Residents' Lower Opinions Of State Spotlight Big Challenges For 2008

Article Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune

EDITORIAL

Published January 1, 2008

Life in Florida has changed in ways many residents don't like.

Higher costs of living are sending folks elsewhere to retire. Some property owners are paying the tax collector far too much. Yet the state faces big shortfalls in revenue for education, roads and a variety of services.

It's no wonder the people who live here, recently polled on a variety of key issues, are more pessimistic than in 2006.

Their lower opinion of life in Florida helps set the agenda for a New Year already off to an inauspicious start.

Taxes now rank as the state's single biggest concern, with little relief on the way. The constitutional amendment on the ballot Jan. 29 does very little to help newcomers, who pay a disproportionate share of property taxes. Lawmakers can and must do better if Florida is to become an agreeable home for the wealthy, middle class, retirees and those on limited incomes.

The Census Bureau just reported that the state's population growth in 2006 was below 200,000, the lowest of the new century. Growth in 2007 may prove even slower because word is out about the skyrocketing cost of living here.

More reasons for the slowdown are partially explained in a Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey taken for the executive-training group Leadership Florida.

People are worried, and they don't expect much to improve soon.

Lower Marks For Living

The quality of life in Florida is on a downhill slide, say 43 percent of those polled in the annual Sunshine State Survey. That's a big jump in pessimism from the 36 percent who felt that way in 2006. Only a third think things will keep getting worse, but that's cold comfort when only 24 percent see a more rosy future.

Yet folks aren't really as gloomy as the numbers suggest. The closer to home you get, the brighter the outlook. Fifty-nine percent think their own communities are better or at least no worse off, and an overwhelming 80 percent feel that way about their neighborhood. A healthy sense of community is evident, with 92 percent saying they have helped a neighbor in need. No longer would it appear that Floridians are "bowling alone."

One in five of the 1,200 people surveyed said they are seriously thinking about moving out of state, but 62 percent would advise a friend of relative to move here.

High Grades For College

The public is proud of the state's colleges and universities. Seventy-one percent grade them as good or excellent.

Tuition is too high, say 41 percent, but 34 percent think costs are just right. There is no apparent groundswell for charging higher tuition to build better universities.

Public schools score lower. Only 49 percent think they're excellent or good, and 17 percent give them a poor grade. But there is no majority agreement on what to do about it.

Thirty-six percent want to increase teacher pay, 20 percent want to improve discipline in the classroom and 10 percent want to reduce class size.

But there's growing dissatisfaction with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, known as FCAT. The public now sees it as an inaccurate way to measure student progress. Fifty-two percent say the FCAT is not necessary, while 39 percent support keeping it.

Tax Anxiety

Florida residents identify taxes as the most important issue facing the state, surpassing last year's leader - education. Twenty percent put it atop a long list of concerns, well ahead of public schools at 15 percent.

Taken together, all the pocketbook issues - taxes, government spending, insurance, the economy, jobs and the cost of housing - are what an overwhelming majority of us are most concerned about.

The numbers also reflect the tax unfairness built into the property-tax system. The 48 percent who think their taxes are too high are probably right, and the 47 percent who think they're paying the right amount also are right. These groups are looking at very different tax bills.

The Jan. 29 constitutional amendment needs 60 percent approval to pass, and if voters understand that the change won't create an equitable system, it's hard to see the yes vote being much over 50 percent.

Florida residents head into 2008 unsure of what to do about our major problems. But at least we're talking about what the problems are, and that's a start.