Winter Haven officials approved a $250.2 million budget on Sept. 22, down over 15% from last year. Property owners may find their annual taxes remain relatively unchanged.
The City Commission voted unanimously to approve a $250,280,102 budget for next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1. The millage rage will remain at 6.59 mills, or roughly $600.59 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
What does this mean for homeowners?
The median assessed value of a Winter Haven single-family home is $210,401, according to information provided by Polk County Property Appraiser’s Office.
The average home owner with a homestead exemption can expect to pay about $1,057.04 in property taxes to the city next year. This is in addition to county taxes, school district taxes and other taxing districts.
Overall, Winter Have officials saw the city’s taxable property values increase by approximately 12.63% this year, largely because of new construction, according to City Manager T. Michael Stavres. Some of the new construction that has contributed the most to this include the Carlton Arms at Lake Dexter, Prose Cypress Pointe Apartments and The Waverly at Winter Haven apartments, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office.
There are seven apartment or townhouse complexes in the 10 new construction projects that have added the most value to the city’s property tax roles.
Winter Haven officials have estimated the city will collect roughly $3.4 million more in ad valorum taxes than last year, for a rough total of $31.2 million in property tax revenue in 2026.
What’s in the 2026 budget for residents?
The city will spend approximately $216 million in its 2026 budget when the city’s internal transfers between departments are eliminated, according to Stavres.
Approximately 29% of the city’s total expenditures are tied to one-time capital improvement projects. Some of the largest capital improvements planned in the next year include approximately $5 million to fund construction of the city’s Fire Station 5 by Lake Hartridge off Havendale Boulevard, $1.6 million for improvements to the DiamondPlex Softball Complex consisting largely of lighting upgrades, and $2 million for a City Hall annex project to build a new central hub for Winter Haven’s Building Division.
The city has also budgeted $1.2 million to help construct an additional 358 parking spaces for its Chain of Lakes Park. Stavres said the city staff is currently negotiating an interlocal agreement with Polk County, seeking to have the county contribute approximately half, or $600,000, to the project.
Public safety
The city’s public safety, police and fire departments, will have an annual budget of approximately $34.8 million, Stavres said. The city manager said this is more than the property taxes collected from citizens.
“Ad Valorum generated about $31.5 million, less than what it costs to operate our police and fire alone,” he said. “That’s a strong point for us in our discussions with legislators in Tallahassee.”
Stavres, like many others, expects that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature will discuss reducing or eliminating property taxes all together in the upcoming January 2026 legislative session.
General Fund highlights
Winter Haven has budgeted more than $79.6 million for its daily operating expenses for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Some of the highlights in the city’s General Fund include a 5% starting pay raise for vacant positions, increasing the city’s lowest paid employee from $16 to $16.80 an hour. Existing employees will receive a 6% across-the-board pay raise in an effort to bring the city closer to current competitive market rates, Stavres said, and may be eligible for an additional 2.5% pay raise if they receive at least a satisfactory performance review.
Winter Haven expects to have a total of 766 employees next year, with 23 new full-time and six new part-time positions being created. Public safety will receive the most new employees with three police officers and four firefighters expected to be hired halfway through 2026 fiscal year, Stavres said.
