What is this bill?

Why did I receive a bill for $250 in May 2018? Half the year was almost over, yet I was instructed to pay for the entire year?

The District is responsible for all costs and resources to establish and operate enhanced security measures. There were startup costs and time to file State of Florida paperwork – all of which are the responsibility of The District. This included retaining legal counsel, researching and managing the process to setup the District, and filing State and municipal paperwork to establish the legal entity. Printing costs such as sending letters and bills to homeowners are also an expense that is the responsibility of the District. This is what caused the delay in getting The District operational and the reason that the full $250 was billed for 2018.

I paid the bill I received in May 2018? Some of my neighbors did not pay, what is being done to make sure everyone is paying.

This was a one-time issue that only effected the 2018 year of operation as The District was not yet able to assess through annual real estate taxes. Starting with the November 2018 tax bill which covers the 2019 year of operation, all homeowners pay this assessment when they pay their annual real estate taxes. In order to address the issue that some homeowners did not pay, those homeowners will see an additional assessment in their 2019 real estate tax bill. So, they will pay $500 in the 2020 tax bill. The homeowners who paid our May 2018 invoice will see the standard $250 in their 2020 tax bill.

Wasn’t this assessment supposed to be part of my tax bill?

Yes, the ultimate goal was for the assessment to be a line item on homeowner’s real estate tax bill. There is a formal process that all government entities need to follow in order to have assessments added to the tax bill. Our District was not created in time to make it through those processes by the deadlines established for the 2018 tax bill, which was sent out before the District Board was established. We worked aggressively and were able to successfully meet all government requirements so the 2019 assessment was included in the 2019 tax bill that homeowners received.

How will this assessment work with my real estate taxes?

The District assesses a $250 fee annually in each homeowners tax bill as a Non – Ad Valorem assessment (e.g., this assessment is not based on the value of one’s home. Rather it is the same amount for each homeowner).