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First Coast Connect
First Coast Connect

A $4,500 tax shocker

By Anne Schindler
Published July 29, 2024 at 11:23 AM EDT
Holiday Harbor resident Molton Smith gestures down Hogpen Creek toward the Intracoastal Waterway and his neighbors there who helped initiate the creation of a new taxing district in Jacksonville. Smith and another 110 residents on Hogpen Creek will have to pay roughly $40,000 each in their tax bills to dredge the creek. | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
Casmira Harrison
/
Jacksonville Today
Holiday Harbor resident Molton Smith gestures down Hogpen Creek toward the Intracoastal Waterway. A new taxing district will force Smith and 110 other residents on Hogpen Creek to pay roughly $40,000 over several years to dredge the creek.

A $4,500 surprise began showing up in mailboxes of some Duval County taxpayers this year. Intracoastal West homeowners say they were blindsided by the creation of a special taxing district that could cost them as much as $40,000 over the next 10 to 15 years. It’s a price many older homeowners can ill afford and is, in some cases, complicating planned home sales. We explain what happened — and how they’re fighting back.

Guests:

  • Robin Lumb, former Jacksonville City Council member.
  • Casmira Harrison, reporter at Jacksonville Today.

Then, one of the most threatened marine fishes in the world was found in local waterways for the first time in 16 years. We talk to researchers who discovered the sawfish and why they say the discovery is a hopeful sign.

Guest:

Plus, a local film festival celebrates its seventh anniversary showcasing the funnier side of the First Coast.

Guests:

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Anne Schindler
Anne Schindler joined WJCT News 89.9 as host of First Coast Connect in October 2023, after nearly three decades in Jacksonville print and television. Anne has worked in the Jacksonville media market since 1995, first as a reporter for the original Folio Weekly, then as the publication’s editor-in-chief from 2002 until her departure. In 2012, Anne transitioned to television as executive producer of special projects for First Coast News, Northeast Florida’s NBC and ABC affiliates. You can reach Anne at aschindler@wjct.org.
See stories by Anne Schindler