Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2017 Save Our Homes: An Analysis of the Enactment and Expansion of Property Tax Limitation in Florida Stephanie L. Bradley Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PUBLIC POLICY SAVE OUR HOMES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ENACTMENT AND EXPANSION OF PROPERTY TAX LIMITATION IN FLORIDA By STEPHANIE L. BRADLEY A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 Stephanie L. Bradley defended this dissertation on April 10, 2017. The members of the supervisory committee were: Daniel Tope Professor Directing Dissertation Frances S. Berry University Representative Jill Quadagno Committee Member Deana Rohlinger Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This is dedicated to my best friend, my mom. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS An Acknowledgments section feels like a woefully inadequate way to express the immeasurable impact so many people have had on my academic journey. Sociologists recognize the importance of circumstances on life outcomes, and I have had the good fortune to receive an abundance of love, support, and guidance from so many people. Too many, in fact, for a tired graduate student who wishes she did not save the task of documenting her gratitude until the end of the dissertation process. However, even a well-rested wordsmith could not adequately convey my boundless appreciation for those who have supported my graduate school dreams. To my friends and family, thank you being my cheerleaders. To my academic mentors, thank you for helping shape and expand my knowledge and expertise. The list of people for whom I am thankful extends beyond these pages; however, I will try to document my appreciation of key individuals and circumstances that have helped me reach the end of my graduate school journey. It all started with an idea to leave the safety of a successful career to become a college professor. I had to first gain acceptance into a sociology program. That was no small task for someone whose only formal exposure to the discipline was an elective introductory course in 1989. Giana Eckhardt, John Lough, and Elisabeth Pickelsimer, thank you for reading countless drafts of the writing sample specifically composed for my application packet. John Lough, Kim Moore, and Will Sutton, thank you for writing multiple recommendation letters in support of this endeavor. I cherish all of your efforts. Transitioning into a graduate program felt like a new world. Thank you to the faculty, staff, and graduate students at Florida State University for easing my transition and for your positive impact on my graduate school experience. Abraham Peña-Talamantes, it is not an exaggeration to say that my graduate school journey has been fully altered by your mentorship. iv Your positive impact on my academic experience cannot be overstated. I have also been the grateful beneficiary of guidance and support from other sociology peer mentors and friends. Melissa Bamford, Jennifer Brailsford, Haley Gentile, Katy Glasgow, Anna Jacobs, Jesse Klein, Brian Knop, Daniel Lanford, Stella Min, JoEllen Pederson, Alex Raphael, Brittany Rawlinson, Teresa Roach, Preeti Vaghela, and so many others, thank you for shaping my sociological understandings and impacting my time in Tallahassee. You have profoundly influenced my growth as a sociologist and a person. This dissertation is also the result of many conversations and opportunities. I cannot thank Jill Quadagno enough for the central role she has played in supporting my interest in fiscal sociology. When I was an early-career graduate student, ideas swirled in my mind like disconnected thought bubbles. Fortunately, after learning about my range of interests, Dr. Quadagno directed me to Chris Howard’s The Hidden Welfare State. Through that book, I found my academic “home” in fiscal sociology. My interest in fiscal sociology deepened under the direction of Isaac Martin, Ajay Mehrotra, and Monica Prasad. As I was finishing my master’s paper, the Social Science Research Council’s Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship promoted a fellowship focusing on fiscal sociology. Dr. Martin and Dr. Mehrotra were the research directors and Dr. Prasad contributed her expertise. This was a chance to learn from my academic idols. Though I doubt they even remember this encounter, during a break from one of our group sessions Drs. Martin and Prasad debated the inclusion of tax expenditures in the American welfare state. Being a casual observer of this interaction was an opportunity for which I will be forever grateful, for it made me want to join the conversation. Additional institutional support came from Florida State University’s Graduate School through a Dissertation Research Grant. That funding provided invaluable financial support for this project. v My master’s and dissertation committees have also shaped my scholarly development. Dan Tope, Jill Quadagno, and John Reynolds served on my master’s committee. Dan Tope, Jill Quadagno, and Deana Rohlinger are guiding my dissertation. Dr. Tope chaired both of these efforts. Thank you, Dan, for enduring my verbosity as I explored different research ideas over the years. Your guidance and support has been central to my development. Dr. Quadagno has also supported both of these projects. It has been a joy and a privilege to grow under your mentorship. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to work with another one of my academic idols. John Reynolds provided excellent feedback on my master’s paper. Deana Rohlinger inspired my interest in social movements and is always eager to serve as a resource in the development of graduate students. Lastly, thank you to Dale Smith for providing feedback on my dissertation prospectus and to Frances Berry for agreeing to join my dissertation committee after my prospectus defense. Thank you, too, to Judith Devine, Lisa Liseno, Annette Schwabe, and Lisa Turner de Vera. You all have helped me believe in myself and thrive in graduate school. A special thank you to Dr. Schwabe. Though I have geared my comments here towards those who have supported the completion of my dissertation, teaching and research are not isolated academic pursuits for me. I am deeply grateful for your support and guidance as I developed into a teacher- scholar. Lastly, the isolation of completing a dissertation can provide time to reflect on those who have influenced the person behind the research. Thank you, Kim Moore, for your unwavering support. You have an uncanny knack for saying the right thing at the right time. I am inspired by the successes in your own academic journey and am forever grateful for your influence in my life. Kearnan Tomlinson, thank you for always being excited for me. From traveling with me to vi Tallahassee to house hunt to calling me the second you learned about my post-graduate school plans, you have always been in my corner. Dad, thank you and Rosemary for visiting Tallahassee and letting me shuttle you excitedly around campus. I am always thankful for the opportunity to listen to stories from your graduate school and teaching experiences. Thank you for developing my love of learning, inquisitive nature, and detail orientation. I love you so much. Now for the hard part. How do I put into words the level of appreciation I have for my mom? This will be inadequate, but I will try. Thank you, Mom, for your guidance, support, love, and optimism. Just as you have supported me throughout the rest of my life, you have been my champion, confidant, occasional editor, and best friend on my journey to earn a doctoral degree. When we talk about my academic dreams, even the pitch of your voice and the emotional vibration in your words reveals how much you want this for me. Thank you for everything. I am forever grateful for you and our relationship. I love you and I dedicate this dissertation to you. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... xii 1. CONSTRUCTING THE HIDDEN WELFARE STATE ...........................................................1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................1 Theories of the Welfare State ......................................................................................................2 The Structure of the American Welfare State .............................................................................4 Determining Property Tax in Florida ..........................................................................................9 California’s Proposition 13 and Its Policy Entrepreneur ..........................................................11 Property Tax Limitation and Save Our Homes .........................................................................15