In the final weeks leading up to the August 20 election, City Commissioner Jack Porter and her supporters are trying hard to convince voters she is against tax increases, despite her public comments supporting a tax increase.
In a recent campaign text message, Porter told voters she “voted against the tax increase three times.” The message referred to the city property tax increase approved in 2023.
However, the public record indicates she supported raising city property taxes until it was revealed additional funding would be allocated to the Tallahassee Police Department.
The Public Record
On February 10, 2023, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that “City Commissioner Jack Porter said the city should consider raising its tax rate in the coming years to account for the need for more services and increased costs” and she “noted how over the last 20 years the millage rate has only increased incrementally.”
“Sometimes the needs are not being met where maybe they used to be met by the federal government or the state government and it might not be fair, but cities have to step in,” she said.
When asked what the new tax revenue would fund, Porter stated, “an across-the-board minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, small scale events to be held at city parks, light snacks at City Commission meetings and for a social worker to be hired to help with housing case management and other issues.”
However, just months after Porter’s comments on property taxes, a proposal was made to increase the property tax to increase the Tallahassee Police Department’s budget by $9.5 million to address the spike in violent crime. The new funding would support an additional 20 new officers and provide investment for advanced video software and artificial intelligence technology.
Porter and her colleague, Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, voted no on the proposal.
