House Property Tax Proposals Up Tuesday

On Tuesday, December 2, from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (ET), the House State Affairs Committee will consider four bills that propose changes to Florida’s property tax structure. This is the second committee stop for the bills.



The bills are expected to pass the Committee and then go to the House Ways & Means Committee for consideration on Wednesday, December 10. 

Below is a brief summary of the House bills.

Elimination

HJR 201 (Steele) eliminates non-school homestead property taxes outright. If approved, homeowners would no longer pay city/county non-school levies on their primary residence. HJR 201 is estimated to have an annually recurring negative fiscal impact of $18.3 billion.

New Exemptions

HJR 205 (Porras) exempts Florida residents over 65 from paying non-school homestead property taxes. HJR 205 is estimated to have an annually recurring negative fiscal impact of $6.7 billion.

CS/HJR 209 (Busatta) establishes a property insurance relief homestead exemption by granting an additional $200,000 non-school exemption to homestead owners who maintain property insurance. CS/HJR 209 is estimated to have an annually recurring negative fiscal impact of $8.6 billion.

Expanded Benefits

HJR 211 (Overdorf) eliminates the cap on “portability” of Save Our Homes (SOH) benefits, allowing homeowners to transfer their accumulated SOH differential to a new primary residence, even when the replacement home is of lesser value. HJR 211 is estimated to have an annually recurring negative fiscal impact of $337 million.

Senate Community Affairs Committee - FLC to Present

Also on Tuesday, December 2, from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m (ET), FLC staff will participate in a presentation to the Senate Community Affairs Committee on local government revenues, expenditures, and budgeting practices.

Please contact Charles Chapman with any questions.

Property Tax Toolkit

It is important to continue communicating with your Senator on how your city uses property taxes. The League has prepared a Property Tax Toolkit to help you communicate clearly with your community and legislators. The toolkit includes ready-to-use messaging materials to help you explain how property taxes work and why they matter. 

House Sovereign Immunity Bill Up Wednesday

On Wednesday, December 3, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., the House Budget Committee will consider HB 145 (McFarland). The bill would significantly increase the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions (which include cities).

Under current law, cities and other governmental entities may be held liable for up to $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident for negligence or other tort claims. HB 145 would significantly increase those limits and loosen key procedural safeguards. For causes of action that accrue on or after October 1, 2026, the liability caps would increase to $500,000 per person and $1 million per incident, and for claims accruing on or after October 1, 2031, the limits would further rise to $600,000 per person and $1.2 million per incident.



Raising the caps on government liability in negligence lawsuits would impose a massive financial burden on local taxpayers.

Please contact David Cruz with any questions.

Watch Legislative Meetings

All House/Senate Committee meetings will be broadcast on the Florida Channel. (Watch - The Florida Channel).