Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Mar. 11
Mar 11, 2008
Now that Florida’s January 29, 2008 Amendment 1 vote on property taxes has been taken and the Florida Legislature is scheduled to convene its Regular Session on March 4, the issue landscape continues to evolve, and with it, the question of public school funding.
During 2007, ccochran@cftlaw.com.
Â
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Crist pushes for suing investment firms
Gov. Charlie Crist urged Florida auditors today to investigate whether the state should sue private security firms for selling weak investments that have jeopardized nearly $2 billion in local government tax collections.
Cost neutral plan to fund schools
As Florida’s economy struggles, our public schools continue to suffer from heavy budget cuts.
Tax commission members missing work
Heralded by lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist as potential saviors in the property tax crisis, some members of the Taxation and Budget Review Commission are facing a far simpler challenge of showing up for meetings.
Lawmakers will learn today how much they will have to cut from next fiscal year’s budget, an amount that some on Monday predicted could exceed $3 billion.
Legislators Shy Away From Tax Juggling
With Florida facing a $2.5 billion budget shortfall this spring that could harm schools, health care and other programs, state government may increasingly need to rely on the good will of citizens like Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte.
For schools, a year of pinching pennies
Legislators’ early votes signal pain for education
State lawmakers cut into the current education budget for a second time Monday while promising the worst is still to come.
Expansion of school vouchers sought
In a year when money for public schools is likely to be cut, some Republican and Democratic lawmakers want to expand dramatically the number of children who get private-school vouchers.
More corporate tax credits sought for scholarships
Florida lawmakers are considering a major expansion of a program that offers state tax credits to corporations that help pay for children from low-income families to attend private schools.
OP-ED: Speaker Rubio feels our tax pain
In two separate editorials last week the News-Journal editorial board made statements to the effect that Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-Miami, is making foolhardy attempts to further reduce taxes and harm budget makers across the state.
War On Appraisals is One of Long Odds
In this court of appeals, the burden of proof falls on taxpayers
The typical taxpayer does not stand much of a chance in an appeal because ‘clear and convincing’ is the second highest legal standard, surpassed only by the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ standard used in criminal cases, said Morgan Bentley, a Sarasota attorney who handles property tax appeals.
Economy may shift odds to OK slots
A monorail ride would link a gambling and entertainment hub to Palm Beach International Airport under a venture floated by top county officials and the Rooney family, owners of the Palm Beach Kennel Club.
Faced with the likelihood of having to slash yet another $29 million from the budget, members of the Miami-Dade School Board on Monday assailed Superintendent Rudy Crew’s recommendation to cut some of that money from classrooms.
Tuition control amendment clears House committee
A proposed state constitutional amendment meant to squelch debate about who controls Florida’s university tuition cleared its first committee Friday in the House of Representatives.
With eye to costs, lawmakers open to wiggle room in class-size law
Joy Hettel remembers looking at a roster of 45 students one August and wondering where she’d put all those bodies in her Lake Worth Middle classroom.
Schools put water fines to work for education
The South Florida Water Management District has cited the Palm Beach County School District for water use and permit violations at six county school sites.
Legislators may raise state’s low cigarette tax
For six years, state legislators abruptly turned on their heels when they saw Brenda Olsen of the American Lung Association in the Capitol.
An Indiana developer has more than 6,000 acres in Marion County that he’s willing to sell to the state for preservation, but the state is short on money, and homes and a golf course could wind up on the land instead.
EDITORIAL: Elected and other top officials are abusing state’s DROP program
You’ve got to love government.
Sharpton urges community to rally against school closing
Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton urged residents Monday to rally on issues involving the closing of a local school, and the Democratic presidential primary as he opened a National Action Network chapter here.
ESOL training cut would be felt in S. Fla.
Some state lawmakers are trying for a second time to slash training requirements for reading teachers who work with students learning English, although scarcely a third of those students read at grade level and only half graduate from high school.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Business model breaks down in school setting
Parents back merit pay March 3, story
In this story, Rep. Joe Pickens stated, “Most parents work for a living in an environment where their pay is directly related to performance.”
129,000 Students Registered for the Governor’s Fitness Challenge
Eight-week fitness challenge for elementary students establishes healthy habits
Governor Charlie Crist today announced that 129,889 students in 294 schools across Florida have registered to take part in the Governor’s Fitness Challenge, a new program for Florida’s students, aimed at helping them improve their lives through physical fitness.
Supervisors Considering 3-Cent Tax Rate Increase
A divided Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed yesterday to consider raising the property tax rate by 3 cents as it begins a long budget season deliberating its tightest spending proposal in years.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com