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<\/p>\nWhen Floridians vote in November on the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes amendment, they may think they\u2019re erasing property taxes for most homeowners. But school taxes won\u2019t be eliminated, and many people will still receive a tax bill.<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s a gap between what\u2019s being promised and what is on the actual ballot. And that reflects a larger issue: This process has been rushed and poorly explained from the beginning.<\/p>\n
The Legislature had an entire session to address Florida\u2019s affordability crisis. This constitutional amendment is what lawmakers produced. Yet basic questions remain unanswered. How much county revenue will be lost? Which services will be cut? How will the budget shortfall be made up?<\/p>\n
Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed funding to study property tax elimination. In May, he called a special session and urged the Legislature to put it on the ballot.<\/p>\n
Property tax relief sounds good on paper, but rushing an amendment of this magnitude without understanding its consequences is irresponsible governance.<\/p>\n
The ballot amendment would incrementally raise homestead exemptions on primary residences from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 \u2014 erasing property taxes entirely for most Florida homeowners. Or so they think.<\/p>\n
As a renter in Miami, I don\u2019t have a direct stake in property tax relief. But as a conservative, I believe government should be transparent, deliberate and fiscally responsible.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not happening here. This isn\u2019t simply a tax cut. It\u2019s a tax shift.<\/p>\n
The Tax Foundation warns that if county and municipal governments raise millage rates to make up for lost tax revenue, it could \u201cresult in higher property taxes on the portion of the value of homestead properties that remains taxable.\u201d Those changes could cause renters, businesses and second-home owners to have to pay more.<\/p>\n
But if increasing the millage rate doesn\u2019t close the gap, the Florida Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates that state\u2019s sales tax would need to be doubled to make up for the lost revenue.<\/p>\n
In Miami-Dade County, the impact of the property tax cuts would be sizable. Revenue loss projections for 2027 are estimated to be roughly $386 million, which could force cuts to fire rescue, Jackson Health System and our county library system. That\u2019s a massive budget gap.<\/p>\n
Former Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, now CEO of Florida TaxWatch told WFLA, \u201cThis is way too important to just rush through in a matter of days, which is what happened here.\u201d And former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, founder of the Florida Policy Project noted that, \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been any county-by-county analysis or implementation plan.\u201d<\/p>\n