Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–March 10
Mar 10, 2009
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Miami-Dade, Broward schools may not get stimulus funds for construction
Debt-ridden Miami-Dade and Broward school districts may not benefit from part of the federal stimulus plan that would help pay for the building of new schools.
The $787 billion federal stimulus package set aside about $22 billion to help school districts pay for new construction — but Miami-Dade and Broward will likely not be able to get a slice of that money, thanks to a change state lawmakers made last year that curtailed the districts’ borrowing power.
Florida seeking hardship waiver, education funds
Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith shares a stage Tuesday with the person who must decide whether Florida will qualify for as much as $2.2 billion in education-related stimulus funds.
Plan for cap on property tax lives
The idea of a cap on property taxes at 1.35 percent of a home’s taxable value seems to have found new life in the Florida Senate this legislative season.
Leaders see holes in Crist’s budget
Gov. Charlie Crist’s promise to boost money for Florida’s schools has been shattered by the state’s worsening economy.
Obama to address U.S. education woes in speech
President Barack Obama will mark his seventh week in office on Tuesday by proposing reforms to the U.S. education system, which has one of the worst high school dropout rates in the industrialized world.
Homestead exemption cheaters targeted in Sunrise
237 owners kept $22 million off tax rolls by claiming exemption illegally
Investigators with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office have uncovered 237 homeowners in Sunrise who were illegally claiming homestead tax breaks; the crackdown will add nearly $22 million in property value to the county’s tax rolls.
Palm Beach County may boost property tax rates higher than expected
Worsening financial forecasts mean that Palm Beach County property tax rates might increase even more than anticipated, county commissioners learned Monday.
Tax cuts could finally fall on snowbirds
Property taxes will drop by more than $300 million this year in Southwest Florida, but much of that will go to snowbirds as the recession flips Florida’s property tax system and its goal of providing tax relief to residents.
Broward principals propose cutting some sports to cut budgets
High school golf, tennis, water polo and boys’ volleyball should be on the chopping block in Broward as a way for schools to trim their budgets for next year, principals told School Board members Tuesday.
Plummeting property tax revenues imperil Crist’s deal to buy U.S. Sugar land
South Florida’s steep drop in property values threatens to claim another victim: the governor’s $1.34 billion plan to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. land for Everglades restoration.
More questions raised about Miami-Dade’s megaplan funding
The property tax projections that helped Miami-Dade County’s $3 billion so-called megaplan gain approval have to be updated to account for condo projects that were not built or finished.
Hernando School Board sues property appraiser’s office, hospitals over property taxes
Everyone in Hernando County pays property taxes to help the schools keep running.
Loan from tuition fund pondered
They are desperate for money, and it has come to this: What about the money the Florida Prepaid College Board is sitting on?
Crist, CFO: Florida college fund can’t be tapped
Florida’s $8 billion Florida Prepaid College Plan is safe from legislators looking for ways to plug budget holes, Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Tuesday.
Florida teachers union urges supporters to just say no to class-size changes
A resolution to have voters reconsider Florida’s class-size amendment – expected to cost $1 billion — gets its first legislative hearing Tuesday, and the state teachers’ union is hoping to stop the measure before it gets rolling.
FPL and World Wildlife Fund: Solar power site will add property tax revenue in Florida
A power company CEO and the head of a leading environmental organization will never agree on everything, but on one essential element of Florida’s future we are absolutely united: the need to bring more solar energy to the state.
Handy ‘p-cards’ can be leaks in government budgets
Whether it’s food, gas or office supplies, public agencies are relying more on employee purchasing cards for everyday expenses.
EDITORIAL: Treasure Coast school boards ought to show leadership, share the pain
Up the road in Brevard County, school board members are sharing the pain: The panel voted unanimously to take $2,383 pay cuts to match the salary of a first-year teacher.
Senator Lieberman joins fight to save voucher program
Senator Joseph Lieberman joined the fight to save a Washington, D.C., program that helps send poor children to private schools, charging that Democratic leaders are trying to kill the voucher program before it’s been evaluated.
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