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rist personally won’t see any immediate savings if the property tax cut on next month’s presidential primary ballot is passed. The political value, though, is worth more than the $240 he’d get to keep if he owned a home.

Crist rents a downtown St. Petersburg condominium and, of course, he has use of a mansion near the Capitol. But for months on the campaign trail he promised to reduce property taxes and has made the issue one of his highest priorities since taking office in January.

That’s why the governor will be making a huge push to get support for the Jan. 29 ballot question that would double the homestead exemption and place a 10 percent assessment cap on all properties.

But some of Crist’s fellow Republicans say the average estimated saving of $240 a year per homeowner is too little. And cities, counties and the state’s largest teachers union argue that the measure will mean cuts in services and hurt schools.

“When you have to go up to New York and do a fundraiser with Donald Trump to finance a campaign down here, it may be a signal about who benefits the most,” said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association.

Organizers would not say how much the event raised, but the cost to attend was $1,000 and larger checks were expected during and after the fundraiser.

The proposed amendment would double exemptions on primary homes to $50,000. It would also cap assessments on other properties _ businesses, rentals and second homes like Trump’s Palm Beach mansion, which is appraised at $58 million.

In 2005, the assessed value of Trump’s mansion was $41.4 million. It jumped to $56 million the next year, or a 35 percent increase. Had the cap been in place, his tax would have been based on a $45.5 million assessment in 2006.

Instead, his taxes increased from nearly $796,000 in 2005 to more than $1.03 million the next year, an amount that would have been lower had the cap lowered his assessment.

“It’s substantial taxes, and under the new plan that will come down, but more importantly it will come down for people who really need help,” Trump said.

The amendment will also let homeowners take at least part of the benefits they get from the existing 3 percent assessment cap on primary homes when they move. And it would give businesses a $25,000 exemption for equipment and other property.

Crist emphasized the “portability” aspect of the bill, saying it will help people who feel trapped in their homes because taxes on a new property would be too high.

“If you’re a young family and you want to go into a home that’s larger so you can raise more children, you might be able to afford the dwelling but you don’t do it because you lose that 3 percent cap. Portability is huge in this thing,” Crist said.

With a recently enacted requirement that 60 percent of voters approve ballot questions instead of a majority, it will be that much more difficult to pass the amendment.

Business interests will be pumping money into the effort to reach voters, many of whom are unfamiliar with the details of the proposal.

The Florida Association of Realtors has already donated $1 million, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida are also backing it.

At least one group that has been pushing for even more cuts and a 1.25 percent cap on property assessments is also raising money to try to pass the amendment, even though they aren’t entirely happy with it.

“The biggest issue that we have right now is that they don’t think this goes far enough,” said Brett Doster, a political consultant that is working with Floridians for Property Tax Reform.

But the measure is a start and better than no relief, said Doster.

“There’s widespread belief that the leadership in the state of Florida let us down and we need to come back for some more,” he said.

The teachers union is considering banding with other groups, such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, to fight back against the banks, developers and real estate agents who will be contributing to a television ad campaign.

But they realize that they will probably be outspent.

“We’re not going to go toe-to-toe with the business interests in a TV ad campaign,” Pudlow said.

Instead, the groups will try to educate their members and encourage them to talk to friends, family and neighbors about the amendment.

The groups also recognize that they might have to save resources for future property tax fights, with proposals to put larger cuts and smaller caps on the November ballot.

http://www.fool.com/news/associated-press/2007/12/07/crist-trump-raise-cash-for-amendment.aspx

Another Viewpoint of This Issue - Involving Mr. Trump

Donald Trump, who pays $1 million a year on a single Palm Beach County mansion, helped Gov. Charlie Crist raise money Thursday for a ballot question that could cap all property taxes while providing cuts for most homeowners.
“The press just told me I pay over $1 million a year on one house in real estate taxes in Florida. I didn’t even know. I said, ‘Really? I pay that much?’” Trump told a crowd of about 40 while standing next to Crist in a Trump Tower office. “Hopefully that sucker will come down a little bit.”
Crist personally won’t see any immediate savings if the property tax cut on next month’s presidential primary ballot is passed. The political value, though, is worth more than the $240 he’d get to keep if he owned a home.
Crist rents a downtown St. Petersburg condominium and, of course, he has use of a mansion near the Capitol. But for months on the campaign trail he promised to reduce property taxes and has made the issue one of his highest priorities since taking office in January.
That’s why the governor will be making a huge push to get support for the Jan. 29 ballot question that would double the homestead exemption and place a 10 percent assessment cap on all properties.
But some of Crist’s fellow Republicans say the average estimated saving of $240 a year per homeowner is too little. And cities, counties and the state’s largest teachers union argue that the measure will mean cuts in services and hurt schools.
“When you have to go up to New York and do a fundraiser with Donald Trump to finance a campaign down here, it may be a signal about who benefits the most,” said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association.
Organizers would not say how much the event raised, but the cost to attend was $1,000 and larger checks were expected during and after the fundraiser.
The proposed amendment would double exemptions on primary homes to $50,000. It would also cap assessments on other properties — businesses, rentals and second homes like Trump’s Palm Beach mansion, which is appraised at $58 million.
In 2005, the assessed value of Trump’s mansion was $41.4 million. It jumped to $56 million the next year, or a 35 percent increase. Had the cap been in place, his tax would have been based on a $45.5 million assessment in 2006.
Instead, his taxes increased from nearly $796,000 in 2005 to more than $1.03 million the next year, an amount that would have been lower had the cap lowered his assessment.
“It’s substantial taxes, and under the new plan that will come down, but more importantly it will come down for people who really need help,” Trump said.
The amendment will also let homeowners take at least part of the benefits they get from the existing 3 percent assessment cap on primary homes when they move. And it would give businesses a $25,000 exemption for equipment and other property.
Crist emphasized the “portability” aspect of the bill, saying it will help people who feel trapped in their homes because taxes on a new property would be too high.
“If you’re a young family and you want to go into a home that’s larger so you can raise more children, you might be able to afford the dwelling but you don’t do it because you lose that 3 percent cap. Portability is huge in this thing,” Crist said.
With a recently enacted requirement that 60 percent of voters approve ballot questions instead of a majority, it will be that much more difficult to pass the amendment.
Business interests will be pumping money into the effort to reach voters, many of whom are unfamiliar with the details of the proposal.
The Florida Association of Realtors has already donated $1 million, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida are also backing it.
At least one group that has been pushing for even more cuts and a 1.25 percent cap on property assessments is also raising money to try to pass the amendment, even though they aren’t entirely happy with it.
“The biggest issue that we have right now is that they don’t think this goes far enough,” said Brett Doster, a political consultant that is working with Floridians for Property Tax Reform.
But the measure is a start and better than no relief, said Doster.
“There’s widespread belief that the leadership in the state of Florida let us down and we need to come back for some more,” he said.
The teachers union is considering banding with other groups, such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, to fight back against the banks, developers and real estate agents who will be contributing to a television ad campaign.
But they realize that they will probably be outspent.
“We’re not going to go toe-to-toe with the business interests in a TV ad campaign,” Pudlow said.
Instead, the groups will try to educate their members and encourage them to talk to friends, family and neighbors about the amendment.
The groups also recognize that they might have to save resources for future property tax fights, with proposals to put larger cuts and smaller caps on the November ballot.
“The quest for resources is potentially a major problem,” he said. “Frankly we don’t think this is going to be the last thing we have to concern ourselves with in 2008.”
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