Florida Property-Tax Overhaul Stalls as DeSantis Excludes It From Special-Session Agenda

Overview

• Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special session focused on redistricting, artificial intelligence rules and school vaccine exemptions, and he left a property-tax plan off the agenda.
• Perez says the governor has talked about cutting or ending property taxes for more than a year but has not produced a concrete proposal.
• The House last year passed a plan to end most non-school property taxes on homesteads, which died without a Senate hearing after DeSantis dismissed House bills as “milquetoast.”
• Legislators now face a packed calendar and a budget standoff, with House leaders backing a $113.6 billion plan and the Senate favoring $115 billion, and senators say a tax plan may not be ready until late May.
• Senate leaders cite risks for rural and low-revenue counties that rely on property taxes to fund police, fire and other local services, a gap that would need a clear replacement to avoid cuts felt by homeowners and communities.