2009 Property Tax Information

2009-10 PRELIMINARY County Property Tax Summary

With property taxes the major funding source for local services and education in Florida, the Florida Association of Counties has compiled proposed property tax numbers for counties across the state to reflect the reductions and changes that are taking place across Florida.

Counties primarily provided public safety, fire, emergency medical services, public record-keeping, jails, parks, libraries, health care, economic development, comprehensive planning, and roads, just to name a few.

Three major factors have impacted property taxes in Florida over the last three years: the decline in property values, the implementation of the roll back rates (2007) and Amendment 1 (2008). This year¹ alone counties have reduced revenue by more than $729 million. In three years², that reduction totals $1.5 Billion or 13%. These reductions have resulted in major workforce cuts as well as cuts to all levels of service.

With property taxes influenced by the decline in property values as well as previous changes to the property tax system 2009-10 property tax revenues are just slightly above 2005-2006 revenues (see chart below). If current economic trends continue³, counties will remain near or below 2005-2006 revenue levels until 2014.

The above chart⁴ also reflects actual property tax revenue numbers in comparison to the guidelines established by the Legislature in 2007. This chart clearly outlines that economic conditions and existing property tax changes will realign property tax revenues with the trend lines established by the Legislature.

This year 44 counties (67%) will collect less property tax revenue⁵ and 23 counties (33%) will collect more property tax revenue than in 2008-09. Of those 44 counties, 14 of them have reduced their tax revenue by greater than 10%. Of the 23 counties, only 2 will collect more than a 5% increase.

If you were to look at these numbers in comparison to the statutory rollback rate⁶, you would see that 52 counties are below the rollback rate, 6 counties met the rollback rate and 9 counties exceeded the rollback rate.

Florida’s strength is in her diversity and her counties paint that picture. While every county has made reductions over the last three years, each has done so in a manner that serves the unique community they represent.

The Florida Association of Counties (FAC) is committed to not only serving our members but providing our legislative partners with accurate and critical information needed to make ongoing tax decisions. It is clear that counties, just as the state, have been forced by many factors to make dramatic reductions and they have done so accordingly.

Footnotes for 2010 Property Tax Report