WUFT-TV/FM | WJUF-FM
1200 Weimer Hall | P.O. Box 118405
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-5551

A service of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

© 2026 WUFT / Division of Media Properties
News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Newberry mayor reacts to Florida legislature's property tax cut proposal

The Florida Capitol building in Tallahassee. (Stephen Nakatani/Creative Commons)
The Florida Capitol building in Tallahassee. (Stephen Nakatani/Creative Commons)

The property tax cut proposal passed by the Florida Legislature earlier this week has some smaller communities feeling uneasy.

That unease is because some of these communities rely on property taxes to help sustain them. Tim Marden is the Mayor of Newberry and the chair of the Alachua County Republican Party.

"We're going to be potentially cutting into the bone or into the muscle to find another what looks like could be as much as 20% in our budget to cut," Marden said.

He said if voters do approve the idea this November, the city will prioritize services like police and fire — but may have to cut funding from places like the parks and recreation department.

Marden said he's concerned for Newberry, but is even more concerned for smaller towns.

"You have somebody like Archer that has virtually no commercial tax base at all. I mean, that could be the death knell for a small community like that or a small community like Hawthorne," Marden explained.

The November ballot measure will require 60% support to pass.

Subscribe to WUFT Weekly

* indicates required