Gearing up for the final rounds of tax fight

Anti Amendment 1 forces blasted, yet again, the property tax cut proposal as a "scam" that perpetuates inequities and scoffed at Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal to restore education funding cuts.

"It's wrong for Florida. It's wrong for public schools," Florida Education Association President Andy Ford said at a noon news conference. (photo: he's listening to Rep. Curtis Richardson, D-Tallahassee). "We're hearing a big, 'You need to trust us' in the Legislature. ... We've done that with property taxes. We've done that with homeowners' insurance and the lottery."

Crist's budget recommendation would restore cuts but also called for an increase in property values and, thus, local property taxes to fund education.

The coalition, known as Florida Is Our Home, is trying to raise money to run radio ads in the days leading up to the Jan. 29 vote. Organizers took more heat today for repeating misleading claims that Amendment 1 would strip $3-billion from schools over five years. More on that controversy here.

Comments

Our governor's budget recommendations are just that: RECOMMENDATIONS.

Plus, as the Times and other published reports have noted, our governor's education funding plan relies on property tax revenue to make up the difference. In effect, it attempts to save the property tax amendment by destroying it.

12:47: You are a LIAR.

Governor Crist can get whatever he wants through the Florida Legislature. If he says education will be held harmless, then I believe the Republican leadership in the Legislature will keep that promise.

I trust Governor Crist to do what's right. Who do you trust? The Big Government commies who want to tax me out of my home?

I believed Charlie when he said he was a Jeb Bush republican...

I trusted Charlie to pursue changes to homeowner insurance coverage that actually resulted in lower premiums...

I hoped Charlie would come through in protecting my interests in PIP...

I never imagined that Charlie would release an education budget that attempts to hold education harmless if amendment 1, but come to find out it is banking on increased taxes at the local level.

I cringe at the thought that Florida's Constitution is being used as a ploy for property taxes...

So, please forgive me when I say I want something a little more concrete than rhetoric spewed by Charlie.

[terminator]

12:51
get off the crack. you are a total loon (Arlene is this you)?
people are finally wising up to what a colossal failure the "people's mistake" is and what a fraud A1 is.
we're going to reduce property taxes by an average of $240 a year then turn around and pass off $340 million on the locals through the RLE?
how dumb does Chuck think most Floridians are?
A1 is going down boys!

12:51
You are delusional. I once had faith in Crist, but when A1 was released, I was stunned that he would shaft recent and new buyers -- the ones who needed help the most.

This proposal makes an unfair system even more unfair. It helps those least needing help and it will make true reform more difficult to achieve.

Anyone who votes yes is either greedy or doesn't understand what it is. If you don't fall on the greedy side, please try to understand it and then you will distrust Crist as much as many of us do.

VOTE NO!

[Jason Straight]

amendment1 DOA!!

The entire issue is a scam on the part of Chuck and the Legislature to divert voter attention away from their failure to address their promise to lower insurance rates (something they can impact), and make voters “think” that they can impact local tax rates (something they can’t impact).

This is smoke-n-mirrors politics as usual. We should vote NO, and throw their lying, miserable, self-serving a*ses out on Election Day. We can reload with new faces and try again. My $240 would only go towards my insurance increase anyway.

What I am hearing from Crist, and what I am seeing about Florida education are different.

FSU just announced freshmen admissions for next fall are being reduced from 6200 to 5200. Thursday it was announced in Crist's budget proposal that the Florida Resident Access Grants be eliminated for next fall's freshman at Florida private colleges (except for Florida's 3 black private colleges Edward Waters, Bethune Cookman, and Florida Memorial-not the other 25 private non-profit colleges).

Where are these students supposed to go to college?

[Eyes Wide Open!]

This post from an earlier blog makes it plain and simple.

---The founders of this great nation, and our great state, never intended our Constitutions to be a means by which to validate the act of taxation of the people, regardless of a perceived result.

This is a very slippery slope, and an extremely dangerous precedent.

For that reason alone, everyone should vote NO.---

[GOP WEARS JACKBOOTS]

Anyone who thinks a GOP can balance a budget has only to look to Washington to see the results. Crist will get us over a barrel and force us to cut other essential services just to keep our already underfunded schools in the black. If you give him the opportunity, he's going to try to attack our government and hand our country over to the corporations - no guesswork involved, it's standard GOP policy since Reagan.

The 20 or so legislators who voted against this inequitable, dumb amendment should be thanked for having the brains to vote their conscious and not worrying about whether they were on the right side of at-that-time Crist's approval ratings. Since Crist has put his face on this thing, he's done whether this passes or fails. If it passes, it's going to be like insurance--people are going to get their bills a week before the election and those bills are going to be exactly the same (the 3% increase allowed under SOH will occur regardless of full taxable value, thereby negating most of the $240). If it fails, he's a lame duck Governor who has egg all over his face. The legislature controls his administration from here on out.

All of you are so wrong.

I trust Charlie to cut my taxes. I just want to get some of my money back.

1:43 - Too bad amendment 1 will not do what you say you want...

[Debbie]

1:43 must not be able to read and understand english. You ought to be embarrassed to post your blind faith for everyone to see. What an idiot.

Nice photo of the blogger "terminator" (The FEA guy) for those that ever wondered what Termie looked like.

[terminator]

1:21
Send them to the community colleges (or better yet let them work minimum wage jobs at McD's and GAP)!
Let them eat cake Charlie and the legislture say!

"The legislature needs adult supervision" is what Jim Davis said. Boy, was he right!

No on 1!

[Lisa]

I will vote NO on A1! At least with the taxes we can see where the money is going, the goverment services, even though much of it is wasted, we are getting something in return. But the focus should be on insurance. That is what is killing me. Reduce my insurance bill and keep the insurance companies from making billions and not giving anything back. Taxes are not the real problem insurance is. Fight to reduce insurance and I will vote for that.

[Ima Fedup]

Listen real close and with an open mind: That $240 savings that you hear so much about breaks down to $0.67 per day. There is that rock I've been loking for!!!!I just seem to have a hard time justifying a yes vote on Amend. 1 for 67 cents a day when there is an existing challenge to the constitutionality of Save our Homes.

[rsgandy]

as long as that hillsborough co. school superintendent continues to recieve bonuses and keeps her as 300k yr. I will not support any increase in school funding.

[Clyde]

I continue to be deeply touched by the childlike faith that some show in our legislature. Never mind that those same pols have spent years "cutting" taxes and then mandating increased local "effort" (spending)- now they want to make it more difficult for local govt to fund all those "free" services we demand. SOH hasn't done the job - solution: make it even more discriminatory against business, non-FL residents and cituzens who haven't been here since the Seminole Wars. Hint: when you're in a hole, stop digging. How about some honest to god tax reform??? Vote NO.

Hopefully Charlie will go down faster than those taxes (dropping like a rock, yeah right). His absence of leadership (as well as honesty is appauling). The whole property tax amendment is nothing but a hand out to the Realtors as a very short-term stimulus. Meanwhile, the long-term consequences will be we're right back where we are today with the Save Our Homes/Exempted property owners paying little taxes and everyone since then (a small portion of people) paying a tremendous amount. No one likes paying taxes, but they ought to be at least mildly fair.

Enough is enough from "One term" Charlie and the clowns in the Fla. legislature. Send them a message and vote "NO" on Amendment 1.

[Lisa]

I spoke of insurance before, I found a website that shows you how much insurance companys are "allowed" to charge in your county. I found it "strange" that Leon county is the lowest in the entire state and no other county comes close to it. Check it out for yourself.
http://www.shopandcomparerates.com/HOCompareRates.htm

Its no wonder the big wigs in Tallahassee aren't really messing with the insurance companies. They get a great deal on their homeowners insurance in that county. I am sure their taxes are too bad either.

Lisa...That insurance site is bogus.

Try to buy an Allstate Floridian Insurance Company homeowners dwelling policy ANYWHERE in Florida for $634.

The site is bogus and so is her analysis - the member's own homes in their districts - most of them do not own property in Leon County. Besides which the City has very high property taxes because the state doesn't pay property taxes on any of the state buildings. The City charges the 2nd highest utility rates in the state because someone has the pay for the State's discounted utilty rates. A large number of the homeowners in Leon County work for the State and are the lowest paid in the nation. Significant numbers of state employees qualify for KidCare for their kids (and pay for it as taxpayers) but are excluded by law for getting their kids on this program simply because the work for the state.

The real problem is that these greedy, self-center members are paid more for their 60 days of work???? than the average state employee makes the entire year - they receive better than full-time benefits for their part-time job - last year they got a raise and a free trip to Boston for a week (for themselves and their families) and they receive free dental care. They continue working their full-time private jobs and generate lots of work for their businesses because they are members. When they are termed out they work as lobbyists and make tons more money.

No, they don't care about helping the middle class worker - they're too busy feathering their own nest.

They "fixed" property taxes once and property taxes are still broke!

They "fixed" property insurance and everyone's property insurance costs went up AND they increased the surcharge everyone has to pay for Citizens so multi-millionaires can have insurance on their beach-front homes. Also, they've put all state employees' pension money at risk as that is the guarantee of Citizens if they don't raise enough money through their surcharge!!!

They were too lazy to deal with PIP in the regular session so they screwed it up in speical session and now it covers less and costs more.

Kick these bums out!!!

[Paul D. Harvill]

Biggest contributions FOR Amendment One:

http://forum.tallahassee.com/viewtopic.php?t=47465

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Biggest contributions AGAINST Amendment One:

http://forum.tallahassee.com/viewtopic.php?t=47846