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In October of 2007, Governor Crist and the Florida State Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment that will reform property taxes. In order to enact this legislation, a referendum will be held January 29th.
The Florida Professional Firefighters support responsible tax reform. However, the current proposal is ill-conceived, will undermine local government's ability to properly finance services, and obviously will jeopardize public safety.
The Florida Professional Firefighters opposes the proposed constitutional amendment calling for property tax reductions because it will result in:
- Significantly reduced budgets for public safety agencies without providing an alternative funding source
- Firefighter and Paramedic Layoffs
- Increased response times to 911 calls resulting in potentially great fire losses and higher mortality incidents involving emergency medical calls.
- Increased injuries to firefighters due to personnel shortages resulting in higher workers compensation claims
- Curtailing the ability of Fire-Rescue departments to respond and assist in statewide or regional disasters, i.e. hurricanes and wildfires.
- Higher property insurance rates for homeowners and commercial property owners due to reduced fire protection (ISO Rating)
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