A Group Not Heard From

I'm here to talk about a group you have yet to hear from. It harkens back to the old "Silent Majority" days. Thses folks are the owners of homesteaded property for whom Save Our Homes is working exactly as intended.

You don't hear from them, because for the most part, as far as taxes go, they are reasonably content. Remember these are the people who voted for Save Our Homes not really all that long ago. That's right. Let me repeat that. The voters in Florida voted for Save Our Homes. And it is doing exactly what it was intended to do. Homesteaders are not getting taxed out of their homes.

Now Save Our Homes isn't perfect. It has had the unintended consequence of making it more difficult for folks to sell their home and replace it with another. That is something that should get fixed, and I expect it is going to be fixed in the special session. But for all you people who are here to complain about Save Our Homes, leave me alone. I bought my current home in downtown St. Pete 11 years ago. With exemptions and thanks to Save Our Homes, my taxable value is just under what I paid for it. There are many, many folks who are in exactly the same situation I am in. Start messing with them and you better really learn how to duck and cover in a big hurry.

Now I do believe there are some folks who need tax relief. Commercial property, including rental property needs relief. I wish there was more tax refrom focus for those property owners. And the legislature could do us all a favor if they would do something that really fixed the insurance mess. They sure didn't do it in January.

I have lived in St. Petersburg for 51 years. I have seen many, many changes here over those years. I love this City, and I love the direction it is headed. Some call this the City of the Arts. I say the City is the art. Let's keep it that way.