Nassau County’s government has seen a spurt in spending in the last few years, a combination of growth and “free money” from the federal government.

During 2013-23, Nassau ranked 10^th in property tax revenue growth among Florida counties – according to Florida Tax Watch.

That reflects the growth in the county’s population and the corresponding growth in government services, such as roads, lighting, water, sewer and electricity. In 2005, Nassau had 65,759 people. It grew gradually until it exploded from 80,456 in 2017 to more than 100,000 in 2023. It had a 33 percent increase over one recent five-year period.

Housing prices are on the rise everywhere. St. Louis Fed numbers show a median priced U.S. home rose from $313,000 in the beginning of 2019 to $416,000 today.

With the sharp increase in the rate of inflation during Biden, there was a double whammy, with higher mortgage costs on top of higher housing prices.

Nassau also is one of 43 countries in Florida with impact fees, which increase the cost of housing. There is a debate over whether impact fees encourage or discourage growth, but none over the fact that they increase the cost of housing.

Sales and gasoline taxes also have increased in Nassau County.

Local government spending went up in 2020-21 when the federal government began raining money on local governments and attributed it to the pandemic.

Washington politicians, of course, did not have the money they were giving away, so they borrowed it, skyrocketing the national debt our descendants will have to pay.

Nassau revenues and expenditures, from the county’s annual audit:

These figures do not include school spending. The tax rate for schools has increased (while student population decreased) but the county tax rate has declined slightly in the past five years. Increases on property tax bills are likely to be related to rising property values.

Fiscal year 2019’s tax roll produced $75,024,491. The corresponding figure for 2023 was 107,105,417, a 43 percent increase

In one of the county’s budget documents officials explain: “The county is experiencing steady annual gains in population. With growth comes greater demands for services and maintenance of facilities and roads. Especially due to economic pressures, the County will have to constantly monitor revenue sources that are deemed to be major (sales tax and state revenue sharing) as any significant reductions to them would impact County operations. As FY 24/25 progresses, areas where efficiencies in operations can be realized, those changes will be made. Due to age and capacity utilization, the county’s infrastructure shall continue to be vulnerable to degradation and failures. One of the greatest challenges for the county is the ability to repair and maintain our roads, drainage systems, bridges, buildings, parks, utility system, and technology. Staff is always exploring other funding opportunities to offset these ongoing expenditures to maintain roads and facilities. Specifically, the county is in the process of reviewing its user fees and has future plans to evaluate its impact fees ….”

That may signal even higher fees, which could slow growth.

The downside, of course, is that a home is for most people the largest single investment they have. Everyone wants his home to be undervalued when taxed but overvalued when sold.