Once again, the Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners seems to be reaching deeper into the wallets of its citizens. From increased fees to higher taxes, the pattern is becoming hard to ignore: whether the county needs it or not, the reflex of the BOCC is to raise costs for residents rather than look inward at spending discipline or smarter planning. Even worse, the approach feels punitive. Voters have already made their voices clear by rejecting both a doubling of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) and the use of Municipal Services Taxing Units (MSTUs). Instead of respecting that decision, the commission appears to be sidestepping the will of the people—shifting the burden onto residents through piecemeal fee hikes and selective charges.
Families across Santa Rosa are already grappling with inflation, higher utility bills, and rising costs of living. Yet, instead of offering relief, the commissioners continue layering on new burdens. These are not incremental increases. As if an 8% property tax hike in FY2024 wasn’t enough, the BOCC is now DOUBLING many of the common usage fees across the county—from community centers to sports fields to public pavilions. Whether it’s steep hikes in hangar rental fees, higher service charges, or inflated rates for public facilities, the common thread is that the financial responsibility is being pushed onto everyday taxpayers without sufficient transparency or accountability.
Even more troubling is the sense that certain groups of residents are being unfairly targeted. Aviation hangar owners, for example, are staring down a 57% increase in rental fees starting in 2026, with plans for yet another 50% hike not long after. This is not a modest adjustment—it is blatant discrimination against one class of users. Those who park outside already see their parking fees flow directly to private FBOs, not the county. Meanwhile, transient aircraft come and go without paying a dime in fees at all. Yet hangar tenants—those who have invested the most in the airport and use it year-round—are singled out to carry the weight of capital improvement costs. Such selective targeting is not only unfair, it undermines trust in county leadership. If improvements are needed, then all who use and benefit from the airport should share in the cost—not just one group deemed easiest to extract from.
And the hangar fees are not an isolated case. Across the county, residents could being hit with higher costs to use the public spaces they already support with their tax dollars. At Navarre Beach, pavilion rental could jump from $25–$50 per day to $35–$100 per day. In Bagdad, Tiger Point, and Pace Parks, community center rates could double from $25 per hour to $50 per hour, with the minimum rental increased from 3 hours to 4. At Benny Russell Park, the rate could spike from $60 per hour to $100 per hour, again with the minimum extended from 3 hours to 4. The Fidelis Community Center, once affordable at $20 per hour, could increase to $50 for 4 hours or $100 for 8. These aren’t minor adjustments; they’re steep increases that make community facilities less accessible for ordinary families, youth sports leagues, and local organizations.
And let’s not forget property taxes. With home values continuing to climb in Santa Rosa, residents are already paying more, even without a rate increase. By law, when values rise, the county must reduce the millage rate or formally notify every property owner that they are in effect passing a tax increase. The numbers speak for themselves: the FY2024 operating millage rate countywide was 6.0953 mills—8.0% higher than the roll-back rate of 5.6439 mills. Then in FY 2025, the board reduced the rate to 5.995; however, that was still 3.4% higher than the roll-back rate. That means property owners paid more in taxes simply because their homes were worth more, even as the county insisted it had not raised the rate. Homeowners should not be penalized simply for the county’s growth and rising valuations.
Meanwhile, residents see a troubling symbol of misplaced priorities: the welcome center. Instead of tackling crumbling roads, inadequate drainage, and overdue infrastructure projects, the commission has poured time and attention into decorating and dressing up a building that offers little practical benefit to taxpayers. A welcome center draped in seasonal décor may photograph well for a ribbon-cutting, but it does nothing to relieve traffic, fix stormwater issues, or prepare for growth. To struggling families, it looks like leadership is more concerned with appearances than with solving real problems. That is not governing—that is window dressing at the public’s expense.
And let’s not forget—the BOCC also wants to impose a toll on the Navarre Bridge. For thousands of residents, workers, and tourists who rely on that bridge daily, a toll would be nothing more than another tax disguised as a “user fee.” It would increase the cost of living for locals, discourage small business traffic, and punish commuters who have no alternative route. Proposals like this show just how far the commission is willing to go to squeeze more money out of residents rather than managing existing resources responsibly.
Santa Rosa deserves leaders who make the hard choices, not just the easy ones. Raising taxes is easy. Evaluating programs, trimming waste, and demanding accountability from every department is harder—but it’s what good governance requires. Before asking families to give more, commissioners should prove that they are being responsible stewards of what they already have.
The people of Santa Rosa County want measured growth that is balanced with infrastructure improvement, they want progress, and they want strong communities. But they also want fairness, transparency, and fiscal discipline. If the commissioners continue treating tax and fee hikes as the first and only tool in their box, they risk breaking faith with the very citizens they are sworn to serve.
It’s time for a new approach—one rooted in restraint, accountability, and respect for the taxpayers who make Santa Rosa strong.
Craig J. Walker, Col, USAF (Ret)
Navarre Fl
