Weston’s MythBusters

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Dispelling misinformation and rumors, and providing just the facts.

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30% Increase In Taxes?

Is there a 30% increase in Weston’s Taxes?

NO!

Full explanation:

There is a 30% increase in the budget; there is NOT a 30% tax increase. Also, the millage rate has remained unchanged for the eighth consecutive year at 3.3463 mills. But let us go through why there was there a 30% increase in the budget.

The City of Weston Fiscal Year 2026 total expenditure budget for all funds, including the Districts is $256,117,400, a 30.74% increase over the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget of $195,901,700 which includes reserves and capital projects, plus the construction cost of Vista Park Phase II, including the Indoor Recreation Complex, and the Regional Park Maintenance Yard Relocation and New Pickleball Courts.

These two one-time capital projects total approximately $56.3 million. Excluding these two capital projects, the City's budget increase is 1.98 % over the prior Fiscal Year. This is key information.

These two projects must be shown as expenditures in the budget even though they will be separately financed and paid out over 20 to 30 years via municipal bonds. The City has done this numerous times to pay for large projects.

An example of this is your monthly personal budget. If you have $6,000 each month for expenses and incidentals and you want to buy your first home, you would go to a bank and get a mortgage. The expense of the home is shown as purchased that year, but the annual payment is only a fraction of the total cost of the home each year.

Projected Cost to Homeowners for the Municipal Bond:

Estimated Impact to Median Single Family Homestead Property

$144 in Year 1, and decreasing annually each year totaling $2,200 over 20 years; or

$115 in Year 1, and decreasing annually each year totaling $2,300 over 30 years.

Estimated Impact to Median Condominium Property

$83 in Year 1, and decreasing annually each year totaling $1,300 over 20 years; or

$66 in Year 1, and decreasing annually each year totaling $1,300 over 30 years.

View the Vista Park Indoor Recreation Complex Project

Rumor: City will not allow Parking Garage at Cleveland Clinic

Rumor: The City of Weston won’t allow the Cleveland Clinic to build a parking garage.

We aren’t sure where this long-standing rumor started, but it is not true. In fact, our Hospital Zoning district (HZ) specifically permits parking garages, along with other uses accessory to a hospital.

Per City of Weston Code:

124.25(B)(1) Hospital .

124.25(B)(2) Medical lab.

124.25(B)(3) Medical Office .

124.25(C) Accessory Uses . The following Accessory Uses shall be permitted if they serve the population of the Hospital :

124.25(C)(1) Pharmacy .

124.25(C)(2) Professional Offices (businesses that support Hospital and medical uses).

124.25(C)(3) Restaurant /cafes (no drive-thru) to serve the population of the Hospital .

124.25(C)(4) Cafeterias to serve the population of the Hospital .

124.25(C)(5) Auditorium/assembly hall/conference center.

124.25(C)(6) Hotels .

124.25(C)(7) Retail commercial (gift shop, flower shop, retail that supports Hospital and medical Uses ).

124.25(C)(8) Plant operations (generators, processing plant, laundry service, food and beverage).

124.25(C)(9) Helipad/heliport.

124.25(C)(10) Parking garage.

124.25(C)(11) Rehabilitation/Fitness center

124.25(C)(12) Uses incidental and customarily associated with Hospital uses.

Hopefully, we can now discharge this rumor.

Recycling

What Is That Pole?

Drivers will see something new along South Post Road, near The Ridges community. A 36’ high white pole, resembling a traffic mast arm post, has been erected just west of the neighborhood entrance. This pole houses a new 5G antenna, that AT&T is installing, to improve wireless communications in the area. A second pole was erected on Vista Park Blvd. (near Cypress Bay). Six additional permits for other City locations are under review, submitted by T-Mobile and AT&T.

Cities do not have the authority to deny the installation of these small cell structures per Florida State Statute (337.401) and Federal Communications Commission regulations. The City’s authority over the matter is limited to maintaining driver and vehicular safety, regarding the placement of the structures within the public right-of-way. For more information on cell towers and environmental concerns, visit FCC.GOV/

cell antenna in swale area of grass with trees in background

Spraying of plants in Lakes

Are the chemicals toxic?

Some people have suggested that the City using 'toxic chemicals' and that the spraying of the invasive plants has led to the massive decline of birds, including Woodstorks and Ibis, and fish.
This is just untrue.
Driving around the City you will see aquatic birds throughout Weston along all of the waterways and even roadways and fish are abundant in the lakes and canals with families continuing to fish as enjoyment.

Emerald Estates Park has become an annual migration site for Woodstorks. They arrive in early spring, have their babies and leave in summer. They take over the little island off of Emerald Estates Park; when they depart, the Ibis return to it, literally hundreds of them.

The City of Weston maintains all of the waterbodies in Weston. They are an integral part of the stormwater management system to move water during storm events. The City is required to suppress certain types of invasive plants. Information on this, including these FAQs and more are posted on our City website at https://www.westonfl.org/.../environmental-information and Lake and Canal Maintenance | City of Weston, FL

What are the methods of spraying?

We have various means of applying chemicals. The most common is with small john boats equipped with a hundred-gallon spray tanks. We also have a truck spray rig and a four-wheel drive Kubota also equipped with a spray rig.

What are the chemicals you use?

We use a chemical Rodeo for grasses and brush, we use diquat for aquatic vegetation and Copper sulfate for algae. Each Herbicide has its corresponding label which includes application rates, personal protective equipment for the applicators such as boots and gloves, and safety glasses if required.

What types herbicides do you use to control the aquatic plants, and how long does it take to see results?

It depends on the target plant. Each plant has its own target herbicide. The State of Florida requires that certain nuisance aquatic plants be suppressed or controlled. Generally, it takes between 7 - 10 days to see results.

Are the herbicides safe for the environment?

The herbicides are EPA approved at legal rates and all have aquatic labels. The Drainage Division keeps Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) at Public Works Department available for anyone who wants to learn more about the herbicides.

There are still 'weeds' in the Lake, why are they still there?
Only the nuisance aquatic plants are targeted. The vegetation in the water bodies adjacent to the banks are known as "littoral shelves", which provide food and nesting habitats for birds, insects and fish indigenous to the area. It also acts as a cleansing area for the water running off the banks.

Only Publix Grocery stores allowed

A common rumor in Weston suggests that only Publix supermarkets are allowed to operate in the city—but this simply is not true. There is no law, city code, or official policy that prevents other grocery chains from entering the market.

So, why does it feel like Publix has a monopoly?

The answer lies in Weston’s history. When the city was developed, Arvida was the primary developer responsible for constructing most of Weston’s commercial plazas. During that time, a man named Daniel Brown led Arvida’s commercial development efforts. Brown became a preferred developer for Publix, and many of Weston’s grocery locations were built as part of that relationship.

Because Weston has limited commercial space and was carefully planned from the start, there are few available locations suitable for a full-scale grocery store. Any competitor hoping to open a store in Weston would likely need to wait for Publix to vacate one of its 5 Weston locations.

City of Weston, FL

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Weston’s MythBusters

Dispelling misinformation and rumors, and providing just the facts.

Projected Cost to Homeowners for the Municipal Bond: