Palm Beach Gardens on Tuesday voted 5-0 to oppose a proposed Palm Beach County municipal service taxing unit (MSTU) local bill for fire rescue and urged the county legislative delegation to reject the measure.

Mayor Tinsley introduced the discussion and said the proposed county bill would be a municipal taxing district measure affecting annexation and the delivery of fire services. "If passed, all other counties in Florida will have a freedom of choice but Palm Beach County, as it relates to annexation," she said, arguing the proposal conflicted with current annexation statutes and local comprehensive plan processes.

Several residents had raised the issue during public comment. Sal Faso, a Palm Beach Gardens resident, told the council he and neighborhood groups oppose the MSTU bill and asked the city to publicly oppose it and to monitor a separate Solid Waste Authority incinerator project. "We support you all if you would oppose the MSTU bill that seems to be floating," Faso said. Victor Martin, also a resident and a Carlton Oaks board director, told the council the new levy would impose a "broad financial burden" and would undercut regional resilience planning by creating a separate revenue stream for county services.

Council members voiced similar objections, citing possible double taxation for properties that already pay ad valorem taxes for municipal services and the potential erosion of local control. Vice Mayor Middleton said the proposal "removes local control" and could hurt operational efficiencies; another member said Palm Beach Gardens provides more automatic aid than it receives and that a unilateral change would be unfair to municipalities that already staff their own services.

The council adopted Resolution 85-2025 opposing the county bill and authorized Mayor Tinsley to present the city’s objection to the county commission and to the local legislative delegation. The motion carried 5-0.