Florida Senate still obstructing
Once again I agree with Scott Maxwell (“Overtime and underperforming, Florida Legislature lets record-hiding continue,” March 12). It’s not surprising that the Florida Senate president declined to offer any explanation for “transparency, accountability and the rule of law” by failing to pass a bill making it easier for We The People to obtain public records.
But in fairness to the Senate, they were busy with far more important matters like a bill requiring the administratively expensive, and historically unsuccessful, work requirements for Medicaid recipients. Although to prove that the Senate does have a heart, those on hospice with less than six months to live will be exempt!
— Kathy Ojeda, Merritt Island
We voted for bad property-tax reformers
Someone once said that democracy is the idea the voters know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. Which brings me to property taxes.
Many are complaining about their local property tax. Fair enough. But how many voted for the city and county commissioners who set these taxes?
The gist of the problem is that too many Floridians do not pay attention to their city and county government. This neglect allowed some politicians to coast on the temporary tax revenue boom from Californians and New Yorkers fleeing lockdown liberalism, and the corresponding uptick in Florida home valuations.
Hence, some local governments increased spending by 60% or more since the pandemic, even though their population may have grown less than 10% during that time.
I agree that we should reform taxes in Florida. But I doubt the wisdom of allowing people in $750,000 homes with $500,000 in home equity to exempt themselves from maintaining their community.
A property tax is not “renting your home.” It’s the cost of civilization, which we often take for granted until its thin veneer is stripped away by a hurricane and a week-long power outage.
Reasonable people can debate what the acceptable level of tax should be (and in some places it should undoubtedly be lower). But the vast majority of us prefer civilization over barbarism, and there’s a value to that.
A smarter Florida property tax proposal would involve expanding the existing homestead exemption and permanently indexing it for inflation.
— Bryan Stewart, Maitland
DEI ban shows hate for “others”
Why in the world do Ron DeSantis and the Florida Republicans seem to have so much hate for people who are different from them (“Local DEI ban goes to DeSantis,” March 12)? I believe we should embrace people who might be a little different from the masses. What is the big deal? This only promotes bullying.
Why can’t I say I have two mothers in public without being arrested? Why can’t I be diverse? Do any of these people have family members who want to be included? Of course they do. This is just ridiculous, criminal and hurtful. And the books … oh God, the books eliminating history. I think the end is getting closer quickly.
— Jane Weinstein, Sanford
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