Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority | PSTA Lowers Property Tax Rate Third Straight Year, Approves 2027 Public Transit Budget 

For Immediate Release

September 24th, 2026

PSTA Lowers Property Tax Rate Third Straight Year, Approves 2027 Public Transit Budget

Agency Outlines Potential Budget Impacts if Amendment 3 Passes

Pinellas County, FL – On Wednesday night, September 23, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) reduced its property tax rate for the third straight year as it approved its 2027 budget.

The tax rate for FY 2027 is set to .7168 mills, which is the full roll-back rate, meaning no additional tax dollars will be used than the current FY 2026 year. This tax rate is down from the .7300 mills for 2026, .7423 mills in 2025, and .7500 mills in 2024. One mill equals $1 of tax paid for every $1,000 of taxable value on a property. This sets the lowest property tax rate for transit services in Pinellas County in 16 years.

“PSTA is committed to providing critical transportation to our community, while also continuing to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer of PSTA. “For a third year in a row, we’ve lowered the agency’s tax rate during a time when every dollar counts for Pinellas County taxpayers. We are very proud to be one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the country.”

The approval of this balanced budget comes six weeks before the midterm elections on November 3, 2026, when voters will decide the future of property taxes in Florida. Around 69% of PSTA’s operating budget is funded by property tax revenue. The passage of Amendment 3 would result in the agency losing up to $34 million in property tax funding in the first two years —that’s around 25% of PSTA’s operating budget and then permanent ongoing caps would continue every year. Although the agency has received capital funding for new projects, like the recent $16.5 million in federal funding for the upcoming Tampa Bay Ferry, this money cannot be used for operating costs.

Amendment 3’s passage will result in significant cuts to public transportation services in Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay:

• 25 of PSTA’s current 40 bus routes could be eliminated as soon as June 2027.
• Over 100,000 paratransit trips for people with disabilities who cannot drive will have to be cut.
• Approximately 20% of the 800 Pinellas transit jobs—bus operators, maintenance technicians, ferry boat captains, and others—will be eliminated.
• Nearly all popular ferry and trolley services will be cut.
• These cuts would reduce transit access to an estimated 300,000 jobs throughout Pinellas County.

The upcoming Tampa Bay Ferry service and 727 Airport Express would either be limited or eliminated entirely. The 727 Airport Express service from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport is set to launch October 4, 2026, while the Tampa Bay Ferry service from downtown St. Petersburg to downtown Tampa is scheduled to launch later this year.

“Property taxes fund many public services in our community—police and fire departments, 911 dispatchers, emergency management, road maintenance, water and sewer service, and, of course, public transit,” said PSTA Board Chair and St. Petersburg City Council Member Deborah Figgs-Sanders. “It’s important that riders and residents alike understand the impact Amendment 3 would have on the services Pinellas County citizens depend on.”

To learn more about the effect Amendment 3 could have on PSTA’s services, visit psta.net/A3.

Amanda Boisen
Interim Communications & Public Relations Manager
C: (727) 288-6500
E: aboisen@psta.net

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ABOUT PINELLAS SUNCOAST TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Since 1903, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has served as the premier public transit provider for Pinellas County, Florida’s most densely populated county. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit service, provides a reliable, car-free option from downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. With 41 fixed-route bus routes, two express routes to downtown Tampa, the Suncoast Beach trolley, Jolley Trolley and Looper and their paratransit service Access, PSTA provides 10.7 million rides annually. For more information about PSTA, visit www.psta.net