Sarasota County adopts final FY2026 millage rates and budget; commissioner objects to use of reserves
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Summary
The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 24 adopted final millage rates and the county’s FY2026 budget, approving a $2.524 billion county budget and an aggregate millage rate of 3.8512 mills. Commissioner Knight said he would vote for the millage but oppose the budget, citing reliance on reserves and rising costs.
The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners adopted final millage rates and the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget at a public hearing on Sept. 24, approving a $2,524,495,075 county budget and a final aggregate millage rate of 3.8512 mills.
The action came at the board’s second public hearing on the FY2026 budget. The board also adopted a countywide millage rate of 3.3842 mills and a general operating millage of 3.2273 mills. The board read the related resolutions into the record as required by Florida law before taking votes.
Commissioner Knight said he would support the motion on the millage but not the budget, saying the budget relied on $23,000,000 of fund balance and that operating costs — including increases in the Sheriff’s Office budget — were rising too quickly. “I will support the motion when it comes on the millage rate. I will not support the motion on our budget,” Commissioner Knight said.
Under the resolutions presented, the final aggregate millage rate adopted is 3.8512 mills, a 3.35% increase over the previous year’s aggregate rollback rate of 3.7262. The countywide millage rate and the component rates (including specific ad valorem district millages and voted debt service millages for projects such as the Legacy Trail extension) were read aloud item by item and entered into the record.
The final budget totals $2,524,495,075 and is organized into two sections required by the Sarasota County Charter: Section 1 totals $2,003,687,394 and Section 2 totals $520,807,681. The county clerk confirmed that a newspaper advertisement summarizing the adopted tentative budget ran Sept. 19 in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and that detailed fund schedules were made part of the official record.
The board conducted a roll-call vote on the millage resolution; each present commissioner voted in favor. The board then voted to adopt the final county budget. Commissioner Knight had earlier declared his intent to oppose the budget, citing use of reserves and increases in operating costs; the record reflects that the budget vote passed with supporting votes from the other commissioners present. Commissioner Cutsinger was absent.
The board also read and adopted final millage rates for numerous ad valorem lighting and service districts across the county, including rates and rollback comparisons for districts such as Siesta Key Village PID and various neighborhood lighting districts. The meeting record lists adopted final millages and their percentage changes from rollback rates for each district.
The clerk and staff repeatedly noted that the hearing and the resolutions were being conducted under the requirements of Chapters 129 and 200 of the Florida Statutes and the Sarasota County Charter. The board’s adoption concludes the county’s FY2026 budget process; the fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2025, and ends Sept. 30, 2026.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing on the millage rates or the final budget.
The board adjourned the budget portion of the hearing and proceeded to other agenda items, including mosquito control budgets and the capital improvement program.
