Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The Town of Montverde was incorporated on May 18, 1925. A Mayor and five Town Council members were selected and the same town government remains today. The picturesque area is nestled on the west shore of Lake Apopka, just 17 miles south of Tavares and 30 miles from Leesburg. The township was an early Indian settlement, where historical burial grounds, pottery, beads, and arrowheads can still be found.
The town’s Mayor, Joe Wynkoop was born in Kingston, New York, and raised in Newburgh. He and his brother moved to Houston, Texas where he lived for 7 years before he relocated to Central Florida.
Mayor Joseph Wynkoop proudly shares that the Town of Montverde is growing and prospering while keeping its quaint beauty. He loves his small town and describes himself as “the luckiest guy”. He explains, ” I have my beautiful fiancée Claudia and our daughter Yolette in my life. They make every day of my life the best day ever and I look forward to many years of joy and love.”
As a resident of Montverde for over 25 years and involved in the local government for many of those years, Wynkoop has come to know many of the town residents. “On a normal day, I can get 5 to 10 calls from Montverde residents just to chat or discuss a topic of concern. I wouldn’t want it any differently, mostly because I enjoy each conversation.”
Communication and Transparency are important to the Mayor and he values the opinions of the town’s residents on any and everything the town has going on. He notes, “Montverde has many talented residents with many years of experience in their areas of expertise. If we can sit down and discuss an issue together, we will find the correct answer.
Joe Wynkoop shares, “It has been and is a great honor and pleasure to be involved with the Town of Montverde and its local government”. He has served five years on Planning and Zoning, then 9 years on the Town Council and now Mayor Joe celebrates his 6th year as Mayor. He states, “I’ve worked side by side with many wonderful folks that cared a lot about their Town and the quality of life for their families.” He regularly attends monthly City Managers’ meetings to learn about upcoming new topics and to discuss issues Montverde is dealing with. “I encourage every resident to attend Town Council meetings”.
Wykoop’s current Mayoral term will end this coming November. He shares, “I plan on running again. I hope the residents of Montverde will choose me to, once again, be their Mayor!
“Providing improved police, fire, and ambulance protection and services for Montverde residents are high on the city’s list of priorities, states Mayor Wykoop. “We have a new 234-home subdivision being built called Blackeast. The city will be managing the project to ensure quality and standards are followed. The township is also involved with the Turnpike project, which will start soon.
Wynkoop is well-qualified for his position as Mayor. He has served on the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Lake County which plans all the new road construction for Lake County. He has served on the Elderly Affairs Committee for Lake County which helps seniors with many different issues they have. He actively serves on the Love Extension organization that delivers food to needy folks in need twice a month. He has served on the Arts and Culture for Lake County which plans different events in Lake County. He regularly attends the South Lake Community Foundation meetings to help move forward different initiatives. He has served on the Super Seniors organization in Montverde which brought helpful topics to the area’s seniors including SHINE — Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, United Way, and the 211 Program.
One of his favorite activities for the past 6 years with the exception of time off due to COVID, has been helping with Community BINGO, a monthly event for folks that enjoy a good game of Bingo!
Wykoop proudly relates, “We have had many success stories in the recent past. A few examples are the new traffic roundabout that was installed and the rebuilding of the town water system, both to serve the residents. We have had many new businesses open including the Orange Blossom Ice Cream store, Blackbear Kitchen Restaurant, Wille’s Bar-B-Que, Pawsmere Pet Grooming, Coffee Shop of Horrors, Cal’s Kitchen Italian Restaurant and most recently the Glam Studio. We will always remain extremely proud of the huge success and fabulous growth of Montverde Academy”
Montverde has recently had a Town Charter change to move away from a strong mayor government to a Town Council with a Town Manager to help run its government. This was needed to ensure Montverde is involved in the most current topics at the county level, as well as other area City Council meetings that will affect Montverde.
The Mayor notes, “The COVID 19 pandemic has changed the world and we have the same issues in Montverde as all the towns and cities across the United States. We have put together days for certain locations to offer shots and our Montverde Team stands ready to help anyone in need of a ride or help with making an appointment for a shot. We try to over-communicate any information we receive to our residents to help them make their own decisions on what they need.”
Mayor Wykopp describes Montverde’s many annual events and activities: “For over 40 years we have had the Montverde Day Music Festival which is a terrific two-day event with many entertaining shows with bands and over 100 vendors. We also have Spring Concerts, Halloween Trunk or Treat, Easter Egg Hunt, Light Up Montverde for Christmas and our Memorial and Veterans Day events. Montverde sits on Lake Apopka. We have a beautiful Truskett Park with a boat dock. We also have Kirk Park and Lake Florence Park with plenty of beautiful trails with hills to ride your bike on.”
Mayor Joe Wykoop concludes by noting, “It has really been a great pleasure to work side by side with our Montverde Town Council. Each council member brings to our Town Team many valuable years of understanding from living in Montverde.
For more information on the Town of Montverde, visit Town Hall at 17404 Sixth Street in Montverde. Phone: 407-496-1673, or visit its website at: https://mymontverde.com/town-council-montverde-fl/.
Mayor Joe Wykoop adds his personal invitation: “I encourage anyone that has something I can help with, to personally call me at 407-496-1673 or email me at: Mayor@MyMontverde.com”.
