Allan Bense, chairman of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, said this morning that the panel will maintain its pace on property taxes with the aim of putting something on the November ballot that could "enhance" the Legislature's plan.

"Maybe we can put some icing on the cake," the former speaker of the House said. Bense would not comment on the plan the Legislature passed Monday, though he acknowledged that negotiations between the House and
Senate tend to result in "significant compromises."

"We're going to keep our head down and go forward and make sure we're deliberate and thoughtful," Bense said. The panel wants to finish proposals by February, just after the Jan. 29 vote on the Legislature's plan, which would increase the homestead exemption, allow for Save Our Homes portability and impose a 10 percent annual cap on nonhomestead property assessments.

In other TBRC news, former state Rep. Dudley Goodlette, R-Naples, has joined the staff to assist in the formulation of proposed constitutional amendments. "I find him to be a very thoughtful person who understands the process," Bense said of his former House rules chairman.