ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Florida Republicans entered the 2026 legislative session with a clear priority to reform the property tax. But now, Governor Ron DeSantis says a comprehensive proposal is unlikely to pass before the regular session ends.
Speaking in St. Augustine, DeSantis praised the Florida House for passing its version of the bill. HJR 203 would advance a plan to gradually eliminate most non-school property taxes on homesteaded properties over ten years, beginning in 2027. If approved by 60 percent of voters, the measure would fully phase out those taxes by 2037.
Still, the governor made it clear he never expected sweeping property tax changes to be finalized during the regular session.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
“I applaud the House for getting into this fight,” DeSantis said. “But what I’ve also said from the beginning, I didn’t see this necessarily happening in this regular session.”
With no companion bill yet from the Senate and the regular session deadline approaching, DeSantis suggested lawmakers could take up the issue during a special session. He emphasized that any proposal must be carefully studied and financially sound.
“We’re not just doing this off the back of a napkin,” he said. “We’re having people study this. We’re going to have analyses. We’re going to have stuff that is going to be very meaningful for people.”
DeSantis also pointed to the growth in property tax revenue across the state. In 2019, he said, local governments collected 32 billion dollars in property taxes. Seven years later, that number has climbed to 60 billion dollars.
The governor argued that homeowners are feeling the strain.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“I think people are being overtaxed. I think homeowners think they’re being overtaxed. I think it’s affecting the housing market,” he said.
Despite acknowledging the complexity of the issue, DeSantis said he is confident voters will ultimately see a proposal on the ballot.
Whether that happens during a special session or later this year remains to be seen. But the governor maintains property tax reform is still coming, even if it does not happen before the regular session ends.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
