TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Amid a huge push for property tax reform this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week put his foot down on reform for seniors alone.
In a post on X, the governor called age-specific reform is a “non-starter.”
“Making homestead properties tax-free would be a major boon to young families, who will be better able to make ends meet,” he wrote.
Age-specific property tax relief is a non-starter.
Making homestead properties tax-free would be a major boon to young families who will be better able to make ends meet.
Why saddle anyone — but particularly young people — will rising local taxes based on increased… https://t.co/PnmLODgtdE
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 17, 2025
His comments follow a series of new property tax proposals in the state Legislature, a couple of which aim to give relief to senior citizens.
For example, HJR 205 and SJR 270 would exempt residents ages 65 and over from paying non-school taxes on their homes.
However, DeSantis said that he refuses to support property tax reform if it doesn’t extend to younger generations, too.
“Why saddle anyone — but particularly young people — will (sic) rising local taxes based on increased assessments, which are nothing more than an unrealized gain?” he asked.
[BELOW: Florida lawmakers debate eliminating property taxes]
DeSantis has been a vocal proponent of cutting — if not outright eliminating — property taxes statewide, arguing that they unfairly target homeowners, who have already taken on all of the other burdens that come with homeownership.
On the flip side, proponents of property taxes often assert that they’re necessary to collect revenue for local government functions, such as public schools and police stations.
However, local governments are the ones that levy property taxes — not the state — so it would require a constitutional amendment to eradicate them statewide.
Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them…
We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that… https://t.co/WpOQmjNl0X
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 13, 2025
So far, state lawmakers have already put forward at least a dozen amendment proposals touching on property tax exemptions or assessed value caps.
If any of these proposals is approved by the Legislature at large next year, they will then require 60% of voters to approve them in the 2026 general election.
[BELOW: Florida House pitches property tax proposals for 2026 ballot]
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