CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) — An end to property taxes could mean the beginning of revenue losses for Wakulla County and other rural areas. Wakulla County will soon host a public workshop to discuss potential options if proposed reforms pass.
- The workshop will be on Monday December 8 at 7 pm.
- County leaders will address what property taxes pay for and the potential budget cuts that may accompany tax reforms.
- Watch the video below to learn more about the impact of property taxes in Wakulla County.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Ad Valorem tax, commonly known as property tax, may come to an end in the Sunshine State, but how would that affect rural counties?
Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas says if just homestead taxes were gone, the county would lose about $9 million, and it would mean cuts in services.
"This is something that we're very concerned about, the impact of the long-term capability to have the beautiful culture and community environment that you have in our rural counties," said Chris Doolin with Christian B Doolin and Associates.
Wakulla County plans on having a workshop about the potential impacts to the county should property taxes come to an end in the state.
In Wakulla County, the milage rate for county property taxes is 7.9000 mills, with one mill equaling $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value.
Property taxes pay for a variety of things such as law enforcement, fire services, library, parks and rec, roadways, bridges, etc. Most notably, they pay for our sheriff's office. Losing that revenue will affect how or if residents can receive these services.
"That's when you really start getting into the meat and potatoes, the things that we are required to provide to the citizens," said Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas. "Even if we eliminate just homestead property taxes, that's going to be affected; it's not just a matter of the discretionary items, we're going to get into the mandatory things."
A government relations firm representing the small county coalition says that many of the local beauty and events in rural counties like Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, and Madison counties would be gone.
"Community service organizations that get funded in any regard by the counties or the cities, they're not going to get funded," explained Doolin. "They're not going to have the money. So this is a major decision of community culture and community services. Vital services and our small counties are threatened now with the potential loss of critical revenue that they use for vital services and community programs."
Many legislators are for the change to help bring financial relief and bring these tax decisions to Floridians.
"We just want to make sure taxpayers are being respected," said Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to Thomas, this is why they are holding a public workshop.
To help residents be informed about this when they potentially have to vote on this in November.
Commissioner Thomas says they are preparing now to be ready as early as the November 2026 vote.
The workshop will be at the commission chambers on Monday, December 8 at around 7 pm or when the commission meeting ends.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
