TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis held a property tax roundtable this week in Melbourne, reminding lawmakers that their work this summer isn’t over quite yet.

While DeSantis has yet to reveal a formal plan to cut property taxes, he’s teasing more details around what’s to come. He said local government spending and tax increases in the last four years have spiraled out of control.

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“Florida’s budget has basically been flat or declining for the last four years; how do you go from 32 to 60 billion?” said DeSantis.

The governor said something’s got to give.

In his latest pitch, DeSantis wants to prioritize homesteaded Floridians, while commercial properties, vacation homes, and rentals owned by out-of-state residents will still have to pay up.

His plan also looks to protect businesses from tax hikes, support rural counties, and add requirements for new residents moving to the state.

“I don’t want every Tom, Dick, and Harry from out of state, moving in rushing to buy a home here because they get a tax benefit,” DeSantis said.

Over at the statehouse there’s pushback, with lawmakers split on whether cuts would ease the burden or shift it elsewhere.

“We live in a pretty tax regressive state already and more cuts to property taxes are just going to shift the burden more to people who can’t afford it,” said State Representative Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg.

Cross said she hopes to see a proposal that’s more reasonable and pared down, fearing what large cuts could do to local services.

While others at the state capitol, like Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Hillsborough, argue that there’s waste to trim.

“So, is there a fluff there that we could give back?” Alvarez said. “I think so. And I think that’s what the DOGE experiment showed is that we’ve taken so much. Is it justifiable? Is it of value for the taxpayer? And I think the answer is there’s definitely room to cut. But you got to make these tough decisions at a local.”

As of now, June and July have been floated as possible timelines for a special session, and if lawmakers decide to finally pass a measure, then it heads to the voters, who get the final say in November.

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