- July 11, 2025
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Longboat Key town commissioners unanimously directed town staff to move forward with one of the funding methods for a canal dredging program at the commission’s June 9 meeting.
After years of discussion and investigations into different possibilities, the latest direction is a significant update in the canal dredging program saga.
Despite needing further tweaking, the method shows an approximate 80/20 split between direct and indirect benefits. The method also distinguishes properties through Equivalent Benefit Units (EBU), or how many waterway access units — like docks — a property has.
Founding Partner and Project Manager for First Line Coastal Mark Stroik is the town’s chief consultant on the program. He said the split may not be exactly 80/20, but it would be close.
About 20% of the funds would come from ad valorem tax through an islandwide millage. The other 80% would come from non-ad valorem taxes, which would be direct assessments on properties that directly benefit from canals.
Properties with direct access also pay based on EBUs. For example, a residential property on a canal with one boat lift would have one EBU, whereas a commercial marina may have 21 EBUs.
Given those estimates, the single-family residential unit on the canal could pay around $714.10 annually for the first 5 years. A commercial marina with 21 units could pay $13,007.80 per year.
In previous meetings about the canal program, there was a millage-only option, which Stroik and town staff decided would no longer be on the table.
“We felt as a group that was going in the opposite direction of our goal, which was to provide something simple,” Stroik said.
In September 2024, the commission directed First Line to look into another option, which Stroik presented at the June 9 meeting.
This option would impose a flat rate on properties based on direct benefit and EBUs. All properties would pay about $63 per year, then properties with direct benefit would pay about $613 per EBU on top of the $63.
While this method proved simpler to explain, Stroik said it was an unfair allocation of cost because it does not take into account taxable values.
“What we were finding is that the most expensive properties on the island were saving quite a bit of money, whereas some of the lowest valued properties were actually having to contribute a little bit more and have to make up that difference,” Stroik said.
Stroik emphasized the 80/20 split with non-ad valorem and ad valorem tax would be First Line’s official recommendation. The chart below is an example of what the annual funding would look like.
Access | Parcels | Ad Valorem | Non-Ad Valorem | Percent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Direct | 4,199 | $209,552 | $1,401,159 | 80% |
Non-Direct | 5,900 | $403,080 | $0 | 20% |
No matter when the town decides to start imposing the method, it would take about 5 years to collect the funds necessary to start the dredge.
Director of Public Works Charlie Mopps said the required seagrass mitigation is driving much of the hefty cost associated with this initial dredge. After the first 5 years and the initial dredge to re-baseline canals, Mopps said the program would target canals as needed.
“After the first 5 years, these assessment values can start to go down,” Mopps said.
Estimates for the initial dredge were about $4.58 million and an additional $3.6 million for environmental mitigation. That’s about $9.25 million all in.
Commissioner-At-Large Steve Branham said he’s heard from residents who are anxious to get the dredging started sooner rather than later.
“There are some people out there complaining and there are several areas on the island which desperately need dredging,” Branham said. “(Those residents) would be happy if we start tomorrow. So I’m wondering if there’s a way, if there’s a source of funding, that could be used to help jumpstart this project.”
Town Manager Howard Tipton and Town Attorney Maggie Mooney told commissioners there is a possibility for a "bridge loan" that could help the town jumpstart the project sooner than 5 years.
Mooney reminded commissioners the town’s code allows it to take on a loan for less than $5 million without a referendum as long as it’s backed by non-ad valorem revenue. For any larger loans or if it were backed by ad valorem revenue, a referendum would be required.
Resident Jim Whitman was one member of the public who spoke in favor of the 80/20 split.
“I’ve talked to quite a few people in my neighborhood, and I think we’re pretty unanimous that keeping it simple is really a high value for us,” Whitman said.
After some more discussion among the commission, Mayor Ken Schneier asked for a consensus to move forward with the 80/20 method.
The commission unanimously supported the method to move forward in refinement, but Vice Mayor Debra Williams asked the new method presented meeting be on the back burner.
Mopps said staff and First Line would likely come back in September after the commission’s summer recess to discuss community outreach options and further tax unit developments for the program.
If the commission wants to begin the canal taxes for next year, it would need to finalize the non-ad valorem assessment by the end of 2025.