DeSantis doubles down on his stance to eliminate local property taxes in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez are at odds over whose tax cut proposal is best.

DeSantis, during a Monday press conference in Orlando, advocated for an immediate property tax reduction for all Florida homestead residents. He’s urging the House to swap its sales-tax proposal for a one-time property tax break for those owners.

“People need relief," the governor said. "We’re in good fiscal shape. We have the ability to provide relief. We have a responsibility to get it done.”

Perez, R-Miami, on the other hand, wants to decrease the state’s sales tax. The House recently proposed dropping sales taxes from 6% to 5.25% — which would cover more people, including those who visit and spend in Florida.

“Tax dollars don’t belong to the government. They belong to the people," Perez said last week on the House floor.

DeSantis argues the focus should be kept on the residents who occupy homes in Florida and are being forced to pay more in taxes after their property assessments have gone up.

At Monday’s press conference, DeSantis called for a constitutional amendment eliminating property taxes to be on next year’s ballot.

He said if the amendment passes, all Florida homestead property owners would get a $1,000 tax break.

“The tax relief needs to be Florida first," DeSantis said. "We need to focus on our Florida residents. In this case, our Florida homeowners, particularly our homesteaded homeowners.”

DeSantis has been critical of local governments seeing revenue increases due to increasing property values and wants to scale that back.

Senate President Ben Albritton issued a statement Monday saying he is critical of the idea of cutting taxes because of its potential harmful effects on the state’s budget.

"Cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised two years from now to address budget shortfalls," Albritton said. "No one wants a repeat of the Great Recession."