LAND O' LAKES - Pasco County residents will get their first chance this week to speak up about the school district's 2008-09 proposed budget and tax levy. ...more

July 27, 2008

This week some residents who want to preserve largely undeveloped portions of northeastern Pasco County complained to the County Commission about the "stakeholder committee" that will help rewrite the county's land development code. ...more

July 26, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School Board will hold its first hearing on the 2008-09 budget Tuesday as it prepares for what is expected to be a tight financial year that could get even worse with more state funding cuts and rising gas and electricity prices. ...more

July 24, 2008

Developers soon may pay more to build in Pasco County as officials prepare to increase review fees. ...more

July 19, 2008

SEBRING — Falling sale prices for homes in Highlands County, as is happening in most parts of the country, will put Michael Wright on the proverbial hot seat right away. On Monday, Wright started as the county's administrator and learned he'll have to recommend to the commissioners either budget cuts or an increase in the tax rate. Officials with the school board and the cities of Sebring and Avon Park also face the same tough choices due to the troubled economy and falling home values. The taxable property values overall in Highlands County dropped 9.2 percent from last year, according to the preliminary report by county Property Appraiser Raymond McIntyre. ...more

June 2, 2008

The value of Hillsborough County's tax base is expected to drop 4.5 percent this year, the first time in more than a decade the figure has decreased from one year to the next, county officials say. ...more

February 21, 2008

Increase in the homestead exemption will only help the rich who own $100,000-plus homes. Those who rent will lose. The retirees on low fixed incomes, most of whom live in retirement mobile home parks on rented lots, will lose greatly. They will end up paying double property taxes on their addition rooms, their porches and sheds even though they do not own the land. ...more

February 7, 2008

On Jan. 29 the voters of Highlands County will be deciding on an amendment to the Florida Constitution which, if passed, will result in some property tax relief. Is it everything we need in tax reform? No! However it does provide much needed relief to Florida residents who are "stranded" in their homesteads, unable to move to either a larger or smaller home because they would lose the protection they have accrued over the years through the Save Our Homes exemption. Amendment 1 will, if approved, make Save Our Homes portable. If the amendment passes, a young family will be able to take their lower tax rate with them when they outgrow their residence and purchase a larger home. A retired couple will be able to "downsize" without running the risk of doubling or tripling (or worse!) their current property tax bills. ...more

January 27, 2008

Joan Atkins of Palm Harbor calls for a major change in the United States tax system. ...more

January 15, 2008

It's become a familiar drumbeat among some Highlands County residents every time there is a mention of the downturn in the local real-estate market. Blame impact fees. Sure, impact fees add to the cost of a new home but what about hundreds of existing homes for sale. There is no impact fee weighing those houses down. The real-estate market in Highlands County is suffering for the same reasons that plague it nationwide. Buyers are waiting for prices to fall down further, the state's insurance premiums and property taxes are keeping homes out of the reach of average homeowners, and lenders have become extra wary of who they want to lend to. ...more

January 15, 2008