Amendment 1 is no tax cut, violates Home Rule principle
LEISURE:
Lives will be changed after this November’s general election, but most especially if Amendment 1 passes. Our city alone, the second largest in Broward County, will lose approximately $4.5 million in tax revenue the first year if Amendment 1 passes, which means cuts will need to be made and residents and businesses will be affected. The reality is that we will have to seriously deal with the question, do we cut vital services, and if so which ones, or raise property taxes?
I am a firm believer in Home Rule, which is a basic principle of government here in Florida. For the many years I’ve been involved in public service and as mayor of a great city, our residents have trusted us to set local priorities and decide how to pay for them. Decisions made locally reflect the broadly shared values of our community. Local leadership, local decision, local consensus for issues that directly affect our communities, and local control are and have been the foundation of our cities. Amendment 1 violates this foundation and these principles.
Residents, please do not be misled into thinking you are getting a tax cut, when in actuality it shifts the tax burden, benefits only a handful and will be bad for Florida’s economy.
Why is this tax burden bad for Florida? Simply put, job creators in the state will be exposed to bigger tax hikes because a business’s taxable value rises faster than that of a home.
If all of this seems complicated to you, it’s because it is. Offering an additional homestead exemption has far reaching consequences and should not be advertised as a happy tax cut, when it’s not. This amendment is not a tax fix and residents need to be aware of this.
In a nutshell, less than one quarter of Florida properties, those properties valued between $100,000 and $125,000, will benefit from Amendment 1. Those in more expensive and more modest homes will face a bigger tax burden and may even have to pay a higher property tax to cover city needs. The same goes for business owners who receive no benefit whatsoever and their tax burden is greater. Even renters will be affected. They, too, will receive no benefits from Amendment 1, and can expect to pay more as landlords will have to pass along their increased share of the property tax burden onto their tenants. South Florida is already known for its outrageously high rents.
Shouldn’t Florida’s tax system work for all homeowners, and not just a few? Shouldn’t people be able to rent and not be afraid that all of their paycheck will go towards housing instead of food and other expenses because their landlords are stuck paying higher property taxes? Shouldn’t we have a say locally regarding what our cities need, want and how we’re going to pay? Do you want your local millages to be raised to pay for Amendment 1?
Unfortunately, as with clothes, one size does not fit all. Amendment 1 is a one-sizefits all scheme that only makes our tax system worse, more complicated and unfair to all.
I personally oppose it and ask that you carefully consider the contents presented here. I believe changing local property taxes should be done locally when needed, and not through a statewide constitutional amendment.
Frank Ortis is the mayor of Pembroke Pines.
*Offer applies only to new 2019 bookings made by October 26, 2018 for qualifying Rocky Mountaineer packages booked in GoldLeaf or SilverLeaf Service for travel during the 2019 Rocky Mountaineer season on selected dates. Added value credit (“Credit”) must be requested at the time of booking and will not be automatically allocated or retroactively added. Guest’s selection of specific Credit must be made at the time of booking and an amendment fee of $40 USD per booking will be charged for changes after the booking has been confirmed. Deposits are required at the time of booking and full payment of the balance must be made by Friday, January 11, 2019. Offer applies to single, double, triple or quad package prices and amount of Credit varies by duration of package: maximum Credit of $300 USD per adult ($600 USD per couple) for qualifying packages of eight days or more, qualifying packages of 5-7 days will receive $200 USD per adult ($400 USD per couple). Offer value is expressed in USD as a guideline only and may vary at the time of booking based on changes in exchange rate with the CAD. Credit can only be used towards the purchase of specified additional services offered by Rocky Mountaineer and cannot be used against the price of the purchased package or to upgrade rail service. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, is not applicable to child prices, 2 or 3-day rail-only bookings or group tour bookings, has no cash value, is non-transferable and cannot be deferred to a later trip. Offer is capacity controlled and may be modified, withdrawn or amended without prior notice. Additional conditions apply.