Potential Problems For A Democratic Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist will have to deal with skepticism from Democrats if he plans on running for governor again. This quote by Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith is a perfect example.

"I'm one of those believers that if you want to join our church you're always welcome in the congregation. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to make you a preacher," said Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith, who has himself been mentioned as a possible candidate in 2014.

Translation: many Democrats have no problem with Crist stumping for President Obama. Giving Crist a position of power is another story. Crist has spent a good portion of his adult life helping Republicans gain power in Florida. This is the same Charlie Crist that was trying really hard to be John McCain's running mate. That kind of thing isn't going to endear Crist to the hardcore progressives Crist is going to need on the grassroots level of a statewide campaign.

Howie Klein wrote about the longtime gay rumors that have pestered Crist throughout his career. Conservative activist Sarah Rumpf tweeted this photoshopped image of Crist holding a picture of a shirtless Obama. You can bet that Gov. Rick Scott will mudsling and use homophobic attacks against Crist. Scott ran the indefensible and racist "Obama's Mosque" ad. Scott will use homophobic attacks because he isn't about to beat Crist in the charisma department.

The gay rumors about Crist have been around for years. There has never been any credible evidence that Crist is gay. Crist was formerly married to Amanda Morrow. Crist is currently married to the former Carole Rome. (She changed her last name when she married Crist.)

Benjamin Kirby has a problem with with Crist's support of Amendment 1. The ballot amendment passed and lowered property taxes. I agree with Kirby that the property tax cut hurt tax revenue for Florida. Many citizens were angry about their property taxes. What happened was counties were pumping up the appraisal values to get more tax revenue to make up for the tax cuts from the Florida legislature.

I wrote in 2006, how this was a tax shift. Gov. Jeb Bush signed SB 1020 into law. The bill gave counties the power to raise property taxes. Bush signed this law so he didn't have to break Grover Norquist's pledge of raising taxes. I have some sympathy for Crist's situation.

Where I take issue with Crist is him failing to see the housing bubble pop. Crist assumed that tax revenue would keep pouring in. Crist's economic sensibilities need much work. Crist may have a hard time connecting with voters that want to see tax increases on the rich.

Progress Energy Doesn't Pay Property Tax

It must be nice to be Progress Energy. Progress Energy is withholding payment on property taxes owed to Citrus County, Florida.

Monday, Progress Energy paid $19 million toward its $35 million property tax bill. The company feels the property appraiser did not fairly value some pollution control equipment, two aging coal-fired power plants and a damaged and idle nuclear power plant.

In fairness, Progress Energy may have a valid case. That doesn't give Progress Energy the right to just refuse to pay property taxes. Imagine if you refused to pay the full extent of your property taxes. You would likely be looking at jail time. This is forcing Citrus County to cut essential services.

Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey Dawsy pulled told said 30 law enforcement members may be laid off. Two fire stations are facing possible closing.

"That to me is grave," Dawsy told a news conference, "The citizens of this community, if they didn't care about fire or law enforcement, should be outraged that their safety is now in danger."

Dawsy said he is voiding contracts with Progress Energy to assist the company in emergency services. Progress Energy has a damaged power plant. This is troublesome.

I'm amazed that Progress Energy constantly gets the state to approve rate hikes on cunsumers. When it is time for Progress Energy to pay they stiff on their bill.

Universal Orlando Tries to Get Lower Property Taxes

This is rather amusing. Universal Orlando was to go in front of the Orange County Value Adjustment Board to ask for a reduction in their property taxes. Representatives for Universal Orlando bailed when they found out that a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel would sit in on the hearing. The representative for Universal Orlando and Loews Hotels told the magistrate they did not want to discuss their "business data" in front of a journalist. The was magistrate unswayed and turned down the request to lower the property taxes.

After the hearing, Universal Orlando and Loews Hotels refused to provide a comment for the Orlando Sentinel. What is clear is that profits have increased from the Universal Orlando and Loews Hotels partnership.

The three hotels are owned by a joint venture between Universal and Loews, which then pays ground rent to Universal Orlando based on a percentage of hotel revenue. The joint venture paid Universal approximately $13.3 million in 2010, according to regulatory filings — an increase of more than 600 percent from $1.9 million in 2009 and a 10.7 percent increase from $13.2 million in 2008. (The payments plummeted in 2009 because the hotels did not meet a contractual cash-flow threshold.)

Anyone know know Loews cash flow problems in 2009?

Bush Tax Cuts Didn't Create Jobs

Democratic strategist Steve McMahon shows how to to property frame the tax cut issue.

MCMAHON: You know, on the small business thing, I just go back to the fact; if you’re a small business person, you pay taxes on your profits and if you create a job, job creation and every cost associated with that is deductible, which means you don’t pay any taxes on… you pay less taxes in a high tax code… in a high tax environment if you create more jobs and you spend more money on employees. So I think, you know, Matt likes to say you can’t find an economist who says cutting taxes will create jobs. I can’t find an economist who says that giving tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires will create any jobs and in fact the tax code suggests just the opposite.

Pensito Review has a good chart of how bad unemployment was when Obama took office.



The chart created by George Mason University shows the true devastation of the Bush years.



The Corner blogger Veronique de Rugy hysterically wrote, "Interestingly, if we leave out January 2009 from the calculation, President Bush’s net private-sector job creation is positive: 133,000 jobs." De Rugy is forced to admit Bush's job creation numbers are negative because of jobs lost.

The 9/11 attacks and the Wall Street meltdown in 2008 played a part the the economic climate that loss jobs. The Bush tax cuts aren't the only factor. That said, Republicans have no actual evidence to point to that the Bush tax cuts created jobs.

Pam Bondi Didn't Vote in 2008

Peter Schorsch has broke news on Florida Republican Attorney General candidate Pam Bondi. The Tiger Bay Club held a debate with Attorney General candidates Bondi, Democrat Republican Holly Benson and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp. Bondi was asked by political consultant Dave Zachem how she voted on the 2008 ballot initiative Amendment 1. Bondi had no idea what Amendment 1 was or that is was suppose to lower property taxes.

Amendment 1 failed to live up to the promises that property taxes would decrease. However, it was a major issue during the 2008 Florida campaign cycle. The fact that Bondi was not aware of Amendment 1 shows how disengaged she is from public policy. Not an attractive trait from someone running for statewide office. It turns out Bondi wasn't even interested in the 2008 presidential election. Schorsch's reporting came up with documentation that Bondi did not vote in 2008. No wonder she wasn't aware of Amendment 1.

Bondi clearly isn't interested in policy or politics. It seems to me she is running to advance her career. That is her right but a lame reason for running for public office

2 - 2 = 4 In Crist's World

I have written repeatly how property taxes are a horrible way to fund education. The Miami Herald reports Florida property tax revenue is down by $219 billion. Gov. Charlie Crist wanted a 2.7 percent increase for K-12 schools. Crist was planning on paying for the increase by raising fees for driver licenses, vehicle registrations and college exams. Crist can back education and maintains claims that he didn't raises taxes. Just fees.

To make education funding more difficult: Crist is calling for another property tax cut. Florida has been devastated by foreclosures. Property taxes need to come down. I'm amazed at how Crist thinks he can increase the K-12 education budget while cutting property taxes. You can't do addition by subtraction.

Fiscal Opportunism

I like to know where the pork is? Enlightening me conservatives.

TALLAHASSEE - The state still faces a deficit of up to $700 million this fiscal year - and $5 billion next year - despite last month's budget-cutting session, the Senate's top budget chief said Monday.

On top of that, said JD Alexander, head of the Senate's Ways and Means committee, property taxes are expected to yield $1 billion less than the state needs just to maintain the status quo for K-12 public school funding.

The sobering budget news sets the stage for a spring repeat of last year's legislative session, when lawmakers had to carve into both the current and coming year's spending plans. The upcoming session will bring especially painful twists: deeper budget holes and difficult decisions about raising taxes.

Alexander doesn't expect the stimulus package to cure budget woes. (It was never intended to.) The State Senate is fighting each other over stimulus money.

Nan Rich was a voice of reason. Charlie Crist's budget director, Jerry McDaniel, health care budget committee $4 million in federal Medicaid money was coming. McDaniel suggested moving money the state had for Medicaid to pay for other programs. Rich would have none of that.

Sen. Nan Rich, vice chairwoman of the Senate's health care budget committee, responded with alarm. "I'm having a real hard time understanding how we're looking at having excess money when we don't fund our Medicaid program properly, or many other areas of health care - that this becomes a pot of gold for other people to use."

Another problem is Obama's oversight inspectors would ask Florida to immediately repay for the Medicaid money. Obama made it clear stimulus money isn't made to pay for other programs. That is exactly is what McDaniel is proposing. Fiscal conservatism has become opportunism.

Troll Hall of Fame: Bryan

Bryan used to troll around Pushing Rope and Tas's defunct blog Loaded Mouth. Tas and I took great joy in mocking Bryan. In 2006, Bryan promised to write a muckraking expose on Tas. Bryan never got to the article because of his busy schedule trolling other progressive blogs.

I wrote the post "Charlie Crist Economics 101." I argued the housing bubbble popped and sales taxes wouldn't pay for Florida's growth. I didn't know residents would start leaving the state. Creating a smaller tax base. Since then the housing market tanked and Florida is in a budget deficit. Bryan took pains explaining to me that this would never happen.

The article you linked indicates a substantial surplus in the current budget.
Given that Crist is correct about Florida's growth, what exactly is wrong with his economic understanding, assuming that that the inherent instability of sales-tax revenue in a tourist-reliant state doesn't lead to an exceptional decrease in revenue?

And if that were the case, wouldn't Crist be able to react in some manner, as by recommending a change in policy to account for the loss in revenue?

What policies changes has Charlie Crist instituted besides raiding trust funds and borrowing money? Cutting programs for the needy and driving the state in debt is not sound policy. Crist balked at the cigarette tax and walked away from Seminole Indian Tribe controversy.

Crist negotiated the deal without legislative approval. The Florida Supreme Court ruled the gaming compact unconstitutional. The Seminoles refused to shut down the blackjack and slot machines. Republicans have asked the federal government to intervene. The state is losing $100 million in tax revenue and Crist has remained silent on his mess.

Bryan the troll declares growth will save Florida.

If Florida is having problems paying for current growth management, then why is there a current surplus?

The housing bubble "popped"?
The bubble pops when prices start going down, not when the rise in prices slows.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/jul/12/economist_southwest_florida_housing_market_cooling/?business

Your argument against Crist's understanding of economics boils down to your past observations of tax cuts with increased spending?

We should assume that your past observations were made with similar anticipations of growth, or what?

Where is that Florida surplus, Bryan? The housing bubble popped when people stop buying houses. That is exactly what happened in Florida.

Bryan continues to argue the 2006 housing market was fantastic.

"Do you read your links?"

Of course. What part did you quote that you think translates into the housing market having popped?
The part about decreased confidence about the future?
Does "downward momentum" mean slowing price gains or decreasing prices?

Do you just read into stuff what you want to see, or what?

In 2006, I saw Florida in economic trouble. Bryan, I could ask you if you saw what you wanted to see. But that would be a pointless rhetorical question.

Bryan, you are the first inductee into the Pushing Rope Hall of Fame.

Side note: trolls using performance enhancing drugs will be disqualified.

Florida Amendment 4

The Buzz reported a coalition of 70 Florida groups support Amendment 4.

Amendment 4 requires the Legislature to provide by general law for an ad valorem tax exemption for real property dedicated in perpetuity for conservation purposes. Further, the proposal requires land used for conservation purposes to be classified and assessed solely on the basis of character or use for the purposes of ad valorem taxation. If passed by the electors, the proposal shall be implemented by January 1, 2010.

I chatted online with Doug Matthews. He is the marketing director of Vote Yes On Amendment 4. He informed me that the coalition is made up of environmentalists and conservatives against property taxes.

"Right now, land that's under a conservation easement (permanent or temporary) is taxed according to it's highest possible use," explained Matthews. "So there's no financial incentive to set it aside."

The amendment would give a property tax break to land counties set aside for conservation purposes. Developers and wifelife supporters, such as Jim Fowler, support the amendment for different reasons. Environmentalists view Amendment 4 has a deterent to unchecked growth management. Developers can get a tax break for setting aside 75 percent of lands for conservation. The other 25 percent sees increased property values from being near green space.

Amendment 4 seems like a no-brainer. Florida's undecider, Charlie Crist, still has not stated his position. It takes true political courage not to state an opinion on an amendment with no major opposition. Crist might frame himself as a green governor and tax-cutter, if he supported the amendment. We know how Crist has been shying away from that image.

Vote yes on amendment 4.

Marco Rubio vs Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio was once the biggest fan of increasing sales taxes to offset the property taxcuts.

“It’s the fairest tax out there. Because you determine based upon how much you have,” Rubio said at a Wednesday news conference. “Sales tax, everyone decides how much they’re going to pay, based on what they decide to buy. If you buy a Bentley, you’re going to pay us more than if you buy an Audi. Or a — well, an Audi is pretty expensive right? A Hyundai. Or like the Prius. I guess that’s pretty expensive, too.”

Major conservative anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist and Florida Senator Mike Haridopolos have come out against the sales tax increase. Rubio now calls the sales tax increase "a potential recipe for disaster." It is fascinating how conservatives follow Norquist like sheep. Rubio is an economic illiterate and he will back down the moment one of the most powerful conservatives in America comes out against his plan. A true profile in courage.

When Grover Norquist barks Republicans jump. Mike Haridopolos unveiled a letter Norquist sent him against the property taxes decrease and sales tax increase. Norquist

"If this plan is passed along the legislature, any legislator who votes to place this measure on the ballot would be violating the Taxpayer Protection Pledge," Norquist’s letter continues.

Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley (R) attempted to raise taxes to pay for education. Norquist's organization the Americans for Tax Reform helped kill Riley's tax plan and placed the Governor on their enemies list. Norquist can rally conservative economic and Christian activists to kill a Republican politician's career.

Why Norquist is still taken seriously is a mystery. He campared the estate tax to the Holocaust. Norquist used pro-gambling Indian tribe money for a donation to the anti-gambling Alabama Christian Coalition. Norquist's friend Jack Abramoff told an Indian tribe to donate to the ATR. Norquist failed to inform the tribe or the Christian Coalition about the money exchange. All this was to help their longtime friend Ralph Reed.

Abramoff used ATR as a conduit in 1999 and 2000, for example, to send some $1.15 million from the Mississippi Choctaws to the Alabama Christian Coalition and to an allied anti-gambling group in the state. The funds were for a campaign spearheaded by Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader-turned-business-consultant, that helped to defeat a proposed gambling venture in Alabama that posed a financial threat to the Mississippi Choctaws' casino enterprises.

Abramoff, Norquist and Reed viewed Indian tribes as their personal ATM machine.

Some Abramoff e-mails released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee also indicate that Norquist took a cut of the Choctaw funds for ATR. In a February 7, 2000, e-mail, for instance, Abramoff cautioned Reed that he might be receiving a little less than expected because "I need to give Grover something (for helping), so the first transfer will be a little lighter." Then on February 22, Abramoff sent an e-mail memo to himself voicing surprise that "Grover kept another 25K!" Norquist told Time that he twice received permission from the Mississippi tribe to keep $25,000.

The fact that Haridopolos would seek out Norquist's approval is disturbing. Norquist backed Bush's disasterious first budget package. Norquist openly brags, "I think I've gotten more radical as I've gotten older."

I personally think the property tax/sale tax swap is a bad idea. It is amusing that conservatives are coming out against Marco Rubio's plan. Rubio is better at getting (bad) publicity than getting things done. In politics, that is all that matters.

The Sales Tax Increase

The St. Petersburg Times reports a Quinnipiac University poll shows only 48 percent of Floridians support a one cent sales tax increase meant to offset $8-billion cut from property taxes. The idea has come under criticism for money that will be lost from education funding. Under problem is that sales taxes are not a stable tax base. If people are making less money they will purchase less things. Florida has always had this problem with it's current tax system.

The sales tax loopholes is a matter the Republican legislature refuses to address. Corporations can avoid paying state taxes on property sales by filing as a corporate sale.

Phillips Point in West Palm Beach, PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Centre — all are officially recorded as selling for $10 in recent months.

In truth, these trophy properties fetched $200 million, $170 million and $230.9 million, respectively.

So why the tiny sale prices in public records? Taxes.

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has long been pushing for the sales tax increase to lower property taxes. Hysterically, Republicans in the Florida Senate are against the idea because they fear they would have to eliminate corporate sales tax loopholes in order to make up for loss revenue.

Haridopolos is in line to become Senate president in 2010, and likely would be at the forefront of having to find the replacement revenue. He's among a group of Florida lawmakers who have signed a pledge not to raise taxes.

Haridopolos' math works like this: To avoid raising taxes, legislators would have to eliminate the largest sales tax exemptions other than the sacred ones for groceries, rent and prescription drugs.

The remaining exemptions include the value of trade-ins toward new car purchases, government supply purchases, the purchase of fuel by utilities and for metered water.

"You will start to tax items that are not currently taxed. By any definition, that's a tax increase," Haridopolos said. He said he has written three letters to the tax commission over the past two weeks but has received no reply.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at Rubio's and Haridopolos's economic stupidity.

In other news: the legislature is making drastic cuts to the Department of Children & Families.

But Thursday, in his latest role as Secretary of the Department of Children & Families, Butterworth met his match: an intransigent Legislature that is pursuing what he called the equivalent of taking out a ''contract on kids,'' with a budget that ''destroys'' the public safety net by cutting programs deeply rather than tapping the state's $1.3 billion emergency fund, or close corporate-tax loopholes.

''In my 40 years in public service, this is the worst year I've ever seen, the meanest I've ever seen,'' Butterworth told The Miami Herald as the House was completing debate on its $65 billion budget proposal.

Sacrifices must be made to keep football stadium skyboxes tax exempt.

Rubio Pushes Again For Sales Tax Increase

Marco Rubio will once again get to push his horrible sales tax increase. The Florida House Speaker believes in trickle down economics.

"I was raised on other people's leftover money," Rubio, 35, said on the Jim DeFede Show, whose station WINZ-AM 940 identifies itself as the "resource for progressive talk radio." "When people spent their money, they spent it in the places where my parents worked."

He went on: "And I'm telling you that this property tax cut will create $6-billion in disposable income. And what that means in real terms is that people who now mow their lawns will hire someone to do it. ... People who now maintain their own pools will hire someone to do it. ... And that helps the working class. ...

Rubio's comments angered listeners of the Jim Defede Show. One caller destroyed Rubio's bogus economic rhetoric.

"Most working-class people are just struggling to survive and their solution is the most regressive form of tax there is? This is unbelievable. Trickle-down economics was disproven. ... I work my tail off every day just to make ends meet, and if they raise the sales tax, that's going to be coming directly out of every little bit that I earn. It's just going to make it even more expensive to live here, not less."

The previous and current sales tax increase plan is to make up for the loss in property tax revenue. The new proposal would cut property taxes by an estimated 25 percent. The downside is there will be a loss in $6 billion of revenue. Not that Rubio is worried about that.

“If there’s something that’s ridiculous that’s on there we should look at it and talk about it. I just don’t think we should be obsessed with constantly looking for revenue sources, when in fact we have a structural spending problem in government and many of the sources they out line really wouldn’t generate enough money.”

Rubio argues once again that the property taxcut will send people into a retail shopping frenzy. Incoming House Speaker Ray Sansom will inherit Florida's deficit. Fortunately, he appears to be aware that many sales tax exemptions need to be discontinued.

“They shouldn’t be off limits. Some of the tax exemptions have been there for years and years and we need to continually go out and measure the public benefit of these tax exemptions.”

Stadium skyboxes, Superbowl tickets, and limousines are tax exempt. These exemptions make the GOP base happy. There has been zero serious discussion from Charlie Crist about tax reform. These exemptions cost the state an estimated $12.3 billion. I don't know anyone that felt the trickle down effect from these tax loopholes.

Shiny Happy Crist

File this under I told you so. I wrote on Oct. 16, 2007 about the Save Our Homes portability being proposed:

People can live next door and have homes valid at the same price. One owner could pay more taxes because the other got a deductability from moving from his previous resident. The inequities question is interesting. Lawyers could argue it's not a fair tax. I have refered to it as the Rush Limbaugh taxcut.

Tallahassee lawyer William Owen is challenging the legality of Amendment 1. Owen argues, "It sharpens the blade and ratchets up the discrimination." He is representing three Florida homeowners.

How does Charlie Crist feel about the lawsuit?

"Part of my confidence is based on the fact that Save Our Homes has been in existence since 1992. I think it's an extension of that, and I'm very confident that it will withstand judicial test. And I think that one of the things that gives me most comfort, as I assume they're testing the constitutionality, is the fact that it will now be in the constitution, so I'm pleased with that."

Crist would make a great Pharoh.

"I'm optimistic that the boils on the faces of my fellow Egyptians are unrelated to Moses's request for the Jews to leave and settle elsewhere," Pharaoh Crist told the scribes, "Locusts migrating to are lands are normal this time of year."

Pharaoh Crist told the scribes that the families that lost their first-born child will be rewarded with pet frogs.

"The people support our frog compensation plan. 20 frogs is greater than a child," Pharaoh Crist boasted. "I'm more than happy to give them more!"

It Property Appraisal Values, Stupid

Duncan Black makes the same point I did in converstations I had with friends. Homes are appraised over the value.

Watching a 3 bedroom condo fall in listed price from $610K to $449K I'm inspired to make the obvious point that housing prices will come down until they hit the point where "average" housing units are priced such that typical potential homeowners can afford to make the monthly payments with typical mortgage terms.

Florida has two problems: property taxes and decreased number of people buying new homes. A recent Leadership Florida study found one out of five Floridians are considering leaving. United Van Lines moved more people out of Florida than in for the first time in thirty years.

If homeowners are selling their houses under the appraised values than state leaders needs to re-evaluate property appraisal. The State legislature would have to set new guidelines. That would be a major headache for county appraisers. Many homeowners would be furious over lower appraisal values. Changes still need to be made.

Over-inflated property appraising is a scam counties and homeowners enjoyed. Counties enjoyed the increased tax revenue. Homeowners could sell their property for a good price. But then the market's bubble popped.

Appraisal ratings are suppose to reflect actual market value. Current ratings are used to increase the tax on millage. Homeowner can pay taxes for value their property doesn't have or ask for reform. Housing sales will increase with lower property values. The current system is regressive and hurts economic growth.

Florida needs to find a better tax system than an over-reliance on hearding new residents into the state. The economic growth monster creates new revenue, as well as needs for more roads, schools and first responders. The Growth Monster is like a heroin addict always needing another fix. Florida's budget deficit can no longer feed the monster.

The Sound of Silence

Marco Rubio finally has enough sense to keep his mouth shut. Rubio should have learned this lesson before he made the sales tax pitch on the Jim Defede Show. Rubio gave a speech to Florida TaxWatch and failed to mention property taxes.

“This group is not the kind of group you need to convince on property taxes,” Rubio said afterward of his uncharacteristic silence on property taxes.

Actually it is. FloridaTaxwatch is extremely critical of the property tax amendment.

Florida TaxWatch finds that that the plan really amounts to tax cuts – not true tax reform.

Savings are targeted almost exclusively to homestead property owners, leaving non-homesteaders and businesses with little protection from property taxes that have spiraled out of control.

Another issue is that providing more benefits to homesteaders and attempting to fix problems Save Our Homes created for them makes it much more difficult to create a future constitutional amendment to help non-homestead property that would garner enough voter support to pass. Still another problem is that heaping savings on homesteaders may naturally disincentive them from participating to try to keep local government spending under control.

The report by economist Hank Fishkind points out that counties aren't receiving a windfall of money. The counties will not receive state sales tax revenue if they don't tax property. The Jeb Bush tax cuts created a need for counties to increase property taxes to fund schools.

A November Orlanda Sentinel poll shows the property tax amendment falling four points short of passage. The 60 percent aproval of amendments was design by conservatives and interest groups to ensure that citizens have no say. The amendment faces huge challenges. The anti-tax Rubio should be stumping for it; instead acts as if he is bracing for defeat.

Tampa Tribune Editorial Against Property Tax Amendment

The conservative Tampa Tribune editorial board is urging voters to not approve the property tax amendment. What the Trib points out is the unfairness of the amendment.

Lawmakers cannot explain why someone buying a first home - or moving here from out of state - should be forced to pay radically higher taxes than someone who trades up into a much more expensive residence. Instead of addressing the inequities, they followed Gov. Charlie Crist's simplistic advice to make matters worse. Eventually, a judge is likely to rule that the inequities are so great that they are unconstitutional, and kill the Save Our Homes amendment altogether.

Under existing law, at least everyone who buys a new home is treated the same. Under the proposed version of portability, homesteaders can transfer up to $500,000 of sheltered value to a new property.

This change promises a longtime homesteader who downsizes a virtually tax-free retirement, while grandchildren buying their first home could be taxed to death.

What the Trib doesn't mention is we can expect legal challenges to the constitutionality of the amendment. The taxation does not treat all as equal. A transplaned resident can by the same model home as a retiree downgrading to a smaller house. They have the same homes in the same neighborhood. The resident whom recently moved to Florida will pay much more taxes.

The stupidity of this is it is discouraging people from moving into Florida. Growth is the engine that feeds tax revenue. I would love to see Florida get off the growth monster. Crist and the legislature do not have to spine to revamp the tax system. The amendment was designed for short-term political considerations. Crist and the Republican legislature have no regard for fiscal responsibility.

Property Tax Amendment Not Longterm Answer

Charlie Crist's sales pitch for the property tax amendment is not going as planned.

Gov. Charlie Crist made a warm sales pitch for a constitutional amendment on property tax cuts at a schoolteacher's Kendall home Wednesday -- only to hear her echo a major criticism of the plan: It's not enough.

The major component of the plan -- which will be on the Jan. 29 ballot -- would give portability to help people avoid high taxes when they move to a new home.

But since Coral Gables High teacher Stephanie Fay is staying put with her two kids, she's not going to see much in the way of savings. She'll save about $240 a year, slightly more than average, from a provision to increase the homestead exemption.

Stephanie gets a huge $20-a-month tax cut. That means she can order pizza for her kids.

The teachers union is against the property tax amendment. It was was foolhardy to tie property taxes to school financing. Now Florida is reaping that bitter harvest. Schools are looking at a potential $2.7 billion lose in revenue over 5 years.

The Miami Herald notes that the state is uncertain how much tax revenue Florida is going to lose. The Florida legislature rushed the amendment through with no serious economic impact studies.

Floridians are angry about property taxes. the states tax revenue is tied to growth. People are leaving Florida faster then they are settling in. Crist and the legislature need to seriously revamp the state's tax system. Florida is facing a deficit and that isn't about to change with the current housing market.

Property Tax Amendment Deal Not Likely

I have avoided the property taxcut amendment madness. I have no idea what is going on. Neither does the Florida legislature. Turns out the deal is close to dead. The House is throwing a fit after the Senate backed a more fiscally sane package.

As the House of Representatives posititions itself to reject the Senate's tax plan, and therefore scuttle a tax-cut plan for voters Jan. 29, Gov. Charlie Crist is dialing furiously.

"Vote this out. Just get it done, buddy," he's purportedly telling legislators. He's reminding them they can come back and cut more in spring and that they should remember: This is for the people. Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp is working legislators as well.

The Senate has left for the session and the House has until 11:59 PM tomorrow to approve the amendment for the January 29th ballot. Marco Rubio must decide will he compromise or grandstand. He will been doing the latter since he has become Speaker of the House and has little to show in actual accomplishments.

I look at Rubio as a classic example that term limits don't work. He doesn't understand backroom dealing or getting the public to support his mandate. He is a intellectual lightweight wth delussional of political grandeur. He would be a backbencher if it wasn't for term limits. Instead, he is the Speaker of the House.

The people whom support things like term can't name five presidential candidates. Try quizzing the next person that goes on an irate rant about term limits. I bet it's a middle-aged guy that doesn't read the newspaper or vote. He probably doesn't know who his congressional representative is or which party is in the majority in the U.S. House and Senate. People that care about politics end up with Marco Rubio, Johnnie Byrd and Tom Feeney has the speaker of the Florida House. Ask a term limits fan if he knows who these three men are. I bet the answer is not fucking likely.

FUBAR Over Property Tax Amendment

The Florida Supreme Court will decide if the original property tax amendment is constitutional. Judge Charles Francis ruled that the ballot language was too misleading. The first hearing on the matter will be December 3.

It would be better for the Florida Legislature to scrap the original amendment and complete the new one. Mrco Rubio screwed that up with a property tax cut that would have a difficult time passing the Senate. He knew this, but went ahead with doing little study about the economic impact of the new House-passed amendment. The House and the Senate has until next Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Otherwise, the new amendment won't go on the ballot.

There is the question of what happens the the original amendment if the Florida Supreme Court finds it constitutional.

If the court were to reinstate the amendment to the ballot _ yet do it after the state deadline _ what will the Secretary of State's office do?

"That's not a question we have contemplated,'' said Department of State spokesman Sterling Ivey.

The ball is with the Florida Supreme Court. They can say the original amendment is the one that goes on the ballot. It then becomes a question of what what happens to the new-and-improved amendment. At the pace the legislature and court is going neither may make the ballot.

This is a reflection of Marco Rubio's leadership. He rushed a first amendment through the House. He proceeded to repeat the same mistakes with the second amendment with new qustions about whether it will pass constitutional muster. He screwed Charlie Crist and Ken Pruitt with their deal.

The House plan gives businesses, second-home owners and landlords a 5 percent yearly assessment cap similar to the one that owners of primary homes get with the Save Our Homes Amendment. That goes beyond an agreement Rubio had with Pruitt and Gov. Charlie Crist to limit the plan to increasing homestead exemptions, providing portability and giving a small tax break to businesses.

Pruitt will mostly likely take the 5 percent cap. Rubio created this delay strickly for his own political career. He can tell people he shashed taxes. He won't mention that he kept the legislature in gridlock.