Homeowners likely to vote on tax cuts

Florida homeowners will likely get the chance to vote next year on whether to cut their property taxes by an average of about $275 a year.

The Senate on Monday approved HJR 7105, which would put on the 2018 ballot an additional $25,000 homestead exemption.

Voters must approve it with 60 percent of the vote for it to take effect in 2019. If passed, it could save homeowners $644 million per year.

Governments in South Florida are already fretting over the potential impact of

the cuts.

Broward County, its cities and special taxing districts could lose $73.5 million a year, the Florida Association of Counties estimates. The county itself accounts for $32 million of that, the county administrator said.

Palm Beach County governments could lose $62.7 million per year; while Miami-Dade stands to lose $70.3 million.

The plan is a top priority of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, so it’s almost certain to pass his chamber later this week.

The bill is part of a broad deal on the $83 billion budget between Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, who earlier this week agreed to environmental projects and higher education funding.

Other budget areas such as health care remain unresolved, however, as lawmakers are facing a Tuesday deadline to finish the budget and meet the required threeday “cooling off” period before they vote on it and adjourn on time on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriation Committee severely scaled back a nearly $300 million House tax-cut package to provide just $75 million to $80 million in breaks. The bill would include a three-day back-toschool tax holiday and permanent elimination of sales taxes on tampons and other feminine hygiene products.

The vote was largely partisan, with Democrats opposed and Republicans in favor, although six Democrats voted in favor. One Republican, Sen. Jack Latvala, RClearwater, voted no.

Opponents of the proposal said it would overburden local governments, whose revenues are still recovering from the Great Recession. Some Democrats also said the cuts would go to more well-off property owners, leaving lower-income renters to take on more of the tax burden.

“This bill will hurt renters,” said Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth. Landlords, who would not get the new tax cut, “are going to raise rents — that’s just going to happen.”

Republicans, however, said providing tax relief was important as home values continue to climb, and that voters are savvy enough to make their own decisions. Lee said the cuts would spur growth that would soften the effects of projected lost revenues on local governments.

“I think you’re going to see construction growth and I think you’re going to see people moving in from rentals into homes,” Lee said.

State Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, disagreed that voters will carefully weigh the decision to cut their own taxes.

“When you give red meat to animals, they’ll take it. If you give baby candy to babies, they’ll take it. This is gonna pass if we approve it, but who is it going to hurt?” he said.

Thurston said the cuts would come down hardest on the people who can least afford them.

“We’re not gonna take that from law enforcement, we’re not gonna take that from our first responders. We’re gonna take it from services — libraries, parks, buses,” he said. “The sort of stuff that poor people utilize.”