Palm Bay considering new property tax hike to fund police, fire as city falls behind
PALM BAY, Fla. - Palm Bay is falling behind in public safety, so city leaders are considering a new property tax hike for homeowners.
The new fees would help fund police and fire departments across the city.
FOX 35 spoke with homeowners who say public safety is essential, but they’re already struggling with inflation and their expenses. Many aren’t sure they can vote for higher taxes right now.
"Right now, dollars are hard to come by," said Dan Lorenzo.
"There’s a lot of people right now that are out of their homes right now that can’t afford their mortgage, can’t afford their rent, can’t afford their taxes, and they’re homeless," said Cheryl Symmes.
"The middle class pays for it again," added Bobby Woodley.
People aren’t sure they want to or can pay more for public safety in Palm Bay.
The city says they can’t afford everything when property taxes are capped because of the city charter.
The population has grown 16% in the last five years.
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More than 7,000 new residents moved in just last month, and U-Haul says Palm Bay is the third fastest-growing city in the nation.
"Palm Bay’s a big city," said Lorenzo. "They need more coverage."
Adding coverage could mean higher taxes for homeowners.
The city’s proposing a tax hike dedicated to public safety.
At the rate they're considering, a home assessed at $400,000 would have an extra $800 added to its current property taxes.
The city says this would raise around $15 million annually to fund police and fire.
"We do need better police and fire protection, so I would probably say we really don’t have a choice if we want to be safe," said Lorenzo, shocked by the rapid growth.
The police department currently ranks last in Brevard County regarding the police officers-to-resident ratio.
Statewide, the department is almost dead last in terms of staffing, at 239 out of 248 police departments.
The potential tax hike is being discussed even as there are two open seats on the council right now, and current candidates say that’s a problem.
"If we need to talk about this, we need to talk about this with a full council and not just three of five. That’s just ridiculous," said City Council Seat 3 candidate David Kearns.
Voters at home will have the final say on this issue. If the council moves to add this to the November ballot, residents will have to decide if they can afford more fees for public safety.