Winter Springs votes for property tax rate cut as Amendment 3 looms

The City of Winter Springs is reducing its property tax rate for the upcoming year after trimming more than $400,000 from the budget, after a new state law would have required a supermajority to keep the tax rate flat. 

Last month, city commissioners narrowly approved keeping the tax rate flat for the 2026-27 budget year. But despite keeping the tax rate flat, Winter Springs was projecting it will bring in an additional $435,376 more than last year because of increasing property values. 

Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4F this year, requiring any increase in revenue (an increase over what’s called the rollback rate) to get a super majority vote in favor. Increasing above 110% of the rollback rate would require an even higher threshold to pass. Last month, Commissioners Mark Caruso and Paul Diaz voted against going over the rollback rate – signalling that the final budget vote in September could ultimately fail. 

“We still have a lot of unknowns and uncertainty with the tax reform ballot question in November,” Winter Springs City Manager Kevin Sweet said. “By going to the rollback rate, we’ll set us back that much further.”

But, Sweet said, the votes weren’t there. So city employees will still get cost of living raises, but open police department positions won’t be filled in the coming year. 

“I don’t believe it’s ideal,” Sweet said. “But I also know we have an operation to run, and I think the requirement of a supermajority to get us to 2.62 (mills, the current tax rate) is not there.” 

The original maximum property tax rate passed in July was 2.62 mills, or $262 in taxes for every $100,000 in taxable value for a home. The new rate approved Aug. 10 was 2.516 mills, a slight reduction. 

Commissioner Paul Diaz, a vocal opponent of any tax increase, said residents see their own budgets have to be cut, but don’t see governments making the same sacrifice. That’s why he believes Amendment 3 would pass. 

“Last time we were here, (it was) ‘Oh no, we can’t get below this number,’” Diaz said. “‘We’ve got to have an increase on the burden on taxpayers here in the city.’ And then come to find out a few weeks later we could at least minimize the impact to taxpayers in the city by not raising their tax burden. Could we go further? Yes. But I’ll take what I can get.”

Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann did not vote on the budget. In Winter Springs, the mayor only votes in the case of a tie. 

But McCann said he was worried. He said those benefiting the most wouldn’t be homeowners. 

“When you do a rollback rate, we are giving the businesses a tax break,” McCann said. “The overwhelming break is not going to homeowners of Winter Springs.”

McCann is up for reelection in November, along with Commissioners Cade Resnick and Victoria Bruce. Both Bruce and Resnick ultimately voted for the rollback rate. 

Bruce said she was happy with the cuts. 

“This is a miracle,” Bruce said. “I thought this was gonna be a big fight to try and get this rolled back.”

Diaz sparred with McCann on the dais, calling McCann’s comments “mayorsplaining,” a frequent criticism. Diaz went on, saying New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani would be “proud” of McCann’s comments. 

“You really don’t have to be insulting,” McCann said. “I understand facts get in the way of your narrative and your extremist views and anti-government views, but it’s a fact.”

Ultimately, Diaz voted against the rolled back rate, which seemed to shock Bruce. Bruce asked why Diaz voted against the cut. 

Diaz said they didn’t go far enough. 

“Can you provide us with some expenses – like $1 million, $5 million, $10 million – that you think we should cut, just so we can look at it?” Bruce asked.

 “No, because I’m not talking about cuts, I’m talking about reallocating capital,” Diaz said. 

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.