The Florida Legislature voted Tuesday to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would dramatically expand homestead exemptions for primary homeowners, potentially making Florida the first state in the nation to slash property taxes at this scale.
The Republican-controlled Legislature passed House Joint Resolution 1-F mostly along party lines during a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis. If voters approve it in November, the measure would raise the state’s current homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, then to $250,000 in 2028, CBS News reports.
The expanded exemption applies to non-school property tax levies. Lawmakers modified DeSantis’ original proposal during the session to ring-fence school district funding, ensuring local school boards retain the ability to collect property tax revenue. That carveout addressed the most vocal objections but did not stop the measure from advancing mostly along party lines.
Florida’s current homestead exemption shields the first $50,000 of a primary home’s assessed value from most property taxes. Under the proposal heading to voters, that protected threshold would increase five-fold over two years.
DeSantis called the special session specifically to move the measure forward, framing it as direct relief for homeowners hit by rising home values, escalating insurance rates, and persistent inflation. The governor has described the property tax overhaul as the defining fiscal priority of his second term.
Voters must approve constitutional amendments in Florida by a 60 percent supermajority to take effect. No other state has proposed a homestead exemption of this size for primary homeowners. The measure arrives amid a broader push in Republican-led states to restructure or reduce property tax burdens. Florida’s proposal is the most aggressive to reach a legislative vote.
DeSantis has not outlined a ceiling for future exemption increases. His public remarks over the past year have framed the $250,000 threshold as a beginning rather than an endpoint.
