See How Winter Park Voted: Three Big Midterm Election Takeaways

Winter Park voters rejected Amendment 3 but have to live with it anyway, helped flip state seats and some turned in split ballots

Nov. 4, 2026

By Beth Kassab

Amendment 3 won 62% approval statewide, but Winter Park voters opposed the measure, which will reduce property taxes paid by homesteaded property owners and cut into the revenue cities and counties collect to provide everything from police and fire services to parks.

About 8,300 people voted against Amendment 3, representing approximately 51% of those who voted in the 10 precincts within Winter Park city limits.

Only three of the 10 precincts favored the amendment, and all did so by margins well below the 60% threshold required for passage statewide. A little more than half of the voters in Precinct 502 at First Baptist Church of Winter Park, Precinct 503 at Winter Park YMCA Family Center, and Precinct 504 at First Covenant Church of Winter Park voted in favor.

The measure is expected to prompt discussions about additional budget cuts or new ways to generate funds over the coming months, beginning as soon as next week.

The City Commission is scheduled to hear a presentation Wednesday on crash and pedestrian data related to red-light cameras. Commissioners will also consider an ordinance allowing additional cameras, which could generate new revenue through traffic citations.

At a recent work session, commissioners also discussed putting five mini-parks up for sale to raise money and reduce maintenance costs. Each park is approximately a quarter-acre and is located in a residential area. The parks include Bonnie Burn, Lakeview, Leith, Villa View, and Alberta Drive Lake Lookout.

Other potential cuts were discussed during budget hearings and the subsequent approval of the city’s $247 million all-funds budget. Those measures included freezing vacant firefighter positions, reducing operating hours at city swimming pools, and eliminating a vacant code enforcement position.

City Manager Randy Knight has estimated that the city will need to cut approximately $3.7 million from its $90 million general fund budget next year, followed by another $7.5 million the year after.

In addition to collecting less revenue from property taxes, which fund most city services, higher expenses propelled by inflation and anticipated slower growth in property values could further complicate the budget outlook.

Michelle del Valle, who will take over as city manager in January, said Wednesday that city officials will “discuss many options over the next six months” as they prepare the 2028 budget.

“It is too soon to speculate what specific actions the City Commission will ultimately approve to meet the challenges presented by Amendment 3’s passage,” del Valle said. “Fortunately, Winter Park is in a better financial position to meet this challenge than many other communities around the state, but it will not be met without some noticeable impacts.”

Seats Flipped

Winter Park and surrounding communities contributed to two legislative seat changes, with one seat each in the Florida House and Senate flipping from Republican to Democratic control.

In one of the night’s biggest upsets, Republican incumbent Jason Brodeur lost his District 10 Senate seat to Democrat John Lowndes, the mayor of Maitland. The district includes Maitland and Winter Park and extends north into Seminole County.

Lowndes won all three precincts with Maitland addresses, as well as all but one precinct in and around Winter Park. In Precinct 502 at First Baptist Church of Winter Park, Brodeur finished ahead by just 27 votes.

Democrat Jane Aman also won in all three Winter Park precincts where some voters are part of House District 37. The district stretches from just west of State Road 436 east to Lake Pickett Road, then north into Oviedo and toward the Volusia County line. The seat was previously held by Republican Susan Plasencia.

Those victories followed a broader trend in Orange County, where voters elected Dr. Jarod Fox, a Democrat and infectious disease specialist at Orlando Health, over Republican incumbent Doug Bankson in District 39. The district includes Apopka, Winter Garden, and Zellwood.

Democrat Eric Gray also defeated Republican incumbent state Rep. Erika Booth, flipping House District 35, which stretches from southern Orange County into Osceola County.

“In Orange County there are now no elected Republicans to the state house,” said Allison Cassidy, executive director of the Orange Democrats.

Cassidy said her party benefited from strong turnout, with approximately 67% of registered Democrats in Orange County casting ballots. That figure is more typical of a presidential election year than a midterm election.

In 2022, the last midterm election, only 49% of registered Democrats in Orange County voted, compared with 64% of Republicans.

Some Voters Split Their Ballots

While voters in Winter Park overwhelmingly favored Democratic candidates at the top of the ballot including Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate and David Jolly for governor, some voters split their ballots between R’s and D’s.

In Precinct 503 at Winter Park YMCA Family Center, voters favored statewide winner and Republican Ashley Moody (50.3%) over Nixon (47.7%) in the U.S. Senate race.

However, the same precinct favored Jolly (53%) over Republican Byron Donalds (46%), who won statewide and will become Florida’s next governor.

In Precinct 504 at First Covenant Church on Howell Branch Road, Jolly received 54% of the vote. Nixon, meanwhile, narrowly edged Moody, receiving just under 50% of the vote and winning by only 11 votes out of the 1,119 ballots cast.

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