{"id":120592,"date":"2026-01-16T14:06:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120592\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:06:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:06:07","slug":"proposal-backed-to-phase-out-property-taxes-tallahassee-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120592\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposal Backed to Phase Out Property Taxes \u2013 Tallahassee Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida <\/p>\n

A House proposal that would ask voters to phase out non-school homestead property taxes moved forward Thursday, as lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis try to reach agreement on a November ballot measure.<\/p>\n

The Republican-controlled House State Affairs Committee voted along party lines to back a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 203) that would annually increase the homestead exemption by $100,000 over the next decade, with a full exemption for non-school taxes in 2037.<\/p>\n

The proposal, which would require approval by 60 percent of voters, also would seek to prevent local funding cuts for law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders.<\/p>\n

While cities and counties have raised concerns about potentially reduced funding for services, Rep. Monique Miller, R-Palm Bay, said local officials need to consider sharing services and \u201cto live within their means.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy reducing taxes over years, we are giving local governments time to adjust to new revenue levels, and empowering them to find responsible solutions,\u201d said Miller, the sponsor of the proposal.<\/p>\n

But cities and counties warned about the proposal, which would lead to billions of dollars a year in lost property-tax revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is truly not tax relief,\u201d Charles Chapman, legislative consultant for the Florida League of Cities, told the committee. \u201cIt\u2019ll end up becoming a tax shift, where costs do not disappear. The burden will shift to businesses, the renters, because fees, assessments, higher non-homestead millage rates could replace the homestead tax break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats also raised concerns about a loss of local services and costs being shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernance requires us to think through consequences, not just concepts,\u201d said Rep. RaShon Young, D-Orlando.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of putting a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot to slash property taxes. The House in October released eight proposals, but Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said this week he expects a single proposal to go on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fully expect us to have something on the ballot for our constituents to eventually vote on,\u201d Perez told reporters. \u201cI do expect it to be one proposal for them to vote on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perez added that it is \u201csomewhat still up in the air\u201d what final proposal will emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a position from our friends across the hall (in the Senate) or the executive branch on what details they are proposing for our constituents to eventually vote on,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken the initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

A proposal (HJR 209) that is ready to go to the full House would increase the homestead exemption for residents who have property insurance.<\/p>\n

In December, the State Affairs Committee also backed measures to eliminate non-school homestead property taxes (HJR 201), eliminate non-school homestead taxes for homeowners 65 years and older (HJR 205) and to allow people to transfer the full value of accumulated \u201cSave Our Homes\u201d benefits to new homes (HJR 211). Miller\u2019s proposal and those three measures would need approval from the Ways & Means Committee before reaching the House floor.<\/p>\n

Save Our Homes places a 3 percent cap on annual increases in taxable values of homesteaded property.<\/p>\n

Currently, homeowners can qualify for homestead exemptions from local-government and school-district taxes on the first $25,000 of the assessed values of their properties and from local-government taxes on the values between $50,000 and $75,000.<\/p>\n

DeSantis on Wednesday suggested a special legislative session might be needed to resolve the property-tax issue, as \u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019re going to have something passed in the regular session.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have until pretty much, I think, Aug. 1, to be able to get that done,\u201d DeSantis said during an appearance at a Florida Chamber of Commerce \u201cfly-in\u201d event in Tallahassee. \u201cI think it\u2019ll get done before then, but we\u2019re working with folks in both chambers (the House and Senate) on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, DeSantis earmarked $300 million to support rural \u201cfiscally constrained\u201d counties that would be affected by any effort to reduce or eliminate property taxes.<\/p>\n

Jeff Scala, deputy director of the Florida Association of Counties, told the State Affairs Committee that under Miller\u2019s proposal, 40 counties would still face a $2.9 billion impact in just the first year if the measure is approved by voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to figure out who we want to be as a state,\u201d Scala said. \u201cDo we want to be a state that attracts residents because of our world-class infrastructure, because of those amenities that we provide in our communities. The math doesn\u2019t work. This is a fiscal crisis by design.\u201d<\/p>\n

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