 25, 2026. The Applicant has requested the operating hours extend from the permitted hours of 8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. No additional activities or amplified sound are proposed.
This is the third Special Event of the calendar year. Per Development Order #17-20500038 Section (3) t., four (4) Special Events are allowed per year, not to exceed a total of sixty (60) days. The Wekiva Paint Out Special Event was twelve (12) days, the Springs & Strings Summer Kick-Off was (1) day, and the Fall Fest is seven (7) days. There are forty (40) days and one (1) Special Event remaining for the year 2026.
Security and traffic control will be provided by off-duty Seminole County Sheriff’s deputies. The applicant has met all the requirements of the Special Event Ordinance 2024-21 regarding the site plan, certificate of insurance and security plan which was reviewed and approved by the Seminole County Sheriff’s office.
An updated Certificate of Insurance must be submitted prior to the Special Event as the current Certificate expires on September 29, 2026, and must be renewed prior to the Event.
The Event is within the Urban Bear Management area. Special Events occurring outside must be kept free from accumulated waste. The refuse must be collected and secured within a structure, a bear resistant container or removed to a disposal site.
Pursuant to Section 30.6.4.2 of the Seminole County Land Development Code (“LDC”), in approving a Special Event, the Board shall make a determination that the proposed event is reasonably compatible with the nearby existing development and does not pose an unreasonable safety or health risk for patrons or neighbors.
Staff finds that the application submitted for this request meets the requirements of Section 30.6.4.2.a.(4), LDC, and due to the limited and temporary nature of the event, the security being provided, and the conditions imposed by the Special Event permit, the proposed event is reasonably compatible with surrounding uses and does not pose an unreasonable safety or health risk to patrons.
Requested Action:
Staff requests the Board of County Commissioners approve the Wekiva Island Fall Fest Special Event Permit for seven (7) days on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and Saturday, November 14, 2026, and Saturday, November 21, 2026, and Sunday, November 22, 2026, through Wednesday, November 25, 2026, subject to Staff’s recommendations included in the attached Special Event Permit.
Note: The Special Event Permit Conditions of Approval (i.e., full details of the above conditions) are contained in the Special Event Permit in this Agenda Memorandum to be issued by Seminole County, if approved by the Board of County Commissioners.