Many local elected officials – including conservatives – are speaking out about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to cut property taxes, which they say is about government power as much as tax revenue.
It’s been one week since the Legislature voted to pass a sweeping property tax proposal that could usher in not just a seismic shift in how Florida funds the governments closest to the people – but a fundamental restructuring of the flow of power in the Sunshine State.
Small town mayors and county property appraisers, policy analysts and local residents are all scrambling to try to figure out what the proposed constitutional amendment could mean for their communities – because state lawmakers didn’t wait for their own economists to conduct a full fiscal analysis of the plan’s far-reaching effects before ramming it through in the third special session of the year.
In the Republican-dominated Legislature’s rush to advance what term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes will be a crowning achievement in the waning months of his time in office, economic projections fell by the wayside. So did warnings from local officials that the proposed cuts would threaten their ability to deliver core government services – including police and fire protection – and could ultimately leave local control over spending priorities even more vulnerable to the political whims of Tallahassee.
If approved by 60% of the voters in November, the ballot amendment would increase Florida’s current $50,000 exemption for taxing primary homes – known as homestead properties – to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. This would eliminate property taxes for homes valued less than that threshold – except for school-related taxes, which were carved out of the proposal.
With no alternative funding mechanism offered, local government officials say the cuts would force them to drastically reduce services, or increase special assessments and fees to cover the difference – or compel them to turn to Tallahassee to beg for the funds to keep their community afloat.
“The biggest issue with this proposal is big government control,” Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse wrote on Substack.
“We should treat this for what it is: not just a tax question, but a governance question.”
— Kate Payne, state government reporter for The Florida Trib
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