The state of Florida significantly hurts itself with some outrageous "use tax" laws. Until recently, pilots feared even stopping for fuel in Florida because they expected Florida to slap them with a 6% tax for just contributing to the state economy. The AOPA has been fighting this unreasonable tax, but even just a year ago a letter from Florida Governor Charlie Crist showed that the state was still determined to punish tourists and business people alike for flying to Florida. However, the AOPA just received a new letter from the Florida Department of Revenue that shows someone in the state government has some reasoning abilities.

As AOPA's own commentary on the letter confirms, this letter essentially grants safe passage to pilots who want to attend fly-in events in Florida. With this letter in hand, I'd even feel safe to stop in the state for gas during a cross country trip.

This is great news both for pilots and for the citizens of Florida. The state's illogical tax policies have been hurting its own airports, FBOs, hotels and tourist attractions for years. Thanks to this letter, all of these businesses can look forward to more business in the future - something they'll undoubtedly appreciate in today's tough economy.

The AOPA article mentions Representative Ralph Poppell as a key player in the fight against Florida's use tax policies. We'd like to express our thanks to him for helping to support aviation in America and for being brave enough to look out for the good of his constituents. He's still working to get some full legislation protecting aircraft owners against use tax, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. We hope the fight goes well in the next legislative session and we look forward to reporting on Rep. Poppell's success. Well done and keep up the good work!