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Governor says he will seek ballot measure to phase in homestead property-tax exemption, touts Florida growth
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Summary
The governor announced plans to pursue a special legislative session to place a ballot measure exempting homestead properties from property tax, framed against claims that Florida's economy has grown from about $1.1 trillion to $1.85 trillion under his tenure and rising local property-tax revenues.
The governor urged Floridians to back a plan to phase in a constitutional exemption for homestead properties and said state leaders will pursue a special legislative session after May to put the measure on the ballot. “We've got to put it on the ballot,” the governor said, adding that the exemption would likely have to be phased in and that state surplus would help with the transition.
Why it matters: the governor framed the proposal as a response to sharply higher local property-tax collections and as a tool to provide taxpayer relief. He said local governments' property-tax revenue rose from about $32 billion in 2019 to roughly $60 billion today and warned the trajectory — which he projected could reach about $83 billion by 2031 — is not sustainable without reform.
The governor tied the proposal to broader fiscal and economic claims. He said Florida's economy grew from about $1.1 trillion when he took office to about $1.85 trillion, a roughly 70% increase over seven years, and asserted that more adjusted gross income moved into Florida during his tenure than into any other U.S. state in history. He also said the state has quadrupled its rainy-day fund and that it has retired more than half of the historical debt accumulated since statehood (claims attributed to the governor).
On policy specifics, the governor said homestead properties account for about 30% of the state's property-tax base (an estimate he gave while describing revenue shares) and that the state would need to phase in the exemption and provide transitional resources. “Ivan said, we'll give some of our surplus, you know, to help with the transition,” he said.
Taxes and comparisons: the governor criticized proposals in other states that he described as punitive, saying a proposed California wealth tax is poorly designed and would drive residents away. “They say they wanna do a 5% wealth tax...they're gonna drive so many people off,” he said, arguing the tax would be counterproductive and benefit public-sector unions.
Context and other priorities: the governor also listed achievements and priorities he tied to economic growth and education, mentioning tax cuts of roughly $10 billion over seven years, sales-tax exemptions for groceries, medicine and baby items, workforce-education efforts and investments in civic education and commemorative statues. He cited external rankings — including CNBC’s past rankings — as evidence of Florida’s economic standing (attributed claims).
What’s next: the governor said he expects to work with the legislature to schedule a special session after May to place the homestead exemption on the ballot; no specific date or ballot language was provided in the remarks. He closed by inviting questions from the audience.
Attributions: quotes and policy claims in this article are attributed to the speaker identified in the transcript as the governor. Numbers and projections presented above were spoken by the governor during the remarks and are reported here as his statements.
