Several local government officials have voiced concerns over how a potential homestead tax expansion could affect budgets throughout Flagler County.
This time, it was Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly’s turn to criticize the proposal.
“What they did was screw around with the cities and the counties,” Staly said during a Palm Coast City Council meeting June 16. “And in my opinion, it was politics.”
Staly is referring to the Save Our Homes bill, which proposes an amendment to increase to $250,000 the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes in the state. The measure, if approved by Florida voters in the November ballot, would reduce local government revenue statewide by $4.6 billion next year, and $8.4 billion the following year, according to a USA Today – Florida report.
The sheriff, after presenting the numbers for his department’s FY 2026-27 budget, said he hopes that “with proper education, the voters will make the right decision.”
“So I would encourage you not to jump off the cliff yet, because I’m not sure we’re there,” Staly said.
The sheriff recognized that the proposal requires local governments prioritize funding for public safety, specifically “law enforcement,” and other “core services.”
“But there is no definition on what law enforcement is, so what gets added to it?” Staly asked, pointing to how several Florida sheriff’s offices incorporate emergency management, fire departments, corrections, EMS and others. “Is that law enforcement? It’s all over the place in the state of Florida.”
Palm Coast public safety budget relies on half of ad valorem revenue
The sheriff’s comments about the proposed property tax cut came after Councilman Ty Miller mentioned the “tough decisions” the board has to make in this year’s budget season.
Miller noted that more than 50% of the city’s ad valorem tax revenue is dedicated to public safety, including the sheriff’s office and fire department.
“I know they put in there that public safety shall not be unfunded … but if we are 70% homesteaded, for instance, and most of that being under the $250,000 (exemption), or a big chunk of that being under the $250,000 exemption, and we get less (than) 50% of our ad valorem, how do we not unfund that?”
If the city were to keep the current property tax rate (approximately 4.08) for the 2026-27 budget, it would receive $44.7 million in property tax revenues, according to staff projections.
“It’s going to be a tough decision going forward on how we figure that all out, but we will,” Miller said.
He reiterated his support for Staly and his department, calling public safety “the cornerstone of the community.”
“That first level is feeling safe in your home, and in the community, and then everything else comes from there, because then you can do business, go to work, take your kids to the park — all those things are built upon that,” Miller added.
Mayor Mike Norris also thanked Staly for his work and recognized that the city is under budgetary “constraints” this year.
“Everybody is feeling the pinch,” Norris said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Sheriff sounds alarm on potential effects of property tax cut
Reporting by Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
