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On Sept. 24, Pinellas County Commissioners passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that lowers the main county property tax rate to its lowest level in 38 years, the county said.
The new General Fund rate is 4.4989 mills, the lowest since 1989. It is “less than 1% above the full rollback rate,” the county said in a news release.
The board has cut the rate in five of the past six years.
What Are Mills and a Rollback Rate?
A mill is a way to measure property tax. One mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. At 4.4989 mills, the owner of a home with $300,000 in taxable value would pay about $1,350 in county General Fund taxes.
The rollback rate is the tax rate that would bring in the same amount of money as the year before from existing property. When home values go up, local governments can lower the rate and still collect the same total. A rate above the rollback rate brings in more money than last year. A rate below it brings in less. Pinellas County’s new rate sits just above that line.
According to the news release, rising costs and “tens of millions of dollars in unfunded state and federal mandates” made the work harder. The board and county staff spent nine months reviewing spending, looking for other sources of money, and making cuts.
“We took a hard look at every area of County government,” Commission Chair Dave Eggers said in the news relese. He said the goal was to find “responsible ways to reduce costs” and ease the burden on residents.
What Was Cut
The county listed these reductions in its release:
- It cut dozens of jobs.
- It ordered each department that reports to the County Administrator to trim spending, for a total of more than $16 million.
- It lowered funding for roads, bridges and sidewalks by $1.5 million.
- It cut money, or found other funding, for programs such as homelessness help and sexual assault victim services. Human Services lost more than $1 million.
Offices Outside the Commission’s Direct Control
The Sheriff’s Office gets the largest share of the General Fund. It trimmed its first request by $7 million, including 10 empty positions. Even so, its budget grew 4.7% because costs went up.
The Clerk’s Office cut $297,000. Business Technology Services cut $3.1 million, including five positions.
Parks and Parking
Commissioners kept funding for the Weedon Island and Shell Key preserves for one more year after many residents spoke against cutting it. To help pay for services, the county changed parking rates at its three beach parks and at boat ramps. Officials expect that change to bring in about $3 million each year, the release said.
What Stays Funded
County officials said the budget still “protects life, health and safety.” The General Fund pays for the Medical Examiner, the courts, and the county’s partners in the justice system, along with the Sheriff’s Office.
The county will keep paying for road, bridge, sidewalk, and drainage projects, as well as traffic control. Its Capital Improvement Plan puts life-safety projects first. It also backs projects that help existing buildings and structures last longer, and projects that have their own or outside funding.
The release said the budget “maintains commitments to beach nourishment, coastal management, surface-water improvements, environmental protection, and hurricane readiness.” It also supports Pinellas Recovers, a federally funded program that helps people hit by Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.
What The Property Tax Rate Means for Your Bill
The county’s share makes up under one-third of the average property tax bill, the county said. The rest goes to other groups the commission does not control, including the school district, cities and towns, and the transit authority.
The new fiscal year started Oct. 1.
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