In an inexplicable campaign against the successful and popular PACE funding program, a group of tax collectors openly defied a circuit court judge who ruled the PACE program could be operated statewide.
PACE is a valuable program that helps thousands of moderate-income Floridians harden their homes against hurricanes. Rather than paying financial institutions directly, PACE assessments are placed on tax bills. The program has been around for almost 15 years and has been an excellent alternative to piling up credit card debt for thousands and thousands of hurricane-wary Floridians.
Last year, when approving the annual statewide bond financing, a judge ruled that all Floridians can access the program. A group of tax collectors refused and, after almost a year had passed, asked the same judge to reconsider his ruling.
The judge's answer: Tax collectors must include PACE assessments on their tax rolls.
Undeterred, some tax collectors are defying the judge.
The gall of these bureaucrats is remarkable. Tax collectors have been quoted saying that they don't like the program and think it's not good for the people getting assessments.
But it's not tax collectors' job to insert their opinions about whether Florida homeowners should be allowed to borrow money to protect their most valuable assets from storm damage and crushing insurance premium increases.
The truth? Tax collectors' defiance is the real threat to Florida PACE participants who have already made well-informed decisions to utilize the program.
Thousands of Florida homeowners have chosen PACE and virtually all of them have been able to pay their bills. But now, because the tax collectors refuse to abide by the judge's ruling, the program has been suspended in many locations, leaving some homeowners with incomplete work and others with bills due to contractors.
Liens are being taken out on homes and roofers and HVAC providers are left in the lurch.
In other words, tax collectors' defiance maximizes harm to the people they claim to be protecting. One has to wonder if their incessant litigation could also negatively impact the stability of Florida bond markets.
The Florida Legislature has recently passed excellent legislation that further improves and expands this program, and a judge has ruled all Floridians should have the opportunity to get financing for hurricane-hardening and other improvements.
The tax collectors' defiance is eerily reminiscent of other Florida officials — such as district attorneys — who refused to enforce laws with which they disagreed.
We all know how that turned out.
As hurricane season looms, lawyers are leading tax collectors off a cliff while regular folks in Florida suffer. It's time for residents' well-being to take precedence over dug-in heels and open defiance.
No comments:
Post a Comment