My Daddy had a way of passing along words of wisdom, usually seasoned with a little humor and farmyard flavor. He could sum up in a few words what it took a Protestant preacher three sermons to say.
While reviewing the amendments on November’s ballot, I noticed a common thread running through several of them that brought to mind one of Daddy’s favorite sayings:
“Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered.”
Daddy believed it was a wonderful thing to be rewarded for hard work. But he said there was a mighty big difference between enjoying the fruits of your labor and cheating others to get a greedy share.
Several amendments look like some folks think the public piggy bank is their personal feeding trough—which is a hog-sized problem. So I’m rating the amendments on a Hog-O-Meter scale, with Number One being a reasonable expense where the deserving gets fed. A Number Ten is for the hogs that want to make sure the trough never runs dry and the taxpayers are left holding the bill for the slop.
Amendment 1-Budget Stabilization Fund (BSF)
I have a feeling the first two letters of the acronym BSF says it all for Amendment 1. When Florida collects more taxes than anticipated, they put 10 percent of the overpayments into a BSF or “rainy-day fund”—which has nothing to do with rain.
Some elected officials want us to think the money from the fund is spent on emergencies such as storms and hurricanes, but the BSF is typically used to cover “revenue shortfalls.”
Here’s how it works: A state expects to get a big pile of money, so it starts spending like it won the lottery. Everybody gets a pony! Then, the money rolls in and—oops—it’s not as much as they thought, so they dip into their rainy-day-fund, because they forgot to check their bank balance before going on a spending spree.
Some folks in the legislature want us to say “yes” to Amendment 1 so they can increase their present 10 percent of the overpayments to 25 percent in their rainy-day-fund. Most states’ BSF percentages range from about five percent up to about 14 percent. At 25 percent, Florida’s BSF percentage would be one of the highest in the entire United States.
Florida’s rainy-day-fund is growing like a hog on steroids totaling, according to whoever you ask, about $5.7 billion. Last year, Florida added $118 million dollars to the fund.
If Amendment 1 passes, Tallahassee will be able to take about $750 million a year out of the overpayments and put it into their BSF. And the same people who want you to give them the $750 million will decide what constitutes an “emergency.”
The last time Florida’s government dipped into the BSF was in 2008. Folks weren’t buying as many houses as predicted, construction slowed, and the only folks spending freely was our state government. So, they took $1.07 billion out of the fund.
Oddly, some Democrats and Republicans agree Amendment 1 is hoggish.
Governor DeSantis called the amendment “foolish.” He said we have “maxed-out the rainy-day fund” giving Florida more money in their BSF than in the state’s history. He has consistently argued that the surplus overpayments should be used to lower our property taxes.
A large number of Democrat groups around the state also say residents should vote against it, as it will tie up over $16 billion that could be used for schools, housing and property taxes.
So, on the Hog-O-Meter, I’m giving Amendment 1 a 10/10 “No” for hogwash!
Amendment 2-Exemption of Tangible Person Property on Agricultural Land from Taxation
If passed, Amendment 2 means farmers will not have to pay tangible personal property taxes on their farm equipment—for which they have already bought and paid.
Coming from a farming family, I know the hardships farmers face. Big and small farms in Florida are confronting some serious survival issues and need relief. Foreign companies are “dumping” produce into Florida at exceptionally low prices. Even though Florida raised produce is many times safer to eat than foreign produce, Florida farmers are forced to take pennies for peanuts and pineapples, even though grocery stores do not pass on the saving to shoppers.
Experts say this tax break would “level the playing field” for farmers so they can compete with foreign companies and keep their farms alive.
I’m giving Amendment 2 a 1/10 “Yes” on the Hog-O-Meter because the farmers get fed.
Amendment 3-Increase Homestead Exemption
Amendment 3, also called “Save Our Homes,” will increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
Rumors about this amendment are running hog wild.
The critics of Amendment 3, most of whom have long been on the public trough, don’t want to share the ever increasing property tax money with taxpayers, so they’re passing along the rumor that the amendment is a secret plot to “defund the police.”
Here’s a tip: A rumor doesn’t become a fact just because it’s repeated over and over by elected officials at public meetings.
And those opposing are dismissing the amendment language that clearly states:
“This amendment requires counties and municipalities to use property taxes solely for public safety, education and school infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement for employees, and operations and administration.”
Sadly, for us, this amendment doesn’t require our local governments to tighten their belts and stop spending many millions on questionable squandermania.
To assist with reasonable government expenses, Governor DeSantis has gone on record to say if Amendment 3 passes, the state will set aside dedicated funds to help “fiscally constrained counties” fund their budgets.
“I’d hate for people to deprive themselves of a really significant tax break and more control over your own home because you think somehow they’re not going to have money to have a police force or something.” he said.
I spoke with our own state representative and Speaker of the House Sam Garrison. He said Republicans in the house are committed to reducing property taxes with Amendment 3. He seems to believe the amendment is the only way to force local governments to give taxpayers the break they deserve.
“People of good faith can disagree on Amendment 3.” Garrison said. “But the idea there’s some unknown alternative to reduce your property tax burden, while simultaneously getting the support of local government, is pure fantasy.”
Looks like Garrison is right. When the governor’s pledge to help counties pay for valid services so homeowners escalating property taxes can be reduced is mentioned, opponents of Amendment 3 suddenly act like this means Tallahassee is going show up, take the keys to all the county buildings and tell them what color to paint the front door.
The truth is Clay County will most likely not be considered “fiscally constrained” because we are swimming in money.
Florida’s population is booming so fast, you’d think Moses was back on the job—only this time, he’s not parting the Red Sea. He’s parting I-95, I-75, I-10 and I-4 on south and east-bound lanes. And just as the Israelites headed for the Promised Land, today’s masses are streaming into Florida—as if the Sunshine State was the land of milk and honey with no state income tax.
The only difference from the Israelites is these folks are following those orange barrels at Buc-ees to buy everything from the Beaver Nuggets to tiny little fake allegators. They’re spending money at Publix, filling up with $5 gas, buying stuff they didn’t get at Buc-ees and our local government folks don’t have to do much for the money except count it.
Financial folks figure Clay County will lose around $31 million in property taxes if Amendment 3 passes.
The masses are buying up those expensive houses that are springing up in Florida, especially in Clay County. Building inspectors say our county averages ten building permits a day at $20,000 a pop! The county gets $15,000 and utilities gets $5,000. For a five day week, that’s $150,000 a day and $750,000 a week.
Let’s be conservative and deduct four weeks a year for holidays, fire drills and backed-up bathrooms and count only 48 weeks. That’s $36 million dollars a year of brand spanking new money—added to the pile of new and higher property taxes, sales taxes, and taxes on everything we use, touch and drive by. Our county will collect a heck-of-lot more tax money than last year even if Amendment 3 passes.
Those bellied up to that public trough with their enormous salaries and excessive benefits want homeowners to keep paying sky-high property taxes—even if means rationing medications and living on Spam.
I’m awarding Amendment 3, a snoutstastic 1/10 on the Hog-O-Meter and deserving a “Yes” vote.
Charter Amendment Revising Commissioner Salary Provision
This is one of those local amendments where lawyers bury the truth under a mountain of legal mumbo jumbo, hoping voters check “Yes” before their eyes glaze over.
The Charter Review Commission (CRC), better known as “Friends of the Commissioners,” has put this on the ballot two other times, but voters said “No.”
What this amendment says in the fine print is that we agree to give up all our rights to set commissioners salaries, allow their $37,000 a year salary to triple with regular raises and they get to keep all their phenomenal benefits to boot!
I’m giving this one an 9/10 “No” on the Hog-O-Meter. It would have been a 10/10, but it made me laugh that the CRC actually believes “the third time is the charm.”
I wonder if CRC can say “stormwater fees?”
Protect Student Safety and Retain Quality Teachers and Staff by Renewing an Ad Valorem Millage
When Sheriff Darryl Daniels was elected in 2016, he asked for and received a humongous budget raise from commissioners. Then, he significantly increased the costs for resource officers that were in the elementary schools at the time.
The only apparent fruits taxpayers saw from the mammoth monies he gathered was a bunch of Dodge Chargers that he let cute women drive around, a couple of tricked-out trucks for himself and a Las Vegas yoga instructor for the sheriff’s department.
Following the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, lawmakers passed legislation that required all schools to have school resource officers, school safety officers, or a combination of both.
Daniels’ costs for the additional officers were so astronomical that then Superintendent Addison Davis practically had a hissy fit. So, Davis and the school board eventually decided to start their own police force.
In addition to the property taxes the school district was receiving, the district asked Clay County folks to vote for an extra one-mil of property taxes for four years—ending in 2023 to fund the start-up of the force. Although the extra mil was touted for school safety, the language of the amendment allowed the school district to spend the funds any way they pleased. It passed in 2018 by 53 percent.
The cost for the school district to “harden schools” with resource officers, single points of entry, fencing, cameras and extended PA systems was approximately $23.7 million for four years. The additional one mil in property taxes generated $52,576,263. The school administration spent the extra $28,876,263 at its own discretion. Apparently, they spent little to nothing on teachers’ pay in Clay County as salaries remained low in contrast to other parts of the state with the same population.
In November of 2020, the school district asked for a 1/2 cent sales tax increase for 30 years. It passed by 56 percent.
In 2022, preparing for the termination of the additonal one mil of property taxes, the school system asked for the it to be extended again through 2027 to pay for “school safety” and operating expenses. It passed, again by 53 percent.
In 2023, the school board disbanded the school police, but spent the remaining mega millions. Clay’s teacher pay remained at the bottom of the trough.
Now, the school district wants us to again extend the extra one mil in property taxes for public safety and, they say, to retain quality teachers.
The over-fed hogs spent the countless millions from their primary property taxes, the two extensions of the one mil of property taxes and the 1/2 cent sales tax on who-knows-what including a top-heavy administration, questionable expenses and enough vehicles to put a car in everybody’s yard in the country of Tuvalu.
I would vote for this extension if it was ONLY for teacher raises. But I’m giving this fourth snort for more a 10/10 “No” on the Hog-O-Meter. The district’s fair share has turned into a big ole feeding frenzy for the engorged hogs just ripe for slaughtering.
Ballot amendments can shape our county and state for years, so they deserve more than a quick read.
Vote with wisdom in early voting or on November 3. Let’s feed those who deserve it and put the hogs on a diet.
Thank you Ma’am for the homespun breakdown!
Good on Garrison for saying the quiet part out loud and standing up for relief for his people. It is a shame many have been shamed for wanting relief while they keep reaching in the cookie jar.