Last week, Florida Gov. DeSantis said he was looking at making property taxes an issue in the 2026 state election.
This one would include another constitutional amendment to increase exemptions. “We need to limit even further property tax rates,” the Governor said.
Between the governor, the state senate, and the state house, several ideas are being tossed around.
DeSantis’ idea would triple the homestead exemption. Florida State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is looking to lay out a bill that would increase the tax exemption to $75,000 for Florida homeowners.
This week, Florida State Rep. Ryan Chamberlin has filed a bill that will provide a new $100,000 tax exemption for all real properties in Florida.
Chamberlin’s bill would cap the growth in property tax revenues to 2% per year with a mandated refund or debt repayment as the only usage option for a revenue surplus. He says it is just another step in the effort to provide relief and begin phasing out our property tax system. “Local governments must begin living within their means now in anticipation of a change of revenue collection in the near future,” he said.
In 2024, Chamberlin proposed legislation to abolish property taxes in the state. He called for a study on how best to phase out property taxation in Florida.
Chamberlin wants to replace the local property tax with other types of consumption taxes.
“The other ugly truth about a property tax system is the penalty of losing the property if the taxes are not paid. This essentially communicates that the government owns all property and taxpayers are merely renters. If we don’t pay our rent (tax), then we lose it, and it is given to someone else. It’s an unfair tax system,” said Chamberlin.
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