Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) supports the Florida legislature’s plan to eliminate property taxes. If carried out, the proposal would make Florida the first state in the United States without property taxes, a prospect that has already drawn strong reactions from both supporters and opponents.
At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis emphasized that many individuals find it challenging to afford property taxes, much less the expenses associated with buying a home and the land it occupies. He argues that taxing land and property is an unjust and inefficient method of taxation.
“You buy a home, you buy land... and then, you've been taxed many times [on that]... is it your property, or not? Just for being on your property, you've got to write a check to the government every year?” DeSantis asked.
JUST IN: Gov. Ron DeSantis on ending property taxes statewide
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"You buy a home, you buy land... and then, you've been taxed many times [on that]... is it your property, or not? Just for being on your property, you've got to write a check to the government every year?"
"A lot of… pic.twitter.com/MUZh3OgQWt
According to CoreLogic data, Florida's median property tax in 2024 was $3,101, a 9.5 percent increase from last year and up 47.5 percent from 2019.
“Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60 percent of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them… We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60 percent,” the governor continued.
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While many praise the proposal, opponents argue that Floridians would see increased taxes elsewhere, such as sales tax.
However, others believe buying a home would alleviate the heavy burden it costs.
“Florida ranks in the bottom half of states in terms of the amount of income needed to pay a mortgage before taxes, so this would help alleviate some of the burden that's preventing Floridians from buying homes,” Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner said. “It would help first-time homebuyers get into the market by decreasing their monthly payment on a home, but replace that burden with higher sales tax that impacts lower-income buyers more than property taxes do.”
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