Oil Spill-Property Appraisers Seek Special Session
June 25th, 2010
Florida property appraisers requested a special session to consider a measure that would give tax relief to property owners impacted by value decreases caused by the Gulf oil spill.
Oil spill: Property appraisers seek special session
Property appraisers and state lawmakers from Northwest Florida are asking residents to contact Gov.Charlie Crist’s office, Florida Senate Pesident Jeff Atwater and Speaker of the House Larry Cretul to ask for a special session of the Florida Legislature.
Local county property appraisers are continuing to press for a special session to consider a measure that would give tax relief to property owners impacted by value decreases caused by the oil spill.
Reps. Clay Ford, Greg Evers and Dave Murzin came to the news briefing this morning at the Escambia Emergency Operations Center in support of the measure, which is being proposed by Escambia County Property Appraiser Chris Jones and Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser Greg Brown.
“We have gone through a terrible time in 2004 with Hurricane Ivan and then Dennis, and the whole country is in the toilet with the economy the way it is,” Rep. Clay Ford said. “Now we have the oil spill to deal with. We know people’s property is going to have an impact from lower property values. So we want to take some early action that we hope will relieve businesses and residents of any additional tax burdens.”
The proposal being pitched by Jones and Brown would put in place a way to hold BP accountable for lost property tax revenues to local governments.
“If we have an oil impact, and the property values along the coast were to drop, then those values will be shifted to inland properties,” Brown said. “And we think BP should make up the difference."
“Then the tax base of the county also will drop, and local governments will have the choice of either increasing taxes to make up for the revenue loss or dealing with the loss through more cuts,” Jones said. “We are saying that BP should pay for those revenue losses.”
The appraisers traveled to Tallahassee on Tuesday to meet with Florida CFO Alex Sink about their proposal. Brown said Sink is fully supportive of the tax relief proposal and also is pressing for a special session.
The property appraisers were joined by Pete Smith, Okaloosa County property appraiser at the press briefing.
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