For the second year in a row, St. Petersburg, Florida’s Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) approved a balanced budget that reduces the agency’s property tax rate, while also advancing new services and improvements across the transit system.
The rate for 2026 is set at 0.7300 mills, down from 0.7342 mills in 2025 and 0.7500 mills in 2024. One mill equals $1 of tax paid for every $1,000 of taxable value on a property, according to the agency. This establishes the lowest tax rate to fund public transportation services in Pinellas County since 2005.
Supporting New Initiatives
Following the successful launch of the new Grouper airport shuttle service and the Clearwater Ferry in 2025, PSTA’s FY2026 budget will support the introduction of even more new initiatives.
On October 26, the agency’s Connected Community Bus Network will take effect, reorganizing routes and schedules to create a bus system that is clearer, more consistent, and more connected.
The system redesign follows extensive public outreach and is cost-neutral — achieved without any expected cost increases for the agency or taxpayers.
PSTA will also debut SPARK, a high-frequency premium bus service connecting South Pinellas’ Eckerd College and the Skyway Marina District in St. Petersburg with Downtown St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach.
The agency is also set to expand the Clearwater Ferry to the City of Dunedin in the coming weeks and is working toward launching a new Tampa Bay Ferry service as early as next year.
“PSTA provides vital services to our community — a fact that became even clearer after last year’s hurricanes — and today’s vote shows we can keep supporting that work while also being careful stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said PSTA Board Chair and St. Petersburg City Council Member Deborah Figgs-Sanders.
Remaining Fiscally Viable
PSTA leaders emphasized that the tax reduction reflects both fiscal responsibility and a commitment to innovation.
“We know every dollar counts for Pinellas County taxpayers,” said Brad Miller, CEO of PSTA. “For the second straight year, we’ve lowered the tax rate while continuing to deliver excellent, forward-thinking service that connects people to work, school, and everywhere they need to go.”
Today, PSTA serves more than 30,000 riders daily. Services include:
County-wide bus routes serving all of Pinellas.
Free rides for veterans.
Paratransit services for residents with disabilities.
Innovative transit options such as the SunRunner bus rapid transit line, the Grouper airport express shuttle, and the Clearwater Ferry.
With back-to-back tax reductions, a reimagined countywide network, and new ferry and bus services on the horizon, PSTA officials said they are delivering on two key objectives: stewarding public resources responsibly and building a more connected transit future for Pinellas County.
