Volusia County Council Sets Preliminary Tax Rates for FY 2026-27

The Volusia County Council on Tuesday approved preliminary tax rates for the Fiscal Year 2026-27. The vote to approve the rates was 6-1, with only District 5 Councilman David Santiago dissenting. Though they've approved a set of tax rates to move forward with, nothing has yet been set in stone. The County Council will hold hearings in September before finalizing the rates for the next fiscal year. In the meantime, notices will be issued to property owners next month. Tax rates were set in ten areas at Tuesday's meeting. Each area has its own millage rate. Each rate is equivalent to the dollar amount taxed per $1,000 of property value. Five of the ten taxes apply to residents across Volusia County, while the other five are assessed only to residents of particular areas. General Fund - 3.2007 (all residents) Fire Services - 3.5990 Municipal Service District - 1.6956 Law Enforcement Fund - 1.5994 (all residents) Library Fund - 0.3697 (all residents) Volusia Forever - 0.2000 (all residents) Volusia ECHO - 0.2000 (all residents) East Volusia Mosquito Control - 0.1573 Ponce de Leon Inlet & Port District - 0.0641 Silver Sands-Behune Beach MSD - 0.0099 The overall Volusia County budget for FY 2026-27 was presented by county staff at approximately $1.1 billion. In the aggregate, county residents would not see a rate increase under these preliminary tax rates. They may see a higher tax bill overall depending on the appreciation of property values. Volusia County Chief Financial Officer Ryan Ossowski addressed the County Council. In his presentation, he informed the Council that property taxes account for 42.8% of county revenue. That revenue hangs in the balance of Amendment 3, a legislature-approved ballot measure to phase out most property taxes over the next several years. That measure would pass if 60% of Florida voters back it in the November election. A recent poll by the University of North Florida showed 61% support at face value, with support dropping to 45% after respondents were informed of potential local budget impacts.