Florida Governor Ron DeSantis intensified his campaign against property taxes on Tuesday, vowing to “end the rent” that homeowners pay to local governments.
Speaking during a press conference that began as a bill signing but quickly turned into a broader condemnation of the tax system, DeSantis delivered sharp criticism of what he called “an unjust system built on punishing people for owning property.”
The event, held in front of Florida homeowners and beachgoers, marked the signing of Senate Bill 1622, which repeals a provision related to the “customary use” doctrine affecting beach access. However, the Governor’s fiery remarks on property taxation took center stage.
DeSantis signaled support for a potential 2026 ballot initiative that would let Florida voters decide whether to eliminate or significantly reduce property taxes.
DeSantis said:
“The folks here really deserve it. I look around at people here, and every time I run into someone, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m a Florida resident now.’
‘When did you buy? Where are you at?’
They’ll be like, ‘Oh, I’m in Santa Rosa Beach.’
‘When did you buy the property?’
‘Oh, I bought it in 2018.’
I’m like, ‘You’ve made a lot of money off that property since then,’ because the values have gone up. While that’s good—because people that own it have more equity and more wealth—the reality is, if they’re going to come tell you your house is worth twice as much as what you purchased it for and you’ve got to pay higher taxes as a result, that’s a negative of having rising property values. And it’s an unrealized gain.
You sell your house? It’s one thing on a transaction for someone to say, ‘Okay, you’re taxed,’ like a sales tax. But to say you’re just enjoying property and, all of a sudden, the value rises—so you have to pony up?
We don’t really do that in anything else. I mean, you buy a stock, you hold it, and then you’re taxed when you sell it. The stock doubles—they don’t just tax you as you hold it.
So, unrealized gains is not the way you want to run a tax system. But our property tax system basically relies on these unrealized gains.
So, we’re going to work hard to provide relief. But ultimately, we can’t, as elected leaders, deliver the relief without the voters approving it at the ballot box.
Just get ready—you’re going to have an opportunity to do that.”
DeSantis expressed confidence that such an initiative would be well received, especially in Walton County and other areas along the Panhandle.
WATCH:
???? BREAKING: Governor Ron DeSantis goes off on property taxes, calls them unfair and ultimately wants them ABOLISHED.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 24, 2025
"To say you're just enjoying property and all of a sudden the value [goes up], so you have to pony up [to the government]? We don't really do that with ANYTHING… pic.twitter.com/grRPByrk3G
