Florida, famously, does not have a state income tax, one of just nine states that lacks one. The state’s constitution was amended in 1968 to prevent the state from ever enacting one, while another constitutional amendment was passed in the state in 2018 to require a two-thirds supermajority in the legislature to raise any tax or fee.
This policy has attracted a lot of people to Florida over the years, from retirees to entrepreneurs to Major League Baseball players, many of whom make a point to establish residency in Florida, often near their team’s spring training facility.
But it seems Florida has bigger plans.
No Property Taxes: How Does Florida Afford This?
Per the James Madison Institute, Florida draws about 80 percent of its revenue from a sales tax. The state’s economics are also different from most, in that the state gets a great deal of funding from its its robust tourism industry.
“Florida is a tax-friendly state because its government generates its tax revenue primarily from consumption taxes like the sales tax and property tax,” the Madison Institute says. “And the taxes it collects are not very high.”
Another Tax Modification?
Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed an action to make Florida even more tax-friendly: Elimination of the state’s property taxes.
A state senator, Ryan Chamberlin, has introduced legislation to “study” the possibility of getting rid of property taxes in the state, and DeSantis has endorsed the proposal.
“This is the beginning step,” Chamberlin told The Center Square earlier this month. “It may take a few years. We’re going to come back and put some serious meat on it in its next phase.”
“The taxes are one thing we can control through government action,” DeSantis said this week in regards to the proposal.
The governor, who ran for president unsuccessfully in the 2024 cycle, appeared on Fox News earlier this month to discuss the idea. In the interview, he made clear that getting rid of property taxes would require a state constitutional amendment, which would require the approval of 60 percent of voters.
“We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%,” the governor said on Fox. “I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.”
Even if the amendment passed, the change would almost certainly not go into effect until after DeSantis is out of office.
The Trump Team Likes Florida’s Big Idea
And despite the considerable Trump/DeSantis tension, which has continued with the president and governor publicly disagreeing about who the party should back as DeSantis’ successor in 2026, Eric Trump has praised the property tax proposal, stating on X that “Florida leading the way! This is amazing!”
Florida isn’t the only place where that idea has been floated. A state lawmaker in Pennsylvania has introduced legislation to also put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban property taxes in that commonwealth, starting in 2030.
Other states have played with the idea, although such an amendment has never been enacted anywhere in the country.
The Case Against Property Tax Repeal
However, there are plenty of reasons for opposition to such a radical change.
It would mark a huge disruption, and almost certainly lead to a rise in other taxes. Property taxes fund essential things, especially schools, roads, and other infrastructure, and that money would have to come from somewhere.
The Florida Policy Institute this week published a report opposing the idea, titled “A Risky Proposition: Weakening Local Governments by Eliminating Property Tax Revenue.”
Mickey Mouse in Walt Disney World. Image taken in December 2022 by 19FortyFive.
The study found that the elimination of property tax would require a need to raise $43 billion, or $2,015 per capita, to “maintain public services currently funded with property tax revenue.”
“In Florida, eliminating property taxes would not only erode local fiscal autonomy — it would also exacerbate the state’s reliance on sales taxes, which disproportionately overburden families and workers with low to moderate income,” the report says.
About the Author: Steven Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
