House offers menu of property tax cuts

The Florida House on Thursday unveiled a sweeping set of proposed constitutional amendments aimed at cutting property taxes while protecting funding for schools and law enforcement.

House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, outlined multiple options for voters to consider in the 2026 elections, following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call to reduce homestead property taxes.

“If we have faith in the voters to elect us, we should not be afraid to let them be a part of the conversation about the taxes they pay,” Perez wrote in a memo to House members, noting that voters could approve “some, all, or none” of the measures.

Among the proposals:

• HJR 201 (Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Dade City) would eliminate non-school homestead property taxes entirely.
• HJR 203 (Rep. Monique Miller, R-Palm Bay) would phase out non-school homestead taxes over 10 years by raising exemptions by $100,000 annually.
• HJR 205 (Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami) would exempt homeowners aged 65 and older from paying non-school property taxes.
• HJR 207 (Rep. Shane Abbott, R-DeFuniak Springs) would add a new 25% non-school exemption on assessed home values after other exemptions.
• HJR 209 (Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables) would grant an additional $100,000 exemption to homeowners with property insurance.
• HJR 211 (Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City) would expand “Save Our Homes” portability, allowing full transfer of accumulated benefits to new homes.
• HJR 213 (Rep. Griff Griffitts, R-Panama City Beach) would modify Save Our Homes caps, limiting assessed value increases to 3% over three years for homesteads and 15% over three years for non-homestead properties.
• HB 215 (Rep. Jon Albert, R-Frostproof) would require two-thirds local government approval to raise tax rates and allow newly married couples to combine “Save Our Homes” benefits.

Perez’s House Select Committee on Property Taxes, established earlier this year, has been studying potential reforms. Cities and counties have warned that property tax reductions could strain budgets that rely heavily on those revenues.

DeSantis said the state could cover lost revenue for fiscally constrained rural counties, noting that most property tax income comes from second homes and commercial properties, not homestead owners.

Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, who is set to become Senate president after 2026, also expressed interest in making the tax system “more fair and economical” for Floridians.

The proposals, which require voter approval, will be debated during the 2026 legislative session beginning January.