Property Tax Bills On Their Way To 400,000 Pinellas County Land Owners

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL - It's coming this Halloween, but don't be spooked.

Pinellas County property tax bills were mailed on Monday. Electronic bills will be emailed on Nov. 1 to property tax owners who chose this alternative delivery method.

Starting Nov. 1, property tax payments will be accepted online at pinellastaxcollector.gov or in any Pinellas tax collector office. Appointments are not required for customers only paying property taxes.

The opening of property tax season each year makes November the busiest month for Pinellas County Tax Collector offices, both in-person and over the phones.

For the 2022 tax roll, there are 403,903 accounts, totaling nearly $2.1 billion.

Property Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas strongly encourages customers to save time and pay online. Customers can avoid extra fees by selecting the eCheck payment option. There is a 4 percent discount for property taxes paid in November. The discount falls to 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January and 1 percent in February, making November the ideal time to make a payment.

"Paying online is the most convenient and secure way to pay property taxes," said Thomas. "I also encourage everyone to visit our new website -pinellastaxcollector.gov - for property tax info, deadlines and FAQs. We understand our citizens' time is valuable and want to ensure paying property taxes is as simple as possible for everyone."

The tax collector's office does not set property tax rates and does not determine how much property owners are billed. That is done by the county's 56 taxing authorities, including the Pinellas County Commission, the various municipalities and the Pinellas County School Board.

Pinellas tax collector offices are responsible for collecting and distributing property taxes. Taxing authorities then use these tax dollars to fund their budgets to provide vital services and programs.

On Sept. 22, the Pinellas County Commission adopted resolutions approving the final property tax (millage) rates and budget for fiscal year 2023. No changes were made to the millage rates or budgets since the board tentatively approved them on Sept. 8.

The balanced budget ($2.5 billion for operating and $876.4 million for capital improvements) lowered the millage rate for the second consecutive year. It’s only the second time in 35 years the countywide rate for the general fund has been lowered in consecutive years.

To put that into dollars, a homesteaded household with a taxable value of $300,000 would save $117 from what it would have paid had the tax rate not been reduced. This will vary from household to household but holds true on average.

With conservative fiscal practices throughout the years, strong budget planning, and a pay-as-you-go approach, Pinellas County continues to carry the lowest per-capita debt among Florida’s large counties, said the commission.

At the same time, the budget increases investments in roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure; strengthens access to behavioral health services, and creates a cultural plan that coordinates investments into the arts — all while maintaining the county’s reserves.

The board also adopted resolutions approving the final millage rates and budgets for several other entities for which it is the taxing authority.

Details can be found on the county budget website.