Sanibel Fire adopts tentative rollback rate and $30.85m budget

Sanibel Fire and Rescue District has adopted a tentative property tax rate of 1.3016 mills and a tentative fiscal 2027 budget of $30,853,878.

The Sanibel-Captiva Islander reported the September 9 decisions. The district's signed millage resolution and budget resolution confirm the rate, budget and hearing schedule.

What the rolled-back rate means

The district's budget table lists its current rate as 1.3915 mills. The tentative rate is 0.0899 mill lower.

One mill equals $1 for each $1,000 of taxable value. If a property's taxable value does not change, the rate reduction equals $8.99 per $100,000, $26.97 at $300,000 and $53.94 at $600,000.

The signed resolution calls 1.3016 mills the rolled-back rate and states that it represents a 0.00 percent increase in ad valorem taxes compared with that benchmark. In Florida budgeting, the rolled-back rate is designed to produce the same levy from existing property as the prior year. It does not guarantee that every owner's bill will be unchanged because a property's taxable value can move.

The decision is not final

The $30,853,878 spending plan and the 1.3016-mill rate are tentative. The district scheduled its final budget and millage hearing for September 21 at 5:01 p.m. at its temporary administrative office, 1456 Periwinkle Way, Suite A.

The decision applies to property inside the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District. It is separate from the City of Sanibel's own operating and debt service property tax rates.