ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners approved a more than $9 billion budget that increases funding for public safety and affordable housing, while county leaders also raised concerns about infrastructure needs and possible future revenue losses if Amendment 3 passes in November.
The budget includes $1.1 billion for public safety and $19.5 million for affordable housing. Other areas, including transportation and community care, also receive funding under the spending plan, which takes effect Oct. 1.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings described the budget as one that lives within the county’s means.
“While this is a nine plus billion dollar budget it’s still really not enough to do everything that needs to be done,” Demings said.
Demings said he is confident in the budget, but county officials are also watching Amendment 3. If it passes in November, it could reduce Orange County property tax revenue by an estimated $165 million in 2027 and $275 million in 2028, according to the county.
Sharee Hodge, executive director of Finding the Lost Sheep Ministry in Winter Garden, said the budget raises questions about how public safety is defined and measured. Her nonprofit serves families facing economic hardship.
“It’s about whether our public resources are really producing measurable outcomes and whether the residents can clearly understand how these resources are being used,” Hodge said.
District 2 Commissioner Mike Crabb was the only commissioner to vote against the budget. He said the county should put more focus on infrastructure.
“I feel like we need to be looking at some of the money we’re spending on other items and focusing on infrastructure,” Crabb said. “People are tired of being in traffic, people are tired of not having their roads repaved, the county is a bit behind on that, we’re trying to get that moved up.”
District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said Orange County is facing an affordability crisis. The county anticipates that by the end of 2028, it will have created or preserved more than 10,000 housing units.
“We should be looking at everything we can do to make this town more affordable,” Uribe said. “And while we’re putting funding for housing, if we have a process, it takes too long to build, how really much forward are we moving on the housing gap? Not fast enough.”
Only one person spoke during public comment at the budget meeting. That person, along with others who spoke during previous public hearings, focused on the county’s major investment in law enforcement and public safety.