Loss of property tax will hurt

Loss of property tax will hurt

Interesting article about the proposed property tax issue coming up in the November ballot. It's very misunderstood. I just like everyone else would love to see the removal of property tax, however common sense tells me this is not going to benefit us in the long run. Maybe in big cities but not in small counties like Highlands.

What the governor should have focused on was the bigger elephant in the room, the homeowners insurance crisis we have in the state of Florida. Florida is now ranked number 1 as the most expensive state for homeowners insurance. The removal or reduction of property tax has absolutely no bearing on our homeowners insurance.

What is our first reaction to this proposal? Yes, we will vote on that in November. It's a much bigger issue than just being excited about first reduced then elimination of property taxes all together, but all that will do is lead to a dramatic reduction to our already fragile or nonexistent infrastructure!

Is there an easy answer to the crisis we are in here in Florida regarding homeowners and property taxes, absolutely not but I am not sure our governor has thought through the repercussions a place like Highlands County would suffer with this plan. Maybe it's his last hurrah before exiting as governor?

Possibly increasing the homestead exemption somewhat vs tripling it to $150,000 for 2027 and $250,000 by 2028. Another option that would have been more feasible is everyone pays some sort of property tax vs exempting state owned land, private schools, charities, churches, etc., etc., property taxes should be shared by all to some degree be that large or small. That would dramatically reduce the individual taxpayers burden somewhat.

I guess November will tell us all what we are in for one way or another.

Brigitte Riello

Spring Lake