See correction below.
Hysteria from city commission members and staff over the state legislature’s efforts to rein in out of control property taxes has started. Here are some quotes:
Commissioner Kris Cruzada: “We’re losing people. We’re losing quality of life. We’re losing services. You call down to City Hall, and you may not get a live person to deal with an issue.”
Commissioner Warren Lindsey called the proposals “objectively one of the greatest threats, certainly since I’ve lived in Winter Park for 35 years.“
Director of Management and Budget Peter Moore: “This would call into question our ability to grow, and in the past we’ve had plans to expand our police and fire personnel. Those things are certainly not possible under scenarios like this. It also implies that any government service that’s not public safety isn’t important.”
From the quotes above, a reasonable person might question whether city commission members and staff represent the people or the government.
That same person might ask why the state legislature and governor are trying to rein in property taxes. Could it be that local governments have exploited rising property values to waste money on special interests and needless expansion of government?
The legislation approved by the Florida House can be found here and here. It calls for an increase in the Homestead exemption of $100,000 a year for ten years, applicable only to non-school property taxes, and it prohibits reductions in first responder funding. Is that unreasonable? [CORRECTION: The final approved version, if enacted, would end all non-school property tax for homestead property on January 1, 2027.]
Whatever the final legislation after going through the Florida Senate and the Governor, this will be a state wide referendum on modifying the Florida Constitution. The people will decide.
I repeat from my earlier post on this subject, regardless of state actions, our commission should serve us responsibly by zero base budgeting every dollar against a written list of detailed functions our commission believes are essential. Let the city commission know your views on this subject: mayorandcommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org.