People have won

Governor Crist proudly announced the 'people have won' while celebrating the completion of the special session of the Florida Legislature. The Florida Legislature passed a clear, concise ballot question for property tax reduction that will be on the January Presidential Preference Primary.

This referendum will increase the homestead exemptions for all levies except school district levies, provides portability of Save Our Homes benefits, provides a $25,000 exemption for tangible personal property, and provides a 10% cap on non-homestead property. The Florida Legislature's ballot language could be called "an equal opportunity referendum for tax relief" for the citizens of this state. It is great to see that there were no provisions for special interest groups in this ballot language.

The Florida Legislature needs to be commended for their dedication and commitment to the citizens of this state. Hopefully, this referendum will pass with more than a 60% majority in January to provide equal tax relief statewide for Florida's property owners. The successful passing of this referendum would give a tremendous boost to Florida's economy by returning more of the people's money.

Thank you, Rep. Schenck and Senator(s) Fasano, Dockery, and Dean for a job well done!