As lawmakers in Tallahassee debate the potential elimination of property taxes, a new poll reveals that only 33% of Florida voters support the idea, while 45% say they would back a candidate who campaigns on it.
Still, a strong majority of Floridians want changes to the current property tax system. Lawmakers continue to work toward reforms, though they remain divided on the type of changes to pursue.
What Are Florida Lawmakers Doing About Property Taxes?
The sharp rise in home prices over the past five years has fueled higher property taxes nationwide. The Tax Foundation reports that property taxes grew nearly 27% faster than inflation between January 2020 and July 2024.
A recent Redfin study shows that property tax bills climbed in almost every U.S. metropolitan area during the same period. In Florida, taxes have risen 45% statewide since 2019. Cities like Tampa and Jacksonville saw even sharper increases of about 60%, further straining the state’s housing affordability crisis.
Earlier this year, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis expressed support for eliminating the state’s property tax, which currently funds services such as public schools, libraries, street maintenance, firefighting, and police.
This summer, DeSantis formed a working group to explore possible reforms for voters to consider in 2026. Among the proposals is a plan to abolish property taxes entirely—a change that would require a constitutional amendment with majority voter approval.
Earlier this month, GOP State Representative Toby Overdorf told meigsindypress that lawmakers were not “currently entertaining” the idea of completely abolishing property taxes. However, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, also a Republican, told NBC6 on Sunday that the option remains on the table and is one of the proposals under review by the House committee.
“We’ve put together a select committee with different proposals, from raising the homestead exemption to the potential abolishment of property taxes and what would that mean as an effect to our local communities. We are having these discussions every day, we’ve come up with five different proposals here in the House,” Perez said.
The committee has already held three meetings to evaluate ways to reduce—or possibly eliminate—property taxes.
Perez noted that neither the Senate nor Governor DeSantis has submitted a formal reform proposal, something he believes is necessary for serious debate on abolishing property taxes.
“Eight months ago, he [DeSantis] said, we should reduce or abolish property taxes. I said, ‘Great. I’m in. Send me a proposal. What do you mean by that? It’s very easy to say, I want to abolish property taxes. OK, how? Give me the language.’ I’m more than happy to work with him to get that product across the finish line,” he said.
What Do Floridians Think?
A James Madison Institute poll found that 66% of Florida voters worry about affording their homes because of rising property taxes and housing costs. In southeast Florida, that number climbs to 75%.
Nearly 72% of respondents said they want some form of property tax reform—either through major reductions or complete elimination.
- 39% believe property taxes are a valid source of revenue but should be capped.
- 33% want them eliminated altogether.
- Only 20% view property taxes as essential and worth preserving.
Importantly, 65% of Floridians said they would support a constitutional amendment to significantly reduce or abolish property taxes.
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