CLEWISTON -- The City of Clewiston is moving forward to collect a 1.85% tax levy already collected by the state of Florida to pay for a municipal firefighters’ pension trust fund.

During a special city commission meeting Sept. 27, commissioners unanimously agreed to approve an ordinance requesting the state remit the tax to the city which is presently being spent elsewhere.

The Florida Legislature by Chapter 19112, Laws of Florida, 1939, created a “Firefighters’ Pension Trust Fund” authorizing municipalities to levy a tax on insurance companies to be used in partial support of the fund.

Commissioners will now file the request with the Pension Office and begin setting up its own Firefighters’ Pension Trust Fund using the tax money remitted by the state to fund it.

A first reading of the ordinance during a Sept. 7 meeting revealed this is not a new tax and will have no financial impact on the city.

Community Development Director Travis Reese reiterated during the Sept. 27 meeting how the tax is already collected from property insurers and that Clewiston will be getting its share from the state.

“It is being collected by the city currently and would still be collected without this ordinance,” he said. “I want to make it clear it is not a new tax, but it is a tax that is being collected by the state of Florida.”

Now that the ordinance has been approved by commissioners, it will take effect Oct. 1, although the city won’t see any money until August of 2022, and then annually thereafter.

Commissioner James Pittman asked if the special assessment for fire services is for the entire district or just the city.

“That’s what we’re researching,” City Manager Randy Martin said, as presently Clewiston doesn’t have the authority to establish it outside the city limits.

There is the possibility the county or some action by the county would do something to capture that as it has some authority over the rest of the jurisdiction, he said.

“That is our goal,” he said.