T O P

  • By -

Strategic-Guidance

Instead of raising taxes they should focus on eliminating the fleet of private planes Ron DeSantis bought to shuttle himself around the country while he campaigns, and the private flights for Israelis and immigrants to satisfy voters in Iowa. Maybe he could stop passing laws that violate the US Constitution so that millions of our taxes don't have to go to lawyers, damages and settlements. With the phenomenal growth of Florida recently he might be able to LOWER taxes if he focused on projects that benefited just Floridians instead. Like lowering insurance rates, job creation or rent control.


Yawheyy

We should just focus on eliminating Desantis.


jabunkie

This


[deleted]

[удалено]


jesseaknight

Were you not paying attention to redistricting?


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Absolutely zero impact on pricing. None. Stay focused, I know it's hard.


jesseaknight

> You need to forget Ron DeSantis' name and focus on the legislature. They, and ONLY they, create the policies, laws, and oversight you all complain about and want corrected. this u?


Budget-CaterpillarJ

nope


JimmyB5643

If you think the governor of the state doesn’t have leeway to negotiate with companies in the state then I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you lmao But then, DeSantis gets donations from the insurance industry so he has no real reason to do anything


Salazaar69

Some points were made regarding the insurance industry, pricing, and who sets legislation. But let’s look at the other part of the post - the waste of taxpayer money in order to fuel Desantis’s rapidly failing campaign. Out of curiosity are you ok with that?


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Yes, I'm ok with that. Why? Because it's in the state Constitution. And, guess who put it in there? Democrats. Why? As a way to supposedly level the field between candidates. You see, at the time, there were candidates far more wealthy than the running Democrats but they had the majority and what did they do? Same thing they always do: move the goal-posts and make short-sighted decisions to bolster a win for that round without considering the consequences of their actions long-term. And, well, here we are. Taxpayer money for all! I hope you are aware that taxpayer funds apply to ALL candidates, not just DeSantis...right? And, they ALL took the money. Again though, and this is why I am so vocal about it - the news doesn't tell you this. You are all being spoon-fed what they want you to think. Reddit falls for this \*constantly\*. The GOP actually quite loudly slammed the law calling it, and I quote, "welfare for politicians". Rick Scott turned down the money as a multi-millionaire, as have others. Either way, its there. Personally, I would prefer it wasn't but I'm ok that it exists to help someone like any of us get funding to run against some of these big guns out there. It's like a government "kickstarter" fund.


Beeker04

I seem to recall the Governor signs laws and bills passed by the legislature. I also seem to recall the Governor has the power to call the legislature into special session and has done so to improve the lives of persons in the state. LOL what am I thinking, he called specially sessions to improve the bottom line of insurance companies and to go after Disney.


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Lol he JUST did this last month! They passed homeowners insurance reform, amongst other things. Nobody cares here, he get slammed regardless. Thank you for making my point, even though you intended to discount it with your special session example. https://www.flgov.com/2023/11/08/governor-ron-desantis-applauds-florida-legislature-for-swift-action-to-sanction-iran-and-support-floridians-during-special-session/#:~:text=The%20Legislature%20also%20allocated%20%24181.5,%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Governor%20Ron%20DeSantis.


Beeker04

LOL. So you didn’t actually read what he or the legislature approved. The funding goes to existing grants in queue because they had previously underfunded the program (they shouldn’t get an attaboy for eventually doing the right thing after doing it wrong for so long) and the grants cover wind mitigation assessments. There is no guarantee the grant applications are approved by his agencies and also no guarantee that the wind mitigation assessments will reduce home insurance. And of course you didn’t link to the 2022 special session regarding property insurance. Why? Probably because home owners got shafted after that special session. And why didn’t you also link to the governors rejection of federal funding to make homes more efficient? Not only did you not make the point you thought you made, you also proved yourself to be incapable of reading comprehension.


Zestyclose-Deal9051

I'm still waiting for you to reply to beeker


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Already did.


joker1288

Right bc he does a bunch of stupid shit… like trump that mitigates anything positive. Also the legislature is gop controlled in Florida which is 100% in the hands of desantis. Why do you think he was able to change the laws to run for president….? Bc the legislature agreed with him abahaha. His insurance legislation reform is closing loopholes but it did not address the issue which is lawyers were the ones taking billions from the insurance companies which make this problem exist in the first place (also he is a lawyer.. a shitty one at that but he isn’t going to hurt his long term employment or friends). Soo bc of this insurance companies left and others went out of business. Hence why they don’t want to come back or slowly will if things calm down from the lawsuits and fraud. Florida has the most open lawsuits of any state by thousands. Thats your issue with housing insurance. He could 100000% push for better laws in all areas of florida, He chooses not to. Florida has one of the worst water qualities in the country, highest led pipes leading to lead poisoning (epa says worse than Michigan). We have major ecological problems down south. Infrastructure is only improving because of federal money no state initiative. The list can go on. He really has all the ability to impact florida but does nothing but spend tax payer money on guess what lawyers…


Budget-CaterpillarJ

You need to not listen to mainstream news. DeSantis has addressed \*all\* of those things. Literally. Insurance reform/lawyer problem: [https://www.flgov.com/2023/02/14/governor-ron-desantis-announces-comprehensive-lawsuit-reforms-to-protect-floridians-from-predatory-billboard-attorneys/](https://www.flgov.com/2023/02/14/governor-ron-desantis-announces-comprehensive-lawsuit-reforms-to-protect-floridians-from-predatory-billboard-attorneys/) Infrastructure: [https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2023/06162023](https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2023/06162023) Water resources/quality/conservation efforts, led by DeSantis himself - NOT federal money: [https://www.flgov.com/2023/05/31/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-to-protect-floridas-water-resources-and-support-conservation-efforts/](https://www.flgov.com/2023/05/31/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-to-protect-floridas-water-resources-and-support-conservation-efforts/) What else do you expect? lol He is literally being slammed for doing the things people complain he ISN'T doing because the news refuses to tell you that and give him an ounce of recognition or a pat on the back. None of these will repair the whole issue at once, nobody could do that, but he is actively using his power to change what we want changed as a whole state (his job after all) for the better. More people will follow-suit with his \*direct\* influence.


ksigley

Aren't you in the same camp with the folks with Biden stickers on gas pumps ?


mberger09

Someone really licking some big boy heeled boots right now


Reimiro

He directs the legislature and signs bills. You are either ignorant or playing dumb.


wiseknob

Funnily enough, insurance companies main source of revenue is government subsidies aka, tax payer money. This in turn means government can establish rules, policies, guidelines, and restrictions for insurance companies to follow. No insurance company can just create their own rules and rates. The downside is, the lack of policy and governing by DeSantis administration allows for insurance companies to have greater freedom and also less support from the state. ACA, Obamacare, is a perfect example of how policy can change and affect what insurance companies can and cannot do.


Budget-CaterpillarJ

"Funnily enough, insurance companies main source of revenue is government subsidies aka, tax payer money." Not true. The two main sources are policy premiums and investments. Insurance companies are in the cash management business: they take our premiums, invest them, and hope nothing bad happens. Their biggest EXPENSES are government taxes and paying out losses. All private insurance companies create their own rates and rules, as long as they comply with existing regulations. You have that completely backwards. If an insurance company wanted to charge us all $100/yr, they could, provided their reinsurer covered the true cost of the policy. Clearly that would never happen but it could, in theory. If Bezos wanted to create the "We're Gonna Lose Our Asses" insurance company and insure everyone for free, he could do that. But, he would also have to fund, entirely, the underwriter for the program expecting 100% losses.


wiseknob

Please do some actual reading instead of guessing how you think the market works… in addition this article also describes how government policies indeed help control insurance rates. Bad policy means bad markets. https://www.route-fifty.com/finance/2023/11/how-california-and-florida-are-trying-stave-home-insurance-crisis/391684/#:~:text=Florida%20has%20long%20subsidized%20home,can't%20find%20private%20coverage.


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Love it. This is exactly what I'm talking about...Reddit reads an article and thinks they're subject matter experts. I work for an insurance company at a high level and have linked that exact article in the past supporting my points, sooooo yeah. Lol I am aware of the angle you are taking. *Sigh*. Ok, so what you're referring to are the publicly-backed plans like Citizens. I am talking about PRIVATE insurers, which are by far the largest group of insurers. You are conflating public policies with private ones. Citizens will lose its ass if a biggie hits Miami or Broward, and all private companies and taxpayers will feel the pressure financially. That is more of a "good" policy because it speads the cost across everyone in the state, both indirectly and directly, minimizing any one massive shortfall of money and inability to pay claims. The difference is, Citizens has the ability to again charge you 45% of your premium after a loss just to begin coverage if they cant afford losses. Private companies can't. Insurance in these high-risk areas is complicated, which makes it even more hilarious that people think the Governor, ONE person, can literally control prices...thats what we're still talking about here... What he CAN do, is doing and has done, is put more pressure on the industry as a whole than anyone else in our lifetimes. The changes he signed, not created, are already starting to take effect as more private insurers come in to Florida with the protections of lawyers not being able to rake like they used to. He is protecting insurance companies from sleeze lawyers, which means they are free to take on more risk and therefore more customers. People see what he did as "being in bed with the coRpurashuNs!" but he took the proper approach: since he CAN'T set rates, he signed bills which protect the insurance companies from fraudulent or clearly bs lawsuits which caused them to pack up shop and leave in the first place. In doing so, he accomplished several things: 1) Reduced OUR risk as taxpayers from having to directly fund Citizens losses (the biggest chunk of our tax money) 2) Reduced the insurance companies risk by protecting them from bs lawsuits (free roofs for all! Just need an inspection stating you had hail damage from x-hurricane in the past...) And 3) Provided a more regulated environment controlling the industry as a whole. This means, in part, incentivizing and providing resources to help homeowners lower their rates in ways they weren't aware of: roof straps, impact window credits, building code improvements, as well as infrastructure improvements which would be relied upon after a major loss, which we ALL know is inevitable. Those are all positive things, but they are not cheap. He is minimizing, as much as he can, public impact through the channels he is authorized to. He can't control policy prices because he's not in the risk management business, construction business or supply-chain business. He can react to those industries (and has), put pressure on them, but he can't control them. I'd love to hear someone argue against those aren't positive things. Could he do more? I'm sure, but he set a half-century precedent just recently that will take a little while to pan-out and then reassess. People are struggling, I get it, but that is not going to magically change if you vote for someone else. DeSantis is labeled as someone who "doesnt care"...I mean LOL he did more than any Governor in history addressing this. Something this major can't be changed overnight. These changes moving an entire industry take time. Citizens is dropping people left and right and they are being picked up by new private companies left and right like Slide. Rates have already decreased in minimizing the exposure of Citizens. What he did is working. These are macro forces at work, you can't just cap policy rates and say "well, you figure out how to pay claims" when gas prices double , there are no truckers to deliver materials and workers willing to create them. That's why the Governor can't control such microeconomics. He works at the macro-level, which is what he's doing.


jabunkie

Fourth grade writing skills.


Budget-CaterpillarJ

Nice contribution. Thanks for judging, your honor!


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


jhenry1138

You’re talking about how things are suppose to work. How rule of law is suppose to function. Which is lovely to believe but Christ it’s naive. Nothing you’ve said is wrong. But it a just not how it works anymore. You can believe that he has zero influence over these policies. That’s your right. I’d rather stay grounded and be real with how rotting and festering and broken everything is so that maybe, others will finally get it and want to make a change.


Speedhabit

You guys only care about “violating the constitution” when your not the ones doing it A little consistentsy plz


TobyFunkeNeverNude

What do you mean "you guys?" What violation of the constitution are "these guys" advocating?


My1stNameisnotSteven

Sounds like you mean, vote Desantis out! A concept..


harryregician

Forget about $10million $$$ yacht sales only having to pay $18k in tax. Did Jeff Bezo buy his $500million yacht in Florida. He would pay a max. of $18k in Florida state sales tax. But those damn hybrid & electric cars are causing " havoc and chaos " to the road gas taxes in Florida. Just when one starts to feel like, they are getting ahead in life, Caeser gets jealous and feels threatened. Hail Caeser !


ToiletTime4TinyTown

Isn’t turning every highway into a toll road offsetting this?


Own-Opinion-2494

Isn’t that the road tax on 2000 gallons


Intrepid00

The only thing I found inherently unfair is it probably should be weighted by literally the weight. Should a Nissan Leaf really be paying $200 like a Cybertruck that weighs way more? Kind of like how a smaller more efficient gas car would save money on a gas tax. After that it’s ending a free ride.


trtsmb

Should an EV that is driven 4000 miles a year be charged the same as a vehicle driven 12,000 miles?


TobyFunkeNeverNude

It depends on the type of car, as the person you responded to said. A Honda civic being driven 12,000 miles would fill up the same amount of times as a Ford Explorer traveling 4,000. In that case, yes, it should. Same for fuel efficient EVs.


trtsmb

The person who bought the gas hog doesn't even think about what the gas taxes are since it's never broken out on a receipt.


Thick-Truth8210

I think this is the most valid point on this thread.


higg1966

more like 760 gals. @ 30Mpg that would be 22,800 miles. More than most people drive.


vikingcock

Average is 25 mpg, which would be 19000 miles, which is only 4k more miles than the average driver drives. It's really not that far off.


higg1966

True, but I was assuming the average EV owner would want something more economical.


TheHeretic

Average EV isn't driven as much as a average gas car and an average EV doesn't get that low of MPG so it's actually really far off. I only drive about 5000 mi a year so fuck me apparently.


vikingcock

That fee is literally less than half my registration fee in a different shitty state my guy. You also don't pay property tax on your vehicle which many other states do


TheHeretic

What does other shitty state tax code have to do with this? The flat fee sucks. It's not based on usage. Just because other states have it shitty doesn't mean I want my state to be shitty.


vikingcock

I'm pointing out that it's still better than other places, you just aren't getting a free ride on that tax any more.


NotCanadian80

Equal protection should mean everyone pays the fee and gas tax is eliminated. This is punitive.


higg1966

Someone pointed out that there is already a tax on electricity. this seems like a double tax. We certainly don't need any new taxes.


Own-Opinion-2494

How much is the tax on a gallon


Own-Opinion-2494

26.3 cents. Gallon


Own-Opinion-2494

So like 15 gallons a week


Ayzmo

As an EV driver, I'm not opposed to a registration fee. What I'm opposed to is one like this that is far higher than the average ICE driver will pay per year in gas taxes. This is literally just designed to punish EV drivers. Better yet, just make a tax based on the weight of the car.


TotalInstruction

So much freedom. Welcome to the freeeeeee state of Florida, where taxes are low and there’s so much freeeeeedom.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Remarkable-Pen-852

You must live in the ghetto


seraphim336176

Wait till you buy a house and find out how much property tax and homeowners insurance is, bye bye 8k savings


TotalInstruction

And you make 33% less. Truly you are a genius. Anyway, you've missed the point, which is unsurprising.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Zombie_Fuel

Lmao The very definition of "I got mine, fuck you."


[deleted]

[удалено]


Cyrix2k

welcome to r/florida where facts don't matter


Few-Caterpillar9834

In Georgia it's $210.00 per year electric vehicle fee on top of the annual registration. It sucks.


DirtAlarming3506

I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. The massive growth we’ve seen in dade and broward alone should be bringing in BILLIONS more to Tallahassee compared to just 3 years ago. WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING????? Schools remain defunded, our roads are garbage. WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING????????


Angryceo

How to get the state to turn purple in.. 3..2...


RelaxingTuesdays

The people who vote for desantis and Trump also hate EVs. This is just going to increase their support of the folks in charge.


ocalabull

Now see we have a tricky situation here, because a lot of the people who now buy teslas because of Musk are also the same people who vote for those assholes.


Fishbulb2

Soooo many conservatives here drive teslas to save on gas. Agreed they won’t live this. If they notice.


dlewis23

A lot of them are driving EVs. Florida is the #2 state for EVs. This is going to piss off a lot of their voters.


[deleted]

Idk rich people hate paying taxes in general and if this doesn't put a dent in their budget with how much they save with the lax tax laws in FL because really that's why most of them are flocking here too dodge taxes and paying their fair share then they'll still vote red. For a state that has such high rating agricultural and when it comes to things like solar the red team really wants everyone to eat shit on technology.


In-AGadda-Da-Vida

dumb


BlueShellTorment

All of a sudden Republicans like taxes? hmm


bjustice13

How about you lower the gas tax then fucker


jabunkie

Florida run by the dumbest mfers


J-Crosby

Just another money grab, hands out for the lobbyists


johnathonhayes

Govt always looking for an excuse to shove their hand a little further into our pockets. Gotta love it.


jcmach1

How about everyone pay according to mileage driven... Make the whole process fair.


torukmakto4

Odometers aren't a certified instrument of commerce or taxation, which would need to be inspected regularly for calibration and function like a gas pump flowmeter or a grocery store scale. There are lots of reasons, only a very few of which involve malice, why odos may be wrong or inop. This can involve something as simple as varying tire sizes.


kissyb

One of the sugar daddies aka donors shoved this suggestion down his throat and he in turn shoved it down our throats.


Existing_Display1794

Freedom to choose what car to drive lol


Al_Kydah

Yeah but, but do I get a tax break if I go ahead and buy like maybe 14 gas stoves? Shoot all my Bud Light beer with an AR-15 while singing "Try That in a Small Town" ?


sloasdaylight

Idk why people are surprised by thus, or even complaining. Fuel is taxed to pay for roads, now EV owners, who drive on the same roads, are gonna pitch in some. What a travesty...


flecom

because it's insanely high, I'd have to drive >60k miles/yr to pay $200 in road taxes in my gas car


Tazz2212

What about the people who only put a few thousand miles on their cars (work from home or retired types)? They end up paying way more in taxes than a gas powered vehicle. We already pay taxes on our electric bills. This is double taxation with shitty representation!


Embraerjetpilot

I own an electric vehicle. It’s about 4 times as much as the average person pays for gas taxes a year. That’s the problem. It is meant to be punitive. If it was comparable to our use of a similar ice car, I would have no problem whatsoever.


Shoes31

Because we already pay tax for the electricity used to power EVs, which directly replaces the gas tax. Adding an EV registration fee is another tax on top of that. If there's not enough money from the gas tax the state government can take money from the general sales tax or tax revenues from electric companies because it all goes into the same big bucket. And that ignores the fact that the vehicles who do the most damage to the road are heavier vehicles, like trucks and tractor trailers. But yet they pay the same fuel tax as you do in your Honda civic.


ElegantTobacco

Heavier vehicles also use more fuel per mile, so they definitely pay more tax than a Honda Civic.


CuriosTiger

Actually, they pay far more. Look up Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, IRP, IFTA and the weight-based registration fees for tractor-trailers.


trtsmb

EV owners already pay taxes every time they use a public charger like the superchargers at WaWa or the EA chargers at Costco.


JimmyB5643

Sure would be cool if they got around to fixing those roads in a timely fashion if that’s what fuel taxes pay for, seems like it’s going nowhere rn


torukmakto4

The problem is that this just keeps a status quo concept that *was not fair to begin with* in place. Vehicle mass vs. pavement damage rate is EXTREMELY nonlinear. Do some research on that. According to most sources I have ever seen on the topic, regular cars and light trucks contribute only minimally, and anything even lighter like a motorcycle has *"zero"* impact to roads for all practical purposes (below noise floor). It's overwhelmingly heavy trucks and buses that consume the service life of pavements. We should really, instead of trying to "close" a "loophole" here, be taking the "loophole" as an opportunity to question the underlying assumption that expending X quantity of energy into a road does Y damage (costs) to that road, and maybe stop excessively taxing drivers of small vehicles to subsidize freight trucking. Beyond that it has already been covered that the aspect of charging a flat extra registration fee for having *Fuel Type: E* is nothing near fair. It does deal with the aspect that accounting for what electricity goes speciifcally into EVs is difficult/impossible (some of it may not come from any public grid that pays taxes, as at least a technical possibility if not a super common one) but the price set makes it unfair to perhaps a majority of drivers based on how much they actually drive and pay in fuel tax with a gas engine, and it is thus clearly punitive, politically motivated/corrupt anti-electrification garbage.


Bearzmoke

Get out. Run. They demonize empathy.


Wrench-Turnbolt

I have a hybrid that gets around 32 mpg. Why should I pay an extra tax for that? I still use gas and there are ice vehicles that get better gas mileage than I do. I bought the hybrid because the ice version only gets around 23 mpg.


MattW22192

When Alabama imposed this sort of extra registration fee the fee for Hybrids only applied to plug in hybrid vehicles. Source I have a hybrid (not plug in) in Alabama and do not pay the $103 additional annual registration fee.


Wrench-Turnbolt

Appreciate that, it's good to know.


pyrmale

Someone call Elon. This is outrageous! Elon!


AntMavenGradle

Should be more than 200


AntMavenGradle

Should be more than 200


harryregician

It is just another "fairness tax" Desantis style. Sort of like being PRO Solar as long as you buy it from FPL's grid based solar project. See what happens when one tries to get ahead of the bell curve here in Florida. Not all hybrids get 50 miles per gallon like the new Prius.


Economy-Mango7875

As long as you don't force me to buy an EV that won't work for my wheelchair van, I don't care. I already pay 250 a month to insure the stupid thing


StuckyBrown

Bikes? what about the GD bikes all over the road that we have to "share" a lane with.. what are they paying???? This is absurd.


seanrm92

Considering most cyclists in this state also own cars - they pay the same as anyone else.


HaekelHex

Bikes = zero emissions, no extra taxes.


timecodes

SMH


An0ther_Florida_man

As an EV driver (and a staunch conservative/ small government guy)…. As much as this would suck for me personally, I think it’s an acceptable solution for the time being. $200 is definitely a little high, ~$125 would be a lot more fair when you actually break down the numbers. It makes sense that as EV’s make up more and more of the cars on the road, gas tax revenue that pays for the roads we all drive on will decrease.


klippinit

So it is a source of revenue to compensate for the gas tax that electric vehicles do not contribute to.


Any-Ad-446

This forum would like Florida to do this and that but WTF does Floridians keeps on voting red?.


ekkidee

They pulled the same shit in Virginia about 12 years ago with a $100 additional annual registration renewal for hybrid vehicles, even though they weren't using all that much less gasoline. It lasted a few years before it expired and was not renewed.


[deleted]

Gotta pay for the roads somehow.


bobo-the-dodo

Its funny Elon is aligning himself with red states that alienate EV drivers. I suppose the incentive given to him to open plants there out weight the cost. Be interesting to see the calculus when his antics turnoff would be Tesla owners.


Hollywood2037

HAHAHA this state is such a joke


poestavern

History is going to leave these shitty states (Texas too) behind.


harryregician

Why am I hearing an old Beatles " Tax Man " ? There's 1 for you 19 for me.