Ron DeSantis called a special session this week to eliminate property taxes for Florida homeowners.
Now Democrats have to explain why they want to keep taxing people for owning their own home.
What DeSantis just put on the table gives every Florida Democrat exactly one move – and it's a losing one.
Florida Property Tax Ballot 2026 Is Set and Local Governments Already Know They Lost
DeSantis stood before Florida's legislature in January and dropped a number that should make every homeowner furious.
Seven years ago, Florida's local governments collected $32 billion in property taxes.
Today they collect $60 billion – and they're on pace to hit $83 billion by 2032.
While grocery bills exploded and insurance premiums ate into savings, local bureaucrats doubled their haul and called it necessary.
DeSantis called it what it is.
"Taxing something that you own repeatedly, which is a property tax, is the worst way to do taxation," he said in Tampa. "You pay all these taxes to acquire that property, and then year after year, you're just having to write a check just for the privilege of being able to maintain ownership of something that is supposedly yours."
The principle is simple.
Own the house. Pay the taxes to get there. The government has no ongoing claim on a home simply because the owner refuses to sell.
Democrats Scrambling to Defend the Indefensible
The "Save Our Homes" proposal phases in fast.
The homestead exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027, then $250,000 in 2028 – wiping out the tax bill entirely for 60 percent of Florida homeowners at full phase-in. The legislature is then directed by constitutional command to schedule complete elimination.
The plan protects what actually matters. Core services – law enforcement, schools, infrastructure – are funded. Local governments cannot slash police budgets to manufacture a crisis and blame the governor.
Democrat leaders immediately pivoted to their standard script.
House Democrat Leader Fentrice Driskell warned of "devastating consequences" and claimed the plan would hurt working families. The Miami-Dade Democrat Party suggested local governments might have to raise sales taxes to compensate.
Democrat leaders are arguing that stopping the taxation of homes means the government might have to tax spending instead – and that is supposed to be the warning that saves their position.
They are not defending a principle — they are defending a revenue stream.
Property taxes have always been local government's most reliable instrument – automatic, annual, and attached to the deed with no campaign required. DeSantis just put that instrument to a vote.
The Florida legislature answered. The Senate passed the constitutional amendment 30-9. The House voted 75-26. The measure is now on the November 2026 ballot.
Seven States Already Moved on Property Tax Relief and Florida Just Joined Them
Florida is not doing this in a vacuum.
Texas passed Proposition 4 in 2023 with 83 percent of the vote, raising the homestead exemption to $100,000. Greg Abbott is now pushing for school property tax elimination.
North Dakota more than tripled its primary residence credit in 2025. Across the country, Republican governors have made the same calculation: homeowners are not a partisan group – they are a majority, and they are paying more every year for the privilege of owning what they already bought.
When DeSantis went to the Florida House earlier this year, Republicans passed the elimination measure 80 to 30. The Senate sat on it. The regular session died without action.
So DeSantis called a special session. He set it for June 1. He made them come back.
Now Florida voters get the final word in November – and they need 60 percent to make it law.
Democrat leaders know exactly what happens when homeowners get a direct vote on their own tax bills.
Their only move now is to spend the next five months telling Florida retirees, working families, and first-time buyers that keeping the property tax is actually good for them.
Good luck with that.
Sources:
- "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Special Session on Property Tax Relief & Unveils 'Save Our Homes' Property Tax Elimination Proposal," Executive Office of the Governor of Florida, May 27, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "'Save our homes': Gov. DeSantis calls 'historic' Special Session that could lead to end of homestead property taxes," Florida Politics, May 27, 2026.
- "Florida lawmakers approve property tax cut proposal, measure heads to November ballot," WFLX, June 2, 2026.
- "Florida property tax cut plan backed by DeSantis heads to November ballot after legislative approval," CBS Miami, June 2, 2026.
- "7 states pushing to eliminate property taxes in 2026," TurboTenant, April 23, 2026.