Happe Blasts Pinellas Commission Over Property Taxes, Spending and ‘Millage-Rate Theater’

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Tidings Media founder David Happe sharply criticized the Pinellas County Commission on Tuesday, June 16, accusing county leaders of hiding behind lower millage rates while property-tax collections, county spending and public frustration continue to rise.  This article is based on an advanced copy of his remarks he provided to Tidings Media for publication.  

Addressing commissioners directly, Happe centered his remarks on a government term most taxpayers rarely use but feel every year: ad valorem.

“Ad valorem means property taxes based on assessed value,” Happe said. “When this county talks about ad valorem revenue, it is talking about property tax money.”

Happe argued that the county’s repeated references to reduced millage rates do not answer the question taxpayers actually care about: how much money the county is collecting. Pinellas County has said General Fund annual property tax collections increased by $144 million, or 31 percent, since fiscal year 2020, even as the commission reduced the countywide millage rate during that period.[1]

Happe pushed the comparison further back, contrasting 2018 General Fund ad valorem collections of about $410 million with 2025 collections he described as roughly $620 million. That difference, he argued, means the county is collecting roughly $210 million more per year than it did in 2018.

“So when this county says, ‘We lowered the millage rate,’ my answer is simple,” Happe said. “So what? If the rate went down but collections went up by roughly 51 percent, that is not relief. That is not restraint. That is not conservative government. That is a shell game.”

The remarks came amid broader statewide debate over property-tax reform. Florida lawmakers have moved toward a property-tax reduction proposal expected to go before voters in 2026, while several Pinellas commissioners have warned of potential consequences from state intervention.[2]

Happe said those warnings only strengthened the case for Tallahassee to act.

“When taxes are rising and the population is falling, something is wrong. Very wrong,” Happe said. “And that is why Pinellas County is the poster child for why Governor DeSantis needs to intercede on property tax reform.”

Budget Growth at the Center of the Attack

Happe also cited the growth of the county’s overall budget. Pinellas County’s total budget was about $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2022 and reached $4.8 billion for fiscal year 2026.[3]

“That is not modest growth,” Happe said. “That is an explosion in county government.”

He framed the issue as more than an accounting argument. Happe said taxpayers are being asked to accept explanations about millage rates while county government continues collecting more money, spending more money and asking for more authority to continue doing both.

“The millage rate is the formula,” he said. “The tax bill is the reality. And taxpayers live in reality.”

Commissioners’ Own Words Used Against Them

Happe also turned recent commissioner comments on property-tax reform back on the board.

WUSF reported that Commissioner Kathleen Peters warned about possible unintended consequences from property-tax reform, including concerns that Pinellas could become older and less attractive to working families. Commissioner Brian Scott called the state proposal an “unbridled power grab,” while Commissioner Dave Eggers defended the value of government closest to the people.[2]

Happe rejected those arguments.

“There is value in local government when local government listens, controls spending, and protects taxpayers,” he said. “But when local government raises collections while population is falling, grows the budget by nearly $2 billion, and hides behind millage-rate theater, that is not local control. That is local government protecting itself.”

His sharpest response was aimed at Scott’s “power grab” remark.

“The unbridled power grab is not Tallahassee stepping in,” Happe said. “The power grab is local government collecting roughly $210 million more per year while telling taxpayers to celebrate a lower millage rate.”

Republican Commission Draws Fire From Former Supporter

Happe also made the criticism personal, saying he had supported more than one Republican campaign for the commission because he believed promises of restraint, accountability and conservative government.

“This is not what you said you would do,” Happe told commissioners. “And when Charlie Crist can run to the right of a Republican-led county commission on property taxes, the political problem is you.”

Happe said the current Republican-led commission should not need DeSantis to force it to act like taxpayers matter.

“But here we are,” he said.

Oversight Questions and Barry Burton

The address also criticized the commission’s oversight of County Administrator Barry Burton, who Happe described as unelected but deeply influential over the county budget process.

“Barry Burton is the County Administrator,” Happe said. “He is unelected. He directs the staff, shapes the budget, controls the process, and is steering this county toward another record budget.”

Happe said Burton’s total compensation package approaches $400,000 and argued that the commission must answer whether it supervises Burton or effectively follows his direction.

“Do you work for him, or does he work for you?” Happe asked. “Because from the outside, it sure looks like you work for him.”

Happe also referenced Burton’s prior role as county administrator in Lake County, Illinois, where local reporting raised questions about county spending oversight during his tenure.[4] Happe said the point was not to “relitigate Lake County,” but to point out a parallel.

“The issue there was oversight,” Happe said. “The issue here is oversight.”

He noted that Commissioner Vince Nowicki was the only commissioner on the dais who voted against the county budget last year.

“Everybody else voted for it,” Happe said. “So yes, staff may build the budget machine. Barry Burton may drive the budget machine. But this commission handed him the keys.”

Travel Optics Add to Taxpayer Frustration

Happe also criticized the optics of commissioner travel, saying public trust is damaged when elected officials appear disconnected from taxpayers facing rising costs.

“Whether it is custom motorcycle rides, Guinness in Ireland, or taxpayer-funded European travel videos with champagne, caviar, and a ‘let them eat cake’ attitude, the message to taxpayers is clear,” Happe said. “You look disconnected from the people paying the bill.”

Happe said public money remains public money even when it comes from tourist development taxes or other revenue streams.

“Public money requires public accounting,” he said.

What Happe Asked the Commission To Do

Happe ended by asking the commission to take three steps.

First, he called on the county to stop “hiding behind the millage rate” and publish a plain-English, year-by-year explanation of General Fund ad valorem collections from 2018 to 2025.

Second, he asked the commission to direct county staff to prepare a rollback budget that would bring property-tax collections closer to prior-year levels while protecting law enforcement.

Third, he urged commissioners to publicly support property-tax reform from Tallahassee.

“Pinellas County is not some small example in the property tax debate,” Happe said. “Pinellas County is the poster child.”

He closed by warning that the situation in Pinellas should matter statewide.

“You are raising collections while the population is decreasing,” Happe said. “You are growing government while taxpayers are asking for relief. You are pointing to the millage rate while the bill keeps going up. You are calling state reform a power grab while local government keeps grabbing more money.”

“That is why state oversight is necessary,” he added. “That is why Governor DeSantis needs to intercede.”

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Footnotes

[1] Pinellas County’s response to the Florida DOGE letter states General Fund annual property tax collections increased by $144 million, or 31 percent, since FY2020, and says the commission reduced the countywide millage rate during that period. https://pinellas.gov/news/pinellas-county-response-to-florida-doge-letter/

[2] WUSF reported the Pinellas commissioner comments on the proposed property-tax referendum, including remarks from Kathleen Peters, Brian Scott and Dave Eggers. https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-06-08/property-tax-referendum-unintended-consequences-pinellas-commissioner

[3] Pinellas County reported the FY2026 budget at $4.8 billion, while county materials and prior budget reporting place the FY2022 budget around $2.9 billion. https://pinellas.gov/news/county-commission-adopts-final-fy-26-budget-with-lower-rate/

[4] Daily Herald reporting on Barry Burton’s move from Lake County, Illinois, to Pinellas County referenced public criticism over spending oversight during his Lake County tenure. https://www.dailyherald.com/20180820/news/lake-county-administrator-offered-job-in-florida/