Property Taxes Under Fire

LOOK FOR AND WHAT YOU SHOULD AVOID WHEN PREVIEWING A POTENTIAL LISTING. HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AFTER NEARLY A YEAR AND A HALF OF PURSUING A MEASURE TO CUT HOMESTEAD PROPERTY TAXES IN FLORIDA. GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS GOT HIS WISH IN A SPECIAL SESSION. LAWMAKERS APPROVED THE GOVERNOR'S PLAN ON TUESDAY OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS AND SOME CITY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. OPPONENTS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE LOSS OF PROPERTY TAX REVENUE COULD IMPACT ESSENTIAL SERVICES. THE PLAN NOW GOES TO VOTERS IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION IN THE FORM OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSAL. >> JOINING US NOW TO BREAK THIS ALL DOWN IS FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR DOCTOR SANDRA PAVELKA AND WGCU HOST JOHN DAVIS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO. THANKS FOR HAVING US. IF VOTERS APPROVE THIS IN NOVEMBER, CAN YOU BREAK DOWN WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN WITH THIS PROPOSAL WITH MEAN WITH JENNIFER? THIS IS AN HISTORIC PROPERTY TAX REFORM PROPOSAL. >> THAT WAS SPEARHEADED BY GOVERNOR DESANTIS AND THEN THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE. THIS PROPOSAL WILL GO TO THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER FOR A VOTE AND THE PROPOSAL ITSELF WILL WILL END UP BEING A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT IF PASSED BY SUPER MAJORITY, IT WILL INCREASE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS FROM $50,000 TO $150,000 AS OF JANUARY. FIRST 2027 AND THEN UP TO 250,000 IN SO THIS IS VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS AND FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS. >> DO WE KNOW WHAT THE IMPACT COULD BE LOCALLY? >> WELL, IT'S IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY BECAUSE, AGAIN, THIS BILL WAS JUST FILED LAST THURSDAY AND THEN LAWMAKERS VOTED ON IT FOR DAYS LATER, TUESDAYS AND TODAY'S END OF THE SESSION, DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS OWN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THIS MEASURE DETERMINES THAT ITS IMPACT IS INCONCLUSIVE AND THEY VOTED ON IT ANYWAY. IT'S PROJECTED TO COST LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE STATEWIDE. THAT INCLUDES ALL 411 CITIES. ALL 67 COUNTIES IN FLORIDA BY MORE THAN 8.4 BILLION DOLLARS JUST BEFORE THEY TOOK THE VOTE IN TALLAHASSEE, LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DECIDED TO SEND A LETTER TO THE LEGISLATURE, URGING THEM TO SORT OF SLOW DOWN ON THIS PROCESS AND REALLY TAKE MORE TIME TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT. COMMISSIONER KEVIN RUANE. SO IT'S GOING TO REDUCE COUNTY GOVERNMENT REVENUE BY 25% THE FIRST YEAR. AND THEN BY ABOUT 40% THE NEXT YEAR REP BRIAN HAMMAN, ANOTHER COUNTY COMMISSIONER SAID THE HE SAID THIS IS LIKE DOING A HOME REMODEL AND THEN KNOCKING OUT A LOAD-BEARING WALL WITH NO PLAN TO PUT ANYTHING IN PLACE TO KEEP THE HOUSE FROM COLLAPSING AFTER YOU REMOVE THAT LOAD-BEARING WALL. AND IT'S ALREADY HAVING AN IMPACT IN HIGHLANDS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THERE WERE CONSIDERING WHETHER TO PUT A REFERENDUM BEFORE VOTERS THIS FALL TO CREATE LIKE A CONSERVATION LAND BUYING PROGRAM SIMILAR TO LIKE CONSERVATION 2020 IN LEE COUNTY AND SIMILAR PROGRAMS AND 19 OTHER COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE. BUT JUST WITH THE VOTE OF 8, THE LEGISLATURE CHURCH YESTERDAY LOOMING, THEY DECIDED TO JUST INDEFINITELY TABLE. THAT IDEA BECAUSE IT WOULD MEAN ADDING AN ADDITIONAL TAX ON, YOU KNOW, OF COUNTY RESIDENTS. WHAT SERVICES DO WE KNOW SO FAR WOULD BE PROTECTED. >> SO SO JUST THIS, THIS ACTUALLY APPLIES TO NON SCHOOL-RELATED PROPERTY TAX. I DO WANT TO NOTE, THOUGH, THAT THERE WAS NO PROTECTIONS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE GOVERNOR'S ORIGINAL PROPOSAL. LAWMAKERS HAD TO HAVE THOSE PROTECTIONS IN ORDER FOR THAT OR IS THAT THEY DID AT THAT. >> BUT IF THEY DID ADD SO SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, HELD HARMLESS IN THIS. BUT THE THE CORE SERVICES ARE ESSENTIAL. AND THIS PROPOSAL, INCLUDING FIRE POLICE, PUBLIC SAFETY RELATED EXPENSES AND, YOU KNOW, OTHERS THAT THAT MAY RELATE TO TO THE BILL. NOW, THERE ARE ALSO THOSE CORE SERVICES THAT ARE NOT PART OF THIS. AND THAT INCLUDES LIBRARIES, PUBLIC PARTS, PARKS AND OTHER. >> MOSQUITO CONTROL OF A SUDDEN OF THAT IS INCLUDED. THOSE ARE NOT CONSIDERED CORE FUNCTIONS UNDER THE LANGUAGE OF THE BILL. I'VE EVEN HEARD SPECULATION THAT THERE COULD BE LAWSUITS JUST ABOUT WHAT IS EVEN CONSIDERED A CORE FUNCTION BECAUSE ANYBODY WHO'S LEFT OR A SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SUMMER NOW IS WITHOUT MOSQUITO CONTROL. YOU CAN STILL LISTEN HERE. YES, ACTUALLY, EXACTLY. SO WE THERE IS POTENTIAL LAWSUITS THAT MAY COME DOWN LOW THE WAY. >> IF THIS INDEED PASSES IN THE NOVEMBER VOTE. JOHN, HOW DID THE VOTE COME DOWN? >> I'M GOING TO COME DOWN MOSTLY ALONG PARTY LINES. THERE WERE A FEW SURPRISES. THERE WERE LIKE 3 DEMOCRATIC SENATORS WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF IT IN. THERE ARE ACTUALLY 2 REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKERS WHO VOTED NO SOME NOTABLE CONTEXT ON THAT, THOUGH, DESANTIS, THE GOVERNOR HASN'T SIGNED THE BUDGET FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR AND IN LATE MAY, HE WAS ACTUALLY AT A MEETING OF THE CONSERVATIVE WINNING GROUP, THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY. HE BOASTED ABOUT THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT HE'S CUT FROM STATE BUDGET BILLS OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS AND UP FRONT. SAD. BUT IF LAWMAKERS ARE PLAYING BALL THAN WHEN HE'S GOING THROUGH WITH HIS LINE ITEM, VETO PEN, THAT'S HOW HE'LL DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHICH LOCAL PROJECTS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD FUNDING APPROVED WILL BE CAUGHT. SO THESE LAWMAKERS ARE SAYING IF I DON'T VOTE IN FAVOR OF WHAT THE GOVERNOR WANTS, HE'S GOING TO PUNISH MY CONSTITUENTS BY COMING FUNDING FOR PROJECTS THAT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED TO BENEFIT COMMUNITIES IN MY DISTRICT. >> THERE WAS ALSO AN INTERESTING PROVISION THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THE FINAL LEGISLATION. AND THAT WAS A TRUST FUND THAT WAS PROPOSED BY DESANTIS THAT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED RELIEF FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN ANY OF THE BUDGET SHORTFALLS THAT THEY MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED THROUGH THIS. THIS PROPERTY TAX REFORM THAT WAS REMOVED. SO THAT IS NOT PART OF THIS ENTIRE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE AND PROPOSAL THAT THAT VOTERS WILL END UP VOTING ON IN NOVEMBER. AND IN NOVEMBER, WE NEED 60% IN ORDER FOR THIS TO PASS. SO IT HAS A RATHER HIGH HURDLE. >> YEAH, I MEAN, THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS WERE ALREADY GOING TO BE CONTENTIOUS. AND THIS JUST ADDS A WHOLE OTHER LAYER TO THAT CONTENTIOUS LURES. AND I'M PREDICTING WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME STRONG, STRONG LOBBYING FROM, YOU KNOW, GROUPS THAT REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. PUBLIC POLICY GROUPS ARE MEAN EVEN THE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE FLORIDA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION WHO HAVE COME OUT STRONGLY AGAINST THOSE OVER CONCERNS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY EVEN IF THEY'RE STILL OUR FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE STILL AROUND, BUT THEY LOSE THEIR FUNDING. THEY'RE RESPONDING TO SITUATIONS WHERE MINUTES AND SECONDS AND RESPONSE TIME CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE LIVING OR DYING. SO THAT'S BEEN A BIG PART OF WHAT THEY'VE BEEN PROPOSING AT THE SAME TIME, DEMOCRATS WERE TRYING TO HAVE REMOVED SOMETHING THAT DESANTIS HAD PUT IN THERE. AND THIS IS A 5 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR ALLOCATION OF STATE TAX DOLLARS. THAT IS NOW GOING TO GO TO COUNTY PROPERTY. APPRAISER'S OFFICE IS SO THAT THEY CAN SEND OUT MAILERS TO HOMESTEAD PROPERTY OWNERS LETTING THEM KNOW HOW MUCH THEY COULD SAVE UNDER THE AMENDMENT. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING WORK AROUND STATES. START YOUR THAT EXPLICITLY PROHIBITS THE USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY BY THE GOVERNMENT TO LOBBY VOTERS ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON A PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. >> ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO I DON'T. I THINK THAT WE WERE GOING TO SEE. >> LIKE JOHN HAD MENTIONED MORE AGO. WE WERE ALREADY KIND OF POSITIONING OURSELVES FOR A TO MOST TO US ELECTION SEASON. I THINK JUST THE SAPD'S ICING ON THAT CAKE, RIGHT? YEAH. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE REALLY HIGH VOTER TURNOUT, PARTICULARLY FOR A MIDTERM ELECTION. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE