St. Pete Beach commission keeps current property tax rate after budget workshop

Gavin Schmidt, the finance director for the City of St. Pete Beach, opened the commission's preliminary budget workshop by framing the meeting around property taxes and the city's options for the coming fiscal year. "Today, we are here for our proposed, preliminary budget workshop number 4... the story of ad valorem taxes," Schmidt said as he walked commissioners through how property tax dollars are distributed.

The commission reached a consensus to keep the current millage rate (option A, 3.09) rather than adopt the county-provided rollback rate or higher levy options. The city manager and finance staff told commissioners they must notify Pinellas County of the commission's preferred millage number by a July 29 deadline for use in the city's tentative budget materials.

Why it matters: the millage decision determines how much local revenue the city can commit to capital projects and a new resiliency fund while staff and commissioners also weigh other tools such as special assessment districts, revised user fees and parking-rate changes. City staff presented estimates showing different outcomes: the finance director said the rollback/alternative calculations would change annual city revenues by roughly $140,000 (rollback delta), a majority-vote increase would yield about $860,000 more annually for the city, and a two-thirds-vote maximum would add about $2.5 million annually. Over 10 years, staff projected roughly $8.5 million under the majority-vote scenario and $25.2 million under the two-thirds scenario for combined resiliency and CIP accounts.

Details and budget trade-offs

- Revenue breakdown and distribution: Schmidt reviewed how ad valorem…