Ron DeSantis Pushes Historic Plan to Eliminate Property Taxes on Florida Homes
Ron DeSantis just launched what could become one of the most aggressive tax revolutions in modern Florida history, a plan to completely eliminate property taxes on homesteaded primary residences across the state. If successful, the proposal would fundamentally reshape how local governments, school districts, and municipalities are funded in Florida while giving millions of homeowners the equivalent of a permanent annual tax cut. And politically, it looks increasingly like DeSantis is attempting to cement a legacy defining exit win before the end of his governorship.
A Special Legislative Session With Massive Stakes
During a major announcement Wednesday, DeSantis confirmed he is calling a special legislative session beginning June 1, with one clear objective: getting a constitutional amendment onto the November 2026 ballot that would allow Florida voters to decide whether homestead property taxes should be eliminated entirely.
This is not a small policy tweak. This would represent one of the largest structural tax changes in the state’s history.
Under Florida law, DeSantis first needs a 60% supermajority vote in both chambers of the Florida Legislature to place the amendment on the ballot. Then, voters themselves would need to approve the amendment by another 60% threshold statewide in November. That means the next few days in Tallahassee could become one of the most consequential tax fights Florida has seen in decades.
DeSantis Frames Property Taxes as Fundamentally Unfair
The governor’s core argument was philosophical as much as financial. DeSantis argued that once citizens purchase a home and already pay taxes during acquisition, requiring them to continue paying taxes every year simply to remain in possession of that property violates the basic principle of ownership.
“Taxing something that you own repeatedly, which is a property tax, is the worst way to do taxation because you pay all these taxes to acquire that property and then year after year you’re just having to write a check just for the privilege of being able to maintain ownership of something that is supposedly yours.”
That message is likely to resonate hard across Florida, where soaring home values have pushed property tax bills dramatically higher even for longtime residents who have not moved or significantly increased income. In many parts of South Florida especially, homeowners have watched assessed values explode over the last several years, creating tax increases that often feel disconnected from actual household affordability.
The Numbers Behind the Push
To justify the proposal, DeSantis pointed to staggering growth in Florida property tax collections over the past seven years. According to figures presented during the announcement, total statewide property tax revenue has exploded from roughly $32 billion in 2019 to approximately $60 billion in 2026, an increase of nearly 88%.
The governor’s argument is straightforward: local governments are already collecting dramatically more money than they were less than a decade ago, largely because of skyrocketing property values rather than massive population increases or broad tax hikes. And importantly, DeSantis emphasized that property taxes in Florida go directly to local governments, not the state government itself.
That distinction matters because it allows DeSantis to position the proposal politically as a battle between homeowners and expanding local government budgets rather than a threat to state finances.
What Would Actually Be Eliminated?
One of the most important details is that the proposal would only apply to homesteaded primary residences. That means second homes, investment properties, vacation properties, rental portfolios, and commercial real estate would still remain taxable under the current framework.
DeSantis broke Florida’s property tax structure into three major categories:
- Homesteaded primary residences
- Non-homestead residential properties
- Commercial and industrial properties
According to the governor, homesteaded homes account for roughly one third of Florida’s total property tax revenue base. In other words, local governments would still retain two thirds of their existing property tax streams even if the amendment fully passed. That framing is politically strategic because it allows supporters to argue this is targeted homeowner relief rather than a total dismantling of municipal taxation.
The Political Reality Behind the Proposal
But behind the scenes, this proposal is likely to trigger absolute war inside Florida’s political establishment. County governments, school districts, city managers, municipal associations, and local infrastructure agencies all rely heavily on property tax revenue to fund operations ranging from police and fire services to parks, roads, and public schools.
Eliminating one third of the tax base, even gradually, would force either major spending cuts, replacement taxes, or alternative funding mechanisms. And that is where the battle is going to become brutal.
Supporters will frame the proposal as protecting homeowners from being taxed out of homes they already own. Critics will argue it risks destabilizing local government financing and could shift costs elsewhere through sales taxes, fees, insurance surcharges, or expanded taxation on commercial sectors and renters.
Florida’s rapidly rising insurance crisis also hangs over the debate. For many homeowners, property taxes are now combining with soaring insurance premiums and HOA costs to create unsustainable monthly housing burdens even for residents who bought homes years ago at lower prices. DeSantis appears to be betting that voters are angry enough about housing costs to support dramatic structural change.
A Potential Legacy Move
Politically, the timing feels deliberate. DeSantis entered national Republican politics positioning himself as a culture war fighter and aggressive conservative reformer. But after an uneven presidential run and years of battles over education, immigration, and corporate power, eliminating property taxes on primary homes could become the kind of kitchen table issue that reshapes how many Floridians remember his governorship.
Because unlike ideological fights dominating cable news, this proposal directly affects homeowners’ wallets. And in a state where rising housing costs have become one of the defining political issues of the decade, that matters enormously. The next major test comes Monday when lawmakers return to Tallahassee for the special session. If DeSantis secures the supermajority he needs, Florida voters could soon face one of the biggest tax decisions in state history.
