If Highlands County voters lose their chance to decide whether to vote on a tax measure to protect the county’s threatened natural resources, they can thank Gov. Ron DeSantis.
After two years of study, meetings and polling that indicated support for the idea, the Highlands County Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday not to proceed with a referendum this year.
Leading the opposition was Commissioner Scott Kirouac, who argued that it would be a bad idea of have this measure on the same ballot as a proposal that is being considered this week in the Florida Legislature. That proposal would ask voters if they want to reduce or maybe even abolish property taxes on owner-occupied homes that are already protected from tax hikes to some extent by the homestead exemption and Save Our Homes.
He said it could set up a situation in which voters could approve a tax they will never pay.
“That is not fair,” he said.
According to U.S. Census data, an estimated 78 percent of residences in Highlands County are owner-occupied.
Commissioner Kevin Roberts said Kirouac’s argument is based on the assumption that voter-approved tax levies would be affected by the DeSantis measure.
The precise ballot language and other details are still being debated by legislators, and it is far from certain what kind of proposal–if any–will emerge from the special session.
Depending on how those details sort out, commissioners agreed they could reconsider their environmental lands referendum vote next month.