Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills Wednesday in Bradenton aimed at limiting how much local governments can raise property taxes, adding new fuel to his push for a major tax cut ballot measure this fall.
The first bill, SB 4F, removes a provision that allowed cities, counties, and special taxing districts to factor in rising per-capita personal income when calculating the maximum property tax rate, or millage, they could set. Local governments can still approve a rate up to 10% above the “rolled back rate” — the rate needed to collect the same revenue as the previous year — but only with a two-thirds vote of their governing board, and without the income-growth boost that previously made bigger increases easier to justify.
SB 4F passed largely along party lines, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. Three Senate Democrats — Mack Bernard of West Palm Beach, Daryl Rouson of St. Petersburg, and Barbara Sharief of Miramar — crossed over to support it. The law took effect immediately upon DeSantis’ signature.
The bill was part of last month’s special legislative session, which also produced SB 2F, the ballot measure that would raise Florida’s homestead property tax exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028. That measure needs 60% voter approval in November to take effect.
The second bill signed Wednesday, HB 1329, was championed by Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who has been auditing local government budgets statewide as part of the broader tax-cut push. The law requires cities and counties to publish quarterly reports on employee compensation and to conduct an annual budget-cutting review. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
At the signing ceremony, DeSantis said the legislation would protect taxpayers. Ingoglia argued local governments wouldn’t rein in spending on their own, saying the new transparency requirements would expose excessive and wasteful spending that’s gone unchecked.
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