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Winter Springs sets 2.62-mill cap for FY2026–27 TRIM notice after contentious debate over $450,000 in revenue
Summary
The City Commission voted to set a proposed operating millage cap of 2.62 mills for FY2026–27 — 4.13% above the rollback rate — after a heated debate over whether to hold the rate at the rollback of 2.516 mills, a difference of roughly $450,000; the cap will appear on TRIM notices and a final hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14.
The Winter Springs City Commission on July 13 voted to establish a proposed operating millage cap of 2.62 mills for fiscal year 2026–27, a 4.13% increase above the rollback rate and equivalent to about $450,000 in additional revenue if the cap remains in place.
The vote authorized staff to file the required TRIM notice and set the public hearing for the tentative millage and budget on Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in commission chambers. Finance Director Holly Queen told the commission that the city’s gross taxable value on the DR420 is $4,152,942,725 and that the rollback millage is 2.516 mills; “the proposed operating millage rate of 2.62 is 4.13% more than the calculated rollback millage rate,” she said.
Why this matters: the commission must set a maximum rate for the property appraiser within the statutory deadline; under recent changes noted by staff (SB4F), increases over the rollback rate up to 110% require a two-thirds vote at certain adoption stages. Commissioners split over the fiscal trade-offs: proponents of the higher cap argued the additional revenue is needed to maintain services and infrastructure, while opponents said the commission should protect residents from higher tax burdens and find alternative revenues.
The initial motion to approve the proposed millage cap (2.62 mills) was made and carried by a 3–2 vote (Ayes: Commissioner Victoria Bruce, Commissioner Sarah Baker, Deputy Mayor Kate Resnick; Noes: Commissioner Mark Caruso, Commissioner Paul Diaz). After the vote Commissioner Diaz moved to adopt the rollback rate of 2.516 mills to hold residents’ tax burden steady; that motion failed on a 3–2 margin (Ayes: Caruso, Diaz; Noes: Bruce, Baker, Resnick). Mayor Kevin McCann underscored the procedural constraint: “We’re not leaving here until we pass some a maximum amount,” reflecting the legal deadline to submit TRIM information.
Commissioners who opposed the higher cap warned that removing roughly $450,000 from the budget would require cuts to fixed costs. Commissioner Mark Caruso cautioned that staff would have to propose concrete cuts and said reductions could affect police and public works services; staff and several commissioners agreed to return with potential reductions or alternate revenue proposals before final adoption.
Next steps: the city will file the TRIM paperwork with the property appraiser using the 2.62-mill cap; staff will prepare options (cuts and revenue alternatives) for the commission to consider before the final budget adoption hearing. The commission also directed staff to continue outreach and provide public notice of the Sept. 14 hearing.
