Florida special session on property taxes begins Monday

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers are meeting in a special legislative session to debate an aggressive expansion of the state's homestead exemption to provide immediate property tax relief.

The proposal comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis called for the session last week to aid families struggling with rising housing costs. If approved by the legislature, the final decision will head to voters as a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Florida legislative special session

What we know:

State officials are gathering on Monday to discuss a dramatic shift in how Florida structures its property taxes. The current homestead exemption allows homeowners to exempt up to $50,000 of their home's value from property taxes.

The new proposal would scale that exemption up to $150,000 next year, in 2027. It would then expand even further to $250,000 in 2028.

Constitutional amendment ballot choices

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet detailed how local municipalities will balance their budgets if the tax revenues disappear. Because the changes require a special amendment to the state constitution, it remains unknown whether voters will approve the measure when it hits the ballot this November.

Tampa community tax debate

What they're saying:

Supporters argue the cuts are vital for families trying to balance their household budgets as inflation and tax rates climb.

"I think it's positive. I know the argument is that it's taking money from the county or from Hillsboro that should be used for everything else, too. But there are a lot of people here and maybe not in this little area, but right outside of this area that need that help," said Tampa resident Jeff James.

James suggested that local governments protect emergency services by cutting superfluous spending instead of cutting public safety.

"Move money around the right way and not make sure it doesn't reduce police, fire department, everything else," James said.

Opponents worry about the severe impact on localized funding for infrastructure, public safety and education.

"They see 'tax cut,' of course, everybody wants that. But think about the services that you're going to lose if you do vote," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.