Talk of Tallahassee

January 29th,...   

What's on the Menu?

The Presidential Primary,... and Amendment 1.

Whether you are for or against a candidate , an issue,.. Get out and Vote!

I suppose it is time to sound an alarm.. to  go door to door, to get the attention of voters everywhere! 

A huge decision will be made as voters go to the polls to vote not just on the presidency, but on a tax proposal that will affect every home owner in the State!  Wallets are lighter.. some homeowners are to the point of no return in being able to keep their homes and pay for the double digit increase in taxes and insurance escrows, yet have not yet phoned, written or contacted their elected officials to demand solutions! There is alot of whining going on however...... not sure why we don't realize what that is worth!

There has been work going on for years now,. to address our dilema. Where has everyone been?  It is is the age-old phenomenon of,.."unless it affects me,.. I can overlook it!"  Well... we simply cannot continue to be complacent.

Folks... decisions being made today, tomorrow and talked about on your Capitol steps, meeting rooms and committees are indeed going to affect you!  Not only is our housing market as a whole going to be affected,.. but how much money you have left over at the end of the month is about to look a whole lot different!

I'm giving you some links... be informed.. spend the time to research, read and understand,.. ask questions if you need answers,..but make an educated vote.. a vote that counts.

Here is a link with a local spin...

From "To the Village Square"...

http://www.tothevillagesquare.org/

http://tothevillagesquare.org/images/on-candy-and-cod-liver-oil.pdf

And then there is the position of others.. others who say. this is a start.. and we will  NOT stop here,.. but continue to reform,...and we pledge to continue the fight..

From "Yes on 1"

http://www.yeson1florida.com/

The point is..... if you haven't been at city hall.. if you  haven't had a chance to voice your concerns... it is crunch time folks... make your voice heard tomorrow... this is your chance.

An age old, yet timeless saying,... "You can't help those who WON'T help themselves."

See you at the Polls!!

Small Business Owners Spared!

The City of Tallahassee officials have cancelled the consideration of an annual occupational license tax increase of $90,000. 

Local businesses owners and business supporters, such as myself, are relieved to hear that city officials have listened to our concerns.

In our struggling economy, it just does not make sense to bleed owners of small businesses who have already suffered property tax increases.  How much more will our local economy be able to afford?  We turn to our small business owners to assist us in restoring consumer confidence, but being nickel-and-dimed with taxes is just another blow to the very people we should be sustaining.  Without consumer spending, affordable prices for goods and services, we are surely headed to a recession. 

The City's general fund 5:29:23 PMs grew by 5% this year, despite the property tax reductions.  What other "business" sustains that kind of growth?  Property tax revenues that increased over 47  from 2004 - 2007, that translates to 15.8% annually!

The public should be demanding accountability for these funds. We should ask the hard questions and be given the paper trail,.. the accounting card,.. for what exactly these finds have been used for.  Taxing business owners is not the answer. Taking those taxes and sending them to the "general fund" is nost certainly not acceptable.  How does that translate into,.. "we are helping the small business community grow?"  There is no offset to small businees owners. General funds could be used for anything really.  Earmarking funds is part of business planning... again, we must demand accountability.

Keeping a finger on the pulse of our city government is crucial to our community.  If you have not already, register to receive current agendas. Signup to receive these agendas at Talgov.com Email Subscription Service.

If you are a small business owner,.. let your voice be heard.. a quick email to the following commissioners to let them know you do not want to be taxed to pad their general budget funds is necessary. You have a voice,.. use it, or loose it!

Here are your email addresses:

Confused about property tax reform?

Join the ranks of the majority of Floridians.  After my last blog, which has been removed, because it included thoughts of another Florida Realtor, although combined with my own, and facts related with the position of the Florida Association of Realtors,  I  realized people are even more confused than ever.

If you want to review facts related to the current issue up for vote on January 29th, review these links. Read, become informed, and vote according to what you have learned from your efforts, but VOTE!

Here are some helpful links for you:

Florida Tax Watch Organization

Florida TaxWatch is a private, non-profit, non-partisan research institute that over its 25 year history has become widely recognized as the watchdog of citizens' hard-earned tax dollars. Our mission is to provide the citizens of Florida and public officials with high quality, independent research and education on government revenues, expenditures, taxation, public policies and programs and to increase the productivity and accountability of Florida Government. http://www.floridataxwatch.org/news/propertytax.php

Article on What Special Session D Accomplished:

http://www.floridataxwatch.org/resources/pdf/WhattheOct2007SpecialSessionDoftheLegislaturedid.pdf

Then there is the "Vote Yes" Campaign

Yes on 1 Florida

A bi-partisan group of Floridians launched "Yes on 1—Save our Homes NOW" to advocate for the largest tax cut in Florida's history. Senator Mike Fasano, chair of the group, was joined by Governor Charlie Crist, Nancy Riley, president of the Florida Association of Realtors,, Roger Enzor, past president of the Florida Association of Realtors and Barney Bishop, President and CEO of The Associated Industries of Florida, at a press conference in front of the home of Veronica Greco, a Tampa resident who supports Amendment 1, on Sept. 17, 2007. A website was launched to provide information to the public as well.  http://www.yeson1florida.com/

If you wish to post your opinion, please feel free to do so here!