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Votes On Amendment 1 Prompted Soul-Searching

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

TAMPA - Battle lines in the Amendment 1 skirmish were clearly set in the days leading up to the vote Tuesday.

Realtors and homeowners wanted the governor's proposal approved to bolster the housing market and to save on property taxes.

Public-safety people aligned against the proposal because, they say, it would mean less money for expansion and possibly the cutting back of existing services.

Then there are those who straddle the line.

George Sucarichi is president of the union that represents 790 firefighters and paramedics in Hillsborough County. He's been a firefighter for more than 30 years and has been active in politics and statewide union business for more than a dozen years.

He also holds a real estate license.

"I'm a homeowner and a father and taxpayer," he said. "I've also got an organization of almost 800 individuals. My position must be to forward their best interests beyond my own personal interests.

"That's the position I have to take, otherwise I compromise my position as president, as the head of the union."

For Sucarichi, the decision on which way to go on Amendment 1 was an easy one, he said. And it didn't go the way he wanted.

The upshot of the passage of the tax reform amendment Tuesday remains largely unknown today, he said. For those in the local public safety arena, it's like taking a bullet to the shoulder. You see the wound but don't yet feel the pain. There's a level of shock.

Hillsborough County firefighters lobbied against the amendment, posting firefighters and paramedics at some of the precincts on Tuesday, urging voters to vote against the proposal.

The extent of the amendment's effect on fire-rescue services here is unknown, he said.

"I'm sure the county this morning is sitting down trying to determine which departments are going to be impacted to the greatest extent," Sucarichi said, adding that there always exists the possibility the amendment will be challenged in court.

Three years ago, legislators rolled back taxes, and that resulted in the loss of about a dozen jobs at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, he said. The passage of Amendment 1 this week is "projected to be less severe than the rollback in terms of dollars," said Sucarichi, who has held a real estate license since 1983.

Ron Spiller, a career Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy who retired last year as a major and commander of the District 3 office, went into the real estate market as well.

He said the passage of the amendment will certainly help his business and he hopes government will make its cuts in departments other than public safety.

"I think, as the governor said, this is a first step," said Spiller, owner of Green Light Realty. "The portability part of it will cause some people to have the ability to move who would not have moved because of the tax situation."

He said he has some clients who fall into that category.

"The one main question people have when they buy a house," he said, "is what is the monthly payment?" The tax reform amendment, he said, is going to help the sagging real estate market.

On the other hand, he said, if the amendment withstands court challenges or other changes, it will require local governments to prioritize their spending.

He hopes "they will make a priority of public safety and first responders" and not make cuts in those departments. Less essential departments should take the hits, he said.

He admitted that there is the potential for devastating cuts in the public-safety sector. A 31-year veteran of the sheriff's office, he said, he knows a little about the budget there.

"I'm not blowing smoke," he said. "There is not a lot of fat there. There really is not. Any cuts will be hard to absorb."

As for his own feelings, yes, he was a bit conflicted on the issue. He is concerned about possible cuts to his former department but welcomes a move to boost the home-sales industry.

"I hope this will start generating more movement of inventory [unsold homes] that's out there," he said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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