Article Courtesy of The Orlando Sentinel

By John Kennedy and Jason Garcia
Published  April 27, 2007

TALLAHASSEE -- Facing his toughest leadership test yet, Gov. Charlie Crist tried Thursday to end a bitter clash between House and Senate leaders over how much to cut property taxes this year.

Just as he did during January's special session on insurance, Crist turned to "real Floridians" to make his case for slashing property taxes, as he urged House Speaker Marco Rubio to abandon his controversial plan to trade lower property taxes for a higher sales tax.

But what is important is that we deliver something we can agree upon . . . time is running out."

Rubio, R-West Miami, has demanded that any final plan save Florida homeowners an average of $1,200 a year in property taxes, an amount that others say would devastate city and county governments -- unless, as Rubio wants, much of the lost money is replaced with a significant sales-tax increase.

"If our numbers are too high, then someone should tell us what they should be," Rubio said.

With the session slated to end in a week, the House is seeking a combined $40 billion to $50 billion in tax reductions during the next five years. The Senate plan would save $15 billion to $20 billion during the same period.

Crist weighed in Wednesday with a split-the-difference proposal that could save $33.5 billion over five years.

On Thursday, Crist's allies included Eduardo Burkhart, 47, a hearing-impaired assistant manager at a West Palm Beach McDonald's who spoke through an interpreter.

Burkhart said he and his fiancee want to move to a new house, but they can't because they would face a much higher tax bill. Any savings accrued under the state's Save Our Homes tax cap is lost when a homeowner moves, a situation Crist and the Senate want changed.

"I'm stuck; I have no choice," Burkhart said. "What can I do?"

Rubio later countered Crist by reading numbers to reporters from a handwritten sheet of paper that he said showed Burkhart would save more in property taxes under the House plan than the governor's or the Senate's.

Also appearing with Crist was retiree Stan Whitney of Port Charlotte, who had written the governor about his property-insurance woes. Crist later visited Whitney's home after the January special session and also brought him to the Capitol.

Whitney said lawmakers should continue work on making insurance more available and cheaper.

The toughening talk over property taxes is dominating the Legislature, shouldering aside decisive action on most other bills and the state's $70 billion-plus budget.

Negotiations over taxes halted Thursday after harsh exchanges between the two sides ended a brief huddle the evening before, with the House effectively refusing to budge.

Rubio may have heightened the tension by going on Spanish-language radio Wednesday night in Miami to suggest he might launch a constitutional-amendment campaign to achieve his tax plan.

Rubio, whom many think intends to run for higher office someday, told reporters Thursday that he likely would work on such a petition drive should he be unable to wrestle his plan through the Senate.

"Sure," he said. "I know it's a possibility."

Crist downplayed any hard feelings, saying he spoke with Rubio earlier Thursday.

"He's my friend," Crist said. "He told me he was upset with the process. That's fine."

Though the property-tax debate in the Capitol is now largely focused on how much to cut, a group of mayors across the state nonetheless met with key lawmakers Thursday to plead for restraint.

The mayors, including Orlando's Buddy Dyer, once again warned legislators that deep property-tax reductions would lead to cuts in everything from garbage collection to police on the streets.

"I don't have the sense that the folks here are on the front lines, or understand the front lines, of providing essential services," Dyer said.

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