Stevenson warns to make your voice heard

Local St. Johns County Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson reported to the St. Augustine news desk at Historic City News during a break from the legislative session, in progress today.

“I am in Tallahassee right now and I can tell you these legislators need to hear that you are watching their stewardship,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson has joined in support of the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities who have unveiled a proposal for the Florida Legislature to eliminate, delay, repeal or deny unfunded mandates that are no longer necessary.

“By eliminating these mandates,” Stevenson says, “the Legislature can save local tax dollars to provide relief to Florida’s taxpayers without increasing their deficit.”

“While the refrain may be familiar, unfunded mandates are causing citizens to suffer under their weight,” said Florida Association of Counties President and Alachua County Commissioner Rodney Long, “By enacting the bills contained within the Local Savings Act, tax dollars and critical services can be preserved.”

The Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities have made it easy for voters to contact their legislators in support of the Local Savings Act through a special website

Stevenson warns Historic City News readers, “Special interests have paid representatives here, and while I represent you, if our legislators do not feel the voter’s presence breathing down their neck – the special interest win.”

“Unfunded mandates increase the power of the state while decreasing the power of our citizens,” said Florida League of Cities President and Mayor of Tallahassee John Marks. “They disrupt the fundamental democratic relationship between citizens and the leaders they elect to protect their communities and quality of life. “

Unfortunately, the Florida Legislature is currently considering additional unfunded mandates that would further burden tax payers and reduce services Florida’s most vulnerable depend on.

Stevenson says it is important to encourage the legislature to stop these end-runs around Florida’s taxpayers:

-Medicaid Nursing Home Services: Oppose efforts to increase county contribution rates for the state’s portion of the federal Medicaid nursing home services program.

-Solid Waste & Recycling/Compost: Eliminate or extend new compost recycling requirements for county solid waste programs.

There are many policies that if eliminated could save tax dollars for city and county taxpayers, according to Stevenson. For instance:

-Counties are required to increase infrastructure spending on courts by 1.5 percent annually regardless of need;

-Counties are charged excessive rates for inmate health care;

-Billing for juvenile detainees is unfair and unpredictable steps should be taken to reverse these practices and provide alternative detention solutions;

-Voting equipment for counties is costly and current requirements to meet ADA standards are premature;

-Runaway pension costs for police officers and firefighters threaten to put Florida’s cities on a road to financial ruin; and

-State-mandated “extra” pension benefits have already forced cities to spend over $345 million in tax revenues on new pension benefits since 1999.

With Florida’s economy depressed, and now when services are needed the most, they are being reduced or cut all together. The repeal of these mandates will provide additional flexibility to ensure that cuts to services are limited and taxes remain low.

For 80 years, the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) has represented the diverse interests of Florida’s counties, emphasizing the importance of protecting home rule – the concept that communities and their local leaders should make the decisions that impact their community. The Florida Association of Counties helps counties effectively serve and represent Floridians by strengthening and preserving county home rule through advocacy, education and collaboration.

Founded in 1922, the Florida League of Cities is the united voice of the state’s 410 municipalities. Its goals are to promote local self-government and serve the needs of Florida’s municipal governments. The League is founded on the belief that local self-government is the keystone of American democracy. The League is the premier provider of many products and services developed especially for Florida’s cities, so they can effectively serve Florida’s citizens