Ron DeSantis defends failure to produce property tax proposal he’s promised for months

When it comes down to a specific constitutional amendment envisioned to eliminate homestead property taxes, Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging patience while he gets it right, saying he’s working with one legislative branch to do so even though no work product has been made public.

“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!”

DeSantis’ social media post Thursday is the latest in an ever-expanding series of statements in which he says his idea isn’t yet ready to roll out, even as he’s been talking about so-called property tax reform for months.

It’s unclear how DeSantis intends to get buy-in without getting the Florida House on board, especially given that, unlike the Senate, all seats would share the 2026 General Election ballot with this proposed amendment should it come to pass.

During a speech Feb. 2 in Naples, DeSantis revealed that voters and legislators will have to wait a little longer for details.

“We’re going to have some good proposals about property taxes,” DeSantis said at the Forum Club of Southwest Florida.

“We need to stand for taxpayers, and we’re going to do that, and I’ve got different ways that I think we’re going to be able to do something very, very meaningful,” DeSantis added.

Last month, DeSantis said a Special Session may be in the works to develop a ballot initiative on eliminating property taxes that can actually pass muster with voters, getting at least 60% support, given his pessimism the issue could be given the airing he wants in the normal 60-day Session.

“You get into a Regular Session, you know, it’s 60 days. There’s things flying all over the place, and things kind of sneak through at the last minute,” DeSantis explained in January.

The House has a number of proposals working their way through the process. But DeSantis doubts the Senate will pass them, suggesting too many potential choices would flummox voters.

“If you put multiple possible amendments on the ballot, that means none will pass. Let’s just be clear, because you may like this iteration, you may like that. So even though maybe 60% want property tax relief, your view may be different (on) how do you do it, right? And so that’s a guaranteed way to kill it,” DeSantis said in January.

DeSantis also would like for the state to socialize the costs of defraying forfeited property tax collections in its fiscally-constrained counties, but says that’s just a short term fix and those poor, rural governments eventually are “going to have to figure it out.”

A total of 32 of Florida’s 67 counties are designated as fiscally constrained.

Typically lower in population and property value, they include Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla and Washington counties.