By David Beasley, The Center Square
Homeowners would no longer pay non-school-related property taxes in Florida under a proposed referendum proposed by the state’s leadership in the House of Representatives.
Under a series of bills and resolutions introduced Thursday, voters would be able to decide next year whether to eliminate nonschool property taxes, which represent about 54% of all state property tax revenue.
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The proposed legislation was formulated by the Select Committee on Property Taxes, Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said in a memo to members Thursday.
“It is my intention to move them through the process,” Pezez said of the proposed legislation.
Ultimately, the people of Florida should decide whether to lower property taxes, the speaker said.
“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,” he wrote. “It is our position that the House does not need to limit itself in presenting one single plan, but instead allow the people of Florida the ability to choose some, all, or none of the proposals on the 2026 ballot.”
House Joint Resolution 201 would eliminate nonschool property taxes for those with homestead exemptions, meaning they live in the house they own, if approved by voters.
Another, HJR203, would eliminate nonschool homestead property taxes over a 10-year period. A third, HJR205, would exempt anyone over the age of 65 from non-school-related homestead property taxes.
HJR213 would limit increases in the assessed value of a home for a nonschool-related homestead tax to 3% over three years instead of the current 3% per year.
The bills all prohibit local governments from cutting law enforcement funding to make up for the loss of property tax revenue.
If approved by voters, the Legislature would then implement the proposals through legislation, Perez said.
“Decisions should be made by the Legislature once they know which proposals have been approved by the voters and can devise an appropriate statutory framework that accounts for how the various provisions might work together,” the speaker said in his memo.
