Interesting letter from Rep. Domino

By John Adams

Real Estate Agent with Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors

November 02, 2007 03:15 AM

Save Our Homes (SOH) Portability Update!

I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support. We have come a long way, since four years ago, when I first filed the portability legislation. Last Monday all of our hard work paid off and both the House and Senate overwhelmingly supported and voted for portability. Even some legislators who voted against the overall tax package were quoted as saying that they did so because it did not provide enough relief.

Locally, Senator Jeff Atwater and Senator Ken Pruitt as well as Democrat Senators Bullard, Deutch and Aronberg supported portability. In the House, Democrat Representatives Brandenburg, Vana, Sachs, Skidmore and Machek joined with Republicans Reps. Domino, Snyder, Hasner and Bogdanoff in voting for portability.

Immediately after the vote, Gov. Crist held a press conference during which he pointed out the importance of portability and generously mentioned my name as the "Father of Portability."

However, our job is not yet complete. Already some opponents are complaining that it will take away revenues and devastate local government. But they fail to acknowledge that without portability potential real estate transfers fail to occur because the high tax burdon will produce only imaginary revenues .

Moreover, by bolstering real estate sales, additional Doc Stamps and Sales Tax revenues will be realized. Also opponents claim that portability is unconstitutional. However, even though I am not an attorney, I find that often when a measure cannot be defeated on it's merits then they use the "unconstitutional" claim.

I would like to remind everyone that when we first embraced portability Gov. Crist was our Attorney General. FSU law professor Nat Stern concluded that portability was constitutional.

On January 29th, we will need to get 60% of the voters to agree that portability should be in the Constitution. Gov. Crist will lead the charge and most legislators will join in. Personally, I feel confident that we have a strong case and the voters will support this Constitutional Amendment. Let those who object to tax relief continue to make their case that government is too small. .

Once again, I would like to congratulate all of the supporters for making this happen. But the job is
not yet complete and we cannot relax until we win approval on January 29th.

Carl J. Domino

District 83

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Keith Stoller

Keith Stoller Tax & Business Solutions - Bakersfield, CA

Thanks for this update. While I'm not in your area I can speak from the standpoint of a taxpayer in that it isn't about the government getting less revenue. Revolts have happened in other nations over the centuries in response to unfair taxes which were much lower than our current collective tax rates. Any government can make due with less by making necessary cuts. Getting politicians to agree on what 'essential' is is the hard thing. You have my best wishes in getting the 60%.

Nov 02, 2007 04:06 AM

Anonymous

Edw. M. Cohn

All homesteaders should be very grateful for the tireless efforts of Rep Carl Domino to provide us with the opportunity to have Save Our Homes (SOH) Portability. The amendment should bear his name. The measure will likely pass on the Jan. 29th ballot, just as the original SOH (Wilkinson Amendment) passed in 1992. Then huge numbers of homeowners who currently find themselves "under house arrest," unable to move into even a smaller, less expensive home without large tax increases, will be able to do so. This is a very good and reasonably moderate first step toward broader property tax reform.

It is fortuitous and fortunate that the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is currently meeting. From the reading material available to ordinary citizens (including the Florida Constitution), it appears that this appointed body has the authority to place proposed property tax amendments directly onto the Nov. 2008 ballot. Hopefully, they will pick up the gauntlet of tax reforn and continue the work begun by the legislature.

In regard to the constitutionality of SOH Portability, there will always be those who will bring a legal challenge to anything. Our SOH is largely based on the Howard Jarvis, California Proposition 13 of 1978. It also includes a portability feature. Over the last two decades that piece of citizen originated legislation has undergone numerous legal challenges all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It has withstood all attacks.

Let's all get out on Jan. 29th and vote FOR this new proposal. SOH Portability equates to people portability.

Nov 03, 2007 01:44 AM

Interesting letter from Rep. Domino

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John Adams

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