Commissioners Siplin and Emily Bonilla voted against giving hotel tax dollars to the project because, as many Winter Park residents expressed, they didn’t feel like it was a venue that would promote tourism.

Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla questioned the return on investment for a project such as the Winter Park Canopy, which appeared to be relying heavily on weddings as a source of revenue, she said. Bonilla also called into question the Canopy itself and how it didn’t seem like the same project residents approved.