DeSantis hosts property tax relief roundtable in South Tampa, may veto sales tax bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on reducing or eliminating property taxes. State lawmakers are finalizing a plan in their budget that involves reducing the state sales tax.
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During a roundtable in South Tampa on Wednesday, DeSantis proposed that state lawmakers do two things relating to property taxes before the extended session ends.
'I've proposed, we have the money to fully fund the education budget,' DeSantis said. 'We could send you a rebate on your property taxes this year. We'll only do it for homesteaded Floridians. We're not going to do it for the snowbirds.'
The governor said many homeowners could get a rebate from $300 up to $1,000 by December of this year, if lawmakers approve. He also pushed lawmakers to put language on the November 2026 ballot to reduce or eliminate property taxes altogether.
'Which is really how you have to do it by a constitutional amendment to provide protections for homeowners. This is all very doable,' DeSantis said.
If voters approve, that could force county and city leaders to make major changes before 2027. Previously, some elected officials in Tampa Bay municipalities have expressed concerns on how to fill the gap for crucial services if they are forced to reduce or eliminate their main source for their budgets.
'You can bank on tourists coming,' DeSantis said. 'You can obviously look at expenditures, but you can also shift the tax to the non-residents. That could be done very easily.'
The governor said bigger counties, like Pinellas, could easily shift the tax burden to tourists and possibly seasonal residents for budgetary purposes. For smaller and rural counties, the governor says the state could help.
No Tampa Bay County leader has responded to a request for comment about the governor's idea.
State lawmakers are scheduled to continue working on the budget next week, which includes a plan to reduce the sales tax. DeSantis disagrees with the effort.
'The average Floridian would save a whopping $47, if they were to do it,' DeSantis said.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez previously spoke about the state house version of the plan before reaching a deal with the senate.
'It is $5 billion of real cutting going back to the people in a way that has never been done in the state. The first time ever,' Perez said.
The state house has recently started a 37-member committee to look at whether reducing or eliminating property taxes is feasible. However, any decision is expected to be discussed during the next regular session.
As for discussions on reducing the sales tax, the governor has hinted that he plans to veto the plan.
'Any 'Florida last' tax package is going to be dead on arrival. We are not going to kneecap our ability to provide you property tax relief, just so we can give a little bit of a benefit to Canadian tourists,' DeSantis said.
As of now, it's unclear if property owners will see any relief on sales or property taxes.
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