There's a word missing from the headline of Abby Goodnough and Christine Jordan Sexton's "To [1]Dismay of Some in Florida, Legislators Cut Property Taxes [1]" on Friday. It really should read "To Dismay of Some Democrats in Florida...."
"Addressing rising anger about the cost of owning a home in Florida - and the recent troubles of the state's real estate industry - the Legislature on Thursday approved a plan for a property tax cut it said would be the largest in state history.
"The plan was championed by Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican who has vowed to make taxes 'drop like a rock,' and Marco Rubio, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, who has made property-tax relief the main goal of his first year in power."
The text box tried to underline the (hidden) partisan fear: "Fears that a revenue fall-off will undermine public services."
"Even so, many local governments that levy property taxes said it would ravage their budgets, potentially forcing layoffs of police officers and firefighters and deep cuts to public schools. Some counties and cities have raised the possibility of a legal challenge."
The mask comes off midway through the story - the "Some" who are dismayed are in fact government-dependent groups aligned with the Democratic Party: "But counties, cities, teachers unions and Democrats who oppose the plan say they will strive to persuade voters to reject the proposed amendment. It would reduce public school spending by as much as a $7.2 billion."