Florida house eyes property tax repeal in 2026, launches special committee amid rift with DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House announced Tuesday it intends to put some kind of property tax repeal on the 2026 ballot, forming a special committee to study the issue over the summer and present recommendations by the next legislative session.

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The announcement comes during ongoing tensions between House leadership and Governor Ron DeSantis over how best to deliver property tax relief to Floridians.

It was about a month ago that DeSantis rolled out a sweeping $5 billion property tax rebate plan. He said it would provide immediate savings of about $1,000 for homesteaded homeowners across the state.

“I think the tax relief needs to be focused on Floridians,” said DeSantis in March. “We need a Florida first tax package.”

But as of this week, House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami) says the governor's plan still lacks key details. Perez told the chamber he doesn’t have any bill language nor a clear explanation on how to pay for it all. It’s prompted the fellow Republican to act independently.

“Given the importance of this issue, we cannot afford further delay in moving this conversation beyond promises or generalities,” said Perez.

The House select committee on property taxes will now meet outside the regular session over the coming months. The committee is tasked with gathering input from a wide range of stakeholders, including homeowners and local governments. It’ll then craft one or more proposals for the 2026 ballot. Under Florida law, any constitutional amendment would then require 60% voter approval.

“I believe we can find our way through this complicated problem,” said Perez. “I am very excited to see what this select committee will produce.”

Among the starting ideas pitched by Perez: requiring cities and counties to vote on whether to eliminate homestead property taxes, introducing new or increased homestead exemptions, giving lawmakers the authority to increase those exemptions without a voter referendum, capping property tax assessments, and banning foreclosures on properties unable to pay taxes.

“We want to hear from local government,” said Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart). “We want to hear from law enforcement. We want to hear from Joe citizen. We want to hear from all the business owners across there. We want to hear from retirees, so literally, anybody who may have been impacted or has an opportunity to save from property taxes. We want to hear from them.”

Overdorf will co-chair the committee alongside Rep. Vicki Lopez (R-Miami), who emphasized that the governor’s participation is welcomed.

“We have been waiting to see what the governor's proposal is, and thus far, we don't know,” said Lopez. “We do know that for him, it's an important issue, and so we welcome his input as well that we can consider whatever proposals he thinks will be important.”

The governor’s office was quick to weigh in. In a post on X, Communications Director Bryan Griffin pointed back to DeSantis’s March rebate plan and criticized House leadership for inaction.

“If the House had wanted to get this done, they would have,” said Griffin.

The escalating back-and-forth has prompted questions about whether the tax debate is more about policy or politics. Some Democrats were taking a cautious stance. While supportive of tax relief in principle, they worry about the impact such changes could have on public services.

“No one's going to want to come to our theme parks if they don't feel safe,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando). “They're not going to want to raise their family if the schools aren't high quality. And so for me, that's what keeps me up at night with this concept— what is going to replace the lost revenue?”

The select committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting this Thursday and will continue throughout the summer and fall. What proposals ultimately make the 2026 ballot remains to be seen.