Florida voters renew local school property taxes in at least 8 counties

Florida voters in at least eight counties agreed Tuesday to keep paying an extra local property tax for their public schools, a result that protects teacher pay supplements, school safety staff and a share of funding for charter schools for four more years.

Unofficial returns showed the one-mill renewals passing in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Duval, Clay, Nassau, Pasco and St. Lucie counties. One mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. In each county, the vote continues a tax that already exists rather than creating a new one.

Why districts keep asking

Florida law caps how much property tax a school board can levy on its own. Under Section 1011.71 of the Florida Statutes, voters can approve additional operating millage, but only for up to four years at a time. That is why the same questions return to ballots every four years.

The money stays local. The statute says referendum dollars are not counted in the state’s main school funding formula, so a county that approves the tax does not see its state aid reduced as a result.

What the votes protect

The size of the stakes varies by county, according to district figures reported by local outlets.

• Miami-Dade: District officials estimate the levy could raise about $500 million a year, and early returns showed about 82% approval, WLRN reported. The station reported that 88% goes to teacher salaries and 12% to the district’s police department.
• Broward: The district estimates $358 million a year starting in the 2027-28 school year, with nearly 90% going to pay supplements for teachers and other eligible staff. It also supports 224 mental health professionals and nearly 400 school safety staff, according to WLRN. About 67% of voters said yes in early returns.
• Palm Beach: The renewal passed with 76.88% of the vote with all precincts counted, WPBF reported. The district says the tax has paid for more than 900 arts, music, physical education, career and choice program teaching jobs since 2018, plus an average teacher raise of $8,000 a year.
• Duval, Clay and Nassau: All three Northeast Florida renewals passed, First Coast News reported. In Duval, the district says charter schools receive about 19% of the money.
• Pasco: Roughly 75% of voters approved the renewal, which supports teacher salaries, the Hernando Sun reported.
• St. Lucie: Voters continued the levy from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2031, according to the school board’s referendum resolution and TCPalm.

What it means for charter schools

Charter school leaders have a direct stake in these votes. Florida law counts district-sponsored charter schools as part of “school operational purposes” when referendum money is distributed, and several 2026 ballot questions spelled out that the money would be shared proportionately with charters. Palm Beach County says its revenue is shared with district-run schools and eligible public charter schools.

For charter operators in these counties, the renewals mean one more predictable line in their budgets through mid-2031.

What families should know

For homeowners, nothing changes on next year’s tax bill because of these votes. The levies were already in place, and the renewals begin when the current terms end, generally July 1, 2027.

For parents, the practical effect is stability. Districts had warned that losing the money would mean cuts. In Palm Beach, Superintendent Mike Burke had warned that about 900 teachers in choice programs could lose their jobs and teacher pay could drop by $8,000 a year if the measure failed, according to WLRN.

Results are unofficial until county canvassing boards certify them. Education Press will update this story if any outcome changes.