On the tail end of 2024 Election Day, Orange County saw all 10 of its county charter amendments passed, along with a referendum to continue a half-penny sales tax that supports public schools.
Here are all the county charter amendments broken down:
Amendment 1 was passed to lower the signature requirements for charter amendments, lower the signature requirements for initiative orders, and remove signature withdrawal procedures.
Results: This passed with 58 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment will, in effect, make it easier for citizen-led charter amendment initiatives to make it onto the ballot. A “yes” vote was encouraged by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters and the Orange County Democrats.
Amendment 2 was passed to continue the existence of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and maintain oversight, administration and annual audits of the fund.
Results: This passed with 74 percent support.
What does it really do? Amendment 2 basically keeps alive an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that Orange County leaders created in 2020 to help develop and preserve affordable housing units in the county. The fund was created as part of Mayor Jerry Demings’ Housing for All initiative. County commissioners initially budgeted $10 million to the fund in its first year and committed to matching that plus an additional 10 percent in the years after. The county has pledged a goal of $160 million by 2030. In addition to keeping this fund alive, the amendment also establishes accountability and oversight measures to help ensure funds are being appropriated as intended.
Amendment 3 was passed to exclude write-in candidates from counting toward the number of qualified candidates needed to spur an August primary election for county mayor and county commissioner races.
Results: This passed with about 60 percent support.
What does it really do? Currently, Orange County mayor and county commissioner races need at least two qualified candidates to be registered to run in order for a primary election to be triggered. A registered write-in candidate has historically been interpreted as a qualified candidate who can count toward this. This amendment will prevent a write-in from triggering a primary election.
Amendment 4 was passed to require that Orange County develop a fiscal sustainability analysis tool to evaluate impacts of development and service area expansions.
Results: This passed with 73 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment will require the county to come up with a new tool/method within a year to evaluate the cost implications of developing rural areas where urban development is not currently permitted. This kind of analysis would help inform how much the estimated cost would be for maintaining that kind of development, as far as infrastructure and such (e.g. sewers, roads, and public safety services like law enforcement).
Amendment 5 was passed to establish an official office of the County Attorney to be appointed by the county mayor with County Commission confirmation.
Results: This passed with 75 percent support.
What does it really do? Currently, the Orange County government already has a county attorney. What this would do is officially define and include that position in the county charter — and ensure the position is accountable to and receives the approval of the county mayor and board of county commissioners prior to hire.
Amendment 6 was passed to increase the number of County Commission districts from six to eight, resulting in a nine-member commission, starting in the 2026 general election.
Results: This just barely passed with 50.8 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment will create two new County Commission districts, starting in the 2026 General Election, essentially to accommodate Orange County’s growth in recent years and estimated projected growth. Having too few commissioners for a rapidly growing population can spread commissioners (and their staff) thin. The University of Florida estimated that Orange County could have as many as 1.8 million residents by 2030 and 2 million by 2035. Currently, our population is about 1.5 million. But creating two new districts isn’t free. The estimated financial impact of creating two new districts in Orange County includes $2.6 million in one-time costs, with an annual recurring cost of $1.3 million.
Amendment 7 was passed to create a Transportation Mobility Advisory Commission to be responsible for and make recommendations on transportation spending and innovation.
Results: This passed with 62.7 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment creates a new body that will specifically focus on transportation innovations, expenditures, and the like. The Commission would hold public meetings/hearings. The estimated cost of this Commission? $725,000 annually. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters encouraged voters to vote up this measure, arguing it would allow for an “increase in public participation and visibility in the development of county transportation budget and solutions.”
Amendment 8 was passed to define “county protected lands” as “county-owned” (in whole or in part), operated, or maintained public parks and recreation areas, and environmentally sensitive lands acquired by the county for environmental, ecological, or recreational purposes.” It also sought to require a majority-plus-one vote (i.e. a supermajority) from the County Commission in order to sell, transfer, or change use of the land.
Results: This passed with nearly 80 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment provides more safeguards for protected lands in Orange County, such as public parks, recreation areas, and environmentally sensitive lands. How? By raising the bar for approval of selling, transferring, or otherwise changing the use of these lands. Currently, doing so requires just a majority of the Commission to vote in support. This amendment will raise the bar to require a majority-plus-one vote for such actions.
Amendment 9 was passed to establish a “rural area” (unincorporated lands located outside the County’s Urban Service Area, municipal joint planning areas, Growth Centers, Innovation Way Overlay, Horizon West Villages, and Boggy Creek Expansion Area on the effective date) where county comprehensive plan amendments that increase density or intensity, and ordinances removing lands from the Rural Area, must be approved by a supermajority of the County Commission.
Results: This passed with 73 percent support.
What does it really do? This is another win for environmental activists, and a loss for developers who whined about it. This amendment will, similar to Amendment 8, provide stronger safeguards for rural, protected lands. The idea is to help prevent developers from being able to swoop in and other-develop rural lands in the county, and in effect, help prevent sprawl.
Amendment 10 was passed to establish a process for voluntary municipal annexation. Orange County is to maintain control over land use regulations and require a supermajority vote by the commission for approval or denial.
Results: This passed with 64.7 percent support.
What does it really do? This amendment will require municipalities in Orange County (such as the city of Orlando) to receive a supermajority vote of support from the Orange County Commission in order to annex land from the county. Currently, the county doesn’t have that kind of legal authority or power. County officials argued this would help protect environmentally-sensitive lands in the county, since county protections are stronger than some municipalities’ (including Orlando’s).
The Schools Sales Surtax Referendum was passed to renew the half-cent sales tax for another 10 years to fund school construction, reconstruction, improvements, land acquisition and technology upgrades.
Results: This passed with 72 percent support.
What does it really do? This measure just renews an existing half-cent sales tax that Orange County already has in place to help fund new school buildings, as well as other reconstruction, technological improvements, design costs, etc. This measure doesn’t create a new tax, nor does it increase any tax. But it’s one of those things that’s just up for a retention vote of sorts every once in a while. The tax was first established in 2002, renewed in 2014, and has funded the replacement or construction of at least 136 schools, according to the school district. A ‘yes’ vote renewed this tax through Dec. 31, 2035.
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This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2024.
