Crooked Can brews Lake County project

he said. “Those going to the theme parks and resorts already know our brand because it’s sold there.”

Quesinberry Community Editor

Andy Sheeter created a popular brewery in Winter Garden nearly a decade ago, and he now is embarking on a new venture that will add a Crooked Can destination brewery in Lake County.

The Lake County craft brewery, which does not yet have a name, will sit on three acres and feature a 40,000-square-foot facility with a much larger production area plus a tap room, beer garden, flex lawn space, food hall similar to the Plant Street Market and headquarters space.

The Lake County Crooked Can will operate in a high-visibility area, Sheeter said.

“We’re right off the (Florida’s) Turnpike, so when visitors from out-of-town come in … the signage is right there, so they’ll see the sign,”

In 2014, Sheeter founded the Crooked Can Brewing Company, an 11,000-square-foot craft brewery that anchors the Plant Street Market in downtown Winter Garden. It has been so successful that it is at capacity for production and patron space, he said.

There are no plans to close or move the Winter Garden location, Sheeter said. This will serve as a second Central Florida location. A third brewery is located near Columbus, Ohio.

“This is going to be what we call a destination brewery, and I think one thing that’s important to know is this is a complement to the brewery in Winter Garden,” Sheeter said. “The brewery itself will have a much bigger production area because we’re out of capacity. It’s going to have a tap room. It will be set up better for corporate events.”

The outdoor beer garden will sit on one-acre and serve as an extension to the indoor area. The one-acre flex space will be available for concerts, receptions and other outdoor gatherings.

“We would envision us doing a lot more special events in this particular spot,” Sheeter said. “This will give us the flexibility if a business wanted to come in and do a corporate (pro- gram). It’s a great area for kids to run around and have fun when it’s not being used.”

This space also allows the brewery to hold larger community events such as Oktoberfest or the Celtic Festival without having to get permission from the city to close off adjacent streets.

Sheeter acknowledges he won’t initially fill the entire 40,000 square feet.

“We won’t be able to utilize all the space up front, but five years from now we want to be able to utilize it,” he said.

The brewery will be part of the Hills of Minneola development going in near the new turnpike exit at Hancock Road. Skorman Development is in charge of the project.

Work on the Lake County brewery likely will begin in 2024, Sheeter said. He currently is going through the necessary steps for permitting and architectural drawings.

The Ocoee City Commission may face some key changes after the 2023 regional elections, scheduled for March 14. Three seats are up for election — mayor, District 1 (see Page 6) and District 3 (see page 7).

The Woman’s Club of Ocoee will host two political forums. The first, featuring the candidates

Chris Adkins

A 46-year-old Florida native born in Winter Park, Chris Adkins spent his life moving around in the counties of Orange and Seminole and sometimes, Eustis — where he helped out on a chicken farm by grabbing eggs, bailing hay and learning about hard work. Adkins’ parents married young and were together for less than a year, so he found himself often with his grandparents, who he said taught him honesty, respect and integrity.

With a background in multi-store sales, operations management corporate auditing and growth for Genesco from the mid-1990s through 2006, Adkins realized all the hours he spent traveling started to take their toll. So, he and his wife, Cori, opened a small property management company that was later adapted — after the recession — to include corporate housing. The Adkinses have two children — Nash, 21, and Jett, 18.

How did you find your way to Ocoee?

When I found out my wife (Cori) was expecting, I was the area manager for Central Florida. So, Ocoee was a place that was helpful to move around for work. It was also a place were my father’s side of the family lived. So at 23 years old, I bought us our first home in Historic Brentwood Heights.

Why are you running for the mayor seat?

I am (very) aware of the fact Ocoee has the highest millage (tax) rate in Orange County to comparable cities. It has for more than a decade, and in addition, (it’s) something that really frustrates me. Our city adopted non ad-valorem fees as well — first starting with a firefighters fee. Now having (three) fees totaling more than $400 (added/ in addition to your taxes), that go into the general fund. Not even for what they say, then distributed throughout the budget. (Even) being used as collateral to secure the bond we received in October 2017.

(The) efficient, productive, and accountable use of funds is where I’m disappointed. The city management and leadership has misled the taxpayers and citizens of Ocoee. … I’m running to get us back on track, accountable, transparent and most of all stop what I consider waste.

What is your vision for the city?

We need to hold developers accountable or make better decisions on who we work with. As a city, we need to grow but not at warp speed, full of apartments while neglecting so much of our city. Sidewalks, resurfacing and expansion of our main infrastructure arteries has to keep pace. I will be sure to see exactly were we stand on these issues.

How do you differ from the other candidates?

At the end of the day, I am just a family man who cares about where I live. … I don’t own a bunch of properties or real estate. I don’t have developer friends or agreements with anyone but the taxpayers. It’s simple: I’m not a politician. I have a skill set that can help my city and no vested interest financially.

My opponents are both seasoned politicians. Mayor (Rusty) Johnson has held office in Ocoee for nearly 40 years. … George Oliver is a Super PACfunded commissioner (who) just won re-election recently. So, I’m not sure why he is running, (because) he has two years still left holding office on his current term. His move cost taxpayers a significant amount of money.

for districts 1 and 3, will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15. The second will feature the mayoral candidates from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. Both forums will take place at City Hall, 1 N. Bluford Ave., Ocoee. For more information about the forums, call Cathy Sills, (407) 810-0290.

Rusty Johnson

(INCUMBENT)

Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson moved to Ocoee when he was 11 years old. Johnson graduated from Ocoee High School prior to attending Valencia College and Florida Technological University — which later became the University of Central Florida. Johnson is a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran and a retired U.S. Postal Service worker. He and his wife, Marilyn, have been married for 48 years and have five children and 11 grandchildren.

How did you find your way to Ocoee?

Several members of my mother’s family moved to Florida from South Carolina. They encouraged my parents to follow them, and we moved first to Oakland and then to Ocoee in 1956.

Why are you seeking another term as mayor?

I want to continue with our conservative budgeting and continue cutting property taxes. I want to continue prioritizing public safety by properly funding (the) police and fire (departments). I want to continue expanding recreation facilities for our children and families. I want to ensure the city makes improvements to infrastructure, including sidewalks and roads.

What is your vision for the city?

A city that is safe, healthy and vibrant. (I would like to) provide a safe place for people to live, work and visit; provide diverse recreational and cultural amenities that support healthy and joyful lifestyles and give residents a sense of community; develop and maintain city-owned infrastructure, parks and facilities that enhance our quality of life and the charm of our community; (and) deliver an efficient and effective city government that is both fiscally responsible and transparent.

What changes would you like to see in the city?

The city is in excellent financial health, and we are growing and slowly lowering our millage rate. My platform has always been to improve our economy so we could reduce reliance on residential taxation to pay for services. We need to increase our emphasis on quality-of-life issues. If you watched our budget meetings, you see that I am pushing to improve sidewalks and streets around town, and I am proud we are opening three new recreational amenities this year: Unity Park, Wellness Park and a new skate park at Central Park.

I would also like to increase emphasis on community engagement. One of my most memorable experiences was on the downtown master-planning process and the great turnout from citizens in the process. Moving forward, I would like to have quarterly community meetings to discuss upcoming projects and issues with citizens as we enter our next phase of growth.

As we grow, we need to create the types of places that people want, with opportunities to go to restaurants, shop, be entertained, have access to fitness, health and wellness, and not lose our identity.

How do you differ from the other candidates?

While we all probably feel like we want what’s best for the city, I am very different from my opponents. Holding office is a privilege and should be a product of one’s desire to serve their community. This is not a glamorous job, and we should not be in our jobs for the money. A major difference I see between myself and opponents who have made it clear is that they feel officials in a small city should receive big pay.

The election will be held Tuesday, March 14, with early voting taking place March 6 to 10. The polling location for precincts OC06 and OC09 is the Jim Beech Recreation Center, 1820 A.D. Mims Road; for OC07, the Ocoee Lakeshore Center, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive; and for OC08, the Ocoee Fire Station No. 39, 2515 Maguire Road.

George Oliver Iii

Commissioner George Oliver

III is the first African American commissioner elected to the District 4 seat. Born in Tarpon Springs and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Oliver has been an Ocoee resident for more than 20 years.

How did you find your way to Ocoee?

I was transferring from my job from Jacksonville to Orange County. My wife is originally from Orange County so we were coming back to Orlando. We were in Orlando for a couple of years, and as we started to look for places to stay, we … found ourselves in Ocoee, and we found (that) was the place we wanted to call home and moved here with our kids in 2002. … The city slogan was really captivating, it was “The Center of Good Living,” and I really loved that. … It had a lot to do with my upbringing, I was exposed to a lot of civil rights leaders as I grew up in Atlanta … and these were people who I found influential in my life.

Why are you running for the mayor seat?

Well, being a commissioner for almost five years now, I’ve had the opportunity to watch how we operate and to see some of the things we do as we take on projects, I’ve seen those things very well. I’ve also seen some things in the city that kind of give me pause as far as how we operate, how we make decisions, changes of some projects and things of that nature, and I’ve sat there and I’ve made my voice vocal a lot about some of these things and accountability, but they seem to have fallen on deaf ears in a lot of instances. So with that being said, the other only thing to do have more influence in the change is a thing of this level, and that is running for mayor.

Accountability is the first thing, I called for an operational audit when I first got here on the city commission. … I asked for the audit when I got there, and I was told it was never done. …

So I started to look for a comprehensive plan for the city, and there were no strategic goals, meaning that we had no mission and no vision. That really took me aback. … We should be writing every decision that we make, every project, to mitigate some of the risk when it comes to projects.

What is your vision for the city?