TALLAHASSEE — On Tuesday, the Florida Legislature passed a joint resolution titled Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes that will place a constitutional amendment for a property tax elimination proposal on the November 2026 ballot. The measure passed with votes of 75-26 in the House and 30-9 in the Senate.
Senator Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) and Rep. Bill Conerly (R-Manatee County) voted in favor of the legislation. Rep. Will Robinson (R-Bradenton) was absent for the vote. The amended proposal will increase the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 for non-school property taxes.
The amended version added protections to preserve property taxes that fund public schools and those supporting constitutional officers such as clerks of court and supervisors of elections.
Revenue losses for local governments are estimated at $4.6 billion annually initially and rising to $8.4 billion for non-school entities. While supporters argue the plan provides relief to homeowners facing rising tax bills, critics warn it could force cuts to services such as law enforcement, fire rescue, and libraries, or necessitate increases in other taxes, such as sales tax, to compensate for the lost revenue.
State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) called the legislation a "Frankenstein bill" that would impact essential services and put local governments in a "financial straitjacket," according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “This is why we should not be completely reforming our tax structure in the state of Florida in special session, which we have three days to do," said Smith.
"Owning your own home has been the American dream since our nation was founded 250 years ago. What better way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary than a massive property tax cut through a $250,000 homestead exemption for Floridians," said Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) in a press release.
The amendment will require 60% voter approval to take effect. In 2018 and 2022, more modest proposals to increase homestead exemptions failed to get 60% of the public vote needed to pass.
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kmskepton
Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.
Wednesday, June 3 Report this
lib224
Republicans, removing more local control of government.
Wednesday, June 3 Report this
Cat L
This is stupid. (And it looks crooked to me.) But I also can't help noticing that many of the new developments are not even for sale, therefore the greater benefit might be intended for the investor property owners in Florida. As a person who wanted very much to be a homeowner, Florida isn't really a starter home kind of state anymore.
Wednesday, June 3 Report this
nhughes
Question: If the amendment preserves the budgets for constitutional officers (sheriff, clerk of the court, property appraiser, supervisor of elections and tax collector), does that mean they get first dibs on property tax dollars and any remaining funds would then be shared by the other county offices (community and veterans services, natural resources, public works, public safety, planning and development, sports and leisure, etc)?
Wednesday, June 3 Report this