Your Questions Answered
Ask Your Question – Get Answers!
You have questions, and we research them to bring you honest answers. We dedicate this page to you, the Citizens of Martin County. Do you have a question? Email us at MCtaxpayers1950@gmail.com. We will do our best to get an answer directly from the source.
"I’ve heard the height of stories in a building can be anything the contractor wants them to be. So, doesn’t that breach our 4-story height limit in the COMP plan?"
For years, we have heard that Martin County could become Broward or Miami-Dade. Given our current density, height, and setback restrictions, that is an impossibility. People who continuously bring up that argument during the development review process are just trying to scare the public.
The only thing you must remember about height restrictions is that they are capped at four stories. There are complicated finished floor and flood map requirements to determine elevation. But even taking steeples, chimneys, and elevator machinery into account, the height of any building structure cannot be more than 60 feet.
In some zoning districts, height limits are less. However, a few nonhabitable structures for agriculture and industrial districts may be taller than the allowable height in the zoning district but no more than 60 feet. Our existing codes prevent anything close to what has happened to our south from occurring here.
The City of Stuart has comparable rules for building heights with slightly higher density calculations.
"My understanding is that the millage rate cannot exceed 10 mills. But, our county is slightly over that. How can that be?"
No county in Florida can exceed 10 mills except in voted levies. However, Martin County has several MSTUs or Municipal Service Taxing Units. These are allowed to levy taxes of an additional 10 mills since the county also acts as a municipality.
Therefore, in Martin County, we have a long way to go before exhausting maximum millage. It means that the county will have to allocate expenses carefully so as not to end up with a problem. You can find the information in the Florida Statutes under Chapter 200.071
"You sad the County had to settle with Noble Paw and pay their legal fees of $65K. I thought the Commission decided to drop the ordinance for the pet store ban because they didn't want to fight the lawsuit because it would be too expensive. If the pet store got what they wanted, why is the county paying money? What is Noble Paw?"
There were two pet stores that sold animals in the county. An ordinance was enacted that would have precluded those stores or others from opening. It initially gave the two stores six months to stop selling live animals and was subsequently allowed to continue while the lawsuits were pending.
One store settled, accepting the county’s offer of paying their legal fees, allowing them to remain in business and even sell or expand their footprint to up to 3000 square feet. The other store continues with their pending federal action.
The ordinance was amended to incorporate those terms for the two stores and still prohibit subsequent stores from selling live pets.
"Who owns the airport and the buildings?"
" What is the purpose of a "quiet zone"? Can we discuss removing 50K cubic yards of muck at a time instead of 1 million"
" If the State eliminates property tax, will other taxes increase? Will anything replace it?"
There are several iterations being contemplated. So, it will depend. Some are concerned that taxpayers will get “nickled and dimed” to death by other fees. Our answer is that if you are paying $3,000 and more on property taxes, how could the government ever nickel and dime you enough to equal that? Unfortunately, here in Martin County, unlike most other counties, we rely so heavily on residential property taxes to fund our local government. We have only 4% industrial and commercial property together! Any economist will explain that a balanced county needs 50% I & C so the tax burden doesn’t fall so heavily on residents.
1. what does the county general fund cover on my tax bill ? 2. why should i have to pay more taxes just because my home is new & valued more?
Why’s are the taxes we pay for schools are now used to pay sherif deputies? The sheriffs office should be serving and protecting every citizen with the budget they have. Next the Parks department will have to pay for deputies to be at the counties fields. Is the sheriffs department double dipping?
The money would be coming out of one of the two budgets. They are not “double dipping”. So, there is no savings by moving the dollar figure to another budget. It’s simply an accounting move. There was a lot of back-and-forth regarding whose budget it should be taken from. The Sheriff won. As far as Parks and Rec goes, usually the entities that use the park pay for security. Thanks for paying attention!
I am writing to you anonymously as a concerned taxpayer in Martin County. My interest in this matter was piqued by a recent article from the Taxpayer Association examining the fire department’s budget. While I cannot independently verify all details, I believe much of this information is accessible through public records, and I urge you to investigate. I have heard reports that in the last two pediatric drowning incidents, the responding ambulances lacked a rescue lieutenant officer, and there was no rescue EMS captain officer in the zone. Additionally, there appear to be frequent “brown outs” where key positions go unfilled. If true, this raises serious questions: Are taxpayers being misled about the level of service we fund? Why are we paying taxes without receiving the promised protections? I understand there may be 15-20 chiefs in administrative roles within the department—is this standard practice? Friends in Palm Beach County have indicated their department operates with far fewer in similar positions. Furthermore, during the last commission meeting, the fire chief mentioned insufficient resources for the recent hurricane. A comment I saw on Facebook from a Palm City resident echoed this, suggesting the chief failed to staff appropriately. Was our fire department adequately prepared and staffed for that event? Social media posts from the department claim full staffing and that every ambulance includes a lieutenant, but is this consistently true on a daily basis? It’s particularly troubling to learn that the fire chief recently received a brand-new vehicle while our neighborhoods may not be receiving the full level of service we expect and pay for. I respectfully request that you look into these matters to ensure transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars. In a recent commission meeting I saw that commissioner Vargas asked who makes the decisions to add all these chiefs, I don’t know the word for word question. But the fire chief responded that he does that. Is this true? Does the fire chief answer to anyone? Or can he do whatever he wants? Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, A Concerned Taxpayer
The MCTA has asked for an efficiency study to be performed by an outside agency to either validate Fire/Rescue’s budget or recommend efficiencies. So far, our request has fallen on deaf ears.