OVIEDO, Fla. – You’ve probably picked which fireworks show you’re going to this Fourth of July, or in the case of Oviedo, on July 6.
Many Oviedo residents are not happy Oviedo is hosting a fireworks show at taxpayer’s expense two days after the holiday at a mall that will be closed.
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The show starts at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
The mall closes at 9 p.m., but the food court and bathroom will be open until then.
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek’s Facebook page has fielded dozens of complaints.
Why not do Oviedo’s fireworks on the Fourth of July? Sladek said the pyrotechnics vendor that the City uses was already booked for the Fourth.
Why not do Oviedo’s fireworks at Oviedo on the Park instead of the Oviedo Mall? Sladek said the mall was chosen for its wide open space and low risk of fireworks and debris landing on something vulnerable.
Why did the City choose to spend $46,000 of taxpayer money on the fireworks show?
Sladek did not.
Sladek was the lone vote at December’s city council meeting opposing the taxpayer-funded show on July 6 when a majority of councilmembers voted for the show.
“Yes I asked for input from residents and it was almost exclusively negative towards having the fireworks display only on the sixth of July, which is a couple days past Independence Day,” Sladek said. “I’m not sure that spending that much money not on the fourth of July is something that I can get excited about.”
Sladek said the city scraped together the $46,000 in funding by cutting elsewhere. This year, there will be no festival before the fireworks show. Council members canceled it because of the additional cost.
Sladek said the ultimate vote is how many people show up Saturday night for the show. She urged residents to attend this year’s budget discussions at city council meetings later this year when councilmembers will decide on next year’s show.
If you go to the show, don’t forget to bring a chair!
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