{"id":50312,"date":"2025-11-17T20:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T20:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/50312\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T20:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T20:44:08","slug":"county-monitoring-big-property-tax-discussion-coming-to-tallahassee-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/50312\/","title":{"rendered":"COUNTY MONITORING BIG PROPERTY TAX DISCUSSION COMING TO TALLAHASSEE IN 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"a<\/a>The Florida State Capitol. State legislators will convene for a 60-day session on March 4. CONTRIBUTED <\/p>\n

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recently approved the county\u2019s 2026 state legislative agenda. Lisa Tennyson, the county\u2019s legislative affairs director, outlined priorities for the upcoming legislative session, which will start Jan. 13.<\/p>\n

The county said the priorities reflect its ongoing dedication to preserving the unique environment, economy and quality of life in the Keys, while also addressing challenges related to insurance affordability, property tax stability and flood resilience.<\/p>\n

Highlights include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Property tax monitoring: Monitor any state or executive proposals that could reduce or eliminate property taxes, which serve as the county\u2019s most reliable funding source for essential services like law enforcement, emergency response, and public health.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Water quality protection: Advocate for a $20 million appropriation under the Florida Keys Stewardship Act and continued funding for Monroe County\u2019s vessel pump-out program and other water quality projects that protect coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and canal systems vital to the Florida Keys\u2019 tourism and fisheries economy.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Land acquisition (Florida Forever): Support the continuation of the $5 million Florida Forever set-aside through 2036 for land acquisition to retire development rights and protect environmentally sensitive areas. The county is also requesting $2.5 million in appropriations for targeted land acquisition to mitigate military encroachment and support affordable housing initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Affordable and workforce housing: Pursue state legislation to exempt Habitat for Humanity from construction performance bond requirements on county-leased land and seek authorization for property tax relief for long-term workforce rental properties.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Wind and hurricane insurance affordability: Advocate for the restoration of the 10 percent annual rate cap on Citizens Property Insurance, an increase in coverage limits to $1.5 million, and the rollback of flood insurance mandates for properties outside designated flood zones.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Resilience and flooding: Continue to secure Resilient Florida grant funding for county road elevation and flood mitigation projects that address tidal and storm-related flooding, which threatens homes, infrastructure and public safety.<\/p>\n

\u2022 School readiness program eligibility: Support legislation to raise the income eligibility threshold for Monroe County families, allowing more working parents to access early education opportunities that prepare children for school success.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Area of Critical State Concern and ROGO protection: Advocate for exemptions to state land-use preemptions that could override Monroe County\u2019s Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO), comprehensive plan, or environmental protections that safeguard the Keys\u2019 fragile ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonroe County has benefited greatly from the leadership of our delegation members, Senator (Ana Maria) Rodriguez and Representative (James) Mooney, and the ongoing support from the Legislature and the governor\u2019s office. Our successful collaboration with state leaders enables us to continue preserving the uniqueness of the Florida Keys and our unmatched environment,\u201d said Tennyson. \u201cThis year\u2019s agenda continues that partnership, addressing emerging issues and reinforcing our commitment to the sustainable future of the Florida Keys.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information is at www.monroecounty-fl.gov\/legislativeaffairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Florida State Capitol. State legislators will convene for a 60-day session on March 4. CONTRIBUTED The Monroe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-50312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}