(The Center Square) – Proposals to dramatically lower or even eliminate nonschool property taxes in Florida don’t add up, a county association is warning.
The proposals, which Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has proposed placing on next year’s ballot for voter approval, would reduce county revenue by about 40%, Cragin Mosteller told The Center Square. He’s deputy executive director of the Florida Association of Counties.
The bills all exempt school property taxes from the cut and also prohibit local governments from cutting law enforcement funding to make up for the loss of property tax revenue, Mosteller pointed out.
Public safety accounts for 60% of the nonschool related county spending, she added. She questioned there being enough “to cover things such as roads or even flushing your toilet. I think there’s a lot of details that are unknown at this point.”
Second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also questioned the proposals last week.
Perez said the proposals should be placed on the ballot for voters to decide next year. There are seven different proposals for property tax reductions that have been introduced by Florida legislators.
One bill, House Joint Resolution 201, would if approved by voters eliminate nonschool property taxes for those with homestead exemptions, meaning they live in the house they own.
Another, HJR203, would eliminate nonschool homestead property taxes over a 10-year period. A third, HJR205, would exempt anyone over the age of 65 from non-school related homestead property taxes. HJR213 would limit increases in the assessed value of a home for nonschool related homestead tax to 3% over three years.
“It is my intention to move them through the process,” Pezez said of the proposed legislation. “If we have faith in the voters to elect us, we should not be afraid to let them be a part of the conversation about the taxes they pay.”
But DeSantis questioned the strategy.
“Placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes,” DeSantis said on social media. “It’s a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people.”
A nonprofit group, Florida TaxWatch, is studying the various proposals and will share information with policymakers “as they consider the various options in providing much needed property tax relief to the hardworking taxpayers of Florida,” the group’s President and CEO, Dominic M. Calabro, said in a statement.
The group will release a final assessment of the proposals closer to the 2026 election, Calabro said.
