Florida politicians have been talking a lot for months about cutting property taxes. There are a pile of ideas, but not much yet on a path forward.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to call the state Legislature back for a special session on property taxes. But he hasn’t yet put forward a plan and no date has been set for a session.
There are less than seven months until the November election, so where does the issue currently stand?
Would cutting Florida property taxes mean amending the state Constitution?
Most of the proposals so far involve amending the state Constitution, which would require a 60% favorable vote in a referendum to be enacted. Such an amendment also would need a three-fifths vote to pass the state House and Senate, before it got to voters.
Florida’s counties and cities are watching with deep concern that a basic source of tax money for everything from law enforcement to schools to roads to government services like emergency response will be in jeopardy, depending on which plan might pass.
How much do Florida counties and cities depend on property tax revenue?
About half of Florida’s 67 counties get the bulk of their revenue from property taxes, according to the Florida Association of Counties. The cities also depend on this revenue.
The Florida League of Cities said in a statement that cutting property taxes will likely trigger a “tax shift” that could require higher sales taxes and government fees for things like home inspections.
In 2024, the last year complete figures are available, Florida counties collected about $18.8 billion in property taxes, according to the county association.
What kinds of proposals to cut Florida property taxes are on the table?
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to call the state Legislature back for a special session on property taxes.
One plan would eliminate all non-school property taxes properties that have a homestead exemption, which are mainly people’s primary residences rather than secondary homes, like a vacation place. The tax for schools would remain and it’s estimated this would be a big reduction particularly for people in high-tax places like Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange and Pinellas counties.
Another idea is to phase out property taxes other than those for schools more gradually over a 10-year period. The reduction would come by raising the homestead exemption about $100,000 per year.
Some plans focus on seniors with fixed incomes. For example, one piece of legislation would increase property tax exemptions for people 65 and and older who meet certain income thresholds.
There are also proposals that would impact small businesses, enable homeowners to make improvements without triggering a tax value increase and eliminate property reassessment spikes when a property is purchased especially by first-time buyers.
DeSantis has repeatedly said he wants lawmakers to consider a single, consolidated bill rather than a bunch of overlapping proposals. If it comes together, the plan is for voters to have a property tax reduction amendment on the November 2026 ballot.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Where things stand on the governor eliminating Florida property taxes
