To the Editor:
Representative Brett Hage is a symbol of conflict of interest.
He co-sponsored HB337 to keep impact fees low for his employer, the Developer of The Villages, resulting in higher taxes for us in Sumter County.
We continue to pay the 25 percent increase in taxes imposed on us in 2019, year after year, while Rep. Hage collected a fat paycheck of $350,000 from the Developer last year, a $209,000 raise from the previous year. I am curious to see the size of Brett Hage’s fat paycheck this year.
Now there is another bill on its way to the statehouse. This bill, HB620 will allow local business to sue local government for damages. I have never heard of a business being able to sue government. But this bill has already been approved by the state senate by 22-14 vote as reported in The Daily Sun. If the statehouse approves it, and the governor signs it into law, we, the taxpayers can look forward to paying for any expense of lawsuit and god forbid, any damages. I can picture our local taxes going up through the roof. The Town of Lady Lake caved in to the Developer’s demands to convert Katie Belle’s to seven apartments, all because of the cost of litigation. Now add to it the potential for damages, and sky is the limit. And the sky is the limit for our local taxes if any big damage awards are made in favor of a business.
Ash Marwah
Village of Belvedere