Could DeSantis Successfully Eliminate Florida Property Taxes?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared to put the state’s property tax in his crosshairs this week after voicing his position on social media.

On Wednesday, he quoted a user on X who made the following post:

“Property Taxes should not be charged based on assumed value for new construction homes. I built my house affordably. I should have affordable property taxes to match.”

@jonmorrisis on X.com

In a response, DeSantis stated the following: “I agree!”

For homeowners in the Sunshine State, lowering or outright removing property taxes could greatly cut down on their expenses. As a state, Florida ranks around the middle of the pack when it comes to real-estate property tax rates, WalletHub reports.

Proponents of property taxes often assert that they’re a vital part of collecting revenue for local government functions, such as public schools and police stations.

But on the flip side, property taxes are typically deeply unpopular — the second-most unpopular behind federal income taxes, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Opponents argue that property taxes unfairly target homeowners, who have already taken on all of the other burdens that come with homeownership. Worse yet, tax incidence means that the cost of these taxes could even end up falling downstream to lower-income renters who make use of these properties.

Regardless, the question remains: could the state of Florida actually get rid of property taxes?

The short answer is: not easily.

Local governments are the ones that levy property taxes — not the state — so it would require a constitutional amendment to eradicate them statewide.

DeSantis addressed this fact himself shortly after he put out his message above on Wednesday afternoon, clarifying that he would indeed support their elimination.

But before voters can even decide on such a motion, an amendment would first have to be proposed via one of the following methods:

• A citizens’ initiative

So far, there have been no citizens’ initiatives regarding the elimination of property taxes, nor have lawmakers proposed any such legislation. And even if they did, the amendment would still likely not go before voters until 2026 at the earliest.

Earlier this month, DeSantis directly addressed the subject during a news conference in Jacksonville, according to News 6 partner WJXT.

At the time, he pointed to rising home prices — sparked by a combination of demand spikes and inflation — though he said he plans to work with the Legislature before his term ends in 2027 to potentially get a constitutional amendment on the ballot to address issues like the homestead exemption.

“We can’t control private markets, but we can control how much they can tax you. So we’re going to be working over the next year and a half to see what we can present for voters to be able to vote in the next election for some major, major property tax limitations and reliefs,” DeSantis said.

News 6 reached out to DeSantis’ office for more information about possible plans for such a proposal.

“For property taxes, as the governor said, that will take a constitutional amendment. So his tweet speaks for itself,” said the governor’s press secretary, Jeremy Redfern. “But stay tuned.”

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