St. Pete-Clearwater Sun

Local governments across the Tampa Bay region are raising concerns about a state property tax relief plan being debated in a special legislative session in Tallahassee, warning that cuts to property tax revenue could force reductions to city services beyond public safety.

Florida lawmakers convened a special session to consider major changes to the state’s property tax system. A vote on the measure could come as early as Wednesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal, called “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” would exempt the first $250,000 of a homestead’s assessed value from taxation, limit future property tax assessments on businesses, and require local governments to use remaining property tax revenue only for core public services such as education, public safety, and infrastructure. A state trust fund would be created to help offset the financial impact on local governments.

Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty said the county would absorb roughly a 24% reduction to its general fund if the proposal moves forward as written. He cautioned that the plan’s complexity makes a broad, uniform approach difficult to apply fairly across all municipalities.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned that property tax revenue currently funds more than just police and fire services. “If there are dramatic cuts to property tax, then there will be some dramatic adjustments,” she said.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch raised similar concerns, saying a $78 million reduction in property tax revenue would put non-public-safety spending — including housing programs, arts funding, and parks — at risk.

Lawmakers made some revisions during the session, including protecting public school districts from being affected and preserving cities’ and counties’ ability to use property tax revenue to fund certain constitutional offices, such as tax collectors and supervisors of elections.

For the measure to appear on the November ballot, the joint resolution must pass both chambers of the Florida Legislature with at least a 60% supermajority vote.

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