Florida lawmakers on Tuesday approved a sweeping property tax relief proposal backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, sending a constitutional amendment to the November ballot that would dramatically expand homestead exemptions while shielding school district funding from the plan’s impact.
The vote, according to CBS News Miami’s Joan Murray, was 30-9 in the Florida Senate and 75-26 in the Florida House. According to reporting by the News Service of Florida, the vote mostly followed party lines, except three Democrats voted for the measure and two Republicans voted against.
Three Democratic senators, Mack Bernard of West Palm Beach, Daryl Rouson of St. Petersburg, and Barbara Sharief of Miramar voted for the measure.
Rep. Nathan Boyles, R-Baker, and Patt Maney, R-Shalimar, were the only Republicans voting against the constitutional amendment.
The measure would increase Florida’s current $50,000 homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, though the expanded exemption would not apply to school district property tax levies.
Voters will have the final say in November, and the constitutional amendment will require at least 60% support to take effect.
Lawmakers amended the proposal ahead of the final votes after concerns from local governments, firefighters and Democrats that the original plan could significantly reduce revenue used to fund local services. A House staff analysis estimated the proposal would reduce annual revenue to non-school governments by $4.6 billion initially, growing to $8.4 billion per year. The legislation also lowers the cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties and limits property tax revenues to core government services such as public safety, infrastructure, stormwater management and education.
Source:
Diem ‘Richard’ Nguyen
Liên Minh Bảo Hiến Mỹ Gốc Việt
Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance (VACA)
https://freedom-vaca.org/vaca-blog-tieng-viet-nam/