Every adopted budget from FY2024 through FY2027 charges a Burnt Store Village property $50 per unit for street and drainage upkeep. Over the same stretch, Charlotte County staff built a 10-year projection that runs the fund's reserves below zero if that rate never changes, and they wrote "Rate to be evaluated in FY28" into it.
So the $50 line a buyer sees on a seller's tax bill today is a figure the county has already put up for review. It isn't a settled carrying cost. Charlotte County's fiscal year starts October 1, which makes today part of FY2027. The rate review falls in the next fiscal year.
What The $50 Line Pays For
The Burnt Store Village Street and Drainage Unit is a municipal service benefit unit, or MSBU. Under the county code, its purpose is "the construction, reconstruction, repair, paving, repaving, hard-surfacing, re-hard surfacing, widening, guttering and draining of the platted streets in the unit," paid for "from funds derived from special assessments within the unit only." That last clause sets up everything that follows. Road and drainage work inside the unit is paid for by the people who own property inside the unit.
The county's district boundary map shows the unit off Burnt Store Rd. It labels streets including Harborside Blvd, Alicante Dr, Quinta Dr, Coruna Ct, Ortega Dr, Badalona Dr, Islas Dr and Estrada Cir. The map was last updated in 2014.
The charge shows up as a non-ad valorem assessment. Charlotte County's MSBU FAQ explains that this kind of assessment is not based on property value. The Charlotte County Tax Collector notes that a real estate tax bill combines ad valorem taxes with non-ad valorem assessments, and the assessments are based on factors such as square footage or number of units. For this unit, the county bills per ERU, or Equivalent Residential Unit. A rate-history table measures that as cost per 80-foot lot.
The FY2027 adopted budget counts 1,426.1 occupied ERUs at $50 each, which produces $71,305 in Burnt Store Village assessments. Its line-item work plan shows where the money goes:
- Swale grading across 20,000 square feet: $31,206.51
- Right-of-way watering, 40,000 gallons: $11,177.33
- Vacuum cleaning of 40 culverts: $7,788.00
- Reflective pavement marker installation, 700 markers: $4,932.01
- Pipe camera inspection, five pipes: $4,250.20
Most of that is drainage. Paving shows up as zero in the FY2027 contract services lines.
About $97,000 In, About $172,000 Out
The FY2027 adopted budget, version-dated September 22, 2026, projects $97,447 in total revenue and $171,780 in expenditures. It plans to cover the difference from savings, starting the year with $264,389 and ending at $190,056, a 52.5% reserve.
This isn't the first year the fund has spent down reserves. Running the same comparison back through the budgets shows the trend:
| Budget | Burnt Store Village rate | Revenue | Expenditures | Projected ending balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 adopted | $50 | $98,735 | $403,596 | $335,516 |
| FY2026 adopted | $50 | $97,638 | $180,455 | $284,836 |
| FY2027 adopted | $50 | $97,447 | $171,780 | $190,056 |
FY2024 was a heavy year, with $205,117 budgeted for paving. These are projections made when each budget was adopted, and actual results came in differently. The FY2024 annual report shows an actual ending balance of $452,100 against the $335,516 projection. The direction since then shows up in actual figures too. The fund started FY2025 with $450,338 and finished it with $342,775.
The current maximum rate listed for Burnt Store Village is $195 per ERU. At 1,426.1 occupied ERUs, each extra dollar on the rate adds roughly $1,426 a year to the fund.
The County's Own Ten-Year Math
County staff included a 10-year projection, dated May 5, 2026, in the packet for the advisory board's May 13, 2026 meeting. It keeps revenue roughly flat near $98,000 to $99,000 a year and expenditures between about $170,000 and $173,000. Ending fund balances under those assumptions:
| Fiscal year | Projected ending balance | Total reserve % |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 actual | $342,775 | 60.4% |
| FY2026 | $258,727 | 58.7% |
| FY2027 | $186,291 | 52.3% |
| FY2028 | $115,468 | 40.4% |
| FY2029 | $43,914 | 20.5% |
| FY2030 | negative $28,783 | 0.0% |
| FY2032 | negative $177,303 | 0.0% |
The projection splits the fund into two pieces, and almost all of the gap sits in one of them. For FY2027 it shows maintenance revenue of $72,498 against maintenance spending of $141,272. The Harborside Woods paving account brings in $24,930 against about $28,600 in paving costs and loan payments, and its own reserve stays above 40% through FY2032. The roads-and-drainage side paid for by the $50 rate is the part running low.
Staff wrote the next step into the notes under the table. They read, "Rate to be evaluated in FY28 for Burnt Store Village planned paving in FY32 and for maintenance." A projection that holds the rate still for ten years is a planning tool, and the county attached its own rate review to it. The figures past FY2028 show where the fund ends up if nothing changes. They don't show what the board will decide.
Harborside Woods Runs On A Separate Clock
Inside the same unit, a second group of properties pays a different rate. The FY2027 budget lists "BSV Harborside Woods" at $350 per ERU, which is also its maximum, across 71.7 occupied and 15 vacant ERUs.
The projection's notes give the reason. The Harborside Woods rate "was increased in FY22 for 12 years for paving," and it is "to be evaluated in FY32." The loan schedule in that projection shows principal payments of $21,000 a year, with the last payment in FY2033. The FY2023 annual report records $208,000 in debt proceeds and $153,951 in actual paving costs for Woodland Estates. The county's FY25 executive summary lists Woodland Estates at the same $350 rate and says it "is currently paying back a loan for paving which is anticipated to be paid off in FY33."
The county uses both names for the same sub-unit. Its FY2022/23 budget is titled "Burnt Store Village Street and Drainage - Harborside (Woodland Estates)," and later budgets list "BSV - Woodland Estates/Harborside." The 2014 district map shows the whole unit and doesn't mark a separate Harborside Woods boundary. Which rate applies to a parcel shows up on that parcel's tax bill.
Two Paving Dates And An Open Agenda Item
The county gives two dates for the next round of paving in Burnt Store Village. The FY25 executive summary says "Future paving for Burnt Store Village is anticipated for 2034." The May 2026 projection says "planned paving in FY32." Either way, the fund would need to rebuild reserves before that paving, and the current projection has them shrinking.
The rate question is on the advisory board's agenda right now. The May 13, 2026 meeting at the Punta Gorda Charlotte Library, 401 Shreve Street, listed "Drainage Concerns" as unfinished business and "FY28/29 Assessment Rate" as new business. The September 2, 2026 agenda carried both items forward as unfinished business and added "Woodland Estates Paving Loan" as new business. The county's unit page links the September meeting only to an audio recording. No written outcome on the rate has been posted. The county's MSBU public hearing page doesn't list a Burnt Store Village rate hearing.
The Burnt Store Village MSBU page lists the next meeting as November 18, 2026. Advisory boards make recommendations on the unit's budget to the Board of County Commissioners. They don't adopt it.
Questions To Bring To A Burnt Store Village Listing
For a buyer comparing carrying costs along the Burnt Store corridor, these questions follow straight from the county's own documents:
- Does the parcel's most recent tax bill show the Burnt Store Village rate, the Harborside Woods rate, or a different non-ad valorem line?
- How many ERUs does the parcel carry? The assessment is billed per unit, so the per-ERU rate times the ERU count gives the line item.
- What did the advisory board say about the FY28/29 assessment rate on September 2, 2026, and what comes out of the November 18, 2026 meeting? The county's unit page links the September meeting to an audio recording.
- Do the seller or the HOA documents mention the drainage concerns that have been on the board's agenda since at least May 2026?
- For a Harborside Woods parcel, how does the FY2033 payoff timeline and FY32 rate evaluation line up with the planned length of ownership?
FAQ
Is the MSBU assessment tied to my home's value?
No. Charlotte County describes non-ad valorem assessments as not based on property value. This unit bills per Equivalent Residential Unit.
What is the highest the Burnt Store Village rate can currently go?
The FY2027 adopted budget lists a current maximum rate of $195 per ERU for Burnt Store Village and $350 for Harborside Woods.
Has the board voted on a new rate?
No written decision had been posted as of October 12, 2026. The item appeared on the May 13 and September 2 agendas, and the next listed meeting is November 18, 2026.
Jennifer & Philip Taberski put each property's tax bill details, MSBU rate and advisory board status into the listing package next to the video and virtual tour, so long-distance buyers have the carrying-cost picture from the first click. Get your free digital listing plan.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
