‘Left to their own devices, the politicians would have never put this on the ballot.’
The post Ron DeSantis dismisses Ben Albritton, Kathleen Passidomo opposing Amendment 3 appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
—
Getting the Legislature to put Amendment 3 on the ballot was easy enough for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But getting legislative leaders to stand behind the work product is proving more difficult.
Asked about Senate President Ben Albritton and former President Kathleen Passidomo saying they wouldn’t support the proposal to increase homestead exemptions on non-school taxes to $250,000 by 2028, the Governor said the politicians who voted to put it on the ballot didn’t want it there, and only passed it because of popular pressure to do so.
“This is a grassroots thing; this was not a political class thing. Most of the people in the Legislature did not want to do property tax,” DeSantis said in Miami-Dade after an Amendment 3 roundtable with local leaders.
The measure sailed through the Legislature. The Senate passed it by a 30-9 vote. The House did so by a 75-26 spread.
Yet despite these resounding votes, DeSantis said “if you had just left it to the political elites, the chance of you getting relief for your homestead would have been zero.”
“Whatever people in the corridors of Tallahassee think they want is fine, but ultimately, that does not govern this state. Amendment 3 gives you the opportunity to do it, and left to their own devices, the politicians would have never put this on the ballot. This was really driven by people demanding relief,” DeSantis said.
Albritton’s position evolved in public view. Earlier this week, he said the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which convenes next year, is the place to design property tax reform that is “meaningful, reasonable and balanced.”
But in a May 27 memo to Senators before the Special Session to put the amendment on the ballot, Albritton wrote that he could not think of a better way to mark America’s 250th than $250,000 in tax relief for every Florida homeowner, and that the plan would deliver relief “while protecting businesses from extreme tax increases and safeguarding local funding for public safety, education and our clean water infrastructure.”
Passidomo also flipped, apparently after being chosen to represent the pro side.
“I was supposed to speak in favor of it, and I actually said I’m going to vote against it,” the former Senate President said at the Greater Naples Chamber’s Wake Up Naples event.
“I think it is a well-intentioned bill, but you know, the road to hell is paved with them,” she added.
The post Ron DeSantis dismisses Ben Albritton, Kathleen Passidomo opposing Amendment 3 appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
