As experts predicted, the nearly double-digit increases in the Palm Beach County tax rolls slowed this year after a three-year ride.
Property values rose 7.7% countywide, a slower increase than in the past three years when values rose 9.6% in 2024, 13.5% in 2023 and 15% in 2022.
Not since the 5.6% increase in 2021 has the tax roll increase been lower.
It’s important because local governments use the valuations to determine the tax rate residents pay to cover the cost of police, fire-rescue, libraries, schools, garbage pickup and other municipal services. Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed eliminating property taxes without suggesting a way to replace the money to provide municipal services.
The countywide valuation stood at $209 billion in 2020. The preliminary calculation for 2025 puts it at $341 billion, up 62%.
Cities account for $237 billion of the county’s value, up 62% from $146 billion in 2020.
The taxable value of new construction countywide topped $5 billion for the second consecutive year, calculations by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office show.
That’s $1 billion more than in 2023.
West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens combined accounted for a fifth of the $22.5 billion in new construction countywide over the past five years.
Over five years, West Palm Beach has added $2.3 billion in value to its tax rolls through new construction, and Palm Beach Gardens has added $2 billion.
That compares to $1.1 billion for Palm Beach, $719 million for Riviera Beach and $541 million for Jupiter.
This year’s valuations are preliminary because municipalities have a month to review them for accuracy and taxpayers have a chance to contest them before the end of the year.
Residents of cities typically pay taxes of $18 to $20 per $1,000 of their property’s taxable value in total to the various taxing bodies on their tax bill. Residents can look up their property and see last year’s tax bill on Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks’ website here.
Breaking down the values
The five cities that have added the most taxable value since 2020 are, in order, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Delray Beach.
Percentage increases favor smaller towns. The largest percentage increase since 2020 came in Westlake, which didn’t exist before 2017. It’s gone up 641% since 2020.
Next highest is the Village of Golf, which has gone up 107%, followed by Cloud Lake, Glen Ridge and Loxahatchee Groves.
The smallest percentage rise in the six years since 2020: Atlantis, which has gone up 33%.
The smallest volume increase? Tiny Cloud Lake by the airport at $7.9 million. But that’s nearly double its 2020 valuation.
In 2025, just one town lost value compared to last year: South Palm Beach, which dipped by a half-percent.
Where does your city rank?
Here are the preliminary taxable values for the county’s 39 municipalities with percent change since last year, from highest value to lowest:
Boca Raton: $40.0 billion, 7.1%.
Palm Beach: $34.3 billion, 7.3%.
West Palm Beach: $25.3 billion, 9.0%.
Palm Beach Gardens: $21.6 billion, 9.2%.
Delray Beach: $19.5 billion, 8.3%.
Jupiter: $18.3 billion, 6.6%.
Wellington: $13.1 billion, 6.3%.
Boynton Beach: $10.4 billion, 6.4%.
Riviera Beach: $9.4 billion, 7.9%.
Royal Palm Beach: $4.9 billion, 7.1%.
Highland Beach: $4.1 billion, 6.7%.
North Palm Beach: $3.8 billion, 5.9%.
Lake Worth Beach: $3.6 billion, 7.8%.
Greenacres: $3.3 billion, 7.2%.
Juno Beach: $2.6 billion, 8.7%.
Manalapan: $2.4 billion, 7.6%.
Palm Springs: $2.28 billion, 10.5%.
Tequesta: $2.21 billion, 7.9%.
Lantana: $2 billion, 6.4%.
Gulf Stream: $1.9 billion, 8.5%.
Ocean Ridge: $1.8 billion, 9.9%.
Westlake: $1.6 billion, 27.0%.
Lake Park: $1.2 billion, 8.8%.
Palm Beach Shores: $943 million, 12.1%.
Atlantis: $787 million, 3.8%.
Jupiter Inlet Colony: $688 million, 7.7%.
Belle Glade: $668 million, 8.4%.
Loxahatchee Groves: $655 million, 7.3%.
South Palm Beach: $636 million, -0.6%.
Hypoluxo: $594 million, 6.3%.
Lake Clarke Shores: $434 million, 6.1%.
Mangonia Park: $415 million, 7.7%.
Village of Golf: $399 million, 8.1%.
Haverhill: $189 million, 12.7%.
Pahokee: $137 million, 8.6%.
South Bay: $118 million, 5.8%.
Briny Breezes: $104 million, 9.5%.
Glen Ridge: $37.9 million, 7.7%.
Cloud Lake: $15.8 million, 14.9%.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
