Leaders of Pinellas County’s barrier island communities joined a growing chorus of opposition to a state proposal to eliminate property taxes in 2026, calling the plan catastrophic for local government.
At the Dec. 3 Barrier Island Governmental Council meeting, Belleair Bluffs Mayor Chris Arbutine, Commissioner Suzy Sofer and City Administrator Debra Sullivan urged fellow municipal leaders to educate residents about the proposal’s ramifications. Their message received universal support.
“This is the biggest assault of preemption anyone has ever seen in the state of Florida,” Belleair Beach Mayor Dave Gattis said.
Preemption occurs when a higher authority of law displaces the law of a lower authority during a conflict, according to the Legal Information Institute.
Gattis said the move to eliminate property taxes — which would appear on the 2026 ballot — represents “another step to take us all to be one generic community, and I am 100 percent against it.”
He said residents were “shocked” when he explained how removing property tax revenue would affect small towns with little commercial property like Belleair Beach.
“They were in shock to learn that all the certain things that made them decide to live where they live could all go away,” Gattis said. “I personally think this is the worst thing they could ever ask of a municipal government.”
Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector agreed.
“It’s going to have an impact on the services you expect,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have beautiful communities and great neighborhoods in Pinellas County, and I think it’s up to us to explain to our residents how the elimination of property taxes would be catastrophic for their communities.”
Determined to make residents aware of the ramifications of the elimination of state property taxes, Belleair Bluffs Commissioner Suzy Sofer, Mayor Chris Arbutine and City Administrator Debra Sullivan attended the latest Barrier Island Governmental Council meeting on Dec. 3, where their message received universal approval from their fellow local legislators.
Concerns raised with lieutenant governor
The Belleair Bluffs officials first raised concerns with Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins after a November luncheon at Belleair Country Club.
During the Nov. 17 commission meeting, Sofer and Arbutine shared concerns they expressed to Collins: that eliminating property taxes would severely hamper local governments’ ability to provide services residents expect, including fire protection, public safety and education, as well as amenities like holiday events and street signage.
“The lieutenant governor was very attentive to listening to me being very upset about the property tax elimination,” Sofer said, adding she wanted to meet with him “so he can explain to me how smaller municipalities will be able to recover the money from property taxes.”
Should any proposal to eliminate or reduce property taxes pass in November 2026, the state plans to provide funding for municipal needs. But Arbutine argued that would make Florida’s more than 400 cities and towns “wards of the state.”
“A vote to eliminate ad valorem is a vote to defund your city, and that vote will make you a ward of the state,” Arbutine said.
Arbutine, in his 25th year as mayor and considered the longest-tenured mayor in the state, told the Barrier Island group he was initially skeptical of the proposal.
“When I first heard about the elimination of ad valorem taxes, I said they can’t be thinking of doing that,” he said. “But then I attended an event with the lieutenant governor, and he was talking about getting rid of property taxes, and what struck me is there’s no answer. There’s no solution.”
Arbutine said Collins assured them the state has “extra money at the state level that we’ll give to you guys as you need it. But how is that going to work? It’s hard to believe they can afford that.”
Sofer questioned how the state would support 400 municipalities given impending budget deficits.
“I said, how are we going to find the money when from 2026 to 2027 we’re going to have a surplus of $3.8 billion, but in 2027-28, we go into a deficit of $1.5 billion, and after that we go into a bigger deficit of $1.6 billion because of all the projects in the state?” Sofer said. “Where is the money from property taxes going to come from if we’re already heading into a deficit?”
Sofer, a longtime Belleair Bluffs business owner who has served on the commission more than 16 years, called on fellow lawmakers to work together.
“I would love for us to band together and really get in the ears of the legislators and make them realize what a bad idea this entire plan is,” she said. “They don’t have a plan, and it’s a great way to go into debt.”
A ‘big storm coming’
Gattis said he will continue spreading the word despite negative feedback.
“My biggest concern is we’re going to lose control of our communities,” he said. “And even more concerning is that citizens are not aware of what they’re about to give up.”
Asked how realistic the elimination of property taxes is, Gattis replied: “We’re talking about Gov. DeSantis. Whenever he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it.
“So I believe something is going to be on the ballot. I’m continuing to speak to my community, and I’m going to rely on social media and the press because this story needs to be perpetuated over and over. This is the big storm coming.”
Sofer said she was pleased the Barrier Island Governmental Council leaders invited them and agreed with their position.
“I appreciated the invitation to speak in front of the BIG-C and was grateful for the supporting responses from the other BIG-C mayors,” she said via text Dec. 7. “They seem to share why the removal of property taxes is so concerning for the smaller cities, and they foresee the huge problems of having Tallahassee making all the local decisions for our cities and towns.”