Here we go again. When Governor Crist came to Orlando and told us all his unrealistic amazing plan to cut Florida property taxes, why did we get so excited? Did we really think this would happen? In retrospect, it all seems like a bunch of ra-ra now. If you're still interested, here's another update on the situation.

Last week, Gov. Crist vetoed a $459m spending budget, and House Democrat Leader Dan Gelber suggested using the savings to cut property taxes, but House Speaker Marco Rubio, said the suggestion is unsound.

“Unfortunately, following your suggestion of using the money saved by the Governor’s vetoes would violate not just a principle of responsible budgeting but also the wishes of the people of Florida as reflected in our state’s constitution,” Rubio, R-West Miami, wrote in a letter dated Friday.

“Given sound budgeting principles and constitutional budget restraints, I encourage you to consider other recurring expenses as an opportunity to reduce property taxes,” Rubio wrote.

Crist had some fun last week signing into law a $71.5 billion state budget after vetoing spending items such as local cultural projects and a 5% tuition increase for college students. This same budget includes a $545m increase in the state's required local property tax for public schools. There will be a special session on June 12-22 to cut city and county property taxes - can't wait!

Now is it just me, or does this seem to be completely different from the grand promises made in Orlando a few short weeks ago. Stay tuned for another exciting episode of Will They, Won't They.

Related Articles:
Will They, Won't They Part 1 - Ekday
Property Tax Update - The Insider Real Estate Blog (Tampa)
Property Tax Update - SouthWest Florida Real Estate News
Florida Politics News for 4/30/07 - FLA Politics
Orlando Town Hall Meeting - Ekday
Florida Property Tax Reform Debate Continues - The Tax Foundation

Tags: orlando, florida, property taxes

If you've been reading my blog for the past few months, you'll remember my post about RSS Feeds. To refresh your memory, RSS feeds let you read blog posts without actually visiting the website. All you need is a feed reader (I use Google Reader), and you're all set. Well, I've taken that same technology and applied it to my listing pages. Now you'll be able to subscribe to a certain part of town, and see all our new listings as we add them. You'll no longer need to visit the site to see if things have changed.

It's very simple to do. Just visit our Listings page, and choose the town you'd like to live in. n the right side of the screen, you'll see a little orange symbol that looks like the picture in this post that says, "Subscribe." For an even easier way to receive our new listings, you can add your email into the subscription box, and the new listings will be delivered to your email - no feed reader required.

So what's stopping you? Visit the listings page and get ready to find the home of your dreams!

Tags: blog Tools, rss, feeds

It's a Monday morning, and kids are getting out of school. You have plenty on your mind and shouldn't have to read today. I've spent some time on YouTube today searching for videos of some of the most popular rides at our theme parks, so instead of forking over the cash, sit back and enjoy the rides from the comfort of your desk!?!!??

Walt Disney World - Splash Mountain

Tower of Terror, Disney-MGM Studios, Orlando

kraken @ sea world orlando

Space Mountain - With the Lights ON!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Walt Disney World

Disney Country Bear Jamboree part 1

Disney Country Bear Jamboree part 2

WDW: The Haunted Mansion

Spaceship Earth Ride through

Mission: SPACE

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Alien Encounter : Extra Terrorestrial WDW Walt Disney World

WDW Animal Kingdom - Kilimanjaro Safari 2000

Epcot Test Track Walt Disney World

Jaws - Universal Studios, Orlando

Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios, Orlando

Twister - The Ride (Universal Studios, Orlando!)

Poseidon's Fury at Universal Islands of adventure

Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Islands of Adventure

Islands Of Adventure: The Hulk Roller Coaster

Dueling Dragons Roller Coaster - ICE

Dueling Dragons: Fire

Busch Gardens Tampa SheiKra Roller Coaster

Hope you all enjoyed the ride! Let me know if I missed your favorite, and I'll try to add it.

Tags: attractions, orlando, Tampa, disney

Raise your hand if you're tired of waiting to hear what the government is planning on doing about your property taxes. Wow - everyone has their hands raised.

Well, here's another edition of the Florida Property tax update - a new segment we're calling "Will They, Won't They." According to today's Orlando Sentinel, the House-Senate committee discussing Florida property values still hasn't reached any conclusions (no big surprise there). The big news is they've tentatively agreed on a method to use - expand existing exemptions, such as homestead, and create new ones for non-homestead properties.

This news followed and earlier update from the House Democrats touting their plan for property tax reform, which would exempt 50% of a home's value if it's homesteaded, and 25% for non-homestead properties up to a max of $250,000 for larger commercial properties.

The House Republicans have a different suggestion with more dramatic exempt amounts.

It seems the main thing holding everything up is the amount of the exemption. A meeting of the joint House-Senate will take place on Monday, May 21st, at 1pm in Tallahassee, and another interim meeting scheduled before the full Legislature returns for a special session Jun 12-22.

As always, we'll keep you up to date on this battle. Tell us your thoughts in the comments section, or better yet, call Bill Nelson (our Senator) at (202) 224-5274, and tell him your thoughts, then post what HE said in the comments.

Tags: property taxes, orlando, Crist, government

I'll be taking a trip to different places in Orlando today to take a few pictures that I'll share this week. The plan is to feature parts of towns for people that are new to the area, thinking about moving here, or just interested in some of the history. Being born and raised in Florida helps get to know the areas, so I'll share that info with you in the coming weeks.

Here are the cities/towns I'm considering:

• Orlando
  
• Windermere
  
• Winter Garden
  
• College Park
  
• Gotha
  
• Kissimmee
  
• Saint Cloud

The rest is up to my loyal readers. What parts of town would you like to know about. I plan on having pictures, video, history, and interesting facts for each area. Let me know what you'd like to see in the comments section.

Tags: video, orlando, windermere, winter garden, College park, gotha, kissimmee, saint Cloud, tours, around town

I'm very short on time today, but I wanted to make sure and give you an update on the tax reform session. The Associated Press finally released a statement today regarding the reforms, and instead of a recap, I'm just going to post the entire release. The following is the release from the AP:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – May 10, 2007 – House and Senate leaders Wednesday formally called a special session on property tax relief for June 12-22 and appointed a joint committee to draft proposed legislation in the interim.

Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, and House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, had announced plans for the special session last week after the chambers were unable to sort out their differences on the issue with only two days left in the 60-day regular 2007 session. It ended last Friday.

The joint committee is scheduled to meet May 21 to review and discuss options and June 4 to present proposed legislation.

Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, who will head the House side of the joint committee, said he has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, since the regular session and they plan to continue their conversations before the first committee meeting.

“We’ve got sort of an open line of communication,” Cannon said. “We’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

Cannon declined to disclose details of that direction.

Lawmakers are trying to find a solution to soaring tax bills resulting mainly from rising property values. They also are looking at inequities in the system that have resulted in some taxpayers getting bills many times higher than neighbors with similar properties.

Pruitt and Rubio called the special session to deal exclusively with property taxes, and they have been adamant that lawmakers should focus only on that issue.

Gov. Charlie Crist has said he may expand the session, though, to include auto insurance and children’s health insurance issues, but he has not yet made a decision.

Florida’s no-fault auto insurance law will expire Oct. 1 unless the Legislature passes a law to continue it.

If the law expires, crash victims may have to file lawsuits against at-fault motorists to get their medical expenses paid. The existing system pays the first $10,000 of those expenses regardless of who is at fault. Insurers say the system is so rife with fraud it should be allowed to expire.

Some lawmakers have urged Crist to include legislation simplifying the state’s KidCare children’s health insurance program. Advocates say its complexity has caused thousands of children to needlessly go without coverage.

During the regular session, both chambers offered tax-cutting plans that included rolling back taxes to a prior year and then capping them with allowances for growth and inflation or increases in personal income.

Those plans differed on the details, but the House also passed a Republican-backed proposal that would have slashed or eliminated property taxes on primary homes, known as homesteads, in exchange for increasing the statewide 6 percent sales tax to as much as 8.5 percent.

Most House Democrats and senators of both parties strenuously objected to the tax swap.

The chambers also were far apart in taxpayer savings. When negotiations broke off, the Senate was at about $20 billion over five years and the House at nearly $50 billion in the same span.

Crist has entered the debate with his own $34 billion proposal, essentially splitting the difference, but without a tax swap. The governor said he has been calling lawmakers since the regular session ended to push his plan.

Tags: property taxes, government, orlando

As I have claimed on a few blogs today, sice the King of Top 10 lists is already taken, I'm going to try to become the King of the Top 9 lists. Let's face it, everybody loves a list, and for some reason, the law of blogging says you should have at least 10. I've decided your time is much too valuable to make you read 10 items, so I'm saving you time by only listing 9.

Now, in case you forgot....Mother's Day is this Sunday (May 13th). Have you already made plans? If not, feel free to use one of my ideas. Being born in Florida, and raised in Orlando has given me plenty of time to explore all the places that are worth visiting, and all of the places on this list are mom safe.

9. If you're mom likes to eat, tell her to wear her stretchy pants, and take her to Texas de Brazil. This steak house has been voted one of the top restaurants in Orlando for as long as it's opened its doors. Check out the menu on their website for all the details. Be prepared - it's a bit on the pricey side at $50 a person, but it's well worth it.

8. For an incredible evening, sneak your mom into Disney's Polynesian Resort, and take her for a swim at the volcano pool. Make sure to grab a seat on the beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon to watch the fireworks from one of the best spots on Disney property (also one of the least crowded).

7. Ride a swan at Lake Eola for a day mom's sure to never forget. I have no idea how much they cost, and actually, I'm not positive they are still in operation, but if they are, schedule in advance, and get a view of Lake Eola only a plastic bird can provide.

6. Another restaurant worth checking out is in Disney's Wilderness Lodge. It's called Whispering Canyon Cafe, and I recommend going for breakfast. I won't give much away, but it's a ton of fun...and make sure you ask for ketchup. You'll thank me later.






5. While you're on Disney property, you might as well take what us locals call the Epcot trip. This shouldn't be done by itself, but add something else from this list, and you'll end up looking pretty good to the woman that spent 10 excruciating hours in labor giving birth to you - it's the least you could do. The Epcot trip is easy to do. Just park in the Magic Kingdom parking lot (tell them you're going to eat at the Whispering Canyon Cafe and you can park for free!). After parking, go to the monorail station and get on the monorail to Epcot. It's 30 minutes round-trip and offers views of parking lots and busy roads sure to please anyone. To make it even more memorable, ask the monorail cast member if you can sit in the front. you might have to wait a few minutes, but they're usually pretty good about letting you on.

4. Had enough Disney? You could always take your mom to the famous "Spook Hill." Located in Lake Whales, it's a short drive, and offers minutes of fun. I won't go through the story of Spook Hill, but you can park your car on the hill and actually roll UP the hill. WEEEE

3. Haven't had enough scary, spooky fun? Than take your mom to Cassadaga and have her sit in the Devil's Chair. This town was founded by the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, and has plenty of witches and warlocks to give anyone the chills. Palm readings, fortune tellers, and card readers can all be found here.

2. If you're like me, you'll end up just taking your mom to McDonald's. but remember...this is Orlando, so you can't take her to any old McDonald's. you need to take her to the World's Largest McDonald's on I-Drive. She'll be so happy.



1. Don't think your mom will be happy at the World's Largest? Than take her across the street to the World's Finest McDonalds. It's really nice, and has a completely different, up-scale menu. Don't worry, they also have big macs.

Take your mom to any of these places, and she'll know you love her. That's all that really matters, right? Plus, how many times has she said, "I don't care where we go, as long as we're together." So, call her out. Try the McDonalds and see if she's being honest.

Tags: restaurants, fun, around town

Regal Entertainment Group opened the doors to their newly-renovated (and MUCH needed) movie theatre at Pointe Orlando on Thursday. Celebrating in true orlando fashion, they had a midnight showing of Spiderman 3 on the IMAX no less.

The ticket center kiosk was removed, and have built a first-floor box office, which was built in place of four stores that have been relocated.

This is just the start of a $40 million renovation of Pointe Orlando. I'm not sure it will help, but it's a good start. It's not that the Pointe is a bad place, but it really doesn't cater to locals, and much like the Mercado, and all of its failures, it's main pull is from tourists and convention attendants. They should focus more on the needs of their market, and stop trying to make it a one-size-fits-all. What local wants to drive into tourist hell to visit an outdated, glorified outdoor mall.

The renovation will include five new restaurants, opening this summer, and a remodeled Sunglass Hut (yawn) opening next week.

So what do you think? Will a renovation help the Pointe? Or are they just dumping money into an 800 lb. dinosaur that really just needs to open a go cart track to be successful like every other happening place on I-Drive?

Tags: orlando, I-drive, Mercado

Here are 4 tips to help you upgrade your home - on the cheap!

Raise your bar

Hit up your local flea market to keep your bar upgrades under $100. Look for a two-piece china cabinet with hutch. "I like the beat-up rustic look," says Steve Watson, host of HGTV's Don't Sweat It. For the liquor shelves, screw the top part of the cabinet into the studs in your wall.Keep the bottom part a few feet in front of it and play Al Swearengen.

Strike up the Knives

Don't keep your kitchen tools hidden in a drawer or cabinet.Strike a utilitarian note by hanging your cookware from a pot rack ($55, allpotracks.com) and mounting your blades on the wall with a knife magnet ($10, ikea.com). You'll add a heavy dose of style and orginization by putting the kitchen artillery on display.

Plant Ahead

"You have to think 10 to 15 years down the line - not doing that is the biggest mistake people make when picking a tree," says Bob Vila, host of the syndicated series Bob Vila. If you're worried that's too far down the road, go with an Alberta Spruce or hemlock. They both grow quickly, and have a simple root system that won't destroy your yard.

Mix it Up

Want to make your diggs look larger? Try painting one wall a calm color, and the other walls a different shade. This tricks the eye into believing the space is larger, says Melissa Birdsong, VP of trend, design, and brand at Lowe's. Another trick is to pick to adjacent colors from a color swatch. Use these two colors, and paint 12-inch alternating vertical stripes. This will make your room appear taller.

Source: Men's Health, May 2007 pg. 80

Tags: kitchen, Interior design