Talking about this on American Family Radio (AFR), DeSantis said taxing someone on a sale is one thing, but the government continuing to tax people on their property is not a good form of taxation.
"Philosophically, do you ever really own your property and your home if you have to continue to pay tax to the government just for the privilege of simply using what is supposed to be yours?" the governor posed. "It's almost like you're paying rent to the government. We have folks who've owned homes for 30, 40 years, and they're still having to write checks. That cuts against our idea of private property ownership."
DeSantis is proposing a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November 2026 to let voters decide on whether to get rid of property taxes entirely.
In the meantime, he has proposed a plan that will bring relief to over 5.1 million homesteaded properties across the state with rebates averaging $1,000 by the end of this year.
"What is going to get more bang for the buck for Florida residents – a property tax cut, or three quarters of a penny on a sales tax? Clearly, if you're a homeowner in Florida, you're going to do better on property tax relief," he told Jenna Ellis.
While his long-term goal is to eliminate property taxes, one homeowner in West Orlando can think of ways to put those tax dollars to good use.
"When you consider that we don't have a state income tax, our property taxes are set at a fair rate," the Floridian told AFN. "Rather than abolishing property taxes, we should instead be looking at ways to use property tax money to solve the property insurance crisis and to help Florida schools."
The governor has called on the Florida Legislature to grant the necessary authority to issue the rebates immediately, leveraging the state's strong revenue position to benefit full-time residents.
