Momentum for eliminating property taxes faces multiple obstacles, risks

Chatter about eliminating the property tax in Florida started to percolate in February — beginning with Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a signal to the Legislature, he floated the idea, saying if you own a home in Florida, “your homesteaded property, I think you should be able to own that free and clear of the government.”

The 2025 legislative session included at least four proposed bills on the matter, though none passed. One would have overhauled assessment methodologies, reports law firm Greenspoon Marder, in a tax reform blog post. Another would have increased the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000. And a bill that would have required the state's Office of Economic and Demographic Research to conduct a study on the matter died in committee.

There is a big pile of money at stake. Total property taxes levied in Florida have increased more than 108%, or by $28.7 billion over the past decade, according to Florida TaxWatch. That far outpaces 17.5% population growth and 31.8% inflation growth in that time, the non-partisan government watchdog and taxpayer research institute adds. Adding a level of complexity, each county has a different property tax. One oft-discussed option has been to trade a decrease in property taxes with an equal increase in the sales tax. Florida TaxWatch, for one, balks at that choice, saying it “is an easy option but fails to drive meaningful reform. While it does address the raised fairness question by being consumption based, it does not force local governments to continually audit themselves to provide the most accountability to Floridians.”