Property Tax Solution Postponed until June
The Florida Legislature has decided to postpone finding a solution to Florida property taxes until June. The West Miami legislator said that they were close to an agreement, but they did not want to be rushed. The session is scheduled for Jun 12-22, and they promise to approve a constitutional amendment for voters this fall that would help guarantee savings for all taxpayers. The major ideological disagreement is that House Speaker Marco Rubio wants to change the tax structure, but Senate President Ken Pruitt and Governor Charlie Crist want to maintain the basic structure but roll back the amount that local governments can tax.
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Control of Growth Becomes Issue
House Republicans unveiled a plan that could limit the state's power to oversee community growth. The plan would strip the state Department of Community Affairs of its role reviewing local-level zoning change. The proposal, which came from the House Committee on Economic Expansion and Infrastructure, places some oversight in the hands of 11 regional planning councils, which critics worry would provide for lax regulation.
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Pilot Program for Streamlined Approval Process Approved
Development plans for a handful of cities and counties could receive less oversight from the state under a pilot program that received final legislative approval on Friday. The pilot program was tucked into a lengthy bill that mostly included changes to the massive growth management laws the state passed in 2005. The changes came from workshops last year that included local governments, developers and environmental interests. But House leaders also included language in the bill that would create a pilot program to accelerate the approval process for large developments by discouraging state oversight of possible violations of local regulations.
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Record Numbers Expected at SEBC
A record 1,050 exhibits, and more than 18,000 construction industry professionals, are expected for this summer's Southeast Building Conference in Orlando. The show, scheduled for July 12-14 in the Orange County Convention Center, is the largest regional trade gathering of its kind in the South.
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Rates Frozen for Citizens Property Insurance
Rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. policy holders will be frozen until January 2009, and more people could opt for Citizens' coverage under legislation passed Friday.
But the savings enjoyed by Citizens policy holders might mean big increases in the future for all insured Floridians. The legislation essentially raises the risk that all Floridians would pay an extra charge on their home and auto policies to bail out the state-backed company should a major hurricane hit Florida, a scenario that worries some state officials, including state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.
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Tornado Victims Receive Help
Residents of Lake, Sumter and Volusia counties whose homes were badly damaged by the Feb. 2 tornadoes will be eligible for property-tax breaks under a measure passed by the Legislature. Those forced to replace destroyed mobile homes will also be reimbursed. The tornadoes caused $148 million in damage. Those whose homes were unlivable for 60 days or more and who are eligible for a homestead exemption can apply for property-tax breaks.
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My Safe Florida Home Program Revamped
The My Safe Florida Home program has been streamlined to provide better service and has been expanded to offer free wind inspections to eligible Floridians statewide. The program will begin serving the more than 50,000 homeowners on the pilot program's waiting list for wind inspections and will begin accepting new applications. The new program will work to increase awareness about the importance of mitigation and storm protection.
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Permitting Fees Changes Postponed
County commissioners for the Tampa Bay area postponed raising permitting fees or laying off building inspectors in the hopes that the real estate market will rebound by the year's end. The Building Services Division is facing a $7 million shortfall this year because the number of permits issued for single-family homes has dropped since last year. Developers, who pay the division's budget, have expressed concerns that the changes could increase the time it takes to secure permits and have properties inspected. Planning and Growth Management Director Peter Aluotto presented several options to deal with the shortfall such as raising permitting fees, laying off staff members or furloughing some employees for a day every two weeks.
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Housing Incentive Unanimously Passed
The Brevard County Commission unanimously passed an ordinance offering developers voluntary incentives that could include increased densities if they build affordable housing in unincorporated areas. With this, the commissioners added that they must approve any plan enabling developers to build up to 25 percent more units than zoning allows, ensuring the density ends up in the right places. Overall, local officials, business leaders and several developers welcomed the ordinance as an important first step toward providing homes for young professionals including teachers, nurses and law enforcement.
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Future Builders Camp Set for June 1-3
The Future Builders of America Summer Leadership Camp is set for June 1-3 in Haines City. Students will have an opportunity to work through construction-related educational courses and build a 40-foot long block retaining wall.
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Single-Family Home Prices are Right
The Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Florida has released that hopefully home buyers in Florida should not wait. The study said that the price is right as the state's single-family residential housing market bottoms out. There is not much to be gained by holding out at this point. The study predicts that it does not look like housing prices are going to fall anymore. The exception is condominiums, which are overbuilt in most markets and prone to speculative and naïve investors.
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Task Force on Springs Developed to Help
Florida's springs continue to face threats from encroaching development and other pollution sources. The House has unanimously backed a bill that would create a nine-member Florida Springs Stewardship Task Force that will collect data on the state's 33 largest springs. The task force will report its findings back to the Legislature early next year to help lawmakers take further steps to help the springs.
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New Spending Plan to Help Schools
The Florida Legislature has passed a nearly $72 billion state budget that will boost spending on South Florida's schools and universities, hand $1,000 bonuses to state workers in lieu of raises and fund a slew of pet projects. The spending plan will take effect on July 1. The legislators plan to pump more than $1.2 billion in new money into the schools, but nearly half of this will come from increased local property taxes.
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