Seminole County finalizes first property tax increase in 16 years 

The Seminole County Commission Tuesday night finalized its first tax increase in 16 years. 

Seminole County plans to increase its base property tax rate by 0.5 mills after facing a $35 million budget deficit. The final property tax rate would be 5.3751, a 10% increase over the previous fiscal year. 

The vote was 4-1, with Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari voting against the increase in the millage. Dallari voted in favor of the budget, though. 

“I don’t understand how you can vote for a budget you can’t fund,” said Commissioner Andria Herr to Dallari. “That would create a structural deficit and we don’t print money, so how does that work?”

“It’s a statement that the seven cities and us need to work better together,” Dallari said. 

“So you’re counting on us to vote yes,” Herr replied. 

“We can also go into reserves,” Dallari replied. 

Dallari, who represents the Oviedo area and much of east Seminole County, was the lone vote against the tentative budget rate back in August. Dallari also voted against the county’s gas tax and utility tax increases earlier this year.

The new millage rate translates to $537.51 for every $100,000 in taxable value that a home has. The increase in taxes would translate to $144 more per year for a home worth $300,000 in Seminole County, or $12 per month. 

The county heard from residents, mostly upset about the increase, during the two-hour meeting, which you can watch here. You can read resident reactions to the tax increases here. 

Seminole County has a $1.2 billion budget. You can read a copy of the budget here, and you can see the changes in budget for each department here.