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?"
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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.
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.”