March 5  • 12:00 P.M.

The state of the state from 3 viewpoints

It was business as usual on the opening day of the 2008 regular legislative session. Senate President Ken Pruitt (R-Port St. Lucie) and House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami) addressed their respective chambers yesterday morning. Gov. Crist elected to deliver his State of the State address during primetime, instead of midday, as is the custom.

Facing a substantial budget deficit that could increase by $2.5 billion after updated revenue estimates are released later this week, the legislators outlined their vision for a financially sound Florida.

Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami) stressed the need for additional property tax reform by outlining his support of a grassroots proposal known as the 1.35% Tax Cap Amendment, which would limit property taxes to 1.35% of the just value of all properties (homestead and commercial).  He also emphasized the need for a revenue cap in Florida that would limit government spending.  Regarding property insurance, Speaker Rubio stressed the need for homeowners to fortify their property against storm damage, a position FAR has advocated for several years.

Senate President Ken Pruitt (R-Port St. Lucie) spoke about the importance of investing in Florida’s future and its infrastructure.  He hopes to surpass last year’s level of investment in infrastructure and economic development by continuing to use non-recurring dollars on one-time initiatives as a way to stimulate Florida’s economy.  

Governor Crist supported FAR’s main legislative initiative this session: more property tax relief. “We can and should continue to fight for property tax relief and I encourage the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission to give the people the opportunity to vote for another tax cut,” the governor said.  

Senate actions: 3/4/08

SB 644 (Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg), unanimously passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. The legislation would grandfather in approximately 7,728 homeowners who applied for a free hurricane mitigation inspection during the pilot phase
of the program and enable them to apply for a grant under the eligibility criteria established in law when the program was created in 2006.1 However, unless additional funds are appropriated to the program, it is highly likely that no grant funds would be available to these homeowners since all funds for grants are expected to be encumbered by the time the legislation goes into effect.