ST JOHNS, Fla. — The amount residents pay in property taxes will go up in St. Johns County. The county commission voted to make that happen early Tuesday evening.
Certainly, the county is growing and the local government sees the need to pay for roads and public safety.
The county administrator and staff proposed a 2025 fiscal year budget of $1.75 billion.
To make that happen, the county commission was faced with a decision to alter the millage rate.
They had two options. One option was to keep the millage rate the same. And because property values increased over the last year, the amount residents would pay in property taxes would go up.
The county commission voted 4-1 to approve this route, keeping the millage rate at 6.8.
The second option would have had the commission roll-back the millage rate to the 2024 level. It would pull in the same amount of property taxes that it did last year, and property owners would not have seen an increase in property taxes. The county commission did not choose this option.
Reverting to the 2024 roll-back millage rate would equal $25 million less than what the county staff was counting on in the proposed 2025 budget.
County leaders said the 2025 budget will include money for roads and hiring new firefighters and public safety personnel.