Gov. DeSantis opens door to Special Session for property tax amendment

Legislators, don’t make your vacation plans for next year just yet.

Speaking at the Jacksonville International Airport, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that if his push for a property tax amendment doesn’t take off during the Regular Session, then legislators may have to confront the issue this Summer.

“We really have to get it passed and on the ballot, you know, prior to the Primary cycle being done in August,” DeSantis said Wednesday.

“I’m not saying we’re going to wait that long, but, you know, we could potentially have a Special Session on property tax right in the middle of the Republican Primary season in July or August.”

Heading into his last Legislative Session as Governor, DeSantis has prioritized property tax relief even as Republican lawmakers have been less eager. The House’s Select Committee on Property Taxes has explored the issue, but the bipartisan panel hasn’t been as excited to move forward as DeSantis wants.

The Governor believes a Summer Special Session could change hearts and minds.

“I don’t think a lot of these guys would want to vote the wrong way then,” he said. “When they know the voters are watching, you know, they tend to govern themselves accordingly.”

Getting the language right is key, DeSantis said.

“We want to give you an opportunity to have something meaningful that’s going to help families here, that the Legislature can obviously sign off on, but then that the voters will approve,” DeSantis said. “And it’s both an art and a science because you’ve got to make sure that the numbers work good, then you’ve also got to make sure that the voters, when they see it, that it’s something that is positive.”

To that end, he said it’s important to write the amendment in a way “that resonates with people,” which is something he believes the Legislature has failed to do at times with its own initiatives.

“I think one of the reasons why a lot of the amendments that the Legislature has drafted over the years have failed is because you read it, and you don’t know what the hell it means. It’s like written in legislative, bureaucratic speak. Normal people don’t talk or write like that.”