Florida to cut property tax exemptions
Governor Ron DeSantis will call a special legislative session to implement Amendment 3, which raises the homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
Voters in Florida approved Amendment 3 with 62 percent of the vote on Tuesday evening, clearing the 60 percent threshold required to change the state constitution. The measure increases the homestead property tax exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday at a press conference in the state Capitol that he will convene a special legislative session within the next two months. He stated the session will occur before his second term ends in early January. DeSantis said he will work with lawmakers to determine the exact schedule.
The special session aims to implement the tax cut and prevent local governments from offsetting the savings through other taxes. DeSantis explained that the measure will set the schedule for further homestead exemptions. "What it’ll do is it’ll set the schedule for further homestead exemption, because we want people to get that," DeSantis said. He added that the process will limit local governments from taxing residents in other ways to bypass the amendment.
The Legislature previously excluded school districts from the larger exemption during a special session in the summer. DeSantis suggested the Legislature might revise the Florida Education Finance Program next year to address this gap. He noted that he will no longer be in office when those changes are considered. "You may be able to do a rewrite in a way that will provide strong funding for schools in a way that can still provide relief for homeowners," DeSantis said.
Districts have faced budget constraints recently due to record-low birth rates and the expansion of school vouchers, which have led to lower enrollment and school closures. Governor-elect Byron Donalds told the News Service of Florida last week that he plans to change how the state funds public schools. He wants to give districts more flexibility on spending. "Let the districts figure out how they’re going to pay their teachers, let the districts figure out what programming they’re going to put forward," Donalds said.
Amendment 3 faced opposition from firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and local government officials. These groups argued the tax cut would strain rural counties and hurt essential services. Top Republican leaders also voiced concerns about the drastic nature of the reduction.
DeSantis credited the popularity of the amendment for driving Republican turnout in the recent election. He said the measure helped keep the state Cabinet in GOP control while other red states flipped to Democratic candidates. "Had Amendment 3 not been on the ballot, I don’t know that we’d turn out the voters that we ended up turning out," DeSantis said.
