The Eastpoint Water and Sewer District runs two wells, a distribution system, and a sewer plant that treats 300,000 gallons a day, and it serves roughly 1,550 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Some of those customers sit inside the district's legal boundary and some sit outside it. The water is the same and so is the utility. The bills are built on different math, and two listings with similar prices can carry different water costs because of it.
On November 3, 2026, voters in the parts of Eastpoint outside the boundary will decide whether to join the district. That vote doesn't just change who pays for water. It changes what the cost is based on.
One Pipe, Two Ways to Pay for It
Inside the district, owners pay ad valorem millage, a tax on the property's taxable value. The district's charter lets it levy up to five mills. It levied 3.75 mills in FY 2023-24, up from 3.25 the year before. On the 2026 TRIM notices sent to Franklin County property owners, the "East Point District" line shows 3.7500 mills for 2025 and a proposed 3.7500 for 2026, compared with a rolled-back rate of 3.5459. The budget hearing was set for September 15, 2026, at the district office at 40 Island Dr. 3.75 mills works out to $3.75 for every $1,000 of taxable value. That tax applies whether the house uses a lot of water or very little.
Outside the district, owners pay no district millage. Instead, according to the district's posted rate sheet, "All Services Outside the Taxing District will be subject to a 25% Surcharge on all Fees Listed." That surcharge rises and falls with water use.
So the boundary decides whether a household's share of the system's costs follows its assessment or its meter. A listing shows neither.
Where the Two Bills Cross
The table below uses the district's residential rates. The base fee is $13.60 for water and $15.86 for sewer. The first 4,000 gallons cost $3.29 per thousand for water and $3.47 per thousand for sewer. The next tier is $3.61 and $3.83. One caveat applies. The sheet is titled "Current Rates for 2024-2025 Fiscal Year Effective October 1, 2023," and no newer schedule was posted when this was written. These figures show the mechanism. They are not a quote of next month's bill.
| Household using water and sewer | Annual bill inside district | Annual bill outside, with 25% surcharge | Yearly surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,000 gallons a month | $678.00 | $847.50 | $169.50 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,035.12 | $1,293.90 | $258.78 |
Here is what 3.75 mills comes to at different taxable values:
| Taxable value | Annual district millage at 3.75 |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | $187.50 |
| $100,000 | $375.00 |
| $200,000 | $750.00 |
| $300,000 | $1,125.00 |
The two costs are equal at a taxable value of about $45,200 for the household using 4,000 gallons a month, and about $69,000 for the household using 8,000. Above those values, the millage costs more than the surcharge it replaces. Below them, joining the district lowers the total. A heavy user on a low-value lot gains the most from joining. A light user in a higher-value home pays the most extra.
Billy Fuentes, the district's executive director, described the effect for outside customers this way to The Apalachicola Times in June: "In some cases they'll pay less, in some cases more." He said overall costs would go down for many customers who live in what he called some of the most marginalized areas of Eastpoint. The arithmetic above shows where that line falls.
The state's estimate of the overall effect points the same way. The economic impact statement in the Florida House final bill analysis expects district revenue to rise by $35,000 in the first fiscal year and $55,000 in the second. It attributes the increase to ad valorem revenue in the expanded area, "relative to service surcharges currently collected by the District in those areas." In total, the state expects the annexed area to pay more in millage than it paid in surcharges, even though some households in it will pay less.
What the November 3 Ballot Asks
House Bill 4081, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 8, 2026, became Chapter 2026-218. It schedules a referendum at the 2026 general election, held only in the proposed annexation area of unincorporated Eastpoint. WJHG reported the date as November 3, 2026. The enrolled text makes the new boundary effective "upon approval by a majority vote" of qualified electors in that area. The June Times article described a 60 percent threshold. The enrolled act says majority, and the act controls.
Because the referendum belongs to qualified electors of the annexation area, an owner who is registered to vote somewhere else won't get a ballot on this question. That includes many second-home owners. Their parcels would still follow the outcome.
The district has reasons for the change that go beyond the bills themselves. Fuentes told the Times that for areas outside the boundary, "the district pays out of pocket" for infrastructure work, and "We can't request special consideration for permits." Bringing those areas inside lets the district ask for state help there. In an August 2025 Times article, he said the push started years ago, when the district began serving the jail, the landfill, and the consolidated school. He also tied it to Team Franklin's plans for workforce housing on part of roughly 155 acres on Highway 65. "Even though we have existing lines there, we really need for our boundaries to be extended," he said. He added that paying for an expansion could involve a higher millage rate for current district residents, but he did not give projections.
So 3.75 mills is the 2025 rate and the 2026 proposal, not a fixed rate, and the adopted 2026 figure should be confirmed with the district. The charter cap is five mills. The district also reported $2,935,153 in bond debt and notes payable outstanding as of September 30, 2024. Anyone comparing the two cost bases is comparing a rate that could change with a surcharge that is fixed at 25%.
The Lot Buyer Sees It on Day One
For a vacant lot, the boundary shows up before there's a monthly bill at all. The rate sheet lists in-district tap fees of $1,400 for water and $2,575 for sewer. Out-of-district taps cost $1,750 and $3,220. That's $995 more to connect a new house to both services outside the line, under that schedule. The surcharge then applies to every monthly bill after that.
The Times described the annexation as making property owners in the added area "subject to paying ad valorem millage, just like those within the existing boundaries." A lot that hasn't been connected yet pays no surcharge now, so there's nothing to offset the new tax. How the millage would apply to a specific unimproved parcel is a question for the district and the Franklin County Property Appraiser.
St. George Island Is a Separate Vote, Not on This Ballot
The same bill adds all of St. George Island to the district, but it uses a separate trigger. That referendum is held at the first general election after the district reaches "an irrevocable agreement to acquire the water utility serving St. George Island." If the acquisition happens within 120 days before a general election, the vote moves to the second general election after it. When the Times reported in June, it expected two referendums in November. Under the statute, though, the island vote can't happen until that acquisition agreement is in place, and none of the sources reviewed for this post report one.
The island question still matters in Eastpoint. Water Management Services, the private utility owned by Gene Brown, draws the island's water from wells in Eastpoint, and the water reaches the island through a line over the bridge. In August 2025 Fuentes put the estimated sale price at $18 million to $20 million. In June he told the Times that "more than likely there would be bonds involved, just like a USDA project," and that the board has "no intent to bringing sewer to St. George Island." An Eastpoint buyer is choosing a district that may grow a great deal over the next few years.
The Records That Show Which Side of the Line a Parcel Is On
No sample ballot or street-level map of the annexation area was available when this was written. The bill describes the boundary only by township, range, and section numbers. For a specific property, these records answer the question:
- The TRIM notice or tax bill. If an "East Point District" millage line appears, the parcel is inside.
- Twelve months of water bills. A 25% surcharge on the fees means the parcel is outside, and the bills show how much water it uses.
- The district's current rate schedule and adopted millage. Both come from the Eastpoint Water and Sewer District office at 40 Island Dr.
- The Franklin County sample ballot. It comes from the Supervisor of Elections once it's posted, along with the ballot title "Expanding Boundaries of the Eastpoint Water and Sewer District."
With the taxable value from item 1 and the water use from item 2, the comparison takes a few minutes with a calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the November vote change rates for homes already in the district? The referendum covers the boundary, not the rate schedule. In-district millage is set each year by the district board through the TRIM process, and the 2026 notice proposed keeping it at 3.75 mills.
Does the bill change anything besides boundaries? Yes. It also gives the district authority to inspect septic tanks within its boundaries for compliance with permits, and to set penalties for violations.
Is the 25% surcharge the same for every fee? The rate sheet applies it to "all Fees Listed," including the tap fees and the monthly water and sewer charges.
If you're weighing two Eastpoint properties on opposite sides of the district line, or you own a lot in the annexation area and want to know how the November result could change its carrying costs, Coastal Realty Group can help you gather the tax records, water bills, and district figures for each parcel and compare them. Contact us to start with the address.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
