Taxes in Bradenton
Bradenton residents benefit from Florida's lack of a state income tax, but pay a standard state-plus-local sales tax, a real property tax burden assembled from multiple overlapping millage rates, and -- for short-term rental owners -- one of the higher combined tourist tax rates in the region after a 2024 voter-approved increase.
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Learn moreNo state income tax
Florida is one of a small number of states with no personal income tax, a fact enshrined in the state constitution. This is often the single largest tax-line difference for retirees and remote workers relocating from a state with an income tax, and it applies statewide -- worth factoring into any side-by-side relocation comparison alongside Bradenton's property and insurance costs.
Property tax is layered, not a single number
Manatee County's own aggregate county-government millage rate for fiscal year 2025-26 is 6.5033 mills, with the school district contributing roughly another 6.50 mills -- and Manatee County's total combined millage (county, school, city, and special-district layers stacked together) runs around 17.29 mills for 2025, per Ownwell's compilation of county tax-roll data. No single millage figure represents your actual bill, since it depends on which city and special districts (fire, library, and similar) your specific parcel falls within -- check the Manatee County Property Appraiser's site for your exact parcel.
The homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap
For a primary residence, Florida's homestead exemption for 2026 totals $51,411: a fixed $25,000 slice that reduces assessed value for all levies, including school taxes, plus a second, inflation-indexed slice ($26,411 for 2026) that reduces assessed value for non-school levies only. Once homesteaded, the Save Our Homes cap limits annual assessed-value increases to the lesser of 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index -- 2.7% for 2026. A new buyer's first-year tax bill is based on the purchase-year assessment, not the seller's prior (capped) bill, so budget accordingly.
Sales tax and a real short-term-rental tax burden
The combined sales tax rate in Manatee County is 7% for 2026 -- Florida's 6% state rate plus a 1% county surtax, per Avalara's 2026 rate tables. Anyone renting property in Manatee County for six months or less faces a steeper combined burden than the sales tax alone: voters approved a 1% increase to the county's Tourist Development Tax effective January 1, 2025, raising it to 6%, which stacks with the 7% sales tax for a total 13% tourist tax rate on short-term rentals -- a meaningful cost for owners weighing a vacation-rental income strategy as part of their purchase decision.
No state estate or inheritance tax
Florida imposes no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax, which can matter for retirees doing estate planning as part of a relocation decision -- though federal estate tax rules still apply regardless of state of residence.
Key takeaways
- No Florida state personal income tax -- a meaningful offset to Bradenton’s property and insurance costs.
- Manatee County's total combined property tax millage (county, school, city, and special districts) runs around 17.29 mills for 2025, with the county government's own aggregate millage at 6.5033 mills for FY2025-26 -- check your specific parcel for the exact combined rate.
- The 2026 homestead exemption totals $51,411, and the Save Our Homes cap limits assessed-value growth to 2.7% for 2026 -- but only after the first year, which is based on your purchase-year assessment.
- Combined sales tax is 7% (6% state + 1% county surtax); short-term (six-month-or-less) rentals face a 13% total tourist tax rate after Manatee County’s Tourist Development Tax rose to 6% on January 1, 2025.
- No state estate or inheritance tax, though federal estate tax rules still apply.
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