The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc. The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc.The REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Board of Directors has announced their recommended candidates for numerous state and county level elected positions. Some candidates were recommended based upon their record of support for our industry during their previous term in office. Many new candidates were invited to appear before the Candidate Screening Committee, comprised of volunteer RAGFL members, in order for us to learn more about their positions on the issues of concern to our industry, and their vision for the community at large.
Early voting begins on August 11 for the Primary Elections to conclude on August 26. Those not in contested Primary races will be on the ballot on November 4.
RAGFL Recommended Candidates
U.S. House, District 19: Robert Wexler
U.S. House, District 20: Debbie Wasserman Schultz
U.S. House, District 21: Lincoln Diaz Balart
U.S. House, District 22: Ron Klein
U.S. House, District 23: Alcee Hastings
State Senate, District 25: Jeff Atwater
State Senate, District 29: Chris Smith
State Senate, District 31: Ken Gottlieb*
State House, District 87: Adam Hasner
State House, District 91: Ellyn Bogdanoff
State House, District 92: Scott Newton
State House, District 93: Perry Thurston
State House, District 94: Hazelle Rogers
State House, District 95: Jim Waldman
State House, District 97: Martin Kiar
State House, District 99: Elaine Schwartz
State House, District 100: Evan Jenne
State House, District 101: Matt Hudson
Broward County Property Appraiser: Lori Parrish
Broward County Sheriff: Wiley Thompson
Broward Supervisor of Elections: Brenda Snipes
Broward Clerk of the Courts: Howard Foreman
Broward County Commission, District 5: Lois Wexler
Broward County Commission, District 7: Carlton Moore
Broward County Commission, District 9: Dale Holness
Broward County Commission, District 9: Josephus Eggelletion
Broward School Board, District 1: Diane Ziol Caulfield
Broward School Board, District 2: Beverly Gallagher
Broward School Board, District 9: Robin Bartleman
Margate Commission, Seat 4: Dennis Cantlay
Pompano Commission, District 4: Woodrow Poitier
Check back over the next several weeks for recommendations of candidates seeking municipal office in cities throughout the county, including Coral Springs, Hallandale Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Parkland, Sunrise, Tamarac, Weston and Wilton Manors. These Municipal Elections will take place on November 4.
Visit www.browardsoe.org for complete election information, including how to easily register to vote.
Note: RAGFL did not interview candidates for State Senate, District 31. The noted candidate was recommended by South Broward Board of Realtors®, which interviewed each candidate, and the Florida Association of Realtors® RPAC Trustees.
Amendment 5 is a property tax cut for everyone. it abolishes the state’s Required Local Effort property tax levy for School Boards in 2010. The cut equals 25-40% of the total property tax bill statewide, and approximately 24% in Broward. Amendment 5 requires that the Florida Legislature maintains full school funding moving forward. That means schools will still receive full funding, while everyone gets a $10-11 billion property tax cut. Amendment 5 continues to allow local School Boards to levy discretionary millage. Counties that want local officials that will levy higher property taxes for schools, are able to have that choice. The Amendment allows for budget cuts in other areas of the state budget; the repeal of sales tax exemptions (except for basic exemptions such as food, rent, heating, fuel, medicine, and health care); and increase of up to 1 cent of the statewide sales tax rate (currently 6%). The assessment cap on non-homestead property, such as commercial, vacation & second homes, would be reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. Amendment 5 will force the Legislature to look at $23 billion in sales tax exemptions, such as ostrich feed, luxury skyboxes, and others, to see if they still stand up to real scrutiny.
H.R. 3221, the “Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008,” passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush this week, contains many important provisions to bring stability to the housing market and help America’s buyers and owners.
Homebuyer Tax Credit - $7,500 repayable over 15 years.
FHA Foreclosure Rescue - Replace subprime loans with FHA 30-year fixed mortgage at 90% of value. Share 50% of appreciation with FHA.
FHA Reform - Permanent FHA loan limits at the greater of $271,050 or 115% of local median price, capped at $625,500.
GSE Reform - Strong independent regulator, permanent conforming loan limits greater of $417,000 or 115% of local median price, capped at $625,500.
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund - Funded by a percentage of profits from the GSEs, initially covers costs of any defaulted FHA loans, later used for the development of affordable housing.
Seller-Funded Downpayment Assistance Programs - Prohibits the use of downpayment assistance programs funded by those who have a financial interest in the sale.
VA loan limits - Temporarily increases VA home loan guarantee limits to the same level as the Economic Stimulus limits through 12/31/08.
Mortgage Revenue Bond Authority – Authorizes $10 billion in mortgage revenue bonds for refinancing subprime mortgages.
CDBG Funding – Provides $4 billion in neighborhood revitalization funds for communities to purchase foreclosed homes.
LIHTC – Modernizes the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to make it more efficient.
Group hires more paid gatherers; raises price to $3 per signature
For a group that says it has already submitted enough petitions, Florida Hometown Democracy is spending a lot of time and money paying for more. In June, Hometown Democracy organizers filed a lawsuit in federal court to obtain placement on the 2008 ballot after failing to qualify on three prior occasions. Their lawsuit would overturn a voter-approved constitutional amendment establishing a February 1st petition deadline for citizen initiatives. As recently as July 2, Florida Hometown Democracy President Lesley Blackner claimed that her group had collected enough valid signatures to get on the ballot. But an e-mail from Hometown Democracy leader John Hedrick confirms that the initiative campaign is now paying $3 per signature in a desperate attempt to collect the necessary 611,009 petitions to allow the Hometown Democracy Amendment onto the ballot. If the HTDA were to be approved, even the smallest of planning and zoning changes would be subject to ballot approval each time. This would result in hundred page ballots, and would stifle much economic development and progress in Florida.
The “Homeownership for All” specialty license plate was enacted several years ago to create a voluntary funding source to fund affordable housing programs for our workforce.
The license plate costs an additional $27 (beyond the state's fees for a tag), which includes a $2 processing fee for DMV. And if you purchase the tag online, you’ll pay a convenience fee, which amounts to either $2 or 2.95% of the total cost of the tag.
Proceeds from the sale of the license plate will be used exclusively for housing programs to provide housing assistance to teachers, nurses and other professionals needed in our communities.
Click here to order your “Homeownership for All” specialty license plate now.
The passage of Amendment 1 on January 29 has resulted in broad changes regarding property tax collections in Florida. Now that Amendment #1 has passed, you may be asking how you or your clients can take advantage of the new tax savings, including “Save Our Homes” tax savings portability.
Click here to visit the Florida Department of Revenue’s web link containing complete and detailed information regarding the implementation procedures for all of the various components of Amendment 1.
You can also visit the Broward County Property Appraiser’s website for further information. By clicking “Property Search” when there, you will be able to determine the difference between your Save our Homes value and the Just Value of your own property.
The City of Oakland had a discussion on May 6 about language banning the rental of single family homes for a period less than 90 days, despite previous promises that their goal was to only ban daily rentals. The idea did not move forward thanks in large part to the efforts of Oakland Park Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue, who spoke out strongly against this proposal and kept RAGFL leadership informed on the progress of the issue.
Since then, RAGFL’s Board of Directors adopted a uniform policy opposing all efforts by any governmental entity to place restrictions on the length of time a homeowner can rent a single family home to a particular renter. RAGFL believes we should be using existing codes pertaining to noise and nuisance to keep our neighborhoods peaceful, rather than limiting the rights of homeowners.
Bad for Homeowners & Private Property Rights--
As our market struggles and the foreclosure crisis continues, the last thing homeowners need is the “Lease Police” telling homeowners how they can or cannot utilize their property and pay their bills. Limiting the ability of homeowners to utilize a home could mean the difference between paying their mortgage or not.
Bad for Moving Residents--
It is common for a gap to exist between the time one sells a home and purchases their next one. Sometimes a person or family will need to rent space on a short term basis during their transition. If short term rentals are banned, people in this situation will be forced out of the city.
Bad for Traveling Professionals--
Traveling professionals, such as nurses who are hired to work temporarily during peak seasons, need housing too. We cannot afford to drive essential personnel out of the area.
Governor Charlie Crist has vetoed HB 679. This means that you do not have to make any changes to the Homeowner's Association/Community Disclosure form. Florida real estate licensees should continue to use the disclosure language already included in current residential contracts. Source: Florida Association of REALTORS.
As reported in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on July 1, 2008:
The rejected measure (CS,HB 679) included provisions that would have let homeowner associations lien and foreclose on owners who don't pay fines of more than $1,000; required new directors within 30 days of election to file statements that they have read the association's rules or be disqualified from serving; allowed a majority of owners to terminate reserve accounts; and created 23 pages of contradictory requirements that owners and boards would have had to follow for resolving disputes before going to court.
In Florida, it is presumed that all licensees are operating as transaction brokers unless a single agent or no brokerage relationship is established, in writing, with a customer.
Effective July 1, 2008, a real estate licensee in a residential transaction is no longer required to disclose the duties of a transaction broker in writing to a customer. The presumption of a transaction broker continues, but the written disclosure requirement of the real estate licensee has expired.
Members may still choose to provide the written transaction broker disclosure, though it is no longer a requirement to disclose the duties of a transaction broker in writing. Source: Florida Association of Realtors®
Over the past several months, many of our members have informed us that the City of Fort Lauderdale is actively removing signs advertising Open Houses that are not in compliance with the city's code.
THE CODE: The Fort Lauderdale code states that one temporary real estate sign per street front shall be permitted on a property and shall relate only to the premises on which it is erected. The code INCLUDES the temporary use of an "Open House" sign not to exceed four hundred eighty (480) square inches in area, to be used only when the owner or agent is on the premises. In addition, one off-premise "Open House," self-sustaining directional sign, located on one parcel of property, is permitted between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., provided the sign is located on private property with the written permission of the property owner. Wording of the sign must be limited to the words "Open House" and contain the name of the sign owner or the name of the real estate agency. The sign must not exceed a height of three (3) feet above ground level. In all business areas in the city, temporary real estate signs ("For Sale," "For Rent" or "For Lease") are limited to sixteen (16) square feet in area.
SIGN RETREIVAL: In addition to any penalty for violation of the city code regulating "Open House" signs, there is a five-dollar ($5.00) retrieval fee for each sign. Please call 954-828-5207 to determine if your sign has been collected by the city. If it has been, the sign can be retrieved at the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Building Services Department, Code Enforcement Division, located at 700 NW 19th Avenue.
Each year, the State Legislature meets for 60 days beginning in early March. During those 60 days, much happens to change your life and business. During the months prior to March, Legislative Committees meet and begin the process of moving certain bills forward through the process. A Special Session can also be called at any time to deal with a specific issue, as we just witness with regard to property tax reform. Naturally, change made when it comes to new laws can be positive or negative. Sometimes its good when time runs out if negative proposals are on the table, but the end of session can also mean we are delayed for another year on key issues such as tax and insurance reform. It is a huge challenge to beat the clock. To follow all of the daily updates from Tallahassee, please visit the Florida Association of Realtors® Legislative Center at www.floridarealtors.org/LegislativeCenter.
Federal issues are just as important to us. Whether its trying to pass a law enabling national trade associations, such as the National Association of Realtors®, to offer its members national group health insurance, promoting legislation to tackle the issue of national catastrophic insurance, or trying to keep the large banks out of real estate, there is always much work to do. To follow our national efforts in Congress all year long, visit the National Association of Realtors® Action Center at www.naractioncenter.com.
Steven R. Beste of Charles Ruterberg Realty will serve as Chair of the 2008 Government Affairs Committee. This committee keeps abreast of and makes recommendations regarding public policy initiatives such as property tax and insurance reform.
Sharon DelGiorno of Keller Williams Fort Lauderdale has been appointed to Chair the 2008 Candidate Screening Committee. This committee interviews candidates running for public office and makes recommendations to our Board of Directors with regard to which candidates should receive the Realtor® Recommendation, or RPAC funding, in their campaigns for office.
Gail Michaels of Century 21 City Real Estate will Chair the 2008 RPAC Committee. This committee helps to raise voluntary funds from members for the REALTOR® Political Action Committee—RPAC—which protects our interests at all levels of government.
The chairs and members of each of these committees set aside countless hours of their own time to ensure that our membership has a voice in the political process and our concerns are always considered.
Adam I. Sanders is the Association’s full time Director of Government Affairs, and serves as the liasion to each of these committees. If you have any questions or comments about RAGFL’s public policy efforts, he can be emailed at asanders@r-world.com. It is the input of our membership that best guides our public policy efforts.
The lack of affordable housing for our workforce remains a huge obstacle in south Florida. The Broward Housing Partnership was formed to make a serious dent in the issue. The most notable BHP event to date was the Affordable Housing Summit at the Broward Convention Center, which attracted over 500 people from a diverse array of public and private sector organizations. The BHP roster too is made up of dozens of groups with an interest in improving our community. RAGFL's Chief Executive Officer Richard Barkett serves on the Board of Directors. Visit www.browardhousingpartnership.org for further information.
Perhaps less understood by many is the concept of Smart Growth. That is why the Smart Growth Partnership--"A South Florida Initiative" was formed to educate our residents and community leaders about Smart Growth concepts. Growing smart sounds easy, but it is not. We have much work to do in order for our leaders to begin to realize that we cannot just simply grow, or not grow. We have to look at ways to prepare and make the growth positive. Improving our transportation systems, creating healthier communities and walkable and appealing neighborhoods are just a few of the concepts of Smart Growth. SGP too is comprised of dozens of entities, both public and private. Adam Sanders, RAGFL's Director of Government Affairs, currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SGP and was Vice President. Visit www.smartgrowthpartnership.org for further information.
The REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, in conjunction with the Florida Council on Human Relations, was able to convince the Florida Legislature to create a web site that would allow for 55 and Older Communities to voluntarily register themselves online. The website is www.fchr.state.fl.us. This is only a first step with regard to fixing the problems that face Realtor® professionals with regard to the 55 and Older issue. We will continue to work diligently with regard to trying to resolve these issues, and we will keep you informed regarding the progress we make.
