WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As Florida voters decide local races in cities and villages across the state, big decisions over cutting property taxes are possibly ahead.
"That really is the $18 billion question," says Charles Chapman of the Florida League of Cities.
WATCH BELOW: Property tax cut issue faces election winners in Florida
As elections are being held, Chapman says many municipalities are at the halfway point of their budgets and are looking ahead at how they spend.
Republican lawmakers, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, insisted that the tax collection and spending are too much.
House lawmakers have approved two bills on property tax reform, but the Senate has yet to act, and a special session to deal with the issue is likely.
A recent study that involved the League of Cities found that eliminating non-school homestead property taxes would challenge 116 cities in the state to pay for public safety.
"If you're Greenacres and you're at 33 percent relying on homestead and suddenly a third of that tax revenue is taken away," Chapman says.
The town of Briny Breezes, on the other hand, he says, relies on 18%, presenting different choices for each municipality.
If lawmakers can agree on a property tax-cutting plan, it would have to be approved by voters in November by a 60% margin.
And if voters give their approval, then local governments need to start looking at the hard choices in 2027.
