Voting for Amendment 3 would be a mistake of historic proportions.

 

If you think DeSantis’ proposal to cut your property taxes by amending Florida’s constitution is a good idea, think again. Any thought of lower taxes is enticing but this is a ruse. It just means all those services provided to you by your locally elected officials because you need and demand them will still need to be funded, and guess who will still fund them?  

Exactly. You. Only then, you’ll be talking to the Governor and Legislature instead of your locally elected city and county commissioners.

Local governments are vociferously lamenting how it will prevent them from providing urgent services like fire departments, public safety, and a myriad of other purposes that will need to be curtailed or even eliminated if that source of revenue is lost. And they are right.

But hold on, DeSantis says. No worries. We will reimburse you from state funds.

Well, think about that. Who funds the state?

Exactly.

You.

And given Trump’s ugly penchant for sending federal benefits to Red states and cities while Blue states and cities get federalized National Guard troops and ICE goons, one can expect DeSantis will do similarly on a state level within Florida.

Exactly.

So, what’s really going on here? Well, remember back in 2010 and virtually each year since, when Rick Scott and J.D. Alexander severely cut the taxing capacities of the five water management districts and removed their budgeting and decision-making from the regional Governing and Basin Boards to the Governor and the DEP Secretary?  (And, by the way fired hundreds of professional and other employees.)

What was that all about? Well, think about what has happened across the country. This is no different. Every single year since the Republican Party has taken control of both houses there has been a concerted effort to take away the authority and decision-making of local governments (cities, counties, regional governments and thus, YOU!) and hand it to state and federal leaders.

This thing with DeSantis is just a continuation of that. It’s simply more of that extremist right-wing Project 25 crap that posits capitalism is sacrosanct and government is not only unnecessary but is demonically dangerous to the survival of America as a country. And the way to control the locals is to remove their power to govern by removing their power to fund their own programs.

Voting for Amendment 3 would be a mistake of historic proportions.

Once they have taken control of local government funding, how much knee-bending and bootlicking by local officials will it take to get critical local projects and programs funded by Tallahassee?

And how will you feel about having to go to Tallahassee instead of your locally elected county and city governments to express your needs and concerns?

Exactly.

Sandspur