If you live in Bay County, you’ve felt it: the squeeze between rising valuations, stubborn insurance premiums, and a cost of living that doesn’t take a day off. Even when officials say “we didn’t raise the rate,” the bill on your kitchen table can still climb. That’s not your imagination—it’s how the system works. And it’s exactly why we’re launching the Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability petition in Bay County.

This isn’t about burning bridges with local government. It’s about building a better one—one that tells the truth plainly, spends responsibly, and respects the people footing the bill: you.

The problem we’re solving—plain and simple

Let’s start with a local reality check. For 2025, Bay County’s county general millage rate sits at 5.4362, with additional millages for county fire, mosquito control, schools, and various municipalities layered on top. These are the rates that, combined with your property’s assessed value and exemptions, become your tax bill.

Now here’s the kicker: even when the “rate” stays the same, your taxes can go up if your assessed value rises. In September 2024, local officials announced the county millage would remain unchanged for the upcoming fiscal year—yet the overall budget still grew by 9.51%. Translation: the government collected more because rising values expanded the tax base, even at the same rate. That’s how “no tax increase” headlines turn into larger checks from homeowners.

Zooming out: Florida as a whole has a relatively low average effective property tax rate compared to the U.S. average—roughly 0.79%–0.82% depending on methodology. But that’s a state average; your community’s mix of millages and values can push your real-world bill higher. In Bay County, the median effective burden has been estimated around 1.03%–1.10%, with Panama City Beach a touch higher. If you’ve felt your bill rising faster than your paycheck, you’re not alone.

So what’s going on under the hood?

Why your bill keeps climbing: the TRIM fine print

Florida uses a “TRIM” process—Truth in Millage—designed to make budgeting transparent. A key term is the rollback rate: the rate that would bring in the same revenue as last year (excluding new construction). If your local board adopts a rate above rollback, it’s effectively a tax increase, even if they kept the nominal millage “flat.” That’s the honest baseline taxpayers deserve to hear every time: How does this year’s rate compare to the rollback rate?

Our petition is built around reinforcing that truth—and putting firm guardrails around how fast revenues can grow.

The rules of the game: Save Our Homes and the 10% non-homestead cap

Florida does protect many homeowners. The Save Our Homes constitutional amendment caps annual increases in assessed value for homesteaded properties at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. It’s a lifesaver for long-time owner-occupants—but it resets when the home sells, which is why newcomers can face “sticker shock.” Portability helps you transfer a portion of that protection to a new Florida homestead, but the reset still matters in fast-growing markets.

For non-homestead properties (think rentals, second homes, small businesses with real estate), Florida caps annual assessed value increases at 10% (school millage excluded). That’s still a big jump in a single year, and improvements or ownership changes can affect the cap. If you’re a small landlord trying to keep rents reasonable while taxes leap 10%, you feel that pressure instantly.

Bottom line: the structural rules can still let local government collect substantially more from a growing tax base—even when “the rate didn’t change.”

Our solution: The Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability Act (Bay County petition)

We’re rallying residents, small-business owners, and community leaders around a focused, practical package. This is not performative outrage. It’s a constructive blueprint any responsible county or city can adopt.

1) Rollback-first truth in taxation

• Require every board (county, cities, special districts) to present the rollback rate prominently in every budget and hearing notice—alongside the proposed rate—and disclose the precise percentage increase in taxes if adopted. Florida law already ties millage adoption to the rolled-back rate; we want the plain-English truth front-and-center in local practice.

2) A real cap on revenue growth

• Limit year-over-year ad valorem revenue growth (excluding new construction) to population growth + inflation unless a two-thirds supermajority votes to exceed it and clearly states the purpose and duration. No more “silent windfalls” from rising values becoming permanent baselines.

3) Automatic rate adjustments to hold families harmless

• If rising values push revenues above the cap, automatically roll down the millage so that the typical homesteaded household’s bill doesn’t leap simply because the market is hot. This preserves predictability for families on fixed incomes and reduces the incentive to ride value spikes.

4) A taxpayer-first budget process

• Require zero-based or priority-based budgeting every cycle, with an online “taxpayer receipt” showing where each $100 of property tax goes (public safety, roads, parks, debt service).
• Mandate three written quotes (or a public RFP) for capital purchases over a set threshold and publish all contracts in a searchable database.
• Create a “rainy-day and relief” reserve: when revenues exceed the cap, the surplus automatically flows to rate stabilization or one-time property tax relief—not recurring spending.

5) Senior, veteran, and disability protections

• Launch a proactive outreach program to ensure every eligible resident accesses homestead, senior, veteran, widow(er), and disability exemptions—and track utilization publicly so no one is left behind.

6) Small-business sanity

• Publish a non-homestead impact note with every millage proposal, showing the effect on mom-and-pop landlords and storefronts. When school millage is excluded from the 10% cap, say so plainly and quantify the real impact.

7) Honest Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs)

• Sunset or re-authorize CRAs on a fixed schedule with a public performance audit. If a CRA diverts millions, taxpayers deserve proof it’s delivering measurable value—and that those dollars wouldn’t better stabilize core services or reduce millage pressure.

Why now?

Because waiting turns one-year windfalls into multi-year baselines. That’s how budgets quietly ratchet up over time. In 2024, Bay County showed how budgets can expand even without lifting the nominal rate. If we don’t tether growth to real-world ability to pay, households—especially new families and retirees—absorb the shock.

And this isn’t just a Bay County story. Across Florida, rapid growth and changing markets put pressure on local budgets. Statewide comparisons may show Florida as tax-friendly—but averages don’t pay your bill. Local policy does.

Clearing up common questions

“If Florida is low-tax, why does my bill feel high?”

Because effective burden depends on your local mix of millages, your assessed value, and exemptions. State averages around 0.79%–0.82% don’t negate that some localities—like parts of Bay County—run closer to ~1.0–1.1% in practice. And if your assessed value jumps, a flat rate can still produce a bigger bill.

“Isn’t Save Our Homes protecting me?”

Yes—if you’re homesteaded and staying put. Your assessed value increase is capped at 3% or CPI (lower of the two). But selling resets your cap, and non-homestead properties can rise 10% a year (school millage excluded). Policy should recognize these realities and avoid leaning on newcomers and small businesses as the default pressure valve.

“What’s the rollback rate again?”

It’s the honest line in the sand: the millage that would raise the same dollars as last year, excluding new construction. Setting rates above rollback is a tax increase, no matter what the nominal millage was last year. Our petition makes that clarity non-negotiable.

What success looks like

• Predictable bills for families and retirees, not roller-coasters tied to housing cycles.
• Transparent budgets that start at zero, justify every dollar, and state tradeoffs clearly.
• Stable, pro-growth economics where small businesses can plan and invest without fearing a surprise tax spike.
• Trust rebuilt between taxpayers and local government because the numbers are honest, the caps are real, and the priorities are clear.

When a county sets the example, neighboring cities often follow. When a county publishes a clean taxpayer receipt, school boards feel pressure to match that clarity. Good policy scales.

How you can help—today

1. Sign the petition. Add your name to bring Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability to the top of the local agenda. We’re asking county and municipal leaders to adopt these standards in the budget they control—this year, not someday.
2. Share your story. Tell us how property taxes have affected your family or business—especially if you’re a new homeowner absorbing a post-sale reset, a retiree on a fixed income, or a local landlord working to keep rents stable despite rising costs.
3. Show up and speak up. At TRIM hearings and budget workshops, ask two simple questions:
   • What is the rollback rate this year?
   • How much above rollback is the proposed rate—stated as a percentage increase in taxes?
     If the answer isn’t crystal clear, that’s a problem our petition is designed to fix. 

A final word: accountability is not animosity

We respect the work of first responders, teachers, and public servants. Smart reform protects essential services; it doesn’t undermine them. Caps tied to population + inflation keep government aligned with community capacity. Automatic rate adjustments prevent runaway bills during hot markets. Zero-based budgeting and competitive purchasing stretch each dollar further. And clear TRIM disclosures deliver the plain truth without spin.

That’s responsible governance.

Bay County deserves a tax system that’s honest, disciplined, and built for families—not for the convenience of status-quo budgeting. The mechanics of Florida property taxation aren’t simple, and we won’t pretend they are. But the values we bring to the table are: truth, restraint, and respect for the people who pay the bills.

If you share those values, stand with us. Sign the petition. Help us turn a better way into Bay County’s way.