Florida Lawmakers Send DeSantis Property Tax Cut to November Ballot

Florida lawmakers have approved a constitutional amendment backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would sharply increase the state's homestead property tax exemption, sending the measure to voters on the November 2026 ballot. The proposal would raise the exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, offering homeowners a substantial reduction in the taxable value of their primary residences.

The amendment excludes school taxes after lawmakers amended it to protect school funding, a change intended to shield education budgets from the cut. Even with that carve-out, the measure is projected to reduce local government revenue statewide by more than $8.4 billion annually if approved by voters, a figure that has framed much of the debate over its merits and its risks.

For Florida homeowners, the proposal holds the promise of meaningful tax relief at a time when the overall cost of owning a home, including insurance and property taxes, has strained household budgets. For local governments that depend on property taxes to fund police, fire, and other services, the prospect of an $8.4 billion annual reduction has raised alarm about how those services would be paid for.

The vote sets up a high-stakes ballot question for November 2026, when Floridians will decide whether to write the larger exemption into the state constitution. The outcome will shape the finances of homeowners and local governments alike, and it lands amid a broader push by DeSantis and lawmakers to go even further by exploring the elimination of property taxes altogether.

How the Exemption Would Work

Under the approved amendment, the homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value of a primary residence would rise in two steps. In 2027, the exemption would increase from its current $50,000 to $150,000. In 2028, it would rise again to $250,000. The exemption applies to homestead properties, meaning the homes Floridians use as their primary residences.

By increasing the exemption, the amendment would lower the assessed value on which homeowners are taxed, reducing their annual property tax bills. The larger the exemption, the smaller the taxable base, which is where the projected revenue reduction for local governments originates. The two-step structure phases in the relief over consecutive years rather than all at once.

The proposal excludes school taxes. Lawmakers amended the measure to protect school funding, meaning the increased exemption would not apply to the portion of property taxes that supports public schools. That distinction is significant, because it preserves a major revenue stream for education while still delivering relief on the non-school portion of homeowners' bills.

Because the change would amend the state constitution, it cannot take effect through legislative action alone. Voters must approve it on the November 2026 ballot, and Florida constitutional amendments typically require a supermajority of voter support to pass. That threshold means the measure will need broad backing to become law.

What It Means for Homeowners

For homeowners, the amendment represents the possibility of a sizable reduction in property tax bills. Raising the exemption to $250,000 by 2028 would remove a substantial slice of taxable value for many primary residences, with the benefit varying based on a home's assessed value and local tax rates.

The relief would be especially noticeable for owners of moderately valued homes, where a $250,000 exemption could exempt a large share of the property's value from non-school taxes. Owners of higher-value homes would also benefit, though the exemption would cover a smaller proportion of their total assessed value.

The timing of the proposal speaks to broader affordability pressures in Florida. Homeowners have contended with rising insurance premiums and other costs of homeownership, and property taxes are among the largest recurring expenses tied to owning a home. Supporters argue that easing the property tax burden is a direct way to make staying in one's home more affordable.

Because the change phases in across 2027 and 2028, homeowners would see the relief grow over two years rather than receiving the full benefit immediately. The school-tax exclusion also means homeowners would continue paying the school portion of their bills at the existing exemption level, so the reduction would apply to the remaining, non-school components.

The Concern for Local Governments

The other side of the ledger falls on local governments, which rely heavily on property taxes to fund core services. The amendment is projected to reduce local government revenue statewide by more than $8.4 billion annually if voters approve it, a reduction that officials warn could force difficult choices about spending.

Property taxes commonly support police and fire departments, emergency services, parks, libraries, and other functions that local governments deliver. A reduction of the projected magnitude raises questions about how cities and counties would absorb the loss, whether through spending cuts, alternative revenue sources, or some combination of the two.

The decision to exclude school taxes addresses one of the most prominent concerns, shielding education funding from the cut. But local services beyond schools would still face the revenue reduction, and officials in some communities have voiced worry about maintaining staffing and service levels if the exemption increase takes effect.

The scale of the projected reduction, more than $8.4 billion per year, underscores why the measure has drawn both enthusiasm from tax-relief advocates and caution from those focused on local budgets. How individual cities and counties would respond would depend on their reliance on property tax revenue and their capacity to adjust.

Supporters and Critics

Supporters, led by DeSantis and the lawmakers who advanced the amendment, frame the measure as overdue relief for homeowners squeezed by the rising costs of living in Florida. They argue that returning money to homeowners is both fair and economically beneficial, and that the school-tax exclusion answers the most serious objection by protecting education funding.

For its backers, the proposal is part of a larger philosophy that taxpayers should keep more of their money and that property taxes in particular impose a continuing burden on homeownership. By putting the question to voters, supporters say, the decision rests with Floridians themselves rather than with officials in Tallahassee or local government.

Critics counter that the projected loss of more than $8.4 billion in annual local revenue threatens the services residents depend on, even with schools protected. They warn that police, fire, and other local functions could face funding pressure, and that the relief for homeowners could come at the cost of reduced services or shifted burdens elsewhere.

Some skeptics also note that the benefits and costs would be distributed unevenly across communities, depending on local property values and budgets. The debate, in essence, pits the appeal of immediate, visible tax relief against concerns about the long-term capacity of local governments to deliver services, a tension that voters will weigh in November.

A Push to Eliminate Property Taxes

The exemption amendment is not the only property tax effort underway. Separately, lawmakers and DeSantis are pursuing a broader initiative, including a special session, focused on eliminating property taxes altogether. That effort signals an ambition that reaches well beyond raising the homestead exemption.

Eliminating property taxes would represent a far more dramatic change to Florida's fiscal structure, given how central those taxes are to funding local government. Such a move would require identifying alternative revenue or significant spending reductions, and the details of how it might work remain part of the ongoing discussion rather than a settled plan.

The pairing of the two efforts, a near-term exemption increase headed to the ballot and a longer-range push to eliminate property taxes, reflects a sustained focus on the issue from the governor and legislative leaders. The exemption amendment can be seen as one step within a broader agenda to reduce or remove the property tax burden on Floridians.

How far the elimination effort advances, and what form it ultimately takes, will become clearer as the special session and related discussions proceed. For now, the exemption increase is the concrete measure before voters, while the broader elimination push remains an evolving objective.

The Budget Backdrop

The property tax debate unfolds against the backdrop of Florida's newly passed state budget. Lawmakers approved an approximately $114.5 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, following a special session held from May 12 to May 29. The budget sets the state's spending priorities for the coming year.

DeSantis is reviewing the budget and is expected to issue line-item vetoes before July 1. Florida governors hold the power to strike individual spending items from the budget, and DeSantis has historically used that authority to trim appropriations he opposes. The forthcoming vetoes will shape the final shape of state spending for the year ahead.

The intersection of the budget process and the property tax effort highlights the broader fiscal conversation in Tallahassee. As the state finalizes its own spending plan, it is simultaneously advancing measures that would reduce the revenue available to local governments, two threads of fiscal policy moving in parallel.

The budget's timing, with the fiscal year starting July 1, means the line-item vetoes will arrive in the same window that the property tax amendment heads toward the November ballot. Together, these developments make 2026 a consequential year for Florida's public finances at both the state and local levels.

What's Next

The immediate next step is the November 2026 ballot, when Florida voters will decide whether to approve the homestead exemption increase. Because the measure amends the constitution, it will need to clear the voter-approval threshold required for such amendments, making the campaign for and against it a focal point in the months ahead.

In the nearer term, DeSantis is expected to issue line-item vetoes on the roughly $114.5 billion state budget before July 1, finalizing state spending for the coming fiscal year. Those decisions will reveal which appropriations the governor chooses to keep and which he strikes.

The broader effort to eliminate property taxes, including the planned special session, will also continue to develop. How that initiative takes shape could influence the conversation around the exemption amendment and the future of property taxation in Florida more generally.

For homeowners and local governments alike, the coming months will bring clarity on questions with significant financial stakes. Voters will ultimately determine whether the exemption increase becomes part of the state constitution, while lawmakers and the governor continue to press their wider property tax agenda.