·         Residents enjoy living in Seminole County.

Many came for the quality of life, they give it high marks as a place to live and stay because of the character of the area, the small town atmosphere, and the scale of the place. All of this is in reasonable proximity to more urban Orange County and the beaches of Volusia and Brevard Counties.

·         Voters are generally pleased with their local government and the services it provides at both the county and city level.

There is always room for improvement, but most of the indicators are positive and while not wildly so there are no signs significant problems. Voters are optimistic in their outlook, they are accepting of current taxes levels, and they give their elected officials positive job ratings. In addition nearly all of the primary services provided by county or city governments receive highly positive ratings.

Where there are holes or unfulfilled needs, they tend to be in secondary service areas. These areas include culture, senior services and facilities, childcare, and bus transportation and are the same needs that many counties and cities struggle to meet.

·         Seminole County voters are proud of and invested in their schools

“Good Schools” is the second most frequent response when voters are asked what they like most about Seminole County. Schools also receive solid positive service ratings and rank high when compared with other county provided services.

Expanding on this positive foundation, voters are committed to improving the system by building new schools. It is considered important and a top priority by many. Doing away with portable classrooms also has broad support and voters are also supportive of upgrading technology and making it more widely available in schools. Voters are not wishing for a tax increase however, and will weigh any plan carefully even if it will benefit their cherished schools.

·         The county’s popularity, however, is at the root of some of its problems

Seminole County continues to grow rapidly and attract newcomers. Most think this is happening too rapidly. This is leading to strains on quiet life many settled in Seminole County to find. Traffic congestion, overburdened roads and growth are the things Seminole voters like least about the area and these themes recur throughout this study. In the end they emerge as one of the most important issues to address moving forward.

·         Municipal residents exhibit antipathy toward the concept of service consolidation.

There is certainly no cry for action on this front. Voters’ current preference is for continued city delivery. Elected officials are going to have to make a compelling case for consolidation if they hope to generate significant support.

·         Seminole County voters are willing to take tough steps to confront growth and over-development, such as establish urban growth boundaries.

Establishing urban growth boundaries in Seminole County is favored by more than 3 out of 4 voters and a near majority strongly favors this action. Developing a new water source and treatment facilities may owe some of its broad support to fears about growth and its impact on the water supply.

Growth hasn’t pushed mass transit rail to the tipping point yet, but if the current rate continues it may. A majority of Seminole County voters support a regional effort, but at the moment support is fairly subdued and discussions about costs could peel off a considerable number of supporters.

·         To move to the next level, Seminole County must continue to deliver superior fundamental services while improving secondary service areas and formulating better approaches toward the difficult issues of growth, development and traffic.

Highly rated primary services are not enough. Without progress in other areas, voters’ favorable opinions will eventually erode. If Seminole County hopes to move to the next level and confront the future head on, it will require an increased focus on developing new solutions to growth and its related problems, a continued commitment to improving education and increasing classroom space, and improving secondary service areas such as culture, senior services/facilities, quality affordable housing, and mass transit.

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