Florida (FL) legislature continues to bargain for tax reliefs, however a FL city is already ahead of the game.
FL state lawmakers are trying to find ways to provide citizens with relief concerning their property taxes, however local officials are now taking the lead.
In the City of Hialeah in Miami-Dade county, Mayor Brayan Clavo is giving property tax refunds to senior citizens.
The nitty gritty
The 28-year-old mayor goes on further, “We don’t have to wait for the legislature to act; we can act at the municipal level.” Hialeah is the first city to provide refunds on property tax to seniors 65 and over. This portion only includes property tax, not school tax, and it comes with income limits and includes homesteaded properties. The checks, on average, are 500 dollars.
Mayor Clavo had this to say, “this program shows we can get it done right now and we can get it done in a way that’s fiscally responsible…We didn’t cut services and didn’t raise any tax on anyone else.”
Many residents when facing tax reliefs, are often hesitant when it comes to which services could be affected. However, Clavo specifically modeled this relief to not heavy the burden on any other groups or communities.
An emerging butterfly effect?
This idea to refund senior citizens on their property taxes is also being implemented in the city of Miami.
Mayor Clavo demonstrated that this model not only works, but also provides a healthy inbetween for residents who want tax cuts -but fear the consequences of what government institution may be affected.
The city of Hialeah is perhaps proof that this new incentive is working,and working well. We could see a spike in the number of cities in FL that could adopt this model.
