The 2008 Florida Taxpayers Summit, held September 6th in Orlando, was a big success as activists gathered from around the state to learn how they can change the direction of public policy and get Florida back on the right track.

With property taxes still increasing and government spending still out of control, the Florida Taxpayers Union unveiled their plan to fight back against the special interests in Tallahassee that are pressuring legislators to hand out more and more of our hard earned money.

The Florida Taxpayers Summit brought together activists, coalition groups, and elected officials to outline a strategy to bring down taxes and control government spending. Senator Mike Haridopolos, who is scheduled to become the Senate President in 2010, excited the audience as he gave his unwavering support to control government spending by sponsoring legislation in the 2009 Legislative Session in Tallahassee to place an Amendment capping increases in the state budget. Senator Haridopolos commented that the only way to have meaningful property tax relief is to first control spending.

The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) Government Affairs Manager Andrew Moylan gave a presentation on current energy policy being debated In Washington, DC and how energy taxes will harm the economy and raise prices at the pump.

The big news of the event was the unveiling of a citizen's ballot initiative sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Allen Douglass of NFIB gave a presentation on their initiative to cap government spending at the local level. Allen asked that all organizations and activists that were present volunteer to get the 611,000 signatures required to be placed on the 2010 Ballot.

Another highlight of the event was a presentation given by Eli Leherer of the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the government takeover of the property insurance industry and how Florida could be one major storm away from bankruptcy.

Many leaders of grassroots organizations were on hand to speak about their efforts to bring tax relief to Floridians, including; Ax the Tax, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Fair Taxation, FreedomWorks, Coalition for Property Rights, The Constitutional Reform Committee and the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.

Florida Taxpayers Union President John Hallman commented that he was encouraged by the turn-out of great activists from around the state. We know that all of us working together in a united and organized front can bring about the changes that are so desperately needed to bring back prosperity and opportunity for all Floridians.