Winter Springs commissioner seeks cost comparison for police, parks

A Winter Springs commissioner wants the city to compare the cost of its current police and parks services with potential alternatives, including having the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office provide law enforcement.Commissioner Paul Diaz requested a formal analysis of the city’s spending on police and parks, which was described during a recent meeting as a combined $13.5 million. The request comes as local governments consider how Amendment 3 could affect property-tax revenue.[RELATED: Here’s how much Amendment 3 could save Florida homeowners]“I’d like to see a comparison between basically half of our budget, which at this point is police and parks,” Diaz said. He asked to compare that spending with what the city’s budget might look like if those costs were no longer on its books.The request prompted Mayor Kevin McCann to ask whether Diaz was proposing getting rid of the police department and parks. During the discussion, it was clarified that the city was being asked to examine the cost