Gov. Ron DeSantis is threatening to put lawmakers on the spot about property taxes during the heat of their reelection campaigns.
The governor, during a news conference at Jacksonville International Airport Wednesday, reiterated that he believes voters should decide the fate of the property tax in the state come the November 2026.
Lawmakers could “potentially have a special session on property tax right in the middle of the Republican primary season in July or August,” DeSantis said, although “I’m not saying we’re going to wait that long.”
He continued: “I don’t think a lot of these guys would want to vote the wrong way then. It’s interesting, when they know the voters are watching, they tend to govern themselves accordingly.”
The 2026 primary elections are set for Aug. 18.
The governor’s office is researching how the tax can be eliminated for Florida homeowners with homestead exemptions, in what he says is possibly the only state in the nation that could eliminate such a tax. In August, he said the structure of the state’s economy, enhanced by tourism, gives Florida the edge most states don’t.
“I want to see something big enacted, that’s the whole goal. So, we’re doing that, we’ve got numbers, we’ve got language, we’re doing that. So, that will happen, you guys will see that in due time,” DeSantis said.
“Nobody that I’ve talked to is really complaining about taxes at the state level. They appreciate the tax relief, they appreciate no income tax. What they’re being squeezed by are taxes at the local level, with the property taxes,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis appeared with Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. The stage was positioned next to what Ingoglia calls a “Donna Deegan Hologram,” a video board at JAX that plays an image of the mayor welcoming travelers to the city.
On social media, Ingoglia has taken a particular interest in the cost of the display to taxpayers, reportedly $75,000. During the news conference, Ingoglia called the presentation “a stark example of tone deafness.”
The Florida House last month convened its Select Committee on Property Taxes in advance of the 2026 legislative session. That committee is digging into the matter, while the Senate remains without any counterpart.
As part of the state’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” efforts and in a push to prod lawmakers into eliminating property taxes, DeSantis and Ingoglia have been touring around the state, criticizing some local governments for spending practices. They’ve alleged overspending in several jurisdictions but few specifics of what they consider wasteful spending.
However, on Wednesday afternoon the governor’s office released a list of projects it considers “irresponsible,” with a link toward events serving the LGBTQ community.
DeSantis promised more findings, including for universities and state agencies.
The governor said the state may highlight cities that are, in his eyes, doing “a good job.”
“It could be a blue city,” DeSantis said. “We’ll give you credit. And I know that there are red areas that have spent way too much.”
–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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