Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–Nov. 5

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Legislature failed; It’s tax panel’s turn

Count the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission among those who don’t think the Legislature got it right on property taxes.

 

Former senator throws hat in tax ring

Bradenton businessman and former state Senate President John McKay has proposed a tax plan that would reduce homeowners’ property taxes up to 45 percent at the expense of business interests that have been exempted from sales tax for decades.

 

Property tax debate could land in court

Citizens will vote on property tax cuts Jan. 29, but action in the courtroom both before and after Election Day could be decisive.

 

Tax plan leaves many unanswered questions

TALLAHASSEE – Florida’s proposed property-tax overhaul could squeeze an already-battered state budget while further tangling a tax system that one former leader said is held together by “chewing gum” and “baling wire.”

 

Lawmakers’ balancing act

Property taxes have become a political dilemma for Florida lawmakers eager to calm voter outrage about rising tax bills but also struggling to maintain government cash flow in tough economic times. 

 

Should Save Our Homes be portable? Expect a fight over it

It could be a legal question with profound property tax consequences for Floridians.
In the build-up to last month’s special tax-cutting session, Gov. Charlie Crist’s office wanted to make sure its property tax plan was on solid legal footing.

 

Anxiety may buoy tax plan

TALLAHASSEE Homeowners have been clamoring for more property tax cuts, and now, after several false starts and one court-tossed amendment, they finally might happen. 

 

Portable tax relief might carry costly legal baggage

To sweeten the property tax relief measure on the Jan. 29 ballot, legislators have embraced a concept known as portability, allowing residents to take their capped tax savings with them when they move.

 

Floridians offer their own property tax plans for ballot

Don’t think the Legislature has done enough to curb your property tax bill? For Floridians unhappy with the tax-cutting choice that legislators put on the Jan. 29 ballot, there are 11 citizen initiatives — and counting — vying for voters’ support to go on the November 2008 ballot.

 

School boards jeer state’s role on charters

Florida school districts are considering challenging a rule that strips them of some control over charter schools and hands it to Tallahassee.

 

What to do with $40 million?

When Hillsborough County commissioners rejected a proposal last month to build a $40-million sports park, the decision touched off an immediate scramble.

 

Fla. teens aren’t rushing to get licenses

State transportation data shows Florida teenagers are waiting longer to get drivers licenses, possibly because of tougher requirements.

 

Microsoft spent $4.8M lobbying

Microsoft Corp. spent $4.8 million to lobby the federal government in the first half of the year on visas for high-tech workers, software piracy and numerous other issues.

 

Politics testing No Child alliance

As they sat in the Oval Office one day in January, President Bush and Senator Edward M. Kennedy put their differences over the Iraq war behind them and focused again on ways to reshape the nation’s education system.

 

Donors bid millions NOT to rename school

When he became dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business in 2002, Michael Knetter went looking for a big donor, someone who would give $50 million in exchange for putting their name on the school.

 

Good news for helicopter parents: Apparently it works

WASHINGTON – Despite the negative reputation of ‘helicopter parents,’ those moms and dads who hover over children in college and swoop into their academic affairs appear to be doing plenty of good.

 

School board member: Why I gave up my son

ST. PETERSBURG – On good nights – there were some – bedtime in the Bostock home began around 8:30, when Nancy called her three kids to put on their pajamas.