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Commission directs staff to draft abatement ordinances after TCDA recommends aid for Royy's Restaurant
Summary
Taylor County Development Authority recommended tax-abatement incentives for Royy's Restaurant, and after debate the county commission directed staff to prepare ordinance drafts (options include two years at 100% followed by five years at 50% or the TCDA-recommended 50% for five years) to advertise and schedule the public hearing.
Taylor County commissioners on June 16 discussed a tax-abatement package for Royy's Restaurant in Steen Hatchee after the Taylor County Development Authority (TCDA) presented a scored application under the county enterprise-zone pathway.
TCDA staff said the application qualified under enterprise-zone rules and recommended a 50% tax exemption for five years, but county legal and economic advisors reminded the board it may exercise discretion to recommend any exemption up to the statutory maximum (Florida Statute 196.195). TCDA emphasized the business was destroyed by Hurricane Helen and will be rebuilt above flood elevation, which the TCDA argued supports an incentive to encourage economic recovery and benefit local fisheries and tourism.
Commissioners debated alternatives. Some members urged a full abatement to accelerate reopening and investment; others worried about precedent and the county's revenue needs. Compromise proposals surfaced, including two years at 100% followed by five years at 50% (total seven years of phased abatement) or the TCDA recommendation of 50% for five years.
County legal staff and the TCDA recommended drafting multiple ordinance options so the commission can choose after public notice and a hearing. Commissioners moved and approved direction for staff to prepare draft ordinances and the required public-notice/advertising package, including the two-year-100%/five-year-50% hybrid and the TCDA-recommended 50%/five-year option.
Board members noted the TCDA scoring matrix and local economic-development strategy when weighing support; staff said the ordinance and advertisement process would follow standard public-notice timelines before a final vote.
Next steps: staff will prepare draft ordinances and public-notice language for the options discussed, publish the required advertisements, and return to the board for a public hearing and final action.
