Winter Haven City Commission Weighs $6.1K Pay Raise for Commissioners, $6.5K for Mayor
by James Coulter
With a statewide amendment threatening to shrink municipal revenues, Winter Haven commissioners are debating whether now is the right time to boost their own pay.
At their regular meeting on Mon. Aug. 24, 2026, Winter Haven city commissioners reviewed the first reading of an ordinance that would “adjust upward the annual base salary and expense allowances” for commissioners, including the mayor.
The proposed ordinance would raise commissioners’ salaries to $24,180 (an increase of $6,129.21) and boost the mayor’s pay to $28,053.96 (up $6,509.76). Altogether, the changes would bring the city’s annual cost to $124,773.96 (an increase of $31,026.60).
These changes would adjust commissioner compensation rates “to more closely align with increasing demands associated with increases in population of the duties and responsibilities of the City Commission members, including the Mayor,” wrote Shawn Dykes, Human Resources Director.
Commissioner Chad Davis proposed the pay raise, noting that compensation has not changed in 15 years even as Winter Haven’s population has grown exponentially, doubling the workload and meeting demands placed on elected officials.
“The reason why I proposed this is because…being the second largest city in the county, and with all the growth going on, we are trying to bring our salaries in line with the work we are putting in, the decisions we have to make, and the constituents that we serve,” he said.
In a memo sent to city staff on May 17, 2026, Commissioner Davis wrote he had reviewed elected‑official compensation across Polk County and comparable municipalities. His analysis found that Winter Haven commissioners earn less than their counterparts in many similarly sized cities and fall well below the countywide average.
His calculations showed that the average per‑capita compensation rate across Polk County is $0.4757 for commissioners and $0.6250 for mayors. Applied to Winter Haven, those rates would translate to salaries of $27,557 for commissioners and $36,201 for the mayor, roughly 36.4% and 42.2% increases, respectively.
However, as such a pay increase would be “a little too much” and unlikely to be “accepted” or “appreciated” by the public. He instead proposed a more modest change of $24,180 for commissioners and $28,053.96 for the mayor.
Likewise, noting how many commissioners expressed reluctance for the proposed increases, he suggested an amendment that would allow commissioners to waive compensation if they so chose.
“I think that may be something I am willing to entertain,” he said. “That way, we are not all having to embrace a raise if we don’t think we need one or if you would rather do this job for free as a volunteer service.”
When Commissioner Davis proposed the potential increases at a previous meeting, the commission approved his proposal with a 3-2 vote, while Mayor Yates and Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Mercer voted against it.
Mayor Yates opposed the raise, arguing that serving as a commissioner is essentially “community service” and questioning whether the timing was appropriate given a proposed statewide amendment that could threaten future municipal funding.
Florida Amendment 3 would increase the homestead tax exemption for non‑school taxes. If approved, it would reduce local property taxes by an estimated $45.8 billion over five years, significantly slashing revenue for county and municipal governments, including Winter Haven, according to figures from Florida TaxWatch.
“I am sticking with my recommendation in that we should have never started this [discussion] in the first place,” Yates said. “I just don’t think it [a pay raise] should happen across the board. We are in a time when we should actually be cutting costs, not knowing what potentially is coming.”
The ordinance will be reviewed and voted upon during its second reading at the next City Commission meeting on Tuesday, September 15.
