Governor Ron DeSantis recently voiced his support for ending property taxes in Florida. If successful, Florida would be the first state to eliminate property taxes. However, opponents argue that property taxes are a crucial revenue source for local governments.

“Is it your property or not? You’re basically paying rent to the government to live on your own property,” DeSantis remarked.

Property taxes fund essential local services such as schools, roads, parks, and emergency services like firefighters and police.

“This is something else that sounds like a very sexy idea, but in practice, it would actually wreak havoc on our local communities,” said House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell.

As of Tuesday, Florida Republicans have proposed two property insurance measures. One proposal would commission a study to analyze the implications of eliminating property tax, while the other would raise the state’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 annually.

“We have to have a balanced budget,” said Florida Policy Institute Policy Analyst Esteban Leonardo Santis. “If you get rid of a key revenue source, you’re either going to have to make cuts to account for that, or you’re going to have to increase taxes elsewhere.”

One potential solution is a higher sales tax. The Florida Policy Institute estimates that Florida would need to recover $43 billion to replace property tax revenue.

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