by Larry Oskin
Debbie Flinn was born in the Orlando area and raised in Winter Garden. She is a true local native. She is married with two grown children who were both raised in Minneola. She has lived in Minneola since 1993. Flinn has an Associate’s Degree from Valencia College and she has been attending Lake Sumter State College to finish her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management.
Debbie is an Office Manager and has worked most of career in the golf business. She served on the Minneola City Council from 2010 to 2012. She was appointed to the Minneola Planning & Zoning Board in 2013. She has been the Chairwoman of the Planning & Zoning Board for the last 2½ years. She notes that she has had the pleasure of being a part of the City Budget while making important and thoughtful decisions relating to the growth of our city.
For Flinn’s 2020 election platform, she shares, “The biggest challenge we have facing Minneola today in my opinion is our future growth. Growth is very costly. Minneola takes pride in saving for these growth challenges and I want to continue to be a part of that concept.” She adds that if elected, “I want to help get our local businesses more involved and on our city website. I would like to see them be successful in every aspect. For example, they should advertise and get involved for our ‘Shop Local Weekend’. But mostly, I want to continue the good work the current Minneola City Council has done. I have the same thoughts for saving money in our reserves account.”
Debbie Finn says that she has proudly called Minneola her home for 27 years, adding, “I have watched our City successfully grow from one yellow blinking street light to become a thriving community with its own Florida Turnpike Interchange. I have been on the Minneola Planning & Zoning Board for the last 7 years. I am a South Lake Chamber Ambassador, which allows me to help connect our Minneola and South Lake businesses together for a common goal. I am a former Council Member and a Trustee Board Member of the South Lake Elks Lodge, which both have given me the experience to plan and review budgets for the future. I am an active volunteer with many events in our community, which gives me insight to what is happening around us. I believe that with this diverse experience, I am uniquely qualified for the job of city council commissioner.” southlakecounty@yahoo.com
Gustavo David Ortiz describes himself as an Army brat. His father is a retired Lt. Coronel and his Mother is a retired Captain. Born in Fort Campbell, KY and moved about until landing here in South Florida, where he has lived for over 20 years. Ortiz met his wife in high school and escaped to South Florida in 2007 for a quieter life where we could finish raising their 3 girls.
He worked in various roles and across a variety of industries in both the non-profit and corporate sectors, until he began an entrepreneurial endeavor as a full-time realtor. He currently is a commercial real estate entrepreneur, recognized as one of the top producers among over 175 agents in his Mathison-Klein Group — Keller Williams Elite Partners III office for the last 3 of the 4 years. He attributes that success to approaching all interactions from a servant’s heart.
Gustavo David Ortiz has detailed what he considers the most important and ‘Key Issues’. On the Economy, Ortiz notes, “With a threat of an economic collapse on the horizon, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Failing and contracting businesses leading to job loss, empty retail and office buildings as well as economic instability can quickly lead to a barren city with nothing to offer. Unfortunately, small towns like Minneola are the most susceptible to this kind of economic collapse. Being proactive now, as we see an impending economic shift, is critical to the success of our city.” He adds his plan for Phase I, “We need to create a Business Advisory Board that will provide feedback to the Minneola City Council on their needs and how the City and business community might collaborate in improving the business atmosphere while providing highest benefit to our residents.”
On the key issue of ‘Responsible Growth’, Ortiz notes, “Development is coming down the pipeline and it’s coming fast. Staying vigilant during this time of growth is critical. The most successful cities in America grow incrementally, so the model currently in play is reminiscent of the failed Detroit model on a smaller scale. While it looks good in the immediate future, it had the highest potential for instability over time. My plan is to bring in the expertise of Professional Planners to help us assess the viability of the current plan, identify long-term weak spots and to determine the best options for long-term sustainability. In tandem, we must bring our community together to help us determine the identity of Minneola and develop its brand as part of the long-term sustainability assessment.”
On the key issue of Art & Culture, Ortiz adds, “According to Americans for the Arts; for every dollar invested into the Arts, six dollars in taxes are generated. This is a clear indicator that support for the Arts can be an important economic engine for our City. The added benefit is that it brings our community together and cultivates creativity and innovation.” His plan is to help introduce new community art and culture projects as well as special events that will leverage public and private partnerships to spur activity for both the residents and local businesses.” Lake County has recently appointed Ortiz to the Lake County Art & Cultural Alliance Board
Gustavo David Ortiz shares, “I believe in the power of collaboration. Working with our residents, local businesses, subject matter experts, neighboring cities, the county, the state or anyone else that can bring value to our community is a welcomed conversation. Great negotiators are great because they listen and seek to understand first, then work to find Win/Win solutions. This is how I have built a successful business, managed my teams, and executed successfully on my projects.” Gus@MKGHomes.com., www.GustavoDavidOrtiz.com www.facebook.com/ortizwastaken
Daniel SmithDaniel Smith was born and raised here in Orlando, Florida. He is married with 3 daughters ages 3, 5 and 9. He moved from College Park coming up on 4 years in December to Minneola. I’ve lived in Central Florida all my life. He has a BSBA — Bachelors in Business from the University of Central Florida. He has his ASBA Associates in Business from Valencia College.
Smith has been working at Best Buy for the last 15½ years, most of which have been in leadership roles across the organization. In the last 6 years with Best Buy, he has been traveling to and managing international business partner relationships for Geek Squad online services chat and remote repair operations.
Smith shares, “While I’m new to the political stage, I’m not new to being active here in Minneola. I’ve been part of the Minneola Planning & Zoning Commission for 2½ years. I have attended about 80% of all Minneola City Council meetings from 2018 to 2020. Not only am I there, but I’m sharing my input and working to influence the future of our city in a positive manner. Because of this track record and my continuous engagement, Lisa Jones the current Minneola City Councilor for Seat 2 has openly endorsed me as the best candidate for Seat 2.”
Daniel Smith adds, “You can expect me to continue to focus on keeping Minneola as a destination to raise a family, support smart growth of the community and to ensure that the beauty of our city and the environment is safely preserved. I believe as we move forward, growth is unavoidable and we need to be smart about it. Smart growth of our community with businesses and infrastructure which can meet the needs of the community is our greatest challenge. We have an amazing city and it’s no surprise that new residents and businesses want to move here. It’s important that this growth address the needs of both the older and newer areas of our city equally. The right growth will help to reduce the tax base for our residents, enable residents to shop within our city for goods, services and entertainment, and to grow the number of jobs available locally. I intend to work with our other City Council members to strike a balance between this growth and the conservation of our natural landscape and green spaces.”
Smith also noted, “I believe I will bring important new and creative ideas from my background working in international business to help us move forward in a very positive way. My personal experiences, work experiences and knowledge as a resident who’s been highly involved with the Minneola City Council meetings over the last 3 years, provide me a good understanding of the challenges we face and a unique perspective on how I will work with the residents and fellow Council to move us forward together.”
In conclusion, Smith adds, “I have been highly engaged with the Minneola City Council, the City and the residents since moving to this community. As a parent of 3 and viewing this as my forever community, I have committed myself to ensure I know what’s happening in Minneola while playing an active role in how it grows. My 6 years of working in international business has provided me with unique experiences that have given me additional perspectives from other countries and cultures on how we might think about different challenges our community may face.” Visit www.DanielSmithforMinneola.com or Facebook at: www.facebook.com/DanielSmithforMinneolaCityCouncil/ DanielSmithforMinneola@GMail.com
