- Property taxes make up 57.8% of Leon County's 2024/2025 budget.
- Leaders say they have made progress toward goals set for the economy, quality of life and the environment.
- Watch the video to hear how we compare to other counties.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Your property tax dollars make up 57.8% of Leon County’s 2024/2025 budget.
Leaders released their 2024 Annual Report detailing their spending and achievements.
County administrator Vince Long said 2024...
"has been a big year at Leon County and I think the annual report demonstrates that," Long said.
He was talking about a new annual review that details the goals and progress of the county.
Despite May's tornado outbreak and severe flooding, Long said a lot of work has been done.
That includes upping our tourism economy to $2.4 billion. That's 48% of their goal of $5 billion by 2026.
A new Amazon facility brought 1,300 jobs to town, making an impact of $114 million annually.
Leaders also helped with housing, with 153 homeless neighbors placed in permanent supportive homes.
On the environmental front, leaders said they have converted or upgraded 293 septic tanks to protect our springs.
Leaders also put in place 208 citizen ideas around our county.
All of this while the general property tax rate remains the same for the 13th year in a row.
It's something Long said the county takes pride in.
"It provides certainty to tax payers and predictability and again, for us it's not about how much money we have but it's about what we do with the money we have available to us," Long said.
The report also shows that Leon County's budget is lower than 6 similar sized counties.
It falls more than $174 million below Alachua County's budget.
The majority of Leon County's money spent on public safety, making up 47 percent of the $377.9 million budget.
To see the whole 80-page report, click hereto go to Leon County's website.
