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Consultant: Wakulla’s 2026 legislative requests went unfunded; property‑tax reform will drive future debate
Summary
CAS Governmental Services consultant Jim Spratt told the board Wakulla’s 2026 appropriation requests — including requests of $2.3M, $2.1M, $500K and $7.75M for several public works and sewer projects — were not funded; he urged the county to prepare for continued state‑level debates over property tax and growth management.
Jim Spratt of CAS Governmental Services briefed the commission on the 2026 legislative session and the county’s appropriation priorities. He listed specific requests submitted by the county that were not funded this session: $2,300,000 for a fire training burn tower and emergency vehicle operations course; $2,100,000 for engineering, site work and construction services for a fire rescue station at Shell Point Road; $500,000 to acquire two acres for a new fire rescue station; and $7,750,000 for engineering and sewer infrastructure design for the eastern portion of Wakulla County.
"Unfortunately, none of these requests were funded," Spratt said, while noting that the county has secured more than $10 million in legislative appropriations over the last four years. He urged commissioners to watch Amendment 3 and other property‑tax reform discussions closely, saying lawmakers and a forthcoming tax and budget reform commission will likely keep property‑tax policy in focus in 2027.
Spratt also reviewed other state grant programs that benefit local projects — including DEP water quality grants and FDOT SCRAP funding for county roads — and said Wakulla has been successful in prior years working with the county delegation.
