Latest news with #DannyPerez
Miami Herald
19-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
They talked big about making Florida more affordable, but lawmakers disappointed
Florida lawmakers had one big job this year and, with some exceptions, they failed at it: They didn't address the lack of affordability that's forcing people to leave the state, especially in expensive areas like South Florida. The passage of a $115 billion state budget this week marked the end of an unusually long and tense legislative session in which Senate and House leaders disagreed over funding matters. We're glad they came to a consensus, but 2025 did not turn out to be the year of affordability as advertised when the session began in early March. The Herald Editorial Board met with dozens of candidates, Republican and Democratic, ahead of last year's legislative elections. Back then, virtually all of them told us that the biggest concern they were hearing from voters was the exorbitant price of homeowners' insurance and housing. As the Editorial Board wrote on March 4: 'Lawmakers will return to their districts at the end of the two-month session and explain whether they have done enough to address what's behind the increased cost of living in Florida.' They will have a lot of explaining to do. To be fair, the Legislature did make disaster-relief sales-tax cuts year round and extended the back-to-school sales tax holiday for a full month, the Herald reported. These cuts will go into effect every year without the need for legislative approval. Lawmakers also eliminated the business-rent tax, which is supposed to help small businesses, and doubled the funding to address food insecurity. These measures will provide some relief for Floridians, but, as the Herald reported, most tax breaks passed this year actually went toward businesses, many of which have an army of lobbyists in Tallahassee. For example, lawmakers eliminated the aviation fuel tax, helping airlines, and reduced a tax on cardrooms operated by parimutuels. House Speaker Danny Perez, R-Miami, told the Herald that the sales tax holidays are a 'win' for consumers — 'I believe we batted 1,000,' he said. (Perez originally wanted to reduce the state's sales tax from 6% to 5.25% but that didn't make into the budget.) Perez and his colleagues are naive if they think their constituents will be satisfied. Even longtime homeowners cannot keep up with the cost of everything, especially, property insurance. A few years ago, the Legislature passed a reform package that made it harder to sue insurance companies, which said they were forced to pass their high legal costs onto consumers in the form of higher premiums. President Donald Trump once blasted the changes as a 'bailout' to insurers and even Perez hinted the reforms were a giveaway to the industry, the Herald reported. After years of instability, Florida's insurance market has stabilized with premium increases slowing down, but the crisis for homeowners is far from over and many are paying more than they can afford. Last November, the Herald reported that Republican leaders were surprising their colleagues with 'tough talk' on insurance companies and the affordability crisis. '[Floridians] don't want our state's insurance laws to be written by insurance companies,' Perez told the House. The political appetite for more accountability grew when, in March, the Herald/Times uncovered a 2022 study that found that insurance executives distributed $680 million in dividends to shareholders and diverted billions more to affiliate companies while justifying big premium increases to cover their losses. Perez even ordered legislative hearings to look into the issue. In the end, no meaningful comprehensive reform on the insurance industry passed, even though Republicans put forward proposals to demand more transparency on the compensation of insurance executives. That legislation died and would have, according to sponsors, sped up the insurance claims process and cooled rates. Lawmakers always have next year to tackle broader reforms. Caution, in some cases, is needed. Lawmakers, for example, did not try to eliminate property taxes as Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted, which would have wreaked havoc in local governments and public schools, choosing instead to study the proposal. The real issue making Florida increasingly too expensive for those who aren't millionaires remains the cost of owning a home and insuring it. That hasn't changed. Floridians need meaningful reforms ASAP. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saving for a storm while it's already raining: Florida readies budget fund to offset federal cuts
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — With growing signs of a financial squeeze from Washington, including potential cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and FEMA, Florida lawmakers are preparing not just for state budget cuts but also for uncertainty in D.C. The state relies on federal dollars for nearly one-third of its budget and any disruptions from D.C. could have a ripple effect here on the state level. So, the question is, are lawmakers doing enough to protect Floridians from the unexpected?'I do not believe in raising taxes. We agree in the opposite. Cutting taxes, cutting spending, wasteful spending,' said House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami). 'What we're doing is, we are putting the state in a position that, god forbid, we are in a recession, we are in the 2000s all over again, we have a budget stabilization fund that would be able to backstop and protect Floridians from having to be in an uncomfortable position.' Senate and House leadership say they are leaning on the budget stabilization fund, the state's rainy day reserve, in case of a recession, rising costs, or federal pull-back. 'We're doing things to make Florida's balance sheet more durable and difficult times, and we're setting more money aside to have as rainy-day reserves if things get difficult, that's a win that's a win,' said Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula). But not everyone at the statehouse agrees that leadership's strategy is hitting the right mark.'You don't get to talk about saving money for a rainy day when it's still raining, when it's already raining on the people of Florida,' said State Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa). House Minority Leader Driskell said we shouldn't be cutting funding, we should be expanding the budget. 'It seems to me there's a lot of hot air about this Budget Stabilization Fund. There's a lot of hot air about saving money for a rainy day. But guess what? You only get to do that after you've met all of your other obligations,' said Driskell. 'The question is, do I believe this budget prepares Florida for what could be coming out of the DOGE cuts or just the changes that come out of Washington, D.C? And I would say yes,' said Senate President Albritton. It's now day 102 of the 60-day session, and Budget Chairs have been working all week, racing to finalize the final spending plan, which is now expected for a Monday vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Budget conference begins on Tuesday
Senate President Ben Albritton (L) and House Speaker Danny Perez (R). (Photos via Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives) Florida legislators are finally heading back to Tallahassee to wrap up their work for the year. Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez announced late Friday that closed-door negotiations had yielded a breakthrough on the state budget as legislative leaders agreed to a 'framework' they will use to draw up a final budget bill. The plan as outlined in memos to House and Senate members is for legislators to begin formal budget conference meetings on Tuesday with the goal of voting out a new budget for 2025-26 by June 16. Florida's fiscal year starts on July 1. The main job each year of the Florida Legislature is to pass an annual budget which authorizes billions in spending on education, healthcare, the environment, transportation, public safety, and more. The lingering standoff on the budget had led to the possibility of a state government shutdown While many details remain unclear, the deal announced on Friday would yield a substantial tax cut break for businesses versus a much smaller set of tax cuts for Florida families. The agreement does not include any consideration of a cut in the sales tax rate that had been championed by Perez and House Republicans. Legislators left town in early May after failing to pass a budget during their 60-day session. On its final day, the House and Senate agreed to extend until June 6. At the time, Albritton and Perez announced an agreement to cut taxes by $2.8 billion, including a cut in the state's sales tax. But that deal fell apart after Gov. Ron DeSantis warned he'd veto it, lest it undercut his push to reduce property taxes. Albritton backed away from the earlier deal. That decision prompted sharp criticism from Perez, who said that Albritton had broken his word. The new agreement calls for $2.25 billion in 'revenue reductions' that include the elimination of the sales tax charged on commercial leases and business rent that is estimated to cost $900 million. The two sides also agreed to $350 million in 'permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families.' The memo did not explain exactly what exemptions, although the Senate previously had suggested eliminating some taxes charged on shoes and clothes. The rest of the revenue reductions, however, would include $200 million for paying down existing state debt and $750 million that would eventually be placed in the Budget Stabilization Fund. The size of that 'rainy day fund' is now capped, so legislative leaders would ask voters in 2026 to approve raising that limit. In the meanwhile, they want to set aside money in reserves that will eventually go to the fund. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No budget talks until after June 2, Florida legislative leaders tell members
House Speaker Danny Perez (L) and Senate President Ben Albritton (R) still have not agreed on fiscal year 2025-26 spending and tax structure. (Photo via the Florida House and Florida Senate). The latest news about budget negotiations between the Florida House and Senate is that there really isn't any news to report. House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton issued brief statements late Friday afternoon telling their members that they do not need to plan on returning to Tallahassee next week. 'I hope to have a better idea of our scheduling moving forward in the next few days and will share another update after the Memorial Day Holiday,' Albritton wrote. 'We continue working closely with the Senate toward a final budget agreement,' added Perez in his own statement to his members. 'We will ensure you have the necessary notice to make travel and scheduling arrangements when the time comes.' The 60-day regular legislative session was scheduled to end three weeks ago, on May 2. However, the two chambers have not been able to come together on a budget, the only job that they are constitutionally required to accomplish. The dispute mainly centers on the issue of tax cuts. The session was originally extended to June 2, but the House returned to Tallahassee for one day last week to extend until June 30 – something that the Senate has yet to do. The fiscal year ends on June 30. If lawmakers don't pass a budget by that time it would mean a government shutdown. The budget passed by the House in April was $113 billion, about $4.4 billion less than the Senate's spending plan. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Families, businesses pay most of Florida's sales tax, state analysis shows
A 2021-2022 breakdown shows Florida households accounted for nearly two-thirds of sales tax revenue. (Screenshot via Office of Economic & Demographic Research) Roughly two-thirds of Florida's sales tax proceeds comes from households in the state, the latest analysis prepared by state economists shows, while tourists account for about 16% of the revenue collected. The annual analysis was posted last week by Office of Economic and Demographic Research and comes amid debate over whether to cut sales taxes c or look for ways to cut property taxes paid by homeowners. Florida levies a 6% sales tax on retail, admissions, transient lodgings, and commercial real estate rentals, unless expressly exempted. A House legislative analysis shows that sales tax is projected to account for nearly 74% of the states general revenue in state fiscal year 2024-25. Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to cut property taxes first and has cited the payment of sales taxes by 'tourists' and 'Canadians' as one justification. House Republicans, meanwhile, have touted their proposal to cut more than $5 billion in sales taxes as something that could take effect much sooner. House Speaker Danny Perez wants to trim back the sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. EDR, which reports to the Legislature, estimates the source of sales tax revenue on an annual basis, but because state economists rely on data available from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics there is a lag, said Amy Baker, coordinator of the office. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The latest report, which is based on 2021-'22 information, calculates that households paid 65.8% of sales tax collections while businesses were responsible for slightly more than 18%. Tourists accounted for 16.1%. Florida has a very regressive tax structure partly because we are so reliant on sales tax. For Floridians who make less they pay more of their income to taxation. … Any effort to address that imbalance is a positive one in my book.' – Rep. Anna Eskamani These numbers have fluctuated somewhat, and previous reports show that tourists accounted for roughly 13% of sales tax collections in 2016 and 2017. The number of tourists has been on the upswing in recent years, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing arm. EDR's 2019-20 report estimated that more than 76% of sales taxes collected in that fiscal year came from households compared to 11.9% from tourists. When discussing his own plan to lower property taxes, DeSantis argued that a cut in sales taxes would allow 'relief for foreigners. It allows relief for visitors and part-time residents. I think that tax relief needs to be focused on Floridians.' The governor wants legislators to give an estimated 5.1 million residents who have a homestead exemption on their property taxes a rebate averaging $1,000 in December. That would be followed by a 2026 ballot proposal to enact a permanent tax cut. The House, however, is moving ahead with its sales tax plan. The bill cleared its first committee unanimously on Wednesday with both Democrats and Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee praising the idea. 'Florida has a very regressive tax structure partly because we are so reliant on sales tax,' said Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando. 'For Floridians who make less they pay more of their income to taxation. … Any effort to address that imbalance is a positive one in my book.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
