Escambia County Property Appraiser Chris Jones provided us with the 2017 City of Pensacola, Certified Roll values by city council district. The District 2, which is represented by Sherri Myers, has the highest taxable value, $1.11 billion, and produces those property taxes, $2.97 million. District 6 (Brian Spencer) is second, $2.89 million, and District 4 (Larry Johnson) is third, $2.19 million.
District 2 produces more property tax revenue that District 1 (PC Wu) and District 5 (Gerald Wingate) combined, as does District 6. In fact, District 2 and 6 together pay more taxes that Districts 1,3,5 and 7.
During the debate over whether District 4 should have a $9.6-million community center, some argued that District 4 deserved it because of property taxes paid that district were more than the rest of the districts. The facts don’t support that argument.
However, the numbers do show that District 2 (Cordova Mall area) and District 6 (downtown Pensacola) are subsidizing most of the city, when it comes to property taxes. My guess is they are also collecting most of the city’s sales taxes.
District | Council | Just value | Â Taxable Value | Â Tax $$$ |
2 | Sherri Myers | Â $ 1,112,629,045 | Â $ 692,853,724 | Â $ 2,971,996.05 |
6 | Brian Spencer | Â $ 1,069,819,514 | Â $ 674,730,799 | Â $ 2,894,257.76 |
4 | Larry Johnson | Â $Â Â Â 830,132,873 | Â $ 511,431,063 | Â $ 2,193,783.54 |
3 | Andy Terharr | Â $Â Â Â 648,033,211 | Â $ 422,722,734 | Â $ 1,813,269.17 |
7 | Jewel Cannada-Wynn | Â $Â Â Â Â Â 643,259,750 | Â $ 337,719,032 | Â $ 1,448,645.79 |
1 | PC Wu | Â $Â Â Â 532,940,412 | Â $ 267,729,056 | Â $ 1,148,423.79 |
5 | Gerald Wingate | Â $Â Â Â 468,614,860 | Â $ 247,359,117 | Â $ 1,061,046.93 |
I would hope District 2 voters have a long memory and remember Spenser’s voting record and conflicts.
George, the points you make are accurate on all counts.
Once Ashton is gone, hopefully things in our city will change,. We should hope so.
And because Quint has endorsed Grover Robinson, the die is set.; if Quint the Kingmaker says it is so, then it is etched in stone. Four years of Grover in the interim.
Big difference between District 2 and district 6. District 2 has no CRA districts. District 6 commercial areas are in CRA districts, which means they get to keep most of the money D6 generates in property taxes. District 2 gets very little in return for all of the property taxes, communication taxes, franchise fees, businesses taxes, LOST, etc., that we generate. Parks and Rec, one of our largest departments provides few resources to District 2, because we don’t have community centers or athletic centers. Out of the 90 plus parks in the city, over 20 of them are in district 6 alone (at least that is what I was told by the parks and rec director) There are only 8 parks in district 2. It took 30 years to get a park in Camelot and when arsonist burned the new playground down, Eric Olson told me the city couldn’t afford to replace the $65,000.00 playground that was paid for by FDOT, not the city. It was eventually replaced because I pitched a fit. It will be interesting to see what mayoral candidate Brian Spencer tells District 2 voters, why we should vote for him for Mayor after ignoring our needs for years, He and the other candidates will have an opportunity to address issues that are important to district 2 at my Mayoral town hall meeting for District 2 the end of July.
I add to this post with reservation, but that’s the choice we make on public forums, Eat away….
I still haven’t taken that civics class so am not really allowed to comment here! But I want to clarify my comments that may have provoked this article. Maybe someone else said these things and you are debating them not me, but I want to clarify what I said. I never said District 4 pays more in taxes there for they deserve a bigger community center (and faster fire and police as someone added, People love to embellish arguments). Never said anything like that. I don’t think of Bayview as District 4, I think of it as East hill, which is actually parts of 4, 5 and 6 council districts. With a split like that it would take some work to figure out how much tax is brought in from say 9th ave east and south of Texar Dr. I do thank you for getting that info. I just thought that the tax base there has got to be higher than it used to be and everyone’s favorite community center is gone. But no matter anyway because someone said community centers are now paid with LOST money, not what neighborhoods add to the coffers . I just thought Bayview Park deserved a center as fine as Sanders Beach. Heck, I think Roger Scott is a very nice center (and Pool), (also District 4!) Gull Point used to be a nice place, though very dated now. Bayview Senior Center is dated now but is still usable but does not have a gym or a place for summer camp.
I think all neighborhoods of Pensacola deserve nice parks and centers. We choose to live in the city and pay more taxes for these things. I hate that things cost so much but accept that it would cost more than Sanders Beach project due to time. I think Sanders Beach included federal money (but still our money).
I do read the shenanigans that seems to be going on with this project and the costs(I think you have written more articles on Bayview than any other, I think I counted over 40). Thanks for the articles.
I just wanted to try and add some positive thought on this, That’s what I meant by subjective/objective Rick. Wrong choice of words. I should have said some positives along side so many negatives. The positive is what could be another fine reason for people to say they are part of Pensacola (Bayview Community Center, not politics!) Pensacola’s Recreation Department has always been top notch despite funding and other issues. At the development meetings for the new building I suggested that the staff of the recreation department should design that center, they know what they need, and they know what the community should have. We just provided feedback on the look. I am also the one that suggested the center at Bayview needs to be called the Buddy Connelly Center. Any one that ever went to Bayview knows why. I thought I would mention that again!
A more complete analysis should factor in the effect of Tax Increment Financing. The city’s Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is an agency of the city and a separate legal entity just like the city’s other agency the Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board (DIB). Mayor Hayward and Council President Wingate lead the city government but CRA Chairman Wu leads the CRA and DIB Chairman Peacock leads the DIB. The CRA’s legal jurisdiction is the area west of 17th Avenue and south of Baars Street. The area known as the Inner City Community Redevelopment Area is designated as “blighted” by the City Council using a state law definition. The area covers about 30% of the city or 4,611 acres. Most property owners living in the Inner City CRA would be shocked to know that they live in an area considered to be blighted. The CRA has designated three extra-badly blighted areas that operate as what are called Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts. These districts are not taxing authorities. All of the revenues transferred to these three districts come from the city, county and DIB general funds, the city holding the DIB’s money for it. The three TIF districts encompass parts of Districts 4, 6 and 7. The money transferred to the TIF districts pays for such CRA expenses as the more than $4 million that it has to pay each year to service the bond payments (principal + interest) on the unfinished Community Maritime Park economic development projects whose constructions sites are mostly grass generating no new property tax revenues as intended. This morning when I was downtown in the Urban Core Community Redevelopment “Area,” the TIF district that reaps most of the reward, I saw two PPD officers patrolling on bicycle. I assume that they are being paid using CRA dollars used to provide people living downtown with a better level of police support than those of us living outside of the TIF district. If you were to subtract from the equation the TIF revenues taken from all to benefit Districts 4, 6 and 7 – to include what seems like a reverse Robin Hood scheme with money being taken from the poor to give to the rich in places like Aragon that the City Council says is really badly blighted – then those districts would probably drop on the list. On the other hand, city property taxes only provide 28% of the funding for the city’s general fund. During a research project I am doing for a councilmember, I calculated that 38% of the general fund revenues come from 11 utility taxes and fees that the city is authorized but not required to impose but does usually at the maximum rate (10%) allowed by state law. When I spoke with the county’s budget staff, I learned that non-city families and businesses only pay three total utility taxes and fees and at a rate of half or less than half of the city. The best deal is to live “in the county” but right on the cusp of the city where you are protected for free by the Pensacola Police Department and Pensacola Fire Department and have easy access to city parks that you are not taxed to maintain. Bottom line, property taxes are important but there are many factors that need to be considered. With respect to capital improvements, those are normally funded by Local Option Sales Tax (“Penny for Progress”) revenues. My guess is that District 2 probably leads the city by a massive margin in that regard. I assume that any such detailed analysis would require getting the source data say for a single year like 2017 from the Florida Department of Revenue. Given that District 2 is so important to the city, you would think it would have its own community center, senior center, big & little dog parks, public swimming pool and a complex of basketball courts and more.
The problem on getting sidewalks has never been about finding MONEY. The problem has been Ashton Hayward’s petty and vindictive nature in his ongoing disdain for Sheri Meyers since she filed suit against him in his first term. Sheri has been a tireless leader fighting for such budget parity since she was first elected. Ashton has made a very concerted and public pattern of trying to marginalize and disenfranchise Sheri Meyers and her constituents have been the victim of the Mayor’s pettiness.
It’s time to build sidewalks in District 2 so kids aren’t walking to school in ditches. No more excuses Hayward.
This has been the case for as along as Sacred Heart and Cordova Mall existed in District 2. When JD Smith was on the council, he was never going to make waves about this because he actually lived in Port Royal and he wouldn’t want to ruffle feathers with his friends. The most that has come from the past 2 council-members is verbal complaints about it. In the interim, some leadership in the form of organizing the businesses in District 2 to formulate their own business district for the purpose of petitioning city council and mayor would have been far more productive. As a formally organized group, those businesses and organizations could have spoken with a collective voice for infrastructure funding that is more representative of the tax revenues they produce from their investment. Yet, here we are.
Sure seems like some sidewalks wouldn’t be so hard to get funded for District 2.