Taxes in St. Augustine
Florida has no state income tax, a statewide baseline that applies here as everywhere else in the state. St. Johns County's property tax picture for 2026 is genuinely two-sided: the county board's own operating millage rate is dropping slightly, but most homeowners will still see a higher bill because the approved rate sits above the roll-back rate that would keep bills flat.
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Learn moreCounty Millage Rate Is Falling, But Bills Are Still Rising
The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners tentatively approved a rate of 4.465 mills for fiscal year 2026, per St. Johns Citizen -- down from 4.6537 mills the prior year. But that new rate still sits above the 4.4180-mill roll-back rate (the rate that would generate the same total revenue as the prior year), so most homeowners will see their tax bill increase even though the millage rate itself dropped. Final budget hearings were expected in September 2026, where the board could lower the rate further but not raise it.
Total Millage Includes Multiple Taxing Districts
The county-commission millage above is only one layer. For many unincorporated St. Johns County areas, the 2025 certified total millage across all taxing districts (county, school district, water management district, and any special/community development districts) was 13.4686 mills, per the same reporting. The final bill on any specific property depends on which municipal, school, and special-district boundaries it falls within -- a property inside St. Augustine city limits or a community development district will see a different total than an unincorporated county parcel.
Homestead Exemption and the Save Our Homes Cap
For the 2026 tax year, the total homestead exemption is $51,411 (adjusted annually for inflation), per the St. Johns County Property Appraiser: the first $25,000 applies to all property taxes including school taxes, and a second $26,411 applies to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000, excluding school taxes. Once homesteaded, a property's assessed value is protected by the Save Our Homes cap, limiting annual increases to 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. The application deadline for the current tax year is March 2, 2026.
A Larger Homestead Exemption Is Being Discussed, Not Yet Law
A proposed statewide expansion of the homestead exemption to $250,000 (from the current roughly $50,000) has been discussed, per Momentum Realty's coverage, but the earliest it could take effect is January 2027, contingent on a November 2026 statewide vote -- it is not current law and should not be budgeted around as if it were.
Key takeaways
- Florida levies no state income tax -- this applies statewide, including St. Augustine.
- St. Johns County's approved FY2026 county-commission millage rate is 4.465 mills, down from 4.6537 the prior year -- but because that rate still sits above the 4.4180-mill roll-back rate, most homeowners will see a higher bill despite the lower rate.
- Total combined millage across all taxing districts ran 13.4686 mills for many unincorporated areas in 2025; the exact total on any property depends on its specific municipal, school, and special-district boundaries.
- The 2026 homestead exemption totals $51,411, with the Save Our Homes cap limiting assessed-value growth to 3%/CPI annually once homesteaded (deadline to file: March 2, 2026); portability allows transferring up to $500,000 of accumulated benefit from a prior Florida homestead.
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