State House eats up local property taxes

The South Florida Sun Sentinel has an article on how state laws impact local tax dollars – outside the power of the local commissioners. The best example is the police and fire pension plan.

While some state legislators rip Florida’s cities for runaway spending, those in Tallahassee continue to file bills to boost retirement benefits for police and fire employees — a growing tab picked up by city taxpayers.

Local officials cite employee benefits — especially police and fire retirement plans, which are the richest because of the dangers of the jobs — as one of the biggest strains on property taxes.

Read the article: Florida taxpayers billed for rising city pensions.