Rhonda Rebman Lopez, chair of the Republican Party of Monroe County, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the November election.
Amendment Three, a proposed property tax measure, will be on the ballot.
The Monroe County Republican Party is strongly supporting Amendment Three and encouraging voters to turn out for the measure.
“We’re a big, big yes on Amendment Three about property taxes,” Lopez said.
Lopez pointed to support for the amendment from the Florida Realtors and said the campaign supporting it has raised millions of dollars. She said she believes the measure would provide tax relief to property owners.
“The bottom line is you want your tax bill to go down. That’s what we all want,” Lopez said.
Lopez said voters should take the time to understand the proposal before casting their ballots.
“People need to educate themselves and look under the hood and see why it would benefit them,” she said.
Lopez also addressed the county’s budget and property tax rates, saying the Republican Party favors reduced government spending and lower taxes.
“We don’t believe in tax and spend. We believe in tightening your belt,” Lopez said. “We are just not into the big spending that we perceive is going on.”
She discussed the distinction between the county’s millage rate and what individual taxpayers ultimately pay, arguing that keeping a millage rate unchanged does not necessarily mean a taxpayer’s bill will remain the same.
“Keeping a millage rate unchanged does not necessarily mean an individual taxpayer’s bill is unchanged,” Lopez said. “Because the taxable values and other taxing components can change, and if your taxes are going up, that is not good.”
Lopez said the county’s budget includes spending for public safety compensation, fire and emergency medical services, equipment and detention center needs. She nevertheless said the Republican Party does not want to see taxpayers facing higher bills.
“When you look at your tax bill, and if it’s higher, that’s the bottom line, and we do not want taxes raised,” Lopez said.
Could the county see additional ROGO units?
Lopez said her understanding is that 657 additional ROGO allocations have been authorized by the state and that Monroe County is working on changes to its comprehensive plan and land development code to accommodate them.
The issue raises questions about housing supply, development, infrastructure, environmental protection and hurricane evacuation capacity.
Lopez said she personally opposes additional large-scale development in the county.
“I am against more development, big development,” Lopez said. “I just do not think that’s the direction we should be headed.”
She acknowledged that development is a complicated issue, however, and said the debate is not necessarily partisan.
“This is pretty much not as much a partisan issue as it is a county issue and nonpartisan as well,” Lopez said.
Lopez also pointed to concerns involving property owners who believe they should be able to develop their land but face restrictions.
The discussion comes as Monroe County considers how to address additional development while balancing housing needs, infrastructure and evacuation requirements.
Voter participation is always important and the Republican Party of Monroe County plans to continue its get-out-the-vote efforts.
“We need to get out and vote. We need to be engaged. We need to be informed,” Lopez said.
Monroe County had a high voter turnout during the last general election and the party hopes to see strong participation again.
“We’ve got to get out the vote,” Lopez said. “I really, really cannot stress how important it is for people to get out and vote, not only locally, countywide, statewide, nationally.”
The party plans to raise and spend money on get-out-the-vote efforts as upcoming elections approach.
“We need to get out and vote. We need to be engaged. We need to be informed,” she said.
For more information, click here: https://www.keysgop.com/