One of the most striking things about Florida’s Amendment 3 is that almost everybody who’s actually studied this plan thinks it’s a bad idea.
Fiscal watchdogs and Wall Street Analysts. Sheriffs and first responders. Republican and Democratic leaders of cities and counties both rural and urban.
The proposal is billed as a tax cut, but will actually jack up housing costs for millions of Floridians.
And it was so poorly thought out — rushed through a 48-hour special legislative session without analysis — that even fiscally conservative groups that normally promote tax breaks have said this one’s flawed.
I think everyone instinctively likes a tax cut. I sure do. And I’d theoretically benefit. But my children’s housing costs would likely skyrocket, as would that of millions of other renters in Florida who are already struggling to make ends meet.
If it passes, some homeowners would end up paying zero property taxes for police services — yet still expect first responders to come running in an emergency.
In some ways, the proposal appeals to people who want something for nothing. Yet it also appeals to Floridians understandably frustrated by rising costs of living. I can hardly blame a family struggling to pay its bills for grasping at a proposal that might give them some breathing room.
Republicans in Tallahassee know you’re frustrated. But they didn’t want to tighten their own belts. So they advanced this plan to force other governments to make cuts while Tallahassee politicians continue spending as they please.
But don’t take all this from me. Listen to what others have to say about this proposal to increase the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 for all non-school taxes on owner-occupied homes over the next three years.
Defunding the police
Amendment 3 is the largest “Defund the Police” proposal ever advanced in Florida. That’s why sheriffs — mainly Republican ones — have been leading opponents.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma described the impact as “devastating,” saying his office’s staffing would be cut and responses to 911 calls would be delayed.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said it will “endanger public safety.” Judd said GOP legislators conducted “zero fiscal analysis” before passing the bill and that property taxes aren’t most people’s main problem. “My insurance is sky-high. My fuel is sky-high,” he said last week. “None of that has to do with ad valorem taxes.”
Read the full column by Scott Maxwell on the Orlando Sentinel