Amendment
Bill No. 0002D

Amendment No. 787027

CHAMBER ACTION
Senate		House
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1	Representative(s) Robaina offered the following:
2
3	Amendment to Amendment (749169) (with directory, schedule,
4	ballot, and title amendments)
5	Between lines 384 and 385, insert:
6	SECTION 19.  State sales tax increase; required local
7	effort.--The legislature shall provide for an increase in the
8	rate of the state tax on sales, use, and other transactions
9	imposed by general law by an additional two percent (2%). The
10	legislature shall apply each year the amount of additional
11	revenues generated by the increase in the state tax on sales,
12	use, and other transactions required by this section to reduce
13	the required local effort imposed upon school districts for
14	funding education finance as required by general law.
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19	D I R E C T O R Y  A M E N D M E N T
20	Remove line(s) 5-7 and insert:
21	That the following amendments to Sections 3, 4, 6, and 9
22	and the creation of Section 19 of Article VII, the amendment to
23	Section 1 of Article VIII, and the creation of Sections 27, 28,
24	and 29 of Article XII of the State Constitution are
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27	S C H E D U L E  A M E N D M E N T
28	Remove line(s) 485-501 and insert:
29	SECTION 28.  State sales tax increase; annual appropriation
30	to fund required local effort.--During the next regular session
31	of the legislature after the effective date of the creation of
32	Section 19 of Article VII, the legislature shall provide by
33	general law for an increase of two percent in the rate of the
34	state tax on sales, use, and other transactions. The legislature
35	shall appropriate each year an amount equal to the total amount
36	generated by the two percent increase in the rate of the state
37	tax on sales, use, and other transactions for the purpose of
38	reducing the required local effort imposed upon school districts
39	for funding education finance as required by general law.
40	SECTION 29.  Property tax exemptions; ad valorem tax
41	limitations; state sales tax increase.--The amendments to
42	Sections 3, 4, 6, and 9 of Article VII providing a $25,000
43	exemption for tangible personal property, providing an
44	additional alternative homestead exemption, authorizing transfer
45	of the cumulative benefit from the limitations on the assessment
46	of homestead property, creating a limitation on annual
47	assessment increases for specified real property, providing for
48	an additional alternative homestead exemption for low-income
49	seniors, providing for assessing rent-restricted affordable
50	housing and commercial and public-access waterfront property
51	pursuant to general law, and requiring the legislature to limit
52	the authority of counties, municipalities, and special districts
53	to increase ad valorem taxes, the creation of Section 27 of this
54	Article providing for election of a county property appraiser or
55	a person responsible for the duties of a property appraiser, the
56	creation of Section 28 of this Article requiring the legislature
57	to increase the state sales and use tax and appropriate
58	additional revenues from the increase to reduce the required
59	local effort imposed upon school districts, and this section, if
60	submitted to the electors of this state for approval
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63	B A L L O T  A M E N D M E N T
64	Remove line(s) 511-581 and insert:
65	ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 3, 4, 6, 9, AND 19
66	ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 1
67	ARTICLE XII, SECTIONS 27, 28, AND 29
68	PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS; LIMITATIONS ON AD VALOREM TAX
69	INCREASES; SALES TAX INCREASE; ELECTED PROPERTY
70	APPRAISERS.--This revision proposes changes to the State
71	Constitution relating to ad valorem taxation, sales and use tax,
72	and elected property appraisers. With respect to homestead
73	property, this revision: (1) provides for an additional
74	alternative homestead exemption for most homeowners, (2)
75	provides for an additional alternative homestead exemption for
76	low-income seniors, and (3) provides for the transfer of Save-
77	Our-Homes benefits that are not related to school district
78	levies. With respect to nonhomestead property, this revision
79	allows the Legislature to provide by law for the assessment of
80	(4) affordable housing and (5) certain waterfront property under
81	specific circumstances, (6) provides a $25,000 exemption for
82	tangible personal property, and (7) provides for limitations on
83	assessment increases for real property that is not homestead
84	property. Further, this revision (8) requires the Legislature to
85	limit the authority of local governments other than school
86	districts to increase property taxes, (9) provides for a 2-
87	percent increase in the state sales and use tax and applies
88	revenues from the increase to reduce required local effort for
89	school districts, and (10) requires all county property
90	appraisers or persons responsible for the duties of a property
91	appraiser in certain counties in which the office of property
92	appraiser has been abolished to be elected.
93	In more detail, this revision:
94	(1)  Provides for an additional homestead exemption equal
95	to 40 percent of the median just value of homestead property in
96	the county for the prior year for the portion of the assessed
97	value greater than $50,000. This exemption applies in any year
98	in which the amount of the exemption exceeds the amount of the
99	cumulative assessment limitation provided under Save Our Homes.
100	This exemption does not apply to school district levies.
101	(2)  Provides for an additional homestead exemption for
102	certain low-income seniors. Persons 65 or older whose household
103	income is less than $23,604, adjusted annually for inflation,
104	are entitled to an additional alternative homestead exemption.
105	This exemption applies in any year in which the amount of the
106	exemption exceeds the amount of the cumulative assessment
107	limitation provided under Save Our Homes. This exemption does
108	not apply to school district levies.
109	(3)  Provides for the transfer of cumulative Save-Our-Homes
110	benefits in a manner that does not affect school district
111	levies. Homestead property owners will be able to transfer their
112	Save-Our-Homes benefit to a new homestead within 2 years after
113	relinquishing their previous homestead; except, if the new
114	homestead is established on January 1, 2008, the previous
115	homestead must have been relinquished in 2007. If the new
116	homestead has a higher just value than the old one, the benefit
117	can be transferred; if the new homestead has a lower just value,
118	the amount of benefit transferred will be reduced in proportion
119	of the just value of the new homestead to the just value of the
120	old homestead. The transferred benefit may not exceed $1
121	million. This provision does not apply to school district levies
122	on the new homestead.
123	(4)  Provides for assessing certain rent-restricted
124	affordable housing property as provided by general law. This
125	provision does not apply to school district levies.
126	(5)  Provides for assessing certain waterfront property
127	used for commercial fishing, commercial water-dependent
128	activities, and public access as provided by general law. This
129	provision does not apply to school district levies.
130	(6)  Authorizes an exemption from ad valorem taxes of
131	$25,000 of assessed value of tangible personal property. This
132	provision applies to all tax levies.
133	(7)  Creates a limitation on assessment increases for
134	specified real property that is not entitled to the homestead
135	exemption.
136	(8)  Requires the Legislature to limit the authority of
137	counties, municipalities, and special districts to increase ad
138	valorem taxes.
139	(9)  Requires the Legislature to increase the state sales
140	and use tax by 2 percent and appropriate additional revenues
141	from the increase to reduce the required local effort imposed
142	upon school districts.
143	(10)  Requires each county to elect a property appraiser or
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146	T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T
147	Remove line(s) 610-624 and insert:
148	6, 9, and 19 of Article VII, the amendment to Section 1 of
149	Article VIII, and the creation of Sections 27, 28, and 29 of
150	Article XII of the State Constitution, to require an exemption
151	from ad valorem taxation for tangible personal property, to
152	provide for the transfer of the cumulative benefit from the
153	limitation on the assessed value of homestead property, to
154	provide for assessing rent-restricted affordable housing and
155	commercial and public-access waterfront property by general law,
156	to create a limitation on annual assessment increases for
157	specified real property, to create an additional alternative
158	homestead exemption, to provide for an additional alternative
159	homestead exemption for low-income seniors, to require the
160	Legislature to limit county, municipality, and special district
161	authority to increase ad valorem taxes, to increase the state
162	sales and use tax and apply revenues from the increase to reduce
163	the required local effort for school districts, to

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.