Crist takes the A1 money war

Charlie Crist's Vote Yes on 1 campaign raised $1.2-million in the past two weeks, putting its total collection at $4.1-million. Big donors, aside from Florida Power & Light, include the Florida Chamber of Commerce ($100,000); The Villages ($25,000); George LeMieux's law firm Gunster Yoakley & Stewart ($25,000); and Miami Dolphin's owner Wayne Huizenga ($20,000).

Florida Is Our Home, the main opposition group, closed out the reporting period with $182,000 and has now raised just over $1-million. The total does not include access to the Democratic Party's voter database, an in-kind contribution valued at $40,000. The Florida League of Cities has dumped about $800,000 into defeating the effort and the firefighters union has devoted $107,000.

As dominating Crist might be, consider that half the Yes on 1 money comes from two sources: The Realtors and Florida Power & Light. Crist wanted to raise much more. The soft response from other typical donors illustrates unease with the tax package, valued at $9.3-billion over five years.

Comments

Polls show this thing is likely going to pass too.

Why would someone spend 4.1 million dollars to convince me that $270 is a good thing?

Snifffffff….. I smell a duck… Chuck!

No way a lie get 60%, 7:11 (aka: staffer)... get back to work stealing my money, punk.

7:26 idiot

You should check the polls. One was even done by a democratic polling company. The other by Survey USA.

7:30 - peanut-brained staffer...

You're right... 4 out of 5 dentists really do recommend Crest... and choosey mother actually choose Jiff!

What cliff should we follow you off next?

... dipstick

7:30,

I've got a pole you can check... RIGHT HERE!

if where checking polls can somebody please check mine

It's going to pass at about 62% if that but it will pass

[John]

$40,000 for access to bad Democratic information?

Talk about an inflated self value!

Get serious -- this is AMENDING OUR CONSTITUTION. Do not let greed influence your vote. Do not be ignorant. The Tampa Tribune is advising everyone correctly.....

You should vote NO because it gives too little relief to those that need it, adds to the inequities in an already unfair taxing system, and will make true reform more difficult to achieve.

They also claim that when in doubt about tinkering with the constitution, the safest policy is to VOTE NO!

The passing of this amendment will DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

We need true reform that will be...

fair
promote fiscal responsibility
demand accountability

Amendment One is none of these. It will allow our counties to raise millage rates to increase revenues and allow them to spend freely with no accountability as to how they spend our money.

If you believe by voting yes we will force them to cut back on wasteful spending, you are sadly mistaken.

VOTE NO AND DEMAND TRUE REFORM! There are better proposals in the works -- they did this too fast. We must wait. Doing nothing is better than passing this abortion!

Will the Democrats make their party pay a price for using resources to oppose a tax cut that will specificically benefit their senior and low income voters?

It's bad enough that their votes don't count. How a bout a tax cut Karen? It may be less than your bar bill, but it means something to me

Looking at the ratios, it appears the no side is more competitive than Jim Davis was. Davis got 45 didn't he?

I am voting to cut my taxes!

what polls are you people seeing that show over 60%? I haven't seen any. This thing fails. Conservatives who want to cut taxes think it falls short, and liberals will vote it down fearing it will hurt schools, police/fire, etc...

Schools are safe.

It will have an effect on the rest of the budget though. Local government operations, transportation for seniors, meals on wheels, activities for kids, code enforcement, esthetics, and capital purchases. That would be the immediate effect until the counties and city adjusted their millage rates and increased their fees for service rates.

I've not decided yet, it's hard to see the benefit beyond portability. I would like to see something to stimulate the housing stock, but I don't know if this is the best product to resolve that issue.

[Jason Straight]

The Dems wont spend alot opposing this..Two parts are good .The 10% cap and portability..The homestead is just whoople bait.This is the real lasting solution suggested by the GOP..Great news for the dems in the next election.If this is the best shot its the end of GOP control.This state is in a housing Depression and the state and counties are exaserbating it.Broward Co has the worst housing Mkt in America.There were 6500 sales last year.We expect 30000 foreclosures in the county..So my right wing friends howabout them nos real success and meaningful relief!!!!.You keep what you kill.Rod Smiths lookin real good right now!

Portability is discrimination. It will make our unfair system even more unfair. Side by side neighbors in the same value of home paying much different tax bills. This will get even worse with portability. You will have residents moving from a areas where values escalated more than others and move into areas where they get more home for the money and lower millage rates and make out like bandits. They will pay less than anyone currently living in the neighborhood who has been there for years.

This is NOT FAIR! And who will make up for them paying less? -- EVERYONE! It will be necessary to raise millage rates and everyone's taxes go up. The unfairness of SOME paying more than others will get even worse.

It is truly dispicable that our legislators have proposed this unethical, immoral plan. I am a republican, but am truly ashamed of our governor that he would even endorse such a plan.

Please do not let the thought of putting $240 in your pocket influence you to vote yes. Please do not let greed of being able to take your SOH subsidy with you from home-to-home influence you to vote yes. Passing of this amendment will take years and will be very costly to the state to fix this mess. I for one, will join many others in a class-action suit against the state.

When in doubt about tinkering with the State constitution, the safest policy is to VOTE NO!

[don't tax me bro]

if you think that saving 240.00 on my 4000 property tax is gonna influence someone to buy my house your wrong. if we had decent taxes we would not need portability in the first place. vote no i already did...

[Aquaserpent]

The Nay Sayers are right on this one. The $240.00 will not pay for the increases to my Citizens Insurance rates. However it will cripple our local governments, you are going to see things like a storm water utility tax, increased and or new user fees emerge from the damage the State Legislature did this year. For example early last year I had 2 pet rats, 1 needed euthanizing I took it to Animal Control and paid $20.00 to have it put down. After the budget fiasco hit the fan, I then needed to take the other later in the year. The price had doubled to $40.00 when I stated that I had put 1 down for ½ the price earlier in the year, I was told that was before the budget crises. So I’m telling you now, get your $240.00 now and pay, pay, pay for it later.

[I'vehadenough!]

HEY CHUCK! I just wanted to let you know that I received my mortgage statement yesterday. I’ll be damned if my insurance hasn’t gone up another 800 DOLLARS!

And why? I don’t know; I guess it’s their way of saying thanks for NEVER HAVING HAD A CLAIM!

Yep; that $240 is gonna do me a world of freaking good.

So why don’t you and that miserable bunch of worthless criminals called the Legislature, direct you punka*s staffers to get the hell off the blogs, stop pimping this scam of a Amendment on our dime, and start boxing up your offices.

Because as GOD as my witness, I am going to do everything within my power to tell as many voters as I possibly can to vote everyone of you miserable, lying, self-serving, industry puppet, worthless SOB’s out of office!

Vote NO, and tell these morons to shove this scam right up their a*ses!

[Phyllis Simmons]

I have a very important question regarding Florida Property Taxes. Will this year's assessed value decrease to reflect the current property values or are we expected to continue paying taxes on inflated values?

What a pathetic group of malcontents. Since when does ANYONE oppose putting more money in their own pocket...? This will put a minimum of $1,000 in your pocket every 4 years...and if you take advantage of portability you will save several thousand dollars EVERY year....and this will apply to millions of people...who will all have this money to spend...to put back in to the economy..and to return to the robust economic growth we are use to in Florida....if you are opposed to this you either don't understand what is at stake OR you believe more taxes and more government is the answer. If you think you can vote against this and that will cause more sweeping reforms to pass you are fooling yourself.

[terminator]

10:12
get off the crack jerkweed!

if billionaires like Huzienga, Sembler, Kitsen, etc. are supporting it you know it's no good for the middle and lower classes.

if it was really that good Charlie the tuna wouldn't have to be throwing together last minute fundraisers in order to squeeze more millions out of his billionaire developer buddies in a lame attempt to get his mug on TV all over the state selling the snake oil he has became famous for.

sorry Charlie, taxpayers want tuna that tastes good, not over-tanned, androgenous, plastic looking, half truth talking, phony baloney politicians with no backbone.

this one goes down. close but no cigar for the Greek huckster who calls himself the "people's governor".

[don't tax me bro]

anyone that thinks 5.oo a week will bring back our economy is dreaming. this amendment does not help me. my taxes are too high. when i sold my home up north the buyers took over my taxes. not like here where it tripeled when i bought. where's all that money going?? people that understand this amendment will vote no.....

[scooby]

to 10:12....you are absolutely right! this will put a minimum of 4000 dollars in my pocket over 4 years time .yipee!! but remember this....it's going to cost me 16000.00 dollars(my hard earned money) tax money to be collected by the county to get it! and believe me ,my taxes are only going to go up,just like yours will. my taxes are 4000 dollars a year.what's yours? i'm sure glad you don't invest my hard earned money for us.

[peggy arvanitas]

Terminator, you are breathing FIRE today!
Just to let you know, some of the Realtors, like the RE/MAX men are mad as heck, that Nancy Riley FAR president , has given away $1 MILLION of our money. She did this over 15 years ago. As Clearwater board president, she positioned reself on the legislative board. That was, she decided who got the Realtors' money for elections.

As she gave away our money, Crist reciprocated and put her on the Taxation board and she went to Islrael on a trip. Get it?!

Crist has said his polls show he is winning. This worked when he spooked everyone about voted for Gallagher for Governor. It doesnt work now, because the newspaper men are onto his POLLS by GOP friends.

[terminator]

Peggy:
I'm not real knowledgeable about polling but I do know a phony, plastic, gutless, sellout when I see one.
Believe me, if this does go down, Charlie the tuna's poll numbers are going to "drop like a rock".

over 4 million bucks - costs a lot to try and fool 60% of the voters i guess

a tax cut for some and not for all is a tax cut not at all

There goes Peggy Arvanitas evoking the name Nancy Riley again....what's up Peggy, did Nancy steal your boyfriend in high school and this is your revenge? You can't write a post without including her name. It is so transparent. Shut up and go sell a house!

Poor, pitiful, bitter, uninformed, picked last in the pick-up game Termie

[Drama]

I hear the FAR may be under major scrutiny soon.

[la]

if this amendment passes or fails the government wins. if it passes they only threw us a drybone and they can continue to reap the windfall each year. if it fails it will take at least 3 years to get something better on the ballot. and they then can continue to collect the windfall again. so either way they will not lose.

Like I said before, although amendment 1 does not give enough relief, it's a start. It would give around $240 annually + could save people thousands on portability of Save-Our-Homes.

The majority of Floridians wanted portability, so here it is.

(My savings if I move would be near $8000 annually.)

Gov Crist & other leaders promised, this is only the beginning of cuts.
So, I say vote YES on amendment 1 & then we work for more relief in March legislative session.

[Timothy]

Main problem:
crazy drunken spending by local government!!

5:39 - thanks so much for the comic relief - just laughed my rear off - so you're going to vote for A1 because politicians PROMISE it's just the beginning

poor poor feeble little mind - if this scheme passes you'll see property taxes as an issue get swept under the rug for good because they'll have checked the block on this issue in their minds

[bob the union man]

if this amendment passes(it's peanuts) or fails it won't bother me one bit at all. we are still going to get your tax money for bigger benitfits ,raises and better pensions.if you people put up with paying these high taxes for all these years and paying my wages and benifits,why should i give them up now.just keep voting for charlies amendment and help me make out big time.hahahaha

"Why would someone spend 4.1 million dollars to convince me that $270 is a good thing?"

That is a well framed question.

And the answer?

(My savings if I move would be near $8000 annually.)
Posted by: | January 26, 2008 at 05:39 PM ---

And then others' taxes will rise even more dramatically as that kind of money times many others equals basically murdering your own government.

And those who think property taxes are already high for those who missed the SOH boat early on, they haven't seen anything yet.

In the SPTimes today they wrote that the little town of Gulfport, (2.5 square miles) spent $250,000.00 in overtime for police. They don't need more money; they need their heads examined. If they spent $30,000.00 on surveillance equipment the overtime could go away.

The county government gets the lions share and were flush with money from the housing bubble revenues, but the cities were players as well. I watched three ambulance trucks and a fire truck respond to a medical 911 called today, talk about redundancy, it's beyond all logic.