Property taxes not going down by much in Seminole County

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Property taxes are going down for homeowners before the end of the year in Seminole County because the school district promised to lower taxes when the penny tax was approved last month.

However, WFTV reporter Racquel Asa discovered it's not getting lowered by much for the average homeowner.

When voters cast ballots last month, they were promised that by approving one tax another would get lowered. The school district made that promise just before the election, but it couldn't say how much taxpayers would save.

"We didn't make a commitment on the full amount because we weren't sure what was going to happen," Seminole County official Bill Kelly said.

WFTV found out that for the average homeowner with a house valued at $155,000, it's a savings of just $30 this year.

Resident Scott Booher said he spent more than that at the supermarket.

"You spend that maybe twice a week. I spend about $100 a week on groceries," Booher said. "It's so miniscule it doesn't make a difference."

WFTV looked over the numbers with the district's chief financial officer and asked him why  the savings wouldn't be more for taxpayers.

The CFO said the bigger savings will not be felt until the 2015-2016 school year.

"It is only $30, but we are only looking at half a year of sales tax. Next year, our initial thinking will be to reduce our property taxes even more because we'll be collecting double the amount of sales tax," said Kelly.

That means property owners could also see double the saving in the years to come.

WFTV