Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–July 19

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Pembroke Pines OKs 6.2 percent increase for charter schools

6.2 percent increase will cover teacher salaries

The cost of serving the 5,310 students who will attend the city’s seven charter schools beginning Aug. 20 will increase 6.2 percent from last year.

 

Poll: Voters confused by legislature’s super homestead exemption plan

If voters were to decide today whether to approve the Legislature’s super homestead exemption plan to cut property taxes, the initiative to change the state constitution would fail, according to a new statewide poll.

 

Property Tax Cutbacks Exacting Personal Tolls

The edict has come from Tallahassee to Florida’s local governments: Cut your property tax collections. Stop the unchecked revenue growth that has accompanied Florida’s valuation boom. Trim the fat.

 

Solid Raises Upgrade Teachers

TAMPA – Unions representing Hillsborough teachers and blue-collar workers agreed on raises Wednesday averaging 8 percent for teachers and 6 percent for bus drivers and other blue-collar workers.

 

Property Tax Relief Stymies GOP, Democrats

SOLIVITA – One thing was made clear at a joint meeting of this community’s Republican and Democrat clubs July 10, confusion over the Florida Legislature’s efforts to provide property tax relief crosses party lines.

 

Nine new schools planned for Sarasota County will use special sales tax revenue

SARASOTA COUNTY — The real estate market may be slow these days, but school officials are still putting forth plans to build nine new schools.

 

Rival initiatives on growth won’t do the job for Florida

In Florida, if you can’t win over voters with a straightforward appeal to their good sense, just confuse the hell out of them. It’s how the state constitution became a mishmash of pregnant pig protections and bullet trains to nowhere. And here we go again.

 

Palm Beach County School Board facing cuts as budget talks set to kick off

Possibility of cut in state funding creates uncertainty

The Palm Beach County School Board kicked off public review of its $3.6 billion budget Wednesday while the threat of a major cut hovers from Gov. Charlie Crist’s office.

 

PBCC sees boost in full scholarships

Palm Beach Community College saw an 11 percent leap last year in the number of students with medallion-level Bright Futures Scholarships as a result of a little-known legal change that pays full tuition for B-average students.

 

Miamians wave ‘bye’ to city marina discounts

Starting in October, Miami residents who dock their boats at city-owned marinas will lose a 30 percent discount they’ve had since 2003.

 

Fees could increase as taxes fall

N. Lauderdale ponders ways to cover budget

NORTH LAUDERDALE Residents can expect to pay less in property taxes this year, but officials are hoping to get some of that money back into city coffers by raising service fees.

 

Soil-and-water chief links cuts to whistle-blowing on Orange

A little-noticed elected body in Orange County, created during the aftermath of the nation’s Dust Bowl disaster, is facing a crisis that threatens to dry up its resources.

 

When Schools Don’t Make The Grade

In Alexandria, Forbes Ranking Sparks Soul-Searching, Debate

Susan Lavington was angry. She was pregnant with her fourth child and thinking about kindergarten for her 4-year-old twins. She was paying hefty property taxes in Alexandria and wanted to send them to the neighborhood school, but she was on the fence about it.