Winter Springs voters choosing a mayor on Nov. 3 will also be voting on Amendment 3, the statewide measure that would enlarge Florida's homestead exemption on non-school property taxes, and the two candidates for mayor stand on opposite sides of it.
Incumbent Mayor Kevin McCann says he will vote no. Challenger Jesse Phillips says he will vote yes. Both laid out their positions in written answers to the Orlando Sentinel's 2026 voter guide, published Tuesday as part of the News Collaborative of Central Florida's election coverage.
Amendment 3
McCann wrote that he understands the appeal of property-tax relief but that the city cannot absorb the hit through efficiencies alone. Citing city estimates based on the 2026 tax roll, he put the loss at about $2.38 million in the first year and $4.14 million a year once the exemption reaches $250,000.
He said making up that gap would likely take some mix of service cuts, higher fees and possible millage changes, and that the measure could shift costs onto renters and businesses. If voters approve it, he wrote, he will carry it out.
Phillips wrote that the amendment would bring meaningful relief to homeowners. He pointed out that city spending was $45 million in 2018 and tops $115 million in the budget proposed for fiscal 2027, and said the city should cover the lost revenue through tighter budgeting and spending cuts rather than replacing it with new fees.
Utility bills and infrastructure
Phillips, a Town Center business owner with a background in small-business IT who cites seven years of advocacy on wastewater and financial transparency, has a four-part affordability plan: halt what he calls unnecessary utility rate hikes, undo the latest stormwater fee increase by paying for stormwater and pond repairs with Penny Sales Tax money, cut trash fees, and commission an outside study of water rates with the goal of returning them toward 2023 levels once the new wastewater plants open.
McCann, who stepped into the job in 2021 when his predecessor resigned and then won a 2022 election, says replacing failing wastewater plants and upgrading lift stations, water lines and drainage remain the priority. He cited roughly $19.2 million in grants and no-interest loans secured for the city's east wastewater plant and a city pension plan funded above 105%.
