Florida House approves constitutional amendment to phase out non‑school property taxes on homesteads
February 19, 2026 | 2026 Legislature FL, Florida
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The Florida House passed CS/CS for CS for House Joint Resolution 203 on Feb. 19, sending a proposed constitutional amendment to the ballot that would phase out non‑school ad valorem taxes on homesteaded property and bar local governments from reducing total funding for law‑enforcement, firefighters and other first responders.
Representative Miller, the sponsor, said the House worked with a select committee on property taxes and called the measure the chamber's answer to calls for tax relief. "Floridians have been clamoring for relief from property taxes," Miller said while introducing the resolution, adding that the plan would phase out non‑school ad valorem taxes over 10 years and, if enacted by voters, take effect beginning in a specified year.
On the House floor Miller gave a numerical estimate for the measure's first‑year impact and long‑term cost, saying the first year would reduce local revenue by about $4,800,000,000 and that the overall impact would reach roughly $14,700,000,000. He closed debate and offered an amendment to move the phase‑out forward, saying he believed local governments could absorb the change.
Opponents pressed Miller on fiscal modeling and local consequences. Representative Nixon called the measure "ridiculous," warning that removing nearly $4.8 billion from local governments would force either cuts to essential services or regressive tax shifts such as higher sales taxes. Other members warned the proposal could raise borrowing costs for municipalities, strain water and hospital districts and put vulnerable rural counties at financial risk.
The House adopted Miller's amendment to eliminate non‑school property taxes immediately (the sponsor's amendment was adopted on the floor), then approved the Joint Resolution on final passage by a recorded vote of 80 yeas to 30 nays. The resolution, if certified and not blocked by other steps, would go before Florida voters on the November 2026 ballot.
What happens next: The House's passage sends the language through required legislative and administrative steps toward ballot placement. The measure's implementing language and the methods local governments would use to replace lost revenues would be determined in later sessions, a point opponents noted repeatedly on the floor.
Representative Miller, the sponsor, said the House worked with a select committee on property taxes and called the measure the chamber's answer to calls for tax relief. "Floridians have been clamoring for relief from property taxes," Miller said while introducing the resolution, adding that the plan would phase out non‑school ad valorem taxes over 10 years and, if enacted by voters, take effect beginning in a specified year.
On the House floor Miller gave a numerical estimate for the measure's first‑year impact and long‑term cost, saying the first year would reduce local revenue by about $4,800,000,000 and that the overall impact would reach roughly $14,700,000,000. He closed debate and offered an amendment to move the phase‑out forward, saying he believed local governments could absorb the change.
Opponents pressed Miller on fiscal modeling and local consequences. Representative Nixon called the measure "ridiculous," warning that removing nearly $4.8 billion from local governments would force either cuts to essential services or regressive tax shifts such as higher sales taxes. Other members warned the proposal could raise borrowing costs for municipalities, strain water and hospital districts and put vulnerable rural counties at financial risk.
The House adopted Miller's amendment to eliminate non‑school property taxes immediately (the sponsor's amendment was adopted on the floor), then approved the Joint Resolution on final passage by a recorded vote of 80 yeas to 30 nays. The resolution, if certified and not blocked by other steps, would go before Florida voters on the November 2026 ballot.
What happens next: The House's passage sends the language through required legislative and administrative steps toward ballot placement. The measure's implementing language and the methods local governments would use to replace lost revenues would be determined in later sessions, a point opponents noted repeatedly on the floor.
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