Florida voters will be able to decide whether first-time homebuyers and non-homesteaded property owners should get a tax break under a proposed constitutional amendment headed to the November 2012 ballot.

The Florida Senate narrowly approved the joint resolution by a bipartisan 25-12 vote, one more than needed for the measure to pass. Some argued that the measure would create further inequities in the state’s tax structure that creates a disparity between property owners depending on how long they’ve owned or lived in the structures and that it would not help create jobs.

“I have not had one person call me up and say ‘Please reduce my property tax,’” said Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, one of the three Republicans who voted against the amendment. “In your heart, you all know it’s a cop-out to say let’s let the voters decide.”

But supporters said the proposal would infuse life into the anemic real estate market.

“We have literally tens of thousands of unoccupied homes in the state,’’ said the bill’s sponsor Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. “We’ve got to create some incentives.”
(more…)

Gov. Rick Scott’s weekly radio address includes a promise to voters — and maybe a threat to state lawmakers who have so far ignored his demand for $2 billion in tax cuts, mostly helping corporations and property owners.

“”I remain certain that any budget I sign into law will do the following things: reduce the size and scope of government, reduce the cost of government, and pass those savings on to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts,” Scott said.

“ The budget proposal I sent to the legislature does those three things. I will not compromise on these principles,” he concluded.

Scott’s fellow Republican House and Senate leaders have punted their attempts to resolve at least $3.3 billion in differences between their rival budget plans until after a Passover-Easter break.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, have said they’d welcome a chance to cut taxes. But to make room for the giveaways, even deeper spending cuts would likely have to be made.

 Lawmakers are already uneasy about cutting public schools by $1 billion, while also reducing health and social service programs. But the first-year governor clearly wants more.

Scott is certain to try to burnish his anti-tax, smaller government cred over the weekend, with the governor slated to participate in tea party events tonight and Saturday in Jacksonville and St. Augustine.

The Republican-ruled House and Senate are proposing $1 billion in public school cuts, reductions in health and social service programs, and plenty more tight-fisted spending decisions as they struggle to close an almost $3.8 billion budget gap.

But GOP leaders are poised to spend $400,000 to get a likely popular tax break before voters early on next year’s election calendar.

Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Lake Mary, already tapped as a future House speaker, got his bill advancing a first-time home buyers’ tax break through the House Economic Affairs Committee on Tuesday, in a party-line vote.

Dorworth said the legislation (CS/HB 1053) advancing the tax break to next January’s presidential primary will allow buyers to take advantage of the reduction sooner. If approved by 60 percent of voters, the tax break would take effect in January, as opposed to January 2013, if it was left to be approved by voters in November.

Dorworth’s proposal was approved 10-5, with Democrats opposed. Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, said putting the tax proposal on the early primary ballot wasn’t worth the extra cost — $400,000 for statewide advertising of the proposed constitutional amendment, according to analysts.

Among Democrats, there also was an undercurrent that the GOP was looking to get the tax-cutting approved early in an election year, to give them another voter-friendly issue to campaign on.

Dorworth refused to take the bait. “We think it belongs in a January or February vote,” he said.

Democrats, though, may still get the final say on this one. Dorworth needs approval of three-fourths of the House and Senate to get the tax measure on the presidential primary ballot. While vastly outnumbered, Democrats still have enough votes to keep the ruling party from reaching that high bar.

GOP leaders haven’t settled yet on whether to delay the presidential primary by a month to comply with Republican National Committee rules that prohibit other states from jumping ahead of early primaries planned for New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada.

 The proposed ballot measure is a rewrite of a constitutional proposal barred by the Florida Supreme Court from going before voters last year because of misleading ballot language.

The amendment proposes a tax break for first-time home buyers and lowers the annual cap on assessment increases for businesses, rental properties and vacation homes. The Florida Association of Realtors, a heavy contributor to the state GOP last year, has said the measure would revive home sales and attract new investors to the state.

Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he still expects the Florida Legislature to embrace his call for $2 billion in tax breaks, mostly for corporations and property owners, even though both the House and Senate are poised to approve budgets this week that ignore his pitch.

“I believe they will,” Scott said. “It’s something that’s very important to getting the state back to work. I really believe that we’ve all got to understand that we’re competing with 49 other states and a lot of other countries. And we’ve got to make this a state where we want to live, work and play.”

In cutting $1 billion from schools and imposing deep reductions in programs serving the poor, elderly and disabled, legislative leaders have said the budget-slashing would have to be even tougher to make room for Scott’s push to phase-out the corporate income tax and reduce property taxes going to schools.

Scott wouldn’t talk about the prospect of vetoing a budget without the cuts. “I’d rather not think about hypotheticals,” the governor said.

But lawmakers also have hinted they are wary of potential political backlash if they cut programs for some of Florida’s neediest — while handing out tax breaks. Meanwhile, higher tuition costs, electric rate hikes and property insurance boosts all look likely to emerge from a Legislature that claims an aversion to tax and fee increases.

Asked if life would get tougher for lower-income Floridians when the Legislature adjourns in May, Scott paused.

“I hope not,” Scott said. “First off, we’ve got to get this state back to work. The thing that impacts people the most in this state right now is the 1.1 million people without a job. If we take the different pieces…my goal is to make sure we’re reducing the cost of state government. But the biggest thing is, people need a job.”

The Legislature would gain a powerful new grip on the South Florida Water Management District and the state’s four other water boards under legislation that sailed unanimously Thursday through the Senate Budget Committee.

The bill (CS/SB 7154) would impose caps on how much districts could raise in property taxes beginning in October — reducing SFWMD’s levies by as much as $123 million.

 Districts also would have to submit their spending plans to the Legislature for approval, and the way they spend their dollars could be subject to a governor’s veto, under the bill.

Budget Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, was among several senators railing about districts’ freewheeling spending, budget reserves totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, and the impact on property-taxpayers.

“It’s pretty hard to say what exactly are they spending the money on,” Alexander said.

Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, agreed, saying the legislative takeover would undoubtedly prove controversial — but worth it.

 ”I think there will be bumps along the road,” Hays said. “But this is a journey we should take.”

Gov. Rick Scott’s budget plan includes a tax cut for businesses that would decrease corporate income taxes from 5.5 percent to 3 percent and roll back property taxes by $1 billion, the governor said in Tampa this afternoon.

Scott did not reveal details of how he plans to come up with the savings while also closing a $3.62 billion budget deficit but is scheduled to release his entire budget on Monday in Eustis.

Scott’s also blaming Florida’s budget woes in part on the federal health care law recently struck down by a Pensacola federal judge as unconstitutional.

Minutes from the West Miami Commission dispute Marco Rubio‘s claim that he never voted for a tax increase. Also in the minutes:

*Rubio voted at least five times for property tax increases, as defined in 200.065(2)(d) and 200.065(3)(a) of state law, during his two years on the city commission.

*Rubio seconded the motion on four of those five votes.

*Before the final vote on the tax rate, the city manager explained each year to the commission that they were increasing taxes despite keeping the tax rate the same, because property values had increased.

*Rubio also voted at least once to double garbage fees to $250 per residential customer.

Story here.

Gov. Charlie Crist on Fox News this morning said he’s being thumped in the polls right now by fellow Republican Marco Rubio because “nobody has talked about his record.”

What part of his record is no one talking about?

(more…)

UPDATED: Story reflects version published in the Feb. 18 print edition of The Palm Beach Post.

Locally affected special districts:

South Florida Water Management District
Health Care District of Palm Beach County
Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County
Children’s Services Council of Martin County
St. Lucie County Fire District
Source: Florida Community Affairs Department

TALLAHASSEE — The power to raise property taxes would rest solely with elected officials under a constitutional amendment proposed for the November ballot.

The amendment would revamp the supervision of hospital and children’s services districts across the state and make the South Florida Water Management District, which covers 16 counties and includes about 7 million people, the biggest voting district in the state and among the largest in the country, according to the National Association of Election Officials.

“It’s something called ‘no taxation without representation,” said state Rep. Carl Domino, a Jupiter Republican sponsoring the amendment (HJR 493) discussed Wednesday in the House Governmental Affairs Committee.

Objections were raised Wednesday by the special district officials who argued the districts were created — in most cases voter-approved — specifically to avoid electoral politics.

“You will change fundamentally how these water management districts operate,” Audubon of Florida’s Eric Draper told the committee.

 Loading ...

Draper reminded the House panel that another Palm Beach County lawmaker, former Senate President Phil Lewis, D-Riviera Beach, led an “extraordinarily thoughtful legislative process” that asked voters to approve water districts along hydrological lines instead of political boundaries.

(more…)

Business owners and part-time residents would have their annual property assessments capped at 5 percent under a constitutional amendment unanimously approved this morning by the Florida House. If the Senate agrees, the measure would be placed on the 2010 ballot.

The measure (HJR 7057) would reduce the current assessment cap of 10-percent for non-homestead properties. Assessments for homesteads, which are primary dwellings for full-time Florida residents, are capped at 3 percent annually.

Debate on the bill led to an interesting moment on the floor, which showed how self-conscious lawmakers are about property tax votes.

(more…)

A proposal to extend term limits for state politicians has been removed from a constitutional amendment originally written to offer a property tax break to Florida’s veterans.

State attorneys told the Senate Ethics & Elections Committee there was no way the legislature could create two separate constitutional amendments with one resolution. Committee members then determined that including both proposals in one ballot question could doom the proposed tax break. The committee’s unanimous vote was taken April 7.

The bill (SJR 1550) from Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, originally included just the property tax break. The proposal to extend term limits from 8 years to 12 years was added by Community Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, during his committee meeting last month.

The bill and its House companion (HJR 1155) both have one more committee stop in their respective chambers.

UPDATE: This blog was updated to included the latest projections at 2:35 p.m.

St. Lucie County is already pacing the state in foreclosure and unemployment rates. Today, schools Superintendent Michael Lannon is telling 331 teachers they’ll be laid off and three two schools will shut down because of state budget shortfalls, according to fellow Palm Beach Post blog, Treasure Coast Talk. The school district, with about 5,000 employees, is the largest employer in the county.

Told of the development, Gov. Charlie Crist said, “I would encourage the superintendent to contact the U.S. secretary of education and get this waiver.”

Asked if he would veto a state budget that included a property tax increase for schools, Crist said, “Probably.”

Florida is not eligible for about $2.5 billion in federal stimulus money earmarked for schools, because of recent cuts to the state’s K-12 budget. Crist and others are waiting for the U.S. Department of Education to release this information about how the state can get a waiver from the requirement.