By Bill Cotterell
There is probably nothing any officeholder likes more in an election year than a chance to cut taxes, a treat that will tempt Florida lawmakers in their 2026 legislative session.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans have been promoting the idea of doing away with property taxes for homeowners, or at least severely lowering them. It’s still in the talking and costing-out stage, and anything they come up with would have to go on next year’s ballot, but what politician wouldn’t want to share that ballot beside a major tax cut?
Nobody likes taxes, and a levy on your house is especially distasteful. Millage caps and added exemptions come up from time to time, always framed as long-overdue relief for poor widows and worthy veterans.
Republicans going back to Marco Rubio, when he was House speaker from 2006 to 2008, have persuasively argued that you never really own your home if you have to pay the local government every year. Rubio proposed reducing property taxes to their 2001 levels — a five-year rollback at the time — but all he wound up with was an increase in the homestead exemption. Instead of just exempting the first $25,000 in value of a home, the portion valued between $50,000 and $75,000 also was made exempt.
Not bad. But Florida is not a high-tax state, regardless of what legislative candidates will tell you.
Strategically tempting though it may be, abolishing property taxes poses a pair of practical problems.
First, local governments need to provide public schools, police and fire services and roads, just to name some big-ticket stuff. Another source of money — probably the sales tax — would have to be raised to replace the revenue.
Second, that’s regressive. The more luxurious your home, the higher your property taxes — generally speaking — and the more humble your abode, the less you pay. There are exceptions and anomalies, but the working family is normally going to pay less than the retiree with a Mercedes in the driveway.
The trouble is, the sales tax bears no relation to your ability to pay.
There’s also a logical flaw in the professed GOP belief that you never truly own your home if you have to pay taxes on it. It’s not a penalty. You’re paying to maintain cops on the beat, libraries for everybody, to fix potholes. You don’t want to support schools because you have no children in them? Well, don’t you want to live in an educated community?
The governor says Florida has one unique advantage in junking the levy. “When you talk about the property tax, we’re probably the only state in the country that could pull it off,” DeSantis recently said, pointing to snowbirds who pay taxes on non-homesteaded properties.
“You have wealthy people who stay here three months a year. I’d rather Floridians pay less, and they pay the taxes — why would we not want to look out for our own?” he said.
Best of all, those snowbirds don’t vote in Florida — so tax ‘em. But it’s doubtful there are enough wealthy Yankees wintering down here to offset our property taxes, or a major chunk of it.
The Florida Policy Institute, an Orlando-based organization, delved into preliminary data from the Department of Revenue and estimated that untaxing homesteaded properties would lead to counties and school districts losing about $7.8 billion each and cities having to replace some $3 billion.
The Tallahassee-based Florida TaxWatch made a similar projection based on last year’s local taxes.
Meanwhile, state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia has been spotlighting what he considers waste and reckless spending by local governments — sort of a state-level Department Of Government Efficiency operation like the one Elon Musk ran in Washington. Ingoglia, who happens to be up for election next year, and DeSantis, who appointed him to the Cabinet job, have dubbed this effort the “Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight” or FAFO — an acronym with a coy meaning in social media.
It’s all so tempting, so much fun, this waging war on taxes. Offer me a tax cut and you’ve got my attention and, once you’ve got my attention, my vote follows.
In an election year, that’s a can’t-miss proposition.
Bill Cotterell is a retired Capitol reporter for United Press International and the Tallahassee Democrat. He can be reached at [email protected]
A republic if you can keep it says
Well , there go the taxes on Mar A Lago . Wait …..do they pay taxes on what it’s worth? Or what Trump said it was worth? Or what he financed it for? Or what he claimed in taxes? Did he release his taxes before they close the IRS?
melly says
You know how I know this author is full of baloney? The Commonwealth of Virginia levies a property tax on automobiles whether they are on loan or paid off. There are a gargantuan number of well-off people in northern Virginia who pay other taxes and the state doesn’t “need” this. They do it because they can. They’re also fixing to abolish it, if I read right a few months ago.
That’s what Florida’s fight here is all about. There’s “a tax” on “property”, whether it’s on loan or paid in full. Because They Can. It’s not like there’s not other ways to recoup the money. Dude obviously has never set foot in a cardiology office in Florida in December if he thinks there’s not enough snowbirds to support the state.
JimboXYZ says
My biggest concerns are the inflation for every wolf trying to go after that new found source of money that any homeowner would have. How much of that labeled as property tax ends up in a General Fund and is siphoned off for other undisclosed line items that property taxes fund ? SO the Government will create new line items for taxes that formally were called “property” tax. When has the government ever done something of an economic stimulus that didn’t inflate prices short run/term. And we’ll have some folks that will spend it foolishly on something else, still be gouged for inflation. And sales taxes will be diverted to pay for things like Beach rebuilds/dune renourishment. Because now there is that much more money to be applied for calling it something else. On a side note, he beach rebuild in Volusia county was wiped out by the Nor’easter earlier this month. Kinda wondering what the rougher surf & tides did to Flagler County beaches ? I think the county & state stand to make more money than a relatively protected property tax is for 3% increases by eliminating property taxes & replacing it with other taxes & inflation. When has anyone Government come up with a savings that didn’t end up costing more as the overall variables of the cost of living ? When I analyze the TRIM Notice, +/- 40% is the Property Tax line item, +/- 60 % is Schools, Voter Debt, Mosquito Control, City of Palm Coast, SJR Water Management. All that will just be restructured as something else. Those other line items will still need to be funded. Maybe the TRIM Notice becomes more transparent for line items umbrella-ed under the line item “Property Tax” ?
https://floridabeginner.com/florida-save-our-homes/
Joe D says
What an election year propaganda stunt!
Road repairs, police and fire services/ambulance crews, county and local officials’ salaries, all ( for the most part) are paid for by property taxes.
The only way around property taxes would be to charge use fees, or flat service fees on everyone. So the lower cost manufactured home owner and the $million dollar plus home owner would all be paying the same flats fees or same increased sales tax. That puts retired and lower/ middle income families paying a much higher portion of their income and the $million dollar plus property owners get a BIG DISCOUNT, by not paying any higher fee for living in Florida than the average priced home.
City and County services don’t come for free… where do you think the money is going to come from!?! So either you would see massive new fees, or massive cuts in services…you think the roads are bad NOW…
Use your HEADS voters, all this talk of no property taxes is just an election ploy to get your vote…think of the REAL WORLD results !
Canary says
This idea is nothing but another GOP giveaway to their wealthy buddies (just like the ending of the business lease tax), because it’s massively regressive. They won’t have to pay property taxes on their expensive houses (or their investment properties) anymore. And the portion of their income they spend is much smaller than a low income person. But that low income renter will get doubly screwed – they will still be stuck paying the portion of their rent that used to go towards property taxes (because of course the landlord won’t reduce the rent to savegive them back the money they are saving, they’ll just pocket it as profit). AND they’ll have to pay the new sales tax on the vast majority of their income that gets spent on taxable items. Wake up people! None of this is for the average person’s benefit!
Jason says
“Nobody likes taxes…”
Um, it certainly sounds like the author of this article does and so does every “Democrat” that you let speak long enough to utter the phrase “Pay your fair share” but they never seem to be able to articulate what “fair share” actually means.
“..you never really own your home if you have to pay the local government every year…”
In reality you just lease your land from the government that has jurisdiction over it. Don’t pay your property taxes and see how long it takes to get that lien placed on it then see how long it takes for that local government to auction off your land to the next “lessee”
“…Another source of money — probably the sales tax — would have to be raised to replace the revenue…”
Sales tax is a Consumption Tax. If the author is so concerned about equity of taxation then he should be advocating for making the Sales Tax dependent on your income bracket, no? Why does someone who is below the poverty line pay the same sales tax as a millionaire? Shouldn’t that millionaire have to pay more because they “have the ability to”? But somehow its entirely acceptable to tax people based on what they “own” and the local government is the one telling you what your property is worth and then benefiting from that value. Seems like an abuse of power to me.
I’m a firm believer that taxation on my labor (Income Tax) is theft. I am, on principle, not opposed to consumption taxes like Sales Tax, Gas Tax, Capital Gains, etc… But I find it reprehensible that my very existence is essentially taxed because I cannot survive without an income yet I have to pay a tax on that income.
I have a few proposals for the current Property Tax issue:
1) Cap the tax rate for a primary property at the rate in effect when the property was purchased. Rate can never go up but can go down. If you inherit the property you inherit it at that rate and keep it. You shouldn’t be punished because your family died. If the property is sold then the tax rate in effect during the sale will be what is locked in for the new owner(s).
2) An independent third party will be responsible for property valuations. The government shouldn’t be setting the value of a property and then getting paid property tax based on that same value.
3) Let the voters decide where the Property Taxes get allocated. Make a certain portion/percentage mandatory to the school/police/fire. But let the property owner allocate the non-mandatory portion to the services they desire. If 50% of the tax were mandatory allocated, then the remaining 50% would be divided up as desired by the property owner however they see fit. This lets the property owner vote with their wallet and it allows the property owners to have more say over that revenue that someone who is renting or not paying a property tax at all. If the property owner doesn’t allocate the 50% then it gets allocated automatically by default as it does today.
4) Spread the burden onto all residents. If we have a Bed Tax at the Motel/Hotels then we can absolutely have a tax on long term renters as well. There is zero reason why a long-term renter shouldn’t pay an equivalent Bed Tax. Why should property owners, rich or poor, be the ones subsidizing the essentials services?
Al says
The first cuts from spiteful politicians are always police, fire, schools. Let’s start with cutting government employees, then cut vehicles and travel, next cut out all the elaborate buildings for the school board and council members both city and county.
How about a residency tax that all residents pay rather than homeowners. There are more police problems from renters than homeowners, you don’t find many homeowners doing break-ins or armed robbery. Lastly just because someone can afford it doesn’t give everyone else a right to what they have earned.
Florida here says
So, worked in law enforcement over 25 years in Florida and been an administrator. What I’m concerned about Is 48% local government derives their budgets to include law enforcement, fire, ems, etc. Most agency budgets are 80 to 90% salary. So, if there was a significant cut in funding where would it come from or we lay off first responders? Very concerning, especially when you are trying to bring law enforcement to this state.
Taxpayer says
Well said Joe D.” What an election propaganda stunt” I wouldn’t trust this as far as you can throw it. It’s a Republican scam if I ever saw one.
Jason says
@ A republic if you can keep it says
“…Well , there go the taxes on Mar A Lago . Wait …..do they pay taxes on what it’s worth?…”
Tell me you don’t own property without telling me you don’t own property. Because IF you did own property, then you’d know that you pay Property Taxes based on the value the County/City Assesses it to be–not what you paid for it, not what you think it is worth, not what you financed it for.
We get it, you don’t like President Trump. But, nothing says you cannot be both critical and intellectually honest at the same time, right?
Per the Palm Beach Country Property Appraiser Public Record Portal. Mar A Lago consists of three parcels:
Golf Course, assessed valued of $2,006,440, https://pbcpao.gov/Property/Details?parcelId=00434406000003010
The Golf Course, assessed value of $6,804,480, https://pbcpao.gov/Property/Details?parcelId=00434406000001040
The Residence, assessed value of $13,375,271, https://pbcpao.gov/Property/Details?parcelId=00434406000007010
Per the records, only the Residence is paying Property Taxes and for 2025 that tax is $217,576. It appears they have an exemption for “GOLF COURSE EX” and are zoned as PO—PUBLIC OWNERSHIP (00-UNINCORPORATED). It looks like Palm Beach County owns the Golf Course parcels and leases them to TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB. Which would explain why there is no Tax on those parcels as under Florida Law a golf course owned by the County, City, State is exempt from paying Property Taxes–which makes sense because they’d be paying themselves.
So in less than two years, the TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB, will pay more in Property Taxes, just on the Mar A Lago residence, than the median house value across the entire country. That’s pretty wild if you think about it.
The dude says
But without property taxes what will Gov Meatball Ron use to build empty prisons on desolate air strips in the Everglades, or charter planes to fly immigrants from other states to other states?
Laurel says
A republic if you can keep it: The valuation of Mar-A-Lago is determined by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, which always sees market value below actual value. The assessed value is $59,158,183. The 2025 total tax is $802,220. As it is, the property is listed as “CLB/LDG/UN HALL”, so there is no exemption. Trump lives there, off and on, against the ordinances of the Town of Palm Beach. The town fought him over this, but he ignored it. So, to sum it up, Trump will gain $1,000,000 per membership (Membership at Mar-a-Lago is capped at 500 members. The club has a high initiation fee and annual dues, making it an exclusive venue), and there will be nearly a $1,000,000 savings annually with the dissolution of property taxes, along with other business write offs.
So, how does that compare with the average American? Is he your retribution? How about DeSantis?
This is just another tax cut for the wealthy.
Where is the plan to make up for the loss of local tax? Has anyone seen it? Nope. Chances are very good that we will be making up for the loss by additional consumer taxes and fees, which will cost us more in the long run.
Also, according to Warren Buffet, Medicare rates will be going up and people will panic when they see this. Private insurance companies will be waiting by with their “Medicare Advantage” plans with a zero cost to entice us over to them. He believes that the cost of actual medical bills to us would be much more severe, with the Advantage plans, than if we stayed with Original Medicare. Seniors will have to dig into their equity to pay the copays. They have much to lose, including their doctors, specialists and facilities.
It’s all a flippin’ scam folks, to dig into your pockets. Don’t let them do it. Educate yourselves.
Pogo says
@Attention: four flushing trumpholes
https://www.google.com/search?q=four+flushing+trumpholes
If you’re not stupid or a bald-face liar: you know donald j trump inherited the basis of everything he’s ever had, or will have, from his daddy, including his absence of personal character, courage, and basic human decency. Moreover, til the end of his daddy’s life, he (daddy) was engaged in the endless project of bailing djt’s ass out of one jam after another.
Q: Are we clear?
A: Crystal.
https://www.google.com/search?q=bald+face+liar
At ease — dismissed.
No one will bail out the rest of us when desantis, trump, and their ilk, have run their course.
Skibum says
It seems that lots of people have ideas, so here is mine…
Since local and state tax revenues are supposed to primarily fund state and local essential and other requested serves and amenities for taxpayers, wouldn’t it be nice if our government officials just STOPPED giving lobbyists an ear and all of their undivided attention? The “lobbyists” that government elected officials should be listening to and working for are the taxpayers.
Elected officials – defund all of the lobbyists and get back to prioritizing and working for THE PEOPLE! Then just maybe we will once again be able to ensure you all are doing the right things, for the right reasons, for the right people.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
Was hoping someone else would catch this one: ‘ SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS’ would be created, individually for each service, with no 3% do0da homestead cap on any one:
How about Special Assessment for water: 10% property value
Police ( Sheriff Staly likes his dough) 15% property value
Fire and fire rescue: 10%
road and bridge: 10%
County personnel administration: 25%
Judicial and Court Special Assessment: 20%
Supervisor of Elections: 10%
******** Buikding Department and Airport shoukd be self funding*********
Schools: No kids don’t pay a dime,
Have Kids: Too bad
THAT IS HOW I SEE THE PROPOSED :: NO PROPERTY TAXES – JUST PAY SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS TOTALING 125% OF WHAT YOU CAN SELL YOUR HOUSE FOR!
We need honest leaders, not boneheads like we have now ( my opinion) who can fairly charge property taxes in proper portion to paid for municipal services and employees. Then we should see a decrease in taxes ;( especially a cost for a Sheriff for a total population of 20,000 residents of ‘unincorporated’ Flagler County)
NO NO NO to doing away with property taxes; we will screw ourselves out of our homes for real. Get rid of the jackasses imposing current property taxes and elect decent human beings,.
BIG Neighbor says
Oh, I get it….a second term, dumb down via home school vouchers, drop essential services for schools, police by implementing user taxes with military and guard units so we can all get stoned and celebrate our 250th. I can’t believe I worked a lifetime to contribute to this crap.
Endless dark money says
Similar to republicans defund school programs . May help a few rich people but will generally be bad for the public. Tax wealthy people and corporations and there is plenty of money for social programs.