Take Action
Three public bodies decide most of what happens on the streets and buildings around Lake Cherokee: Orange County Public Schools, the City of Orlando, and the City’s Historic Preservation Board. This page is a practical guide to taking part — who decides what, how to comment, when the bodies meet, and what’s on the ballot. It is a civic how-to, not a position: where you want the neighborhood’s stance on a contested issue, that lives at Protect Lake Cherokee.
Current alerts
No time-sensitive actions right now. The OCPS School Board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, and the Historic Preservation Board meets on the first Wednesday. We post time-sensitive items here as they appear on a published agenda; in the meantime, the engagement guidance below applies any time.
How to engage
Submit written public comment to the OCPS School Board
Written comment becomes part of the official record and is distributed to Board members ahead of the meeting. Send by 5 pm the day before the meeting to make the packet. Email the Board clerk and copy your District 6 representative (Stephanie Vanos).
- Where to send: OCPS Board Clerk via the agenda portal on BoardDocs, plus a copy to Stephanie.Vanos@ocps.net.
- Format: include your name, your street, the agenda item number, and a short statement (3–5 short paragraphs reads well). Cite specific concerns and what you want the Board to do.
Speak at an OCPS School Board meeting
Public-comment sign-up opens at the start of each Regular Board meeting at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 West Amelia Street. Speakers get up to three minutes. Arrive 30 minutes early to fill out a speaker card; bring a printed copy of any document you cite.
Comment at an Orlando City Council meeting
When an item affecting the neighborhood lands on the City’s agenda — a concurrency review, street-permitting, or anything the City controls — the same public-comment pattern applies. The Council meets in the City Hall Council Chambers, 400 South Orange Avenue.
Attend a Historic Preservation Board hearing
The HPB meets the first Wednesday of every month at 4 pm at City Hall. Public comment is accepted at every meeting; submit a request to speak via orlando.gov/publiccomments. The HPB will eventually need to approve any modifications inside the Lake Cherokee Historic District.
Contact your elected representatives directly
A short, personal email from a constituent in the district is one of the most effective interventions. Names, contact channels, and what each can do are in the Officials directory below.
Share a suggestion or concern with the LCNA board
Have a neighborhood issue to report, a suggestion for the board, or something you’d like added to the next meeting agenda? Submit it directly — the board reads every submission.
Your elected representatives
OCPS School Board — District 6 (the Lake Cherokee district)
Stephanie Vanos assumed office November 19, 2024; her term runs to November 21, 2028. She is the single Board member who represents this neighborhood and is the most direct contact on any OCPS matter that affects it.
- Email: Stephanie.Vanos@ocps.net
- Phone: 407-317-3236
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 271, Orlando, FL 32802
- OCPS profile: ocps.net/district-6-stephanie-vanos
Orlando City Council — District 4 (the Lake Cherokee district)
Patty Sheehan has represented District 4 since 2000 — the longest-serving elected official in Orlando history. Her current term ends January 10, 2028.
- Email: patty.sheehan@orlando.gov
- Office phone: 407-246-2004
- District 4 office: 400 South Orange Avenue, P.O. Box 4990, Orlando, FL 32802-4990
- Commissioner’s aide — Bill Stevens: bill.stevens@cityoforlando.net, 407-246-2106
- City profile: orlando.gov/Mayor-City-Council/Patty-Sheehan
City of Orlando Historic Preservation Board
The HPB approves modifications to structures and the site within the Lake Cherokee Historic District. Nine members, two-year terms. Megan Core, the current Vice Chair, is a Lake Cherokee resident — she is our direct voice on the Board.
- Chair: Jeffrey S. Thompson (Lake Eola Heights Historic District; Landscape Architect)
- Vice Chair: Megan Core (Lake Cherokee Historic District; Physician)
- City staff liaison — Richard Forbes: richard.forbes@cityoforlando.net, 407-246-3350
- Recording secretary — Courtney Karins: courtney.karins@orlando.gov, 407-246-2172
- Full roster: orlando.gov HPB Roster
- Agendas and minutes: Laserfiche portal
- Meeting schedule: orlando.gov HPB Calendar
Upcoming civic dates
Elections and the public meetings where neighborhood issues get decided:
We couldn't load the upcoming civic dates just now. Please refresh, or see the community calendar.
Election: OCPS School Board Chair — General Election · Your assigned precinct
District 1, District 2, and District 3 OCPS seats are also on the November 2026 ballot, but Lake Cherokee voters don’t vote in those races (we are District 6). The countywide Chair seat above is the one race on the 2026 OCPS ballot where every Lake Cherokee voter has a say.
Stay informed
- Protect Lake Cherokee — the separate advocacy site that carries the neighborhood’s positions and action alerts on contested issues. Sign up there for its email list.
- Lake Cherokee Neighborhood Association — formal Association governance, bylaws, and (once adopted) the LCNA’s formal positions on neighborhood issues.
Sources
- Stephanie Vanos — OCPS District 6, Ballotpedia profile — contact and term-of-office facts.
- Patty Sheehan — City of Orlando District 4, Ballotpedia profile — contact and term-of-office facts.
- Orlando Historic Preservation Board roster — current members, term dates, contact channels.
- Orange County Public Schools, Florida — Ballotpedia and Orange County Supervisor of Elections — 2026 election structure and ballot logistics.
- BoardDocs — OCPS public agendas — authoritative source for OCPS Board meeting agendas.