The hidden costs of DeSantis’ reckless tax gimmick

Florida families are already buckling under an affordability crisis. From soaring grocery and gas prices to rising healthcare and insurance costs, middle- and working-class Floridians are being squeezed from every direction.

But instead of pursuing meaningful economic relief, Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing a reckless political gimmick: a Special Session to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would eliminate non-school property taxes.

At first glance, “zero property taxes” may sound appealing to homeowners struggling with skyrocketing insurance premiums. But beneath the slogan lies a dangerous reality. This is not a tax relief plan. It is an assault on local communities, a massive transfer of wealth to the ultra-rich and a direct threat to the services millions of Floridians rely on every day.

The Governor wants lawmakers to permanently strip an estimated $14 billion annually from cities, counties and special districts — without even conducting a serious public study of the consequences. In fact, DeSantis vetoed the $1 million lawmakers had previously allocated to study the economic impact of property tax reform in June 2025.

He is asking Floridians to leap off an economic cliff blindfolded.

If local governments suddenly lose up to 60% of their revenue while remaining legally obligated to fund public safety, the consequences become obvious. The cuts will land squarely on the infrastructure and services that keep communities functioning.

Parks will deteriorate. Libraries will close. Healthcare systems will crumble. Road repairs will stall. Drainage and flood mitigation projects will be abandoned at a time when Florida faces growing climate threats.

Emergency response systems would also suffer. Police budgets may remain protected on paper, but fire departments, EMS services, 911 dispatchers and code enforcement agencies would face devastating cuts. Response times would slow, and public safety would erode from within.

And despite the Governor’s promises, ordinary families are unlikely to see meaningful relief. Local governments would almost certainly compensate for lost property tax revenue by raising utility fees, parking costs and local sales taxes. These regressive measures would disproportionately hurt working-class and fixed-income residents.

Meanwhile, the biggest beneficiaries would not be everyday homeowners. They would be wealthy real estate developers, corporate landlords and out-of-state billionaires with luxury properties and commercial empires who would contribute little or nothing to the infrastructure that sustains their investments.

If lawmakers truly wanted to help struggling families, they would focus on policies that directly address Florida’s affordability crisis: a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, targeted property tax circuit breakers for vulnerable homeowners, stronger regulation of predatory property insurance practices, and tax reforms that ensure multinational corporations pay their fair share to fund essential services.

True tax relief requires earnest conversations and debate, not defunding the fabric of our communities for DeSantis’ well-known political ambitions.

Floridians are already recognizing the danger. A poll commissioned by the Florida Policy Institute and conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy found that 49% of voters oppose eliminating non-school property taxes once they learn that doing so could trigger service cuts or new local taxes. Only 39% support the proposal. The same poll found voters prefer property insurance relief over property tax elimination by nearly a two-to-one margin.

The numbers may not favor the Governor, but the risks remain enormous, given his political influence and willingness to use taxpayer-funded messaging to advance his agenda.

When voters head to the ballot box in the 2026 Midterm Election, they will understand that Republicans have not delivered for Black and Brown communities during their time as a supermajority in Tallahassee. On the contrary, they have demonstrated time and again that they are sold-out politicians serving billionaires and special interests.

Floridians must reject this reckless ballot initiative and demand serious leadership that protects communities instead of dismantling them.

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Moné Holder is the chief advocacy and political officer at Florida Rising.