PACE, Fla. – A local resident is unhappy with the Pace Fire District’s new service fees. The district will no longer use the value of a home to calculate the fee, but will instead use the size of the home.

As WEAR News reported Tuesday, the goal is to make sure people pay a fair rate for fire service. State Rep. Alex Andrade says county fire commissioners can still vote on how much residents are charged, as long as the maximum rate is not exceeded.

There has been some feedback on the fire department fee changes in the Pace Fire District. Phil Moon lives in this district. He says his fire department fee will almost double with this change.

“I noticed that the fire tax changed from an ad valorem tax to, I think, 1.5, which was about $113 for me every year,” Moon says. “And that went up to $389 under the new ad valorem tax.”

Andrade says the goal of the new state law that changed the process is to make it more equitable. He says the law will prevent fire districts from repeatedly increasing their fees when the value of a home or the tax rate changes. Another reason, Andrade says, is to make sure everyone pays something for the same fire service everyone gets.

“With property tax exemptions and other exemptions, the value of your home as assigned by the state is zero or less than zero,” Andrade explains. “You’re not paying anything at all for the fire services that you might need. So, yes, the idea was, ‘If you’re getting the same service as these people who are paying these fees, you should pay the same.’ It shouldn’t be an astronomical amount.”

Andrade says the Pace District has opted for the maximum base rate of $250, plus an additional 15 cents for every square foot over 1,600.

“That’s the maximum amount they can charge,” Andrade said. “Nobody is telling the Pace Fire District to charge the maximum amount they can charge.”

“Nothing is perfect,” Moon says. “But if you take the average, people who have smaller homes where the property tax is $250 are potentially going to see a huge tax increase. And they’re probably the ones least able to afford those increases.”

According to Pace Fire Chief Robbie Whitfield, the district is proposing the maximum rate to fund current projects, including the construction of a new fire station.

“We’re still reviewing all of that to make a recommendation to the board,” Whitfield said. “But we know we need that firehouse so that people in that area can get home insurance or reduce their home insurance, because right now there’s a station in that area that only houses fire trucks. But that doesn’t count for insurance purposes.”

Whitfield says this will be discussed during a public budget meeting on Sept. 17 at the fire station on Pace Patriot Boulevard. It begins at 5:30 p.m.

Pace Fire’s next board meeting is scheduled for August 19th at 5 p.m. at Pace Patriot.