Cities are defying tax-cut mandate

[Lunican]

The Florida Times-Union

October 11, 2007

Cities are defying tax-cut mandate

By J. Taylor Rushing,
Capital Bureau Chief

TALLAHASSEE - Sylvia Simmons does not hesitate when asked if she was nervous after casting a vote Sept. 24 as a member of the Atlantic Beach City Commission that effectively raised property taxes on the town's 14,000 residents.

8 cities opt outEight of 22 municipalities in surrounding Northeast Florida counties have elected recently to opt out of the property tax cuts passed in June by the Legislature, matching a statewide average of about 40 percent.

Here is the list:-- Green Cove Spring-- Atlantic Beach-- Neptune Beach-- Bunnell-- Palm Coast-- Callahan-- Hastings-- St. Augustine

Source: Florida Department of Revenue See more legislative coverage

But just as quickly, she gave her reasons.

"Sure," Simmons said. "And it's election season, too. But I have a duty, and if we didn't do this, we could have sent ourselves into a downward spiral for years to come. And a lot of it has to do with being able to control our own city budget."

Simmons, and Atlantic Beach, are hardly alone.

Across Florida, 156 cities or towns - 41 percent of 382 reporting municipalities, according to state figures - have opted to defy the Legislature's June mandate to lower property taxes. The municipalities chose one of two override mechanisms: Either a two-thirds vote of the local governing body to dodge the tax rollbacks of up to 9 percent, or a unanimous vote to levy the same millage - essentially amounting to a tax increase.

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/101107/met_207116540.shtml.