Darryl Rouson says that he was legitimately undecided days before the Florida Senate would vote on whether to place a measure on the 2018 ballot to increase Florida’s homestead exemption.
While it won’t go into effect for another year and a half, the expected passage of a constitutional amendment expanding the homestead exemption is already giving local officials severe headaches. Amendment 1 asks voters to approve an expansion of the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 of the first $100,000 of a home’s taxable value. State lawmakers who supported it said the average homeowner would save about $275 per year, based on the statewide average home value of $220,000 and an…
The new president of The Florida Bar says the organization is standing by to offer âtechnical legalâ support to the Constitution Revision Commission as it readies to amend the stateâs governing document, which could include changes affecting the judicial branch. But Michael J. Higer, a partner in Berger Singermanâs Miami office, wonât say which public proposals already filed he favorsâor fears. He assumed the Bar presidency on June 23. âIt is too early in the process to focus on any…
Few Floridians appear to be aware of the Constitution Revision Commission, according to a new survey meant gauge how much Florida voters know about the process. A new survey from Florida TaxWatch found 77 percent of Florida voters said they havenât heard about recent Constitution Revision Commission meetings. Another 13 percent of respondents, according to the survey, said they only saw, read or heard âa littleâ about the commissionâs activities. Those findings come after months of public hearings across the…
Chris Hart IV, who stepped down after less than three months as CEO of Enterprise Florida (EFI), has taken a post as Executive Vice President of Florida TaxWatch, the organization announced Thursday. âWe are thrilled to welcome Chris as part of the Florida TaxWatch family as a key part of our leadership team,” TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said in a statement. “He will be at the center of efforts to ensure that the nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute builds upon its successes while…
Florida TaxWatch, the nonpartisan government watchdog organization, served up its annual list of âBudget Turkeys,â naming almost $178 million in line-item projects part of the $82.4 billion budget passed May 8 by the Florida House and Senate. For the Tampa Bay region, Florida TaxWatch targeted more than $33 million in local projects as individual line items added to the spending plansâusually last minute or in committee â without a thoughtful and thorough budget process. The largest project in the region…
Thanksgiving is six months away, but Friday is âturkeyâ day for Gov. Rick Scott. Florida TaxWatch, the nonpartisan government watchdog group, released its annual âBudget Turkey List,â of almost $178 million in line-item projects that are part of the $82.4 billion budget passed May 8 by the Florida House and Senate. Budget Turkeys are individual line items added to the spending plansâusually last minute or in committee â without a thoughtful and thorough budget process. A âTurkeyâ label does not…