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.

Winter Haven Commission Approves Affordable Housing for Families with Children in Local Schools
by James Coulter
 
Approximately 13 townhomes are proposed to be constructed to provide transitional affordable housing for families with school-aged children after Winter Haven commissioners approved an agreement with a local nonprofit focused on combating homelessness.
 
At their regular meeting on Mon. Aug. 24, 2026, Winter Haven city commissioners voted unanimously to approve a transitional affordable housing agreement with Heart for Winter Haven (H4WH), a nonprofit that supports families facing poverty, particularly those with children in local schools.
 
The agreement allocates $350,000 towards the purchase of roughly 0.818 acres at the southwest corner of 7th Street SW and Avenue N SW and the construction of 13 townhomes to be used for transitional affordable housing.
“Heart for Winter Haven intends to purchase the property, construct the townhomes units, and utilize those units as transitional affordable housing for families with children in Winter Haven schools who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing homelessness,” wrote Eric Labbe, Director of Economic Opportunity and Community Investment.
 
The agreement also requires the property to be placed under a lien, which will be forgiven over time as long as the units remain affordable and are used for their intended purpose. If the units meet those conditions for at least seven years, the lien will be forgiven 15 percent per year for six years, with the final 10 percent forgiven in the seventh year.
 
H4WH requested assistance from the City, which agreed to provide a $350,000 forgivable grant from its Supplemental Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
 
Founded in 2014, the organization seeks to assist local families through its CARE method:
 

• Connect all sectors of the city (churches, businesses, non-profits, and city leadership)
• Alleviate poverty (in all its forms)
• Restore relationships
• Elevate the entire community
   
  “We believe poverty has been misdiagnosed; it’s rooted in broken relationships. We bring people together through collaborations that restore relationships, build resources, and grow community,” its website states. “We believe each person has inherent worth and value, as we are all created in the image of God. Our desire is for all people to see poverty in light of broken relationships, and to see themselves as restorative healers, binding the brokenhearted.”
   
  W4WH has since achieved two of its three main goals: first, directly assisting 1,000 families by the end of 2025, and second, launching the Center for City and Life Transformation that same year. Its third and final goal: “ensure there isn’t a single homeless child in Winter Haven.”
   
  Mayor Brian Yates praised the organization and its efforts to provide transitional housing. While he said he does not view “handouts” or homeless shelters as an effective long‑term solution to homelessness (which he called a “lifestyle” that many people choose), he supported helping families of children in local schools.
   
  “Children did not ask for this situation that they may have been placed in by their parents or guardians,” he said. “But here is an opportunity to give a hand up rather than a handout and help families with school-aged children to become a little more financially stable so that they can make decisions moving forward to get them out of this step and into a step of hopefully home ownership.”
   
  Commissioner Clifton E. Dollison disagreed, saying his conversations with homeless individuals show homelessness is not a “choice” or “lifestyle,” but an unfortunate circumstance, and that helping people in that situation is worthwhile.
   
  “So, I think this is more complicated than you think sometimes,” he said. “I think recognizing that there are a lot of people who are suffering in our community, and for those who work hard every day to make life better for them, I applaud their efforts and those who have been championing these efforts…I am looking forward to this effort, and those who have come before us are moving in the right direction, and I think this is the way forward.”
   
  Commissioner Chad Davis praised the transitional housing agreement, especially since it will help children attending local schools, which, in turn, will benefit those schools.
   
  “These units will be serving our families, our children, and our schools,” he said. “So, I really do appreciate that, and I echo the mayor’s support. This is going to be a great project, and I look forward to seeing how it comes into fruition.”