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- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed a plan to eliminate the state’s portion of property taxes for homeowners.
- DeSantis argues that tourists and non-residents should bear a larger share of the tax burden.
- The Florida Legislature is currently in session and must reach an agreement on the state budget before adjourning on May 2.
Could Florida property taxes be a thing of the past soon? Gov. Ron DeSantis thinks so.
At a conference of the Florida Realtors in Orlando on Monday, DeSantis said he wants to provide a tax break to all homestead property owners in Florida.
The plan would redirect a proposal from Speaker of the House Danny Perez, R-Miami, to cut Florida’s sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, saving consumers collectively about $5 billion per year. Instead, DeSantis said that he wanted legislators to focus on relief from property taxes for homeowners who live in the state.
“People are not clamoring for sales tax: They’re clamoring for property tax relief. There’s no property tax relief in that proposal,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis added the proposal was just the “opening salvo” in the push to get a greater property tax cut on the 2026 ballot.
Is Florida actually eliminating property taxes? What is DeSantis’s plan?
As of March 2025, Florida has not passed any bills eliminating state property taxes.
DeSantis wants to eliminate the state portion that contributes to property taxes: The piece that goes to public schools, known as the required local effort (RLE). Under this plan, state reserves would be used to backfill the elimination of the RLE for one year, and lawmakers would be required to provide a $1,000 cut to homestead property owners.
He also believes foreign tourists and nonresidents can take over the tax burden by eliminating the state property tax.
“I want Canadian tourists and Brazilian tourists subsidizing the state and making it so Florida residents pay less taxes,” DeSantis said. “I don’t want to give Canadians a tax cut.”
How much would be in the rebate checks?
If approved, this measure could potentially result in about $1,000 in property tax cuts for each homesteaded Floridian.
According to DeSantis’ office, their proposal would benefit over 5.1 million homesteaded properties across Florida.
What do Florida officials think of eliminating property tax?
While Perez’s plan focuses on slashing sales tax, he released a statement sharing his willingness to work with DeSantis on these plans.
“I welcome the governor’s proposal and look forward to more conversations on how we deliver meaningful tax relief for every Floridian to help make Florida more affordable, but just as importantly, to shrink the size and excess of government on all levels, that overspend and overregulate to the detriment of the people they represent,” Perez said.
Lawmakers could move forward with both this year; however, Perez’s plan could interfere with DeSantis’ desire to eliminate property taxes.
In a memo sent to senators Monday, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said he’s open to both proposals but cautioned that cutting taxes too drastically could hurt the state’s ability to respond to an economic downturn in future years.
“I’m not comfortable passing a budget that is balanced for this year, but likely creates major shortfalls down the road,” Albritton wrote.
“Cutting waste and inefficiency plays an important role in responsible spending; however, there is a cost associated with maintaining our transportation, clean water, and health care infrastructure, ensuring universal school choice for every family, hurricane response and recovery, and of course public safety. We owe it to taxpayers to get this right.”
What is the property tax rate in Florida?
The average tax rate is anywhere from 0.79% to 0.82% of the assessed value of your Florida home; however, property taxes vary widely across the state.
According to a study by the Florida Policy Institute, local governments in Florida collect $42.7 billion in property taxes annually, or about $2,000 per person.
DeSantis pushes for property tax amendment to go on 2026 ballot
DeSantis said he wouldn’t veto a sales tax cut, but insists on property taxes being reduced. The main methods to cut property taxes can only be done by changing the state’s constitution.
“Property taxes effectively require homeowners to pay rent to the government,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Constitutional protections for Florida homeowners require approval of the voters in 2026. In the meantime, Floridians need relief.”
However, bills to put large property tax cuts on the 2026 ballot haven’t advanced in the Legislature.
A measure (SB 1018) from Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, to increase the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 and a bill (HB 357) from Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, R-Belleview, to create a $100,000 exemption on all properties in the state haven’t received a hearing.
Even if the bills were to pass, the proposal would require 60% of voter approval in November 2026, and wouldn’t take effect until 2027.
What’s next? When does the 2025 Florida Legislative Session end?
The 2025 Florida Legislative Session began on March 4 and will end on May 2.
The two chambers will pass their respective budgets off the floor next week before entering negotiations on a final spending plan. Officials must reach a deal before the last day of the legislative session to avoid a special session.