Millions for child advocacy could disappear in Broward under DeSantis property tax plan, CEO warns

DAVIE, Fla. — The Children’s Services Council of Broward County is funded by property taxes.

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The council’s CEO, Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, has been at the helm since the beginning.

After lawmakers voted for an amendment to slash property taxes that will go on this November’s ballot, Seltzer is sounding the alarm on what the vital resource could lose.

“Right now, it looks like roughly $10 million next year,” she said.

The plan would protect the first $250,000 of your home’s value from property tax, and lower the cap on assessment increases for second homes and commercial properties.

Broward officials estimate in fiscal year for 2027-2028, the county could lose more than $250 million while Miami-Dade County could be down $385.8 million.

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“The loss compared to the benefit for hundreds of thousands of residents is manageable,” said Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado.

But Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia and the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis have been critical of Broward and Miami-Dade for what they say are bloated budgets and wasteful spending.

“You’re going to hear a lot of scare tactics and misinformation,” said Ingoglia. “I do not buy into the fact that they’re going to have to cut things. Everyone wants more money. The way you make things more affordable is you reduce one of their biggest payments, which is their housing payment.”

In the Florida Keys, Monroe County estimates it may lose $13.6 million.

One concern there is a potential funding shortfall for its mosquito control district.

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A spokesperson for the county told Local 10 News they’re crunching the numbers.