Florida wants to be the first state in the country with no income tax and no property tax on your home.
Let that sink in for a second. No income tax. No property tax. In a state with 23 million people, aging infrastructure, and hurricane season every single year.
Sounds amazing. Also sounds like someone forgot to check the math.
The House Said Yes. The Senate Said Nothing.
On February 19, the Florida House passed HJR 203 with an 80-30 vote. The resolution proposed a constitutional amendment to phase out property taxes on homestead properties... your primary residence... over ten years. Each year, the exemption would increase by $100,000 until eventually your entire home value is exempt.
School taxes would stay. Everything else would go.
Then the bill went to the Senate. And the Senate Appropriations Committee just... didn't hear it. The regular session ended on March 13. HJR 203 died in committee without a vote.
Governor DeSantis, who has been pushing this idea since late 2025, was not pleased. He's called a special session for the week of April 20 to address redistricting, the state budget, and... property taxes.
So the bill is dead. But also not dead. It's Florida.
The 60% Problem
Even if the Senate passes something in the special session, it's not law. It's a proposed constitutional amendment. That means it goes on the November 2026 ballot, and 60% of Florida voters need to say yes.
Sixty percent. In Florida.
For context... the 2024 abortion rights amendment got 57% of the vote and failed. No presidential candidate has hit 60% in Florida in modern history. The threshold exists specifically to make constitutional changes difficult.
So even in the best-case scenario where the legislature agrees, the governor signs off, and the amendment makes the ballot... it still has to survive the most skeptical electorate in the country.
Where Does the Money Come From?
This is the part nobody wants to talk about in detail.
Florida's local governments collected roughly $51 billion in property taxes in 2024. That pays for fire departments, sheriff's offices, libraries, parks, and about a thousand other things you use without thinking about.
The phase-out would eliminate the homestead portion of that over a decade. School taxes stay, but everything else gradually disappears from your bill.
The assumption is that Florida's booming economy and sales tax revenue will fill the gap. That's a bet on continued population growth, continued tourism, and continued consumer spending... for ten consecutive years... with no recessions.
A Realtor.com study estimated that eliminating property taxes would push Florida home prices up by 9%. So your tax bill goes down, your home value goes up, and anyone trying to buy their first home pays even more.
You saved money. Congratulations. Your kids can't afford to live near you.
What DeSantis Is Actually Doing
DeSantis has been strategic about this. He backed the idea publicly in late 2025, let the House take the political risk of passing it first, and now gets to position himself as the guy fighting for property tax elimination when the Senate wouldn't act.
The special session gives him another shot. If the Senate passes something, he's the hero. If they don't, he's the guy who tried while the legislature blocked progress.
Either way, it's a good look heading into whatever comes next for Ron DeSantis. And something always comes next for Ron DeSantis.
What This Means for Florida Homeowners
Here's where things actually stand:
- ›Right now: Nothing has changed. Your property tax bill is the same as it was going to be.
- ›April 20: Watch the special session. If the Senate passes a property tax amendment, it goes to the November ballot.
- ›November 2026: If it makes the ballot, you'll vote on it. It needs 60% to pass.
- ›If it passes: The phase-out begins. Your homestead exemption increases by $100,000 each year. School taxes remain.
- ›If it fails: Politicians will promise to try again. They always do.
To check your county's property tax due dates, find your county here.
The Bottom Line
Florida eliminating property taxes on your home would be genuinely historic. No state has done it. The idea has real momentum and a governor willing to spend political capital on it.
But momentum is not math. The Senate killed the first attempt. The 60% voter threshold is brutal. And the question nobody's answered convincingly is what happens to local services when tens of billions of dollars vanish from county budgets over a decade.
Florida loves a big idea. This one's as big as they come. Whether it's genius or fantasy depends entirely on details that don't exist yet.
Florida property tax due dates vary by county but are generally due by March 31, with discounts for early payment starting November 1. Set up a free reminder so you don't miss yours.