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Posted on 05/21/2026 6:41:21 PM PDT by chickenlips
Florida homeowners have watched their property tax bills nearly double since 2019 – and they're still waiting for relief.
DeSantis just showed up in Brevard County and dared his own party to stop him.
He's calling a summer special session to gut Florida property taxes and get it on the November ballot – and he doesn't care who's in his way.
The Governor Who Actually Means It For two years, Rick Scott, the House Speaker, and half the Republican establishment have told Floridians that eliminating property taxes sounds great but can't be done.
DeSantis walked into a roundtable in Brevard County on Monday and told them to try harder.
He laid out the framework: expand homestead exemptions, protect small businesses from local government fee hikes, and lock out out-of-state transplants from immediately cashing in on Florida's tax relief.
"I don't want every Tom, Dick, and Harry from out of state moving and rushing to buy a home here because they get a tax benefit," DeSantis said.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2056416400567390707?s=20
Floridians who built this state come first.
The target: a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot, reached through a summer special session after the current budget session wraps up.
Rick Scott Blinked First
Hours before DeSantis took the stage in Brevard, his predecessor went on Fox Business and threw cold water on the whole idea.
Scott – eight years as governor, now a U.S. senator – said he can't endorse eliminating property taxes until someone explains what replaces the revenue.
(Excerpt) Read more at desantisdaily.com ...
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Limitations on taxes is good. Elimination of property taxes has a problem of abandoned property.
Someone owns the property, but cannot be found. The property gradually deteriorates and no one can use it or repair it.
Property taxes provide a mechanism for abandoned property to be acquired by someone else who can put it to good use.
I saw dozens of abandoned homes falling apart in Hyder, Alaska, because there were no property taxes. The mechanism for changing ownership of an abandoned property was extremely difficult.
I never thought of that.
“ Property taxes provide a mechanism for abandoned property to be acquired by someone else who can put it to good use.”
Thank you. You made a very good point.
“Property taxes provide a mechanism for abandoned property to be acquired by someone else who can put it to good use.”
I have no idea what you are talking about.
The one thing that can put property to good use - abandoned or not - is M-O-N-E-Y.
If you have to pay taxes on your property that you own, you don’t own the property.. the government does.
You can get a lot done — if you just decide to get a lot done.
There may be fewer than 5 Republicans who understand that.
DeSantis is one. Trump is another. That’s all I can think of.
This is what I proposed for the federal Constitution:
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAX AMENDMENT
Levies on any residential property of less than 2799 square feet of finished living space shall be no higher than the 2019 dollar amounts for the property, or for a newer or since resold property no higher than what it would have been levied at for 2019 if it lacked owner specific tax breaks, increased by 3% per calendar year since 2019 and by any percentage increase to its finished living space.
Make it $1 per year and after 5 years non-payment and no owner can be located it goes to auction and the money from the sale is banked for another five years to give owner chance to unclaimed money thru the state. Then if no response the money goes to the county the property was in. Simple!
DeSantis continues to expand his lead as the best Florida governor in memory, if not the whole US, and was significantly better than Scott.
As far as Donalds, which DeSantis has so far refused to endorse, a recent poll shows former US House Republican member David Jolly, who switched to Democrat to face Donalds, is currently in the lead, sending shockwaves through the state.
“Property taxes provide a mechanism for abandoned property to be acquired by someone else who can put it to good use.”
Abandoned property could be taken by eminent domain for use as a park or nature preserve.
If there’s a hazard, the hazard can be remediated and a lien placed. If the lien isn’t paid, then the property can be sold.
Modern government never lacks for power. The main problem is excess power.
Nearly all cities have code enforcement officers. They can write tickets for what they can see from the road. Notices to owner of record and to the property follow with a date in Court. The court can take action.
As I understand things, there was talk about just ending general government taxation on homestead property. The school districts would retain taxing power on homestead property.
In the 1930s, land on the barrier island to the west of me sold for $10/acre.
In the late 1930s, a man bought marshland in Naples, Florida for $10,000.
He turned it into a neighborhood he named Port Royal and I believe it is now the most expensive neighborhood in the USA, with houses running about 20 million each.
Property taxes is county-right? Homeowners pay for sewer fees and water/gas. What about the cops? Corporal punishment is cheaper. Geezers are too old to commit crime and parents have plenty on their plate. They gotta get their money from somewhere just not as much of it. Perhaps the governmen should just hand out the guns.
“...what replaces the revenue...”
Spending cuts?
How much should be spent per classroom of ~25 students?
Tax the criminals and the illegals....
Make them leave.
By the 1920s thousands of acres of Cape Cod had been abandoned and seized for taxes.
I don’t know if DeSantis is speaking only about taxes levied by the county. There are still other taxing districts such as school districts, children services, navigation,storm water,law enforcement, etc. Just to name a few on my tax bill. There are also special assessments such as new water and sewer hookups, and street lighting. So there are still reasons for a taxing authority to put a property up for sale to settle the deficient collections.
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