Where Do Property Taxes Go?

Property taxes generated by the countywide tax rate represent 67 percent of the county’s general fund revenues. Property taxes help support programs and services that do not have offsetting revenues or pay for themselves. Examples include law enforcement, social services, parks and environmental programs.

Other tax rates controlled by the county include Emergency Medical Services and fire districts in unincorporated areas.

Your Tax Bill Belongs to Taxing Authorities

Property taxes are collected from more sources than just Pinellas County Government. In fact, the part of your tax bill that is set by the county is about 24 percent of your total bill depending on where you live. Separate taxing authorities control the other parts of the bill and Pinellas County government has no control over those rates. Roll over the graphic to the right. It illustrates this breakdown.

Details of your property tax are shown on your annual TRIM notice information.

• Learn more about taxing authorities.

Millage

When property values increase and the taxing rate or “millage” stays the same, some homeowners will pay more taxes for a comparable home than a neighbor who has been exempted for years under Homestead Exemption and the Save Our Homes cap.

There is no proposed change for FY2016 to the General Fund countywide millage rate of 5.2755 mills, nor is there a proposed change to the unincorporated area millage rate of 2.0857 mills.

What is millage? One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. It’s how the taxing authorities calculate your property tax. You see this explained each year on your TRIM notice . The millage rate set by the county only applies to 26 percent of your property tax bill. When the county raises or lowers the millage, that change applies only to the county's portion of your tax bill.

Want to know more about millage rates? Visit the Pinellas County Tax Collector website.