Commissioner Bryan Eastman

Commissioner for Gainesville, Fl City Commission District 4

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@NoahWhey I think @FloridaTaxWatch is a neutral reviewer of this, looking at it from the anti-tax perspective, and has good arguments in opposition that are made in good faith:
https://t.co/FTcIeNZoKF

[Jeff Brandes @JeffreyBrandes]

The debate isn’t whether local governments will need revenue.

The debate is whether your 2030 tax bill looks like:

Property Tax: $4,000

or

Fire Rescue Assessment: $385
Solid Waste Assessment: $425
Stormwater Assessment: $210
Public Safety Assessment: $575
Transportation Assessment: $290
Street Lighting Assessment: $95
Parks Assessment: $120

Total Due: $2,100

Plus whatever ad valorem taxes still apply to property that isn’t exempt.

Non-ad valorem assessments already exist throughout Florida. If local governments lose a significant share of their homestead tax base, don’t be surprised if you see more of them.

Government still needs revenue. The real question is whether we’re cutting taxes, shifting taxes, or simply changing the labels on the bill.

[Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias]

Florida gonna shift into degrowth mode? Seems like a bad idea.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@EmJHarris2 Oh we have plenty, and that is almost certainly what will happen in every city and county across Florida. This isn’t a tax cut, it’s a tax shift.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

A lot of the "this wont hurt local governments" rhetoric assumes city budgets are one big pot of money. They're not. State law heavily restricts local spending, & property taxes are the "load-bearing wall" holding much of it together. Thats why local governments are so concerned

[Scott Wagner @ScottWagnerFL]

Property tax is just one stream of many revenue streams to a county. Homestead residential is a fraction of property tax, so a fraction within a fraction. They’re acting as if this takes the whole pizza pie when it takes a snippet of a single slice leaving 7.5 of an 8 slice pie.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@Ampersand48 @Seanmaloney0 Both. Picking winners and losers in tax policy is bad, it skews incentives and creates unintended consequences. Broader tax breaks are better. And this is the deepest and most extreme exemption in the US.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

Just got the Property Appraiser's analysis.

The upcoming property tax proposal would cut the MSTU that funds the Alachua County Sheriff's Office by roughly 35%.

That's a 35% hit to the tax base that pays for local law enforcement. That’s defunding the police:

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

and a lot of these restrictions are good! Cities shouldn't use trash fees for police or permit fees for parks, the system is restrictive but designed around fairness & transparency over decades. You cant kick one leg of the stool out and say theres 2 more legs for you to sit with

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@gregstarr @Juarez_Brock @JeffreyBrandes @RonDeSantis I have no idea where these statewide numbers came from so it’s hard to argue. But here in Gainesville our budget went up 16.7% while inflation was 25.2%. Maybe south Florida saw huge property valuation spikes but a lot of Florida didn’t.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@CaptKen6 I don’t know where you’re getting these numbers but our city has grown slower than inflation and population growth. Here are the real numbers from our finance dept:

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@Juarez_Brock @JeffreyBrandes @RonDeSantis You’re putting cities into an impossible situation. They’ll be able to cut some fat here and there, even eliminate a position or team that’s been on the chopping block for years, but they can’t cut 100+ million without creating real pain or raising fees/taxes to cover.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@KierstenJ1994 I’d put our fiscal restraint up against any other government in Florida. From 2020-2025 our budget increased significantly below inflation and population growth. Gainesville is doing more with less across the board.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@Hawkins4florida @PeterNorthAgain I’m a Gainesville City Commissioner

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@xinemd @LeiJ9023096 We’re a bit less sophisticated than the fancy people of LA, unfortunately

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@alex_patton That’s how I read it too and that’s the wildest part that no one is talking about. It’s also things like administration, audits, finance, holding city commission meetings, basic maintenance of buildings. Cities genuinely can’t function under that.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@SuzanneCitere We get vetoed every year anyway 😀

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@RiveraTracyM It’s a direct tax that goes to the sheriffs office, there’s no “decision” for anyone to make except the legislature on whether to pass this

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@PontualRomulo I’m not sure, it’s the sheriffs office so I’d guess it went toward policing and public safety

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@LeiJ9023096 Sure, we have elections every 4 years and if people don’t like what we’ve done, they’re paying too much money or not getting good service they can toss me out. This amendment puts all of that to Tallahassee who doesn’t have that level of accountability.

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@Hawkins4florida @PeterNorthAgain I don’t have oversight of the sheriffs office to give you that, but “the people” judge every four years in an election based on money they pay vs the safety they receive. If they don’t like what they’re getting they throw the Sheriff out

[Commissioner Bryan Eastman @FlaBryan]

@ScottWagnerFL The MSTU is a special tax that many counties use to fund unincorporated sheriffs work. We do it in Alachua County but it’s very common outside of here too. Unless that was exempted in the bill it will happen, and I don’t see that language in it