FPCA Automobile Division: Davie Rejects Accident Fee
Nov 6, 2008
Please note the following article on the rejection of accident response fees by the City of Davie, Florida as published in the Sun-Sentinel on November 5, 2008.
To view the article online, click here.
Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact Katie Webb at kwebb@cftlaw.com.
Davie rejects accident fee
Susannah Bryan
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
11:44 PM EST, November 5, 2008
Davie
In a surprise move, the Town Council rejected a controversial accident response fee Wednesday night.
Under the plan, at-fault drivers would be billed an average $840 for costs associated with responding to car accidents.
The council had been debating the fee since Sept. 17, when the proposal won tentative approval in a 3-2 vote.
The crash fee seemed destined for final approval Wednesday, but failed when Councilwoman Susan Starkey withdrew her support.
Starkey, initially a champion of the fee, said she believed the town had not done enough to sell the plan to the public. She urged town staff to attend homeowner meetings to get the word out.
Visibly miffed at Starkey’s aboutface, Councilman Michael Crowley voted against the fee along with Mayor Tom Truex and Councilman Bryan Caletka.
Before the vote, resident Jeff Goins blasted the fee as a bad idea.
“You can put lipstick on a tax, but it’s still a tax,” he told the council. “And this is a tax.” Goins predicted other cities would follow Davie’s lead.
“Quite frankly, I’m embarrassed that my town is leading the charge on this.”
Councilman Marlon Luis had his own prediction: “If we don’t do this, we’re going to have to raise taxes.” The town was counting on the fee, expected to raise $700,000, to help avoid layoffs.
—