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

• City of Orlando — City Council Workshop and Agenda Review (July 13, 2026) listing
• Spectrum News 13 — Orlando leaders discuss upcoming budget and property taxes
• ClickOrlando — Orlando City Council to hold property tax reform workshop
• Florida Senate — 2026F bill summaries for CS/HJR 1-F (Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes)

The Florida Senate bill page identifies CS/HJR 1-F as “Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” and lists the measure as signed by officers and filed with the Secretary of State on June 16, 2026. That step does not make the tax changes effective. It puts the proposal in position for voters, with a 60% approval threshold needed for passage.

For Cape Coral residents, the issue is not just whether a homesteaded tax bill could go down. It is also how the city would plan for police, fire, transportation, parks, code enforcement, administration and infrastructure if ad valorem property-tax collections are reduced.

What the amendment would do

The enrolled text proposes changes to Florida’s Constitution involving annual assessment limits, homestead exemptions, limits on county and municipal use of ad valorem taxes, and an effective date of January 1, 2027, if voters approve it.

The biggest homeowner-facing change is an expanded homestead exemption for levies other than school district levies. The text says the exemption would rise to as much as $150,000 beginning January 1, 2027, and as much as $250,000 beginning January 1, 2028, for qualifying residents. The school-tax distinction matters: the larger exemption would not apply to school district levies.

The proposal also treats new Florida residents differently. People who had not maintained permanent residence in Florida as of December 31, 2026, would initially remain at an exemption of up to $50,000 for non-school levies and would have to wait until the fifth year for the higher exemption under the proposal.

Non-homestead property owners also have a stake. For certain residential and other real property not covered by homestead assessment limits, the enrolled text would lower the annual assessment-growth cap for non-school levies from 10% to 5% beginning January 1, 2027. That is relevant for businesses, landlords, vacation-home owners and some other non-homestead properties.

Why Cape Coral is watching the budget side

Cape Coral’s own property-tax toolkit explains that property taxes are local in Florida: counties, cities, school boards and special districts each set millage rates based on budget needs. The city also separates ad valorem taxes from special assessments and user fees, noting that some services are funded fully or partly through non-ad valorem charges such as fire services and solid waste assessments.

That distinction will matter if the amendment passes. A lower ad valorem burden for some property owners would not automatically lower special assessments, utility rates, recreation fees, garbage charges or other user fees. Those are separate revenue tools with their own policy choices.

The city says its property taxes help fund local essentials including police services, fire services, parks and recreation, transportation, administration and code enforcement. The Office of Management and Budget is the city office responsible for coordinating budget activities, preparing the proposed annual city budget, revenue manual and five-year asset improvement program, and analyzing fiscal impacts of proposed city ordinances.

What is known locally so far

Cape Coral Breeze reported that City Council spent hours at its first summer budget workshop discussing the possible impact of the property-tax proposal. The report said the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget discussion began with an all-funds requested budget of $1,504,837,279 and a general fund requested budget of $279,115,077, before department program modifications.

The same report said ad valorem taxes made up 59.70% of general fund revenue in the city’s review. That does not mean Cape Coral has adopted a final budget or set a specific local loss tied to the amendment. It does show why the proposal is being discussed as a major planning issue before voters decide.

Statewide, WUWF, citing News Service of Florida reporting, said state economists projected nearly a $5 billion first-year hit to local governments if voters approve the amendment, growing to nearly $12 billion by the fifth year. Those are statewide projections for local governments collectively, not a confirmed Cape Coral dollar loss.

What residents should track next

Before assuming what will happen to a tax bill, Cape Coral homeowners should watch several steps: city budget workshops, public hearings, proposed and final millage decisions, Lee County property appraiser values, TRIM notices and the final tax bill.

Renters and business owners also have reasons to follow the process. Lower taxes for property owners do not always translate directly into lower rents or prices, and city responses could show up through service priorities, fees, assessments or future budget tradeoffs.

The clearest point for now is that the amendment is still a voter decision. If it passes in November 2026, the first effective date in the text is January 1, 2027. Until then, Cape Coral’s practical question is how to plan for possible tax relief while keeping public services funded.

Key sources

• Florida Senate CS/HJR 1-F bill page
• City of Cape Coral property-tax toolkit
• Cape Coral Breeze budget workshop report
• WUWF / News Service of Florida property-tax impact report