Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has spent much of 2025 loudly calling for the complete elimination of property taxes on primary (homestead) residences — at least the roughly 54% of the bill that doesn’t go to K-12 schools. He wants voters to decide the issue with a single, bold constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot.
There’s just one big problem: his own party in the Florida House is quietly (or not so quietly) trying to kill the idea by flooding the ballot with competing proposals.
What DeSantis Wants
- A single constitutional amendment that permanently zeros out all non-school property taxes on homesteaded homes.
- Requires 3/5 approval in both the House and Senate during the 2026 legislative session (starting January 13, 2026).
- Then needs 60% voter approval in November 2026.
DeSantis has framed this as the ultimate homeowner relief, especially as skyrocketing insurance rates and rising millage rates hammer Florida families.
What the Florida House Just Did
On October 16, 2025, House Republicans, led by Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami), dropped not one, not two, but eight different property-tax-related proposals. Seven of them are constitutional amendments that would all appear on the same 2026 ballot if passed:
- HJR 201 – Immediate full elimination of non-school homestead taxes (closest to DeSantis’ plan, but protects law enforcement funding)
- HJR 203 – 10-year phase-out with annual $100k exemption increases
- HJR 205 – Full non-school exemption only for homeowners 65+
- HJR 207 – New 25% exemption on assessed value for first-time buyers
- HJR 209 – Extra $100k exemption if you have homeowners insurance
- HJR 211 – Full portability of Save Our Homes cap when you move
- HJR 213 – Much tighter caps on taxable value increases (3% over three years, etc.)
Speaker Perez defends the shotgun approach by saying, “If we trust voters to elect us, we should trust them to choose the best tax relief.”
Why Multiple Amendments Could Kill Everything
Florida voters vote “yes” or “no” on each amendment separately. There is no ranked-choice or “pick one” mechanism. When you put eight similar-but-different property tax measures on the same ballot, you split the pro-relief vote.
Even if 80–90% of voters want some kind of major property-tax cut, that support could fracture into 30% here, 25% there, 15% somewhere else — none reaching the required 60% supermajority. The result? Zero amendments pass, and the status quo wins.
Governor DeSantis called it exactly what it looks like on October 23, 2025:
“Placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes. It’s a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people.”
— Ron DeSantis on X, October 23, 2025
Who Else Is Against It?
- Cities and counties (they get ~40–50% of their budgets from property taxes and have no clear replacement revenue)
- Some moderate Republicans who worry about massive budget holes
- Local sheriffs and fire chiefs who fear service cuts
Bottom Line
Unless House leadership backs down and coalesces around a single bold plan, Ron DeSantis’ signature goal of wiping out (most) property taxes is probably dead before it ever reaches voters — sabotaged not by Democrats, but by fellow Republicans playing ballot-box three-card monte.
The 2026 legislative session will tell us whether this is real reform… or just the latest chapter in the ongoing cold war between Governor DeSantis and Speaker Perez.
Sources
- Governor Ron DeSantis’ X post (Oct 23, 2025) – direct quote on “political game”
https://x.com/RonDeSantis/status/1846973284719239372 - Florida House of Representatives – Full list of filed property tax HJRs (Oct 16, 2025)
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/bills.aspx?SessionId=100 - Florida Politics – “House Republicans release eight competing property tax amendments” (Oct 16, 2025)
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/702347-house-republicans-release-eight-competing-property-tax-amendments/ - Tampa Bay Times – “DeSantis vs. House GOP: Battle over property tax relief heats up” (Oct 24, 2025)
https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/2025/10/24/desantis-house-gop-property-tax-relief/ - Florida Phoenix – “House advances eight property tax measures, Democrats side with DeSantis” (Nov 20, 2025)
https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/11/20/florida-house-advances-eight-property-tax-constitutional-amendments/