The city of Hialeah, a vibrant community in northwest Miami-Dade County, is set to become the first Florida municipality to effectively eliminate property taxes for some seniors, under a newly approved program which would give them one-time property tax rebates.
The move, which fulfills a campaign promise of Hialeah’s young new mayor, was unanimously approved by the city late last month, though it is still pending a final vote.
Why It Matters
After years of home value and property tax increases, lawmakers in Florida are considering sweeping reform to the state’s property tax system to alleviate the financial burden on homeowners.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, now in his last months in office, has been spearheading the conversation, declaring last year he would have supported efforts to abolish property taxes in the state completely—a move that would require the backing of a supermajority of Florida voters.
Just this week, the state House passed a proposal, HJR 203, which—if it made it to the ballot this November—would ask voters if they support the phasing out of non-school homestead property taxes while forbidding local governments from cutting funding for law enforcement and other first respondents. The measure is unlikely to reach voters this year.
What To Know
Under the ordinance passed by the Hialeah council in late February, eligible residents 65 or older with a homestead property and income below a certain threshold ($37,694) would be able to receive a rebate calculated on the city’s portion of their 2025 property tax bills.
Mayor Bryan Calvo, who made history when he became the youngest mayor in the history of Hialeah in November, had initially told the Miami Herald that a total of 5,141 residents would benefit from the program. But the ordinance estimates it will benefit roughly 2,225 senior households in the city, based on property tax payment data provided by the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office.
That is about 6.9 percent of all households in Hialeah, one of the most Cuban-influenced, Spanish-speaking communities in the nation.
Eligible seniors are expected to receive rebates averaging $539 per household, though the exact amount would depend on each homeowner’s property tax payment. The rebates would effectively offset what these homeowners paid in municipal property taxes.
The city has estimated the cost of the program at about $1.2 million, which would come from Hialeah’s surplus general fund revenue and will not create a new tax burden on residents.
“It means that we are not cutting any services, we are not eliminating any services, and at the same time, we are not raising taxes on any other revenue stream,” Calvo said, as quoted by NBC Miami.
The rebates would apply to municipal taxes only, excluding county and school board levies.
But the initiative has drawn criticism from those who argue it is legally questionable, as the rebates would use property tax revenue, known as ad valorem taxes, to benefit only a narrow group of residents.
What People Are Saying
Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo said of the rebates in a statement reported by Florida Politics: “For years, seniors were told it couldn’t be done. They were told the only solution was to go to Tallahassee, to wait on legislation, to accept that relief was out of reach. But we didn’t accept that answer. We found a way. This is proof that the local government can find solutions when others say it can’t be done.”
Jose Smith, a former municipal attorney for the cities of Miami Beach and North Miami, told the Miami Herald: “A city may not give ad valorem taxes to any particular group. A city may use federal funds, Community Redevelopment Agency dollars, or other revenues to assist low-income or needy residents, or for a legitimate public purpose. But only non-ad valorem revenues should be used, and it cannot be designed to help just one group of people. There has to be a public purpose.”
What Happens Next
A final vote for the one-time property-tax relief program is scheduled for March 10. If passed, qualified homeowners will automatically receive the rebates by the end of the month, according to city officials.
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