Trump: National monuments a ‘massive federal land grab’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing his interior secretary to review the designation of dozens of national monuments on federal lands, calling the protection efforts “a massive federal land grab” by previous administrations.
The order could upend protections put in place in Utah and other states under a 1906 law that authorizes the president to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use.
Duri ng a s i g ni ng c e re - mony at the Interior Department, Trump said the order would end “another egregious abuse of federal power” and “give that power back to the states and to the people where it belongs.”
Trump accused the Obama administration of using the Antiquities Act to “unilaterally put millions of acres of land and water under strict federal control” — a practice Trump derided as “a massive federal land grab.”
“Somewhere along the way the act has become a tool of political advocacy rather than public interest,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said. “And it’s easy to see why designations in some cases are viewed negatively by those local communities that are impacted the most.”
I n D e c e mb e r, s h o r t l y before leaving office, President Barack Obama infur i ated Ut a h Republic ans by creating the Bears Ears National Monument on more than 1 million acres that’s sacred to Native Americans and home to tens of thou- sands of archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings.
Utah Republicans asked Trump to take the unusual step of reversing Obama’s decision.
They said the designation will stymie growth by closing the area to new commercial and energy development. The Antiquities Act does not give the president explicit power to undo a designation.
Wednesday’s order will cover several dozen monuments across the country designated since 1996. They total 100,000 acres or more and include the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bear Ears, both in Utah.
Zinke was directed to produce an interim report in 45 days and make a recommendation on Bears Ears, ties. The Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 21) that was passed this past month by the House. The measure will go on the November 2018 ballot.
Voters in 2008 approved a constitutional change that placed a 10 percent cap on annual increases in assessed values of non-homestead properties. The limit will expire Jan. 1, 2019, unless it is extended by voters. Senate sponsor Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, said failure to extend the cap would effectively lead to a $688 million tax increase.
The proposed homestead exemption amendment is another sore spot for commissioners who complain with increasing frequency and bitterness about lawmakers in Tallahassee who pass laws that impose costs or other restrictions on local governments.
“I’m disgusted that the House leadership would think thi s i s a t ax cut for t h e p e o p l e , ” C o m m i s - s i oner Meli s s a McKinlay said Wednesday. “This is a tax shift.”
C o m m i s s i o n e r D a v e Kerner, a former member of the House, said the Legislature “is really, really good and then issue a final report within 120 days.
Zinke said that over the past 20 years, the designation of tens of millions of acres as national monuments have limited the lands’ use for farming, timber harvesting, mining and oil and gas exploration, and other commercial purposes.
But Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said that if Trump truly wants to make America great again, he should use the law to protect and conserve America’s public lands.
In New Mexico, Obama’s designation of Rio Grande del Nor te National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument have preserved important lands while boosting the economy, Heinrich s a i d , a n d t h a t s t o r y h a s repeated across the country. at passing tax breaks and passing (costs) on to the local level. It sounds great to the voter, but all it does is pass on costs to the local level.”
An analysis by the Florida Association of Counties found that governments in Palm Beach County would lose a combined $72 million if the expanded exemption becomes law.
Commissioners asked staff to prepare a letter that would be sent to Tallahassee noting their opposition to the joint resolution.
In Tallahassee on Wednesday, state Rep. Matt Willhite, D-Wellington, said the proposal would take money away from essential services that local communities provide, such as fire protection and law enforcement.
“It sounds great to give our residents a tax break,” Willhite said. “But I also understand that myself and constituents want services and those services don’t come free.”
House members have estimated the savings for homeowners to be an average of about $170 a year. For local governments, the revenue reduction could collectively top $750 million in its first year and grow to almost $850 million a year within five years.
But Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Boynton Beach, said the proposal should be left for voters to decide. President Trump has signed an executive order that reviews national monuments 100,000 acres and larger designated by Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama.
“How do I go back to the di s t r i c t and t el l people I could have given you the c hance t o have a n a ddi - tional homestead exemption, but I took that away, I voted against it?” Abruzzo said. “That’s not going to happen.”
Similarly, Rep. Al Jacquet, a Lantana Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said lawmakers should trust their constituents.
“I’m not saying cut the taxes,” Jaquet said. “What I’m saying is, I trust the people that sent me up here to make that decision themselves.”
Rep. Mike La Rosa, a St. Cloud Republican who also is co-sponsoring the House version, said it could boost real-estate sales.
The homestead exemption helps reduce the property taxes that homeowners pay by lowering the taxable value of their homes. The current exemption for the owner o f a F l o r i d a h o me s t e a d exempts the first $25,000 in the home’s value from all property tax rates, including school taxes, and then exempts the value between $50,000 and $75,000 from all propert y taxes except school taxes.
The proposal would also exempt the value between $75,000 and $100,000 from county, municipal and special taxing district rates, but would not apply to school tax rates, keeping the homestead exemption from school taxes at its current $25,000 value.
Cities, counties and other taxing entities are limited by state law in how much they can assess in property taxes.
Palm Beach County uses roughly half of its t axing authority, a level county officials argue has helped them remain attractive to individuals and businesses while providing enough revenue to pay for services such as fire rescue and law enforcement.
Other governments are closer to their state-mandated limits than Palm Beach Count y. If the expanded h o m e s t e a d e x e m p t i o n becomes law, those governments could face the prospect of having to reduce services.
C ount y Admini s t r a t o r Verdeni a Baker s a i d she and other administrators across the state have banded together against HJR 7105.
“We’re fighting it tooth and nail,” she said. “It is going to have a devastating effect on us. If you’re a homeowner, you want your roads paved. It impacts economic development. We can’t invest in our community if we don’t have funds to invest in our community.”