The DeSantis property tax plan, and what $250,000 would do to your Florida bill

On May 27 the governor unveiled a plan called Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes and called the Legislature into special session the week of June 1 to put it on the November ballot. The headline is a jump in the homestead exemption to $250,000, with a directive to phase out the rest of the non-school homestead tax over time. If it clears the Legislature and then 60 percent of voters in November, it would erase the non-school portion of the property tax bill for most Florida homesteaders. Here is what the plan says and what it would do to a real Florida bill.

What was proposed.

The plan raises the homestead exemption to $250,000 for Florida residents. At that level the state estimates roughly 60 percent of homesteaded owners would owe no property tax at all. A later move to a $500,000 exemption would take that to about 92 percent. The proposal then hands the Legislature the job of setting a schedule that retires the remaining non-school homestead tax.

The clock is short. The special session opens the week of June 1, lawmakers have until August to lock the ballot language, and the amendment needs 60 percent of both chambers to reach voters. In November, 60 percent of voters have to approve it before a single bill changes.

A few mechanics matter beyond the headline number. The proposal phases in, with one version raising the exemption to $125,000 in 2027 before reaching $250,000 in 2028, then leaving the Legislature to set the schedule toward full elimination of the non-school homestead tax. To limit people from claiming the break without living here, anyone who establishes Florida residency after January 1, 2027 would have to maintain residency for up to five years before qualifying for the increased exemption.

The plan also tries to cushion local governments, which rely on property tax for police, fire, roads, and parks. It would create a state trust fund to help cover core local services during the transition, cap how much cities and counties can raise property taxes at 5 percent a year, and bar them from cutting funding for law enforcement and first responders. Supporters, including the governor, frame the plan as ending a tax tied to unrealized gains in a home's value. Local-government groups and some legislators counter that the lost revenue, hundreds of millions of dollars statewide, is hard to replace without shifting the burden elsewhere, which is part of why the proposal remains contested heading into the special session.

What it would do to a real bill.

The savings track your county millage and your assessed value. Our Save Our Homes tax estimator runs the current bill against the proposed $250,000 exemption for any of Florida’s 67 counties. A few worked examples for a homesteaded primary residence.

The spread is millage. St. Lucie carries one of the highest combined rates in Florida, so the same exemption erases more there than in low-rate Monroe, even on a home worth more than twice as much. The school portion stays in the bill in every county, since the plan leaves it alone.

What the plan does not touch.

School district taxes stay. The $250,000 exemption applies to the non-school part of the bill, so the millage that funds St. Johns, Duval, and every other district keeps running at full strength.

Second homes, rentals, and commercial property stay on the rolls. They sit outside the homestead exemption, and the plan caps the local revenue drawn from them so it funds core services like police and fire. There is also a residency rule. Anyone who establishes Florida residency after January 1, 2027 can be required to hold it for up to five years before the full benefit applies.

Common questions, and the debate.

The proposal has drawn both strong support and real concern. Here are the questions that come up most, with the case each side makes.

Would schools lose funding? No. Every version of the proposal exempts school property taxes, so the portion of your bill that funds schools stays in place. The reform targets the non-school portion of the homestead tax only.

How would local governments pay for services? This is the central debate. Supporters point to a proposed state trust fund to backfill core services during the transition, the 5 percent cap on local tax increases, continued taxes on non-homestead property such as rentals, second homes, and commercial real estate, and sales-tax revenue from residents and visitors. Cities and counties, which have raised concerns publicly, argue that replacing the lost homestead revenue is difficult and could pressure services or shift costs to other taxpayers. The proposal bars cuts to law enforcement and first-responder funding.

Would new residents move here just for the break? The proposal includes a residency requirement of up to five years for anyone establishing Florida residency after January 1, 2027 before they qualify for the increased exemption, which is designed to limit that.

Are sales taxes going up to pay for it? The proposal itself does not raise any taxes. The governor has said the state should use existing resources rather than offsetting the cut with new taxes. Any future tax change would be a separate decision by the Legislature.

What about rural counties? The proposed state trust fund is intended to help smaller and rural communities maintain essential services during the transition, since they have a thinner non-homestead tax base to fall back on.

Where would the relief come from? Supporters note that local-government revenue in Florida has grown substantially over the past decade, and argue homesteaded primary residences should not carry tax increases driven by paper gains in market value. Critics argue the services that property tax funds still have to be paid for, and that the math depends on the trust fund and other sources holding up. Voters, not the Legislature alone, make the final call.

The bottom line: nothing is decided. The plan needs 60 percent of both legislative chambers to reach the ballot, then 60 percent of voters in November 2026 to take effect. Until then, current law, including the existing Save Our Homes 3 percent assessment cap and today's homestead exemption, still governs your bill.

See your own number.

The estimator preselects your county and lays out the current bill, the proposed bill, and the yearly difference. Start with your county.

County breakdowns: Duval, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Orange, Pinellas, and Lee. For anywhere else, start at the Florida property tax hub and pick your county.