Around the state

County Budget Fight a Battle Royale NBC Miami By TODD WRIGHT With more than $444 million in deficits facing the county, everything and everyone will be a target going into tonight's final budget hearing ... Editorial: FYI, Martin County taxpayers; another proposed 'fee ... TCPalm The courts in Martin County, just like the courts in every other Florida county, are essentially state operations. The lion's share of the fines collected ... Collier school board votes to raise tax rates Naples Daily News The issue brought many questions from Collier County residents before the School Board held its finalbudget hearing Thursday evening. ... Miami-Dade County highest spender in lobbying US MiamiHerald.com The county's spending, though, may be cut back. The County Commission Thursday is prepared to pass a budget that caps the county's federal lobbying budget ... Clerk's office abolishing 44 positions Tampa Tribune BY CARL ORTH NEW PORT RICHEY - A budget upheaval continues to reshape the staff at the PascoCounty Office of Clerk and Comptroller, where 44 jobs will end ... Windfall restores county services for 2010 fiscal year Tampa Tribune County officials had already factored a $1.2 million rebate into the fiscal 2010 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1. The last-minute injection of $3 million ...

As Florida goes, so goes the Nation

States across the nation pinch their pennies to save athletics USA Today Nearby Loudoun County, with 10 high schools, instituted a $100 fee to play sports. Money is for general budget shortfall not specific to athletic budget. ... Behind Florida's Exodus: Rising Taxes, Political Ineptitude TIME One thing, for instance, would be to give a dozen top aides hefty raises while urging a rise in property taxes, as the Mayor of Miami-Dade County recently ... Schools look to teacher furloughs to trim budgets The Associated Press But furloughs are happening in individual districts in states such as New Mexico,Florida and California, said Ed Muir, deputy director of research and ... License and registration, PLEASE! Ocala Higher tag fees, raised by the Florida Legislature to address a budget deficit, take effect today. The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE - Driver license, ...

Costs go up as resources dry up

Free school lunches drop as parents' income audited
Tampa Tribune
Only 24 percent of parents in that South Florida school district responded. Hillsborough's Student Nutrition Services had an $87 million budget last year. ...

Driving in Florida getting costlier Tallahassee Democrat By Jim Ash • Florida Capital Bureau Chief • August 27, 2009 The reality of a $7 billion state budgetshortfall is about to come crashing down on Florida's ... Although fees vary, the cost of registering a medium-sized sedan will skyrocket 54 percent, rising from $46.80 to $71.85.

Miami Dade Budget Cuts Leave Needy Families to Fend for Themselves PR Newswire (press release) (press release) The proposed would mean the total elimination of over $31 million in grants to community-based organizations in Miami-Dade County. A significant portion of ...

Tough budget choices

Hillsborough County reverses millions in budget cuts
Tampa Tribune
Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to restore more than $3 million in funding for countydepartments and agencies at a budget workshop on Thursday. ...

Osceola County cuts 81 jobs as budget tightens
Orlando Sentinel
Osceola has the highest mortgage foreclosure rate in Central Florida, with one in 10 homes affected. Foreclosures and declining home values have combined to ...

Arund the state

Most Palm Beach County cities will raise their tax rates for next year

Falling property values mean less revenue for city coffers; higher rates means fewer service cuts, officials say

Get ready homeowners: County and most cities in Broward propose tax hikes

FORT LAUDERDALE - Twenty-six of 31 cities, as well as Broward County government, both hospital districts and the local children services agency, are looking at raising tax rates and fees on property owners this year.

Cuts threaten responders

Cities plead with county not to trim $1.4 million to offset program cost

Share and merge government services

Governing with less

Cash-strapped cities and counties should consider merging services

Published: Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 14, 2009 at 4:14 p.m.

Local governments across Florida are facing some of the most challenging times in memory as they prepare budgets for the 2010 fiscal year.

Tax revenues have declined as property values have plummeted in the wake of the housing bust, and those revenues are expected to continue to fall in the near future.

The dismal prospects call for fresh consideration of how to provide the government services that the public demands in the most cost-efficient way possible. That way may be through expanded cooperation among county and city governments.

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But more cooperation and combination of efforts should also be explored by city and county governments. Ultimately, citizens must decide on the level of government services they need and, perhaps, on which government should provide those services.

Few new projects in Lee

Lean budget means fewer new projects expected for county

Lee capital improvement funds drop in last 2 years

By DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

POSTED: August 12, 2009

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Lee County is looking at just under $93 million in capital improvement projects for the 2009-10 fiscal year, a number that is lower than any seen this decade.

The CIP budget shrunk compared to the $123 million for this fiscal year, and fell dramatically compared to the 2007-08 fiscal year when it sat at just over $243 million.

Daily Breeze

Pain in the Pension

Pension pain for Fort Myers

City confounded by its obligations to employees

BY GABRIELLA SOUZA • GSOUZA@NEWS-PRESS.COM • AUGUST 11, 2009

Fort Myers may look to alter its employees' pension plans as revenues erode and the city faces $9.9 million in budget cuts.

At the same time, pensions are draining other cities' coffers across the state, officials say, leading some to consider changing their plans to avoid spending millions over time.

From: news-press.com

The future might be dimmer still

The heavy lifting has just begun on Pasco County's 2009-10 budget, but commissioners are already thinking about the budget year that comes next.

That budget could have a shortfall equal to or larger than the $36 million deficit commissioners are confronting now. Given the cuts and tax increases on the agenda for 2010, commissioners are already wondering how they will make up another large deficit in 2011.

from:

2011 budget an issue

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Broward and Palm Beach counties are taking different paths to deal with similar budget crunches blamed on the struggling economy.

While both plan spending cuts, Palm Beach County also proposes raising property tax rates as much as 15 percent to limit layoffs and save valued government services.

Broward County, on the other hand, is considering forgoing a potential tax rate increase in favor of requiring deeper spending cuts by the Sheriff's Office.

from:

Palm Beach County proposes raising property taxes as much as 15 percent

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Benderson decided to put University Town Center — featuring Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Macy’s — on hold until the economy turns around. #$

The impacts continue

Board OKs first hike in six years to school taxes Cape Coral Daily Breeze He also characterized the Legislature's education budget as "smoke and mirrors" that left Lee Countyresponsible for budget shortfalls. ...

FDLE to reduce policing at Broward County's three `racinos' MiamiHerald.com BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ Blaming the state's budget crunch, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has drastically reduced its policing of Broward County's ...

Tax rate would increase because of lower property values Sun-Sentinel.com By Marc Freeman South Florida Sun-Sentinel Property taxes and class sizes would rise under a tentative $2.8 billion budget for Palm Beach County public ...

Hillsborough officials trying to find ways to avoid cuts Tampa Tribune By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune TAMPA - Hillsborough County budget crunchers have come up with $19 million in one-time savings that can be used to ...

Sheriff Rutherford searching to offset spending Florida Times-Union Peyton said public safety shouldn't be cut at a time Jacksonville is fighting a reputation as Florida's murder capital. The council, which ultimately ...

School board hosts budget hearing tonight Florida Today BY MEGAN DOWNS • FLORIDA TODAY • July 30, 2009 The Brevard County School Board will meet tonight to discuss an operating budget that's down about 4.4 ...

Sullivan County BOE to tackle $5.27 million shortfall Kingsport Times News ... budget to fix that pool and do repairs and maintenance on the ones at other schools, so Holt said she was surprised when she returned from a Florida ...

Collier increases minimum tax rate

COLLIER COUNTY — For a while it looked like Collier County homeowners were going to see an 11.7 percent increase in taxes.

Tuesday afternoon, the proposed tax rate increased since last month.

What that means: Instead of paying $351 in taxes on a $100,000 home for general government services, it appears Collier residents will pay $356 in property taxes.

Homeowners currently pay $314 on a $100,000 home.

Tuesday, Collier County leaders increased their maximum tax rate to $3.5645 per $1,000 worth of property for the upcoming year, just after engaging in a protracted budget debate with Clerk of Court Dwight Brock.

That tax rate would contribute to a $345 million general budget. More...

"Removing bodies from the battlefield"

Florida tax base falls 15 percent

But the decline, $360 billion, is less than projected

By DOUG SWORD

Published: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, July 27, 2009 at 7:16 p.m.

More than $360 billion leaked out of Florida property values last year, more than the entire value of Miami-Dade County. more...

Flippin' Nuts

Across Florida, the newspaper found 50,000 property deals involving $10 billion in sales that met the criteria for likely fraud. More...

Special report from Lehigh Acres

Citizen Special Report and Analysis: Financial crises loom in Lehigh Acres

For example a home with a $100,000 mortgage is now selling for $26,000. A sign outside a real estate office in Lehigh Acres advertises "Foreclosures from $25,000."

Holders of subprime mortgage bonds have flooded the market with foreclosed homes. More...

California no longer dreamin'

Devastating Cuts for Education, the Poor, Health Care, and Local Governments

Taking the brunt of the blow once again is education which has now had over $17 billion in cuts in the last two budget deals. That represents nearly one-third of the funding for education which is also the single largest line item on the budget. More...

North Port in Denial?

NORTH PORT - North Port faces a looming financial crisis that could force it to cut tens of millions of dollars from its budget for years to come. But instead of cutting expenses, the city is spending its savings and hoping for an economic turnaround.

Without tax increases and deep spending reductions, city budget writers predict North Port's general fund will be $10 million short by 2011, with cumulative shortfalls of $59 million by 2014.

To come up with $59 million, the city would have to shut down City Hall, the police force, part of the fire department and the City Commission -- in other words, its entire general fund, which is $42 million this year. ...

Despite the problems, city leaders have avoided the steep reductions in services, wages or employees that other area local governments have taken. Indeed, last month, they approved $870,000 in wage increases for firefighters and rejected a proposed $400,000 budget cut for the police force next year.

More...

Sarasota Memorial may raise tax rate

SARASOTA — - Sarasota Memorial Hospital board members are planning to propose a nearly 15 percent tax rate increase at their meeting today.

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The proposed increase, the hospital’s first since the recession began in 2007, comes as other taxing districts are deciding to hold rates steady or drop them.

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Hospital officials say the increase is needed to fund building projects and a growing number of expenses incurred as the region’s only public hospital, charged with providing services that are increasingly unprofitable such as delivering babies and treating the poor.

Without the rate increase, the hospital would lose an estimated $6.6 million because of the decline in property values.

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The board is set to vote today whether to propose a rate increase. The vote is on whether to increase the rate on Sept. 21, after the last of two public hearings. The proposed new tax rate is $1.08 for each $1,000 of taxable home value, up from the current rate of 94 cents per $1,000. More...

Cuts still loom for Sarasota school district

SARASOTA COUNTY -- The Sarasota County School Board will hold its first tentative budget hearing Tuesday, following a regular board meeting. And despite drastic budget cuts, positions will still be lost.

The board has been working since last fall to trim its 2009-10 budget, and has succeeded in identifying more than $40 million, or about 20 percent, that can be cut.

While visiting family in Massachusetts over the weekend, Board Chair Caroline Zucker said about $31 million was the result of cuts, while the rest came from cost-saving measures. link

Palm Beach County commissioners discuss raising taxes 15 percent

PALM BEACH COUNTY - Palm Beach County commissioners on Monday initially endorsed raising property tax rates as much as 15 percent next year, which would still not avoid layoffs and deep cuts to community services.

The county blames a drop in tax revenue amid a struggling economy for the need to boost tax rates to pay for county services.

If given final approval, the property tax rate would go from $3.78 per $1,000 of taxable value to $4.34. For a home worth about $230,000 and eligible for a $50,000 homestead exemption, that would equate to about $800 in county property taxes next year. That could translate to about $100 more in property taxes than this year and doesn't include taxes for schools, cities and other government agencies.

Even with an increased tax rate, the county is considering almost 200 layoffs as well as deep cuts to programs serving children, the elderly and the handicapped.

For budget planning purposes, a majority of commissioners Monday needed to agree on the maximum tax rate they would be willing to consider. A formal vote on the preliminary rate is scheduled for July 21. That proposed rate could still come down when commissioners take a final vote on the tax rate and proposed $4 million county budget in September.

For weeks, county commissioners have debated whether to cut spending deeper or boost tax rates to support county services.

"We are kind of walking around the deck of the Titanic here," Commission Chairman Jeff Koons said.

A coalition of business groups opposed boosting the property tax rate. The Business Forum of Palm Beach County in a letter to the commission called for deeper budget cuts instead of tax increases that "remove more dollars than absolutely necessary from local residents and businesses during this difficult economic time." More...

In Pinellas even the snakes aren't safe

The displays are being ripped out. There are gaping holes in the walls where they used to be. Only an aquarium remains in the center of the dismantled room, still featuring, for the moment, largemouth bass, Florida gar, bluegill and assorted other fish and turtles.

The signs on the wall give the explanation: Pinellas County budget cuts. ...

People often ask: What happened to ALL THAT MONEY that local governments in Florida raked in when property values were soaring?

Well, here's the answer: We took it back from them. The "runup" of those years has now been canceled out. More...