WINTER HAVEN, FL — In a letter dated January 2026, Winter Haven City Manager T. Michael Stavres outlined how property tax revenue supports municipal services and described potential impacts if property tax revenue were reduced or eliminated.
In the letter, Stavres explained that property taxes fund core services such as police and fire protection, road maintenance, parks and recreation, and other municipal operations without direct user fees. He noted that many residents do not realize these services are financed collectively by property taxes rather than by charges at the point of service.
The city manager provided budget figures showing that Winter Haven’s general fund budget for fiscal year 2025 is $78.3 million, with $31.5 million coming from ad valorem property tax revenue. Police, fire, and code compliance operations total $34.7 million, meaning public safety costs exceed property tax revenue by $3.2 million, requiring offset by other revenue sources.
Stavres wrote that reducing or eliminating property taxes could strain funding for roads, parks and other non-public safety services, which in turn may increase demands on emergency services.
The letter emphasized rising costs for municipal services, including equipment, fuel, insurance, and construction, and cautioned that proposals to sharply cut or eliminate ad valorem taxes could increase demand on city infrastructure without equivalent revenue.
Governor DeSantis on Property Taxes:
In March 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis proposed a plan to deliver property tax relief to Florida homeowners by issuing rebates averaging about $1,000 per homestead property, covering state-mandated school property taxes and marking a step toward longer-term changes. The governor said the relief would be achieved by directing state revenue toward rebates and called for the Legislature’s approval to implement the plan within the year.
In remarks from the press release, DeSantis said property taxes “effectively require homeowners to pay rent to the government” and called for constitutional protections that would require a vote in 2026 to provide transformational tax relief.
2026 Ballot and Legislative Strategy:
DeSantis has signaled his intent to pursue property tax reform through a constitutional amendment process for the November 2026 ballot. He has called on lawmakers to place a single, clearly written property tax amendment on the ballot to avoid voter confusion and to focus on meaningful relief for homeowners.
The governor has publicly dismissed some House proposals for property tax reduction, describing them as political tactics rather than substantive reform.
A recent poll reported broad public backing for DeSantis’s property tax reform efforts among Florida residents, though the specifics and fiscal effects remain subjects of debate.
The property tax debate in Florida involves multiple stakeholders, including municipal governments that depend on these revenues for essential services, state legislators proposing various reform options, and the governor advancing relief measures and potential constitutional amendments.
Winter Haven’s letter is part of a broader conversation about how property tax revenue is used locally and how proposed statewide reforms could affect municipal budgets.
SOURCE: CITY OF WINTER HAVEN & FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
