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State Rep. Robin Bartleman briefs Pembroke Pines on property‑tax referendum, drainage projects and autism housing funding
Summary
State Representative Robin Bartleman told Pembroke Pines commissioners she secured more than $5 million in appropriations, including drainage projects and $2 million for an autism independent‑living facility, and warned a forthcoming property‑tax constitutional amendment could shift significant costs to local governments.
State Representative Robin Bartleman visited Pembroke Pines on June 3 to give commissioners a legislative update that covered appropriations, new bills and the property‑tax constitutional amendment headed to voters.
Bartleman said she obtained more than $5 million in appropriations affecting the area, including funding for South Broward Drainage District pump‑station and sluice‑gate repairs that she said will reduce inland flooding in neighborhoods such as Pembroke Falls. She also described $2 million in appropriations for an autism independent‑living facility in Broward County and a statewide pilot for psychiatric emergency ambulances to reduce trauma for children transported from schools.
On property taxes, Bartleman repeatedly warned that a phased constitutional change proposed for the November ballot could create large holes in local budgets. "You cannot get something for nothing," Bartleman told the commission, explaining that removing ad valorem taxes without a funding plan would require cities and counties to backfill services through fees, surtaxes or other revenue sources.
Bartleman said that, as drafted, the amendment phases in a homestead exemption and that the legislature removed school funding from the initial proposal after earlier concerns that schools would be bankrupted. She urged local officials to educate residents about the potential tradeoffs, including impacts on libraries, jails, special districts, hospitals and water‑management districts.
Commissioners asked about implementation and about protections for public safety funding; Bartleman said attempts to protect police and fire funding in amendments were unsuccessful and that legal or judicial challenges are possible because of residency and classification provisions in the referendum.
Bartleman offered to meet with the city and attend local forums to explain implications for the Pembroke Pines community and provided contact information for constituents seeking help with state services.
