Bradford County board reaches consensus on $167 maximum fire-assessment rate after workshop

Bradford County Commissioners and fire officials on March 18 agreed in principle to set a maximum fire-assessment rate that would equal a 50% recovery assumption — a $167 annual residential cap, $0.11 per square foot for commercial properties and a $47 fee for vacant parcels — and to proceed with the formal notice and hearing process necessary to place the assessment on the tax roll.

The fire-rescue presentation, delivered by Bradford County Fire Chief Ben Carter, outlined how the department reached its current staffing and apparatus shortfalls, the county’s response times and how closing stations would affect residents’ Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classifications and insurance premiums. Chief Carter also described which property types would be charged and the county’s grievance process for disputed assessments.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they want a permanent, dedicated revenue source for fire and emergency medical services rather than relying on one-time unassigned fund balance transfers. Staff and the consultant from Stantec emphasized legal noticing requirements and timing: once an initial assessment resolution is adopted, the county must mail property-specific notices and allow a 20-day period before a public hearing on final rates.

Chief Carter described the operational shortfalls that drove the assessment proposal. He said the county’s staffing has fallen — from 60 full‑time equivalents to 56 after retirements and position changes — and that the department removed its fifth ambulance in 2022 when vacancies left apparatus under‑staffed. “Quite frankly, we were drowning. We were underwater,” Carter said of the department’s earlier staffing levels. He cited NFPA guidance (NFPA 1710) that recommends 16 firefighters for a typical 2,000-square-foot residential structure, and said Bradford County can generally provide seven. Carter gave a 2024 call summary: 7,536 incidents handled countywide (an average 21 calls per day), 1,223 fire-related calls, 32 structure fires with one civilian fatality, 259 motor-vehicle collisions producing 595 patients, 71 trauma alerts and 74 cardiac arrests. He said Bradford County’s return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate following resuscitation attempts was 39%, above a quoted state average of 24%.

Carter described the county’s current average response time as 9 minutes, 18 seconds and average on-scene time as about 19 minutes, 40 seconds. He showed maps of five-mile coverage circles around stations and explained that closing a station would move many properties from a Class 5 or 5X ISO rating to Class 10, which can raise homeowner premiums materially. Using a local insurer’s quote for a wood-frame $400,000 dwelling with a $1,000 deductible, Carter said a move from Class 5 to Class 10 would increase the annual premium from about $6,798 to about $8,745.

On how the assessment would be applied, Carter and Stantec consultant Jeff Rackley explained that residential charges are per dwelling unit as listed under the county property appraiser’s “building characteristics”; outbuildings, barns, garages and other “extra features” are not assessed unless they are separately listed as livable dwelling units. Vacant contiguous parcels under one parcel identification would be charged per parcel unless classified as agricultural (AG) and thus AG-exempt. RV parks and similar facilities are treated like commercial properties under Florida statute and are assessed based on assigned square footage or permanent RV spaces.

The board discussed several rate options. One commissioner suggested starting at a 25% recovery and reassessing after a year; others argued the 50% rate would get the department to a sustainable level faster and allow future reduction in millage. Rackley and other staff explained that the initial assessment resolution sets a maximum rate for the mailed notices; the board may choose a lower final rate at adoption, but cannot increase the rate above the mailed maximum without re-noticing every property owner.

Public comment included remarks from Jean Melvin, mayor of the Town of Brooker, who said she had canvassed residents, particularly people on fixed incomes, and urged the board to adopt a lower rate. “These folks on fixed incomes are struggling,” Melvin said, urging consideration of an $84 rate. Chief Carter and staff described an existing grievance process: property owners who believe a structure has been mischaracterized can call the fire marshal or fire‑rescue staff; the county will review the property-appraiser card and, if necessary, perform a site visit and adjustment.

After discussion of timing and legal requirements for notices and hearings, staff said they will adjust the schedule to allow adequate mailing time and recommended the board adopt an initial assessment resolution signaling the maximum 50% rate so municipalities can act. The board did not take a formal vote at the workshop; the chair summarized that a board consensus had been reached to set the assessment maximum at the 50% level and to proceed with the required notice and hearing steps.

Ending: Staff and the consultant will refine the mailing and hearing timeline and present formal assessment resolutions at upcoming hearings; commissioners scheduled another workshop for May 6 and cited a September 15 statutory deadline as the outside date to adopt final assessments for the year.