Florida Homestead Property Tax Elimination 2026: Why DeSantis Is Right and the Critics Are Wrong – A Resident’s Perspective
As a Florida homeowner since 2014, I’ve watched my property tax bill explode while politicians in Tallahassee play small-ball with $50,000 exemptions and senior-only breaks. That’s why Florida Homestead Property Tax Elimination 2026 — Governor DeSantis’ bold constitutional amendment to completely wipe out property taxes on primary residences — isn’t just another talking point. It’s the single biggest opportunity my generation has ever had to actually own our homes instead of renting them from the county forever. And no, this isn’t a “boomer giveaway” like the out-of-state critics claim — it’s the first real relief young families and millennials have seen in decades against skyrocketing assessments.
Let’s be extremely clear: this proposal is the single best shot Florida’s younger generations have had in my lifetime to actually own something without renting it from the government in perpetuity.
The Real Florida Property Tax Crisis (That Only Actual Floridians Seem to Understand)
Save Our Homes caps annual assessment increases at 3% for homesteaded properties. Sounds great until you realize it turns every new buyer into a human ATM for local governments. A boomer who bought in 1995 pays taxes on a 1995 assessed value. A millennial who bought the identical house next door in 2023 pays taxes on today’s assessed value – often 4-5× higher.
Result? The senior’s tax bill barely budges. The young family’s bill is catastrophic. DeSantis himself pointed this out yesterday:
“A senior who has owned a home for 30 years pays much lower property taxes than a young family who purchased a comparable home in 2022… A full exemption for homestead would provide a larger dollar amount to the young family, plus that savings could be compounded for decades.” @RonDesantis
That’s not a theory. That’s math. And every Floridian under 45 paying a mortgage knows it in their bones.
The Opposition Falls Into Two Convenient Categories
- Politicians who need something to campaign on in 2026 but don’t want to actually fix the problem
- Out-of-state commentators who will never feel a Florida property tax bill but love rage-clicks
The Florida House rolled out a buffet of half-measures – extra $50k exemptions, senior-only breaks, complicated phase-ins that sound nice in a press release but deliver almost nothing to new buyers. news.wfsu.org DeSantis called them “milquetoast” and worse (“they think you’re stupid”). floridapolitics.com He’s right. These are the same people who will mail you a glossy flyer in October 2026 claiming they “fought for property tax relief” while making sure the real solution never reaches the ballot.
Then we have the national commentariat – Saagar Enjeti, Business Insider, random blue-check finance guys who live in Austin or Brooklyn – calling it “the biggest giveaway to boomers ever.” @esaagar Funny how the same crowd that wants to tax unrealized stock gains suddenly discovers fiscal religion when the beneficiary is a 38-year-old nurse in Lakeland trying to buy her first house.
None of them mention that non-homestead properties (snowbird condos, rental units, commercial real estate) generate the vast majority of property tax revenue in Florida. DeSantis does: @RonDeSantis
“The vast majority of local property tax revenue is from non-homestead (i.e., snowbirds and rentals) and commercial properties. Florida more than any state has the ability to do the homestead relief because so much of our tax base is comprised of non-residents.”
Translation: We can zero out taxes on primary residences and the state’s $20+ billion surplus plus tourist/commercial taxes will barely notice.
The “But Renters Will Pay!” Talking Point Is Embarrassingly Dumb
Renters already pay property tax – it’s baked into their rent. Eliminating homestead tax doesn’t change that. What it does is make ownership dramatically cheaper for the first time in 20 years, letting today’s renters become tomorrow’s owners. The alternative is keeping the current system where young people subsidize boomers’ capped taxes while being told to eat avocado toast and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
The “But Muh Schools and Sheriffs!” Panic
Every single time taxes are cut, local governments scream they’ll have to fire teachers and deputies. They never do. They cut golf course subsidies, DEI coordinators, and “public art” first (shocking). DeSantis already said the state will backfill any fiscally constrained county 100% from surplus. @ReOpenChris
We’ve run the experiment. Florida cut taxes repeatedly and services improved. The sky didn’t fall.
Bottom Line From Someone Who Actually Pays Florida Property Taxes
I don’t want a $50,000 extra exemption that sunsets in ten years. I don’t want a complicated “super homestead” that only helps people who already own homes.
I want what Governor DeSantis is offering: you buy a home, you pay sales tax and documentary stamps once, and then you own it. Period. No annual rent to the county appraiser forever.
Every politician telling you that’s impossible either wants your vote without delivering or doesn’t live here and never will.
Put the clean amendment on the 2026 ballot. Let Floridians vote.
We’ll pass it by 70% and wonder why we ever tolerated anything else.
Because nothing says “Florida” like actually owning your damn house.
