“You basically get stuck paying higher taxes”: DeSantis remains determined to lower property taxes
Florida’s property tax dispute is shaping up to be one of the most controversial subjects leading up to the 2026 election cycle. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently said that big cuts could be on the way.
DeSantis has been more critical of local governments lately for letting property taxes go up, which is happening since real estate prices in the state are going up. He spoke at a recent event and said that homeowners are being taxed on growing property assessments even though they haven’t sold their homes or made any money.
“What happens is your property gets assessed higher and higher. It’s an unrealized gain. You haven’t sold it for that much; they’re just telling you it’s worth that much,” DeSantis said during a recent event.
“And guess what happens when the market corrects – which it inevitably does? Do they rush in to assess your property at a lower level? Not that I’m aware of. So it’s a one way ratchet, and you basically get stuck paying higher taxes.”
Many people in Florida are angry because of a simple rule: even if local tax rates don’t change, a greater assessed value on a home means a bigger tax payment. This situation has made DeSantis more determined to hold those in charge accountable. His administration has sent state workers to look into the budgets of various counties and localities to look for waste, fraud, or excessive spending.
Critics, on the other hand, say that the governor has benefited from these increasing income. Since taking office, he has signed budgets that rely largely on the Required Local Effort (RLE), which is the part of property taxes that the state requires to pay for K–12 education. The RLE has gone up from $7.9 billion in DeSantis’ first budget to $10.9 billion in the current one. Some of the rise is due to new development and some is due to the value of existing property prices going up.
The RLE’s average tax rate across the state has theoretically gone down, from $4.075 per $1,000 in property value before DeSantis took office to $3.189 last year. However, it is still higher than the “rollback rate,” which would maintain revenues the same from year to year. Republican lawmakers have disagreed about that disparity. Some people, including former House Speaker Richard Corcoran, say that any rise beyond new construction is a tax hike. Others, like former governors and Senate leaders, have said that rates don’t have to go up for revenues to go up.
Read also: Judge hands strong legal blow to Florida lawmakers in a ‘sweeping victory for readers and authors’
Last March, DeSantis himself came up with a dramatic plan to lower taxes. The plan would have given homestead property owners an average of $1,000 back, and the state would have made up for the lost education revenue. The idea was turned down by the Legislature.
This year’s session only made things worse, as DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez fought over different ways to slash taxes. DeSantis said he wouldn’t be happy until lawmakers agreed to a big cut in property taxes, even though Perez wanted to lower the sales tax rate.
Read also: DeSantis supports the radical idea of eliminating property taxes for Florida residents
The governor has now made it obvious that he wants a big cut on the ballot in November 2026. In January, when the Legislature meets again, they will go through about the details. But Democrats say that if property taxes go down too much, cities, counties, and schools would have trouble filling budget gaps.
Read also: Handling discipline: Florida educators may now spank students ‘under the right circumstances’
As the battle goes on, Floridians can expect their tax bills, and the bigger question of how to pay for public services, to stay at the center of the state’s political storm.
