- October 19, 2022
-
-
Loading
Loading
Longboat Key is inching closer to being entirely in Sarasota County, but there are many steps left before that is a reality.
At its Monday workshop meeting, the Longboat Town Commission agreed to hold a nonbinding a straw poll to ask voters what they think, but it will wait until after the March election.
If most Longboat voters approve the idea, the town would pursue the matter. The Legislature is ultimately responsible for moving a county’s boundaries.
“Moving to either county is a big project,” Commissioner Ken Schneier said during the meeting.
“Have we ever considered forming our own county?”
Town Attorney Maggie Mooney said the idea was broached years ago, but she said it was determined Longboat’s population and land mass did not make formation of a new county feasible.
Forming a separate county is not a new idea. In the early 1990s, residents of several coastal communities in Duval County rejected plans to secede and form Ocean County.
Longboat officials plan to continue to look at the benefits of being entirely in Sarasota County and examine the costs associated with a two-county structure, something it has been doing since 2017, when former Town Manager Dave Bullock raised the possibility of Longboat moving to one county.
“We need to approach it as a win-win for both counties,” Commissioner Irwin Pastor said.
One of the most important points of difference between the two counties is taxes and assessments. In Sarasota County, the tax rate is 11.77 mills, while in Manatee County the tax rate is 14.258 mills, a difference of 2.487 mills. One mill equals $1 of taxes for every $1,000 in assessed valuation of a property.
This means a house valued at $500,000 that sits on the Manatee side will be taxed $1,244 more than a $500,000 in Sarasota County.
Then there are other things to consider, such as coordinating with two tax collectors, two property appraisers and two supervisors of elections.
But that is not all. As a result of the county lines, Longboat is split between two state Department of Environmental Protection offices, Tampa and Fort Myers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife splits its permitting by county, meaning all beach permits must be issued by two different offices.
The town is also split between two regional planning councils, Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida. Also, all Federal Emergency Management Agency declarations are done on a county basis. And finally, all flood plain mitigation and insurance programs are county-based, so reports, as well as coordination, need to come from two counties.
Longboat Key is inching closer to becoming entirely in Sarasota County, but there are many steps left before that could become a reality.
At its Monday workshop meeting, the Longboat Key Commission agreed to hold a straw (nonbinding) poll to ask residents what they think, but they decided to wait until after the March election. If most Longboat residents approve the idea, then the town would pursue the matter. The Legislature is ultimately responsible for moving a county's boundaries.
“Moving to either county is a big project,” Commissioner Ken Schneier said during the meeting.
The reason for the town to be in Sarasota County is simple. There are 10,159 parcels in the town of Longboat Key, and 63% of them are in Sarasota County. Plus, the majority of Longboat residents – 4,523, or 65% – live in Sarasota County. By comparison, 2,411 Longboat residents, or 35%, live in Manatee County.
“Have we ever considered forming our own county?” Schneier asked.
Town attorney Maggie Mooney said the idea was broached years ago. After researching the issue, she said it was determined Longboat’s population and land mass did not make formation of a new county feasible.
Commissioner Ed Zunz then raised the possibility of approaching Lido Beach, Bird Key and Anna Maria Island about joining Longboat in forming its own county.
“We have a commonality of interests,” Zunz said.
Forming a separate county is not a new idea. In the early 1990s, residents of several coastal communities in Duval County rejected plans to leave that county and form Ocean County.
For the time being, Longboat officials plan to continue to look at the benefits of being entirely in Sarasota County, which split from Manatee County in 1921. It will also continue to examine the the costs associated with a two-county structure, something it has been doing since former Town Manager Dave Bullock raised the possibility of Longboat moving to one county in 2017.
There have been several meetings between town staff and officials from both counties since the beginning of last year including both the Sarasota County Commission and the Manatee County Commission. Also, Longboat’s finance staff has had discussions with both and school boards in August and this month.
"We need to approach it as a win-win for both counties," Commissioner Irwin Pastor said.
One of the most important points of difference between the two counties is taxes and assessments. In Sarasota County, the rate is 11.77 mills, while in Manatee County the tax rate is 14.258 mills, a difference of 2.487 mills. One mill equals $1 of taxes for every $1,000 in assessed valuation of a property.
This means a house valued at $500,000 that sits on the Manatee side will be taxed $1,244 more than a $500,000 in Sarasota County. Then there are other things to consider, such as coordinating with two tax collectors, two property appraisers and two supervisors of elections.
But that is not all. As a result of the county lines, Longboat is split between two state Department of Environmental Protection offices, Tampa and Fort Myers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife splits its permitting by county. This means all beach permits must be issued by two different offices.
The town is also split between two Regional Planning Councils, Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida. Also, all Federal Emergency Management Agency declarations are done on a county basis. And finally, all flood plain mitigation and insurance programs are county-based, so reports, as well as coordination, need to come from two counties.
There is a difference in services as well. For example:
