Palm Beach County drivers staring down rising fuel bills have a new ally at the dais: Vice Mayor Marci Woodward wants Gov. Ron DeSantis to let the county temporarily shut off its 12-cent local gas tax. She told fellow commissioners that a pause could shave about $0.12 a gallon, or roughly $2.40 on a 20-gallon fill-up, at a time when many households are feeling the pinch. County staff, however, warned that local governments appear not to have the legal authority to suspend taxes they have already imposed, which promptly stalled any quick move. The idea is now caught in a broader fight over whether short tax breaks really lower what drivers pay at the pump.
As reported by WPTV, Woodward has sent a letter to DeSantis asking that counties be given what she called "parallel flexibility" to pause local fuel levies, pointing to the 2022 state gas tax holiday as a model. "It's not a lot, but every little bit would help right now," she told the station. Mayor Sara Baxter said she backs tax relief only if the county can first identify replacement dollars. County staff told commissioners they had learned local governments are not allowed to pause local taxes, a finding that effectively put Woodward's proposal on hold, WPTV reported.
Palm Beach County budget documents show the county stacks three separate local fuel taxes on each gallon: a six-cent local option tax, a five-cent levy and a one-cent "ninth-cent" tax. Together they bring in roughly $50 million to $55 million a year for transportation, according to Palm Beach County's FY2025 revenue manual. The money is already spoken for, tied to transit operations, roadway engineering and interlocal distribution formulas, which is why commissioners and staff warned that even a short pause would blow a near-term funding hole for Palm Tran and ongoing road projects.
At the state level, DeSantis has been cool toward gas tax holidays as a long-term fix. He has argued that they are not a "simple fix" and that past breaks have not produced lasting savings for drivers, as The Washington Post noted. Analysts and editorial boards have also pointed out that pausing pump taxes can undercut funding for transportation at the very moment agencies are counting on steady revenue for buses and roadwork.
How a pause would work
Florida law lets counties levy up to 12 cents per gallon through three types of local option fuel taxes, but the statutes and the interlocal agreements that govern those pennies include strict rules on how the money is collected, shared and turned back on, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. County documents and recent agenda materials show that some of the levies require board action, interlocal agreements or even referendums to reimpose, and those contractual commitments limit how quickly funds can be rerouted if collections are paused.
What's next
County staff told commissioners they will keep digging into the legal and budget fallout while elected officials decide whether to push Tallahassee for explicit authority or look for other relief measures, as WPTV reports. For now, any meaningful pause would have to come with a plan to refill tens of millions of dollars a year that keep buses running and roads maintained.
Commissioners are expected to revisit the idea once staff finish their analysis and any outreach to the governor's office. We will update this story as new county filings or a formal request to the state appear.
