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Archive for January 25th, 2007

Maybe doggie dining wasn’t such a great idea after all

Back a few months ago I posted a blog entry about a new Florida state law that allowed restaurants to let diners bring their dogs along. There were a number of restrictions — the local communities had to sign on to the bill, and the restaurants had to have outside dining facilities, for example — but a number of restaurants signed on.

One of the local restaurants was Moon Under Water in St. Petersburg. Plenty of Moon Under Water patrons started bringing their dogs along for lunch and dinner. (The dogs had to stay on the floor, but still…)

Well, things got a little out of hand at Moon Under Water. Lots and lots (and lots) of dog owners started bringing their dogs. People and their dogs lined up out on the sidewalk, waiting for tables. Dogs urinated (and worse) on the sidewalks. Some dog owners were outraged that their dogs had to stay on the floor, so arguments weren’t unusual.

So on Jan. 11, Moon Under Water changed its mind. No doggies allowed anymore.

Tags: dogs, pinellas county, restaurants

Crist’s next target — property taxes

Florida’s new governor, Charlie Crist, wasted little time after his inauguration, going right after the insurance industry. He called a special legislative session and, after a week, the lawmakers did come up with a plan that should result in lower homeowners’ insurance premiums.

Now, the governor is dropping big hints that he wants city and county governments in Florida to reduce their property tax rates.

There are going to be hearings on property taxes over the next several weeks around Florida. One of those hearings is going to be in Tampa.

State figures show that property taxes in Florida have gone up an average of 83 percent in the past five years. During that same period, personal income has gone up just 37 percent.
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“People are paying exorbitant property taxes at the local level and they wonder what the money is being spent on,” Crist said. “So do I.”

The housing industry came to a screeching halt about a year ago in this part of the world. There were a number of reasons for that, but skyrocketing insurance and property tax rates played major roles.

The market has been getting better, and it should improve in a hurry if we see some meaningful property tax relief. But watch out — if property taxes and homeowners’ insurance rates go down, we’re apt to see property values go up.

Tags: property taxes