Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida’s political achievers were (and weren’t) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.
THOSE WHO MADE THE LIST
Florida TaxWatch. Kurt Wenner, the vice president of Florida TaxWatch, notes the property tax structure in Florida confuses taxpayers and local politicians are using that as leverage. The nonpartisan research group insists local elected officials are not being honest when they brag about cutting taxes. Wenner pointed out cutting the tax rate is not the same as cutting taxes, especially when local property values are increasing property tax revenue.
Florida Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, and Florida Rep. Fred Costello, R-Port Orange. These Republican legislators unveiled a reform proposal to ensure hospital taxing districts need reauthorization from the voters every 10 years before levying taxes. If the voters reject reauthorization, the hospital districts would lose their power to raise property taxes. This is a good bill because Florida already has too many government bodies raising taxes.
Jacksonville City Councilman Bill Gulliford. This Jacksonville councilman wanted the City Council to spend $85,000 for an audit of the city’s pension fund. What he found was disturbing. According to audit reports, the city of Jacksonville’s pension fund has lost $370 million.Gulliford blames much of this on a lack of transparency. At a news conference, Gulliford said a staggering sum of money has been recklessly squandered “because of a huge unfunded, bloated and excessively expensive pension fund that no one was properly watching.”
THOSE WHO DID NOT MAKE THE LIST
Florida Rep. José Javier Rodríguez, D-Miami. This South Florida Democrat believes that the sea level rise in Miami is a result of “climate change.” After hearing that Florida would join more than 20 other states to oppose new EPA rules regarding carbon emissions, Rodriguez said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi needs a lesson on climate change. But what part of climate change is contributing to the sea level rise in Miami? The state of Florida gets 14.4 more inches of rain than the national average and Miami has had an average rainfall of 61.9 inches over the last 30 years, which is 58 percent more than the average nationwide and 16 percent more than the average in Florida.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. This Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016 has presented himself over the last couple of years as being a centrist. But now his tune is changing. Murphy’s supporters are praising the congressman as a “progressive.” U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., are cheering Murphy on LGBT issues, while the candidate himself is ramping up his attacks on congressional Republicans, insisting they are obstructionists. The question now becomes if U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson,D-Fla. continues to do well in the polls, how far will he move Murphy to the left.
Brevard County Commissioner Jim Barfield. The vice chairman of the County Commission, Barfield wants to raise the gasoline tax to 6 cents per gallon. The Brevard County Republican says the tax hike is needed to pay for road improvements. Barfield hopes the current drop in gasoline prices will lead some motorists not to care too much about paying a few extra cents in taxes. But the commissioner is proposing a 10-year tax, though he adds it could be sunsetted if needed. But few gas taxes are ever rescinded, something Brevard County leaders and voters should keep in mind.
Ed Dean,is a senior editor with Sunshine State News whose talk show can be heard on radio stations in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach, Orlando, the Space Coast, the Treasure Coast and South Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami. It can also be heard in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. You can reach him at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
