July 2018

126 127 ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Florida DEBT-FREE INNOVATION, “THE ALTAMONTE WAY” AT A GLANCE ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA WHAT: A city of 43,500 WHERE: Central Florida WEBSITE: www.altamonte.org C hurning behind the charming, tree- lined streets and alluring natural beauty of Altamonte Springs, Florida is a powerhouse of innovation, fiscal responsibility, and progressive ideas. The city strives to remain consistently debt free, while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates in Florida, and the entire community takes pride in making Altamonte Springs the best place in Central Florida to live, work, raise a family, and build a business. City Manager, Frank Martz, acknowledges two of the biggest challenges facing Altamonte Springs. First, is an increasing expectation on services - that they be excellent, innovative, and growing. The second is increasing pressure by the State government to limit the amount of revenue that cities and counties can generate. “It’s a tough circumstance to be in,” says Martz. “We have busi- nesses who come to our city to develop and want to get through our process as quickly as possible. But we can’t serve the business community as quickly as they expect, because we’ve had to cut