2009 REVISED Property Tax Information
With property taxes as 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 have occurred the past three years.
Counties primarily provide 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 year alone counties have reduced revenue by more than $1.04 billion[1]. In three years, that reduction totals $1.82 Billion or 15.82%[2]. 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 below 2005-2006 revenues (see next chart). If current economic trends continue, counties will remain below 2005-2006 revenue levels until 2014[3].
The above chart also reflects actual property tax revenue numbers in comparison to the guidelines established by the Legislature in 2007[4]. 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 53 counties (79%) will collect less property tax revenue and 14 counties (21%) will collect more property tax revenue than in 2008-09. Of those 53 counties, 19 of them have reduced their tax revenue by greater than 10%. Of the 14 counties, only 1 will collect more than a 5% increase.
If you were to look at these numbers in comparison to the statutory aggregate rollback rate, you would see that 60 counties are below the aggregate rollback rate, 1 county met the aggregate rollback rate and 6 counties exceeded the aggregate 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.
*This report is based off of 56 counties final DR-422 form as provided to the Florida Department of Revenue. As of the publish date, 11 counties had not submitted that form and their numbers continue to be based of their preliminary property tax form DR-420. Those counties are: Brevard, Desoto, Duval, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okeechobee, Pinellas, and Saint Lucie.
2009 Preliminary Property Tax Report
If you would like to review the preliminary data released by FAC in October 2009, please
click here.
Historical Tax Data
2008
2007
[1] Data for all Florida counties is based off of their final property tax data submitted to the Florida Department of Revenue on Form-DR422.
[2] Historical data for County Ad Valorem Tax Levies provided by LCIR Florida County Tax Profile 1999-2008.
[3] Future estimates of County Ad Valorem Levies use a combination of data provided by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research for Change in Taxable Values and New Construction Values. Future estimates of County Ad Valorem Levies assume no change in the proposed "aggregate statewide millage rate" of 6.4060.
[4] Historical and future estimates of population and change in personal per capita income provided by data from the Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Historical and future estimates of the "capped" trend line were calculated by applying the combined change in population and per capita personal income against the total amount of taxes levied in the previous year. This calculation does not take into account any other factors used in the traditional calculation of millage rates and ad valorem tax levies. Additionally, the estimates do not take into account any other changes in Florida Ad Valorem law.