Byron Donalds says if Ron DeSantis can’t get property taxes repealed, he’ll finish the job

As the House and Senate weigh ballot language that could let voters decide to eliminate property taxes on homesteads, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is less skeptical of the impacts of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ still-informal proposal than he might have been in the past.

In fact, he’s willing to get it done if the current Governor lacks the juice.

“The Governor and the Legislature are about to go in a Special Session over property taxes. I want the Governor to be successful,” Donalds said on the David Webb Show.

Special Sessions have already been called for redistricting and to finish the 2026-2027 budget. While DeSantis hasn’t called a property tax Special Session yet, Donalds says if it doesn’t succeed, he will take up the mantle once elected.

“We hope the Legislature is successful (along with) the Governor. If they’re not able to get anything done, we’re going to pick the ball up Day 1 as Governor, and we’re going to be focused on delivering real property tax relief and trying to repeal homestead property taxes overall. That’s what we’re going to be focused on,” the Naples Republican promised.

Donalds’ position has evolved. He previously expressed worries that if Florida moves to “eliminate property taxes,” lawmakers would “have to double the sales tax.”

If those concerns still exist, they’re on the back burner for now.

The Legislature can’t repeal homestead property taxes on its own. All Tallahassee can do is put the measure on the ballot, where 60% of Floridians would have to support it, including a lot of renters and real estate investors not positioned to benefit from help for homesteaders.

DeSantis has taken his time launching this, with some leading Republicans saying it’s because he doesn’t want the proposal to be in front of voters long enough for them to get sick of it. He blamed the delay last month on requisite “analysis” and “the art of these ballot initiatives.”

“Voters are going to read it. Are they going to like what they see or not?” DeSantis said. “What I’ve found is, you can’t just have a bureaucrat write that, that there’s an art to it, that you have to know how that language is going to do.”

Recent polling from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) found that among likely Midterm voters in the Sunshine State, 56% are for gradually eliminating taxes on homesteaded property over 10 years, not counting taxes for schools and emergency services. That falls below the 60% threshold necessary to approve an amendment.