Property owners who saw big breaks in their property taxes, but suffered no storm damage, will likely see the values of their properties return to previous levels this tax year.
Property taxes are the main method of raising funds by local governments, Longboat Key included, and the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 meant the town brought in a lower amount of revenue in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The change in revenue on the barrier island was a tale of two counties. The town saw a 14% increase in property tax revenue from Sarasota County properties, largely attributed to the opening of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort.
On the Manatee County side, however, there was a 10% decrease in property tax revenue. During the budgeting process, that was attributed to damage caused by the storms because the north side of Longboat Key has older properties not built to newer and stricter floodproofing requirements. That looks to be only part of the cause, though…