Florida House Votes to Phase Out Non-School Property Taxes for Homeowners
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license./Author: Aerra Carnicom
On Thursday, the Florida State House approved a constitutional amendment that would eliminate all non-school property taxes for homeowners. The measure now heads to the Senate, and if approved there, it will appear on the 2026 ballot for voters to decide.
The proposal, CS/CS/HJR 203, is sponsored by State Rep. Monique Miller (R-Palm Bay, District 33) and co-sponsored by the Ways & Means Committee and the State Affairs Committee.
The amendment aims to gradually increase the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes by $100,000 each year for ten years, beginning in 2027. By 2037, all homestead property would be fully exempt from non-school ad valorem taxes. The phased approach is intended to provide consistent tax relief while giving local governments time to adjust their budgets.
HJR 203 also includes protections for public safety funding. It prohibits counties and municipalities from reducing total funding for law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders below 2024-25 or 2025-26 levels, ensuring essential services remain unaffected during the transition.
Regarding a property tax proposal for the 2026 ballot: we’ve been working with members of the Senate who have been great partners.
Given that it can’t be voted on by the people before November, it’s better to do it right than do it quick!
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) February 19, 2026
During House debate, Democrats proposed amendments to address potential budget impacts, such as delaying implementation, requiring state backfill for lost local revenue, or creating new state funds—but all failed. One amendment from Rep. Miller, which would speed up the phase-out by eliminating non-school property taxes immediately rather than over ten years, was adopted.
Supporters argued that the amendment would return billions of dollars to homeowners and give voters a historic opportunity for tax relief. Critics warned it could create budget shortfalls for local governments, shift costs to fees or sales taxes, and negatively affect renters, small businesses, and essential services.
Key points of the amendment include:
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Homestead Exemption Increase: Beginning January 1, 2027, the exemption rises $100,000 annually for ten years, reaching full non-school property tax exemption by January 1, 2037, while school district levies remain unchanged.
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Funding Protections: Counties and municipalities cannot reduce total budgets for law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders below the higher of their 2025-26 or 2026-27 fiscal year funding.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R) commented on X, “Regarding a property tax proposal for the 2026 ballot: we’ve been working with members of the Senate who have been great partners. Given that it can’t be voted on by the people before November, it’s better to do it right than do it quick!”
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