The House voted 79-38 along party lines and sent to the Senate two proposals: one to cap all yearly property taxes at 1.35 percent of assessed value, and another to cap all government revenue with a formula that ties increases to population and inflation.
Democratic leaders blasted the moves as a political ploy. They complained that House Republicans made no attempt to protect education funding from billions in cuts or quantify the lost government services that will result.
Almost as recognition to its dead-on-arrival fate in the Senate, the House approved the tax-revenue cap without debate. The state Taxation and Budget Reform Commission rejected a similar cap last week.
The House debated at length, however, the plan to put a flat 1.35 percent yearly cap on all property taxes, the exact language of a similar citizen petition that supporters hope to put on the 2010 ballot. House Speaker Marco Rubio said his priority this session would be to pass the 1.35 percent idea through the House, but has acknowledged it may not go beyond that.
He and other supporters say the change is needed because of a ''property tax'' crisis -- although none of them have acknowledged that soaring property values in the real estate boom years were the first culprit.
''I didn't know providing property-tax relief was a political ploy. I thought it was doing our job,'' said Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a Miami Republican and the House sponsor. ``And whether we like it or not, members, this is going to get on the ballot -- in 2010.''
Supporters of the citizen petition drive have gathered the needed signatures to prompt the required Supreme Court review of the language, though they failed to collect enough signatures to get the measure on this November's ballot. Their next chance will be in 2010.
''This will not solve the tax crisis in Florida. All this will solve is what you're going to put on the top of a mail piece,'' said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. ``When you have a real tax crisis, you should respond with a real tax solution -- this is not a real solution.''
Rep. Jack Seiler, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, said there is no attempt to protect education budgets from the $6 billion in projected revenue cuts that would result from a flat property-tax rate if voters were to approve it. And he said Republicans made no attempt to explain how the money would be divided among different regions of the state.
''Good politics does not make for good public policy,'' Seiler said. ``This is great politics. This is a political ploy that looks real good. It looks real catchy and good on a bumper sticker.''
