Manatee County was the first of three stops Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio made Wednesday in support of the Florida Taxpayer Alliance's plan to cap property taxes at 1.35 percent of taxable value.

Rubio spoke to a crowd of about 100 local tax reform activists, business leaders and fellow politicians at Dolphin Aviation at Sarasota- Bradenton International Airport.

"It's a grassroots campaign, and I am absolutely committed to helping however I can," Rubio said.

Under the plan, a home or business with a taxable value of $100,000 would have its property taxes capped at $1,350. This year, the owner of the same home would have paid $1,534 in the least-taxed areas of Manatee County.

The plan is similar to California's Proposition 13, which capped property taxes at 1 percent of taxable value 30 years ago.

Rubio, who also made stops in St. Petersburg and Panama City, emphasized that big problems require equally big solutions.

"If you've got cancer but insist all you have is a cold, you are not going to get better," Rubio said.

State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, was on hand to endorse the proposed cap.

"Property tax is totally out of control; the Jan. 29 ballot is not enough," Bennett said.

Bennett and Rubio made it clear they don't support the 1.35 percent plan in lieu of the Jan. 29 plan that would increase homestead exemptions and allow homeowners to transfer Save Our Homes benefits. But they say that proposal doesn't go far enough.

"Our young people, who have done everything we've asked of them, can't afford to live in the state," Rubio said about the plight of young professionals.

A recent poll of 1,200 Florida residents showed 20 percent of Floridians are seriously considering leaving the state. Rubio finds the survey, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research on behalf of Leadership Florida, disheartening. He pointed out that one in five people can't leave the state because they can't sell their houses.

He said tax cuts will at least reduce the number of people who leave the state, and the best-case scenario will attract commerce that previously found its home elsewhere due to high insurance, taxes and property costs.

"If Florida approves a tax cut, it will spur the economy," Rubio said.

He said he foresees a darker economic climate throughout the United States in 2008 and thinks a proactive approach could help Florida grow in the face of adversity.

Business owner Ashok Sawe has seen property taxes on his small island resort go from $6,000 to $20,000 in just five years. He supports the 1.35 percent proposal.

"It's definitely the best plan we've seen so far. It's fair, simple and offers a significant cut," Sawe said.

Sawe and others think it is the first step toward real change.

"It would lay a foundation for other legislation," said Barry Gould, a real estate agent with Island Vacation Properties.

Gould estimates it would cut taxes in Manatee County by about 7 percent, which is less than other counties like Hillsborough would be affected, based on the different taxing structures.

The proposed cap is the only property-tax plan so far that would benefit owners of non-homesteaded properties, backers say.

Tax reform organizations are in a rush to collect signatures on petitions. They need 550,000 additional signatures by the end of January to get the proposal on the ballot in November.

"I have no doubt this issue will get on the ballot, hopefully sooner rather than later," Rubio said.