Florida's Property Tax Proposal Is About Power, Not Taxes
No, Ending Property Taxes Isn't Smaller Government
What most property rights activists don’t understand is that the push to abolish property taxes in Florida is predicated on the state government paying for local services out of its surplus.
If you listen to DeSantis explain his reasoning, this becomes clear. The state is currently running a surplus from sales and corporate tax collections, so the proposal is to pass that economic prosperity on to citizens by ending property taxes.
But the state doesn’t collect property tax, and they don’t pay for local services. Property taxes are collected by local municipalities to fund local needs.
Basically, the state is not reducing its tax collection at all. It’s just offering to pick up the tab on local costs.
Why? Ostensibly, to starve local governments of financial resources.
This is a move to centralize power at the state level. State leadership has an “open for business” vision of Florida. That means more development and fewer government regulations.
Every time you show up to a local city meeting to protest zoning changes for data centers, oppose Blue Origin dumping waste into the Indian River, or push back against multifamily housing developments, you’re standing in the way of that vision.
Ending property taxes clears the way for the state to pursue its agenda without having to worry about local governments standing in the way anymore.
And the craziest part is that DeSantis won’t even be governor anymore, so any trust you have in him is irrelevant.
The reality is that, based on current polling, the most likely outcome is that Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor. He’ll be the one setting policy, and your local voice will have far less influence.
You get what you pay for, and if you’re going to pay for nothing, you will get what you’re given.