Florida voters will get a choice in November whether to increase their property tax homestead exemption. But if Republican Byron Donalds is elected governor, he says he'll move to eliminate all property taxes.
At a campaign stop in Tampa, Donalds said he would push such a move through a state Tax and Budget Reform Commission that meets every 20 years. And they're scheduled to convene again next year.
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"Whether the amendment passes or not, we're going to be using that commission in order to do a full top to bottom review of all taxes and fees, still setting a goal for repealing homestead property taxes in Florida overall," he said after a tour of a new Tampa Electric operations center in north Tampa.
"Pass or fail, we're bringing this back anyway next year through the Tax and Budget Reform Commission," he said. "And if the math doesn't work to get there, then we want to target that relief to seniors, who are, they're living Social Security check, Social Security check and to working families."
Amendment 3 would increase the homestead tax exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with the amount indexed to inflation starting in 2029.
Backers of the amendment say it would force local governments to cut bloated programs.
Opponents say it would hurt core services provided by local governments. The non-partisan group Florida Policy Institute says it would reduce local government revenue by nearly $12 billion every year. It would also shift costs as municipalities turn to non-homesteaded properties like rental units or commercial properties to raise property taxes.
It would need to pass by at least 60% of the vote in November's general election. The Florida Department of State says changing an established constitutional amendment requires another statewide vote to pass a new, superseding constitutional amendment.
