Farmer Buddy

Hillsborough County Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson is renting out his land at $1.00 an acre to a cattle farmer William Kenneth Grimmer. Johnson is making a whooping $20.00-a-year from this deal. The flip side is Johnson hopes to get a $12,000 tax cut by getting is land zoned greenbelt.

But with the Grimmer cows grazing on his new property, Johnson has filed applications for greenbelt tax exemptions that could reduce the assessment of his land from $614,428 to $5,855. That would lower his property tax bill from $12,626 to $120.

Grimmer only has 11 cow grazing Farmer Buddy's land. Johnson runs into a snag in attempting to get his property tax cut. The law states a cut can only be given if there is "bona fide agricultural use with a reasonable expectation of making a profit." Grimmer said, "He's not making any money off that property with a $20 lease, I can tell you that." Johnson would if he cut a property tax cut.

Johnson pushing for this tax cut while he is up for re-election is the height of chutzpah. He is hoping the voters are too apathetic to notice his arrogance. He refused to be interviewed by the St Petersburg Times about his potential greenbelt land status. So much for candidate Buddy explaining himself to the people.