Commissioners wary of assessment for post-hurricane canal upkeep

Now that Longboat Key is in recovery mode after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, commissioners were hesitant to move forward with taxing for a canal program, which would require both ad valorem and non-ad valorem assessments. 

The town’s canals haven’t been maintained for about 20 years, and commissioners agree that a dredging program is necessary. But now that residents face costly repairs after the hurricanes, commissioners said the timing might be off. 

At the commission’s Oct. 21 regular workshop, Assistant Director of Public Works Charlie Mopps presented an update to the town’s canal maintenance program. He was joined by Mark Stroik of First Line Coastal and Tara Hollis of Willdan Financial, both companies that are a part of the project. 

Last November, Mopps presented an initial program estimate. The initial dredge cost was around $16.8 million with a complicated funding method, so commissioners advised Mopps and the team to cut costs and simplify the program. 

This led Mopps to call in a new coastal management company, First Line, which conducted updated canal surveys. First Line was able to cut the initial dredge price to $4,580,000 after finding that not all canals were in dire need of dredging. 

How that total amount breaks down is 40,000 cubic yards of sand will be dredged, at an effective rate of $92 per cubic yard for a $3.68 million figure. The $4.58 million is achieved when permitting, design and management are included.

Mopps returned to the commission on Oct. 21 with Willdan Financial, the same company that handled assessments for the town’s undergrounding project.

At that workshop, Tara Hollis with Willdan presented a map of Longboat Key with an updated method of districting the island for the project. What used to be seven districts turned into six based on location, construction logistics and staff input. 

Within those districts, three types of canals exist: general benefit, shared benefit and direct benefit. "General benefit" includes access channels, "shared benefit" canals are arterial canals and "direct benefit" canals specifically benefit properties that abut the canal. 

Some commissioners also raised concerns about the funding method, which would tax all residents even though some residents don’t own a boat and utilize the canals. 

Due to the different uses, each type of canal requires different types of assessments, either ad valorem or non-ad valorem. To add the assessment to the next fiscal year’s tax roll (FY2026), the town’s finance department must submit the assessment to the counties by December. 

Mayor Ken Schneier suggested to commissioners to allow the project team to continue refining the funding method until the next commission workshop on Nov. 12, at which time commissioners will decide whether to move forward with the program or postpone it another year. 

“I apologize for this because I know it looks like a roadblock is being put up in something that you’ve done a lot of work on, and you have, and it’s important,” Schneier said. “But we’re in an extreme situation now.”