“That’s easy for us to do”: DeSantis wants to use taxpayer money to completely eliminate property taxes for some Florida residents
Florida – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is moving forward with an ambitious proposal to help people in the state’s most rural and economically troubled areas by providing financial relief. Speaking Monday at an economic development event, DeSantis announced his idea for the state to assume responsibility for supporting certain key government services in these small, fiscally pressed counties—allowing them to phase out property taxes altogether.
The governor said that this idea would cost roughly $300 million a year, which is a minor amount compared to Florida’s general fund budget of almost $50 billion. DeSantis called the amount “budget dust” and said that the state is in a good position to cover the expenditure because it has built up a large surplus in the past few years.
“I’m just telling you that is budget dust, like, that’s easy for us to do,” DeSantis said, The Center Square reported. “And I’m not suggesting that, like, we have to just do that, but I’d be willing, of course, we’re going to help with that. You know, we want, we want homeowners to be able to afford to stay in their home, and if that means that we take this gigantic surplus that we’ve accumulated and help rural counties and fiscally constrained counties.
The idea focused on Florida’s 30-plus fiscally limited counties where small tax bases make it impossible to fund local services without significantly relying on property taxes. DeSantis’s plan would let these counties get rid of the taxes, and the state would make up the difference.
Read also: Florida Republicans want to lower the state tax, Gov. DeSantis doesn’t: “Dead on arrival”
This action links into a wider goal DeSantis has for statewide property tax reform. He’s asking not only for quick one-time reimbursements for homeowners but also for long-term structural changes. In November 2026, voters may see a constitutional amendment that would permanently lower or limit property taxes. A special committee in the Florida House is currently studying the different paths forward.
DeSantis made the matter more personal by talking about older people on fixed incomes who still have to pay more property taxes even if they own their homes entirely.
“I think everybody who looks at this does understand we do want people to actually own their homes and at some point to say that you’re 80 years old and you paid off your mortgage 30 years ago, and yet, you still gotta just stroke checks,” DeSantis said. “And then people are telling you your property’s worth twice as much as it was 10 years ago, and that goes up, even though you do have some protection. That’s not what we want. We want people to own free and clear. So stay tuned on that.”
The statement came during a ceremony commemorating the creation of 300 new manufacturing jobs at a body armor production facility in Wakulla County. The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund and the Rural Infrastructure Fund both gave money to that initiative. It was part of DeSantis’s larger message to invest in rural Florida.
While the proposal will certainly face legislative debate and scrutiny over the next months, DeSantis made plain that he regards it as a moral and financial imperative.
“I’d much rather do that and be able to get the property tax relief done, than try to say, ‘Oh, well, we can’t do property tax relief because the rurals aren’t going to be able to raise revenue.’ We have revenue,” DeSantis said.
