The Florida Legislature is currently working on major proposals aimed at reducing property taxes, and voters are expected to see a related Constitutional amendment on November’s General Election ballot. Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser Greg Brown II, during last night’s Conservative Alliance meeting, provided an informative presentation, including details about the impending reform effort.
Brown began his presentation, which took place at the Santa Rosa Conservative Alliance’s monthly meeting, outlining his office’s responsibilities, which include more than assessing property values. His staff of 35 also maps all parcels; classifies agricultural land; maintains ownership records, such as sales; and administers exemptions, amongst other tasks.
He recommended property owners review available exemptions and noted his office’s website, srcpa.gov, enables online filing ahead of the March 1 annual deadline. Additionally, his website now also provides a link from your parcel information page to the Santa Rosa County Clerk’s recording service to register for notification alerts when documents are recorded with an identity that is monitored, allowing owners to know if there is any attempted fraud. Subscribe to public records notifications for your property via https://acclaim.srccol.com/PublicRecordsNotificationWebLive/Subscribe)
Brown said his office maintains records for around 120,000 parcels, including about 97,300 residential, 7,800 commercial, and 5,400 agricultural properties with a current taxable value of roughly $19.2 billion. That generates around $250 million annually, including about $110 million for the Santa Rosa County Commission and $116 million for Santa Rosa County District Schools.
Brown pointed out how Governor Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited, is serving in his final year and aims to accomplish property tax reform. If property tax proposals currently being discussed in the legislature are not adopted, he believes DeSantis may call a special session focusing on the reform this summer, ahead of the deadline to submit final ballot language for the proposed amendment.
Voters must approve a Constitutional amendment by a 60% supermajority for it to pass. Toward that end, lawmakers are writing proposals in a way that safeguards law enforcement and school districts from the proposed cuts, ensuring public safety and education are protected.
But local municipalities would be forced to tighten their budgets. For example, according to Brown, approximately 40% of the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners’ budget is generated from property taxes. The Town of Jay and the Cities of Gulf Breeze and Milton would also be impacted.
However, the bottom line is that Florida property owners pay out around $60 billion per year in property taxes and could get financial relief from the reform, even if it is phased in over a number of years.
Landra McCrary, a Gulf Breeze retiree who attended last night’s meeting, says she favors property tax reform, noting that it would especially help seniors on fixed incomes. “As retirees, we often have to cut back, so I’m glad to hear state legislators are working to give us some relief. We shouldn’t have to pay over and over again for a house we paid off.”
ABOUT THE SANTA ROSA CONSERVATIVE ALLIANCE: Monthly meetings take place on the first Tuesday of each month at Pedro’s in Gulf Breeze, starting with a 5 pm social and optional dinner followed by a 6 pm presentation. Future guest speakers include Santa Rosa County Tax Collector Stan Colie Nichols on February 3 and Schools Superintendent Dr. Karen Barber on March 3. For more information, contact Morgan Lamb via morganlamb37@gmail.com.
