Megan Sladek, Mayor, City of Oviedo
In an interview with Invest:, Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek talked about maintaining the rural charm of Oviedo and discussed the challenges of affordable housing and what is needed to address the issue. “There has to be more housing to fix affordability,” she said.
What key achievements would you highlight from the past two years?
The key achievements have been knocking out over 15% of the city’s municipal debt and addressing a lot of deferred maintenance. While we have not done anything sexy, it has all been necessary, giving the city more options.
How do you maintain the charm of being a more rural area while developing?
It is the people who give Oviedo its charm. Because we want to act like a rural community, people try to interact as if we lived in a small town. Many neighbors are willing to stop and have a conversation, and it’s great that people know who the neighborhood kids are. My kids rode their bikes to school alone starting in 6th grade, and there were grown-up eyes the whole way there and grown-ups who tipped me off if they were being polite.
What are some of the challenges you are facing in bringing about meaningful change in the city?
The challenges are helping people understand alternative ways to deal with traffic and congestion and that congestion is good for business. When I was growing up, we only had Chili’s, but now we have over 120 restaurants within city limits. These businesses are choosing to be in Oviedo because we have enough people and enough traffic for them to stay in business when they open.
How is the city addressing the need for affordable housing?
We are redoing our land development code this year, which includes density bonuses in our core downtown areas. However, that is based on the area’s median income, which is still high everywhere so they will be market-rate apartments. That being said, it should generate more housing overall, eventually freeing up lower-end housing. There has to be more housing to fix affordability. It’s a supply and demand issue.
What measures is the city implementing to prevent displacement?
Very few. The council thinks the free market should just run its course. During the pandemic, we received extra money and allocated some of it to the Rescue Outreach Mission, the county’s only homeless shelter. We are also hoping private investors will build more housing where building rights already exist and help correct the shortage of housing that has driven prices so high.
How do you maintain your reputation in terms of having exceptional education?
It’s tacky to say it out loud, but Oviedo residents are the highest earners in the Central Florida area. When parents have the resources to help children with education, those students will be tutored, do well, and be involved in extracurricular activities. That is not the case for everyone, as we do have some people being displaced, but the increasing median income level plays a significant role in overcoming many issues. Other parents will chip in a little extra for most public school activities to ensure all students get access. The Oviedo community believes in education, and everyone is willing to step up to make it happen.
How does civic engagement play a role in development?
Since I got elected, we have had bigger turnouts to our city council meetings. We have done a great job getting information out there and ensuring people are aware of projects before they are voted on so they can be part of the conversation and potentially shape the outcome. Sometimes, there is no legal way to avoid approving a new apartment complex, but can accommodations be made during the construction to complete the project better for the community? Absolutely.
What are some of your top priorities for the next couple of years?
Over the next couple of years, the top priority is to grow the non-residential tax base. We plan to make Oviedo a place where people who work here can also afford to live. What we have generated in the past is a lot of multifamily housing and retail, so the hope is to create more white-collar technology jobs. Unfortunately, the most profitable thing you can do with land here is to develop multifamily residential because of the demand, so it’s a tall order.
