First look at Pinellas budget has lower tax rate, raises for county employees

An early version of Pinellas County’s next budget proposes lowering the property tax rate for the third time in four years while also meeting goals on infrastructure, beach renourishment, public safety and short-term rental enforcement.

The $4.3 billion preliminary budget, highlights of which were shown to commissioners at their meeting Tuesday, also includes base salary increases of $600 and raises of 4.25% for county employees.

With $3.3 billion for county operations and another $1 million for capital projects, it would be a half-billion dollars larger than the 2024 budget. The 2025 fiscal year begins in October.

Last year, a budget crunch caused by unfunded state mandates led commissioners to keep the previous year’s tax rate of $4.7398 per $1,000 of assessed taxable value. But with a smoother outlook this year, county officials have suggested reducing that rate to $4.5947 per $1,000.

Though homeowners’ tax bills will likely be higher than last year overall as property values continue to climb, County Administrator Barry Burton said efforts to reduce tax rates in recent years have a notable effect for residents.

“The cumulative impact of that is real money,” he told commissioners Tuesday. “We’re now taxing $87 million less than had we kept the rate the same over the last 4 years. That’s money back in taxpayers’ pocket.”

Eight separate, smaller tax rates — one funding emergency medical services for the county, the rest going toward fire services in special districts — would also drop, while 13 others hold steady. Some residents could see a new tax of 25 cents per $1,000 that would fund youth sports and recreational facilities in unincorporated Seminole.

The proposed budget also would put more than $42 million toward bridge and road maintenance, which Burton said reflected the County Commission’s commitment to maintain public infrastructure now rather than pay more for larger projects later.

Burton also pointed to funding for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s new behavioral-healthcare coordination model, Care About Me. And the county will continue to fund beach renourishment through its tourist development tax fund, a process it began this year. A years-long standoff with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has historically performed the beach work, has no end in sight.

Commissioners and county staff will continue to shape the budget, and public hearings will take place on Sept. 5 and 19.

“We have plenty of time, and I think that’s the message,” Burton said. “We’re just beginning the process.”