A bill currently steamrolling through the Florida legislative session, if passed, could have serious consequences for the annual budget of the Monroe County School District.
The bill came as a surprise to most local school board members and school district staff, who discussed its problems and potential solutions at the Jan. 26 school board meeting.
“This just came up today,” Superintendent Theresa Axford told the board.
“We need some coordinated effort legislatively. All counties need to get together on this,” said Andy Griffiths, the board’s vice chair. “This is a terrible, terrible bill for Monroe County.”
Senate Bill 1194, entitled Local Tax Referenda Requirements, reads: “Referenda elections related to tourist development taxes, tourist impact taxes, and children’s services and independent special district property taxes (are) to be held on the day of a general election.”
Translation? If the bill passes, certain taxes relating to the school budget that need voter approval would have to be voted on in the November general election.
Griffiths explained to Keys Weekly that the school district levies a special half-mill tax that raises roughly $15 million a year for the school district. The half-mill tax must be reapproved by voters every four years, typically during the presidential preference primary election in March.
The proposed bill would require the school district to seek renewal of that half-mill only during November general elections, meaning the school district might have to forego that $15 million if it can’t get the item on a general election ballot in time.
Griffiths emphasized that if the bill passes and if the school board acts quickly, the half-mill tax approval could be “piggy-backed” onto the November 2022 ballot. If approved, as voters have consistently done for more than a decade, the roughly $15 million would continue to flow into the school budget unimpeded once it expires in 2024.
There is also a second tax for the schools that must be approved by voters. This special tax of .05 mill was approved by voters in 2018 after the Parkland school shooting. It generates $1.7 million to pay for security at the schools. This .05 mill is also approved by voters every four years, and it was set to be approved in an election in August 2022. If, per this new state bill, this vote is bumped to November 2022, the school district will lose its $1.7 million for the 2022-2023 school year.
Confused? So is the typical taxpayer. Even school board members and staff have to stop and think about how to handle the proposed bill.
“I don’t quite understand the rationale behind this, but it would put a kink into our plans as it stands now,” said Beverly Anders, executive director of finance and performance for the school district.
“They want more voter participation to vote on tax increases,” said Griffiths, explaining that the turnout is bigger in November. “So the legislation is well-intended.”
Griffiths believes that Monroe County can just about squeak through and save the budget, but he’s concerned about other school districts in the state. And he feels that the fact that the board was surprised by the state bill is a good reason to hire a lobbyist for the district to keep track of legislation that could affect it.
“I didn’t know until yesterday,” said board chair John Dick about the new bill. “But I’ve never been a big fan of lobbyists. They work for as many districts as they can, and districts have different needs and different desires. They can be at odds with each other.”
Stay tuned as the bill makes its way through the legislative committees and then, potentially, a full vote from both the Florida House and Senate.
