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DeSantis touts debt reduction, tax relief and says property-tax ballot measure is next
Summary
At the Sept. 8 event Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida has paid down a large share of state-supported debt since he took office, touted nearly $10 billion in tax relief under his administration and said the state will pursue a ballot measure to provide property-tax relief for primary residences.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida has reduced state-supported debt and highlighted recent tax relief measures while saying the administration will push to place a property-tax relief measure before voters.
"Just since I've been governor, paid off almost 50% of that," DeSantis said of state tax-supported debt, adding that a per-capita share of current Florida debt would be "about $450." He contrasted that with U.S. federal debt, which he said would require roughly $106,000 per American to extinguish.
DeSantis described an accelerated debt-repayment program in which the state buys bonds on the open market and retires them early to save interest costs. He credited state bond-finance staff for the effort and said the administration will continue the program.
The governor also described recent tax-relief steps: he said Florida delivered roughly $2 billion in tax relief in the past year and nearly $10 billion since he took office. He singled out the elimination of the business-rent tax, which he said cost "$1,500,000,000" this fiscal year and was unique among states.
On property taxes, DeSantis said significant relief for primary residences cannot be enacted by ordinary legislative statute because the Florida Constitution requires a ballot question for certain property-tax changes. "It actually requires... to put the question on the ballot, and the people need to vote it in," he said, and said the administration will work with legislators to provide Floridians an opportunity to vote on property-tax relief.
DeSantis criticized some local government budget increases as property values have risen, citing Broward County as an example where he said budgets rose about 60% in four years despite little population growth. He said offering property-tax relief is the preferred path for direct relief to homeowners.
The governor framed the measures as relief after inflationary pressures on households and said the state will continue seeking policies that return revenue to residents rather than accumulate large surpluses.
DeSantis did not present draft ballot language or an implementation timetable for a property-tax question during the event; he said a public vote would be required under the constitution.
