House Property Tax Proposals Move Forward

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida

As the Florida Senate continues to ponder an approach to lowering property taxes, House committees on Thursday advanced two tax-cut proposals that could go before voters.

The Republican-dominated House Ways & Means Committee voted mostly along party lines to approve a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 203) that, if approved by 60 percent of voters in November, would phase out non-school homestead property taxes over the next decade. The proposal drew objections from Democrats and local-government officials concerned that homestead property-tax cuts could lead to decreasing services and shifting the tax burden to renters and businesses.

Rep. Monique Miller, a Palm Bay Republican who is sponsoring the proposal, said it is intended to give local governments time to adjust to the eventual elimination of non-school property taxes. It would be phased in by gradually raising the homestead tax exemption.

“I believe that this is going to give everybody an opportunity to live within their means, and I think they’ll be able to deliver their core services without any problems given the change in budget,” Miller said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of putting a property-tax cut proposal on the November ballot. Miller, echoing comments by DeSantis and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia about spending, said local governments have used residential property taxes as an “ATM” the past few years.

But opponents pointed to the potentially billions of dollars in lost revenue for local governments and such things as special districts and water management districts.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruze said Miller’s proposal is “conditioning our citizens to accept a lower quality of life over time.”

Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman, D-Tampa, said property owners are more concerned about home-insurance costs than property taxes.

Also Thursday, the House State Affairs Committee approved a proposal (HJR 213) that would limit increases in taxable values for homesteaded property under the “Save Our Homes” cap to 3 percent over three years. Currently, under the cap, taxable values can increase 3 percent a year.

The measure also would limit increases in the taxable values of non-homesteaded property to 15 percent over three years, rather than the current 10 percent a year.

Sponsor Griff Griffitts, R-Panama City Beach, said the proposal could “slow some major projects,” but added, “I don’t believe it will have a disruption in services.”

“This is not a hatchet job for property taxes,” Griffitts said. “This is a very balanced and common-sense approach. It allows cities and counties to look over a three-year period and have some predictability. … It doesn’t affect public safety. So those primary services will remain in place.”

The proposals approved Thursday were among eight released by the House in October. But Miller said the fate of the House proposals are in “a holding pattern” as the Senate has not released property-tax plans.

“We really need to have a two-sided discussion before we decide how to move forward,” Miller said.

Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, told reporters Thursday that he continues to get input, but he’s not certain what the Senate position will be or if the issue will need to be addressed in a special legislative session, as DeSantis has suggested.

“What matters more than the timing is getting it right,” Albritton said.

“The time that we’re taking to do the measuring, that you’ve all heard me talk about, is yielding good results,” Albritton added. “At some point, I think sooner than later, we’re going to have that public conversation about where the Senate is.”

DeSantis has called for voters to consider a single proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes. While the House has released multiple proposals, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said last week he expects the House to put forward a single amendment.

Miller’s proposal and a proposal that would increase the homestead exemption for residents who have property insurance (HJR 209) are procedurally ready to go to the full House. Griffitts’ proposal needs to go to the Ways & Means Committee.