You're passing the buck, county officials tell Bush

The lobbying group says the governor's budget shifts state costs to localities. Members call for sales tax reform.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 27, 2003

TALLAHASSEE -- County commissioners from across the state criticized Gov. Jeb Bush Wednesday for pushing billions of dollars in "special interest tax cuts" and blasted the Legislature for shifting the costs of state programs to local property taxpayers.

The Florida Association of Counties again called for eliminating sales tax exemptions, an idea that flopped last year and is still strongly opposed by Bush and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City.

"Florida's tax system is broken. It doesn't work," said Chuck Dunnick, a Republican Osceola County commissioner and president of the county lobbying group.

Dunnick faulted Bush for blaming Florida's budget problems on the voter-approved class size amendment or war in Iraq. "Fundamentally, the state is in a crisis because it failed to plan, it failed to lead, and failed to build a broader, more stable tax base to meet Florida's needs," he said.

The critics were all fellow Republicans: Dunnick, Palm Beach Commissioner Karen Marcus and Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala.

"When the state cuts or eliminates money for transportation, medical care and affordable housing programs, people who rely on those services don't stop needing them," Latvala said. "We're here today to say stop the cost shift, end the unfunded mandates, and work with us, not against us."

Bush suggested local bureaucracies have grown too much. "County and local government have actually grown their bureaucracies by a significant amount," Bush said. "They have grown far faster than personal income."

Bush said he sympathizes with small counties. "I hope at some point we can readjust our relationship with these counties that are asked to do things and don't have the resources," Bush said.

Hillsborough County Administrator Dan Kleman said it's wrong for the Legislature to set a policy "and send us the bill." Hillsborough could be stuck with up to $1.5-million more for the costs of keeping Medicaid patients in nursing homes, he said.

Bush proposed a $64-million shift to counties for pretrial costs of juvenile detention, but the House budget did not shift those costs. House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, R-Coral Gables, said criticism of the House was unfair.

Commissioners also complained of proposals to cut back funding for roads, parks, Meals on Wheels, beach renourishment and a program that provides transportation for the disabled.

About 50 commissioners attended a news conference in front of a banner that said "Don't Shift it, fix it!" Many were from small, rural counties in North Florida that already collect the maximum allowable amount of property taxes.

House leaders mocked the idea of ending tax exemptions. At a House Republican Conference on Monday, Rep. Randy Johnson, R-Celebration, congratulated his colleagues on the budget they produced for next year.

"The pundits said the new guys couldn't do it," Johnson said of the new crop of House leaders. "They said you need to get rid of some exemptions to make the ends meet. ... They said the sky was going to fall. They were wrong."

-- Times staff writer Lucy Morgan contributed to this report.

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