DeSantis has talked for a year about cutting property taxes. Where's his plan?

Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald on Apr 22, 2026

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When Florida lawmakers return to the state Capitol next week at Ron DeSantis’ behest, one of the governor’s biggest, most-consequential priorities won’t be on the agenda: cutting property taxes.

The idea, first floated by DeSantis early last year, has all but disappeared from the daily digest of topics to tackle in Tallahassee.

After making eliminating property taxes for Floridians’ primary residences a rallying cry for the GOP, DeSantis has yet to release a specific proposal for the Legislature to place on the November ballot — despite telling reporters in December that he was working with lawmakers to put a constitutional amendment into writing.

But on Wednesday, the governor said a plan is still forthcoming, but “not next week,” when he has asked lawmakers to focus on redrawing congressional districts and crafting new regulations for artificial intelligence and vaccine requirements.

“If you want to have an exemption from that tax for your homestead, you’re going to have an opportunity to do that,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Jacksonville. “And I’m confident that it will be something that people will find meaningful.”

DeSantis’ assurances aside, the absence of movement on one of the lame-duck governor’s biggest initiatives to put money back in taxpayers’ pockets is creating uncertainty for the cities, counties and special districts that rely on property taxes for money, and for the cash-strapped Floridians paying the bills.

“While the debate continues in Tallahassee, counties are preparing their budgets, providing an important opportunity for citizens to understand how property taxes are invested and what impact any proposal could have on public safety, infrastructure, and quality of life in their communities,” said Cragin Mosteller, a spokesperson for the Florida Association of Counties, in a statement.

Why it matters

What the governor officially proposes — if anything — will have real consequences for Florida communities from Key West to Pensacola.

Floridians are beginning to leave because the state has become disproportionately unaffordable, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The post-pandemic population boom has left in its wake inflated real estate values and rising property taxes, which have combined with increasingly expensive property insurance to stretch households thin. Condominiums are becoming more expensive to maintain after the Legislature required new safety standards that recently went into effect.

What’s next

Republicans have leaned into the governor’s plan to cut property taxes as a solution. But lawmakers’ annual session ended in March without a proposal to put before voters, and there is no clear plan for the Legislature to craft an 11th-hour proposal.

The House passed a bill in February that offered to cut most property taxes paid on Floridians’ primary residences, keeping intact the taxes that fund schools. The Senate, however, took no action on it.

Now, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, told the Herald/Times that leaders in the House and Senate aren’t discussing any property tax proposals. “The Senate has not advanced a formal plan or shared detailed priorities, and while the Governor has spoken about property tax changes for over a year, no proposal has been produced.”

DeSantis on Wednesday gave Perez and the House credit for taking up the issue. “The Senate, it wasn’t that they’re dragging their feet—they’ve just been working with us to get something that people will find meaningful on the ballot.”

Once the Legislature passes a bill, it will go in front of voters in November as a proposed amendment to the constitution, which dictates property taxes. DeSantis said finding consensus on what the proposal should be has been challenging.

“You got to get the votes to do it,” DeSantis said. “You got to make sure you have all that lined up.”

Standing in the way of all that politicking is the budget, which lawmakers failed to pass during the legislative session that wrapped last month. The new fiscal calendar year begins on July 1.

“They obviously got to do the budget,” DeSantis said. “I know they’re, well, I think they’re working on it. It should have been done, obviously, in the middle of March. It’s still not done.”

Senate President Ben Albritton’s spokesperson said he is centering his efforts on the budget.

“While the President remains confident there will be a meaningful property tax reform option for voters to consider on the ballot this fall, his current focus is on the Legislature’s constitutional responsibility to pass a balanced budget,” Albritton’s spokesperson said.

Even if taxes were a priority, the Senate has not crafted a proposal, according to Don Gaetz, the Pensacola Republican who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Finance and Tax Committee.

“To my knowledge there is no committee bill,” Gaetz said in a text message. “I believe the governor is taking the lead.”