Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY 4.0How is Winter Garden run?
Winter Garden’s city government spent $66.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,426 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Winter Garden is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Winter Garden’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Code Enforcement BoardTuesday · 6:15 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Development Review CommitteeWednesday · 9:30 am · 300 W. Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory BoardTuesday · 6:00 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12City CommissionThursday · 6:30 pm · 300 West Plant StreetCity Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Architectural Review and Historic Preservation BoardTuesday · 6:30 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Development Review CommitteeWednesday · 9:30 am · 300 W. Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2Planning and Zoning BoardMonday · 6:30 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct22City CommissionThursday · 6:30 pm · 300 West Plant StreetCity Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21Development Review CommitteeWednesday · 9:30 am · 300 W. Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20Architectural Review and Historic Preservation BoardTuesday · 6:30 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersArchitectural Review and Historic Preservation Board - CANCELLEDAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct13Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory BoardTuesday · 6:00 pm · 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,426 per resident a year, or $3.91 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,295 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Winter Garden’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,295 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 39 Florida cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,398, and the middle half spent $928–$1,890. Winter Garden spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($17.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Florida cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Winter Garden itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Winter Garden reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,295 · 2023: $1,426.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Who’s in charge in Winter Garden
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cwgdn.com ↗
The typical homeowner pays $3,527 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% of the home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Winter Garden’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Winter Garden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Winter Garden →
One full-time city employee for every 154 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (46,502).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Orange County School District
Winter Garden’s K–12 school district, shared with Apopka, Bay Lake, Belle Isle, Eatonville, Edgewood and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,678 per pupil, $7,148 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Florida districts overall: 55% local, 29% state, 15% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Winter Garden’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winter Garden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Orange County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.9%340,807 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.4%258,279 votesOthers: 1.7% (10,521 votes).
Most votes in Orange County: Kamala D Harris
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Winter Garden lies in Orange County. Every 2024 race in Orange County is on the county’s page.
Orange County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Winter Garden.
- 1Your cityMayorJohn Reesas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Florida HouseWinter Garden is split between 2 districts
- 3Florida SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Florida
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Winter Garden compares with the towns next door
Winter Garden spent $1,295 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,217 to $3,662. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Winter Garden’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Winter Garden’s government
How much does Winter Garden spend per resident?
About $1,426 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,295 was less than 59% of 39 Florida cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Winter Garden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,527 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cwgdn.com.
Who is the mayor of Winter Garden?
John Rees, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cwgdn.com.
How did Winter Garden vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winter Garden alone. Orange County, where 100% of Winter Garden lies, voted Harris 55.9%, Trump 42.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Winter Garden?
301 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.7M (about $21.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Winter Garden in the state legislature?
Winter Garden is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Florida Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Winter Garden?
The next posted meeting is Code Enforcement Board on Tuesday, November 3, at 6:15 pm in 300 West Plant Street, City Hall Commission Chambers, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Winter Garden’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →