Not a tax burden

Re the Aug. 28 editorial Protect farmland, taxpayers' wallets and recent stories about Florida's agricultural exemption: They implied that AMB Codina Beacon Lakes is developing the Beacon Lakes Business Park at the expense of taxpayers.

In 2002, the previous owners of the Beacon Lakes property paid about $84,000 in real-estate taxes. In 2004, Beacon Lakes paid approximately $300,000 in real-estate taxes. Upon final build-out of the project, Beacon Lakes could potentially pay approximately $9 million a year in real-estate taxes, while contributing enormously to the county's employment base.

Although the venture is paying lower taxes due to the agricultural exemption on a portion of the property, the land in question is receiving few, if any, services from the county. The Codina Group has always followed the law, and continues to do so.

ARMANDO CODINA, chair, The Codina Group, Miami