Wakulla County hosted a public workshop to discuss proposed legislation on the potential reduction or elimination of property taxes in Florida. Neighbors say the tax cut would help, but the county is still searching for alternate funding.
Many Wakulla County neighbors support cutting property taxes. Monday’s workshop looked over the current budget to visualize what potential cuts could be made. Watch the video below to hear more from neighbors and commissioners on the potential tax cuts. Wakulla County starts looking at its budget, should property taxes end in the Sunshine State.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Florida lawmakers have filed bills that could eliminate some property taxes across the state.
Monday, Wakulla County commissioners held a workshop to discuss how those changes could affect this area. Neighbors also made suggestions about potential cuts.
In the meeting, the county said the 2025-2026 budget, which is for general revenue, included about $35.4 million. About $18 million of that is funded by homestead and non-homestead property taxes.
Commissioner Ralph Thomas said the county is preparing for potential cuts.
“We’re trying to anticipate what may come out of the legislature this year. We know there are several bills that are tracking through the process in the House right now. So we’re not sure exactly what’s going to come out [of that],” said Thomas.
Several counties in Florida are fiscally constrained. That means 1 mill of the property tax generates less than $5 million in revenue.
Wakulla County generated around $2.5 million per mill for 2025/2026 property taxes, but many neighbors say they need the money they spend on those taxes.
“Everything is so tight, from the grocery bill to it’s gotten better, it’s tight,” said neighbor Sheila Dixon. “And people who are on benefits, are on social security, it’s even tighter. And to not have property taxes would really benefit those folks and the elderly, because every dollar counts. For some, that’s quite a big bill they have to pay.”
Others shared ideas to help make a tighter budget work.
“I think that they would be better off with a committee of business people who actually know what it’s like to run a business and make a profit, not that the county should make a profit, but at least break even,” said neighbor Kenneth Clizbe.
Commissioner Thomas says the county is looking for alternatives that do not include raising other taxes.
“Do you anticipate maybe an increase in sales tax or another tax that the citizens will have to compensate for?”
Thomas replied, “I personally hope not. You heard that from the majority of our commissioners tonight that we would prefer not to offset it. Because when when citizens are voting for a decrease in taxes, they’re not really, in my mind, they’re not really saying, well, you know, decrease my taxes here and increase it somewhere else. They’re wanting a net decrease, and so that should be the goal.”
Commissioner Thomas would like to remind everyone that property taxes are not changing any time soon, and this was just the beginning of community discussions.
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