TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida lawmakers are set to return to Tallahassee as the legislative session gets underway.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, lawmakers will hear Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 State of the State address before they begin debating 1,000 bills filed and voting on next year\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n
One of the items that is on the minds of many voters and their state representative: property taxes.<\/p>\n
These taxes fund local government programs and public schools.<\/p>\n
DeSantis has been pushing lawmakers to address Floridians\u2019 property taxes on their primary or homestead properties. Under this proposal, vacation homes or properties used as Airbnb would not qualify.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love not to have to pay property taxes ever again. I don\u2019t see that necessarily as one of the realistic options that we\u2019re going to be considering this year,\u201d said Florida State Rep. Tom Fabricio.<\/p>\n
We had a lot of discussions and had a lot of questions about the implications of various property tax reform proposals. I\u2019m looking forward to hopefully addressing affordability issues,\u201d said Florida State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky.<\/p>\n
One of the proposals being discussed would boost the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $200,000, but would not affect school budgets and would limit impacts on police and fire departments. Homeowners would be required to carry insurance.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that would basically reduce property taxes for those homeowners, which would be a good portion of the folks who live in their homes,\u201d said Fabricio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s important to provide relief for our property owners, but it also has to be in a way that is fair for everybody,\u201d said Hunschofsky.<\/p>\n
But no matter which path lawmakers decide to take, the issue will ultimately be in voters\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cStatewide for taxpayers, it is a home run. My guess is that it would pass with more than 70-72 percent on the ballot because it is much, much needed,\u201d said State Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.<\/p>\n
However, the Florida League of Cities said the change could cost local governments around $8 billion a year. They say that money lost goes for services like local transportation, water and sewer, parks, and libraries.<\/p>\n
Immigration is also likely to continue to dominate the agenda. Ingoglia is advocating for new rules to ban undocumented migrants from benefits such as workers\u2019 compensation and to push the costs onto employers.<\/p>\n
Democrats, meanwhile, want to limit the governor\u2019s ongoing immigration state of emergency, which they say is based on old information. They also want to create a database of those migrants incarcerated in state sites such as \u201cAlligator Alcatraz.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have a problem with immigration in Florida, it should be done on a policy basis, and that\u2019s where it should be happening. Not through emergency orders where there are no checks and balances, there\u2019s nothing,\u201d said Florida State Sen. Lori Berman.<\/p>\n
Expect also to see lawmakers moving on bills to regulate artificial intelligence, boost funding for rural areas, further restrict abortion access, repeal a law prohibiting those under 21 from buying rifles and long guns, and remove the registration decal (yellow sticker) on a license plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to say that this isn\u2019t red tape, this is yellow tape, and we\u2019re looking to cut it,\u201d said Fabricio.<\/p>\n