Comments on: Jacked up: Palm Beach County commissioners vote 5-2 to hike property tax rate by 14.9 percent

By: steve

steve — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:32:14 +0000

these guys will be remembered on election day..after getting fat over the past years of building. they couldnt wait to over spend our money on their roman empire projects which paded their pockets.and now they come back for more. what a joke! And im sorry to say 80% of the counties budget comes from the sheriffs dept..Its time we abandon these feel good policies like the officer take home your patrol car program which costs tax payers a fortune.As well as these community service cars rolling around..Lower taxes so our elderly can sit home and play mahjong and build bird houses

By: JoAnne

JoAnne — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:32:14 +0000

Palm Beach County Commissioners are totally out of touch with the people whom they purport to represent. If the county had not decreased our property assessment values to such ridiculous low levels, it would not be necessary to even consider such a preposterous tax increase; i.e. the county’s proposed 2009 value of my home is 15% less that the appraisal I just received from my lender for refinancing purposes, and those of us in the real estate business know that lenders are low-balling appraisals to begin with. Shouldn’t our elected officials have some type of economic – financial acumen? Or is their mathematicaly ability limited to only increasing their own salaries? And for all you snobs who think it is a privilege to pay the high taxes required to live in Palm Beach County, why don’t you move to some European or Asian country where there is no middle class, just the poverty stricken and the elite. We do not need you here.

By: Wismick St Jean

Wismick St Jean — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:27:25 +0000

I was embarrassed, disgusted, and dissappointed with Commissioner Taylor and Santamaria vote last night to say the least. I thought Commissioner Santamaria said it was in it for the people after all he said he did not need the commissioner salary; last night, it becomes obvious that he’s getting his salary from the lobbyist and the special interest; We now know once and for all where his loyalty lies! Commissioner Taylor is disgusting, the very people she represents are suffering the most from this economic slum instead of alleviating their pain and sorrow last night, she added to it; I hope she can sleep well at night with her conscience!

By: I-95 North

I-95 North — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:20:54 +0000

Hey Roadrunner:

Oh ya its so great where you live you still read the Palm Beach Post??? Your probably a new yorker who came to PBC 10 years ago bought 4 houses then moved to NC? You probably tell your neighbors in NC how great you are and still have a yankees or jets sticker on your Lincoln? Its so great there you still read this paper on line..do us a favor dont stop in NC, keep driving I-95 North and take a few of the loiterors from Mexico who jump in my truck at Home Depot with you…

By: I-95 North

I-95 North — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:08:04 +0000

All you morons posting on here are probably in foreclosure anyway. New York transplants who bought 8 houses trying to flip them in the sunny south flawrida.. You weren’t complaining 5 years ago when you were at the county tax collectors office switching out your new york tags for a license plate with an orange on it. You clowns bought more than you can afford now your all complaining!!I-95 North, keep going!!!! You people are sooo stupid the property values and the taxes went down this year on average of $300.00 because all these wanna be jersey investors ruined it here..Because the tax roll is lower the millage had to be raised 1 dollar per 1,000.00 so most of you clowns (who pay taxes that is) should still be lower. Yes I agree things need to be cut back and many of these commissioners have been shady, but people like Santa Clause dont even take a salary, he donates all back (so he says anyway)..but raising the taxes is necessary, things were fine before you Northeastern’s came down here after selling your crappy ass condo for 5 x’s what it was worth and buying your Olympia house with two palm trees and a pool. You people ruined it!! now live with it or move away back to that smog village you came from..

By: donny

donny — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:33:50 +0000

It will push out the lower-lower-middle class. Where will they go?

Pt St Lucie? Taxes are alot cheaper north.

If the extra increase on your tax bill is to much then move to Martin County.

It will also keep a higher class of citizens who can afford to live here.

By: Toney

Toney — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:18:24 +0000

I think taxes need to be equal based on the value of the property and not based on when you purchased your property. All new home owners are paying a premium tax bill compared to people who have owned their property longer. I say if the appraised value is equal, also should be the taxes.

By: Mr. Palm Beach

Mr. Palm Beach — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:04:17 +0000

And budget cuts were not even on a proposal for a solution to the problem? The common blue collar working family cannot afford to live here anymore.

By: JB

JB — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:41:01 +0000

It PAINs me as I am a born and raised West Palm Beach native Floridian to see the discusting way we are getting pushed out of OUR city ! How about that pay cut,car allowance , free trips etc….. Our schools are suffering, the city is full of crime (not just the city emloyees that voted for this),Police and Fire Dept cuts, what is EXACTLY going on here? I think its time to stand up, take OUR city back and vote these selfish jerks out! Way to go to push us farther back in debt and make yourselves all the more comfortable.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:38:42 +0000

Voting for a tax increase in the worst recession since the great depression is political suicide. The next election will be very interesting.

By: Phoenix

Phoenix — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:25:43 +0000

I’m with Tom. Out of Palm Beach County! Taking my tax dollars with me.

By: Phoenix

Phoenix — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:24:27 +0000

I’m with Tom. Out of Palm Beach County!

By: Topper

Topper — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:43:47 +0000

The two who voted no are a joke and they did to try to get reelected. We need to get rid of all of them and get people in there to clean house!

How could our county budget have more than doubled in the past ten years when our population only increased by 15 percent during the same period?

By: Me

Me — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:34:57 +0000

Greedy jerks. Ill remember at election time.

By: Robert Katz

Robert Katz — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:17:17 +0000

Almost everybody has a negative opinion about taxes. Many resort to disparaging epithets or repeat rumors or demand politician pay cuts (which won’t do much, if anything, to reduce taxes.
Home values have gone down. The law passed to reduce home assessment included words to the effect that those having a homestead exemption would not pay less tax than the previous year, regardless of the new assessment.
The media should be in the forefront of civic education. In addition to publishing columns ad infinitum about celebrities and politicians foibles, they should promote citizens’ quality of life. Knowing the turmoil created by taxation it might be a good idea for a survey to find out what public services citizens want cut or reduced to lower taxes. This could be a guide for those responsible for creating the millage rate and possibly reduce the intensity of the vitriolic triades.

By: Fed Up

Fed Up — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:04:54 +0000

Our government officials are ignoring the “Sleeping Giant” in America. What our elected officials do not see is that the Tax-Paying public is on the verge of absolute revolt. There will be a time when we all just decide to walk away from all of our debts and pay nothing. Then we can get the free ride with the 40% of the lazy Liberals in this country. The revolution is brewing and it will begin when everyone just walks away. Great thing is that you can just walk away right now fromeverything and in 7 years start over in a clean slate. I saw for November and December Americans refuse to pay any mortgages, credit cards or any other debts and send a message of who is really in charge.

By: darrell

darrell — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:58:04 +0000

Taylor and Santamaria.. you are fired!

By: zach c

zach c — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:51:43 +0000

what idiots. welcome to palm beach. raising property taxes in a huge recession. now that is what i call a great marketing plan for the area. makes ya feel great about living here, it was already high to begin with.

By: PBC Resident

PBC Resident — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:40:57 +0000

ABRAMS for PRESIDENT!

By: PBC Resident

PBC Resident — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:40:24 +0000

WAY TO GO STEVE ABRAMS!!!!

By: Roadrunner

Roadrunner — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:37:38 +0000

Kevin says, ” If you don’t want to pay your property taxes then don’t. Just sell all your holdings in the area and move to the mid west where it’s cheaper to live. You may die of boredom but at least you won’t have to pay so much. ”

Hey Kevin,It’s MUCH cheaper to live in rural NC, where I have almost everything that you have in S. Fla., within an hour’s drive of my house… it’s the SAME Hour’s drive that I spent on my way to work in S. Fla, every day. And since my N C property taxes for my 3/1 1,200 sq. ft. house on a half acre are only $535.00 A YEAR, State Farm Homeowner’s Insurance is about $400.00 A YEAR, and gas prices around the corner from me are $ 2.16 a gallon with the 3 cent discount card, I can afford a lot more of those same Amenities that you refer to, in Charlotte, Asheville, and Greenville, SC, than if I continued to live in PB County.

All 3 of those cities are within an hour’s drive of my house. I LOVE the Geico commercials, because they remind me that I pay $ 1,000.00 a year LESS for my car insurance, than I did in S. Fla.
Kevin, you, and people with a mind set like your’s, might want to look up Forest City, N C, and realize how much, and in how many ways it COSTS you to live in PB County.

By the way, I can be in the center of City Place, in about 10 hours. Your theory about having to live in the Mid West, to enjoy the quality lifestyle that I do, is pure fiction.

By: fran

fran — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:37:31 +0000

I’m so sick of taxes, insurance and everything else that’s gone up. The commissioners need to take a pay cut and not raise taxes. It’s very hard out
here. And Miss Taylor whose is the new kid on the block – what does she care because she has her own successful business. Florida is for the wealthy and not the poor. How can people continue to live here with taxes, homeowner’s insurance, electricity, etc. going up? And they have the nerve to raise property taxes – unbelievable!

By: Chester

Chester — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:34:40 +0000

Where was WEISS & HANDLER in this mix? Who lobbied for the tax hike and what do they have to gain? The County should have been saving money or lowering the tax rate when times were good. Instead they spent every penny that came in. Now when times are rough they say they have to raise taxes to make up for the reduction in home values. Guess what they’ll do when times are good again. You guessed it – they will spend all the money. Typical politicians. They consistently take our money and then give it back to us to buy our vote.

By: hotsweatyVIOLENTfedupinS.FLORIDAH

hotsweatyVIOLENTfedupinS.FLORIDAH — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:32:11 +0000

This place SUX.
Burt arrogonson and mucus and the rest of the klan need to be investigated.

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:27:00 +0000

At this point, the only issue that matters to me come voting time is whether the commissioners represented my interests or the interests of the gov employees. Those that represented my interests noted that in the worst recession ever they ought not to increase the millage rate or increase the amount of taxes collected and instead ought to cut the fat. The others voted to protect government employees fat salary and crazy overtime pay (there are tons of employees that make more in overtime than they do in regular pay) and generous pensions (retire after 20 years on full salary, plus we’ll count those heafty overtime pay) and double dippers (retire and collect a pension and come back and we’ll pay you too).

Give me a break!! The real estate bubble has popped and therefore those hefty contracts and generous pensions based on the bubble need to be reworked!!!

By: David

David — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:21:10 +0000

Comments that the tax increase is to offset those who aren’t paying are obviously made by those who aren’t aware that this county (and all throughout FL) do not hold or carry their delinquent tax rolls – they are sold to the public each year by tax certificate sale. PBC’s sale was held June 1 this year and was a whopping success. Private investors make the county virtually whole by purchasing almost every single lien.

By: wpb resident

wpb resident — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:20:47 +0000

Kevin is correct – and I would add that those who are homesteaded and reeped the benefit of Save Our Homes during the boom years have no room to whine either.

By: David

David — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:13:10 +0000

Way to destroy a recovery and force more distressed properties into our struggled market. These idiots spend every nickel of the swolen tax rolls when assessments and collections were through the roof during boom. Where are their sacrifices now? Lets see pay and budget cuts, not tax increases. Cut back like every individual must do you fat cats.

By: ted

ted — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:03:23 +0000

So everybody ,starting to like this REDISTRIBUTION of wealth? How did you think this was going to happen? This is how they legally take your money. Keep those “social” funds coming for the lazy, uneducated sponges who we are supporting! Maybe just maybe enough people will wake up and vote! Nahhhh
not going to happen, all the lemmings will vote for who their condo commando tells them to.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:51:45 +0000

Please stop publishing Jesse Santamaria’s HS picture…he looks & acts like an old man. He got elected because as a “businessman” he could cut costs & streamline operations. I’ll be voting for anybody but him, if I’m still in PBC. I can’t sell my home for two years, maybe the tax appraiser can buy it at the value he set…I’ll take it.