Fort Myers raises property taxes in $890.5M budget

Fort Myers increased its property tax rate for the first time in a decade, along with higher utility fees, supporting a budget with major capital improvement projects such as the new Fort Myers Police headquarters, Midtown streetscape, public parks and utility expansion plans.

The city’s total fiscal year 2026-27 budget reached $890.5 million, about $3.6 million less than last year, Finance Director Christine Tenney said.

City Council voted 5-2 to approve a 6.9000 millage rate for the budget’s operating and maintenance expenditures for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Council members Fred Burson and Terolyn Watson dissented in favor of the rollback rate. With this year’s millage, the city expects to collect about $92.9 million in ad valorem revenue from a property tax base valued at more than $14 billion.

For property owners, the new millage is equal to $6.90 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. That’s 3.81% above the rollback rate of 6.6465, which would have generated revenue equal to last year.

The budget supports part of the city’s $651.4 million, five-year capital improvement program. Among a wide variety of infrastructure projects, it features transportation repairs and renovations, a major water treatment plant expansion, the new police headquarters, a Midtown streetscape and restoration of historic McCollum Hall.

City Council also approved a 0.1170 millage rate for the voter-approved general obligation bond debt service that funds parks and recreation projects.

It also approved a scheduled 5% annual increase in water, sewer and irrigation utility rates for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.