{"id":3081,"date":"2026-06-06T11:33:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T11:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3081"},"modified":"2026-06-06T11:33:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T11:33:45","slug":"scare-tactics-and-survival-mode-battle-looms-on-florida-property-tax-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3081","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Scare tactics\u2019 and \u2018survival mode\u2019: Battle looms on Florida property tax vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Now that Floridians will decide in November whether to approve a historic property tax overhaul that would provide property tax relief at the expense of many essential local government services, expect an intense campaign for their votes.<\/p>\n

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In just the last few days, the rhetoric has already taken on a new level of specificity \u2014 and an air of desperation.<\/p>\n

Counties, cities and towns putting together their budgets for next year say if the property tax amendment passes, all manner of government services, from police and fire to park development, from mosquito control to annual Fourth of July celebrations could be curtailed.<\/p>\n

They are scrambling to come up with contingency plans, and began posting the potential impacts on their websites this week for their residents to study.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not opposed to it being on the ballot,\u201d Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann said. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be a challenge for every city. It will be survival mode.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if the moderately upscale, family-oriented Seminole County city were to close \u201cevery single park,\u201d cut all youth recreational programs, eliminate funding for the Scottish Highland Games and fireworks shows, McCann said, it still wouldn\u2019t be enough to balance the budget without that tax money. Because it is heavily residential, Winter Springs is among the Central Florida cities most dependent on homestead property taxes, the target of the planned cuts.<\/p>\n

The ballot amendment, proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and approved by the Legislature on Tuesday, would expand the current $50,000 homestead exemption on non-school taxes that residents have on their primary residences.<\/p>\n

If the measure is approved by voters, the exemption would go up to the first $150,000 of their home\u2019s assessed value starting January 1. That exemption would then increase again, to $250,000 in 2028. But school tax revenue would be shielded from the new exemptions.<\/p>\n

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Proponents say if the amendment passes, the average homeowner will save $2,000 on their property taxes \u2014 a figure that an Orlando Sentinel analysis shows would range from $2,300 in Orlando to about $1,500 in unincorporated Lake County. That could be tempting during the current affordability crisis that\u2019s struck Florida and the rest of the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDangling that carrot of $2,000 cash makes you feel good, but it doesn\u2019t address what services you are willing to give up for that, or wind up paying some other way,\u201d said Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Orlando, who voted against putting the measure on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe responsibility is now with local elected officials to educate the public,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

DeSantis has been pushing for property tax relief for more than a year. He and his allies have painted local governments as irresponsibly spending more than they need to on nonessential, even frivolous services, instead of giving surplus revenues back to the homeowners each year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen people say \u2018You can\u2019t do it, you\u2019re not going to have any services,\u2019 just ask them: \u2018Did we not have schools and police in 2019 when they were taking in $32 billion? Of course we did,\u201d DeSantis said during a recent press conference, where he said local revenues have doubled since he took office in 2019.<\/p>\n

Blaise Ingoglia, a former state senator DeSantis appointed as Chief Financial Officer in July,\u00a0 has been his staunchest ally, calling the messaging from local governments \u201cscare tactics\u201d from \u201capologists for big government.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeSantis and other amendment supporters have a high bar to get the ballot measure approved \u2013 60% of the vote.<\/p>\n

And homestead exemptions have a checkered track record with voters.<\/p>\n

They enthusiastically approved raising the original homestead exemption of $5,000 to $25,000 in 1980. And in 2008, Floridians overwhelmingly voted in favor of doubling the homestead exemption to $50,000.<\/p>\n

But a 2018 amendment to raise the homestead exemption again, to $75,000, fell short with 58% of the vote, and a 2022 amendment to provide an additional $50,000 exemption to public servants like teachers, police and firefighters also did not get the 60% need for passage.<\/p>\n

Still, recent polls show a majority of voters support property tax relief \u2014 at least until it is explained to them that those tax cuts could jeopardize essential services like public safety and libraries. That last finding gives local governments hope.<\/p>\n

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If the 2026 measure passes, cities and counties will lose billions of dollars that currently pay for libraries, parks, healthcare, veterans services, senior centers, and child care, all services that are left unprotected by the language of the measure. Smaller cities and fiscally constrained counties would be hit even harder, because they lack the alternative resources and large-scale commercial property base that would help larger governments absorb the blow from losing homesteaded property tax revenues, according to reports from city and county analysts.<\/p>\n

The cuts will also impact their ability to pay off massive municipal bonds that were issued for public works projects.<\/p>\n

The three west Orange County cities of Apopka, Ocoee and Winter Garden are hatching plans to consolidate services among them if the measure passes. They\u2019ve produced an 11-page white paper that outlines the impact of the tax cuts and what measures they could take to soften the blow.<\/p>\n

Homestead revenue accounts for 30% to 40% of their budgets, they said. That revenue provides the cornerstone for essential services like police and fire protection, road maintenance, parks and recreation, code enforcement and basic government functions \u201cthat have no significant alternative revenue streams.\u201d<\/p>\n