TALLAHASSEE — With lawmakers headed into a special session to slash $1.5 billion in spending, largely the result of slumping home sales, Gov. Charlie Crist heads to Central Florida today to address the Florida Association of Realtors.

Crist appears at 8:30 a.m. at the Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa, where the group is holding its annual convention.

Florida has no state income tax and relies largely on sales and documentary stamp taxes to make up it’s $71 billion plus budget.

Sluggish home sales are one of the most frequently cited reasons for decreased tax revenues that forced Crist and legislative leaders to call the Sept. 18 special session.

For the first time in years, Dory Kilburn won’t mind getting her property tax notice in the mail this week.

Her taxes soared over the last few years – up to $3,052 on a Boynton Beach condo she paid $90,000 for.

Now – like homeowners across Palm Beach County – Kilburn will find something different on her tax notice: her home’s tax value actually dropped, from $135,000 to $111,000.

That means lower taxes. In 2008, she’ll pay $2,381.

“When we looked at our bill last year, we were shocked,” said Kilburn, a snowbird who has a home in Ontario, Canada. “So yes, this is much more pleasant, but there’s still got to be more improvement.”