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• 4 G•y - / 3 6/3/13 lv.p,.i• COUNTY COMMISSIONERS R Joseph E. Flescher, Chairman District 2 R Wesley S. Davis, Vice Chairman District 1 R Peter D.O'Bryan District 4 R Bob Solari District 5 R Tim Zorc District 3 Joseph A. Baird, County Administrator Alan S. Polackwich, Sr., County Attorney Jeffrey R. Smith, Clerk to the Board First I will put a face to this ordinance, one of the people that this exemption would assist, my Grandmother, the driving force behind my passion concerning this exemption, Then I will ask several questions about the exemption and provide testimony in support of it's passing. 1. ■ My Grandmother is 99, still very active, Infact she golfed until she was 90 and the county closed Doger Pines... She dreads driving by there now and seeing it all grown over..... ■ She's a pistol, very sharp, independent and healthy. She was born in 1914, she was 16 when the Great Depression started. It was a very hard time to begin your career and survive. Thus, like many of that generation my Grandparents were always very responsible and frugal with money. They were hard working, honorable, health conscious and dedicated to their family, community, church and employer. ■ Both my Parents and Grandparents worked very hard at a Steel Company in western New York until their retirement. Shortly after my Grandmparent retired, in 1986 they moved here to Vero Beach for the healthy weather and to escape the extremely high taxes of NY, thinking they could live financially stress-free and comfortably in their home the rest of their lives l My Grandfather did until he died in 1998. ■ However, that turned around for my Grandmother when in 2001 the Steel Company went Bankrupt due to its inability to compete with cheap foreign labor, mainly China, that the US Government was woefully ineffective in controlling. Her pension was reduced by 90%, she lost her health-care(which since has cost her$240 a month to maintain), she lost her life insurance and long- term care insurance(which she expected to cover her stay in a nice assisted living community when necessary). ■ With the continous large cost-of-living increases, things have become very tight. When Social Security increases, Medicare always increases and the net gain is negligible. Property Insurance has doubled, HOA fees rise, Medical costs rise, gas, food, utilities, etc etc continue to rise. ■ Then In 2008 due to 60%decrease in her homes value she was no longer eligible for the Additional homestead exemption. A decrease caused by dishonest banks that caused this the worst recession since the great depression, again woefully uncontrolled by the US Government. ■ Then In 2010 she was required to cash in her personal life insurance due to some law because the policy was 76 years old. What 21 year old these I � � . t