This is a good overview in Sunday's Orlando Sentinel by Lauren Ritchie of last week's Lake County Legislators' Delegation forum discussions related to the North Lake County Hospital District.
It has taken 3+years by local tax reformers to get the word out about this tax, where many taxed property owners never got to vote on it in over 20-40 years. Since 1964, the Florida Consistitution requires taxes be approved by voters, and it is time that voters get to listen to all issues, and vote on this tax. The local Hospitals who have been receiving this corporate welfare for 40 years naturally don't want you to vote on it, since the current law shovels your tax money into a bucket (about $8.9-million this year) and splits it into two cash buckets given to the Hospitals without any clear rules on how they spend the funds. Also, the law NAMES two specific hospitals to get the funds, rather than have a process run by the County Health Dept to vett and pay for specific services like indigent or poor health care and reimburse ANY clinic providing desired services for the indigent. This all needs to be changed. Metz even includes a 10-year sunset provision so it isn't a lifetime entitlement.
Metz is actually one of the few Lake Legislators who stepped up to the plate and wrote a reasonable new regulation which actually would specify how the funds are spent, establish a much more responsible Board, and allow the funds to be given directly to other clinics in the area, instead of only two named Hospitals.
It is important to note that both Senator Alan Hays, Senator Paula Dockery, Rep. Marlene O'Toole and Rep. Stephen Precourt have consistently waffled over the last three years and would not do anything to consider reforms of this tax until new Rep. Larry Metz, and Rep. Charles VanZant brought up the specific new proposal this year. So, if you are tired of paying 1 mill for undefined purposes to only two Hospitals, then notify one or more of the above that you want the new regulation approved without watering it down (just look at contribution records of the resisters to see why they might resist "change").
We will publish more details in this blog later this week.
vj
