BELLEAIR — Belleair’s camps, leagues, festivals and 50-year-old holiday traditions rest on a Recreation Department that draws 70% of its $900,000 budget from property taxes, revenue the town could not spend on recreation if Florida voters approve the state’s proposed property tax amendment in November.
Recreation Manager Kelly Flowers-Bonefas laid out what that would mean at the July 21 Town Commission meeting, and by the time she finished she was in tears.
Hers was the first of three presentations planned to show how the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes measure would affect the town should it clear the 60% voter approval needed to pass. Recreation does not appear on the list of core needs the measure would allow property tax revenue to fund; public safety, infrastructure and education do.
“When people hear recreation, they think about sports, or maybe a couple of events here and there,” Flowers-Bonefas said as she began a presentation accompanied by a detailed handout. “But it’s really about people.”
She told commissioners she wanted to “paint a picture about what the rec department does, how it’s funded and what the property tax amendment could mean for the programs, services and traditions our community enjoys.”
The funding picture came first. Ad valorem revenue covers 70% of the department’s budget, Flowers-Bonefas said, with fees, sponsorships, memberships and other sources making up the rest.
“The department’s annual budget is just over $900,000, and property taxes are the foundation of Recreation’s funding,” she said.
If that foundation goes, she said, “how do communities like ours continue providing these services? The camps? The leagues? The events? The facilities? The staff? Those are the services that could be affected.”
Flowers-Bonefas then walked through how deeply the department is woven into the town: the Santa who has ridden a fire truck to visit Belleair children every December for 50 years, the Sunset 5K, the communitywide garage sales, the annual Halloween Bash at the Dimmitt Community Center.
Passage of the amendment could mean changes to camps and field trips, staffing adjustments, reduced facility hours and limited field access, she said, along with cuts to capital equipment replacement and facility improvements. Even the Santa deliveries are at risk, she said, because they require help from the public works, police and fire departments — assistance the measure would not permit.
“In closing, I will leave you with these pictures, which are not just photos of programs and events,” Flowers-Bonefas said, gesturing to slides of children at department activities. “They tell the story of Belleair.”
Her voice broke, and she stopped to apologize.
“Take your time,” Mayor Mike Wilkinson told her.
“Those are photos of families making memories together for a small recreation fee,” Flowers-Bonefas continued. “And that’s what Recreation does. We create experiences that lead to lasting memories. And as the conversation about the property tax amendment continues, we will thoughtfully explore ways to provide the programs, recreational opportunities and unique traditions that make Belleair such a special place to call home.”
The presentation drew sustained applause from the audience and the commissioners.
“You found your calling and you care, and everyone supports you 100%,” Wilkinson said. He then recalled his own family’s experiences with the department since moving to town in 1994.
“I have fond memories of everything you mentioned, and we are all behind you,” he told the staff, which includes five full-time and four part-time employees plus seasonal help. “We all support you and we appreciate all that you have done.”
Wilkinson thanked Flowers-Bonefas for the presentation, saying she “puts all her heart and soul into her job.”
Town Manager Gay Lancaster said recreation “is a service that’s completely at risk” under the proposal, and that the town has been accused of hand-wringing over the potential loss of programs, personnel and services.
“This is not hand-wringing. This is fact,” Lancaster said, pointing to the list of permitted uses. “The proposed legislation does not provide for funding for Recreation.”
The department, she said, “has been, and we hope will continue to be, the heart of Belleair. This is where families come together.”
During public comment, Karla Retstatt urged the commission to start planning now. Retstatt is a former town commissioner and recreation board member and serves as president of the Belleair Community Foundation.
“I understand taxpayers are being stretched in many different directions just to make ends meet, and that on the surface, the idea of eliminating property taxes sounds very appealing,” she said. “I believe some type of relief would certainly benefit many Floridians.
“However, I am concerned that a complete elimination of property taxes could have unintended consequences that would significantly impact the quality of life that we’ve come to know and value in Belleair.”
Retstatt, who served on the recreation board and as its adviser to the commission from 1998 to 2006, recalled when the department operated out of a single room in Town Hall with an outdoor play area, before the Dimmitt Community Center opened in 2006. She, too, grew emotional recounting the annual events, camps and activities her family took part in.
“They are the most important memories of mine and everyone who lives here,” she said. “It was simple, but it was the heart of the community.”
She and the board pushed to raise the capital needed to build the Dimmitt Center “because we believed residents deserved a community center that would serve generations to come,” she said.
“But the Recreation Department is so much more than a building,” Retstatt said. “It is the heart of our community ... and with the upcoming tax reform legislation, life as we know it in Belleair could change dramatically.”
She asked commissioners to form a committee of community members to identify options “to help preserve the strength” of the department.
“Together, we can ensure that Belleair continues to provide outstanding recreation programs and opportunities for residents of all ages,” Retstatt said. “I’m in. Are you?”
Bonefas’ report is posted on the town website at townofbelleair.com/662/Property-Taxes.