An End to Homesteaded Property Taxes in Florida Isn’t in Daniel Perez’s Plans – Top 3 Takeaways, October 20th, 2025
Takeaway #1: Proposed property tax relief in Tallahassee
While the focus on government affairs remains on the partial federal government shutdown, we’ve now instructively completed nearly three weeks with 34% of the federal government offline, that most still haven’t even noticed – there is a notice that begins to come due in under two weeks that every Floridian feels in some form or fashion. The impact of property taxes. Some people rent and feel the impact of property taxes through consistently rising rates, some people make a mortgage payment and notice the impact through an escrow payment (most common- 70% of properties in Florida do have escrow), and some people own their home outright and see quite clearly the increases every year when they cut checks. November 1st is the opening of the window for the property tax season when early payments, during early months, can earn discounted rates on property tax payments (starting at a 4% discount in November). This is when the most payments for property taxes are made, with 30% of the states’ property taxes being paid during November (followed by December at just over 20%). Florida gets a lot of things right when it comes to taxes, however where our state ranks lowest is with the roof over your head. Overall, Florida ranks 23rd for property taxation – with select counties and municipalities ranking far worse. For example, only 6% of the country pays higher property tax rates than what is paid for the average property owner in Palm Beach County. The theme of Governor DeSantis’s final state session, and his last major policy push to permanently reshape the “Free State of Florida”, is to truly provide freedom for you to own your own home without the risk of government confiscation of your property without annually paying ever rising property tax payments. As Govenor DeSantis has outlined, and we’ve discussed, it’s completely doable to do away with homesteaded property taxes if local governments, in general, simply went back to spending at pre-COVID, 2019 levels – in inflation adjusted dollars I might add. The question isn’t if it can be done but whether...
Takeaway #2: It will be done?
Aside from likely having every taxing authority in this state opposed to an end to the status quo tax and spend mindset that’s set ever since the end of the Great Recession fourteen years ago, and any proposals having to receive a minimum of 60% support from voters next November as a proposed constitutional amendment, there’s the matter of the state legislature at hand. If we’ve learned anything this year about what goes on in Tallahassee, it’s that A) Who the speaker of the state House is, matters, and B) Daniel Perez, the current speaker is a perpetual thorn in the side of DeSantis’s plans. It appears the debate over property taxes will be no different. Late last week Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez announced eight property tax relief proposals that will be under consideration before the legislature when next year’s session kicks off in January. Now, there are two dynamics to this... Having eight different plans to end property taxes means two things...
Takeaway #3: You will be voting on property tax relief
Next November. However, what it also shows is that we’re far from a consensus in the state legislature regarding what property tax relief should be. Most notably to me, and this is about the most Daniel Perez thing ever...despite eight proposals having been produced...none of the proposals aligned directly with Governor DeSantis’s call for an end to all homesteaded property taxes. The two closest proposals include one that would end non-school property taxes, while another would exempt homeowners 65 and older. That doesn’t mean that in the end that will be the result, DeSantis has threatened to call a special session just before next summer’s primaries to put maximum pressure on state legislators to put full property tax relief for homesteaded properties on the table, if it hasn’t been passed by then, but it does mean the starting point legislatively with the session that’s set to begin in January doesn’t currently include that plan. House Speaker Daniel Perez recently said this in addressing the plans: The ultimate decision on what should happen with property taxes belongs not with elected officials, but with the people of Florida. And that is true, as any proposed amendment will come down to how Floridians vote next November. But in the meantime, what isn’t true is that complete property tax relief for property tax owners has been proposed. What isn’t true is that the state legislature has proposed even one proposal that would do what DeSantis has called on them to do that will truly allow you to own your home, as opposed to borrowing it from the myriad of taxing authorities that gleefully claim to own a piece of the roof over your family’s head. Now, it’s worth mentioning that pragmatism may be playing out in this process. For example, is it more likely that 60% of Floridians would vote for ending property taxes that exclude schools, than ending them permanently? Potentially. So that’s something to consider in the process too...but for now we’re once again in a place entering Governor DeSantis’s final legislative session with House Speaker Daniel Perez not putting forward a proposal for consideration that’s the governor’s top issue heading into it.