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What Is The Future Of Florida's Property Tax? · Conversations: Special Guests with Preston Scott

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the program is Jose over there in
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Studio one A. I am here in Studio one B.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: And joining me in Studio one B is the president
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  Speaker 1: of the James Madison Institute. He is doctor Bob McClure,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Doctor Bob. How are you, sir?
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing fantastic. Yeah, happy belated fourth How are you good.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about that for just a second. Yeah, Well
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  Speaker 1: your impressions broadly speaking of the fourth.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm a sucker for the fourth of July. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: for obvious reasons. I thought. I thought it was a
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  Speaker 2: great testament to our country. Did Donald Trump make it
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  Speaker 2: a little bit about himself, Yes, he did, But he's
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  Speaker 2: also swimming upstream against a left that still there's still
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  Speaker 2: this element of cancel culture. So the country acts that
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  Speaker 2: pulled out and you know, uh, other musical acts and
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  Speaker 2: people like that are so afraid of the left, all right,
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: because of Trump derangement syndrome. He I don't think he
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  Speaker 2: had any choice. But the State, the Great American State
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  Speaker 2: Fair in DC, I thought was fabulous to watch.
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  Speaker 1: Other than the states that refused to send an extract.
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  Speaker 2: Because but here's here's the thing that was the background
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  Speaker 2: noise to this, it's like ambient noise when you turn
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  Speaker 2: on your sleep machine at night. Right. That was the
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  Speaker 2: European fans of the World Cup who love this country.
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  Speaker 2: And it's it's unique that it was happening as we
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  Speaker 2: are supposedly, supposedly celebrating the greatest country that God has
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  Speaker 2: ever given anyone, and and they confirmed it. Little things
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  Speaker 2: that we take for granted, like free refills and ice
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  Speaker 2: and BUCkies and air conditioning, a Walmart onion target, a
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  Speaker 2: Bloomin onion, right, And I'm not saying that is high culture,
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  Speaker 2: but but but but what they what they did, and
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  Speaker 2: this was the ambient noise behind the celebration of the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: fourth of July, is that they talked about how nice
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  Speaker 2: and kind and giving Americans are. And in a world
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  Speaker 2: that we live in today, Preston and now cable news
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  Speaker 2: on both sides drives this. We think everybody is angry
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  Speaker 2: all the time, and yet poll after poll shows that
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  Speaker 2: eighty percent of this country is eighty five, I would argue,
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  Speaker 2: is full of good and decent, hard working people who
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  Speaker 2: help each other out, regardless of divisions of race and
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  Speaker 2: sex and you know, wealth and all of that. And
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  Speaker 2: I thought that World Cup the fans. That was the
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  Speaker 2: ambient noise that that that made the fourth of July
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  Speaker 2: so wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: Thursday, before we took the fourth of July break, I
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  Speaker 1: spent the last hour of the show just playing sound
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  Speaker 1: bites of visitors from other countries extolling the virtues, just
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  Speaker 1: to remind our listeners of what makes America special, the
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  Speaker 1: things that we take for granted and overlook. It's so
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  Speaker 1: interesting that that's coming from people that don't live here.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like yours. It's like your friends, Like like
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  Speaker 2: if you're from a really good family, like an intact, decent,
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  Speaker 2: normal American family, and your friends come over and they go, man,
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  Speaker 2: your parents are awesome, right, and you're like, no, they're not.
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  Speaker 2: They're my parents. Okay. It's the same thing. These Europeans
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  Speaker 2: came over, the Norwegians and the Scottish and the the
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  Speaker 2: folks from the Congo and you know, uh and and
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  Speaker 2: and you know all of these these uh they came
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  Speaker 2: over like this country is awesome.
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  Speaker 1: Air conditioning, I have ice right available for everything, even.
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  Speaker 2: In places like l A and C, which the cable
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  Speaker 2: news constantly beats on. They talked about how kind and
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  Speaker 2: nice people were.
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  Speaker 1: I did find it interesting that, even though you know,
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  Speaker 1: Seattle is a hub for soccer, for American soccer, I
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  Speaker 1: found it interesting that Clantifa decided that would not be
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  Speaker 1: the best place to show up, right. It just it
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  Speaker 1: just intrigued me.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the fans, I mean the even the American fans,
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  Speaker 2: like we fell in love with cape Verde because they
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  Speaker 2: almost beat Argentina and they played their guts out and
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  Speaker 2: they were weeping afterwards.
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  Speaker 1: It was just the Scotts marching to the bagpipes in.
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  Speaker 2: Boston, drinking the bar dry right, singing Country Roads from
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  Speaker 2: from the top of the bar.
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  Speaker 1: John Denver is back in the Billboard top one hundred
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  Speaker 1: because of the popularity of country Roads coming back.
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  Speaker 2: Who knew?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, great stuff. More to talk about with doctor Bob McClure.
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  Speaker 1: We will zero in on the Sunshine State next. The
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  Speaker 1: opponent vents of property tax reform are now gathered. They
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  Speaker 1: are organizing, they are pushing back. Who's going to fight
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  Speaker 1: for it because the governor's not right. The governor's you know,
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  Speaker 1: Governor de Santa spent almost an hour with me on
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  Speaker 1: the show. He said, look, he said, I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: vote for it. It's not what I asked for. It's
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  Speaker 1: not what I would have done, but it's better than nothing.
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  Speaker 1: But the opponents are gonna probably win this. I think
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  Speaker 1: it's a high hurdle. I mean sixty percent. You're going
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  Speaker 1: to see the same playbook that you always see at
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  Speaker 1: the federal level when there's a government shut down. Oh here, right,
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  Speaker 1: you know, the garbage can't be picked up, the federal
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  Speaker 1: parks are closed. You know, dose expose the fraud that
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  Speaker 1: that was, right, And you're going to see that at
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  Speaker 1: the state level. You're going to see it with local officials.
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  Speaker 2: And you're already seen it with Rocky Hannah here at
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  Speaker 2: Leon County. And they don't have enough money, right, so
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  Speaker 2: they're proposing the school board is proposing a tax increase, yes,
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  Speaker 2: instead of doing things like closing schools, and how about
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  Speaker 2: just audit your books or how about fire your central
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  Speaker 2: office which does nothing on a daily basis, Right, So
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  Speaker 2: that's the playbook around the state. I think it has
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  Speaker 2: a very high hurdle. I would like for it to pass.
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  Speaker 2: It is not a very good amendment. I know that
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  Speaker 2: sounds weird, but here's the thing what it and I
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  Speaker 2: think either way, here's what I think is gonna happen.
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  Speaker 2: If it doesn't pass, which I don't think it will.
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  Speaker 2: I believe the next governor and the next legislature is
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  Speaker 2: are they're gonna come in. They're not gonna let this go.
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  Speaker 2: They're gonna they're gonna get something. Do you think I do.
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  Speaker 2: I think they're gonna get something better and bigger, because
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  Speaker 2: the growth of government spending can at the local level
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  Speaker 2: cannot stand, okay, And we have it here in Tallahassee,
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  Speaker 2: but they have it in spades around the rest of
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  Speaker 2: the state that is actually pro business and growing right,
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  Speaker 2: that has real leadership where places are growing. Okay. But
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  Speaker 2: so if it doesn't pass, I believe the next governor
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  Speaker 2: and leadership will come in and do something if it
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  Speaker 2: does pass. If it does pass, it's a start, and
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  Speaker 2: it provokes a conversation which we must have, and it
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  Speaker 2: crystallizes a conversation we must have on local spending. Okay.
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  Speaker 2: The governor has made the case, what is it, sixty
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  Speaker 2: three percent increase since COVID on local spending? Crazy? How
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  Speaker 2: much money do you need? Okay? And so and that
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  Speaker 2: drives up the cost of everything, housing and insurance and
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  Speaker 2: all of that. And we keep hearing Oh no, we
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  Speaker 2: can't cut. Oh no, we can't trim.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think they have to anticipate or take note
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  Speaker 1: of the arguments that are going to be made in
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  Speaker 1: the next few months, which are already being laid out.
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  Speaker 1: I looked at them this morning and then counter each
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: of those points. For example, renters and business owners and
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  Speaker 1: the people that own second homes. They they said, it's
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: all gonna get dumped on them, And there's some truth
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  Speaker 1: to that. It very well could be.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Is that how the legislature is going to have to
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  Speaker 1: tackle this the next time around?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah? What What what's gonna happen is you're going
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  Speaker 2: to see the local government if it if it doesn't pass,
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  Speaker 2: if they're gonna say police and fire will suffer, schools
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  Speaker 2: or suff of course, right, if it passes, you're going
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  Speaker 2: to see a massive cost shift. They're not going to
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  Speaker 2: lower their spending. They're gonna cost shift because and that's
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  Speaker 2: the problem with this amendment is that it doesn't do
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  Speaker 2: anything to protect Floridians against raising user fees or special
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  Speaker 2: district taxing or other kinds of things in other areas.
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  Speaker 2: If this passes, what we need preston is a levee
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  Speaker 2: cap where you cap all spending at the local level
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  Speaker 2: and index it to population and UH inflation and inflation. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: don't tell them how to spend it. Here's what you
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  Speaker 2: got to spend, and that protects rural counties, That protects
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  Speaker 2: fast growing counties. If you cap how much they can
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  Speaker 2: spend on an annual basis a levy.
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  Speaker 1: Cap, it also reveals what the elected leaders really think
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  Speaker 1: the core functions of government are amen.
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  Speaker 2: That is well said.
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  Speaker 1: Back with doctor Bob McClure, president of the James Madison Institute,
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  Speaker 1: Before we leave the property tax issue, let me just
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  Speaker 1: throw a thought your way and get your reaction.
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  Speaker 2: Should we start with.
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  Speaker 1: To me, the easiest way the legislature can conquer the
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  Speaker 1: first and most important hurdle to me, which is I
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  Speaker 1: want to own my own home when I pay it off,
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  Speaker 1: when I don't know the bank. I want it to
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  Speaker 1: be just like my car. It's mine.
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  Speaker 2: Ergo.
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  Speaker 1: If there's an issue on the property tax as it exists,
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  Speaker 1: that's fine, but you're not taking my house. You can't
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  Speaker 1: attach a lean to property owned by someone. That's just
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  Speaker 1: my thought. Can the legislature just start there? Home ownership,
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  Speaker 1: property ownership? If I hear you correctly.
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  Speaker 2: What you're saying is if you own your home outright,
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  Speaker 2: you are saying you will not be assessed property taxes.
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  Speaker 1: Nope, Nope, I'm saying until they sort out the property
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  Speaker 1: tax issue. If there's an issue and someone's not paying
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  Speaker 1: for their services, fine, do what anyone else does for
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  Speaker 1: an unpaid bill, but you can't attach to the home.
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  Speaker 2: That's an interesting way to look at it, and I think.
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  Speaker 1: As a starting point because to me, it all boils
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: down to if I buy my car and I pay
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  Speaker 1: off my car, a lot of things might happen, but
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  Speaker 1: the insurance company can't take my car. Maybe I can't
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  Speaker 1: drive it because I don't have insurance, but they can't
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  Speaker 1: take it. And to me, the issue is one of
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  Speaker 1: ownership of home and property that when I paid for
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  Speaker 1: my home and property, I should own it and not
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  Speaker 1: have the threat of absurd taxation or whatever the case
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  Speaker 1: might be, taking and attaching my home.
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  Speaker 2: Right. No, I think it's a great idea. I think
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  Speaker 2: you're really counting on a really smart legislature preston to
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  Speaker 2: to to think something like this through.
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  Speaker 1: But isn't it easier to go there though at the beginning, Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: than to tackle the property tax issue at the beginning,
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  Speaker 1: without dealing with the levy and all of that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know that it's easier. I think what
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  Speaker 2: the governor wanted and what the legislature wanted was we're
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: going to cut your taxes or eliminate them. Here's your
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: here's your exemption. And I think we ought to go there, right.
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  Speaker 2: I think I think at least what I have found
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  Speaker 2: in the in the policy world is you have to
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: because voters don't live and die by you know, politics.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Most people don't, right, I mean, we see that every day.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Most people don't live and die bite. So you have
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  Speaker 2: to take it in bites and in increments. I think
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  Speaker 2: that's a great I love the idea, and I think
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  Speaker 2: that would be more of a legislative act. You're gonna
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  Speaker 2: have to sell it. You're gonna have to break it
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  Speaker 2: down for people. But I think I think you're right.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's the it's the same mentality as you
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  Speaker 2: said about your car, uh and and and the ability
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: to keep it right. If you don't pay, you may
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  Speaker 2: not be able to drive it, but you they can't
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  Speaker 2: take it from you.
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  Speaker 1: If I don't pay my taxes, if we still have
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  Speaker 1: property taxes, turn off my water, but you can't take
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  Speaker 1: my home, right that's all? Yeah, Let me let me
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: ask you this. We are dealing with elections primaries where
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: there I mean, the ballots are going out tomorrow for
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  Speaker 1: the primaries. What are your thoughts on where Floord is
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  Speaker 1: going to go? Are we going to have some movement
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: in elections that are significant enough? Are we going to
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  Speaker 1: get a new leadership that's going to advance things? Because
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: I felt like, at least in the House, we had
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: obstructionists in the last two years.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: What's interesting about this year for Florida is everybody is
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: up and we're going to have some very new leadership. Okay,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: so we're going to have a new governor, right, We're
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: going to have maybe not necessarily new cabinet officers, but
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: they've never run for office as a cabinet officer, so
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: they're going to have they're having to make promises and
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: decisions as they run for office, which is going to
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: be interesting. You're going to have a new Senate president,
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: a new House Speaker, which I think is going to
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  Speaker 2: change in a good way. Relationally, what has happened between
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: the legislative and executive branch here's the thing, Okay, we
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: have to as a state, with all of this new leadership,
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: we have to recognize, and I believe a lot of them,
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: do how Florida got here, Okay, Why we are the
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: free state of Florida, Why people are moving here, why
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: people who already live here love this place. And we
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: have to continue. We have to do almost preston a
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: swat analysis of the state with all of this new leadership,
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: and then move in that direction. The great thing about
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: Governor DeSantis is the man was bold. Yeah, okay, and
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  Speaker 2: and ninety nine percent of the time I agreed with him.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: A couple times I didn't, but the man was bold.
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  Speaker 2: And this new leadership has got to realize how we
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: got here. This wasn't handed to us. Okay, it's that
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: proverbial coaching term. You know. I was born on third
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: base and I thought I hit a triple. That's these
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: people didn't hit the triple, right, Okay. This has been
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: going on since Jeb Bush, and so this new leadership
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: has to understand how we got here, and they have
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: to continue to address the issues that matter to people
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: on an everyday basis, and that's how you remain the
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: free state of Florida because I'll say this left looks
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: at Florida the way China looks at Taiwan. Okay, and
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: so they're coming. They're coming, and we can easily be
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: comfortable and say, oh, come on, Bob. Yeah, it's a
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: deep red state. You got a million and a half
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: Republican voter edge. But the Left is coming. They look
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: at Florida the way China looks at Taiwan. It's a target.
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: We have to this new leadership has to understand that
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: and have to continue to move forward on the policies
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: that have made this state what it is.
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: And to quote you, good policy makes for good politics.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: Policy makes good politics.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Always good to see you. Thank you for having me,
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Doctor Bob McClure, president of the James Madison Institute, and
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: my guest here on the Morning Show with Preston Scott