Taxes in Winter Garden
Winter Garden's property tax bill combines a city millage rate that recently increased for the first time in seven years with overlapping county, school, and special-district levies -- meaning the effective total rate depends on exactly which taxing districts apply to a given property.
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Learn moreCity Millage Increased for FY2026
The Winter Garden City Commission set the city's FY2026 millage rate at 4.8565 mills, up from 4.50 mills, a rate held steady for seven consecutive years (FY2019-FY2025), per West Orange Times & Observer reporting on the city commission vote. The new rate exceeds the calculated rollback rate of 4.5928 mills (the rate that would generate the same total revenue as the prior year), meaning it represents a real increase in the tax burden, not just an adjustment for rising property values.
Orange County and School Board Add Significant Additional Mills
Winter Garden's total property tax bill layers the city's 4.8565 mills on top of Orange County government, Orange County Public Schools, water management district, and library district levies. For context, Orange County's 2025 combined millage for unincorporated areas runs approximately 16.2-16.67 mills, with the school board portion cited at roughly 6.45 mills of that total -- but because Winter Garden is its own incorporated city, its total combined rate differs from both the unincorporated-county figure and from the City of Orlando's separately cited combined rate (roughly 18.1-19.1 mills). No single confirmed combined total specific to Winter Garden addresses was found in this research pass; use the Orange County Property Appraiser's online tax estimator for an address-specific figure.
Homestead Exemption and Save Our Homes
Florida's homestead exemption reduces a primary residence's taxable value by up to $50,000, and the Save Our Homes cap limits annual increases in assessed value to 3% or the CPI change (whichever is lower) for homesteaded properties, regardless of market appreciation -- a meaningful protection in a market where recent home values have moved significantly, as described in housing-market. Non-homesteaded and newly purchased properties do not get this cap and are reassessed to full market value.
New Construction May Carry CDD Fees
Newer developments toward the Horizon West growth corridor commonly include Community Development District (CDD) assessments layered onto the standard property tax bill to fund infrastructure -- these are separate from the millage rate and should be confirmed on any new-construction purchase; see buying-a-home.
Key takeaways
- Winter Garden's city millage rate rose to 4.8565 mills for FY2026, up from 4.50 mills held steady for seven straight years -- a real increase above the calculated rollback rate.
- The total property tax bill layers city, county, school board, water management, and library millage together; Orange County's combined unincorporated rate runs roughly 16.2-16.67 mills, but no single confirmed combined total specific to Winter Garden addresses was found -- use the county tax estimator for an address-specific number.
- Florida's homestead exemption (up to $50,000 off taxable value) and Save Our Homes 3%/CPI assessment cap apply to primary residences and meaningfully limit annual increases for existing homesteaded owners.
- New-construction homes near the Horizon West growth corridor often carry additional CDD fees on top of the standard tax bill -- confirm before buying.
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