TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — As lawmakers prepare for the next legislative session, which begins in January, all eyes are on the state Capitol to see where the governor and Legislature will stand on the property tax debate.
So far, House members have identified eight possible routes, but the governor has remained silent in recent weeks. It lasted late Wednesday night, with DeSantis responding to a social media post about “X” regarding recent proposals released by the House.
Dismissals continue amid HCSO’s academic fraud investigation. The second captain lets go
“Putting multiple property tax measures on the ballot represents an attempt to nullify anything related to property taxes,” DeSantis shared. “This is a political game, not a serious attempt to get anything done for the people.”
The governor has already floated the idea of recalling lawmakers to ground the planes after the March session ends. But Property Tax Committee Chairman Toby Oberdorf (R-Palm City) said he would be shocked.
“After submitting these eight different proposals, I would be surprised that he would try to come back to us with more,” said State Rep. Overdorf.
A new study from the James Madison Institute now adds fuel to this debate, reporting that 72% of Florida voters want some sort of property tax reform.
Experts say the House proposal is a good start, but they also question whether it is possible to replace one issue with another.
“This is an important issue,” said Doug Wheeler, director of the George Gibbs Center for Economic Prosperity at the James Madison Institute. “This is an issue that I think they’ve got to get right. I hope they can get it done this session, but to be honest, things are happening if it ends up that they’re starting to get it right. So we’re going to do everything we can to get it resolved in the short term. Then we’re probably better off they don’t do it and let’s let the next group come in.”
House lawmakers are scheduled to consider eight proposals next month, but the Florida Senate remains on the sidelines for now.
I reached out to the governor’s office to hear directly from his team about which property tax proposal he supports over others, but was told to “stay tuned for more information.”
