Orlando holds property tax rate steady, part of $1.8 billion proposed budget
By Joe Byrnes
July 15, 2025 at 9:17 AM EDT
Conversations in Tallahassee about doing away with property taxes are worrying some local leaders.
Orlando city commissioners raised those concerns Monday at a workshop meeting before reviewing the budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Later, they voted to keep the city’s property tax rate the same.
"I'm proud to announce," said Mayor Buddy Dyer, "that we will be providing our municipal services again without raising the millage rate for the 12th consecutive year in a row."
The proposed rate is 6.65 mills or $6.65 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. The same rate will bring in more revenue though, about $21 million more, a 6% increase over the current fiscal year.
The proposed budget includes 20 new Police Department employees and a full year of funding for SunRail. But overall, the budget is flat compared to last year, at $1.8 billion dollars.
Most of that amount is in funds dedicated to particular purposes like water reclamation, solid waste, parking or specific venues.
The proposed $743 million General Fund pays for a lot of the city's essential services. About 48% percent of the General Fund revenue comes from property taxes.
City Commissioner Patty Sheehan acknowledged that the city can't campaign to protect its property taxes -- but maybe, she said, they educate people about them.
"[P]eople say, 'Oh yeah, let's cut all the taxes,' not realizing, well, yeah, you're going to cut your police, you're going to cut your fire, you're going to cut your road work. You're going to cut public works. You're going to cut, you know ... when you flush that toilet, make that go away."
House Select Committee on Property Taxes
Gov. Ron DeSantis is advocating for a state constitutional amendment possibly to eliminate property taxes for homeowners.
In April, the Florida House formed a Select Committee on Property Taxes tasked with reviewing the state of property taxes in Florida and finding "innovative policy solutions" to reduce the financial burden of homeownership.
Kyle Shephard, the city's director of intergovernmental relations, told commissioners the Speaker of the House wants a proposal to vote on in January during the first week of the Legislative session.
"So what's going to happen here is that proposal is going to need to be a joint resolution of the House and the Senate, Shephard said. "It will require a super-majority vote, but ultimately it will go to the voters next November, on the ballot ... and, of course, that will have to pass by 60%.
Mayor Dyer said that, over the past 30 years, legislators have always wanted to talk about cutting taxes.
"I can't think of any time in the last 10 years I've actually had anybody say anything to me about property taxes," Dyer said. "It's property insurance that is the thing that is nailing everybody. ... I think we need to get people refocused on asking the Legislature to do something about property insurance, which they think they've taken care of, but they have not."
Orlando city commissioners raised those concerns Monday at a workshop meeting before reviewing the budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Later, they voted to keep the city’s property tax rate the same.
"I'm proud to announce," said Mayor Buddy Dyer, "that we will be providing our municipal services again without raising the millage rate for the 12th consecutive year in a row."
The proposed rate is 6.65 mills or $6.65 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. The same rate will bring in more revenue though, about $21 million more, a 6% increase over the current fiscal year.
The proposed budget includes 20 new Police Department employees and a full year of funding for SunRail. But overall, the budget is flat compared to last year, at $1.8 billion dollars.
Most of that amount is in funds dedicated to particular purposes like water reclamation, solid waste, parking or specific venues.
The proposed $743 million General Fund pays for a lot of the city's essential services. About 48% percent of the General Fund revenue comes from property taxes.
City Commissioner Patty Sheehan acknowledged that the city can't campaign to protect its property taxes -- but maybe, she said, they educate people about them.
"[P]eople say, 'Oh yeah, let's cut all the taxes,' not realizing, well, yeah, you're going to cut your police, you're going to cut your fire, you're going to cut your road work. You're going to cut public works. You're going to cut, you know ... when you flush that toilet, make that go away."
House Select Committee on Property Taxes
Gov. Ron DeSantis is advocating for a state constitutional amendment possibly to eliminate property taxes for homeowners.
In April, the Florida House formed a Select Committee on Property Taxes tasked with reviewing the state of property taxes in Florida and finding "innovative policy solutions" to reduce the financial burden of homeownership.
Kyle Shephard, the city's director of intergovernmental relations, told commissioners the Speaker of the House wants a proposal to vote on in January during the first week of the Legislative session.
"So what's going to happen here is that proposal is going to need to be a joint resolution of the House and the Senate, Shephard said. "It will require a super-majority vote, but ultimately it will go to the voters next November, on the ballot ... and, of course, that will have to pass by 60%.
Mayor Dyer said that, over the past 30 years, legislators have always wanted to talk about cutting taxes.
"I can't think of any time in the last 10 years I've actually had anybody say anything to me about property taxes," Dyer said. "It's property insurance that is the thing that is nailing everybody. ... I think we need to get people refocused on asking the Legislature to do something about property insurance, which they think they've taken care of, but they have not."