07-05-2025
Broward governments brace for Florida tax and spending cuts
The Florida Legislature's apparent commitment to statewide tax relief is going to leave local government scrambling to come up with cash to cover emergency, parks and health services for years to come — and it's not too soon to start bracing for that potential impact, officials said this week.
Broward County Administrator Monica Cepero said during Tuesday's commission meeting that Tallahassee's priorities will leave county government and most cities looking for ways to make up for lost revenue.
The unofficial estimate, she said, is a statewide loss of $2.8 billion in tax cuts, with at least $1.6 billion recurring. In terms of population, Broward is the second-largest county in the state, and Palm Beach County is third.
Proposed reductions in sales and property taxes would have a profound effect on the ability of local governments to deliver services.
'So there are some pretty concerning things that we're following,' Cepero said.
As an example, Cepero cited a plan to reduce the state sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. 'That would, of course, get trickled out to every county,' she said. The annual recurring impact to Broward would be an estimated $30 million: half to cities and the other half to the county, she said.
A second proposal, according to County Commissioner Nan Rich, would have local governments forced to have a referendum on eliminating property taxes on homesteaded properties, a proposal that could prove challenging for voters to resist but would cost the county a thus-far uncalculated amount of annual revenue.
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Commissioner Steven Geller said the proposed tax cuts and projected income reductions reflect a lack of understanding on the part of a state Legislature, of which he was once a member.
'The question is not how much they're going to do for us, but how badly they're going to hurt us,' Geller said. 'The governor seems to think we spend it all our funding one giant program called DEI.'
DEI stands for 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,' a shorthand term for hiring policies that purportedly seek to correct for historical inequities surrounding race, ethnicity and gender. Conservative political figures have criticized DEI as an unacceptable alternative to hiring the most qualified person for a job regardless of race or gender.
'Most local governments spend more than half their funding on first responders,' Geller said.
The Broward County Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday for a budget workshop, Cepero said.
As of now, the potential budget shortfalls remain hypothetical. The Florida Legislature failed to pass a budget last week when its session was supposed to end, and it extended its deadline.
The county has been keeping close watch. 'Obviously, these conversations are happening many times a day with all the stakeholders and our lobbyists,' Cepero told commissioners.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
