Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday unveiled a proposal aimed at reducing — and eventually eliminating — property taxes for many Florida homeowners, calling it a measure that could significantly impact residents across the state.
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The governor’s proposal would exempt up to $250,000 of a home’s taxable value for homesteaded properties, meaning a person’s primary residence.
Under the proposal, a homeowner with a property valued at $400,000 would only pay taxes on $150,000 of taxable value.
“This is the one thing that we can do that is gonna make a really big difference in the lives of people,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Tampa.
According to the governor, a $250,000 exemption would eliminate property taxes for about 60% of Florida homeowners. He said increasing the exemption to $500,000 would impact roughly 92% of homeowners statewide.
DeSantis is calling lawmakers back to Tallahassee for a special legislative session beginning Monday, where legislators are expected to debate the proposal and its financial implications.
One of the biggest concerns surrounding the plan is how local governments would replace revenue used to fund services such as police, fire rescue and schools. The governor said the state would establish a special trust fund to help offset those losses.
State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Republican who represents western Miami-Dade County, said he supports property tax relief but acknowledged lawmakers still have questions.
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“We’re going to have the whole weekend and three whole days of special session next week to really take a deep dive in some of the questions and the debate,” Porras said. “Is this going to impact schools or local governments?”
Porras said he supports placing the constitutional amendment before voters.
Democratic State Rep. Angie Nixon expressed support for targeted relief but criticized the broader scope of the proposal.
“I do believe that we need to provide some relief for the seniors and some low-income people who may not be able to pay for things,” Nixon said, “but I don’t think we need to be subsidizing billionaires.”
NBC6 political analyst Alex Penelas called the proposal “extraordinary” and said it could become a defining part of DeSantis’ political legacy.
Still, Penelas expects pushback — including from Republicans — over concerns that smaller counties may struggle to replace lost tax revenue.
“Local governments are going to say, hey, listen, if this is going to impact our ability to provide police, fire, schools, park services,” Penelas said, “especially for smaller rural counties that did not have the tax base that some of the larger counties like Miami-Dade or Broward have.”
Before the proposal can become law, it must first pass the Florida House and Senate with support from two-thirds of lawmakers. Voters would then need to approve the constitutional amendment by at least 60% during a future statewide election.
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