By Mayor Bryan Nelson

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings recently invited mayors and city managers to a meeting to discuss the possibility of putting a sales tax initiative on the ballot in November 2026.  

Orange County hired GreatBlue Research to understand residents’ priorities for transportation and broader infrastructure investments. The last initiative, which failed in 2022, did not include a broader infrastructure investment component that would have aligned it more with the sales tax Seminole County enacted years ago.  

GreatBlue looked at quality of life, transportation behaviors, roadways, bus and rail systems, stormwater management, natural resources, infrastructure priorities and trust and communication.  

They had over 1,000 completed questionnaires from residents answering questions about quality of life. According to the survey, over 82% of residents feel positive about life in Orange County; 56.4% say it’s easy to maintain a standard of living; and 75.7% of residents trust Orange County to manage funds responsibly. 

Roadway maintenance is viewed favorably by 78.9% of residents, although 56.8% believe road maintenance could be improved, and 48.7% believe intersection improvements are needed. As to bus service, 27.7% of residents want long travel times to be reduced. Almost 80% of residents want expanded SunRail service to the airport and key employment centers.  

Flood and stormwater are important to almost 90% of residents, and 76% of residents feel confident that the county can handle flood related events. Improving drainage in older neighborhoods is a top priority of 67.4% of respondents, and flood vulnerability upgrades are next at 50%.  

Protecting and preserving natural lands was important to an overwhelming 92.9% of residents. Parks, trails, and greenspace are just as important to the county’s residents.  

Road maintenance was the top overall priority for 1/3 of residents, followed by 22.3% for intersection improvements, and stormwater upgrades in older neighborhoods was the top priority for 18.7% of respondents. 

The County Commission has a fairly short timeframe to have the sales tax initiative on the ballot for November 2026. If the initiative is to be on the ballot, the County Commission will need to begin the process soon after the first of the year.  

The entire 27-page Orange County PowerPoint should be available for more details about the study.