Friends and Neighbors,
The Winter Springs Community Association has completed its 2026 Annual Residents Survey, capturing vital feedback from residents on the issues that matter most to our community.
This year’s results point to a clear and important shift: while water quality and infrastructure remain longstanding concerns, rapidly rising utility costs have now emerged as a top-tier issue for residents, adding new urgency to ongoing discussions about the city’s future.
For years, water failures have been the defining issue in Winter Springs. That has not changed. But what has changed is how residents are experiencing it.
The financial impact of five years of delayed infrastructure investment is now showing up directly in monthly utility bills, making affordability a central concern for families across our city.
The survey also shows that many residents remain frustrated with the pace of progress and lack confidence that the problems are being fully addressed,
even as the city has begun moving forward on long-discussed infrastructure upgrades that residents and community advocates have pushed for over many years.
At the same time, development has become more visible and immediate. With multiple projects underway around the very busy 434 and Tuscawilla corridor, on the heels of the public storage project, residents are increasingly focused on how growth is being managed and how it is impacting the character of our community.
Taken together, the results tell a consistent story: residents are not divided—they are aligned around a core set of priorities—safe and reliable water, controlling growth, and affordable utility costs.
Jesse Phillips, a longtime community advocate and co-founder of the Winter Springs Community Association, offered the following perspective:
“For years, we’ve been told Winter Springs is divided. But when you actually listen to residents, you see something very different. There is a clear and growing consensus around the issues that matter most: safe and reliable water, controlling growth, and affordable utility costs. The challenge now isn’t figuring out what the problems are. The challenge is having the leadership to finally address them.”
The survey also reveals strong sentiment around leadership, accountability, and the structure of city government:
- Two-thirds of residents say the city is headed in the wrong direction
- Only 3% of residents report a high level of trust in city leadership, while a strong majority express little or no trust
- 89% say the city has not done enough to address past audit findings
- Majority of residents say rising utility bills created a financial hardship
- Nearly 94% support giving residents the ability to petition charter amendments and bring them to a public vote
- More than 80% support eliminating the mayor’s veto power and moving toward a more accountable governing structure
As always, WSCA remains committed to ensuring residents are informed, engaged, and equipped to help shape the future of our city.