DeSantis Proposes Florida-First Property Tax Relief
At a press event at Florida Realtors’ Orlando office, the governor said homesteaded Floridians need “immediate relief” from the impact of rising property taxes.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan for property tax relief for Florida residents during a press conference Monday morning at Florida Realtors®’ Orlando headquarters.
The governor wants the Legislature to direct upwards of $5 billion towards “immediate property tax relief” for Florida homeowners – which, if approved, would save about $1,000 for each homesteaded resident.
2025 Florida Realtors® President Tim Weisheyer, broker-owner, Dream Builders Realty and dbrCommercial Real Estate Services in Central Florida, said that Florida Realtors has a long history of process and policy support for the reduction and elimination of taxes on real estate.
“We understand that homeownership and property ownership truly is one of the key gateways to wealth building, financial independence, and certainly the American dream,” he said, noting that Realtors are “champions for the American dream, because we understand that when you have homeownership and communities, you have connection.
“And we want to make sure that Floridians have the ability to stay in their homes, to enjoy their homes, and to continue to build financial wealth for their families,” Weisheyer said. “We believe that tax reform is needed across the board in the state of Florida – and certainly Florida Realtors is always standing on the front line for reductions when it comes to property taxes.”
“Of all the taxes that are impacting Floridians right now, property taxes are the most significant,” DeSantis said. “When you’re doing proposals, whether it’s working with the Legislature or putting something on the ballot, to me, the threshold question is that tax relief needs to consider Florida first. We need to focus on our Florida residents.
“In Florida, we have this great luxury of being able to offload tax burden to non-Floridians because people visit, people invest here, people live here part-time who aren't residents.”
The governor noted the tax system could be structured to give property tax relief, particularly for homesteaded owners, and still raise revenue for core functions for local governments. However, he also suggested better transparency and accountability on how taxes are spent would also curb overspending.
Describing his Florida-first property tax relief proposal as “an opening salvo,” DeSantis added that he hopes to see a constitutional amendment that would provide more property tax relief on the November 2026 ballot.
The governor’s Monday press conference can be seen on the Florida Channel.
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