Many people flocked to Florida after 2020 to enjoy the freedom from muzzles and mandatory jabs. Some sold their homes of 25+ years that they raised their families in. Others moved to Florida prior to for health reasons. It’s the only continental state that offers a subtropical year round climate in the south. Now they are shocked as the read property tax notices that have double and tripled in some cases in less than two years.
The 2021, 2022, and 2023 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes and Proposed or Adopted Non-Ad Valorem Assessments all state in the upper right hand white box
The taxing authorities which levy taxes against your property, will soon hold PUBLIC HEARINGS to adopt budgets and tax rates for the next year. The purpose of these PUBLIC HEARINGS is to receive opinions from the general public and to answer questions on proposed tax change and budget PRIOR TO TAKING FINAL ACTION. Each taxing authority may AMEND or ALTER its proposals at the hearing.
In the far right hand column there is a white box listing several meeting dates. Last year I was very sick and unable to attend. This year, I attended two of these listed meetings.
The first one that I attended was a Palm Beach County School Board Meeting. I was terribly confused as to why a public hearing of proposed taxes would be held at the school board meeting so I asked for clarification with the police who interrogate your bag and wand your body down as if you’re a criminal. Not a single one of the 4 Palm Beach County School District, PBCSD, police knew. One was terribly defensive. Thankfully one was cool and placed a call for clarification. Time was passing while the officer was placed on hold, and the meeting started. So we heard through the loud speaker outside the meeting Chairman Barbieri announce that anyone who wanted to make a public comment about the budget should go to the microphone. My teenage daughter and I rushed in. She encouraged me to immediately go file in line.
The first person spoke. He went on about teacher pay and how they deserved better, blah, blah, blah right up to the 3 minute limit. The next woman who had her tax notice in hand was not permitted to speak. The chairmen berated her for being out of line for she didn’t submit a blue speaking card. Oh dear, I never got one to complete either because no one knew what was going on when I asked. So of course he did the same to me. But I got extra special treatment, a PBCSD police man came over to escort me away from the microphone.
I followed up with an email, photo of that below, to all the member of the school board. No one replied back.
The next meeting I was able to attend was at 2300 High Ridge Road, Boyton Beach on 9/11/23 at 5:01 PM. This meeting was the Children’s Services Council Pam Beach County, again strange that it certainly wasn’t advertised as such on the 2023 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes. At least, thankfully, this meeting was much more hospitable to the residents who were coming like I in response to their notices. Shana, The Public Information Officer, gave me her card, offered to make sure my comment card was given to the chairman of this meeting, and welcomed us in. What a relief not to have to get passed intimidating PBCSD police to get in and to have a comment card furnished first upon entrance.
The other consolation was that the board members at this meeting were seated at tables placed in a square of which we the people were invited to speak seated at a microphone with them. These board members were listening and not staring at their phones at posh desks 6 feet above and 10 feet away from the people at the microphone like we’ve witnessed others at the PBC Commissioners and School Board meetings. But this Children’s Services Council really isn’t the main problem with the increasing taxes. In fact, they have decreased their millage (tax) rate from 0.6497 in 2021 to 0.5508 in 2022 and proposing either 0.4908 or 0.5073 for 2023 (See columns 2 yellow & 3 green) line 5 under Taxing Authority Independent Special Districts.
Now they are one of those agencies that fosters more dependence on government that isn’t warranted by the constitution. We heard the pity comment on the salaries of the social workers just like the well intended speak up for teachers to make better incomes. But, then we heard a concerned citizen point out that the Children’s Services Council logo matches with the double pink heart pedophilia symbol according to the 2007 FBI documents. I looked at the card handed to me when I came in. She was spot on. Oh how absolutely creepy.
More upsetting was hearing one of the new Republican Palm Beach County Commissioners, Sarah Baxter, who obviously sits on this board too, who promised to lead differently than the same old same old proceeded to express concern that quality licensed social workers be paid better. Oh dear. Turn to the nanny state to solve your problems. Is she turning out to be just like any corrupted politician who thinks it is ok to threaten you of your property if you don’t hand over thousands upon thousands of dollars for them to dole out to be used the way they think it should be?
Folks, economics are the problem because taxes are too high. Rent is high because property tax is high. They keep talking you into allowing this because they put up some poor social worker, teacher, or police officer to play on your emotions. But the problem is public officers are funded by taxes which is money stolen from the people the way it is set up. Even worse is the administrators in all of these government places often make comfortable salaries at the cost of the people at the bottom who really are doing to hard work serving the public. It’s a cyclical problem that will only be solved by defunding public social services and jobs. No one wants to lose a job, but it’s life. It’s the best thing that happened to many. Go create a job instead of taking a job that is funded by taking taxes against people’s will to pay your salary. Government employees have becomes some of the most entitled workers in the nation.
Circling back to this particular meeting. Most who spoke were elderly retired folks or recent home buyers that have been completely caught of guard with the appraised values being determined by recent purchased prices that have gone sky high. Those running the meeting kept side stepping their comments and saying it wasn’t their role or responsibility to assess property value which is the real driver in the skyrocketing property taxes. Then why did the county post the meeting for them??? They clearly know it is wrong. That’s why the Public Information Officer handed me this slip of paper on my way out.
Funny that this wasn’t clarified in what was mailed out to all property owners. The county tax collector is clearly evading facing the public. Why wasn’t there a public hearing with her property assessment department?
It should be “We the People” consent to pay taxes, but it’s evolved into covert emotional manipulation of misinformation of meetings and policies, bully people into not coming to meetings or speaking up, and coercing the public to pay out of fear of having their property taken by the government from them.
Another point of grievance I want to make is misuse and means to intimidate the people with the law. When I immediately called the PBC Tax Collector upon receipt of the notice to questioned why my property taxes are triple to what the previous owner was billed in one years time, the agent arrogantly said that it is the law concerning property value that dictates the taxes. Then I heard a woman on the Children’s Service Council taut exactly the same thing. For a culture that is obsessed with justice isn’t it strange that one homeowner pays half or one third of what his/her neighbor next door pays? One isn’t allowed to express any injustice over it because the law gives them to right to rob us of our money?
And why is it that property values have gone up as they have? Could it be so they can hold this law over our heads? The real estate agents continue to advertise low property taxes that new owners are then saddled with double to triple costs. I received this flyer just a month ago.
The listed tax amount of $2,093 is very close to what the previous owner of the house I purchased around the corner paid in 2021. The only differences between these homes is one year younger construction, one lot faces a small canal, and the other has a pool which probably evens out value. But, I paid more than triple in 2022.
Oh but it’s the law. Thomas Jefferson said, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.” It’s clearly taxation without representation. The founding fathers did allow for taxation, but it was always to be with the consent of the people. This is why Dorothy Jacks, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, and Joseph Abruzzo, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Controller, are elected officials in Palm Beach County. But, the general public is never taught this in public school. Probably less than 1% of the general public understand this. Why weren’t any public hearings scheduled with these two people?
Back to the Children’s services Council. I can just image how the licensed social workers are going to be told to push the political agenda and ideologies behind transgender, non-binary, pedophile grooming, and pharmaceutical anti-anxiety and anti-depressants drugs for life when they provide their counseling services through this agency. As one knowledgeable home owner said,
“They’re running a business and using our taxes as money to run their business. This was supposed to be a sunset meaning that they’re supposed to end this organization a long time ago, but it just kept appearing on the tax bill, so they just kept it on. They need to take it off and so with the other one as well with the healthcare. This is absurd and they are stealing from us. I want my money to give to the organizations that I want.”
Local government, just like the state, and federal governments act like they the experts know better than you. I wrote about this in my last blog, “Don’t be Fooled by the Experts.”
You owe them your money for them to allocate as they see fit. Leaders with attitudes like this are most probably taking their beliefs, cues, and directives from the World Economic Forum, an organization that plans by 2030 to make every common person own nothing because they are so far in debt, but oh so happy. Could it be the plan is to tax everyone out of owning their own property? It sure looks that way.
For further reading:
https://www.pbcgov.org/papa/dorothy-bio.htm
https://www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/about-us/meet-joseph-abruzzo
#PalmBeachCounty #Nannystate #FLPropertytax #Propertytax