Orlando City Council workshop July 13: property tax reform update & budget—what to expect

Orlando City Council will hold a hybrid workshop on July 13, 2026 starting at 10:00 a.m. focused on two closely related topics: a Property Tax Reform Update and a Budget Proposal Update. The workshop is where city finance leaders are expected to walk council through how a statewide property-tax change could affect Orlando’s planning assumptions—before later public hearings and final budget decisions.

What Orlando residents can expect on the July 13 agenda

The City of Orlando’s workshop listing describes a hybrid meeting with an in-person option at City Hall, Council Chambers (2nd floor), 400 S. Orange Avenue, as well as remote participation via Zoom.

Property Tax Reform Update, presented by Jose Fernandez, Chief Financial Officer
Budget Proposal Update, presented by Jason Wojkiewicz, Assistant Chief Financial Officer

The agenda review is scheduled to immediately follow the workshop.

For the remote portion, the city listing gives a Zoom webinar ID of 820 9324 3458 and phone call-in options (312.626.6799, 929.205.6099, 253.215.8782, and 301.715.8592).

The statewide property-tax amendment behind the discussion

Orlando’s workshop is also a local “watch what happens next” moment because it comes alongside a proposed Florida constitutional change described in Florida Senate bill summary materials as CS/HJR 1-F (Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes).

According to that statewide bill summary, the joint resolution would:

Cut the annual assessment growth cap for non-homestead residential and non-residential property from 10% to 5%.
Create or expand homestead exemptions from non-school ad valorem levies that phase in over time (with different starting exemption levels depending on when a household establishes homestead).
Require the measure to be considered by Florida’s electorate at the 2026 general election, and—if approved by 60% of electors voting—it would take effect January 1, 2027.

The Senate summary also says the resolution would prescribe permitted uses for certain county and municipal ad valorem revenues, including categories such as public safety, education and public schools, and specified infrastructure and flood-control-related expenditures.

That’s the key point for Orlando residents: the city’s workshop is not a final vote on any statewide amendment. Instead, it’s an opportunity for local leaders to explain how a possible change to homestead-related property tax structure could feed into future local budgeting assumptions.

How Orlando’s budget process may be affected next

Spectrum News 13 reported that Orlando’s budget talks kick off Monday with the workshop, and that the city will also host public hearings to collect input before a final vote. The report says two public hearings are scheduled for Sept. 14 and Sept. 28 at 5:00 p.m. at Orlando City Hall, and that the budget would be implemented Oct. 1.

As Spectrum News 13 also notes, Orlando’s proposed budget discussion is tied to millage-rate planning, and the city indicated it is not proposing to raise the millage rate while focusing on core services.

Questions to bring when the public hearings start

Because the July 13 workshop is an “update” and “preview” stage, residents who want to influence the outcome later should keep an eye on what the city is assuming and how it plans to respond if the statewide amendment changes the property-tax landscape.

At upcoming budget public hearings, residents may want to ask city leaders to clarify:

How the city is modeling the potential impact of the statewide homestead exemption changes on future revenue assumptions.
What budgeting guardrails the city is using if revenue projections shift after the statewide vote.
Where in the budget process the public can provide input that directly affects services, staffing, or funding priorities.

For homeowners—especially those who file homestead or are planning to establish it—the July 13 workshop is a useful early look at how a statewide constitutional decision could ripple into local budgeting discussions later this year.

Sources

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