Politics
Gov. DeSantis wants court challenge to property tax amendment settled ‘pretty quickly’
Timing matters since Election Supervisors have work to do.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says a lawsuit against a ballot measure to increase homestead exemptions to $250,000 by 2028 shouldn’t “drag out.”
DeSantis wants courts to evaluate the plaintiffs’ claims “pretty quickly, because they are going to have to print ballots probably sometime in August for the General Election.”
He also said the ballot summary is “not misleading.” DeSantis said clarity came from legislators having “tweaked the statute” to allow more words to describe the prospective constitutional amendment than the 75 words permissible for ballot summaries in Florida law. He then made an offhand reference to a Leo Tolstoy novel.
“You don’t want to read “War and Peace” on your ballot, right? I mean, I get that. But on the other hand … some of this stuff can be complicated.”
While DeSantis would prefer that raising the homestead exemption “not be done through the Constitution,” he said the amendment is necessary because “that’s the way Florida has allocated the power with respect to tax and property.”
As we reported Monday, Save Our Voters from Misleading Ballot Language, Inc. is suing Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Attorney General James Uthmeier, arguing the language is “biased and misleading.”
Plaintiffs say the “Save our homes from excessive property taxes” title is a “campaign slogan.”
The group also takes issue with promises that “core services” would be funded, taxpayers would be protected, and “fairness” would be ensured for taxpayers, given that renters and those moving to Florida after the end of the year would be deprived of relief.
DeSantis suggested the action may lead to unintended consequences for “big government advocates,” if the judicial process leads to Uthmeier getting to “write the language.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” he advised.
