Florida House Passes Major Property Tax Cut

0:00Tampa Bay story is making news on March 2nd. Florida House Republicans recently passed a proposal to put a major property tax cut on the ballot. The plan would wipe out non-school property taxes on primary residences for Floridians. It cleared the house after a heated debate on February 19th. Lawmakers like Representative Toby Overdorff pushed back on worries that this would hurt local government budgets. He noted that city spending has grown a lot in recent years. Overdorff mentioned the measure heading to the Supreme Court for review before voters decide, but he later clarified that happens only if someone files, a lawsuit challenging the language. Democrats raised alarms about cities losing revenue for essential services. Experts point out that from 1978 to 2019, the court struck down eight legislative ballot proposals after lawsuits, often, for confusing summaries. Still, with a more conservative court now, none have been removed in recent years. Florida handles ballot measures in different ways. Cities and initiatives face automatic

1:02Supreme Court checks for clarity and single topics. Legislative ones, like this tax plan, skip that unless sued, and need a three-fifth vote in both chambers. Meanwhile, the Senate is crafting its own property tax idea alongside Governor Ron DeSantis. They might call a special session later this year. Republicans have also tightened rules on citizen petitions, making it tougher for those to reach ballots. A message from our sponsor supports today's story. It looks like a pillow. It sounds like headphones, built for comfort and sound. S-O-L-I-S-O-L-Pillow.com.