Overview
- Gov. Ron DeSantis, at a Brevard County roundtable Monday, said he will act after the budget and may call a summer special session to place a property tax amendment on the November ballot before printing deadlines.
- His push targets primary homesteads for relief while keeping non‑homestead, commercial and vacation properties in the tax base, and he floated a waiting period before new arrivals qualify for the break.
- DeSantis pledged no new taxes and proposed using the state surplus to temporarily backfill rural counties, though he has not released a detailed plan or bill language.
- U.S. Sen. Rick Scott declined to endorse the still‑evolving plan and questioned how schools, roads and environmental programs would be funded, and any amendment still needs 60% approval in the Legislature and from voters.
- Local governments warn of service cuts because property taxes provide about 43% of municipal general fund revenue, even as collections rose from roughly $32 billion in 2019 to about $60 billion today and outside estimates project multibillion‑dollar losses under various scenarios.