Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
www.floridatbrc.org
The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC), created by [Article XI, section 6 PDF] of the Florida Constitution, is required to meet this year and every 20 years thereafter. It has begun its work. The Commission is comprised of 25 persons (and four non-voting legislators), who examine the tax and spending policies of the state, and if deemed necessary, make recommendations for change. The Commission can offer recommendations to the Florida Legislature. In addition, with a two-thirds vote of the full commission, the TBRC can also take its proposals directly to the voters through proposed constitutional amendments.
The appointments of commissioners were made by the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate earlier this year. The commissioners for the 2007 TBRC are as follows:
Voting
Barney Barnett |
Publix Supermarkets |
Martha Barnett |
Holland & Knight (law firm) |
Allan Bense |
Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives |
Mark Bostick |
Comcar Industries |
Sandy D'Alemberte |
Former President, Florida State University |
Mike Hogan |
Duval County Tax Collector |
Julia Johnson |
Technology consultant and lawyer; former PSC commissioner |
Bruce Kyle |
Circuit court judge; former state legislator |
Carlos Lacasa |
Miami lawyer; former state legislator |
Patricia Levesque |
Executive Director, Foundation for Florida's Future |
Alan Levine |
North Broward Hospital District; former AHCA Secretary |
Bobby Martinez |
Colson Hicks Edison Law Firm |
Jacinta Mathis |
Mathis Law Firm |
John McKay |
Real estate broker; former President of the Senate |
Bob McKee |
Lake County Tax Collector |
Les Miller |
Tampa General Hospital; former state legislator |
Randy Miller |
Florida Retail Federation |
Jade Moore |
Executive Director, Pinellas Classroom Teachers Assoc. |
Nancy Riley |
Florida Association of Realtors |
Darryl Rouson |
Rouson & Dudley law firm |
Jim Scott |
Tripp Scott law firm; former President of the Senate |
Susan Story |
Gulf Power |
Greg Turbeville |
Smith & Ballard, Inc. (governmental consulting) |
Ken Wilkinson |
Lee County Property Appraiser |
Brian Yablonski |
St. Joe Company |
Non voting:
Sen. Mike Haridopolos |
State Senator District 26 |
Sen. Gwen Margolis |
State Senator District 35 |
Rep. Frank Peterman |
State Representative District 55 |
Rep. Ray Sansom |
State Representative District 4 |
View additional information on the commissioners [PDF].
The TBRC will be professionally staffed and will be led by Executive Director Susan Skelton. Ms. Skelton is a long-time Senate staff member, most recently serving as Staff Director to the Senate Committee on Military Affairs & Domestic Security.
The work of the TBRC will be conducted through committees. The committees are as follows:
- Style & Drafting
- Coordinating
- Finance & Tax
- Governmental Procedures & Structure
- Planning & Budgetary Processes
- Governmental Services
The TBRC has had two organizational meetings so far: March 16 and April 13. The Commission is planning on meeting as a full commission every third Friday of the month, except September when it will meet Thursday, September 20 and December, when it will meet Friday, December 14. During the months of July and August 2007, the Commission is planning to hold public hearings around the state.
By constitutional mandate, the TBRC must examine the following:
- State budgetary process
- The revenue needs and expenditure processes of the state
- The appropriateness of the tax structure of the state
- Governmental productivity and efficiency
- State and local government tax policy's ability to adequately fund governmental operations and capital facilities required to meet the state's needs for the next 20 years
- Methods favored by the citizens to fund the needs of the state
- Measures that could be implemented to effectively gather funds from existing tax sources
- Constitutional limitations on taxation and expenditures at the state and local levels
- The state's comprehensive planning, budgeting and needs assessment processes to determine whether the resulting information adequately supports a strategic decisionmaking process
View the statutory powers conferred on the Commission [PDF].
The Commission must issue a report of its findings and can propose any recommended statutory changes to the Legislature. Finally, six months before the November 2008 election, the TBRC must file, with the Secretary of State, any proposed constitutional revisions. The entirety of the Commission's operations must be completed by and cease on June 30, 2010.