Speaking to a hometown crowd, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, tried to ease concerns about the effects of potential property-tax cuts — particularly the effects on financially strapped rural communities.
“When it comes to property taxes, everybody breathe. Everybody breathe. Nobody’s going to do anything crazy,” Albritton said Monday during a Hardee County legislative delegation meeting. “We’re going to take a measured approach. Measure three times, cut once. We’re going to take a measured approach to this and try to figure out what it is we can do.”
Albritton made the comments as lawmakers start to prepare for the 2026 legislative session and as Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of asking voters next year to cut property taxes. The Legislature would have to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would go on the November 2026 ballot after working out details with DeSantis.
Local governments are closely watching the issue, as they rely heavily on property taxes to pay for services. Cuts could particularly affect rural cities and counties, including what the state classifies as “fiscally constrained” rural counties.
Albritton, a citrus grower whose district is largely rural, said during the county delegation meeting that he thinks “there’s a way to give tax relief on property taxes and at the same time be able to conserve and protect our core function of local government. I believe there is. That’s the discussion we’re going to be having. We have been having.”
Albritton said DeSantis “completely gets this” and indicated that part of the discussion could involve the state helping cover lost property-tax revenues for rural counties.
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“His comment to me was, well, we ought to be able to do this. There are 31 fiscally constrained counties. Let’s just backfill there. We have the resources, we have the money. So let’s just backfill those. Let’s make sure that rural Florida doesn’t come under some unusual strain, when they already exist that way every single day,” Albritton said.
Lawmakers will have to work out key details of a property-tax proposal, including how much to cut, how to apply a cut and how to fund local services. DeSantis has even floated the idea of eliminating property taxes. The House has formed a select committee on the property-tax issue.
County legislative delegations are starting to hold meetings in advance of the 2026 session and could get heavy input on property taxes.
“Nearly all of our ad valorem (property tax) revenue growth comes from new development, not higher bills for existing residents, but the growth that follows (the) state’s efforts to attract new residents to Florida,” Winter Haven City Manager Michael Stavres said Tuesday during a Polk County delegation meeting. “Each new resident brings with them a greater demand for public service, public safety, parks, utilities, infrastructure.”
