Letters to the Editor
Accident assessment makes no sense

So, let me get this straight.

I live in Navarre and work in Pensacola. I drive through Gulf Breeze 10 times a week, sometimes more if I need to go to Pensacola on the weekends. I occasionally stop in Gulf Breeze for gas, groceries, pharmacy items or the library, but if I happen to cause an accident in Gulf Breeze, they want to charge me an additional $215 for the accident.

What lamebrain came up with that scheme?

Do we charge him or her to drive through Santa Rosa County because he or she wants to go to Fort Walton Beach or Navarre and causes an accident? Does this person not go anywhere other than Gulf Breeze? They just drive around in Gulf Breeze, and that's it?

Gulf Breeze is already known as a speed trap. Do you want to make it known as the most ridiculous place to drive through, too? Why not start charging a toll to get in and out of Gulf Breeze? That's another way to make money!

I've never caused an accident and I hope I never do, but this idea is for the birds!

Rhonda O'Grady

Navarre

TBRC headed in wrong direction

Every 20 years, the Florida Constitution requires that the Tax and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC) convene to examine the state's budgetary process, the revenue needs and expenditure processes, as well as analyze the appropriateness of the tax structure and governmental productivity and efficiency.

The members of this commission - making decisions and proposing potentially harmful amendments to the Constitution - are not elected.

Their current plan (CP0002) includes removing the Required Local Effort (RLE) in an attempt to lower property taxes; however the approximately $10 billion budgetary hole thus created will still need to be filled. To recoup that loss, new taxes will have to be created. Legislators will be forced to place a sales tax on services in order to fill this hole.

CP0002 will affect everyone, including the free-falling construction industry.

The construction industry is declining, and the new taxes will only stall it further. In the April 2008 issue of Southeast Construction magazine, McGraw-Hill reported that the "value of new Florida (construction) contracts declined by 43 percent in January, compared to the same period of a year ago. In January, the value of new contracts totaled just over $2.5 billion, down from the previous January total of about $4.4 billion."

This proposal will force doubling, tripling, or more in taxation within the design and construction industry, driving up the cost of doing business in Florida. Every business that relies on contracting with others will be hurt by these taxes as will the consumer.

This is the time when this Commission could do more to help with Florida's economy; however, they are on a track that will only negatively impact us further. The information they are presenting is inaccurate, and Commission members should admit that they are not lowering taxes but are in fact creating new taxes.

Before proposing such radical changes to our constitution, members of the TBRC should educate themselves on the consequences of this bad proposal. We encourage at a minimum, further meetings to fully vet this proposal, or better yet, a reconsideration of their votes approving CP0002.

Donald T. Yoshino President, Florida Association American Institute of Architects