Daily Diary--June 4

*With leaders in the Florida Legislature announcing a plan for property tax relief, it's time to call in Michael Buffer....

http://www.letsrumble.com/main.html

Just go to the bottom of the page and play Buffer's catchphrase....LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!.....because that's exactly what state lawmakers will be doing with municipalities. One of the provisions of this deal, according to a letter signed by Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio, is that "cities and counties will be required to cut their property taxes. The level of cuts will be based on a formula tied to their past taxing performance." That should go over well with Florida's 67 counties and hundreds of municipalities, though the Legislature would allow local governments an override on that and a cap on future property taxes with "an extraordinary vote." Extraordinary, indeed. The letter refers to a "super majority vote, referendum, or other heightened standard."

Some have suggested that cities didn't get on the ball quickly enough in lobbying legislators during the regular session. You can bet they'll be there during the special session, which starts next week. At the very least, they're going to have their say over what happens if the unexpected happens...like Tropical Storm Barry, which left some damage behind last weekend, or like the tornadoes that hit Central Florida earlier this year.

There are also plans to put a constitutional change for property tax relief on a state ballot - most likely next year's Jan. 29 presidential primary.

That adds additional drama to a rumble already going on - between Florida Democrats and the national Democratic party over whether that primary is going to count in the tabulation of delegates for the presidential nominee. My suggestion: Give it up, Howard Dean. You're not going to hold voters, delegates, candidates or anyone else hostage in the fourth most populous state in the nation - particularly after what happened in 2000.

*Boo and hiss to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. for putting a secret hold on the Open Government Act of 2007, which would require government to speed up its response to Freedom of Information Act requests, make it easier for the public to follow up on their requests and get the information they seek. The bill has widespread support on both sides of the aisle.

The Society of Professional Journalists Web site, www.spj.org, says Kyl wants more negotiations with bill sponsor Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and the Justice Department over its provisions. But my fellow SPJ-ers rightly gave the "Senator Secrecy" tag to Kyl for his deed. This is from the SPJ site:

"'If Sen. Kyl's concerns are no secret, then why would he insist on working from the shadows to place a hold on this very important legislation?' asked Christine Tatum, SPJ's National President and an assistant features editor at The Denver Post. 'The irony of secretly blocking a vote on a bill that would make government more transparent is supreme. Sen. Kyl should feel pretty silly.'
Kyl is behind another bill that concerns SPJ. Known as the Kyl Amendment, it would criminalize the leaking — and publishing — of classified information.'So, Sen. Kyl is 'Senator Secrecy' in more ways than one,' Tatum said."

Uh, Senator Kyl: You work for your constituents - the American people - not the other way around. And they have a right to know what's going on with their employees.