Florida League of Cities decision stinks

The decision by the Florida League of Cities to fight the $12 billion property tax-relief package that lawmakers placed on the Jan. 29 ballot stinks!

Neither cities nor other local government bodies should spend public resources trying to persuade taxpayers to vote for or against a tax measure. Are they not supposed to be representing people who live in small incorporated towns and cities in Florida? Is it the wish of the majority of the people of these small towns and cities to oppose the amendment? Do they have the taxpayer’s approval to spend their tax dollars to fight the tax-relief package?

For the cities to mount a campaign to defeat tax relief for the very citizens they supposedly serve is inappropriate. Taxpayers’ own money should not be used without their approval to persuade people to vote for or against a tax measure.

Portability is just the thing Florida needs to jump start a slow housing market, allowing people locked in their current homes to move and take their tax savings with them.

Local politicians should not forget that Save Our Homes is now the untouchable third rail of Florida politics, popular among longtime homeowners who hold great political power because they are frequent voters.
The property tax-relief package will kick start the real estate market. It will get people to buy and sell homes, which, let's face it, drives our local economy.

When the local economy is booming people spend money and pay taxes. The more people spend, the bigger the tax base for all those politicians and local government employees who oppose tax cuts but do not hesitate in asking for huge raises and bonuses

The only argument against it is that it doesn't go deep enough, but that doesn't justify a vote against it.

The SOH amendment was created because too many people, especially the elderly, were being forced to move from their family homes, due to the tremendous increase in property values. No one should be taxed out of their home. In Florida, homesteaded property is sacred; there are many protections unique to it. Save Our Homes is another of these protections.

The premise of SOH is inherently fair. Quite simply, if you can afford your home and your property taxes at the time of purchase, you can be assured of a formula by which you can budget your cost of homeownership in the future.