POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Sheriff Grady Judd suggested a property tax proposal would have impacted how his office responded to a deadly crash involving a school bus and a driver.
“I didn’t hear one person on that scene say, ‘I’m voting for Amendment three,’ “said Judd.“I didn’t hear one person in that scene saying, ‘You know, I could save a little bit of tax money and gosh, we could negatively affect this response.
Judd’s remarks were in response to a reporter who asked if Amendment 3, a property tax proposal that would cut property taxes for 60 percent of Florida’s homeowners, would have affected how Judd’s office responded to the deadly crash.
The crash happened on Monday morning at Lucerne Park Road, about a mile and a half west of U-S 27. A jeep driver and a high school cheerleader were killed.
Jake Hoffman, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, took issue with Judd’s remarks.
“As somebody who’s a Republican and a supporter of Grady Judd, like most of us are, I find it a little bit unsettling that he would use the tragedy in Polk County to advocate against Amendment 3,” said Hoffman. “I think that people need to advocate for themselves. They need to advocate for their own pocketbooks and not necessarily trust your local leaders who are in charge of a very large budget.”
During the press conference, Judd referenced the legislature and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Byron Donalds. “One of our governor candidates. Byron Donald says ‘I’m going to address it when I’m governor,’” he said. “The legislature said, ‘I’ll address it.’ “
In a statement provided to Eyewitness News, a spokesman for the Donalds’ Campaign said, “Byron Donalds is proud to be endorsed by 60 Florida Sheriffs and counts Sheriff Judd as a friend and advisor. As Governor, he will always back the blue and fight to ensure that law enforcement and first responders have the resources they need.”
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