Florida lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal that could eventually eliminate property taxes for many homeowners, but not exactly in the form Gov. Ron DeSantis originally proposed.
House and Senate committees advanced the legislation Monday night after adopting a series of amendments aimed at addressing concerns from local governments, educators and public safety officials, who warned the proposal could create major budget shortfalls.
Among the most significant changes, lawmakers voted to preserve property taxes that fund public schools. Under the amended proposal, homeowners would continue paying the portion of their property taxes that goes toward school districts.
Legislators also revised the proposed constitutional amendment to clarify that certain local offices, including clerks of court and supervisors of elections, would continue receiving funding through property taxes.
The changes came after hours of public testimony from mayors, county commissioners, firefighters, police officers and education advocates who argued that eliminating property tax revenue could threaten funding for essential services.
“The question before us is how much stress can the system take at one time?” said Sen. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, during a committee debate. “I, for one, cannot support removing billions of dollars from public education today.”
The proposal stems from Gov. DeSantis’ effort to overhaul Florida’s property tax system by dramatically increasing the state’s homestead exemption.
Under the plan, the exemption would rise from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028. Lawmakers would later be required to develop a path toward increasing the exemption to $500,000 and beyond. According to a projection from the state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, approximately 76% of Floridians could see their homestead property taxes eliminated at that $500,000 figure.
Supporters argue the changes would provide significant tax relief for homeowners. Critics counter that local governments rely heavily on property tax revenue to fund services such as law enforcement, fire rescue, parks, roads and schools.
“Really, this plan screams overreach, not trusting local governments to solve their own problems, even though they are the ones closest to the people and have the best understanding of what their communities need,” said Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa.
According to projections from the Florida Policy Institute, Hillsborough County could lose approximately $373 million in annual revenue under a $250,000 homestead exemption, while Duval County could see losses of roughly $294 million.
The House and Senate are expected to convene at 9 a.m. Tuesday. If approved by a three-fifths vote in both chambers, the proposal would be placed on Florida’s November ballot.
Voters would then have the final say. Because it is a constitutional amendment, the measure would need support from at least 60% of voters statewide to take effect.