There's been a lot of talk about eliminating property taxes in Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders in the state have been touting the plan as a boon for affordability, but critics say it's a tax break for homeowners, not renters, and it could hamstring the budgets of local governments.
In Hillsborough County, homeowners can now see the numbers for themselves.
The tax collector's office recently published an online tool that estimates the impact several tax proposals could have on your property bill.
Hillsborough County Property Tax Impact Calculator: https://maps.hcpafl.org/tax
You can plug in an address, folio number or owner name into the calculator, and it spits out side-by-side bill estimates tied to the proposals under consideration.
In February, House lawmakers passed a plan that would dramatically reduce taxes for homesteaded properties. To move forward, the Senate would need to agree with the plan, and voters would have to approve the changes on November's ballot.
If that happens, Hillsborough County's tax calculator shows a North Tampa homeowner who pays about $3,200 in property taxes could see that reduced to about $1,100. It also shows that Hillsborough County would face about $800 million in lost tax revenue.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
