In a significant win for seniors and conservatives alike, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has floated a substantial cut to property taxes, slamming local governments for raising taxes as home values rise, calling it a “one-way ratchet” that burdens homeowners disproportionately. He proposed a homestead tax cut and rebates to address this issue.
For context, DeSantis is aiming for a 2026 ballot measure to enact significant tax cuts to combat the long-running issue. In 2018, then-House Speaker Richard Corcoran emphasized the primary concern for this issue in the public, highlighting the need for tax relief, even several years ago.
In any case, a video of Ron DeSantis suggesting he would abolish property taxes went massively viral on social media. He stated, “From the property tax situation. It’s very important, given how that’s pinched so many homeowners, particularly our senior citizens, who have their homes paid off, and they bought it 30 years ago for a certain amount.”
Explaining the difficult situation, many homeowners find themselves, the Florida Republican stated, “Now they’re being told it’s worth so much more and they have to pony up more and more money. It’s almost like they have to pay rent to the government just to be able to enjoy their property. And that’s wrong, and we need to do something about it.”
As reported by local media, DeSantis made similar comments at an event in Tampa. Speaking about the problem of rising property values, the governor stated, “What happens is your property gets assessed higher and higher. It’s an unrealized gain. You haven’t sold it for that much; they’re just telling you it’s worth that much.”
Digging deeper, the conservative hardliner asked a brilliant rhetorical question: “And guess what happens when the market corrects – which it inevitably does? Do they rush in to assess your property at a lower level? Not that I’m aware of. So it’s a one-way ratchet, and you basically get stuck paying higher taxes.”
In remarks from earlier this year, then head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, expressed similar sentiments in a post to social media. He noted, “Yup. Property tax means that your house is a de facto lease from the government.”
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In earlier comments, then-House Speaker Richard Corcoran discussed the same issue, indicating how long this issue has plagued Florida. The official stated, “No matter where you go, ask any single individual, any community, any city, any county, and they will tell you it’s a tax increase. It’s a tax increase any time government takes more money from you this year than they took last year, and it was through no account of your own.”
However, some woke activists, such as Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones (D-Miami), opposed the idea, saying, “The state cannot say ‘rules for thee and not for me.’ You’re telling the cities and counties to be responsible with Floridians’ money, and we’re not doing that.”
Watch the clip here:
Still not done whining, the Democrat stated, “It sounds appealing on the surface, but it will still gut school budgets. It will still slash public safety funding, and it will still drive up costs in other ways. Homestead properties make up a huge share of the property tax base, and eliminating those taxes will strip billions from local budgets.”
Featured image from embedded video