Florida: Reject the Property Tax Amendment

On Jan. 29, Floridians have the chance to reject a bad deal for Florida—a proposed property tax amendment that would provide minimal tax relief while putting our public schools and our public safety at risk.
 
Despite pledges by the Legislature to “hold schools harmless,” this plan will cause as much as $3 billion to be cut from our public schools over the next five years. As one newspaper editorial pointed out, more cuts could be made that could “surely be devastating” for “social services, corrections and health care.”
 
All this, yet the average Florida home owner would only see an average savings of about $20 per month.
 
Sign the petition below and let your state legislators know you support real tax reform—and oppose this flawed property tax amendment.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: I Reject the Flawed Property Tax Amendment

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

The proposed property tax amendment is a bad deal for Florida.

It provides minimal tax relief while putting our public schools and our public safety at risk. Florida voters should reject this proposal and insist on real tax reform that benefits all Floridians.

The amendment would mean as much as $3 billion would be cut from our public schools over the next five years.

The anticipated budget cuts are going to have an impact throughout the state, in local districts and classrooms. Programs will be cut, school services curtailed and there will be layoffs in some places. Raises will likely be smaller or nonexistent, despite the fact that public school salaries in Florida are already thousands of dollars below the national average.

All this comes as public education in Florida is at a crossroads. While you, our elected leaders, profess to want a world-class education system, the state continues to underfund education. Compared to other states, Florida languishes near the bottom in nearly every category related to education funding and shamefully ranks 50th in expenditures for elementary and secondary public schools per $1,000 of personal income.

If we are truly committed to a world-class public education system, we must: commit to smaller class sizes where the focus is on learning instead of on testing; work to close the achievement gaps; reduce our high-school dropout rate; and make an honest effort to improve the base salaries of all education professionals so that Florida can recruit and retain the very best people.

If the proposed property tax amendment passes, public schools are not the only community service that will be harmed. Its impact will compound the effects of the current economic downturn on many essential services. According to one newspaper editorial, "the 'easy' cuts have already been made; the next round and the round after that will surely be devastating for public education, social services, corrections and health care."

The amendment the Legislature has placed before voters on Jan. 29 does little to address the inequities in Florida's tax system.

That is why I plan to vote against it on Jan. 29.

Signed by:

Campaign Launched:
January 10, 2008


Background Information

Experts project that the amendment could cost public schools $204 million next year and $2.76 billion over the next five years. 

For Florida’s public schools, community colleges and state universities, these cuts could not come at a worse time. Earlier this year, the Legislature cut the state’s education budget by $500 million. The most recent estimates show state revenues declining even further.

In all, public schools, community colleges and state universities are facing reductions that could exceed $1.7 billion in less than 12 months—and that doesn’t include the anticipated effects of the proposed tax amendment.

Combined, these budget cuts will have a devastating impact on school districts, classrooms and education employees—programs will be cut, school services curtailed and there will be layoffs in some places. Raises likely will be smaller or nonexistent, even though public school salaries in Florida are already thousands of dollars below the national average.

An article in the St. Petersburg Times about the amendment says:

A panicked, desperate Florida Legislature squandered a golden opportunity to lead the way toward meaningful tax reform and significant relief for taxpayers who need it most. The constitutional amendment it placed on the January ballot costs too much for too little gain and creates more inequities in a property tax system that already is grossly unfair. It lacks vision and focus, and Floridians deserve better.