Florida lawmakers to explore eliminating property taxes
TALLHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Lawmakers in the Florida House of Representatives announced a new Select Committee on Property Taxes on Tuesday.
The committee will explore potential reforms, including eliminating property taxes, according to a news release.
Investigation continues into deadly Clearwater Ferry crash
The committee will consider policies requiring every city, county and special district in the state to hold a referendum where voters can weigh in on eliminating property taxes for homestead properties. Other potential reforms include creating a new $500,000 homestead exemption and a $1 million exemption for homes owned by Floridians age 65 and older or who have owned a home for 30 years.
'Floridians should have the chance to decide on real, lasting property tax reforms,' committee co-chair Rep. Vicki Lopez said in a statement. 'Our committee will bring forward ideas that protect homeowners and reflect the realities and needs facing homeowners today.'
Members will also explore authorizing the legislature to make changes to homestead exemption law. They will consider eliminating the ability to foreclose on a homestead property with a property tax lien.
'This is about giving Floridians more freedom and security in their homes. We're committed to listening, thinking boldly, and delivering real solutions that make a difference,' committee co-chair Rep. Tony Overdorf said in a statement.
The new select committee is expected to convene for the first time on May 1.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


American Military News
8 hours ago
- American Military News
Video: Florida opening another illegal immigrant detention center after Alligator Alcatraz success
Florida is preparing to open another illegal immigrant detention facility following the recent establishment of 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Florida officials have confirmed that the new facility, which will be called the 'Deportation Depot,' will initially be capable of holding 1,300 illegal immigrants. Announcing the new illegal immigrant detention facility on Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said, 'We are authorizing and will be soon opening this new illegal immigration detention, processing, and deportation facility here in North Florida. We are calling this the Deportation Depot.' In a Thursday press release, the Florida governor noted that the Deportation Depot will be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, which is located in Sanderson, Florida. According to Fox News, while the new detention facility, which has been dormant since 2021, will initially be able to hold 1,300 beds for illegal immigrants, the facility could eventually be expanded to hold 2,000 beds. As part of Thursday's announcement, DeSantis emphasized that officials do not merely want to 'house people indefinitely' at the Deportation Depot and Alligator Alcatraz, but to 'process, stage, and then return illegal aliens to their home country.' READ MORE: Pic: 'Worst' illegal immigrants to be held at new ICE facility in Indiana, Trump admin says 'That is the name of the game, and that's what we do in Florida,' DeSantis said. 'We know that this is an important national priority, not only of President Trump, but of the American people. Of all the issues in the election, I can tell you, this immigration and border issue was either the top or right near the top on all people's minds, and so we have identified this location.' DeSantis explained that the new Deportation Depot facility will feature the same services that are offered at Alligator Alcatraz and that the costs associated with the new facility will be reimbursed by the federal government. In Thursday's press release, DeSantis said the development of another illegal immigrant detention facility in Florida builds on the success of the Alligator Alcatraz facility in the Everglades. DeSantis added, 'We'll enforce the law, we'll hold the line, and we will keep delivering results.' The governor's office emphasized that Florida is 'setting the standard' for how individual states can work with President Donald Trump's administration to protect American citizens from the 'scourge of illegal immigration.'


Axios
a day ago
- Axios
These Florida cities are defying a ban on rainbow-colored Pride crosswalks
Some South Florida cities are resisting new state and federal guidance that prohibits rainbow-colored intersections. Why it matters: While other Florida cities acted quickly to remove their Pride-themed crosswalks and avoid violating the state's June 30 mandate, Key West and Delray Beach appear to be the first to push back against the DeSantis administration. Any response from the state could influence how other cities with Pride-themed street art, like Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, decide to move forward. The latest: Key West voted Aug. 6 to explore all legal avenues to preserve its popular rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets, which the city says is one of the island's "most iconic and visited locations." The city also voted to designate the crosswalks as a cultural landmark and the surrounding area as the "Historic Gayborhood of Key West," honoring the city's LGBTQ community. In Delray Beach, the City Commission decided Tuesday to defy a previous order from the city manager and keep its painted Pride intersection — for now at least, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. After city manager Terrence Moore announced in July that the city "must adhere to state guidelines," commissioners this week said it would be premature to remove the crosswalk without receiving a direct order from the state. Zoom in: Neither Miami Beach nor Fort Lauderdale have reacted to the mandate, and the cities' Pride street markings are still in place. Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez tells Axios the city hasn't received any communication from the state, so there's "no action for the City Commission to take at this time." Fernandez and other local leaders have slammed the state's argument that painted crosswalks are a traffic hazard. What they're saying: Fernandez tells Axios that the city's Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street met all safety standards when it was approved in 2018 and remains a safe intersection. "From my perspective, if major work were ever done there in the future, that would be the time to review and consider any new regulation, just as we would with any other change to the traffic manual," Fernandez said. "In the meantime, I believe this is a non-issue, a distraction, a solution in search of a problem." Threat level: The mandate — which echoed guidance from the Trump administration on removing political messages from roadways — says noncompliant governments may lose state transportation funding. Zoom out: Some cities, like St. Petersburg, have been contacted by Florida's Department of Transportation requesting a list of all painted crosswalks and other traffic infrastructure. But St. Pete Mayor Kenneth Welch announced this week the city wouldn't take any action until it receives guidance from the state on whether certain public art can be exempted from the mandate.


Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Florida to open ‘Deportation Depot' at shuttered prison weeks after launching ‘Alligator Alcatraz' facility
From "Alligator Alcatraz" to a new "Deportation Depot," Florida says it is leading the way in enforcing federal immigration laws. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will open a new immigration detention center dubbed "Deportation Depot" at a shuttered former prison in Sanderson, north Florida, expanding the state's capacity to hold and deport migrants. The new facility will be located at Baker Correctional Institution, about 43 miles west of Jacksonville and will initially hold 1,300 beds and can be expandable to 2,000. DeSantis said the facility, which has been dormant since 2021, will build on the success of Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades and is expected to be operational in two to three weeks with staffing by the Florida National Guard and state contractors. "There's a massive part here at Baker Correctional that's vacant and isn't being used for any state correction activity," DeSantis said at a press briefing. "Talk about ready-made infrastructure, this is something that's very appealing from that perspective." DeSantis touted the relative ease and economy of setting up the northern Florida facility at a preexisting prison, estimating the build-out cost to be $6 million. That's compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has committed to constructing the vast network of tents and trailers at the south facility in the rugged and remote Florida swamp. "This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply," DeSantis said of the state prison, calling the site "ready-made." The new facility is being built as part of the Trump administration's effort to deport the millions who flooded the country under the Biden administration. DeSantis said that there are an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 illegal immigrants in Florida who already have final orders of removal but have not yet been deported. He touted state and local law enforcement agencies' participation in ICE operations with the latest move expanding Florida's 287(g) program, where state officers collaborate with ICE. DeSantis praised the Trump administration's "sea change" in policy for enabling Florida Highway Patrol to legally enforce immigration laws during traffic stops. "We have done more on this than any other state by a country mile," he said. We'll enforce the law, we'll hold the line, and we will keep delivering results. DeSantis had previously floated plans to open a second detention facility at a nearby Florida National Guard training facility known as Camp Blanding, about 30 miles southwest of Jacksonville. The long-standing military installation was a major U.S. Army training facility during World War II and serves as a "continuity of government" site for Florida's executive branch, according to the facility's website. But announcing the plans Thursday, DeSantis said the Baker facility was a better fit because of its available capacity and proximity to a regional airport. "Blanding does have air capacity, but probably not a big enough runway to handle large planes," DeSantis said. DeSantis said detainees at the new Baker facility will get the same services as those at the Everglades site and will be air-conditioned, which is not required under Florida prison standards. Attorneys for detainees at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz allege unsafe and inhumane conditions, including COVID-19 exposure without isolation, flooding, and pressure to sign removal orders before meeting lawyers. Last week, a Miami federal judge ordered a temporary halt to construction at the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said the facility, which is built in the middle of the Florida Everglades, can continue to hold migrant detainees, but cannot add any new infrastructure capacity. The ruling stops new construction, including filling, paving, installation of new infrastructure, and installation of new lighting, for a 14-day period while the parties involved in a lawsuit over the facility complete their hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction.