In particular, Crist approved a huge $2.2 billion tax increase for the
fiscal 2010 budget, even though he had promised that $12 billion in federal
“stimulus” money showered on Florida over three years would obviate the need for
tax increases.

About $1 billion of the tax increases are on cigarette consumers, which
will particularly harm moderate-income families. The rest of the increases are
in the form of higher costs for often mandatory services, such as automobile
registration, which is really just a sneaky form of tax increases.

These tax increases will be particularly painful to Floridians in the
short-term because of the recession. But Crist has also jeopardized the state’s
long-term finances with his expanded subsidies for hurricane insurance.
Hurricanes are a major challenge in Florida, but giving big subsidies to coastal
property owners, driving private insurers out of the state, and guaranteeing a
massive state bailout when the next hurricane hits strikes me as the height of
fiscally irresponsibility. 

 Sincerely,

 Chris Edwards

Director of Tax Policy

Cato Institute

Washington, D.C.

Author of “Fiscal Policy
Report Card on America’s Governors, 2008”