Santa Rosa County property taxes
Santa Rosa County — Milton, Gulf Breeze, Pace and Navarre, across the bay from Pensacola — averages one of the lowest total millages in Florida. Its 2025 filing has an unusual result: a sheriff's levy that city parcels in Gulf Breeze and Milton don't pay, which leaves Gulf Breeze's city total a little BELOW the rate in the unincorporated county.
The 2025 numbers
Santa Rosa County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 11.7171 mills — about $11.72 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 62nd-highest countywide average of Florida's 67 counties (how all 67 compare in the 2025 data study). It splits like this:
| Levy group | Mills | What it funds |
|---|---|---|
| School district | 5.414 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 6.3031 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 11.7171 | Taxable-value-weighted countywide average, Florida DOR "Millage and Taxes Levied Report," 2025 roll |
A countywide average is a planning number, not your bill: the parcel's own districts set its millage (the city table below shows the spread), and non-ad-valorem assessments (fire, solid waste, CDD) come on top. On the 2025 tax roll they came to about $27.2 million here — $241 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 3.8850 mills (2024: 5.9550), below its rolled-back rate of 5.6946, so it was not a tax increase under Florida law. The 2025 millage study lists all 4 county, city and district operating rates in Santa Rosa County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Milton, Gulf Breeze and Santa Rosa County tax rates (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Santa Rosa County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.
| Area | City millage (+ sheriff levy where levied) | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | 4.1180 | 13.4377 | $1,344 |
| Gulf Breeze | 1.9723 | 11.2920 | $1,129 |
| Jay | 5.1700 + 2.0700 sheriff | 16.5597 | $1,656 |
| Pace, Navarre and unincorporated Santa Rosa | 2.0700 sheriff | 11.3897 | $1,139 |
Totals in this table run from 11.2920 mills (Gulf Breeze) to 16.5597 mills (Jay): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $527 a year.
Every Santa Rosa parcel pays the county's 3.8850 mills, 5.4140 for the school board and the Northwest Florida Water Management District's 0.0207 — 9.3197 in all. Unincorporated parcels, including Pace and Navarre, add the 2.0700-mill sheriff's levy, and so does Jay; Milton and Gulf Breeze parcels pay their city rate without it. All 14 unincorporated districts on the chart total the same 11.3897. Lighting, paving, canal and sewer MSBUs are separate per-parcel charges, not millage.
Trash pickup. In Santa Rosa County, the study could not verify from an official source how homes outside city limits get garbage service. Cities run their own service. Check the official page, or compare every county in the trash pickup study.
Fire and trash fees. On Santa Rosa County's 2025 tax roll, fire assessments came to about $227 per parcel (statewide: $129) and there were no solid-waste assessments. The 2025 fire and trash fee study compares all 67 counties.
Amendment 3 here. The state's Revenue Estimating Conference puts the cut to Santa Rosa County's local governments at $55 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($27 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $1,252 a year here from 2028, at the county's average non-school rate. The Amendment 3 by county study shows what it would cut for every city and county government.
What that means in dollars
Engine-computed examples at Santa Rosa County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $3,055.73 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $5,399.15 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $3,515.13 |
Homestead rows apply only the $25,000 exemption (§196.031(1)(a)) and the additional exemption up to $26,411 on non-school levies (§196.031(1)(b), 2026 CPI-indexed). Other programs stack on top; the buyer estimator models all eleven.
Buying in Santa Rosa County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Santa Rosa County bill tracks your price, not the seller's (the reset question below has the county's gap in dollars). Run the buyer estimator with Santa Rosa County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Santa Rosa County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Santa Rosa County the limit is $122,800 for households of 1 to 4 and $162,100 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions (USDA's income worksheet, October 2026). That is the $122,800 level most Florida counties share. The home also has to be in an eligible area: the USDA eligibility lookup checks an address and runs the income check. Other counties: all 67 USDA limits.
Key Santa Rosa County property tax dates
Set by state law, so identical statewide:
- Pay early, pay less: the 2026 bill is 4 percent off through November, stepping down each month until it is due by March 31 (the exact dates).
- Homestead exemption: live there on January 1 and file with the Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser by March 1 (what it saves).
- Value appeals: 25 days from the mailing date on your August TRIM notice (make a reminder for your deadline).
Add the 2026 tax discount dates to your calendar Add the 2027 homestead dates
Nearby and notable counties
- Escambia County property taxes — 14.1316 mills average
- Okaloosa County property taxes — 12.2773 mills average
- Miami-Dade County property taxes — 18.4893 mills average
Related reading
Your TRIM notice, explained · Amendment 3, explained · Homestead exemption calculator · Pay early, keep 4 percent
Buying here? Estimate your closing costs
Title insurance calculator · Documentary stamp (deed tax) calculator · Full closing cost worksheet · Seller net sheet
Look up an actual Santa Rosa County record
Search any Santa Rosa County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
Estimates on this page are planning figures from official DOR millage data — never a bill, never tax advice. The county's TRIM notice and tax bill control.
Quick answers
How much is property tax in Santa Rosa County?
Santa Rosa County's average total millage is about 11.72 mills — the 62nd-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $3,056 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $3,515 without it. Santa Rosa County — Milton, Gulf Breeze, Pace and Navarre, across the bay from Pensacola — averages one of the lowest total millages in Florida. Its 2025 filing has an unusual result: a sheriff's levy that city parcels in Gulf Breeze and Milton don't pay, which leaves Gulf Breeze's city total a little BELOW the rate in the unincorporated county.
Where do I pay my Santa Rosa County property tax bill?
Santa Rosa County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (srctc.com). The county Property Appraiser (srcpa.gov) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Santa Rosa County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Santa Rosa County?
Yes — Florida assessed values reset to market value at sale (Fla. Stat. §193.155), so the seller's Save Our Homes cap ends at closing and your first full Santa Rosa County bill is computed from what you paid, not what the seller paid. The gap is visible in this county's own numbers: the same $300,000 home computes to about $3,515 without homestead protections versus $3,056 with them. Non-homestead property carries its own separate 10 percent assessment cap (Fla. Stat. §193.1554), which also does not transfer.
Who pays for title insurance in Santa Rosa County?
In Santa Rosa County, local custom puts the owner's title-insurance premium on the seller's side of the closing statement, as in most Florida counties. It is custom, not law; the contract controls.
What is the USDA income limit in Santa Rosa County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Santa Rosa County, household income must be under $122,800 for 1 to 4 people or $162,100 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions. The home must also be in a USDA eligible area; the USDA eligibility lookup checks both.
What is the property tax rate in Milton?
Milton's 2025 total property tax rate is 13.4377 mills, per Santa Rosa County's 2025 final millage filing — about $1,344 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the city's own 4.1180 mills; Pace, Navarre and the rest of unincorporated Santa Rosa total 11.3897.
Data verified as of October 2026.