It seems that not a day goes by without another locality telling us how they are broke and plan to raise taxes. Yesterday, I told you about the seemingly coordinated social media campaign against Amendment 3. I am going to keep beating this drum, because it’s important.
Cape Canaveral has been discussed on this page before. As I said then: The city of Cape Canaveral in Brevard County has a population of about 10,000 people and encompasses about 2 square miles. In the year 2000, population in the city was about 8,900 people, and it was about 8,000 people in 1990. That’s a growth rate of 0.5% per year over the past 36 years. In 2015, the city spent an amount nearly the same as its entire annual budget building a new city hall, even though it couldn’t even afford a police force.
This city has a population of only 10,000 people, but an annual budget of 40 million and no police department.
and they are broke. They have been running budget deficits for so long, they have spent all of their reserve funds.
They have been spending more than they take in for DECADES. This coming year, they have a $4 million budget shortfall. Rather than rein in out of control spending, this city is considering TRIPLING their tax rate to 10 mils at their September 15 meeting.
The current municipal property tax rate (millage rate) for the City of Cape Canaveral is 3.1429 mils. A family that lives in a modest $250,000 home would be paying $1400 more in taxes next year if this passes. In Florida, your total property tax bill stacks multiple authorities together: Brevard County Public Schools (~6.31 mils), Brevard County Commission (~2.86 mils), and other special water and navigation districts (~0.80 mils), plus the proposed 10 mils for Cape Canaveral would raise that family’s new tax bill from $2,635.65 per year for 2026 to $4,007.08 per year in 2027.
That’s why it’s important to take care of this. Since the local government’s can’t control their spending, the taxpayers need to do it for them.
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