[Dee74]

So accept something that is flawed?? No way!

By the way, it's not like this has been in works for any great length of time. The politicians did NOTHING for years when their constituents pleaded for property tax relief. Then, all of a sudden, they pulled this amendment out of their a_ _ rather quickly .

Exactly, that is why I will vote no ,send them back to come up with a better plan. They are hearing us and the pressure is on and they know it. They are well aware the state is now moving more people out than in, folks are voting with their pocket book and are leaving the state. Employers are bypassing this state due to the tax/insurance issue and possible employees are turning down positions because of it. This is huge, they need the tax base so they will come up with a better plan.
It may take more time to do it right, make them do so or vote em out. They are supposed to after all represent the people, please continue to make your voice heard.

[BrowardResident]

Originally Posted by riveree

But if we reject the offer, they WILL come up with another solution, maybe just a modification of this one.

I don't accept 'take it or leave' it in this regard. This is a serious amendment (that they gave a silly name "Super!" ) and if it's not a good fit for all, then there's no need to accept it.

Your vote is your voice - if you want something better, say so by voting AGAINST the amendment.

I agree with you. We will also vote NO.

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by bfa

I think you are right, I sure hope so anyway. I think there are a lot of people that would love to own a home here, and can qualify for a mortgage, they just can't afford the home with an extra $300 per month in taxes, not to mention insurance.

I have a small vested interest in the outcome of this, I work in real estate, part time anyway. I think it would revive the market, especially if interest rates are a bit lower like the economists are predicting by early next year.

I WISH my taxes were ONLY $300.00 a month!

[wacahootaman]

If you demand all or nothing, you will get nothing.

The super exemption is a good first step that will send a message to the taxing authorities that we are mad as hell and arnt gonna take it anymore.

First you gotta get their attention and this will do it.

True, it only give property tax relief to homeowners and not to non homestead properties.

But if you want 100 percent perferct reform all at once it will never happen and nothing will change.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

Save our homes is a joke for anyone who buys a home at todays prices. The proposed super homestead exemption of up to 200k is a much better deal.

Today, a median priced home with SOH and todays pathetic 25k homestead exemption will cost you up to 5 grand a year in property taxes in many counties. If the super exemption passes your taxes on that home would drop from 5 grand to one grand!

So what if SOH goes up only 3 percent a year? If you start at 5 grand a year in property tax, an abusive tax that can only go up 3 percent a year is still an abusive tax. Besides, property values are plunging and under SOH your taxes cannot go down with falling property values but will always go up 3 percent a year regardless.

SOH only benefits those who bought before the real estate bubble peaked in January 2006. These people can keep their SOH if the super exempton passes so they should vote for the super homestead exemption. That way those who want to keep their SOH protection can keep it and those who want the super homestead exemption can have too.

If the SOH homeowners decide to move to a different house later they can tap into the super exemption then so the move wont be as costly as under the current system.

It is a win/win for everyone except the greedy politicos spending our money like drunken sailors.

If it really was a win/win, why not allow people to continue to choose SOH or Super? Why phase it out completely? Why not say "every time you buy a home, you'll have to choose SOH or Super and you can't change it", instead of taking SOH away entirely?

The amendment appears at first glance to give you a choice: SOH or Super, but in reality, there is no choice - every home in Florida will eventually be under the Super Exemption. Why is that? What's wrong with letting people choose between the two? Answer: In the end there's more money to be made by making everyone phase into the Super Exemption.

It's hard to imagine that the home you buy this year for $250k could someday be worth $700k, but it does happen (look at new York ). If that was to happen, you'll wish you had SOH Wacahootaman. The Super Exemption will run your taxes up sky-high without that cap in place.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

If you demand all or nothing, you will get nothing.

The super exemption is a good first step that will send a message to the taxing authorities that we are mad as hell and arnt gonna take it anymore.

First you gotta get their attention and this will do it.

True, it only give property tax relief to homeowners and not to non homestead properties.

But if you want 100 percent perferct reform all at once it will never happen and nothing will change.

If you want to get their attention, you vote against it. They know we want property tax relief and they expect us to jump on this offer. If we vote against it, the votes will speak loud and clear "Not good enough, we want something better".

[paradiddle]

I'm glad to hear some people being anti-SOH. It was just a political shell game to please the older taxpayers ( who are the real voters ). I have neighbors on my street who pay $370 a year while the rest of us pay 6-7x times that. New homeowners get slammed, no one can move. Commercial, snowbirds and investors will start bailing out as tax & HOI become over-whelming.

I'm all for giving homestead exemptions to disabled, elderly, disabled vets, etc. (as long as they can pass a low income test)

We should pass a cap rate for all taxpayers with a voter overide provision.
That should also apply to sales tax......rate should be the same state-wide

Other than that, re-assess everyone and level the field.

Then we can all keep an eye on spending.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by paradiddle

I'm glad to hear some people being anti-SOH. It was just a political shell game to please the older taxpayers ( who are the real voters ). I have neighbors on my street who pay $370 a year while the rest of us pay 6-7x times that. New homeowners get slammed, no one can move. Commercial, snowbirds and investors will start bailing out as tax & HOI become over-whelming.

I'm all for giving homestead exemptions to disabled, elderly, disabled vets, etc. (as long as they can pass a low income test)

We should pass a cap rate for all taxpayers with a voter overide provision.
That should also apply to sales tax......rate should be the same state-wide

Other than that, re-assess everyone and level the field.

Then we can all keep an eye on spending.

What people don't realize is the $25,000 once "Was" a super deduction. There was a time when you could buy a house down here 30, 40 or 50 thousand dollars with a $25,000 deduction. All that happened was they never got around to changing it to keep up with home values. Now they are caught having to raise it a lot all at once. Thats all, nothing tricky or exotic about it, just a long over due adjustment.

[tallrick]

Vote against the new proposal and you have accomplished nothing. If it passes I am moving to a less expensive county and selling my current home to a sucker. Just have to keep the house under 200K, this new "super exemption" will help redistribute people to less expensive counties. This proposal will reduce home prices in bubble markets like Miami, but I hope that people think about taxes before the next time they bubble up prices.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by macguy

Your whole premiss is based on "what if scare scenarios" that may or may not happen and who cares if they do. If my $200,000 house goes to $700,000 then my net worth has gone up. A very remote possibility though, but if it happened I would be very happy and so would most other people. I may very well cash out of the house. Are you afraid of making money? But as far as the tax goes, I will have saved tens of thousands of dollars in tax depending on how long it took the house to go up in value 350%. I can't live my life of make decisions today based on doomsday scenarios that will never happen and throw away possable opportunities due to unrealistic fears.

Not afraid to be making money in real estate (been doing pretty well actually, thanks ). If you currently own property that has risen in value, then you know the problem - it rises on all the other properties too. You could always cash out and move to, I don't know, Iowa I guess.

The thing is Macguy, it's far from a remote possibility that home values could rise here EVEN MORE significantly than they have been over the last few years. It has happened in other states and now we've had a taste of it here too. It is a very real scenario that warrants some thought.

We're all going to vote as we wish, and if you choose to not think about how this amendment may affect you down the road ("who cares?" right?), then that is your choice.