Winter Springs votes to increase fees for Tuscawilla residents

Tommy Farr has been a resident of Tuscawilla for more than 33 years. 

When he heard the Tuscawilla Lighting and Beautification District fees could potentially double next year, Farr asked city commissioners a simple question: Why?

“I understand the price for doing things is a little more expensive, but it sure as hell ain’t 100%,” Farr said. “Somebody please help me out and tell me what you’re giving me for 100% increase in my taxes, please.”

Fees are going up for more than 4,600 Winter Springs residents for the coming year – but the increase is not as steep as originally proposed.  The Winter Springs City Commission on Tuesday voted on two separate fee increases for homeowners in the Tuscawilla and Oak Forest neighborhoods. The fees are for what are known as “beautification districts.” The money goes toward maintenance of common areas, like fountains, walls and medians. 

Ultimately, after hearing from more than 20 residents – mostly against raising the fees –  commissioners voted to increase the cap. The maximum assessment for the Tuscawilla Lighting and Beautification District will increase from $128 to $220. 

That cap is less than the $255 maximum cap a consultant had proposed. The city was required to spend about $18,000 on a consultant’s rate study before it could alter the maximum cap, and any future rate increases over the cap will require another study. 

The actual fee for residents in the coming year will not jump to the new max. Instead, Tuscawilla homeowners will have their annual fee increased from $128 to $160, with additional future increases to gradually reach the $220 cap.

The vote was 3-2, with commissioners Paul Diaz and Mark Caruso voting against the increases. Diaz wanted to see the Tuscawilla District abolished and made voluntary, an idea that did not get much traction.

“Of course the pro-tax group is always gonna try and shut down the anti-tax group,” Diaz said to applause. Diaz acknowledged that the increases aren’t that much per year, but with other tax and fee increases, “a little bit keeps on adding up.”

Winter Springs Commissioner Sarah Baker said she’s “conflicted” about the fee increases.

“It puts us in an uncomfortable position,” Baker said.  “Everyone is mad about our rates going up. Either we suffer and lose services, or we pay the difference.”

Of the 4,617 properties subject to the fee increase in the Tuscawilla Lighting and Beautification District, 90% are single-family homes, according to city records. 

In addition to the Tuscawilla district, the maximum fees that can be charged for the Oak Forest Wall and Beautification District are also going up. There are 936 single-family homes in the area that would have their annual maximum fee go from $63 per year to $84.03. However, the actual rate charged to residents at $60 annually is staying flat for next year. 

Tuscawilla Lighting and Beautification District funds

• Landscape Maintenance $512,378.33
• Fountain Maintenance and Repairs $71,793.60

• Street Light Upgraded Fixtures $250,771.14

• Signage Maintenance $125,500.00

• Utilities $84,852.38

• Administrative, Legal and Insurance Fees $71,407.11

• Total Initial Maximum Annual Maintenance Budget: $1,116,716.38

Ultimately, the vote came down to negotiations from the dais with Winter Springs City Commissioner Victoria Bruce. Finally, Bruce said she would support increasing the cap, but not to the $255 requested, opting for $220. That increase was enough to get three votes.

The money would go to funding to maintain the walls, median improvements, streetlights, and street monuments, including the fountains at Winter Springs Boulevard and Tuskawilla Road. Check here for a report on the Tuscawilla Lighting and Beautification District’s funding. 

Terri Bivona, chair of the TLBD, pointed to things like rising energy, insurance and labor costs eating the budget. She said the board did not take the request to increase fees lightly.

“Nobody wants a fee increase,” Bivona said. “I don’t want one. You don’t want one. But our community is really aging.”

The budget had been operating at a negative in the last year, to a cumulative loss of nearly $287,000. 

Without an increase, the fund balance – essentially the TLBD’s savings account – would drop to just $57,000 at the end of the fiscal year. Without an increase, there won’t be money for repairs if a fountain breaks or a wall crumbles. 

“We have absolutely no reserves, no reserves,” Bivona said. “It’s gone.”

Dozens of residents spoke to commissioners over two meetings, asking them not to raise fees. Gina Burke lives in Country Club village in Tuscawilla. She said costs are increasing for many residents in other areas, including from tariffs. 

“I think now is not a good time to implement such a tax, because we’re living in an economic environment that we’ve never seen, probably in the history of our country,” Burke said. “We have increases coming from all directions, and we don’t even know where. I don’t think now’s a good time. Don’t increase our taxes.”

Some residents were in favor of the increase, saying the TLBD would be bankrupt soon if it didn’t happen. 

“We’re not only in favor of it, we feel it’s necessary to keep Tuscawilla as one of the most beautiful planned communities in Seminole County,” said Dr. Kurt Miericke, president of the Tuscawilla Homeowners Association. “The value of $120 in 1998 doesn’t cover expenses. … The proposed increase could only be viewed as a cost adjustment, rather than even a tax increase.”

Separately, the City of Winter Springs this week:

• Approved its initial budget and property tax rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The property tax rate will stay flat at 2.62. That translates to $2.62 per $1,000 of a home’s value. So if a home’s taxable value was $200,000, that homeowner would pay $524 in property taxes annually to the city.
• Considered a request from Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann to give the University of Central Florida Business Incubator in Winter Springs another year before stripping funding. That vote ultimately failed, and the members of the incubator are now left scrambling to find a new place for the businesses in the incubator.
• Will discuss a possible Wawa at the corner of Tuskawilla Road and State Road 434. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board meets Thursday to discuss the Wawa for a second time. And for a second time, city staff is recommending against approving the Wawa. 

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Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.