Property assessments up on Fort Myers Beach
Property assessments are up 12% for the current fiscal year in the Town of Fort Myers Beach per preliminary data released by the Lee County Property Appraiser’s office.
Total taxable property values went up 12.33% in part due to new construction, the rebuilding of homes and businesses on the island and market data compared to last year.
That could mean higher taxes this year for Fort Myers Beach property owners.
Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell said it depends on the town council’s upcoming budget and what millage rate is adopted. “For example, if they adopt the rolled back rate, taxpayers would see no increase in net taxes,” he said.
Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Scott Safford said that unless the town’s budget is adjusted, property owners will see a similar increase in their property tax bills to the increase in valuations by the assessor’s office.
“The County Assessor’s final roll shows Fort Myers Beach taxable values up approximately 12.3% year-over-year meaning, unless the millage rate is adjusted downward, homeowners will see roughly the same increase in their property tax bills,” Safford said. “However, homestead properties are still protected by the 3% Save Our Homes cap. I encourage residents to check their TRIM notices in mid August and attend local budget hearings. If they believe their assessment is too high-particularly post hurricane repairs-they can appeal it.”
The only other municipality to see higher increases in their taxable values was Sanibel, which is in a similar situation to Fort Myers Beach in rebuilding from Hurricane Ian.
County Assessor Matt Caldwell said “the dramatic increase in the tax roll number for both Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach reflects improvements being brought back off the roll after being removed following damage from Hurricane Ian. This included about 2,000 condo units between the islands. Each year our field team reviews the ‘uninhabitable’ properties to see if they either still qualify for this exception or should be restored to the roll. This reflects good news, as now the vast majority of ‘uninhabitable’ properties have now been restored.”
The rest of Lee County saw lesser increases in their assessments. Overall, Lee County assessments went up 8%.
Caldwell believes the values for next years will go down based on the current market.
“One word of caution I have given everyone however, is that these numbers can be misleading. The changes in value (not habitability) reflect the market in 2024, which was moving sideways and now appears to be moving down in 2025,” Caldwell said. “All of the taxing authorities should be prepared for a potential loss in the roll come 2026.”
Overall, town assessments went up from $4.11 billion to $4.94 billion, for an increase of 12%. Total just values, which reflects market value, went up 10% from $5.9 billion to $6.48 billion
Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said the numbers were “another good sign of our recovery. As only six percent of a FMB resident’s property tax bill goes to support the Town government, it is difficult to know the fiscal impact on the Town budget until we know the actual numbers. The vast majority of the property tax bill goes to the schools, Lee County government and the Fire Department.”