Amendment 1, which was approved by a majority of voters in Tuesday's presidential primary, could reduce property taxes across the state by as much as $9.3 billion over the next five years by shrinking the tax base of local governments. ...more

January 31, 2008

Hernando County and the rest of the state got a wakeup call from voters Tuesday. They want property tax relief and they want it now. ...more

January 30, 2008

If you get a telephone call from a real estate broker today, don't get excited, they're not looking to sell or buy your home; they just want your vote. ...more

January 27, 2008

In the last round of statewide property tax reforms, the leaders of Pasco County's six municipalities had a clear mandate from lawmakers: Reduce taxes. ...more

January 26, 2008

State Needs To Probe More Insurance Companies State officials should investigate Citizen's Insurance along with Allstate. We arrived from Ohio in fall 2006.We purchased a home in Spring Hill in Hernando County. Citizen's was the only company issuing new homeowner's insurance. Our home was $245,000.The yearly tax bill, including sinkhole coverage, was $3,800. Ohio homeowners insurance was $350 on a $200,000 home. ...more

January 22, 2008

Nobody at a Lutz Civic Association meeting last week was talking up a proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes that voters will decide on Tuesday's ballot. ...more

January 21, 2008

Some in the audience of 120 who gathered Wednesday to hear Florida House Speaker Mario Rubio's views on the state's property tax amendment may have been surprised to see Rubio, also a Republican, dismiss Gov. Charlie Crist's proposed initiative as inadequate. If you came to make up your mind on how to vote, it was probably not made up based on what little Rubio had to say on the proposed property tax reforms and how divergent his views are on what is being proposed. Instead, Rubio spoke on gambling, morality, family values, giving your children a better United States, and even his kids. ...more

January 21, 2008

One by one, they took to the podium to make their pleas. ...more

January 18, 2008

SEBRING — Whether Floridians will vote for a tax cut won't be known until Jan. 29, but four local government officials are against it. "The tax reform doesn't fix the problem," said Guy Maxcy, a Highlands County commissioner. It doesn't correctly modify the taxing system, Maxcy said. The county would lose $5.5 million, according to an estimate provided by Highlands County Property Appraiser Raymond McIntyre. That doesn't count the effect of portability, which would allow homeowners to move the Save Our Homes cap. Save Our Homes is a constitutional mandate that a taxing entity cannot raise the taxable value of the home by more than 3 percent each year. He estimated the average homeowner could save $230 annually in property taxes. But taxing authorities could raise the millage to offset any tax cut created by the Jan. 29 vote, McIntyre said. ...more

January 18, 2008

With early voting started and the primary election just two weeks off, government officials are stepping up the campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment to cut property taxes. ...more

January 15, 2008