The Wellington Village Council recently passed a resolution supporting a local bill for Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue (PBCFR), which the county agency believes would maintain current levels of services and save millions of dollars of taxpayer money from being wasted on redundant fire station infrastructure across the county.
Officials from PBCFR asked for the village’s support for the bill at the council’s meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The bill would require municipalities to reimburse PBCFR for services they would normally provide to formerly unincorporated parts of the county. This is intended to decrease tax revenue losses and prevent taxpayers from funding duplicate fire stations.
PBCFR receives funding through a municipal services taxing unit (MSTU). Municipalities like Wellington and unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County pay taxes to the MSTU for county fire-rescue services and stations located in those areas.
However, some municipalities, with their own fire departments, are continuing to annex unincorporated areas that have high-tax-paying properties. This can cause developers to build municipal-owned, multi-million-dollar fire stations, even if a PBCFR station is already located nearby. Duplicate fire stations can lead to reduced operations from county fire stations or the closure of them altogether. The decrease in the tax base may also cause an increase in millage rates or a decrease in the level of services from PBCFR.
PBCFR District Chief Amanda Vomero explained that the bill allows municipalities to annex, but PBCFR will still service those areas.
“We don’t really have a lot of protection in place, so that’s what this would do,” Vomero said. “[It will] preserve the assets, resources and the service delivery that we do offer.”
Wellington and much of the western part of the county have agreements with PBCFR for essential services because they do not have their own fire-rescue departments. Any territories they annex would still be part of the PBCFR service area.
PBCFR Chief Patrick Kennedy said that the annexation of parts of his agency’s service area could have “adverse impacts” on Wellington in the future because of the loss of tax revenue. “We did not want to make any enemies with this,” Kennedy said. “We’re just trying to preserve the system.”
Council members showed their support for PBCFR and unanimously passed a resolution of support for the bill.
Councilman John McGovern said that PBCFR has always been a strong partner for the village.
“Our position has to be to stand with our partners and [PBCFR], as we always have,” he said.
The next day, on Thursday, Nov. 13, officials from PBCFR presented the bill to the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation at a public hearing. The hearing is where state lawmakers consider local bills and decide whether to sponsor them for the upcoming legislative session in Tallahassee.
Division Chief of Wellness & Engagement Charles Coyle explained to the delegation that the bill would prevent double taxation for residents by having taxpayers in formerly unincorporated areas still pay for fire department services to their municipality. However, those funds from those properties would be reimbursed to PBCFR.
“Residents should never experience delays or reduced emergency response times because of annexation or jurisdictional boundaries,” Coyle said. “This bill allows strategic planning and avoids unnecessary municipal spending to build redundant facilities or new apparatuses.”
According to Coyle, 16 of the 51 county fire stations are in planned annexation areas. Since building stations and purchasing fire station-related necessities is a costly, years-long process, it can be disrupted entirely if PBCFR cannot service the areas they initially planned to. In addition, there are multiple bills in the Florida Legislature aimed at reducing or even eliminating property taxes, which may further strain tax revenue for the county.
Several representatives from various municipalities and organizations attended the meeting to oppose the bill.
Amelia Jadoo, executive director of the Palm Beach County League of Cities, asked the delegation to defer consideration of the bill until the 2027 legislative session because it did not consider the input of municipalities.
“There are far more questions than answers, and that is unacceptable for legislation impacting and affecting every city in this county,” Jadoo said. “Ramming this through now undermines trust, ignores local expertise and risks flawed policy.”
The lack of collaboration to create the bill was not the only issue. Municipal officials pointed out how the bill will still technically cause double taxation. If passed, even though residents in formerly unincorporated areas will only pay one fire services tax, the municipality would have to pay for its fire department, and for PBCFR through reimbursements. Some municipal representatives even explained that their fire departments have been servicing unincorporated parts of the county more than PBCFR, at their own expense.
“This bill states it is for public safety, but, in fact, it creates the exact opposite — confusion among our fire departments by carving out some areas that must be served by the county,” Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Marcie Tinsley said.
State lawmakers postponed consideration of the bill and agreed to discuss it further at a future delegation public hearing. The bill will be redrafted, and further discussion, including from municipalities, will take place at an upcoming meeting.
