ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — The city of Altamonte Springs announced the closure of its city library on social media last Tuesday, after 64 years of service.

Residents of Altamonte Springs will have until Sept. 30 to take advantage of the library before it closes its doors for good.

What You Need To Know

  • Last Tuesday, the City of Altamonte Springs announced the city library’s closure on its social media, citing rising costs as the main reason

  • City manager citing revenue from community and property taxes “not enough” to pay for the city’s general fund, which accounts for Altamonte Springs library

  • Residents claiming this will have an impact on the local community that relies on library for resources such as internet connectivity and books

City manager Frank Martz says the budget for the 2025 fiscal year will not include the library because the city can no longer afford it.

The library costs $600,000 a year, but Martz says with the rising costs of electric and insurance among other things, it has become impossible to maintain, citing that “those increases are much higher than the increase in revenue.”

According to Martz, revenue obtained from community and property taxes weren’t enough to pay for the general fund, which accounts for public establishments like the police department, parks and libraries.

Property insurance costs were to have increased by 60%, which meant closing was the only option remaining even after consulting their options, explained Martz.

“We have done the best we can over these 40 years to keep it open,” he said.

Since there are three publicly funded libraries in the neighboring area, Martz said city commissioners agreed that the closure of the Altamonte Springs City Library would have a lesser impact on Seminole County residents.

He adds that Seminole County residents are already paying for five county libraries.

Although Frank Martz deemed this move necessary, many residents nearby were upset with the city’s decision.

For young families like Sarah Larsen and Geoffrey Fella, going to the community library with their one-year-old son James is an ideal Saturday afternoon activity, especially on a hot summer day.

“A library is a great place to instill a love of both community and reading and we want that for our son as much as we want that for ourselves,” said Fella.

News of the library’s closure makes them sad knowing that their son won’t be able to grow up with this staple nearby.

“This is going to be a catalyst for us to continue using the public services that exist, you know, the library systems,” said Larsen.

Other residents, like David Shames, have said that they will have to drive further away now after having Altamonte Springs as their default library for years.

“Our kids and grandkids have come to programs here over the years, so we’ve been here quite a while. It means a lot to us,” he said.

Shames adds that he has worked in local government his whole life so he understands firsthand that budget constraints can be inevitable, but says there are always alternatives to avoiding a complete shutdown.

“With budget issues, maybe shut the library down for an additional day a week to save some funds (or) have rotating closures one day a week of those city parks,” he said.

As for what’s next, Frank Martz says the city will look at what equipment can be donated to other neighboring libraries and state colleges in Seminole County.

To facilitate the transition process, the library’s staff will be kept on board until the end of the calendar year.