Collier County debates subsidy tax

Now that the Florida Legislature has agreed to give $130 million in subsidies to lure Jackson Laboratory to Collier County, local pols must now figure out where their share of matching funds should come from.

Watch your pockets.

One of the ideas being floated is a tax on customers of Florida Power & Light. “The idea of a franchise fee is one option being discussed along with other options such as impact fee deferrals, tax increment financing and infrastructure contributions,” says Collier County spokesman John Torre. “All could be considered as a way to come up with the local match.”

No word on exactly how much the utility tax would cost or when it might be considered. But Collier County commissioners might want to tread carefully.

Judging by the thousands of tea party activists who showed up on April 15 at the corner of U.S. 41 and Pine Ridge Road in Naples, residents of Collier County are in no mood for tax increases, even if it comes with the promise of thousands of high-paying jobs. Maine-based Jackson Laboratory is a nonprofit biomedical organization that plans to build a research facility on 50 acres in eastern Collier County.