(TALLAHASSEE, FL) Officials at the Florida League of Cities (FLC) and the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) today announced the formation of a grassroots campaign aimed at alerting voters to the hidden costs of Amendment 4—a proposed change to Florida’s constitution, which will appear on ballots this November.
“Amendment 4 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Bryan Desloge, President of the Florida Association of Counties and a Leon County Commissioner. “If passed, Amendment 4 will mean that property taxes for Florida homeowners who have lived in their homes for several years may go up in order to subsidize tax breaks for non-residents and real estate investors.”
Amendment 4 has already drawn warnings from some local property appraisers, who caution that Florida’s homeowners will ultimately pick up the tab should the measure pass. Leaders of the newly formed committee—Citizens for Local Decision Making—vowed a strong “grassroots” approach to get their message out.
“We won’t have the resources of the other side,” said Manny Morono, President of the Florida League of Cities and Mayor of the City of Sweetwater. “But we have the facts on our side. And the fact is that Amendment 4 is likely to lead to tax hikes for full-time Floridians in order pay for tax breaks for snowbirds. At the end of the day, I believe that our members—trusted local leaders in their communities—will get the message out at the grassroots level.”
The new committee was announced along with the launch of its website, www.taxbreaks4snowbirds.org. Formed by the Florida League of Cities (FLC) and the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), Citizens for Local Decisions Making is a grassroots organization aimed at educating voters on the hidden costs of Amendment 4.