In terms of gaining public support, the now-defunct super homestead exemption amendment had two big problems: It was hard to understand. And it failed to protect funding for schools, which turned educators into instant opponents.

"It was going to be a hard sell," Sen. Dan Webster, one of the plan's primary authors, conceded Friday.

The Legislature's new amendment is simpler and specifically shields schools from tax cuts. And, Webster said Friday, new Republican Party polling shows the new plan is well above the 60 percent margin needed for approval.

But is a popular plan shepherded by a popular governor the best plan?

House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-Miami, who spent the past few days artfully dumping on ("tuna sandwich") and praising the proposal, seemed to be speaking for many Republicans when he said much more work needs to be done. Rubio talked about a
woman who has a rental home with annual property taxes approaching
$10,000. Neither the old or new plan would give her any tax relief.

"When
I'm sitting across the table from her, she's not going to care what the
polls say about this plan," Rubio said. "She's going to want to know how much does
this plan save me?"