Supreme Court strikes homestead exemption
amendment, sales tax amendment from ballot
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) - A proposed ballot measure
to increase the state's homestead exemption from $25,000 to
$50,000 and another that could have led to the revocation of
some sales tax exemptions are flawed and will not appear on
the November ballot, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
“We applaud the Court for their decision today,”
said Carl Loop Jr., president of Florida Farm Bureau. “We
now ask that the Legislature step up in the next session and
clarify the amendment process in order to maintain the integrity
of the Florida Constitution.”
In its 32-page opinion, the court was split 5-2 in its decision.
The Supreme Court reviews citizen initiatives to judge if they
are clearly explained and that they deal with a single subject.
Those are the only two issues the high court addresses.
The property tax amendment was bankrolled by a Vero Beach millionaire
who promoted it as property tax relief for homeowners but critics
argued it was really a tax shift onto commercial and industrial
property. Local government officials and Gov. Jeb Bush said
they were worried about the $2 billion price tag on the proposal.
The sales tax review amendment was pushed by former state Senate
President John McKay, who tried unsuccessfully to force a revamping
of the state's sales tax system two years ago before leaving
office.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state's largest general-interest
agricultural association with more than 150,000 member-families
statewide. There are Farm Bureaus in 62 counties in Florida,
where agriculture comprises a stable, vital leg of Florida's
economy, rivaling the tourism industry in economic importance.
Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent,
non-profit agricultural organization and is not associated with
any arm of the government. More information is available on
the organization’s website, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.
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Florida Farm Bureau Federation