See your real year-1 property tax in Lee County at purchase, not the seller's capped bill, and how much you would save if Governor DeSantis's proposed $250,000 homestead exemption passes. Lee County's 2025 total millage runs about 15.97 mills.
Lee County sits in Southwest Florida on the Gulf. Its 2025 total millage is about 15.97 mills, of which roughly 6.50 mills fund schools and the rest covers county, city, and special-district services. On a homesteaded $425,000 home with the standard $50,000 exemption, that lands near $6,151 a year, about $513 a month. The figure moves with your purchase price, the city you buy in, and whether your community carries CDD or special-district millage, so treat it as a close estimate and run your own number above.
The number that trips up Lee County buyers is the seller's tax line on the listing. A long-time Fort Myers owner has years of Save Our Homes protection holding their assessed value below market, so their bill looks low. When you take ownership that cap resets to what you paid, and your first bill is usually higher. Pricing your carrying cost off the seller's old tax is one of the most common Florida buying mistakes.
Under the proposed exemption, the non-school portion of a $425,000 Lee County bill would fall by about $1,894 a year, leaving $4,257. School taxes of about 6.50 mills stay in place, which is why the bill does not reach zero. The plan is a proposed constitutional amendment. It needs 60% of the Legislature to reach the November 2026 ballot and then 60% of voters to pass, and new Florida residents would wait until their fifth year of residency to claim it. Price your home on today's real bill and treat the savings as upside if it arrives.
Two costs sit outside the millage math. the Lee County School District levies the school portion of every bill in the county. Communities such as master-planned and CDD communities like Babcock Ranch, Gateway, and Verandah can add CDD or special-district assessments, often $1,000 to $2,500 a year, billed separately from property tax. Cities like Cape Coral can also carry their own additional millage on top of the county rate. Layer homeowners insurance and any HOA dues on top of all of it for a true monthly carrying cost.
The estimator opens preset to Lee County. Enter your purchase price to see your year-1 bill, the 10-year Save Our Homes projection, and your estimated DeSantis savings. You can compare it against the seller's current bill to see the reset in real dollars. Open the Lee County property tax calculator.
Looking at more than one county? Compare property tax in nearby Florida markets, or use the full Florida property tax hub for all 67 counties.
