TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House Select Committee on Property Taxes is moving full steam ahead with plans to reduce property taxes, despite growing tension with Governor Ron DeSantis and a widening rift within the GOP.
The committee, formed with the aim of placing property tax-cutting proposals on the 2026 ballot—held its second meeting Tuesday, even as a broader state budget remains unfinished.
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Just forming the committee has stirred controversy in Florida’s already tense political climate. The divide between the House and the governor over how to tackle tax relief continues to deepen, turning the committee into a flashpoint in that debate.
“What we've seen over the last five years is revenue increasing, increasing, increasing. And I would challenge you to go out and look at municipalities that have cut their mill rate,” said Rep. Toby Overdorf (R-Port St. Lucie), who co-chairs the committee.
Overdorf acknowledged concerns that cuts could strain local governments, but insisted there are areas where spending could be reined in.
“There are certainly places that we would look at reining in spending, looking at ways that we can utilize that money differently, to put money back into the hands of Floridians as well as Floridian businesses,” he said.
So far, proposals under discussion are broad and varied, ranging from a $500,000 homestead exemption to eliminating foreclosures for missed property tax payments, and providing special tax breaks for seniors.
“I represent a huge portion of elderly constituents back home that are either losing their homes or cannot continue to afford these high property taxes,” said Rep. Juan Porras (R-Miami). “So I think, at the minimum, I would like to see some relief towards some of these elderly groups.”
The committee invited Governor DeSantis to appear at a future meeting to discuss his ideas, but he flatly rejected the request.
“No, I'm not going to go sit in front of the committee. That's not the role of the chief executive,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “It doesn't take a committee hearing to do that. It just requires leadership.”
DeSantis has been pushing his own $5 billion tax rebate plan, under which homesteaders would receive roughly $1,000 each. But that idea, too, has been shot down by the House Speaker.
“The only option that I have ruled out is simply mailing $1,000 checks from the state treasury,” said House Speaker Danny Perez, addressing the chamber Tuesday. “These checks do not actually lower tax rates, these checks do not solve the property tax problem.”
Despite the lack of consensus, the committee chairs plan to continue meeting. The next session is expected to coincide with lawmakers’ return to budget negotiations. After that, a statewide “listening tour” is in the works.
Exactly when lawmakers will reconvene remains uncertain. Leadership has said they’re not ready to bring legislators back before Memorial Day. More clarity is expected by mid-week.
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