Letter to the Editor: Impact of Amendment 4 on East Lake Fire Rescue

By Tom Jamison, East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District Fire Chief

The East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District receives the majority of its funding through ad valorem taxes. The rate of taxation is based on several factors including operational costs and the taxable value of real estate within the district.

While the District offers no opinion as how our residents choose to vote, we feel it is important to have an understanding of how Amendment 4 would impact the District. 

The following amounts are estimates from the office of the Pinellas County Property Appraiser: 

• Amendment 4 reduction of non-homestead cap from 10 percent to 5 percent: $1,687,618
• Amendment 4 removal of "recapture rule": 6,450,869
• Amendment 4 new homesteader exemption: 18,199,674
• Total impact: $26,338,161

This sum represents an approximation of the loss of taxable value to real
estate that would be removed from the tax rolls within the borders of the East
Lake fire district.

A spreadsheet provided by the Pinellas County Property
Appraiser's office can be found on our website:www.eastlakefirerescue.com 

Related-

• Florida Amendment 4: What a Yes Vote Means
• Florida’s Constitutional Amendments: What Yes Votes Mean
• East Lake Election Guide 2012