The Southwest Florida Water Management District has declared a Phase 3 water shortage. Effective 4/3, Dunedin water customers will be limited to 4 hours of potable water irrigation on their assigned day. The new restrictions will not impact reclaimed water usage.
Published on April 23, 2026
Bramley joined a panel of speakers discussing the potential impacts of proposed property tax reform legislation if it goes before voters and passes in November. The meeting marked the second Property Tax Information Forum hosted by the city this month to help residents understand how property taxes work, what they fund, and why these local revenues are essential to maintaining the community’s high quality of life.
“Safe, clean and desirable is not free,” said Treasure Island Fire Chief Trip Barrs, president of the State Fire Chiefs’ Association, who also spoke on the panel.
Other panelists included Dunedin Finance Director Les Tyler; Florida Policy Institute Director of Research Estaban Santis; former state Rep. Jennifer Webb, who represented Florida’s 69th District; and Barrs. The panel was moderated by Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor-in-Chief Alexis Muellner.
The forum included discussion on how an estimated $9 million property tax loss for Dunedin would lead to reduced service levels, layoffs, additional fees and could jeopardize critical response times for fire and EMS services.
“There are other proposals out there that are not insurmountable, and we can support tax reform if it benefits our residents, businesses and cities and still provide the quality of life we are providing now,” said Tyler.
When asked whether eliminating property taxes could be offset by increasing sales tax so the burden is shared more broadly, Santis said the idea had already been analyzed.
“We looked at that idea and conducted a study,” Santis said. “We determined that if you wanted to eliminate all property taxes, you would have to replace the revenue with a 12%, thus doubling the sales tax at the state level.”
Both this forum and the forum held on April 14 included presentations from panelists, along with opportunities for attendees to ask questions. Panelists encouraged residents to watch the livestream recordings, stay informed and participate in future budget discussions.