Florida House speaker appoints select committee to develop property-tax ballot proposals

Speaker Daniel Perez announced the formation of a select committee on property taxes and named Representatives Toby Overdorf and Vicky Lopez to serve as co-chairs. “This select committee will meet beginning this week with the goal of producing 1 or more joint resolutions by the start of our fall committee weeks,” Perez said, adding that he intends for the House to pass a property-tax plan in the first week of the 2026 regular session for placement on the November 2026 ballot.

Perez told members the panel will work through the spring, summer, and fall and urged interested lawmakers to notify the speaker’s office or the co-chairs by the end of the day. “Any property tax reforms would need to be placed on the November 2026 ballot for consideration by the voters of Florida,” he said, noting that the Florida Constitution limits the legislature’s direct control over local property taxes.

To jump-start the committee’s work the speaker distributed five draft House proposals that he described as “starting points” rather than finished policy. They include: (1) requiring local referendums on elimination of homestead property taxes; (2) creating a $500,000 homestead exemption for non-school property taxes (rising to $1 million for homeowners age 65 or long-term homesteads); (3) authorizing the legislature to raise the homestead exemption by statute; (4) changing assessment-limitation caps (for example, moving a 3% annual homestead cap to 3% every three years); and (5) prohibiting government foreclosure of homestead property for unpaid taxes.

Perez emphasized the committee should move beyond rhetoric. “Saying property taxes are bad isn’t the basis for developing a plan,” he said, and asked members prepared to take the committee assignment to be ready to work through later months. He said the House wants specific options and stakeholder engagement so voters will have a clear choice on any constitutional amendments placed on the ballot.

The speaker closed by acknowledging the potential fiscal impacts on local governments and urging frank review and public input from the committee.

Ending: The select committee will begin meeting immediately and aims to deliver proposed joint resolutions in time for fall committee weeks; members who want to serve were asked to contact the speaker’s office or the named co-chairs by the end of the legislative day.