As the Florida state legislature gathered in Tallahassee for a special session on potential changes to Florida's property tax system, Longboat Key Town Commission discussed how best to get their point across in a letter arguing against major property tax reductions. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been advocating for huge changes to property taxes in the state, but details on what reform would look like were not shared until recently when DeSantis shared the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” last week. A graphic shared on DeSantis’ social media platforms shows that the plan calls for eventually exempting the first $250,000 of a homesteaded property’s value from taxation. “If we were starting from scratch, I would not do a system that relied on that type of taxation. I mean think about it, they’ll justify it and say you have to pay property tax because you’re using police or you’re using these services. Well, wait a minute. If you bought a house that you bought for $330,000 and now it’s worth $900,000, are you using three times as much services? No,” DeSantis said. “There’s not really a connection to what you’re consuming and what they’re charging you.” But it’s not a blank slate, DeSantis said, and to gain 60% approval among the House, Senate and eventually voters, the homestead exemption has been proposed. Local governments, counties and other organizations across the state have pushed back . Property taxes are the main revenue source for municipalities and counties. In Longboat Key, 76% of the town’s 2026 fiscal year budget revenue came from property taxes, and 58% of expenses went to police and fire. Town Manager Howard Tipton and other local leaders have been ringing the alarm bells on the issue for months, saying major property tax reform would cripple local governments’ ability to fund vital public safety and infrastructure costs without some kind of new revenue stream. But with details released on the proposal on a Wednesday and a special session on the topic beginning Monday, Tipton and town leaders are now getting a bit more pointed in their comments. A letter sent on behalf of the town to Florida Rep. Will Robinson, Chair of the State Affairs Committee, is strongly worded. “For months, there has been ample opportunity to disclose to the public and the local governments impacted the details of any tax reform. That would have provided full transparency and the opportunity for public engagement prior to the special session,” the letter reads. “Instead, we are treated to political theater and something that's been crafted to achieve the 60% (voter and legislator approval) threshold, rather than making Florida and its local governments stronger and more resilient.” DeSantis’ proposal does not get into the specifics of how local government services would be funded other than a bullet point on a graphic that says the state would establish a trust fund to provide grants to local governments “to assist with the continuation of core local services.” He has also pledged not to raise sales taxes in Florida. Longboat Key’s letter says that “in a small, efficient, and well-run Town, all services are core services.” The town describes the Governor’s proposal for property tax reform as incomplete and shared on short notice. It urges the state to take a more measured approach, pointing out that the Florida Constitution outlines that every 20 years a Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is to meet to consider and recommend changes to taxes at the state and local level. “This would be a thoughtful alternative that would allow all sides of the issue to weigh in before anything is placed on the ballot,” the letter reads. “The obvious problem with this thoughtful and inclusive approach is that the Commission doesn’t meet until 2027, and that is a timing issue for our outgoing governor.” Commissioners fine-tuned the content of the letter at Monday’s Commission meeting, and also voiced some frustration. “This is something that’s being pushed down our throats. The Senate has nodded their heads and said 'yeah, yeah, we’ll do what you want.' The House has said we don’t have anything to look at yet,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said. “I’m more than frustrated with Tallahassee. I’m hoping that somebody in Tallahassee develops a backbone.” Town Attorney Maggie Mooney agreed with the contents of the letter despite the strong wording. “Most of the time we are very careful with what we put out there, but I think this is an extreme time,” Mooney said. “This is a particularly poignant letter, but with good reason.”
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