October 31, 2024 • 13 mins
CEO Kaydee Albritton of the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors joined VERONICA LIVE to discuss why Panhandle residents should Vote YES on the 1/2 Cent Surtax that is used for various important infrastructure projects. Excellent discussion on why realtors and you should support this surtax.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Veronica Live. And I am here and she's
actually one of my friends. We did a leadership bay
with our chamber together during the COVID year and she
is the CEO of the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors.
Katiel al Brighton is joining me today and Veronica Live.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome. Katie, Hi, Veronica, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well, what is interesting is yesterday we were at a
chamber event because we're forever bonded. We're both part of
the Military Affairs Committee and the Air Force Air Combat
Command Force. Our general was in town, so you were there.
I was there, you know, rallying around to our community
because we have such an amazing community. And you asked
(00:45):
me about if I'd voted and supported the half cent
surtax and I said no, I voted no, you know,
because I was just tired of money and you and
you were like, oh, we have to talk about this.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
And the funny thing was my co host today, Don
was sopsed to join us and he voted yes on it,
so I wanted to share that, but he was having
tech issues. So why is this important, Katie? For our
Bay County area? This half sent tax tax.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, and if you don't mind, let me give a
little bit of context about our association and why we're
so strong and such advocates for this, because you know,
just at face value, it doesn't really make sense. Why
are riltors getting behind a tax? Why is anybody getting
behind attacks? Right? That's a totally fair spot, and especially yeah,
especially right now. So for a little context, our association
(01:42):
serves six counties, and over those six counties we have
twenty four hundred ult members and a large benefit of
being a part of our association as our advocacy efforts.
So Florida riilts the State Association as well as the
National Association have very large lobbying arms that exist specifically
to promote and to protect private property rights and home
(02:05):
ownership as well as community development because we know it
benefits all of us, and so here locally we also
do the same thing. We have strong lobbying efforts. We
get behind local candidates, we get behind local issues, and
this issue specifically, we have about a ninety thousand dollars
ad campaign in partnership with the Chamber. Overall, there's about
(02:26):
a two hundred thousand dollars campaign to have this surtax
be renewed during this election.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well, but I wanted to know who was funding the billboards,
and then I actually got a fancy postcard in the mail,
So that was you all that was funding that.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yes, that was the Realtors Group. So because of our
members and how passionate they are about advocacy, their donations
go to support this and then we get essentially the
money sent back to us that we're able to use
in specific ways through grant utilization. So CPAR has gone
to fund the two postcards you probably received in the mail.
(03:02):
There's sixteen billboards across Bay County, yard signs, roads signs
and out there.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, then you're going to get a text message. So
let me tell you a little bit of why. And
it's interesting to talk to my friends and people around me,
and unfortunately there's a lot of just miscommunication, lack of
education on this topic, and I think generally a lot
of that comes from just where we're at, you know,
as a community, as a nation. Even you know, times
(03:31):
are tough right now, right we don't feel like we
have additional money to give back to the government or
to local government. So I totally understand the sentiment. But
one of the big misconceptions about this tax is that
it's a new tax, but in fact, you've been paying
this tax since twenty sixteen. So it was implemented in
twenty sixteen by majority voters at that time, and it
(03:53):
is specifically used for infrastructure. It can only be used
for infrastructure, So we're talking roadway safety, intersection improvements, resurfacing,
bridge repair, stormwater upgrades, all of which we know are
very very important for our community. And as we've seen,
especially since COVID, there's just been a boom to this community,
(04:16):
and unfortunately, we see that the infrastructure or the community
growth has far surpassed the infrastructure ability. So a lot
of times, you know, we're stuck in traffic, we're sitting
through the infrastructure structure projects because there is just such
mass community growth in our area. But this have since
sales tax again, as I said, was implemented in twenty sixteen,
(04:38):
and it can only go towards road infrastructure or infrastructure
in general. And the nice thing about this tax is
that forty five percent of it is currently being paid
for by visitors who come to our area and get
to utilize the infrastructure and enjoy our area, so forty
five percent of that is being utilized by them. When
(05:00):
the tax is being collected, it's collected at the point
of sale, and then the merchants send that to the state,
the Department of Revenue, and then the portions of that
come back to us for youth. So Bay County has
a portion of that, and then all of the municipalities
get a portion of the funds as well. And the
nice thing about that is that there is an oversight
(05:22):
committee for each municipality that consists of citizens as well
as the elected officials to oversee where that money is
going and how it's being spent. Again only for infrastructure,
and it is on a reimbursement basis, and so the
state has to see what they spent the money on
for them to be able to get those funds in return.
(05:43):
But for a little bit of context, Bay County's budget
prior to the tax, prior to twenty sixteen that renewal,
their budget for infrastructure was three million dollars total. That's it.
After the tax was put in place in twenty sixteen,
they're now bringing in about fifteen point nine million dollars
(06:04):
annually from this tax. So what that means is that
if this tax were to go away, now we know
that infrastructure, the need for infrastructure is not going away, right,
Like that's it's inevitable. They're they're anticipating they're going to see.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
That because I want to talk, you know, about a
couple of projects that now I feel bad, Katie, because
I voted no, and I should have voted just you
didn't get to me in time, and I've been so
focused on so many other races and the amendments I've
been paying hard that this was not a priority. I
was like, oh, and I didn't realize that we'd already
been paying it. So and I'm normally post informed person
(06:42):
on the planet, but I had other things going on.
So do you think they'll give me my ballot back
so I can like.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wipe that out. We'll have to ask, Well, I'm called
nin awards. But and that is the scary thing, though,
is that when whenever we talked about this last night
and you tell me you voted note for it, I
was shocked because honestly, I do look up to you,
and I feel like you are such an informed, you
know person in general, and especially when it comes to politics,
(07:11):
and you're so involved in the community. So it made
me nervous though, because the message clearly isn't getting across
to everybody, and there is a lot of lack of
education around this. And so thank you again so much
for inviting me on the show today. And I hope
that you know, we can get a couple of people
at least to understand exactly what this is and how
(07:31):
it truly is beneficial to parkness.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
This is the project that I love because when you
go to bayhlfcent dot com and it's all spelled out,
it says there's sixty four completed projects worth over one
hundred million, twenty projects under construction design we're thirty two million,
and then it said forty two million in additional funds
awarded via grants. But my favorite one was the Philip
(07:57):
Griffiths Parkway to addition, because I liked to go to
Pier Park and it's still far away, but least I
can backdoor by the you know, the airport and go
and I love That's. Like one of my favorite improvements
in Bay County is yeah, to make my shopping faster,
Katie exactly, you know, and that's been such like it
(08:17):
cuts time down. Oh my gosh, I love yeahs.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And one of the cool things, one of the cool
things about that project specifically was that it was a
public private partnership. And so one of the great things
about us having this tax revenue is that it really
puts us ahead in terms of grant availability or ability
to receive grants from the state, because a lot of
times when municipalities go to the state seeking a grant,
(08:43):
they go empty handed, right, they're just you know, this
is all we have. We don't have anything additional to
to give you into this project, but we really need
this infrastructure. And so it puts you in a certain
ranking when the state is reviewing grant abilities. And when
we come to the state and say, hey, we have
you know, ten million dollars we're willing to invest in
this project, you're then put up to the very top
(09:05):
of the ability list if you will, to receive grants.
So part of that was Saint Joe Company. Of course
they came, they had the land. Panama City Beach was
a partner in that project, and FDOT was a project
a partner in that project as well. And so again
the ability to again have some seed money if you will,
(09:27):
and then go to the state, get some additional grants,
and then you have all these partners and they know
that you're serious because you have some seed money to
get this up and running well.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And a couple of the other projects on here. There's
lots of road resurfacing and unincorporated Bay County, so that's important.
Yees Avenue they're doing, They've done I guess a bridge repair,
Jenks Avenue, which everybody's been on. They're widening, and then
kicks by you bridge repair, and then more Thomas Drive,
(09:58):
which everybody's on, and that that really needed work and
that's resurfacing. So like like these are wonderful projects. Yes,
everybody please vote for the half cent.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah on that.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
That was the only one I screwed up because I've
been you know, like I said Amment three and four,
I've been fighting, and then all the presidential stuff. So
oh my gosh, like you said, I normally have everything together.
Oh I feel right if you do, you always do.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
But listen, we're not perfect. We're all human. I totally understand,
and I appreciate you, know, your humbleness and and you
know saying that now and bringing me on. And one
of the things I wanted to point out too, is
there's a lot of misunderstanding around whose project is who's
So you know, there's a lot of frustration around you know,
Highway three ninety or back Beat Road in front of
(10:48):
Pure Park. And so whenever we talk about infrastructure and
half the sales tax renewal was like, I'm not giving
you any more money. You can't do well with what
you have with it. But I do want to point
out that those are totally different projects. Those are scot projects,
so have some sales tax money is not going towards
those at all, So there is a distinction there. And
(11:09):
you mentioned the website. I would highly encourage anybody who's
looking into this and educating themselves to go to the
website they have ye.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Sent spelled out dot com, you know. And I know
this because I should have I don't know, I should
have paid attention because roads, we have so much growth here, Katie,
and you know that being part of the Realtors Association
is just out of control. And you know, I ran
a PR company for two years all doing roads and
bridges and it takes like ten years to get you know,
(11:40):
stuff funded and built, and people don't know that. So
so we have to support this and oh my gosh,
I'm going to be the number one cheerleader now.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
So well, and let me tell you one last thing, Ron,
I want to I want to tie in why realtors
are specifically passionate about this, because, as I mentioned previously,
they the county's budget was three million dollars prior to
the implementation of this tax for infrastructure, and actually after
it passed, they went and reduced the mill by a
(12:09):
quarter to essentially get rid of that three million dollars.
They're no longer pulling it in from the general front
from property taxes, they're simply getting that they're funding through
the absence sales tax. So in essence, if this tax
were to go away, then there is a very large
possibility that there would have to be an increase in
the mill property taxes to help to suffice for the project.
(12:31):
But right, yes, yes, exactly, So why would we want
homeowners to be burdened by this whereas when now currently
forty five percent of it is being paid for by
visitors who get to use our infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Yeah, that's so true. Yeah, and we know, we know
our tourist season now is even longer, So we have
these tours here all the time, so yeah, that is
not going away. We were discovered fully during COVID.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Right right, and and you know in our industry, we see,
you know so clearly how hard homeownership is right now
with high interest rates, and especially in the state of Florida,
with high insurance costs and property taxes are already high
as they are, and so we want to help make
sure that we can maintain them and keep them low.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So true, Well, I will have you back because there's
a lot we need to talk about when it's because
that's also been an influx. But we've been talking to
Katie Albrighton. She's the CEO of the Central Panhandle Association
of Realtors and she's one of my friends. So Katie,
next time, you got to tell me right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Away, yes, Sam, I will absolutely.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Well, thanks for joining Bronnica Alive and everybody go to
half sent. Oh gosh, I lost it, Katie, what is it?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
They have sent okay dot
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Com And thanks for joining Bronnica Alive.
Welcome to Veronica Live. And I am here and she's
actually one of my friends. We did a leadership bay
with our chamber together during the COVID year and she
is the CEO of the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors.
Katiel al Brighton is joining me today and Veronica Live.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome. Katie, Hi, Veronica, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well, what is interesting is yesterday we were at a
chamber event because we're forever bonded. We're both part of
the Military Affairs Committee and the Air Force Air Combat
Command Force. Our general was in town, so you were there.
I was there, you know, rallying around to our community
because we have such an amazing community. And you asked
(00:45):
me about if I'd voted and supported the half cent
surtax and I said no, I voted no, you know,
because I was just tired of money and you and
you were like, oh, we have to talk about this.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
And the funny thing was my co host today, Don
was sopsed to join us and he voted yes on it,
so I wanted to share that, but he was having
tech issues. So why is this important, Katie? For our
Bay County area? This half sent tax tax.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, and if you don't mind, let me give a
little bit of context about our association and why we're
so strong and such advocates for this, because you know,
just at face value, it doesn't really make sense. Why
are riltors getting behind a tax? Why is anybody getting
behind attacks? Right? That's a totally fair spot, and especially yeah,
especially right now. So for a little context, our association
(01:42):
serves six counties, and over those six counties we have
twenty four hundred ult members and a large benefit of
being a part of our association as our advocacy efforts.
So Florida riilts the State Association as well as the
National Association have very large lobbying arms that exist specifically
to promote and to protect private property rights and home
(02:05):
ownership as well as community development because we know it
benefits all of us, and so here locally we also
do the same thing. We have strong lobbying efforts. We
get behind local candidates, we get behind local issues, and
this issue specifically, we have about a ninety thousand dollars
ad campaign in partnership with the Chamber. Overall, there's about
(02:26):
a two hundred thousand dollars campaign to have this surtax
be renewed during this election.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well, but I wanted to know who was funding the billboards,
and then I actually got a fancy postcard in the mail,
So that was you all that was funding that.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yes, that was the Realtors Group. So because of our
members and how passionate they are about advocacy, their donations
go to support this and then we get essentially the
money sent back to us that we're able to use
in specific ways through grant utilization. So CPAR has gone
to fund the two postcards you probably received in the mail.
(03:02):
There's sixteen billboards across Bay County, yard signs, roads signs
and out there.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, then you're going to get a text message. So
let me tell you a little bit of why. And
it's interesting to talk to my friends and people around me,
and unfortunately there's a lot of just miscommunication, lack of
education on this topic, and I think generally a lot
of that comes from just where we're at, you know,
as a community, as a nation. Even you know, times
(03:31):
are tough right now, right we don't feel like we
have additional money to give back to the government or
to local government. So I totally understand the sentiment. But
one of the big misconceptions about this tax is that
it's a new tax, but in fact, you've been paying
this tax since twenty sixteen. So it was implemented in
twenty sixteen by majority voters at that time, and it
(03:53):
is specifically used for infrastructure. It can only be used
for infrastructure, So we're talking roadway safety, intersection improvements, resurfacing,
bridge repair, stormwater upgrades, all of which we know are
very very important for our community. And as we've seen,
especially since COVID, there's just been a boom to this community,
(04:16):
and unfortunately, we see that the infrastructure or the community
growth has far surpassed the infrastructure ability. So a lot
of times, you know, we're stuck in traffic, we're sitting
through the infrastructure structure projects because there is just such
mass community growth in our area. But this have since
sales tax again, as I said, was implemented in twenty sixteen,
(04:38):
and it can only go towards road infrastructure or infrastructure
in general. And the nice thing about this tax is
that forty five percent of it is currently being paid
for by visitors who come to our area and get
to utilize the infrastructure and enjoy our area, so forty
five percent of that is being utilized by them. When
(05:00):
the tax is being collected, it's collected at the point
of sale, and then the merchants send that to the state,
the Department of Revenue, and then the portions of that
come back to us for youth. So Bay County has
a portion of that, and then all of the municipalities
get a portion of the funds as well. And the
nice thing about that is that there is an oversight
(05:22):
committee for each municipality that consists of citizens as well
as the elected officials to oversee where that money is
going and how it's being spent. Again only for infrastructure,
and it is on a reimbursement basis, and so the
state has to see what they spent the money on
for them to be able to get those funds in return.
(05:43):
But for a little bit of context, Bay County's budget
prior to the tax, prior to twenty sixteen that renewal,
their budget for infrastructure was three million dollars total. That's it.
After the tax was put in place in twenty sixteen,
they're now bringing in about fifteen point nine million dollars
(06:04):
annually from this tax. So what that means is that
if this tax were to go away, now we know
that infrastructure, the need for infrastructure is not going away, right,
Like that's it's inevitable. They're they're anticipating they're going to see.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
That because I want to talk, you know, about a
couple of projects that now I feel bad, Katie, because
I voted no, and I should have voted just you
didn't get to me in time, and I've been so
focused on so many other races and the amendments I've
been paying hard that this was not a priority. I
was like, oh, and I didn't realize that we'd already
been paying it. So and I'm normally post informed person
(06:42):
on the planet, but I had other things going on.
So do you think they'll give me my ballot back
so I can like.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Wipe that out. We'll have to ask, Well, I'm called
nin awards. But and that is the scary thing, though,
is that when whenever we talked about this last night
and you tell me you voted note for it, I
was shocked because honestly, I do look up to you,
and I feel like you are such an informed, you
know person in general, and especially when it comes to politics,
(07:11):
and you're so involved in the community. So it made
me nervous though, because the message clearly isn't getting across
to everybody, and there is a lot of lack of
education around this. And so thank you again so much
for inviting me on the show today. And I hope
that you know, we can get a couple of people
at least to understand exactly what this is and how
(07:31):
it truly is beneficial to parkness.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
This is the project that I love because when you
go to bayhlfcent dot com and it's all spelled out,
it says there's sixty four completed projects worth over one
hundred million, twenty projects under construction design we're thirty two million,
and then it said forty two million in additional funds
awarded via grants. But my favorite one was the Philip
(07:57):
Griffiths Parkway to addition, because I liked to go to
Pier Park and it's still far away, but least I
can backdoor by the you know, the airport and go
and I love That's. Like one of my favorite improvements
in Bay County is yeah, to make my shopping faster,
Katie exactly, you know, and that's been such like it
(08:17):
cuts time down. Oh my gosh, I love yeahs.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And one of the cool things, one of the cool
things about that project specifically was that it was a
public private partnership. And so one of the great things
about us having this tax revenue is that it really
puts us ahead in terms of grant availability or ability
to receive grants from the state, because a lot of
times when municipalities go to the state seeking a grant,
(08:43):
they go empty handed, right, they're just you know, this
is all we have. We don't have anything additional to
to give you into this project, but we really need
this infrastructure. And so it puts you in a certain
ranking when the state is reviewing grant abilities. And when
we come to the state and say, hey, we have
you know, ten million dollars we're willing to invest in
this project, you're then put up to the very top
(09:05):
of the ability list if you will, to receive grants.
So part of that was Saint Joe Company. Of course
they came, they had the land. Panama City Beach was
a partner in that project, and FDOT was a project
a partner in that project as well. And so again
the ability to again have some seed money if you will,
(09:27):
and then go to the state, get some additional grants,
and then you have all these partners and they know
that you're serious because you have some seed money to
get this up and running well.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And a couple of the other projects on here. There's
lots of road resurfacing and unincorporated Bay County, so that's important.
Yees Avenue they're doing, They've done I guess a bridge repair,
Jenks Avenue, which everybody's been on. They're widening, and then
kicks by you bridge repair, and then more Thomas Drive,
(09:58):
which everybody's on, and that that really needed work and
that's resurfacing. So like like these are wonderful projects. Yes,
everybody please vote for the half cent.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah on that.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
That was the only one I screwed up because I've
been you know, like I said Amment three and four,
I've been fighting, and then all the presidential stuff. So
oh my gosh, like you said, I normally have everything together.
Oh I feel right if you do, you always do.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
But listen, we're not perfect. We're all human. I totally understand,
and I appreciate you, know, your humbleness and and you
know saying that now and bringing me on. And one
of the things I wanted to point out too, is
there's a lot of misunderstanding around whose project is who's
So you know, there's a lot of frustration around you know,
Highway three ninety or back Beat Road in front of
(10:48):
Pure Park. And so whenever we talk about infrastructure and
half the sales tax renewal was like, I'm not giving
you any more money. You can't do well with what
you have with it. But I do want to point
out that those are totally different projects. Those are scot projects,
so have some sales tax money is not going towards
those at all, So there is a distinction there. And
(11:09):
you mentioned the website. I would highly encourage anybody who's
looking into this and educating themselves to go to the
website they have ye.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Sent spelled out dot com, you know. And I know
this because I should have I don't know, I should
have paid attention because roads, we have so much growth here, Katie,
and you know that being part of the Realtors Association
is just out of control. And you know, I ran
a PR company for two years all doing roads and
bridges and it takes like ten years to get you know,
(11:40):
stuff funded and built, and people don't know that. So
so we have to support this and oh my gosh,
I'm going to be the number one cheerleader now.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
So well, and let me tell you one last thing, Ron,
I want to I want to tie in why realtors
are specifically passionate about this, because, as I mentioned previously,
they the county's budget was three million dollars prior to
the implementation of this tax for infrastructure, and actually after
it passed, they went and reduced the mill by a
(12:09):
quarter to essentially get rid of that three million dollars.
They're no longer pulling it in from the general front
from property taxes, they're simply getting that they're funding through
the absence sales tax. So in essence, if this tax
were to go away, then there is a very large
possibility that there would have to be an increase in
the mill property taxes to help to suffice for the project.
(12:31):
But right, yes, yes, exactly, So why would we want
homeowners to be burdened by this whereas when now currently
forty five percent of it is being paid for by
visitors who get to use our infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Yeah, that's so true. Yeah, and we know, we know
our tourist season now is even longer, So we have
these tours here all the time, so yeah, that is
not going away. We were discovered fully during COVID.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Right right, and and you know in our industry, we see,
you know so clearly how hard homeownership is right now
with high interest rates, and especially in the state of Florida,
with high insurance costs and property taxes are already high
as they are, and so we want to help make
sure that we can maintain them and keep them low.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So true, Well, I will have you back because there's
a lot we need to talk about when it's because
that's also been an influx. But we've been talking to
Katie Albrighton. She's the CEO of the Central Panhandle Association
of Realtors and she's one of my friends. So Katie,
next time, you got to tell me right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Away, yes, Sam, I will absolutely.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Well, thanks for joining Bronnica Alive and everybody go to
half sent. Oh gosh, I lost it, Katie, what is it?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
They have sent okay dot
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Com And thanks for joining Bronnica Alive.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.