ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County residents descended on the County Commission Meeting on Thursday to sound off about the proposed $9 million budget.
It was the first time public comments were allowed at a budget hearing.
Most of the public speakers were upset at the $470 million that Orange County Sheriff John Mina asked of the county. His original request was $508 million.
“I am concerned about money being spent to increase the Sheriff’s budget at a time that Amendment 3 threatens the future funding of our communities,” said Jill Heroux, who lives in District 3.
“Every dollar that is committed to police funding is a dollar that we can’t commit to healthcare, that we can’t commit to transportation, that we can’t commit to housing,” said Fisher Kibler, an Orange County resident.
The proposed budget includes 10% cuts across all county departments. Department heads submitted those reductions to county leaders back in July, who then passed the proposed budget.
The preemptive cuts were made in anticipation of Amendment 3, a property tax proposal that could result in revenue losses for local governments across the state. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said if the measure passes in November, the county could lose about $440 million in 2027 and 2028.
“If Amendment 3 is approved,s this board will face difficult decisions about spending and legally available sources of revenue,” Demings said.
Demings also defended Sheriff Mina’s budget request, which is about 11% higher than the previous year, saying the budget increase “is to maintain a level of service to keep people safe here in Orange County.”
Commissioners are expected to vote in favor of the budget on September 24.
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