Sebring council adopts annual fire assessment at 35.5% of maximum, estimating $1.7 million revenue

Sebring City Council on Aug. 5 adopted Resolution 2025‑12 to set the city’s annual fire assessment at 35.5% of the maximum allowable rate.

The council opened a public hearing and heard from fire staff, who said the preliminary rate resolution approved at the June 17 meeting set the assessment at 35.5% of the maximum. Staff walked council through Exhibit A, listing category rates under the proposed increase: residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and nursing home rates were provided along with an estimated net revenue figure of $1,705,360. Fire staff said the change represents an increase from this year’s adopted rate of 29.3%.

“Currently residential is $1.65 per residence,” staff said when showing the adopted 2024–25 figures; the proposed increase was presented as raising the residential assessment to the 35.5% level and listing the projected revenue change. After staff presentation, the council closed the hearing; no members of the public spoke in opposition.

A council member moved to approve the final assessment resolution; after a second, the clerk called the roll and the motion passed by unanimous roll call. The resolution will take effect as provided in the document. The council did not identify any amendments to the assessment during the hearing.

What happens next: the assessment will be implemented under the adopted resolution and reflected on applicable billing or assessment schedules; staff estimated the gross/net revenue figure during the hearing but did not enumerate parcel‑level impacts during the meeting.