Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signaled his support for eliminating property taxes in the Sunshine State or drastically lowering them, though such a move is expected to be an uphill battle.
The Republican governor agreed with a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, last week that said property taxes should not be based on the assumed value for new construction homes. “I agree,” DeSantis wrote. Responding to another post saying that the state really needs to abolish property taxes, the governor said he would support the initiative and agreed that “taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.”
Could Florida Eliminate Property Taxes?
Because property taxes are collected at the local level rather than the state level, their elimination would require an amendment to the Florida Constitution. To achieve this, lawmakers would need to pass a joint resolution with a three-fifths majority in both legislative chambers, followed by approval from 60 percent of voters in a general election.
In a post on X, DeSantis said: “We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60 percent.”
Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% 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… https://t.co/WpOQmjNl0X
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 13, 2025
The post was shared on X by President Donald Trump‘s son, Eric, who commented: “Florida leading the way! This is amazing!”
While such an initiative may be popular among homeowners and those considering moving to the state to purchase a home, Florida is already a tax-friendly state, Assaf Harpaz, assistant professor of law at the University of Georgia, told Newsweek.
“It is one of the few states that does not impose an income tax or a tax on Social Security benefits,” he said. “The proposal—if implemented—may significantly reduce funding for government services and those who rely on them.”
The idea of abolishing property taxes in Florida could soon become more than an offhand suggestion. On Tuesday, state Senator Jonathan Martin, a Republican representing Fort Myers, filed a bill—SB 852—for consideration during the legislative session that will start on March 4 that could lead to studying the possibility of eliminating property taxes.
The analysis would consider, among other things, the impact of eliminating property taxes on “public services, including education, infrastructure and emergency services” and whether “consumption-based taxes would make Florida more attractive to businesses compared to other states.”
What Impact Would The Move Have On The State?
Eliminating property taxes would set Florida apart from other states, according to Harpaz, as it would be the only one to collect no income or property taxes.
“In fact, it would be the only state where property taxes are not collected,” he said.
But such a proposal would likely face significant obstacles. Revenues previously obtained through property taxes would need to be replaced, Harpaz said, “or spending would have to be significantly reduced, and likely a combination of both.”
At the moment, Florida “supplements the absence of a state income tax with other sources of revenue, such as sales taxes,” Harpaz said. “It is aided by a booming economy, ample tourism and positive net migration.” But not even the state’s thriving economy could make up for the loss of revenues resulting from the elimination of property taxes.
“Property taxes help fund essential services such as schools, police and fire departments, so the foregone revenue would have to be made up somehow,” Harpaz said. “Florida’s economy is strong, yet billions in foregone revenue would need to be replaced to support the essential services typically funded by property taxes.”
Esteban Leonardo Santis, Ph.D., policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, told Newsweek that eliminating property taxes in the state “would likely result in either higher sales taxes or severe cuts to essential public services, including education, public safety, infrastructure and community programs.”
The Florida Policy Institute will soon release a report highlighting that households earning low to moderate income, including renters, “would bear a disproportionate burden if sales taxes were increased to offset lost revenue,” Santis said.
“Additionally, local governments would lose fiscal autonomy, becoming reliant on state funding, which could lead to underfunding and competition for resources,” he added.
“While property tax reforms, such as circuit-breaker programs or taxes on high-value real estate, could address inequities in the tax system, outright elimination risks destabilizing local budgets and undermining community investments. The proposal underscores the need for careful consideration of both fiscal sustainability and equity in addressing Florida’s affordability challenges.”
Growing Interest In Eliminating Property Taxes
The move to eliminate or reduce property taxes seems to be growing across the U.S., Harpaz said. Various laws related to property tax reform have been proposed in North Dakota, Illinois, Texas and other states in recent years, suggesting there’s interest in reducing or completely eliminating them.
“Naturally, individuals and businesses prefer paying lower taxes or not at all,” Harpaz said. “The reduction or elimination of property taxes is gaining popularity in part due to rising housing costs, as property taxes are generally based on the assessed value of the property.
“Lowering property taxes could also be part of tax competition among states—attracting prospective homebuyers and inward migration. States with high tax competitiveness, like Florida, have seen a recent influx of migration from other states.”
But while the idea of eliminating property taxes cyclically returns in the public discourse in favorable states like Florida—where it was previously discussed between 2006 and 2008—a majority of experts fear the idea is impractical for local governments.
In an assessment of the possibility of eliminating property taxes, Ronald C. Fisher, professor of economics at Michigan State University, described the move as “simply counterproductive policy thinking.” Property taxes are crucially important to maintain the viability of local governments, “making the idea infeasible,” Fisher said.
Instead of trying to eliminate or drastically reduce property taxes, the economist said, state governments should focus on having accurate property assessments that would then reflect the appropriate tax levels.
“Focusing on improving property assessment would strengthen the property tax without having to find a replacement,” Fisher said.
The Tax Foundation came to a similar conclusion in a recent report, saying that “despite its unpopularity, the property tax is relatively economically efficient, and shifting to any alternative tax would harm economic growth.”
According to researchers at the Washington-based think tank, “the property tax is a tax worth saving—and therefore worth reforming. Policymakers should work to constrain the runaway growth of property tax liability witnessed in some parts of the country but should not overcompensate by eliminating or dramatically curtailing an economically efficient tax.”
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