PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — It came as a surprise when Palm Beach County's Administrator made an unannounced appearance at the news conference of Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in Boca Raton.
"When you say we don’t know how our budget works, we do and that’s what I’ve been trying to get you to come down and sit with me," Joe Abruzzo said to the CFO during a brief exchange.
The next day, Osceola County Manager Donald Fisher wrote a response to the CFO's data on overspending.
“This is such a big issue, and counties want to make sure their citizens understand what they are truly choosing and what the impacts will be," says Cragin Mosteller of the Florida Association of Counties.
County officials are prevented from speaking out against the referendum question that would raise the Homestead Exemption, but they can offer factual information.
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“Just because the revenue goes down doesn’t mean the expenses go down. Counties are required to provide 90 percent of the services they provide," Mosteller said.
The savings to homeowners is something the governor and state officials have been pushing, saying homeownership is becoming unaffordable.
Maureen Campbell of West Palm Beach is a new homeowner after recently moving from New York, and says she left because of high taxes.
Her savings, according to the state website Save Our Homes, amounts to $4,239 a year.
"That’s awesome," she said.
Meanwhile, county and municipal leaders across the state are scrambling to figure out their future budgets if the referendum gets the 60% needed to pass in November.