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Governor defends property‑tax ballot amendment, says state can provide grants to help rural counties
Summary
In a post‑announcement Q&A the governor defended his broader property‑tax plan and said the legislature’s ballot language still provides significant relief; he said the state can supply grants to fiscally constrained rural counties and that he will work on implementation if voters approve the amendment.
During a question‑and‑answer period after the grant announcement, reporters asked the governor whether the legislature’s implementation of a property‑tax ballot amendment lacked a dedicated trust fund to protect rural counties. The governor said he had proposed a more comprehensive plan but that the legislature’s version still represents significant relief and that targeted state grants can address gaps for fiscally constrained communities.
"I unveiled, the most transformational property tax proposal in in American history," the governor said, adding that the legislature did not adopt his full approach but that "what they adopted is good" and will "help a lot of homeowners." He said that implementing full homestead protections would require a state commitment to provide grants for communities lacking a tax base like Miami‑Dade.
The governor cited the state's declared surplus (which he described as approximately $18,000,000,000 during the remarks) and said the sums required to assist 32 fiscally constrained counties would be "a few 100,000,000 a year" and therefore affordable. He also said he would work with officials in November and December to implement any voter‑approved amendment so the changes could take effect by Jan. 1, if needed.
On other specifics, the governor said a previously published "save our homes" calculator was calibrated for his proposal and may not be valid for the legislature's version, and he urged that voters receive clearer notices about what they would save. He also dismissed scenarios presented by critics that suggested essential services such as policing would disappear under the amendment, saying similar concerns were raised in prior changes and did not materialize.
A reporter later asked about pending legislation to change the number of Hillsborough County Commission seats; the governor said he had not taken a strong position but signed the change because many legislators supported it.
