Lazaro Aleman
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Now that the Florida Legislature is formally in session as of Tuesday, March 4, it will deal with at least three bills that aim either to reduce property taxes further or eliminate them completely.
The three bills, which have Gov. Ron DeSantis’ expressed support, are House Bill 359, filed on Feb. 3; House Bill 852, filed on Feb. 18; and a joint resolution SRJ-1016, filed on Feb. 24.
HB-359, filed by Republican Representative Ryan Chamberlin, of District 24, seeks to exempt $100,000 of a property’s value from taxation, up from the current $50,000 exemption.
The proposal is similar to one that Chamberlin introduced last year and that ultimately failed to gain traction in the session, dying in committee. That earlier proposal called for a study to determine the feasibility of abolitioning property taxes in Florida.
HB-852, filed by Republican Senator Jonathan Martin, of Fort Myers, follows on the idea, proposing that the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (OEDR) conduct a study to explore the possibility of doing away entirely with property taxes in Florida. The bill also calls for the exploration of the replacement of property tax revenues through other means, such as budget reductions, sales-based consumption taxes and locally determined consumption taxes authorized by the Legislature.
Among other things, the analysis is asked to consider the effect of eliminating property taxes on “public services, including education, infrastructure and emergency services” and evaluating whether a shift to “consumption-based taxes would make Florida more attractive to businesses, compared to other states.”
The latest bill, SJR-1016, was filed by Republican Senator Blaise Ingoglia, of District 11, with the stated intent of “making housing affordable again.”
Currently, homesteaded houses are eligible for exemption on the first $25,000 of assessed value and another $25,000 between $50,000 and $75,000 of assessed value, with the exception of school taxes on the latter exemption.
SJR-1016 would raise the exemption threshold so that a property would be exempt from the first $75,000 of assessed value, leading to “a threefold jump from the existing $25,000 threshold,” according to experts.
One thing all three bills have have common, aside from the aim to reduce or eliminate property taxes, is the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The governor is reported posting on X and other social media that land/property “is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation” and that he would like to see it done away in Florida, while acknowledging that eliminating property taxes would require a constitutional amendment and 60 percent voter approval.
In the spirit of his message, however, DeSantis recently released a $115.6 billion budget proposal for 2025-2026 that reportedly calls for an overhaul of property taxes, with one key aspect involving a call for a dramatic increase to homestead deductions.
Experts point out that in the absence of an income tax in Florida, eliminating property taxes would require finding alternative revenue sources, which would likely translate into increased sales taxes.
Opponents of the measure argue that shifting to higher taxes on goods and services could disproportionately affect lower-and middle-income consumers who do not own property.
Proponents, on the other hand, argue that lowering or eliminating property taxes would help promote affordable housing and increase property ownership, as well as alleviating the financial burden on property owners and renters.
Property taxes have traditionally played a major role in funding Florida schools and local government services.
The Florida League of Cities (FLC) in its legislative bill summaries has expressed opposition to the various bills. And the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), which also is tracking the bills, likewise registered opposition, noting the importance of property taxes to counties’ revenue streams.
The other major sources of income for counties, according to the FAC, are permits; fees and special assessments; intergovernmental revenues; charges for services; judgments, fines and forfeitures; miscellaneous revenues; and gas taxes.
For cities, according to the FLC, the major source of revenues also are property taxes, along with charges for water, sewer and garbage collection fees; franchise and utility fees and state-shared revenues, among other things.