Currently, there are two property bills gaining legislative traction in Tallahassee which if approved by Florida voters this fall would benefit homesteaders of which there are 111,354 properties in Manatee County and homesteaders who are 65 and older of which there are 61,058 properties.
The first bill (HJR209) would provide an additional $100,000 exemption/reduction in assessed value and according to recent reports is ready to go before the full House once the legislative session begins Jan.13. This bill would save homesteaders $664.00 annually and reduce Manatee County property tax revenues by $75.4 million representing a 17.2% reduction based on 2025 property tax revenues of $439.4 million.
The second bill (HJR 205) which eliminates property taxes for homesteaders 65 and over would result in an average savings of $1665.00 per homestead. This measure would reduce Manatee County property tax collections by $101.6 million resulting in a 23.1% reduction in property tax revenues to Manatee County based on total 2025 property tax collection of $439.4 million.
Another idea for property tax reduction is a .5 millage cut from 6.6435 per $1,000 valuation to 6.16435. This initiative would come from the Manatee County Commission and is completely independent of anything proposed in Tallahassee. This initiative would save homesteaders $132.00 in 2026 and reduce property tax collection by $14.6 million. Since Manatee County surpluses have averaged $200 million per year since 2017 and current unrestricted cash as of the latest interim financial report is $790.2 million, a .5 millage reduction is financially feasible for 2026.
Mike Meehan, CFA, MBA
Manatee County
2 comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.
rayfusco68
This is very interesting, I can't help but remember the article in the Bradenton Times about reallocating the $5,000,000 grant to install a sewage lift station in Terra Ceia. The reason give for not using the money for the lift station was that it would cost more than the grant. Yet, the County spent $9,500,000 to install a sewage lift station in Cortez. With surpluses averaging $200,000,000 a year you would think that they could have used the grant and thrown in a few bucks to eliminate an obvious health issue for the residents of Terra Ceia.
Wednesday, January 7 Report this
kmskepton
And how many of our “over 65” crowd are wealthy snow-birds? I would be in favor of it, if it were based on income, not just age. The rich get richer by legislation- it’s how our country works.
Friday, January 9 Report this