Florida, Ohio Advance Sweeping Property Tax Reform Plans

Lawmakers in Florida and Ohio are pushing property tax overhauls that could cut monthly costs for homeowners — but also reshape local funding for schools, safety forces and other services.

The efforts, some immediate, others phased in, arrive as both states confront escalating homeowner costs and political pressure for relief.

In Florida, House Republicans advanced a slate of non-school property tax reductions through initial committees last week, including measures that would wipe out such taxes outright or phase them out over 10 years.

A separate bill would eliminate non-school property taxes only for residents 65 and older.

“This is a targeted approach to help those who need it the most,” Miami Republican Rep. Juan Porras told local outlet Spectrum News 13. “Our most vulnerable communities, those who have built the cities and counties, the areas that we all represent.”

Another proposal would lock in law enforcement funding by mandating police budgets remain untouched.

If approved by the Legislature, the constitutional amendments would head to Florida voters in 2026, where they would need 60% support.

Democrats warned of steep consequences for cities and counties that rely heavily on property taxes.

The Florida Policy Institute estimates a $43 billion gap in funding needed to maintain services under the House proposals.

“We should not be putting our local governments in a situation where we’re taking away tools, only to have them shift that burden in some other way,” said House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell. “That is actually going to have the most adverse impacts on the people who need our help the most.”

The Florida Senate has filed no companion bills, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has criticized placing multiple tax amendments on the 2026 ballot, calling it a flawed approach, Spectrum News 13 added.

Florida’s property tax burden has shifted strongly toward residential property owners over the last three decades.

State data shows that residential parcels now account for more than 70% of property taxes levied statewide — up from a much smaller share in earlier decades.

Five bills head to Ohio Governor’s desk

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is reviewing five sweeping property tax bills the GOP-led Legislature approved in rapid succession, which follows a long timeline of public feedback on the matter.

Proposals follow DeWine’s earlier vetoes of tax changes in the state budget — vetoes lawmakers initially vowed to override before backing down after one override involving substitute and emergency levies.

The measures would let county officials scale back previously voter-approved levies, restrict tax bill growth to the rate of inflation, expand opportunities for reductions and shift the burden of proof in valuation disputes.

“Our taxpayers, whom we represent, want property tax relief,” Republican Sen. Sandra O’Brien told Ohio Capital Journal. “The bills that we are about to vote on offer them that relief.”

She also warned of a separate ballot effort to eliminate property taxes entirely — arguing that scenario, if successful, would “place Ohio at the edge of the abyss.”

DeWine said Friday he will evaluate the bills based on recommendations from a property tax working group he convened.

That group reportedly weighs funding needs for schools and local services against homeowners’ rising costs and offers guidance on several measures — including millage caps and defining when voted levies may be reduced.

“So, I’ll judge those bills based upon what the committee came up with,” DeWine said. “In a few days, we’ll have some comments about that.”

Over the past 30 years, state policy changes have shifted more of the tax burden onto Ohio’s residential property owners and away from businesses.

Ohio’s residential dollars rose from representing a mid-50% range of the total property tax pool in 1999 to the high-60% to low-70% range by the 2010s and into the 2020s, according to state data.