Today, the James Madison Institute released the latest work in the JMI poll, a comprehensive survey of 1,200 registered Florida voters.
The issues included taxes, education choices, economic pressures, vaccines and the 2026 election.
Living costs:
Multiple (41%) said that was their biggest concern. 66% expressed concern about offering homes due to rising property taxes and housing costs.
Property tax rate:
33% want to eliminate property taxes, while 39% say they should be limited, a valid source of revenue. Polls found voters (45%) support candidates who supported the total abolition of property taxes. There is an 18% chance that they support them.
Property tax on 2026 votes:
65% of those who voted said they could fall behind constitutional amendments to significantly reduce or eliminate property taxes, 15% opposed.
2026 Governor Race:
For those who have already announced on key aspects of the GOP, Trump has approved the candidate Byron Donald, with former Florida State Sen. Paul Renner (9%), 62% confirmed that they are still undecided.
But including Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis, she leads 26-23% Trump-approved Donald. Renner is 7%, Governor Jay Collins of Li throughout Florida is 2%, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, 39%, and 39% is still undecided.
2026 General Election:
In the hypothetical matchup between Rep. Donald vs. former Florida Rep. and Democrat David Jolly, Donald leads 36%-32%.
Free speech:
Following the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 18% of voters cited “political polarization” as the biggest concern. 44% believe that politicians, media and social media users share equal responsibility for reducing inflammatory rhetoric, while 25% point to politicians in particular as the main obligor.
Florida voters support vaccine obligations:
62% are opposed to eliminating the state’s proposal to reduce mandatory vaccine requirements such as measles, polio and chicken pox. Only 29% support changes.
School choice and deregulation:
Florida voters still love the idea of private options for parents when it reduced the barriers to alternative modes of education when it came to education for their children.
If costs are not the goal, 65% of voters choose some form of school choice (41% private schools, 14% homeschooling, 10% charter).
Technical Policy and AI
As America’s digital economy grows, data centers are emerging as critical infrastructure, bolstering everything from video streaming and e-commerce to artificial intelligence (AI) applications. With the surge in demand for computing power nationwide, Florida has become an increasingly attractive destination for data center development. Polls suggest that Floridians generally have a positive attitude towards data centers, with 52% supporting new construction of AI/cloud services. The biggest concerns are the electricity price (36%) and infrastructure stocks (25%).
AI has the power to transform the American workplace, automate daily tasks, and allow employees to spend more time on strategic, high-value jobs. The vote reveals the gaps among Florida workers. 40% use AI every day or regularly, but almost a third of reports do not use at all. Younger people (17%) were more than three times more likely to use AI daily than age 55 and older (5%), while North Floridians were more likely to use AI more than twice as many times more than Florida’s next best region (9%), while those with children in households were significantly more likely to use AI users daily than those without children (7%).
