A bill to close a loophole in real estate transaction taxes -- and to continue the local option tax on documentary stamp taxes in Miami-Dade County to finance the county's affordable housing programs -- is snagged in a fight between the House and Senate over a priority of the governor, Florida Forever funding.

The bill by Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, closes a corporate real estate loophole that allows companies to create a shell company to avoid paying documentary stamp taxes. It also extends the doc stamp tax in Miami-Dade County for 20 more years.

The Senate wanted to use $10 million of the estimated $50 million in proceeds from closing the loophole to finance $100 million in bonds to pay for the state's Florida Forever land buying program and Everglades restoration. The House didn't want the money spent on those programs, so it voted to remove the funding in an amendment Tuesday.

By Wednesday, Lopez-Cantera had worked out a compromise that simply allows the state to spend money intended for the Florida Forever bonds to be spent this year. He didn't take kindly to an attempt by Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, to restore the money.

"This is political posturing by Rep. Saunders and I urge you to defeat this embarrassing amendment,'' Lopez-Cantera said, angrily pointing at Saunders. Lopez-Cantera said the language belongs on a budget bill, not this bill.

Saunders answered that Lopez-Canter's remarks didn't bother him. "I didn't take it personally, so you don't have to apologize to me.'' Then he defended his amendment.

"We heard yesterday that certain amendments were killing the bill. Some unidentified people should step up and say why they don't want Florida Forever,'' he said. He complained that "nobody claims responsibility for not wanting that funding ... I'm just curious who it is.''

Rep. Juan Zapata, the chairman of the Miami-Dade delegation, said the bill was a priority for the county and commended Lopez-Cantera for "his fine work."

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