<\/p>\n
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to reporters during a press conference as he stands on the airplane runway of Alligator Alcatraz in Ochopee , Florida on Friday, July 25, 2025.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ<\/p>\n
adiaz@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Tallahassee <\/p>\n
Reality Check<\/a> is a Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at tips@miamiherald.com.<\/a><\/p>\n Will Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 tax plan eliminate property taxes for Floridians who own the home they live in?<\/p>\n Even the plan itself isn\u2019t clear.<\/p>\n DeSantis\u2019 long-awaited property tax amendment contradicts itself, leaves key details vague and goes much further than what he pitched to the public on Wednesday<\/a>, such as extending tax breaks to billionaires and megacorporations.<\/p>\n The result has led to confusion among local officials, analysts and observers who are scrambling to understand what would amount to a dramatic reshaping of Florida\u2019s tax structure before lawmakers meet to vote on it next week. Their vote would place the amendment on the ballot for November, when 60% of voters would have to approve it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the most bush-league rollout of a major policy I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d said former Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes, who now runs the Florida Policy Project think tank. \u201cThe more you dig into it, the more questions you get.\u201d<\/p>\n For more than a year, DeSantis has garnered headlines by promising to eliminate Floridians\u2019 property taxes. The five-point ballot summary<\/a> voters could see in November states that his plan \u201crequires … a schedule for full elimination\u201d of property taxes on homes with homestead exemptions.<\/p>\n But the details in the amendment do not say that. It states it would raise the current $50,000 maximum homestead exemption to $250,000 in 2028.<\/p>\n Any increases beyond that would be up to future legislatures. The language says the Legislature \u201cshall\u201d create a procedure for counties, municipalities and school districts to increase the homestead exemption \u201cup to\u201d any conceivable limit. That increase could conceivably be $100 million \u2014 or $1.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s vague when it comes to the full elimination,\u201d said Esteban Leonardo Santis, director of research at the progressive-leaning Florida Policy Institute.<\/p>\n Spokespeople for DeSantis did not respond to questions about the apparent contradiction.<\/p>\n The homestead exemption, in essence, reduces the taxable value on owner-occupied homes to give Floridians a break on their tax bills.<\/p>\n In his announcement Wednesday, DeSantis also repeatedly talked about a $500,000 homestead property exemption.<\/p>\n \u201cA $250,000 limit, that eliminates property tax for 60% of Florida homeowners,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cWhen you raise to $500,000 limit, that\u2019s 92% of all Florida residents would be tax-free.\u201d<\/p>\n But nothing in the amendment mentions a $500,000 limit, which could never become reality. Even current<\/a> and former<\/a> DeSantis communications staffers appeared confused online about it.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the exemption reaches $500k, it will fully eliminate property taxes for 92% of Floridians,\u201d DeSantis Ccommunications Director Alex Lanfranconi wrote on X. \u201cThis is truly a historic opportunity!\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis\u2019 plan also states it is \u201cprotecting small businesses\u201d by lowering the maximum increase in the assessed value from 10% to 5% annually. He said Wednesday that it was to prevent local communities from increasing taxes on \u201csmall businesses\u201d to make up revenue shortfalls.<\/p>\n \u201cThey will only be able to do 5%, so that\u2019s the strongest protection for small businesses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n