Hialeah has become the first municipality in Florida to effectively eliminate property taxes for qualifying seniors, sending rebate checks to thousands of households under a newly approved city program.<\/p>\n
City leaders say the initiative \u2014 approved by the Hialeah Council<\/a> last week \u2014 will remove the city\u2019s portion of property taxes for seniors who meet income and homestead requirements. The program will send rebate checks averaging about $539 to eligible residents, offsetting what they paid in municipal property taxes.<\/p>\n Mayor Bryan Calvo called the move a local solution to an issue many officials previously said could only be addressed by the state.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, seniors were told it couldn\u2019t be done. They were told the only solution was to go to Tallahassee, to wait on legislation, to accept that relief was out of reach. But we didn\u2019t accept that answer. We found a way,\u201d said Calvo, who made history<\/a> in November by becoming the youngest person ever elected Hialeah Mayor.<\/p>\n Now, he\u2019s celebrating a taxation overhaul to help the city\u2019s oldest residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is proof that local government can find solutions when others say it can\u2019t be done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The program is expected to provide relief to about 6,635 families \u2014 roughly 1 in 5 households in the city \u2014 according to the Mayor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n Eligible residents must be 65 or older, earn no more than $37,694 annually and qualify for Florida\u2019s Homestead Exemption.<\/p>\n Qualified homeowners will automatically receive checks by the end of March, city officials said.<\/p>\n City leaders say the $1.2 million initiative is funded through internal savings rather than tax increases or service cuts.<\/p>\n By making pension payments early, Hialeah reduced projected interest costs by roughly $1.2 million, which the city redirected to the rebate program.<\/p>\n The Mayor\u2019s Office said other municipalities could follow Hialeah\u2019s example, arguing it demonstrates how local governments can deliver targeted tax relief without relying on state mandates.<\/p>\n Some legal observers say programs like Hialeah\u2019s could face challenges if opponents argue they amount to using property tax revenues \u2014 known as ad valorem taxes \u2014 to benefit a narrow group of residents. Former municipal lawyer Jose Smith told the Miami Herald<\/a> after the proposal cleared a first reading last month that Florida law generally bars local governments from directing ad valorem funds to specific individuals unless the spending clearly serves a broader public purpose.<\/p>\n Supporters of the program countered that the rebates come from the city\u2019s general fund, which pools revenue from multiple sources, and therefore constitute a permissible budgetary appropriation rather than a new property tax exemption.<\/p>\n Hialeah\u2019s move comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers in Tallahassee weigh sweeping changes<\/a> to Florida\u2019s property tax system.<\/p>\n Last month, the House Republicans pushed through<\/a> a proposal (HJR 203<\/a>) that would ask voters whether to eliminate most taxes on homesteaded properties over 10 years, beginning in 2027, exempting them from nearly all ad valorem levies except those for school districts, while prohibiting local governments from cutting funding for police, firefighters and other first responders below current levels.<\/p>\n Supporters have described the measure \u2014 which, if passed by the Legislature and not vetoed by the Governor, would require 60% voter approval on this year\u2019s Midterm ballot \u2014 as one of the most aggressive property tax reform proposals in the country.<\/p>\n Critics warn it<\/a> could<\/a> destabilize<\/a> local<\/a> government<\/a> budgets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 205<\/a>) by Miami Republican Rep. Juan Porras contemplates changes similar to those enacted in Hialeah, seeking to exempt homes owned and occupied by seniors from all state property levies except School District taxes.<\/p>\n