Gov. Ron DeSantis breaks his silence to react to the property tax overhaul plan approved by Florida lawmakers, and Florida TaxWatch publishes a list of projects leaders feel should be vetoed from the state budget.
DeSantis breaks silence on new property tax proposal approved by lawmakers
Gov. Ron DeSantis has broken his silence on the legislature’s proposal to increase property tax exemptions.
In a post on social media, the governor said that while the legislature’s measure differs from what he proposed, he still said the proposal would be the largest property tax cut in the state’s history.
“The proposal will increase constitutional protection against taxes for homestead properties and will be the biggest property tax cut in Florida history,” he wrote on X.
The governor says, unlike his plan, the plan Floridians will vote on in November does not allow for homestead property taxes to be eliminated.
Another difference is that it does not create a state fund that would provide grants to local governments to assist with core services.
Tax group identifies projects for DeSantis to veto in budget
The government watchdog group Florida TaxWatch released its list Monday highlighting what it calls budget turkeys.
Those turkeys are budget items that members of the group think Gov. Ron DeSantis should give a second look.
This year, Florida TaxWatch spotlighted more than 600 budget items. All those turkeys add up to $830 million in local requests for state funds.
The list is designed to aid DeSantis as he reviews Florida’s proposed $114.7 billion budget with the power to veto individual items he deems unfit for funding.
“Despite the call for a leaner budget, legislators requested more hometown projects than ever before. House and Senate members submitted more than 5,600 project requests, totaling $11.5 billion,” Senior VP of Research at Florida TaxWatch Kurt Wenner said.
Among the biggest turkeys the group identified is Hillsborough College and through that, the Tampa Bay Rays. The budget includes $50 million to improve the campus as part of a larger deal to build a new Rays stadium.
“Items identified as budget turkeys tend to serve a limited, not a statewide, area. They’re often not. Core functions of state government are more appropriately funded with local or private dollars,” Florida TaxWatch President Jeff Kottkamp said.
Also on that list is the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. The performing arts theater is asking for $850,000. They want to modernize the theater’s decade-old sound system.
“This investment protects revenue, keeps the venue competitive for first-run tours, and reinforces the Dr. Phillips Center as a premier cultural destination attracting audiences locally, statewide, and internationally,” State Sen. Jason Broduer said.
When DeSantis makes budget cuts, he’s known for cutting deep. For context, in this current fiscal year’s budget, he vetoed over $560 million in overall potential spending that was approved by lawmakers.
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