From David Volz
Fort Lauderdale commission is sending property tax information to homeowners in the city.
The amount of taxes that residents owe is determined by two factors: the assessed value of one’s property and the tax rate. The Broward County Property Appraiser determines the assessed value of your property; his office does not set the tax rates. The tax rate is determined by the entities that have taxing authority over the community in which your property is located. In Fort Lauderdale, this includes the Broward County Commission, the Broward County School Board, City of Fort Lauderdale Commission, the hospital district, and multi-county districts such as South Florida Water Management. The property appraiser compiles these individual millages proposed by those entities and sends an all-inclusive TRIM notice to every property owner, according to Commissioner Steve Glassman.
As City Staff prepared the budget for FY 2027, they received positive information regarding one of the largest revenue sources: ad valorem (property) taxes. The Broward County Property Appraiser’s July 1, 2026 certified taxable value for operating purposes was provided and resulted in positive news for the City. The current year gross taxable value for operating purposes is $67.5 billion, which is slightly higher than the June 1, 2026 estimate of $67.3 billion. This will result in approximately $756 thousand in additional revenue above the June 1st estimate which is a total increase of $15.95 million (6.35%) in revenue over last year at the current millage rate of 4.1193.
Because of the increase in taxable values, the City will maintain its current low millage rate of 4.1193 for the twentieth consecutive year (unheard of and one of the lowest in Broward County) and produce, year over year, a structurally balanced General Fund Budget, according to Glassman.
Each taxing authority is required to hold two public hearings before they set the tax rate. I encourage everyone to attend the annual public meetings and give input on the tax rates being set as several other entities are responsible for a larger portion of your tax bill than the City of Fort Lauderdale. The largest portion of your tax bill is derived from the Broward County Public Schools (exempt from Amendment 3/Property tax Proposal) followed by the Broward County Commission. The taxing authorities’ phone numbers, as well as the dates and times for each of the meetings being held, is included in your TRIM notice. The City of Fort Lauderdale will hold two Budget Hearings in-person at Fort Lauderdale Police Headquarters (1300 W Broward Blvd, Community Room 1004) on September 9, 2026, and September 14, 2026, at 5:01 P.M.
