Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Winter Park spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Winter Park’s city government spent $119.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $4,005 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Winter Park is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Winter Park’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Public Art Advisory BoardTuesday · 11:00 am · 401 S. Park Ave.Public Art Advisory Board Subcommittee Work SessionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov3Planning and Zoning BoardTuesday · 5:00 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenuePlanning & Zoning Board Regular Meeting - CANCELEDMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Lake Killarney BoardWednesday · 10:00 am · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenueLake Killarney Board Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Code Compliance BoardThursday · 3:00 pm · 401 S. Park Ave, Commission ChambersCode Compliance Board Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Code Compliance BoardThursday · 3:00 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park Avenue, Commission ChambersCode Compliance Board Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Winter Park Police Officers' Pension BoardThursday · 4:00 pm · Public Safety Facility Ray Beary Community Room 500 N. Virginia Ave.Winter Park Police Officers' Pension Board Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct29City CommissionThursday · 3:30 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenueCity Commission Work Session - CanceledMeeting page ↗
- Oct28City CommissionWednesday · 3:30 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenueAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Construction Board of Adjustments and AppealsTuesday · 3:00 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenueConstruction Board of Adjustments & AppealsAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Planning and Zoning BoardTuesday · 12:00 pm · Chapman Room, City Hall, 401 S. Park AvenuePlanning & Zoning Board Work Session - CANCELEDMeeting page ↗
- Oct27Utilities Advisory BoardTuesday · 12:00 pm · City Hall Commission Chambers, 401 S. Park AvenueUtilities Advisory Board Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $4,005 per resident a year, or $10.97 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$3,453 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Winter Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,453 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 $1,374, and the middle half spent $928–$1,809. Winter Park spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($28.7 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 Park itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Winter Park 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: $3,453 · 2023: $3,882 · 2024: $4,005.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,401 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 Park’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 Park’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Winter Park →
Who’s in charge in Winter Park
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 59 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (29,816).
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 Park’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 Park’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 Park 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 Park 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 Park.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofwinterpark.org ↗
- 2Florida HouseState representatives
- 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 Park compares with the towns next door
Winter Park spent $3,453 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,948 to $3,601. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Maitland | $1,948 | $3,675 |
| Orlando | $3,601 | $3,213 |
| Eatonville | estimate | $1,426 |
| Winter Park | $3,453 | $5,401 |
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 Park’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Winter Park’s government
How much does Winter Park spend per resident?
About $4,005 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,453 was more than 95% of 39 Florida cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Winter Park?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,401 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 cityofwinterpark.org.
Who runs Winter Park’s government?
See cityofwinterpark.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Winter Park yet.
How did Winter Park vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Winter Park alone. Orange County, where 100% of Winter Park lies, voted Harris 55.9%, Trump 42.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Winter Park?
503 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3.3M (about $39.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Winter Park in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Jason Brodeur) and State House District 42 (Anna Eskamani). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Winter Park?
The next posted meeting is Public Art Advisory Board on Tuesday, November 3, at 11:00 am in 401 S. Park Ave., from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Winter Park’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 →