Florida
Florida Property Tax Proposal Schools Impact: Teachers Union Warns Stakes Are Enormous
The Florida Education Association warns that Governor Ron DeSantis’ proposal to expand homestead property tax exemptions threatens public school funding across the state. The union cautions that eliminating billions in local tax revenue puts essential education resources at severe risk.
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Florida’s largest statewide teacher union says schools would be at risk under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to significantly increase the homestead property tax exemption.
DeSantis’ proposal would exempt $150,000 of a homestead property’s value from property taxes, effective Jan. 1, 2027, if the Legislature agrees during a special session next week and if 60% of voters agree in November.
DeSantis Homestead Exemption Plan Draws Pushback
Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar called the proposal “a major structural change to how Florida funds schools, public safety, infrastructure, and other essential local services.”
“The stakes for public education are enormous. Local funding accounts for roughly 46% of the Florida Education Finance Program statewide, and in some districts the local share approaches 90%. Homestead property taxes alone account for approximately $7.7 billion in school district property-tax revenue,” Spar said in an email response to the Phoenix.
The exemption on Jan. 1, 2028, would increase to $250,000, with potential for additional increases in the future.
To ensure core services continue to get funded by county governments, DeSantis proposed a new trust fund be developed. Such a trust fund would be established following the November election by the Legislature and his office if the measure passes, he said. Core local services needing a trust fund, as defined in the resolution in front of the legislature next week, include education, law enforcement, and infrastructure.
The Florida House, during the regular legislative session, passed a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate homesteads from property taxes while preserving taxes that go to schools. But that never moved in the Senate.
Florida School Funding Property Taxes and Local Revenue
“Florida families are being squeezed by real costs. The answer is not to destabilize public schools or put local services at the mercy of political decisions in Tallahassee. Florida needs affordability solutions, like capping insurance rate hikes and taxing insurance corporations’ excess profits, that lower costs for families while protecting the public schools and core services our communities rely on,” Spar said.
While struggling with affordability, some families, Spar said, cannot afford a home.
“The governor’s tax proposal will likely not provide the relief Florida’s families need and, in fact, may hurt the quality of life in their communities and the programs they count on,” Spar wrote.
Local governments pay nearly half of school funding. Property taxes contribute much of the local government contribution to schools. A local government’s share of the contribution to education funding depends on property values and taxes levied on those properties.
“Phasing out homestead property taxes would strip local communities of critical revenue, worsen instability for families, and put neighborhood public schools at immediate risk. Florida’s public schools are already strained by chronic underfunding, teacher and staff shortages, and the diversion of billions of dollars to voucher programs with far less transparency and accountability than traditional public schools,” Spar wrote.
“Removing a major local revenue source without a guaranteed, permanent replacement would make it even harder for students to get the resources they need in their own communities.”
DeSantis has been discussing elimination of all property taxes for more than a year, although he eventually narrowed his plan to elimination of homestead property taxes only.
According to the a Florida Association of Counties analysis of Florida Department of Revenue data, homestead properties generate about 35% of property tax revenue while non-homestead properties such non-homesteaded residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties contribute about 65%.
Originally published by Florida Phoenix. Author: Jay Waagmeester. Read the original story.
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