OCOEE, Fla. — City of Ocoee commissioners are moving forward with a proposed development moratorium, set for a second reading next month.

What You Need To Know

  • Ocoee commissioners will hold a second reading next month on a proposed six-month moratorium on new developments

  • The moratorium would allow the city time to review and update development regulations

  • Local business owners, like Maggie Gomez, are concerned the pause could halt momentum in the city

The potential six-month moratorium is designed to give city staff time to review and update regulations to ensure that future projects align with the city’s long-term vision.

"We're a large city, 50,000 residents, but we don't have a big staff," said Ocoee acting assistant city manager Michael Rumer. "So it provides us a little pause to be able to focus ... so we can let the development community to know what to expect.

If approved, the moratorium would stop new construction and development projects within city limits until March 17, 2025, unless the city commission decides to extend or terminate the ordinance earlier. However, the 23 projects currently under construction in Ocoee would not be impacted by this temporary halt.

Maggie Gomez, the owner of Shantall's Flower & Gifts in downtown Ocoee, has witnessed the area transform into a vibrant community, a change she attributes to the ongoing development in the city.

Gomez, originally from Venezuela, moved to the area with a passion for flowers, a passion she turned into a business 16 years ago. Her shop, named after her daughter, has flourished alongside the downtown area’s growth.

“The name is for my daughter. My daughter is everything to me,” Gomez said.

She worries that a pause in new projects could slow the momentum that has benefited her and other local businesses.

“Don’t stop development,” said Gomez. “More houses mean more buildings, more jobs, and if companies come, we see local shoppers. For example, all the people who move will buy flowers to say welcome to the new city.”

According to a report from the city commission, the pause would provide the city to focus on "writing standards that will improve the city’s place-making standards and to develop context-based development regulations so that architecture of buildings, placement and context of streets, frontages, and other infrastructure reflect the vision as stated by the Commission and citizens on numerous occasions before allowing new developments to proceed."

Editor's note: Another version of this article stated 13 projects were currently under construction. This was corrected to 23.